The warning bells began at dawn.
Not the slow, ceremonial chime used for announcements but the sharp, repeating clang reserved for emergencies. By the time Ren reached the outer watchtower, smoke was already curling above the eastern farmlands.
A medium-level dungeon breach.
That alone explained the panic.
Medium-tier monsters were not supposed to leave their floors. City doctrine insisted dungeon patrols kept them contained. Either someone had failed catastrophically, or something had gone very wrong inside the dungeon.
From the wall, Ren saw it clearly.
A hulking creature of stone and sinew its body half-fused with jagged crystal growths was tearing through fencing meant to corral livestock. Each step cracked the ground. Farmers scattered, guards struggling to even slow it.
> [Dungeon Entity Identified: Cragbound Ravager – Level 27]
Threat Rating: High (Urban Outskirts)
Recommended Response: Coordinated Squad / Environmental Suppression
Ren exhaled slowly.
Level twenty-seven.
That explained why the squads were failing.
He watched as a spear bounced uselessly off the Ravager's rocky hide. Another guard was thrown aside like a rag doll, crashing into a cart.
Charging in directly would be suicide.
Instead, Ren focused.
> [Life System – Tactical Overlay Activated]
The world sharpened.
Faint lines appeared over the terrain stress fractures in stone, loose earth, angles of approach. More importantly, a translucent outline formed around the Ravager itself.
Red zones marked high durability.
Yellow lines pulsed faintly along its joints.
And near the base of its spine, where crystal met flesh
A flickering orange marker.
> [Weak Point Detected: Structural Instability – Repeated Impact / Constriction]
Ren's gaze shifted eastward.
The dungeon entrance.
A thought formed quickly, cleanly.
If I can't kill it… I can move it.
He sprinted.
The guards noticed him too late.
"Hey! Civilian get back!" someone shouted.
Ren ignored them, weaving between shattered fencing and overturned carts. He deliberately let the Ravager see him, stepping into its line of sight just long enough.
Their eyes met.
The monster roared.
Perfect.
Ren turned and ran not away from the city, but toward the dungeon road.
The Ravager took the bait immediately. It charged, each thunderous step sending tremors through the ground. Ren felt the vibration through his boots, heart pounding not with fear, but calculation.
> [Life System – Stamina Optimization: Active]
[Movement Efficiency +12%]
He cut sharply left.
The Ravager followed and its massive foot slammed down exactly where the overlay had warned him the ground was weakest.
The earth collapsed.
The monster stumbled, just for a moment.
Enough.
Ren led it down the stone path carved into the hillside the one that led back to the dungeon's auxiliary entrance. Few civilians used it anymore; fewer still knew what lay just inside.
A collapsed trap corridor from an older dungeon floor.
Ren slipped inside.
The Ravager followed, roaring in frustration as the space narrowed. Its bulk scraped against the walls, crystals cracking and shedding fragments.
Ren vaulted over a fallen pillar, skidding to a stop near a rusted sigil carved into the floor.
> [Environmental Trigger Detected: Dormant Constriction Array]
Activation Requirement: Manual Impact or Mana Surge
Ren didn't have mana to spare.
But he did have timing.
He grabbed a loose stone the size of his head and hurled it not at the monster, but at the cracked ceiling above the sigil.
The stone struck.
The ceiling gave way.
The collapse slammed into the Ravager's weak point, forcing it down directly onto the array.
The sigils flared.
Chains of light erupted from the floor and walls, wrapping around the monster's limbs and torso. The Ravager thrashed, roaring, but the narrow corridor worked against it. Each struggle only tightened the constriction.
Ren staggered back, breathing hard.
> [Dungeon Trap Successfully Reactivated]
[Contribution Registered: Tactical Neutralization]
Moments later, the guards arrived wide-eyed, weapons raised, disbelief written across their faces as they stared at the bound monster.
"You… you led it back?" one asked.
Ren nodded, saying nothing.
Soon after, dungeon officials took over, sealing the corridor and formally reclaiming the entity. No one asked too many questions. They were too busy dealing with the fallout.
By evening, word had spread—someone had saved the outskirts. Not a knight. Not an elite squad.
Just "a smart runner who knew the terrain."
Ren listened quietly from a corner of the tavern as rumors grew exaggerated with every retelling.
A hero.
A scout.
A lucky fool.
None of them knew his name.
> [Reputation Gained: Minor (Local)]
[Status: Unofficial Asset – Unregistered]
Which suited Ren just fine.
From the shadows, he glanced toward the dungeon's direction, eyes thoughtful.
Medium-level monsters didn't wander out by accident.
And if the city was increasing patrols…
That meant the dungeon was changing.
And soon, it would stop being quiet.