Unlike the person I used to be, the one who froze and trembled at the first glimpse of a monster, but this time I didn't move. I didn't flinch. I didn't even breathe hard as the beasts came snarling toward me, their red eyes locked on me like prey.
I stood my ground, heart steady, fire crawling through my veins like it had been waiting for this moment.
"Come at me, you ugly bastards!"
I shouted, my voice echoing off the broken buildings, a wild grin tugging at my lips.
Then I turned and ran deliberately, not out of fear, but to draw them away from the others. My companions had gone in the other direction. They needed to get away. I only needed to buy them time.
I sprinted through rubble-strewn streets, dodging twisted metal and shattered glass. Flames licked the edges of crumbling structures, and the air was thick with smoke and dust. I didn't know where this path would take me. I didn't care. I just had to lead the monsters away.
But of course, luck wasn't on my side.
My boots skidded to a stop.
A dead end. Of course.
Seriously? How can this situation be so unoriginal?
And if you're guessing the same thing will happen like last time, you're wrong.
Surrounded on all sides by tall, crumbling buildings, I turned to face the monsters closing in. Their growls reverberated off the stone walls, claws scraping the pavement as they advanced.
But I didn't panic. Not this time.
"How lucky,"
I muttered, smirking.
"You mutts can't get out of here either."
Reaching into my belt, I pulled out the last grenade I had. My eyes flicked upward to a leaning structure above, its frame fractured and dangling dangerously overhead.
With a deep breath, I pulled the pin and hurled the grenade.
It arced through the air, landing just right.
BOOM.
The explosion shook the ground. Dust and stone burst into the air as the weakened building groaned and gave way. The monsters had just stepped beneath it when the entire structure came crashing down.
I threw my arms up to shield myself from the debris. Screeches filled the air, then silence.
When the dust settled, the alley was filled with rubble. The beasts lay crushed beneath it, their bodies twisted and lifeless.
I let out a sigh. It had worked.
I turned to leave. I still had to find my group.
But then I heard it—a low growl.
One of the creatures was still alive. It was limping and broken from top to bottom, but filled with rage.
It staggered toward me, hatred burning in its bloodshot eyes. It had survived the collapse, and now it wanted revenge.
I understood that feeling. I really did.
But I couldn't let it reach me.
I pulled out my pistol—a custom piece made from dungeon materials. I had bought it before the world was ruined.
The beast leapt.
I pulled the trigger.
One shot. Right between the eyes.
It collapsed in front of me, unmoving.
You don't think I stayed here without expecting to encounter monsters, did you?
Even without powers, even without being awakened, I had survived. I wasn't some helpless civilian anymore. I had adapted. I had endured.
For hours, I wandered the ruins. I hid from monsters, scavenged what little food I could, kept searching for my team. But I couldn't find them.
Then I heard it.
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
More explosions. Closer this time.
The sky darkened unnaturally, like some invisible curtain had been drawn. The air grew heavy and still.
A piercing scream shattered the silence. My ears rang. I clutched my head, barely able to stand.
And then… quiet.
I looked up.
In the distance, something emerged.
A creature. No—something beyond that.
It was massive. Its body stretched higher than any tower, wings casting shadows over blocks of ruined city. Its scales shimmered darkly. Its horns curved like a crown. Its eyes scanned the land with a terrifying awareness.
A dragon.
My mouth went dry.
Then I heard a scream.
"KYAAHH! What is that?!"
I turned to see a woman on the ground, her staff lying beside her. She wore the tattered robes of a mage. Her face was pale, her eyes wide with terror.
I rushed to her side.
"Are you hurt? We need to go!"
But she just continued to stare, wide-eyed and paralyzed by fear.
"We're doomed," she whispered. "We're all going to die…"
"No! We can still run!"
She snapped out of it for a moment, glaring at me.
"Don't you see that thing?! That's not just any monster!"
I shook my head.
"I'm sorry but I'm not awakened, I can't sense monster's power levels."
She choked back a sob, grabbing my wrist.
"That thing…" Her voice cracked. "It's an SSS-rank dungeon boss."
My blood froze.
An SSS?
How could something like that even exist? Even the combined force of every surviving hunter in the region wouldn't be able to match something like that.
And if it was here… then the chaos earlier, the explosions, the monsters everywhere—it all made sense now. A new gate had broken, and from it, that thing had come.
But I wasn't going to give up.
Even if the thread of survival was thinner than a strand of hair. Even if death was only one misstep away. There was still hope. There was always hope.
I helped the woman up, her legs unsteady beneath her.
Then, out of nowhere, a massive chimera lunged from behind the rubble.
She didn't react fast enough. I pushed her out of the way and tried to dodge, but I was too slow. The chimera's claws raked across my back.
Pain tore through me as three deep gashes opened across my spine. I hit the ground hard, blood soaking through my shirt.
"Run!" I shouted.
Maybe my sacrifice woke her up. She stared for a moment, stunned—but then she turned and bolted.
I didn't blame her.
Not everyone is brave in the face of death. Sometimes, people just want to survive—especially in this age.
The chimera towered over me, fangs bared. My back throbbed, legs shaky. There was no way I'd outrun it.
I laughed bitterly.
"It's just like before," I muttered. "Except this time, no one's coming to save me."
He isn't here anymore.
This was the end, wasn't it?
How many times had I stared death in the face? I'd always escaped. Always found a way.
But not this time.
And strangely, I was okay with that.
I'd done everything I promised myself when I was first given a second chance.
There was only one regret left in my heart.
It was that I never saved him.
And now, I'll never be able to.