The Debt Reaper Shop wasn't like any online store Ji-woo had seen. When he opened it, his phone's screen dissolved into a three-dimensional interface that only he could see—a holographic catalog hovering in front of him, invisible to anyone else.
[DEBT REAPER SHOP][CURRENT BALANCE: 0 DRV][CONVERSION AVAILABLE: DEBT REDUCTION → DRV (1:1 RATIO)]
The shop was organized into categories, each one glowing with different colored icons:
WEAPONS - Red ARMOR - Blue
CONSUMABLES - Green SKILLS - Purple SPECIAL - Gold
Ji-woo started with Weapons. Hundreds of items scrolled past—swords, axes, spears, guns, even exotic weapons he'd never heard of. Each one had a price tag in DRV and stat requirements.
[HUNTER'S LONGBOW][DAMAGE: 40-55][SPECIAL: +20% DAMAGE VS. BEASTS][REQUIREMENTS: AGILITY 15, LEVEL 6][COST: 50 DRV]
[CRIMSON BLADE][DAMAGE: 45-60][SPECIAL: ATTACKS RESTORE 5% DAMAGE AS HP][REQUIREMENTS: STRENGTH 18, LEVEL 8][COST: 80 DRV]
[SPECTRAL DAGGER][DAMAGE: 30-40][SPECIAL: 25% CHANCE TO IGNORE ARMOR][REQUIREMENTS: AGILITY 12, INTELLIGENCE 12, LEVEL 7][COST: 65 DRV]
The prices were steep. To get even 50 DRV, he'd need to sacrifice ₩50,000,000 in debt reduction—several dungeons worth of progress. But the weapons were significantly better than anything he'd found in dungeons so far.
The Armor section was equally impressive:
[REAPER'S COAT][DEFENSE: +25][SPECIAL: +3 AGILITY, +10% MOVEMENT SPEED][REQUIREMENTS: LEVEL 7][COST: 70 DRV]
[TITANIUM PLATE MAIL][DEFENSE: +50][SPECIAL: +5 VITALITY, -2 AGILITY][REQUIREMENTS: STRENGTH 20, LEVEL 10][COST: 120 DRV]
The Consumables were more affordable:
[GREATER HEALING POTION][EFFECT: RESTORE 100 HP INSTANTLY][COST: 5 DRV]
[MANA ELIXIR][EFFECT: RESTORE 50 MP INSTANTLY][COST: 7 DRV]
[ANTIDOTE][EFFECT: CURE POISON AND BLEEDING][COST: 3 DRV]
But it was the Skills section that made Ji-woo's heart race.
[SHADOW STEP (ACTIVE)][EFFECT: TELEPORT UP TO 10 METERS INSTANTLY][COOLDOWN: 20 SECONDS][COST: 30 MP][REQUIREMENTS: AGILITY 15, LEVEL 6][PRICE: 100 DRV]
[IRON WILL (PASSIVE)][EFFECT: +20% RESISTANCE TO STATUS EFFECTS, +5 VITALITY][REQUIREMENTS: VITALITY 15, LEVEL 8][PRICE: 90 DRV]
[DEBT COLLECTOR (PASSIVE)][EFFECT: DEAL 10% MORE DAMAGE TO ENEMIES FOR EACH 100M WON OF DEBT YOU CARRY][REQUIREMENTS: LEVEL 10][PRICE: 150 DRV]
That last skill was particularly interesting. At his current debt of ₩802,000,000, he'd get an 80% damage bonus. The skill literally made his burden into power.
But all of this required DRV, which meant sacrificing debt reduction. It was the system's ultimate trap—become stronger now and stay in debt longer, or stay weak and struggle to survive higher-level dungeons.
The Special section was locked with a message:
[SPECIAL ITEMS UNLOCKED AT LEVEL 10]
Ji-woo closed the shop interface and considered his options. He had zero DRV currently, but his next dungeon would offer debt reduction he could convert. The question was: how much should he invest in power versus paying down his debt?
His phone rang. Tae-yang from Crimson Blades.
"Your six hours are almost up, Kim Ji-woo. What's your answer?"
"I'm not joining Crimson Blades."
Silence on the other end, heavy with implications. Then: "That's unfortunate. You've made an enemy today. Remember that when you're bleeding out in a dungeon."
The line went dead.
Almost immediately, another call—Ha-yoon from Silver Dawn.
"I heard Crimson Blades just called you," she said without preamble. "Whatever threats Tae-yang made, Silver Dawn can protect you. Our information session starts in two hours. Please come."
"What makes Silver Dawn different?"
"We actually care if our members survive. Crimson Blades treats Reapers like disposable assets. We treat them like people." Her voice softened. "Just come listen. No obligation."
Ji-woo checked the time—4:47 PM. He could make it to Itaewon by 7 PM.
"I'll be there."
"Good. And Ji-woo? Watch your back. Crimson Blades doesn't take rejection well."
The next call came from Yoon.
"I heard you turned down Crimson Blades. Bold move." She sounded worried. "They're going to target you now. If you enter a dungeon and see any Crimson Blade members, run. Don't fight, don't negotiate, just run."
"I can handle myself."
"No, you can't. Not against a coordinated guild team. They send three or four members into dungeons together, all geared up with shop equipment. You're level 5 with dungeon drops. They'll slaughter you." She paused. "Come to our group meeting tomorrow. We need to strategize how to keep you alive."
After she hung up, Ji-woo sat in his apartment and thought about the chessboard he'd suddenly found himself on. By refusing Crimson Blades, he'd made them an enemy. Silver Dawn was courting him, probably to use him against their rivals. Iron Chains offered independence but no real protection. Yoon's group was small but trustworthy.
And underlying everything was the system itself, pushing him forward, making him stronger, but always at a cost.
He allocated his new stat points from reaching level 5: 2 Agility, 2 Vitality, 1 Intelligence. His stats now read:
[KIM JI-WOO - LEVEL 5 DEBT REAPER][HP: 180/180][MP: 59/59][STRENGTH: 11][AGILITY: 13][VITALITY: 16][INTELLIGENCE: 15]
At 7 PM, Ji-woo arrived at the Silver Dawn guild hall in Itaewon. The building was unmarked from outside—just another office building in Seoul's international district. But inside, the third floor had been converted into something between a dojo and a command center.
The main room was large and open, with training mats on one side and a conference table on the other. Weapon racks lined the walls, displaying everything from swords to guns. A large screen showed what looked like a dungeon map with notes and annotations.
About fifteen people were there, most in their twenties and thirties, all with the tired eyes and alert posture of Debt Reapers. They stopped talking when Ji-woo entered.
"Kim Ji-woo. Welcome." Ha-yoon approached, extending her hand. She was mid-thirties, professional in appearance, with short hair and sharp eyes. "Thank you for coming."
"Just here to listen."
"That's all we ask." She gestured to the conference table. "Please, sit. We're about to begin."
The presentation was surprisingly professional. Ha-yoon used the large screen to display statistics, survival rates, debt reduction averages. Silver Dawn had forty-two active members, ranging from level 3 to level 18. Their average survival rate was 87%—meaning 87% of their members successfully cleared dungeons without dying.
"Compare that to independent Reapers," Ha-yoon said, pulling up another chart. "Solo players have a 61% survival rate past level 5. By level 10, it drops to 43%. The dungeons scale faster than most people can adapt."
A young woman raised her hand—one of the other attendees. "What about the twenty percent cut? Isn't that basically theft?"
"It's an investment," Ha-yoon replied smoothly. "You pay twenty percent, but you get access to our guild warehouse." She pulled up an inventory screen. "We have over two hundred items—weapons, armor, consumables—all available to members at cost. No markup, no profit. The twenty percent funds our shared resources."
She continued: "You also get access to our intelligence network. We map dungeons, document boss patterns, share optimal strategies. We run weekly training sessions where experienced members teach newer ones. And most importantly, you get backup. If you're in trouble, the guild responds."
It sounded good. Almost too good.
"What's the catch?" Ji-woo asked.
Ha-yoon smiled. "Smart question. The catch is commitment. Silver Dawn doesn't allow members to quit until they're debt-free. Once you join, you're with us until level 100 or death. We invest too much in training and equipment to have people leave halfway."
"That sounds like a trap."
"It's protection. If members could leave freely, they'd get poached by other guilds or killed by rivals. This way, everyone knows you're under Silver Dawn's protection permanently." She leaned forward. "And before you ask—yes, we enforce this. If someone tries to leave, we handle it internally."
Translation: they'd kill deserters. Every guild was a trap once you were in.
A man in his forties stood up—one of Silver Dawn's senior members based on his confident posture. "I'm Park Jin-ho, level 18, guild vice-commander. I joined when I was level 6, drowning in debt with no idea how to survive. Silver Dawn taught me everything. Gave me equipment, training, backup. I'd be dead three times over without them."
Other members shared similar stories. People saved from impossible situations, trained up through the ranks, now thriving.
But Ji-woo noticed what they didn't say. No one mentioned what happened if you disagreed with the commander's orders. No one talked about mandatory dungeons or forced participation. The presentation was polished, professional, and carefully edited to show only the benefits.
After the presentation, Ha-yoon approached him privately. "I know you're skeptical. You should be. But I want to show you something." She led him to a private office in the back.
Inside, she pulled up a video on her tablet. "This is from two days ago. Crimson Blades caught an independent Reaper in a level 7 dungeon. Watch what happens."
The video showed dungeon footage—someone's first-person perspective. A young man was fighting what looked like ice elementals, doing well, when three other Reapers appeared from a side passage. All wore crimson jackets.
They didn't negotiate. They just attacked.
The independent Reaper tried to run, but they'd coordinated perfectly—one blocked the exit, the other two flanked him. The fight lasted less than a minute. When it ended, the independent was dead, and the Crimson Blades members were dividing his debt reduction bonus.
"They get half his debt reduction split three ways," Ha-yoon explained. "Plus whatever items he dropped. Crimson Blades actively hunts independents in mid-level dungeons. You just became their newest target."
Ji-woo's blood ran cold. The video was proof—this wasn't just competition, it was predation.
"You refused them publicly," Ha-yoon continued. "That makes you a statement target. They'll want to make an example of you to discourage other independents from refusing their recruitment. Your next few dungeons are going to be extremely dangerous."
"Why are you showing me this?"
"Because I don't want to recruit you through fear, but you need to understand the reality. Solo Reapers don't survive in Seoul's current environment. The guilds control too much territory, too many resources. You need allies." She looked at him intently. "Silver Dawn can be those allies. We can protect you."
"At the cost of my freedom."
"At the cost of twenty percent and commitment. But you'll be alive to complain about it." She handed him a contract printed on actual paper. "Read this. Think about it. You have until tomorrow night to decide. After that, the offer expires, and you'll have to survive on your own."
Ji-woo took the contract and left Silver Dawn's guild hall with his mind churning. He walked through Itaewon's crowded streets, past bars and restaurants full of normal people living normal lives. They had no idea that people were dying in pocket dimensions all around them, fighting for financial freedom in a system designed to trap them forever.
His phone buzzed—Yoon again.
Stop answering unknown calls. Crimson Blades is tracking your location through cellular data. They know everywhere you go.
Ji-woo immediately turned off his phone's location services and mobile data, using only WiFi. But the damage might already be done.
He needed to get stronger, fast. Strong enough that guilds would think twice before attacking him. Strong enough to survive alone if necessary.
Which meant he needed to make a choice about the shop.
Ji-woo found a quiet café and opened the Debt Reaper Shop again. His next dungeon would give him debt reduction he could convert to DRV. The question was: how much should he invest?
He studied the available items, doing the math. If he converted ₩50,000,000 to 50 DRV, he could buy:
Greater Healing Potions x5 (25 DRV) Mana Elixirs x3 (21 DRV) Save 4 DRV for later
That would give him significant survivability. Or he could save up for a better weapon, but that would take several dungeons.
His phone buzzed with a system notification.
[NEW DUNGEON AVAILABLE][LOCATION: GWANAK MOUNTAIN TEMPLE - LEVEL 5][RECOMMENDED COMPLETION TIME: 48 HOURS][WARNING: HIGH DIFFICULTY - BOSS USES MAGIC ATTACKS]
A level 5 dungeon with a magic-using boss. That would be a new challenge—all his previous enemies had been physical attackers.
[SPECIAL NOTICE: CRIMSON BLADES MEMBERS DETECTED IN YOUR DUNGEON QUEUE]
Ji-woo's stomach dropped. The system was warning him that Crimson Blades members were planning to enter the same dungeon. They were already setting a trap.
He had forty-eight hours to prepare. Forty-eight hours to decide whether to face them alone, ask for help, or join a guild for protection.
The chessboard was getting smaller, and the enemy pieces were closing in.
Ji-woo made a decision. He opened his messaging app and sent three texts:
To Yoon: Need to meet. Urgent. Your group's help.
To Ha-yoon: I'll give you my answer tomorrow. But I need information first.
To Hwang at Iron Chains: Tell me more about your network. What kind of backup can you provide?
He wasn't ready to commit to any faction yet. But he also couldn't face Crimson Blades alone—not when they hunted in packs and he was just starting to figure out the system.
Tomorrow would be crucial. Tomorrow he'd decide whether to stay independent and risk death, or join a guild and trade freedom for survival.
But tonight, Ji-woo had training to do.
He went home, summoned his new Warehouse Guardian's Hook from inventory, and began practicing. The hook was heavier than his scalpel but had longer reach and devastating power. He needed to master it before facing whatever waited at Gwanak Mountain Temple.
Because one thing was certain: the next dungeon would be a fight not just against monsters, but against other Reapers who wanted him dead.
And Kim Ji-woo intended to survive.
[END OF CHAPTER 8]