Volume 1 Chapter 10: Fenrir’s Fang
The dungeon had gone still.
Not quiet.
Still.
There was a difference.
The scraping noises that had followed them through the corridors were gone. The faint tremors beneath the stone floor had ceased. Even the strange green runes carved into the walls had settled into a slow, rhythmic pulse instead of their earlier chaotic flickering.
It felt as though something deep within the dungeon had been moving, watching, waiting—
and had suddenly stopped.
Dust drifted lazily through the stale air, illuminated by thin shafts of sunlight filtering through cracks in the ceiling far above. The atmosphere felt unnaturally heavy.
Rio immediately noticed it.
She raised her hand.
"Stop."
Ryota froze mid-step.
The sudden command caused him to halt so abruptly that he nearly lost his balance.
Rio studied the corridor ahead for several seconds before finally nodding.
"We're taking a break."
Ryota visibly relaxed.
"Got it."
This time he carefully stepped backward and placed his foot exactly where it had been before.
No loose stones.
No accidental kicks.
No mysterious dungeon mechanisms.
No disasters.
Rio noticed the effort immediately.
She simply stared at him.
Ryota looked away.
That alone was enough.
After everything that had happened since entering the dungeon, neither of them needed to say it aloud.
Rio moved toward a section of the corridor that appeared relatively safe. The wall was smooth and free of glowing inscriptions, suspicious carvings, or cracks that looked ready to collapse.
Satisfied, she sat down against the stone.
Her flintlock musket rested within arm's reach against the wall while her curved saber settled across her lap.
Even while resting, she remained ready to fight.
Always.
Ryota lowered himself several feet away with exaggerated caution.
At this point he treated every piece of stone in the dungeon like a potential weapon of mass destruction.
His starter sword rested across his knees.
The blade was chipped.
Worn.
Dull.
Compared to Rio's equipment, it looked pathetic.
But Rio no longer underestimated him.
Not after the boulder incident.
Not after Scalular Impact.
Not after everything else.
Taking a slow breath, Rio opened her status window.
A translucent blue interface materialized before her eyes.
Player: Rio
Level: 2 (EXP: 92%)
Class: Swordsman
Stats:
Strength: 7
Defense: 5
Speed: 6
Dexterity: 5
Unassigned Stat Points: 2
Skills:
Basic Swordsmanship Lv.2
Combat Instinct (Passive)
Enhanced Reaction
Chronos Eye (Unique)
Rio stared at the experience bar.
"Ninety-two percent."
Ryota leaned slightly forward.
"So you're almost level three?"
"Yeah."
She dismissed the screen.
"One decent fight should do it."
The interface vanished.
Rio's gaze drifted toward the darkness waiting ahead.
Something about this dungeon felt familiar.
Very familiar.
A memory surfaced.
Then another.
Suddenly—
she remembered.
Rio's eyes widened slightly.
"We're in the Silver Wolf Dungeon."
Almost immediately, a howl echoed somewhere far ahead.
The sound rolled through the corridors like a living thing.
Low.
Lingering.
Wrong.
Ryota felt a chill run down his spine.
"Okay... yeah."
He glanced into the darkness.
"That definitely sounds like a Silver Wolf Dungeon."
Rio ignored the joke.
Her thoughts had already shifted elsewhere.
"There's a rare drop here."
That got Ryota's attention.
"Oh?"
"What kind of rare drop?"
Rio rested her elbows on her knees.
"A dagger."
Ryota blinked.
"A dagger?"
His eyes moved from her curved saber to her musket.
Then back to her.
"Wouldn't that be useless for you?"
"It gives one attack and point-two attack speed."
Ryota stared.
"That's terrible."
Rio shook her head.
"Those stats aren't why people want it."
Her expression became serious.
"It has a special effect."
Now he was interested.
"What effect?"
Rio's eyes darkened slightly.
"It allows the user to summon two demon wolves."
Ryota sat upright.
"...Excuse me?"
"Skoll."
She raised one finger.
"Hati."
Then a second.
Silence.
Ryota slowly leaned back.
"Okay."
"That's significantly more impressive than one attack."
Rio nodded.
"The wolves scale with the user's skill."
Her fingers tightened slightly around her saber.
"In the future, someone obtained it."
Ryota immediately noticed the change in her tone.
"You knew him."
It wasn't a question.
Rio looked away.
"...Yeah."
A brief pause followed.
Then she continued.
"His player name was Tamer."
Ryota waited.
"I fought him."
The memory resurfaced vividly.
The wolves.
The screams.
The reports.
The disappearances.
Rio's jaw tightened.
"He wasn't strong."
Ryota frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"He wasn't a top player."
Rio's voice remained calm.
"Not even close."
"But with those wolves..."
Her gaze hardened.
"He didn't need to be."
The corridor fell silent.
"Tamer used them to control every fight."
Rio continued quietly.
"One wolf pressured targets from the front."
"The second attacked from behind."
"He never gave people room to breathe."
Ryota's grip tightened around his sword.
"Who did he target?"
Rio's expression darkened.
"New players."
The answer came immediately.
"Solo grinders."
"Casual adventurers."
"Anyone too weak to fight back."
The silence that followed felt heavier than the dungeon itself.
Eventually Ryota spoke.
"What happened?"
Rio stared into the darkness.
"I hunted him."
Her answer was simple.
Direct.
Final.
"I tracked him down after enough reports started appearing."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"I beat him."
Ryota wasn't surprised.
"Of course you did."
But Rio didn't smile.
"I was too late."
Those four words carried far more weight.
The memory lingered.
The damage.
The victims.
The players who quit.
The things she couldn't undo.
Rio slowly looked forward again.
"This time I'm getting the dagger first."
There was no hesitation in her voice.
No uncertainty.
Only resolve.
Ryota nodded.
"Then we'll get it."
Rio glanced toward him.
For a moment, neither of them said anything.
Then she nodded.
"Yeah."
The conversation ended naturally.
A shared understanding.
A silent agreement.
Then Ryota suddenly opened his own status screen.
"Huh."
Rio glanced over.
"You checking your stats?"
"Probably should."
He adjusted the screen.
Rio casually looked over—
and immediately froze.
Player: Ryota
Level: 2 (EXP: 14%)
Class: Swordsman
Stats:
Strength: 3
Defense: 3
Speed: 3
Dexterity: 3
Unassigned Stat Points: 13
Skills:
Basic Swordsmanship Lv.1
Combat Instinct (Passive)
Enhanced Reaction
Scalular Impact (Unique)
Rio slowly stood.
"...Ryota."
"Yeah?"
"Why do you have thirteen unassigned stat points?"
Ryota blinked.
"Oh."
He scratched his cheek.
"I was saving them."
Rio's eye twitched.
"Saving them?"
"I was thinking carefully!"
Rio crossed her arms.
"Explain."
Ryota sat upright.
"Okay."
He took a breath.
"I'm putting everything into speed."
Rio blinked.
"...Everything?"
"Everything."
The answer came without hesitation.
Rio stared.
"Why?"
Ryota thought for a moment.
Then answered honestly.
"Scalular Impact lets me manipulate force."
Rio nodded.
"So?"
"If I can reduce incoming force enough, I don't need high defense."
Rio remained silent.
Listening.
"If attacks can't hurt me..."
He continued.
"...then the next priority is making sure they can't hit me at all."
Something clicked in Rio's mind.
"And damage?"
Ryota grinned.
He pointed toward the distant forest outside the dungeon entrance.
"You saw what happened to that boulder."
Silence.
Rio stared at him.
Then—
Chronos Eye activated.
The world slowed.
The future unfolded.
She saw fragments.
Possibilities.
Ryota moving.
Faster than normal players.
Faster than enemies.
Faster than the game itself expected.
His body weaving through attacks.
His positioning changing constantly.
Untouchable.
Her eyes widened.
When time returned to normal—
Rio slowly lowered her gaze.
"If this works..."
Ryota waited.
"...you won't just be fast."
She looked directly at him.
"You'll be untouchable."
Ryota smiled.
"That's the goal."
Rio covered her face.
"This build is insane."
"Bad insane?"
"...No."
She sighed.
"That's what worries me."
After several moments, she finally nodded.
"Do it."
Ryota blinked.
"Really?"
"Yes."
A warning finger immediately followed.
"But from now on, tell me before making ridiculous decisions."
Ryota nodded.
"Deal."
He immediately allocated every stat point into Speed.
A pulse of blue light traveled through his body.
Ryota flexed his fingers.
"...Whoa."
His body felt lighter.
Sharper.
More responsive.
He shifted his footing slightly.
Far too quickly.
A pebble rolled.
Both of them froze.
The pebble tapped a nearby stone.
Click.
A mechanism activated somewhere deep within the dungeon.
Rio slowly turned.
"...Ryota."
"I didn't do anything."
"You moved."
"...Carefully."
Rio stared.
Then sighed.
"We're leaving."
She stood and grabbed her musket.
Her saber slid free from its sheath.
Far ahead—
another howl echoed through the darkness.
This one sounded much closer.
Much hungrier.
Rio's eyes narrowed.
"Fenrir's Fang is nearby."
Ryota rose to his feet and tightened his grip on his sword.
"I'll follow your lead."
A faint smirk appeared on Rio's face.
"Try not to summon the boss early."
Ryota hesitated.
"...I'll try."
Neither of them found that reassuring.
Together they moved deeper into the Silver Wolf Dungeon.
Behind them, a dormant rune flickered briefly.
Ahead of them, something shifted within the darkness.
And somewhere beyond their vision—
a pair of glowing eyes slowly opened.