"Split up!" Hye-jin's command came instantly. "Different floors. Make them choose targets."
"No," Dr. Kang countered. "If we split, they pick us off one by one. We need to—"
An explosion of sparks erupted from the ceiling twenty meters ahead. Three figures dropped through the hole, landing in combat stances. All wore crimson leather jackets. All had weapons drawn.
Lee Tae-yang stood in the center, wielding a sleek crimson blade that pulsed with red energy. Kang Min-ji flanked his left, twin daggers already spinning in her hands. Park Sung-ho held the right, a massive war hammer resting on his shoulder.
[HOSTILE REAPERS DETECTED][LEE TAE-YANG - LEVEL 10][KANG MIN-JI - LEVEL 9][PARK SUNG-HO - LEVEL 8]
"Kim Ji-woo," Tae-yang said, his voice echoing through the neon-lit corridor. "You're predictable. Did you really think a simple dungeon transfer would fool us?"
"How did you know?" Ji-woo asked, buying time while his mind raced through options.
"We didn't." Tae-yang smiled. "We queued for every level 5 dungeon in Seoul. Three teams, three different locations. You had to show up at one of them eventually."
Smart. Brutally efficient. Crimson Blades had the numbers to cover multiple dungeons simultaneously, something a small independent group couldn't match.
"Last chance," Tae-yang continued. "Join Crimson Blades right now, and we'll forget this ever happened. Refuse, and we kill all three of you and split the bonus."
Half of three Reapers' debt reduction, split among three attackers. The math worked out to roughly the same as clearing the dungeon legitimately, but with the added bonus of eliminating competition.
"Counter-offer," Hye-jin said, stepping forward. "Leave now, and we don't report you to the system administrators for unprovoked PvP."
Min-ji laughed. "There are no administrators, honey. The system doesn't care if we kill each other. That's the whole point—survival of the fittest."
"She's right," Tae-yang said. "The system encourages PvP. It's built into the mechanics. Half debt reduction for killing other Reapers? That's not a bug, it's an incentive."
Dr. Kang's hand moved to her pocket, where she kept emergency healing items. "Three on three. Even odds. You sure you want this fight?"
"Very sure." Tae-yang raised his crimson blade. "You're level 11, 9, and 5. We're level 10, 9, and 8. But we've been fighting together for six months. You're a pickup group. This isn't even a fair fight—it's execution."
[HOSTILE INTENT CONFIRMED][PVP COMBAT ENABLED][WARNING: DEATH IS PERMANENT]
The system itself was acknowledging the fight. Once PvP was enabled, there was no turning back until one side was dead.
"Run or fight?" Ji-woo whispered to his party.
"The dungeon's two hours," Dr. Kang said quickly. "If we survive that long, we clear automatically. We can split up, hide, avoid them—"
"No." Hye-jin's eyes blazed with anger. "I'm tired of running from these bastards. We fight."
"Hye-jin—"
"They'll hunt us forever if we run. Today we make a stand."
Tae-yang's smile widened. "I was hoping you'd say that."
He moved first, his crimson blade leaving a trail of red light as he charged. Min-ji and Sung-ho split left and right, executing a coordinated pincer attack they'd clearly practiced countless times.
"Dr. Kang, back!" Hye-jin roared, meeting Tae-yang head-on. Her electrified combat gloves clashed with his blade, throwing sparks.
Ji-woo moved to intercept Min-ji. The dagger-wielding woman was fast—faster than any dungeon enemy he'd faced. Her twin blades came at him from multiple angles simultaneously, a whirling storm of steel.
He blocked with the Warehouse Guardian's Hook, its heavy weight barely catching the daggers. Min-ji disengaged and immediately came at him from a different angle, forcing him to defend rather than counter.
"You're not bad," Min-ji said, her voice conversational despite the deadly combat. "For a level 5. But you're out of your depth."
Behind them, Sung-ho's war hammer came down like a meteor toward Dr. Kang. She rolled aside, the hammer cratering the floor where she'd been standing. Sung-ho was slower than his teammates but his power was devastating—every swing could end the fight instantly.
[HP: 165/180]
Ji-woo hadn't even been hit yet, but the stress was draining his health through pure adrenaline. His hands shook on the hook's handle.
Focus, he told himself. These are just enemies with better AI. Same principle as dungeon bosses.
But they weren't. They adapted. They communicated. They covered each other's weaknesses.
Tae-yang drove Hye-jin back with a series of devastating slashes. His crimson blade burned through her guard, leaving shallow cuts across her arms and chest.
[HYE-JIN HP: 178/210]
"Physician's Touch!" Dr. Kang called out, pressing her hand to Hye-jin's shoulder as she passed. Healing energy flowed, and Hye-jin's wounds partially closed.
[HYE-JIN HP: 198/210]
But the momentary distraction cost them. Sung-ho's hammer caught Dr. Kang in the side, a glancing blow that still sent her flying into a wall of corrupted TV screens.
[DR. KANG HP: 101/180]
The Shared Vitality skill activated, spreading the damage partially to Ji-woo and Hye-jin.
[JI-WOO HP: 145/180][HYE-JIN HP: 178/210]
"Healer's down!" Sung-ho called out. "Press the advantage!"
All three Crimson Blade members shifted focus to Dr. Kang. If they killed the healer, the party would collapse.
"No you don't!" Hye-jin activated a skill Ji-woo hadn't seen before. "Thunderclap!"
Her fists slammed together, generating a shockwave of electricity that radiated outward. Tae-yang and Min-ji were forced to break off their advance, but Sung-ho pushed through, his heavy armor absorbing the electrical damage.
His hammer came down toward Dr. Kang's head.
Ji-woo activated Desperate Strike and threw the Warehouse Guardian's Hook.
The empowered weapon flew like a missile, crossing the distance in a heartbeat. It caught Sung-ho's hammer mid-swing, deflecting it into the wall. The hook buried itself in concrete, stuck.
[MP: 39/59]
"Clever," Tae-yang said. "But now you're unarmed."
Ji-woo quick-summoned his Corrupted Surgeon's Scalpel from inventory, the smaller blade appearing in his hand. Not as powerful as the hook, but faster.
Min-ji saw the opening and lunged, her daggers targeting Ji-woo's exposed back. But Dr. Kang, still dazed from the hammer blow, managed to shout: "Behind you!"
Ji-woo spun and caught one dagger on his scalpel. The other got through his guard, slicing across his ribs.
[HP: 118/180][BLEEDING: 5 HP/SECOND FOR 10 SECONDS]
Pain flared, hot and immediate. The bleeding effect was his own weapon's specialty turned against him—Min-ji must have shop-bought daggers with similar enchantments.
"You're done," Min-ji said, pressing her advantage. Her daggers became a blur, each strike precise and lethal.
Ji-woo gave ground, parrying desperately. His scalpel's shorter reach was a disadvantage against her twin weapons. Every second, he lost 5 HP to bleeding. In ten seconds, he'd be at 68 HP—dangerously low.
[HP: 113/180]
Hye-jin tried to help, but Tae-yang kept her locked down with aggressive offense. His crimson blade moved faster than physics should allow, clearly enhanced by shop-bought enchantments or high-level skills.
"Crimson Flash!" Tae-yang activated his own skill. His blade vanished and reappeared behind Hye-jin, cutting across her back.
[HYE-JIN HP: 143/210]
A teleporting weapon. That was a high-level skill, probably worth 150+ DRV in the shop. The power difference between guild members and independents was staggering.
[HP: 108/180]
Dr. Kang struggled to her feet and tried to reach Ji-woo, but Sung-ho had recovered. He pulled Ji-woo's hook out of the wall and studied it.
"Nice weapon. I'll take it after you're dead." He casually tossed it aside and advanced on Dr. Kang with his hammer.
"We can't win this," Dr. Kang said, her voice strained. "Ji-woo, Hye-jin—we need to run!"
"Running just delays the inevitable," Tae-yang said. "We'll hunt you through every floor of this dungeon. You'll die tired instead of fresh. Your choice."
[HP: 103/180]
The bleeding was relentless. Ji-woo used a Medical Supply from his inventory.
[HP: 153/180][BLEEDING CONTINUES]
The healing didn't stop the bleeding—he needed an Antidote for that, and he'd foolishly not bought any from the shop.
"Hye-jin," Ji-woo called out. "Pattern Omega!"
It was a nonsense phrase—they'd never discussed any patterns. But Hye-jin caught on immediately.
"Got it!" she shouted back.
The bluff worked. Tae-yang and his team hesitated for a split second, expecting some coordinated attack they'd practiced.
In that moment, Ji-woo grabbed Dr. Kang and ran. Not toward the exit—that was blocked by Crimson Blades—but deeper into the dungeon. Toward the escalators leading to the second floor.
"After them!" Tae-yang commanded.
Hye-jin threw everything she had into one massive electrical discharge, forcing the Crimson Blade members back, then sprinted after Ji-woo and Dr. Kang.
They reached the escalator and climbed two steps at a time, the neon-lit corridor blurring past. Behind them, footsteps echoed—pursuit.
[HP: 148/180]
"The bleeding's killing me," Ji-woo gasped.
"I can heal you, but not while running," Dr. Kang replied. "We need to find cover!"
The second floor opened into a maze of electronics vendor stalls, each one flickering with corrupted displays. Perfect hiding spots, but also perfect ambush points.
Dungeon enemies stirred in the shadows—corrupted electronics coming to life. Animated monitors, possessed appliances, cables that writhed like snakes.
[ENEMY: ELECTRIC PHANTOM - LEVEL 4]
But Ji-woo's group didn't have time to fight. They ran past the phantoms, leaving them behind. Let Crimson Blades deal with the dungeon enemies.
"In here!" Hye-jin pulled them into a large vendor stall selling computer parts. They ducked behind the counter.
Dr. Kang immediately pressed her hand to Ji-woo's wound. "Physician's Touch."
Healing energy flowed, closing the cut partially. The bleeding stopped.
[HP: 168/180]
"How do we beat them?" Ji-woo asked between gasps for air. "They're stronger, better equipped, better coordinated."
"We don't beat them," Dr. Kang said. "We survive. Two hours. If we can avoid them for two hours, the dungeon auto-clears."
"They'll hunt us the entire time," Hye-jin countered. "And they know this building better than we do—Crimson Blades probably has detailed maps of every dungeon in Seoul."
"Then we use the dungeon itself," Ji-woo said, an idea forming. "The boss. The Market Overseer on the eighth floor. What if we lead Crimson Blades to it?"
Dr. Kang's eyes widened. "Let the boss fight them while we—"
"While we pick off whoever survives," Hye-jin finished. "It's risky. The boss could kill us too."
"It's our only chance," Ji-woo said. "We can't beat them in straight combat. But if the boss damages them first—"
An explosion of sparks from the stall entrance cut him off. Min-ji appeared, her daggers gleaming.
"Found you," she said with a predatory smile.
They bolted in different directions—Ji-woo left, Hye-jin right, Dr. Kang straight through a display of monitors. Min-ji had to choose a target.
She chose Ji-woo.
He ran through the maze of stalls, using his knowledge from Sung-min's maps to navigate toward the escalator to the third floor. Min-ji pursued, impossibly fast, her daggers leaving trails of light through the neon air.
Electric Phantoms emerged from vendor stalls, attacking indiscriminately. One lunged at Ji-woo—he dodged. Another targeted Min-ji—she bisected it without breaking stride.
[EXPERIENCE +12]
Even the experience was split between them, the system not caring who actually killed the enemy.
Ji-woo reached the escalator and climbed. Third floor. Fourth. Fifth. He could hear Min-ji behind him, her breathing steady and controlled while his own lungs burned.
[HP: 163/180]
His stamina was depleting faster than hers. She was higher level, probably had better vitality stats.
Sixth floor. The vendor stalls here were larger, selling major appliances. Refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners—all corrupted and dangerous.
[ENEMY: APPLIANCE GOLEM - LEVEL 5]
A washing machine sprouted metal limbs and lurched toward him. Ji-woo slashed at it with his scalpel, the blade bouncing off its metal hide. The golem retaliated with a spinning drum attack.
[HP: 147/180]
Behind him, Min-ji caught up. "You can't run forever!"
She was right. But he didn't need forever. Just two hours.
He checked the time elapsed.
[DUNGEON TIME: 23 MINUTES ELAPSED]
Only twenty-three minutes. It felt like hours.
His party chat pinged.
[HYE-JIN]: Made it to seventh floor. Where are you?[JI-WOO]: Sixth, being chased by Min-ji.[DR. KANG]: Fourth floor, hiding. Sung-ho is searching this level.[HYE-JIN]: Tae-yang is on my floor. This isn't working.
[JI-WOO]: New plan. Everyone head to eighth floor. The boss room.[DR. KANG]: That's suicide![JI-WOO]: So is fighting them separately. Trust me.
He dismissed the chat and focused on survival. The seventh floor escalator was ahead. Min-ji was five meters behind.
Ji-woo made a decision. He turned and threw his scalpel.
Not at Min-ji—at the Appliance Golem between them.
The blade struck the golem's power core. The creature exploded in a shower of sparks and metal fragments. Min-ji was forced to dodge, giving Ji-woo precious seconds.
He reached the escalator and climbed.
Seventh floor. Eighth floor.
The boss room.
Massive double doors loomed ahead, crackling with electricity. The minimap showed the boss's red dot beyond them—huge, stationary, waiting.
[BOSS CHAMBER: THE MARKET OVERSEER][WARNING: LEVEL 6 BOSS - ELECTRONIC WARFARE CAPABLE][RECOMMENDED PARTY LEVEL: 5+]
Ji-woo's party members appeared from different directions—Hye-jin from the left escalator, Dr. Kang from the right. All three were battered, bleeding, exhausted.
And behind them, climbing the escalators, came Crimson Blades. Tae-yang, Min-ji, and Sung-ho, also damaged but still dangerous.
"Nowhere left to run," Tae-yang called out. "This is where it ends."
Ji-woo turned to face the boss room doors. "You want us? Come get us."
He pushed the doors open and stepped into the boss chamber.
His party followed.
And after a moment's hesitation, so did Crimson Blades.
The doors slammed shut behind all six of them.
[ALL PARTICIPANTS LOCKED IN BOSS CHAMBER][BATTLE ROYALE MODE ACTIVATED][LAST REAPER STANDING CLAIMS TOTAL DEBT REDUCTION][BOSS AGGRO: EVERYONE]
The chamber was enormous—a command center filled with servers and monitors, all connected to a central AI core that pulsed with malevolent red light.
And at the center, rising from cables and circuits, was the Market Overseer.
[BOSS ENEMY: MARKET OVERSEER - LEVEL 6][HP: 1,200/1,200]
The AI's voice boomed through speakers: "UNAUTHORIZED USERS DETECTED. INITIATING ELIMINATION PROTOCOL."
The boss didn't care about Reaper politics or guild rivalries.
It attacked everyone.
And in that moment, as hundreds of laser turrets emerged from the walls and ceiling, Kim Ji-woo smiled.
Because for the first time since entering this dungeon, Crimson Blades didn't have the advantage.
The real fight was about to begin.
[END OF CHAPTER 10]