"Wait," Kai said, stopping at the door. He turned back to the counter.
"Forget saving the rest. I need to convert this cash into combat power. Now."
Leo raised an eyebrow, his mechanical eye whirring. "Smart choice. If The Butcher catches you, a savings account won't help."
Kai placed the remaining stack of bills on the glass—$4,800.
"My Mana capacity is the bottleneck. The F-Rank potions are trash; I'd drown before I recovered enough mana to summon an army. I need the good stuff."
Leo nodded and reached under the counter, pulling out a velvet-lined case.
Inside were vials of glowing, sapphire-blue liquid. Unlike the watery F-Rank sludge, these sparkled with concentrated energy.
[Mana Potion (Grade D)]
Effect: Instantly restores 200 Mana.
Cooldown: 60 seconds.
Price: $800 each.
"Eight hundred a pop," Leo said. "Pricey, but they save lives."
"Give me five," Kai said.
Leo slid five vials across the counter. That was $4,000 gone in seconds.
Kai stored them in his Inventory. The weight of the empty wallet felt heavy in a different way, but looking at his Status Screen, he felt reassured.
1,000 potential Mana stored in inventory. That's enough to summon Jack five times over, or resurrect a small platoon.
"And I need one last favor," Kai said, pointing at the holographic map on the wall. "I can't use my real ID to enter the dungeon. The Guild is watching the logs."
"You need a Ghost ID," Leo sighed. "You're bleeding me dry, kid."
He tossed a plain white plastic card to Kai.
"It's a burner. Registered to a dead freelancer named 'Jin'. It'll get you past the automated gates of public dungeons, but don't try to use it at a Guild bank."
"Cost?"
"On the house," Leo grunted. "Consider it an investment in my 'Exclusive Supplier'. Just don't die."
Kai smirked beneath his hood. "Pleasure doing business."
[District 4 - "Den of Wolves" (D-Rank Dungeon)]
Thirty minutes later, Kai stood before the swirling gray portal of the Wolf's Den.
Unlike the Goblin Cave, this place was crowded. Solo hunters, duo teams, and mercenaries were mingling around, looking for parties.
D-Rank Dungeons were the "Grinding Grounds." Not too deadly, but profitable enough to make a living.
Kai walked straight to the automated turnstile.
He tapped the white card Leo gave him.
BEEP.
[Welcome, Hunter Jin.]
[Entry Approved.]
No alarms. No red lights.
Kai stepped through the portal.
The world twisted and reformed.
The smell of ozone and sewage was replaced by the scent of pine needles and wet fur.
He was in a dense, fog-covered forest. The trees were massive, blocking out most of the artificial sky.
Howl.
A chilling sound echoed from the mist.
Steel-Fang Wolves.
Fast, pack-oriented, and armed with jaws that could crush plate armor.
For a normal D-Rank Mage or Archer, being alone here was suicide. Once the pack surrounded you, it was over.
But Kai wasn't alone.
He walked deeper into the forest, crunching dead leaves under his boots.
His passive skill, [Monarch's Aura], pulsed.
Six enemies ahead. 50 meters.
He stopped in a small clearing.
Through the fog, six pairs of glowing yellow eyes appeared.
Low growls rumbled in the throats of the wolves. They stepped out, their grey fur bristling, their metal-infused fangs gleaming.
They circled him. Typical pack tactics. Cut off the escape, then lunge together.
Kai didn't draw his dagger.
He didn't cast a shield.
He simply stood there, hands in his pockets, looking bored.
The Alpha of the small pack barked.
Attack!
Three wolves lunged from the front, two from the back.
"Come forth."
WHOOSH.
Shadows exploded from the ground beneath Kai's feet.
Shadow Jack materialized in front of Kai, his broadsword already mid-swing.
SLASH.
The lead wolf was bisected in mid-air before it could even whimper.
Behind Kai, Fang (The Naga) uncoiled, his massive tail sweeping like a wrecking ball.
CRACK.
Two wolves were swatted into the trees, their spines shattered on impact.
Shadow Cinder (Mage) appeared on Kai's left, firing a Shadow Bolt into the eye of the fourth wolf.
It took three seconds.
Six D-Rank monsters lay dead or dying on the forest floor.
Kai hadn't moved a muscle.
[You have killed a Steel-Fang Wolf.]
[Experience Gained: 150]
[Experience Gained: 150]
...
Kai looked at the carnage.
Jack stood silently, shaking the blood off his shadow blade. Fang hissed, waiting for the next order.
"Too easy," Kai whispered.
He looked deeper into the forest.
"Let's go. We have a lot of grinding to do before dinner."