The Market Overseer's first attack came without warning.
Laser turrets erupted from every surface—walls, ceiling, floor—painting the room in criss-crossing red targeting beams. Then they fired.
"SCATTER!" Tae-yang's command saved both groups.
All six Reapers dove in different directions as concentrated energy beams carved through the space they'd occupied. The lasers continued firing, tracking movement with mechanical precision.
[HP: 131/180]
One beam grazed Ji-woo's shoulder, the heat instantly cauterizing even as it burned. He rolled behind a server rack, using it as cover.
The boss's voice echoed through speakers: "THREAT ASSESSMENT: MULTIPLE UNAUTHORIZED USERS. PRIORITY: ELIMINATE ALL."
A massive holographic interface materialized around the Market Overseer's AI core—code scrolling at impossible speeds, system commands executing in real-time. This wasn't just a boss fight. It was fighting an entire building's defense system.
[MARKET OVERSEER USES: SYSTEM LOCKDOWN]
[ALL EXITS SEALED]
[ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS ACTIVATED]
The floor beneath them electrified in sections, creating a deadly grid pattern. Touch the wrong panel and you'd be fried. The laser turrets continued their relentless assault, and now mechanical arms descended from the ceiling—each one ending in different weapons: circular saws, welding torches, crushing clamps.
"This is insane!" Sung-ho shouted, his war hammer smashing a mechanical arm before it could grab him. "We need to work together!"
"No truces!" Tae-yang fired back, his crimson blade deflecting laser beams. "Last one standing takes everything!"
But despite his words, an unspoken understanding passed between both groups: the boss was the immediate threat. They couldn't fight each other while dodging lasers and electrical floors.
Ji-woo's tactical mind cataloged the patterns. The laser turrets fired in sequence—left side, then right, then overhead. Three-second intervals between volleys. The electrified floor panels switched on and off in a checkerboard pattern every five seconds. The mechanical arms targeted whoever dealt the most damage to the boss.
"Dr. Kang!" Ji-woo called across the chaos. "Pattern analysis—can you sync with the electrical grid?"
"I'm a physician, not an electrician!" But she was already studying the floor. "Wait... yes! The pattern repeats every ten seconds. I can predict safe zones!"
"Hye-jin, draw the mechanical arms! You're toughest!"
"On it!" Hye-jin charged the boss directly, her electrified fists slamming into the AI core's protective shell. Immediately, three mechanical arms diverted to intercept her.
[MARKET OVERSEER HP: 1,150/1,200]
Across the room, Tae-yang's group had similar coordination. Min-ji handled laser turret destruction with her twin daggers, moving too fast for targeting systems to track accurately. Sung-ho provided heavy defense, his armor absorbing hits that would kill others. Tae-yang himself focused on boss damage, his crimson blade leaving trails of corrupted data in the AI's systems.
[MARKET OVERSEER HP: 1,090/1,200]
The boss adapted. "DEPLOYING COUNTERMEASURES."
Suddenly, holographic copies of the Market Overseer appeared throughout the room—eight perfect duplicates, all attacking simultaneously.
[MARKET OVERSEER USES: VIRAL MULTIPLICATION]
"They're illusions!" Sung-min had told them about this mechanic in his briefing. "Only one is real—look for the one with the physical cable connections!"
But telling the difference mid-combat, while dodging lasers and electrical hazards, was nearly impossible. Ji-woo slashed at the nearest duplicate. His scalpel passed through harmlessly—hologram.
Min-ji destroyed another—also fake.
Sung-ho's hammer found the third—real! The impact staggered the boss.
[MARKET OVERSEER HP: 1,030/1,200]
The boss retaliated specifically against Sung-ho. All laser turrets converged on his position, firing simultaneously. His armor held, but barely.
[SUNG-HO HP: 89/180]
"Sung-ho's hurt!" Min-ji moved to help her teammate, positioning herself to draw fire.
Tae-yang made a split-second decision. "Fall back! Regroup behind the server clusters!"
Crimson Blades retreated to the far side of the chamber, using the massive server racks as cover. That left Ji-woo's group exposed in the center.
"Bastards!" Hye-jin snarled. "They're using us as bait!"
She was right. With one group hidden and one visible, the boss focused all its attention on Ji-woo, Hye-jin, and Dr. Kang. Every laser, every mechanical arm, every electrical surge targeted them.
"Dr. Kang, get behind me!" Ji-woo positioned himself between her and the nearest turret. A laser caught him in the leg.
[HP: 98/180]
"Ji-woo!" Dr. Kang pressed her hand to his back. "Physician's Touch!"
[HP: 118/180]
But healing drew aggro. Two mechanical arms immediately targeted Dr. Kang. Hye-jin intercepted one with a Thunderclap, but the second got through—its crushing clamp caught Dr. Kang's arm.
[DR. KANG HP: 87/180]
She screamed. The clamp tightened, threatening to break bone.
Ji-woo activated Desperate Strike and severed the mechanical arm at its base. Dr. Kang fell free, cradling her injured arm.
[MP: 19/59]
"We can't keep this up!" Hye-jin was already bleeding from multiple laser grazes, her HP dropping steadily.
Across the chamber, Crimson Blades was preparing something. Tae-yang, Min-ji, and Sung-ho had formed a tight triangle formation, their hands glowing with synchronized skill activation.
"CRIMSON FORMATION: BLADE STORM!"
It was a coordinated guild skill—something only party members who'd trained together could execute. All three Crimson Blade members released their energy simultaneously, creating a whirling vortex of cutting force that shot across the chamber toward the boss.
The attack was devastating. It shredded through holographic duplicates, destroyed laser turrets, and carved deep into the Market Overseer's core.
[CRITICAL HIT!]
[MARKET OVERSEER HP: 720/1,200]
Almost half the boss's health in one combined attack. That was guild coordination at its peak.
But the skill had a cost. All three Crimson Blade members dropped to one knee, their MP clearly depleted from the massive skill use.
[TAE-YANG MP: 12/120]
[MIN-JI MP: 8/98]
[SUNG-HO MP: 5/87]
They were vulnerable.
The Market Overseer recognized this. "PRIORITY TARGETS IDENTIFIED. MAXIMUM FORCE AUTHORIZED."
Every remaining laser turret, every mechanical arm, every electrical surge converged on Crimson Blades' position. They'd dealt the most damage, so they received the most aggro.
"MOVE!" Tae-yang tried to dodge, but his depleted MP meant he couldn't use his teleporting blade skill. A laser caught him in the chest.
[TAE-YANG HP: 134/200]
Sung-ho tried to block with his hammer, but three mechanical arms grabbed him simultaneously, lifting him off the ground. The crushing force was immense.
[SUNG-HO HP: 34/180]
Min-ji was fast enough to evade most attacks, but even she couldn't dodge everything. Multiple lasers scorched her legs and back.
[MIN-JI HP: 67/170]
They were going to die. Crimson Blades—Seoul's most aggressive, most successful guild members—were about to be killed by a boss they'd damaged too effectively.
Ji-woo faced a choice.
Let them die and fight the weakened boss alone with his party.
Or help them survive and deal with Crimson Blades afterward.
Yoon's voice echoed in his memory: Don't trust other Reapers.
But also: We protect each other because no one else will.
"Hye-jin, lightning strike on the mechanical arms holding Sung-ho! Dr. Kang, healing on Min-ji!"
"What?!" Hye-jin stared at him. "They're trying to kill us!"
"The boss is trying to kill all of us! Six versus one is better than three versus one!"
Dr. Kang didn't hesitate. She sprinted across the electrified floor, reading the safe zones perfectly, and pressed her hand to Min-ji's shoulder.
[MIN-JI HP: 87/170]
Min-ji's eyes widened in shock. "Why...?"
"Shut up and fight!" Dr. Kang snapped.
Hye-jin unleashed Thunderclap at the mechanical arms. The electrical surge overloaded their systems, and they released Sung-ho. He crashed to the floor, gasping.
[SUNG-HO HP: 54/180]
Tae-yang, still reeling from the laser hit, looked across the chamber at Ji-woo. Their eyes met. An understanding passed between them—temporary, fragile, but real.
"All units, target the boss!" Tae-yang commanded. "Alternating strikes to distribute aggro!"
"You heard him!" Ji-woo called to his team. "We take turns attacking—never let one person draw all the aggro!"
Six Reapers, enemies forced into alliance by circumstance, turned their weapons on the Market Overseer.
The boss responded with everything it had. "INITIATING FINAL PROTOCOL: TOTAL SYSTEM PURGE."
The entire chamber went dark. For three seconds, nothing.
Then the Market Overseer's core blazed with blinding white light. The AI had overclocked itself, sacrificing long-term stability for short-term power.
[MARKET OVERSEER ENTERS: OVERCLOCK MODE]
[ALL STATS INCREASED 50%]
[NEW ABILITY: SYSTEM CRASH - RANDOM TARGET]
The boss became a whirlwind of destruction. Laser fire intensified, mechanical arms multiplied, and worst of all—every ten seconds, the boss would target one random Reaper and attempt to crash their system.
[SYSTEM CRASH TARGETING: MIN-JI]
Min-ji's body seized up, her interface flickering. For three seconds, she couldn't move, couldn't access inventory, couldn't use skills. A mechanical arm lunged for her exposed position.
Sung-ho's hammer intercepted it. "I've got you!"
[SYSTEM CRASH TARGETING: HYE-JIN]
Hye-jin froze mid-strike. Lasers tracked toward her immobile form. Tae-yang's crimson blade deflected them, saving her life.
"We're even now," he said.
The battle became a desperate dance of survival and mutual protection. When Ji-woo was targeted by System Crash, Dr. Kang shielded him with her own body. When Dr. Kang was frozen, Min-ji's daggers intercepted the mechanical arms. When Tae-yang took heavy laser damage, Hye-jin's Thunderclap destroyed the offending turrets.
They were no longer two groups of three. They were six Reapers fighting as one.
[MARKET OVERSEER HP: 490/1,200]
[MARKET OVERSEER HP: 320/1,200]
[MARKET OVERSEER HP: 178/1,200]
The boss was failing. Its attacks became more erratic, its targeting less precise. Smoke poured from overheated circuits. Sparks erupted from damaged components.
"Final push!" Tae-yang raised his blade. "Everyone, maximum damage!"
Ji-woo activated his last Desperate Strike. Hye-jin charged her strongest Thunderclap. Dr. Kang provided healing buffs to boost everyone's attack power. Min-ji and Sung-ho coordinated a pincer strike. Tae-yang channeled everything into one final Crimson Flash.
Six attacks. Six Reapers. One target.
[COMBINED ASSAULT: REAPER'S JUDGMENT]
[CRITICAL HIT!]
[CRITICAL HIT!]
[MASSIVE DAMAGE BONUS: COORDINATED ATTACK]
The Market Overseer's core shattered. Its AI voice distorted, slowed, stopped. The laser turrets powered down. The mechanical arms fell limp. The electrified floor went dark.
[BOSS DEFEATED!]
[EXPERIENCE: +500]
[LEVEL UP!]
[LEVEL UP!]
Silence filled the chamber. Six Reapers stood among the wreckage, breathing hard, bleeding, exhausted.
The reward notification appeared—but something was different.
[SPECIAL CLEAR: COOPERATIVE BATTLE ROYALE]
[ALL PARTICIPANTS SURVIVED]
[CALCULATING ADJUSTED REWARDS...]
[DEBT REDUCTION: ₩30,000,000]
[SHARED EQUALLY AMONG ALL PARTICIPANTS]
[EACH REAPER RECEIVES: ₩5,000,000]
The system had recognized their cooperation. Instead of "last standing" taking everything, all six survivors split the reward.
Tae-yang lowered his blade. His crimson jacket was torn, blood seeping through. "We're still enemies outside this dungeon."
"I know," Ji-woo replied.
"But..." Tae-yang hesitated, choosing his words carefully. "You saved Sung-ho's life. That's a debt Crimson Blades acknowledges."
Min-ji stepped forward. "One week truce. We won't target you for one week. After that..." She shrugged. "Business as usual."
"Fair enough," Hye-jin said.
Sung-ho nodded respectfully to Ji-woo. "You fight well. For an independent."
The dungeon began to dissolve around them, pulling them back to reality. In those final seconds before separation, Dr. Kang spoke.
"This is what we could be. All of us. If we stopped fighting each other and focused on survival."
"Pretty speech," Tae-yang said. "But the system rewards betrayal. It wants us to kill each other. One week truce, Dr. Kang. After that, we're back to guild business."
The world lurched.
Ji-woo found himself standing outside Yongsan Electronics Market in the late afternoon sun. His party members materialized beside him—Hye-jin and Dr. Kang, both exhausted but alive.
Across the street, Crimson Blades appeared. Tae-yang met Ji-woo's eyes one last time, nodded once, then walked away with his team.
Ji-woo checked his status.
[KIM JI-WOO - LEVEL 7 DEBT REAPER]
[CURRENT DEBT: ₩797,000,000]
[STAT POINTS AVAILABLE: 10]
[DUNGEONS CLEARED: 7/100]
Two levels gained. Fifty million won in debt erased. And most importantly—alive.
His phone buzzed with messages:
From Yoon: Heard you cleared with Crimson Blades. What happened?
From Ha-yoon at Silver Dawn: Impressive dungeon clear. My offer still stands.
From Sung-min: You're all over the Reaper forums. People are calling you "the one who made Crimson Blades cooperate." That's... unprecedented.
And one message from an unknown number: You're interesting, Kim Ji-woo. Let's see how long you survive. - The Iron King
The Iron King. Leader of Iron Chains guild. Now even he was watching.
"We need to talk," Dr. Kang said. "About what just happened."
"Not here," Hye-jin added, scanning the streets with paranoid eyes. "Too exposed."
They found a quiet café in Itaewon. Over coffee, they dissected the battle.
"That cooperative bonus," Dr. Kang said. "The system rewarded us for working together instead of fighting. That's huge."
"It's also a trap," Hye-jin countered. "It makes people think cooperation is safe. But in a real battle royale where people die? The system would still reward the last survivor most."
"Maybe," Ji-woo said slowly. "Or maybe the system is more complex than we think. Maybe it wants to see what we choose—competition or cooperation."
His phone rang. Tae-yang's number.
Ji-woo answered cautiously. "Yes?"
"The truce is official. One week, starting now. My guild commander approved it." Tae-yang's voice was professional, distant. "But Ji-woo... you need to choose a side soon. Independent Reapers don't last in this city. The next time we meet in a dungeon, that cooperative bonus won't save you."
"Is that a threat?"
"It's reality. You're level 7 now. You'll start getting paired with level 8 and 9 dungeons. Those require coordination, equipment, and experience you don't have. Join a guild—any guild—or die in some hell dimension alone."
The line went dead.
"He's not wrong," Dr. Kang admitted. "The difficulty spike at level 10 is notorious. That's when most independent Reapers die."
"Then we get stronger," Ji-woo said. "Level 7 to level 10—three more dungeons. We use the shop, we coordinate better, we survive."
"And after level 10?" Hye-jin asked.
Ji-woo thought about it. His debt was ₩797,000,000. At his current rate, he'd need roughly 160 more dungeons to clear it. That was three years of weekly dungeons without missing one.
Three years of fighting. Three years of risking death. Three years of this hell.
"After level 10," he said finally, "we figure something out. But first, we survive to level 10."
That night, Ji-woo lay in his apartment and allocated his stats. He'd been following a balanced build, but Tae-yang's specialized power had been impressive. Maybe he needed to commit to a specific role.
After consideration:
4 points to Agility (his best survival stat) 3 points to Vitality (more HP meant more mistakes allowed) 3 points to Intelligence (better MP for skill usage)
[STRENGTH: 11]
[AGILITY: 17]
[VITALITY: 19]
[INTELLIGENCE: 18]
[HP: 220/220]
[MP: 74/74]
He was becoming specialized—high agility for dodging, high vitality for endurance, high intelligence for skills. His strength remained low, but his scalpel's damage came more from technique than raw power anyway.
Ji-woo opened the shop interface. He had ₩5,000,000 in debt reduction from today's dungeon. If he converted that to 5 DRV, what could he buy?
[GREATER HEALING POTION x1 - 5 DRV]
One healing potion. Not much. But every bit of survival edge mattered.
He made the conversion, sacrificing debt reduction for immediate power.
[CURRENT DEBT: ₩802,000,000]
Back up above 800 million. But he now had a healing potion that could save his life in the next dungeon.
His phone buzzed with one final message—from Yoon.
Emergency meeting tomorrow night. All of us. Something big is happening in Seoul's Reaper community. Be careful.
Ji-woo set his phone aside and closed his eyes. Level 7. Seven dungeons cleared out of one hundred needed.
The road ahead was impossibly long.
But for the first time since his father's death, Kim Ji-woo felt like he might actually survive it.
[END CHAPTER 11]