The heavy, cloying scent of roasted coffee beans inside the cafe couldn't drown out the incessant, high-pitched buzzing in Haruki's mind. It was the sound of anxiety—a biological alarm bell he couldn't turn off. Across from him sat Ren, his massive frame shifting restlessly. Every time Ren moved, his heavy steel armor groaned, a stark reminder of the gap between them. For a Level 19 Tank like Ren, the world was a place to be conquered. For a "bait" like Haruki, it was a place to be survived.
Haruki stared into his tea, watching his own hollow reflection in the lukewarm liquid before taking one last, bitter sip. He was a Level 12 Assassin, but the title felt like a cruel joke. On the day of the Class Selection, the system had offered him another path: Porter. Back then, his pride had flared up. He didn't want to be a pack mule, a shadow that merely collected loot. He wanted to be a hunter. He chose Assassin.
But as he felt the ache in his malnourished limbs, he realized the bitter truth. Whether he carried bags or drew aggro, he was still at the bottom of the food chain. He was still just a tool to be used and discarded.
"I have to go," Haruki said, his voice thin and trembling like a frayed wire. "I've been accepted into Kenji's party for today's raid."
Ren's thick eyebrows shot up, and he slammed his glass onto the wooden table with a force that made the nearby patrons jump. "Kenji? Haruki, are you insane? That man is a total piece of trash. He doesn't lead parties; he burns through them. He'll trample your corpse just to climb a single rank higher."
"I have no other choice, Ren," Haruki whispered, standing up. "Rent is due, and my potions are empty. I need the credits."
The air near the dungeon gate was thick with the smell of ozone and damp earth. When Haruki arrived, Kenji and his crew were already the center of attention. Kenji, a Level 29 Warrior, stood tall with a magnificent broadsword strapped to his back. He wasn't just preparing for a raid; he was performing. His system panel was hovering in front of him, glowing with the frantic scrolling of a live stream chat.
"Alright, people! 3,000 viewers and counting!" Kenji shouted, flashing a practiced, predatory smirk at the floating camera lens. "Today, we're going to turn this C-Rank dungeon upside down. Stay tuned for the carnage, and keep those donations coming if you want to see some real action!"
As soon as they stepped past the shimmering veil of the dungeon entrance, the atmosphere shifted. The light turned a sickly, subterranean green, and the walls dripped with a translucent, foul-smelling slime. Haruki's role began immediately.
"Hey, loser! Don't just stand there breathing my air," Kenji barked without looking back. "Go into that alcove and lure those Shadow Rats out. Now!"
Haruki didn't argue. He moved, his breath coming in short, jagged gasps. He drew the monsters, dancing on the edge of death as claws grazed his skin, leading the swarm back into the reach of Kenji's sword. With a flashy, over-the-top swing meant solely for the viewers, Kenji pulverized the rats.
The stream's chat erupted in a frenzy of digital noise:
"Kenji-bro one-shot it again! GOAT status!""Who is that pathetic rat-runner next to him? What a total clown, hahah.""Look at him tremble. This is what you call quality bait. At least the kid is fast."
Haruki wiped a mixture of sweat and monster bile from his forehead. His lungs felt like they were filled with hot lead. Just as he tried to find a second of rest, Liam approached him. Liam was Kenji's right-hand man, a Level 23 Assassin. Unlike Haruki's gaunt frame, Liam was lean and corded with muscle, his eyes reflecting a cold, predatory intelligence.
"There's a massive chamber up ahead," Liam whispered, a strange, unsettling smile tugging at his lips. "Looks like a Boss room. Go report it to the boss. Make yourself useful for once."
Haruki, driven by a naive hope that he might finally earn a shred of respect, ran to Kenji. "Boss! Liam found it. There's a Boss room just past the next corridor."
Kenji turned the camera lens directly toward Haruki's bruised and exhausted face. "Oh, really? Since you're so eager to be a hero, why don't you open the door? Let's show the viewers what's waiting behind Curtain Number One."
The party gathered behind Haruki. With trembling hands, he pushed the massive, iron-reinforced gates. As the seal broke, a wave of pure, concentrated malice hit them like a physical blow. The pressure in the air spiked, making Haruki's ears pop and his stomach churn.
Standing in the center of the frosted chamber was a Level 55 Nine-Tailed Fox. It was a monstrosity of myth—colossal, with fur as white as a fresh grave and eyes that leaked thick, viscous blood. For a party led by a Level 29 Warrior, this wasn't a challenge. It was an execution.
"Run!" Haruki screamed, his survival instincts finally screaming over his fear. He spun around, his boots skidding on the icy floor as he tried to sprint past the party.
"Run? And lose the viewers?" Kenji's voice was like a slab of ice. "Liam! Use him as bait. We need a distraction to reach the exit gate, or we're all dead!"
Before Haruki could even blink, Liam moved. With the terrifying agility of a high-level Assassin, Liam gripped Haruki by the back of his neck. Haruki's feet dangled uselessly in the air.
"Sorry, kid. It's just business," Liam hissed. With a powerful heave, he hurled Haruki straight into the path of the prowling beast.
Time seemed to fracture. As Haruki floated through the air, he saw them—Kenji, Liam, and the others—bolting for the exit without a single backward glance. The stream's chat was a blur of "LUL" and "RIP," mocking his final moments. A deep, bottomless despair settled in Haruki's chest.
The fox's roar shattered the silence, a sound that vibrated in Haruki's very marrow. He slammed into the frozen ground, the impact knocking the air from his lungs. Before he could even gasp, the monster's massive, razor-sharp claw descended.
CRACK.
The sound was sickening. Haruki's left ribcage collapsed like dry kindling. He coughed, a spray of bright crimson painting the white frost. "Please..." he wheezed, but the fox wasn't in a hurry. It batted him back and forth, its claws carving deep, ragged furrows into his chest and thighs. Haruki's consciousness began to flicker, a dying candle in a storm.
The exit shimmered only ten steps away. He could see the light of the outside world. He dragged his broken body forward, a trail of red marking his path. But the fox was done playing.
In one swift, blurry motion, the monster's massive jaws clamped down on Haruki's right arm and shoulder. There was a microsecond of agonizing resistance, then the sound of wet tearing—the sound of muscle, tendon, and bone being forcibly separated from his torso.
His right arm was gone.
Haruki collapsed into the snow, his nervous system overloaded to the point of silence. A single, hot tear rolled down his cheek, freezing before it hit the ground. The fox opened its maw wide, ready to swallow the small, broken human whole.
But as Haruki looked into the darkness of the monster's throat, something changed. The pain didn't vanish, but it transformed. It became data.
A blood-red panel erupted in the air, glowing with an intensity that blinded the dying boy.
[HIDDEN CONDITION MET]1,000 near-fatal injuries sustained and survived. The body's pain memory has reached its ultimate neurological limit.
[SYSTEM WARNING]The user's biological structure has exceeded the threshold of extreme physical and psychological trauma. To preserve the spark of life, the 'Assassin' class is undergoing a forced mutation...
[NEW ANOMALY CLASS UNLOCKED: ANATOMIST (LEVEL 1)]
[SKILL ACQUIRED: WEAK TISSUE ANALYSIS (PASSIVE - LEVEL 1)]
Haruki's vision didn't fade into blackness. Instead, it sharpened. He no longer saw a monster. He saw a map of heat, pulsing veins, and vulnerable nerve clusters.
But his strength was gone. As the beast's jaws closed over him, Haruki's eyes slowly, finally, drifted shut.