The response came in four minutes.
[Party Invitation Received from: Theo Cross][Accept? Y/N]
Riri accepted.
[You have joined Party: Corrupted Den Clear Attempt #1][Meeting Location: Industrial Sector - Warehouse District - Gate 7][Assembly Time: 2:00 PM (Current Time: 11:47 AM)][Dungeon Entry: 2:30 PM]
She pulled up her inventory, scanning the contents. Three Greater Health Potions. Two Greater Mana Potions. Two doses of Hunter's Eyes remaining. The Shadow-Weave gear was holding up, minor tears in the jacket's shoulder from the last Training Dungeon, nothing that compromised its defensive rating.
The Rat Fang Dagger's durability sat at 23/50. It would need replacing soon.
System #2's interface pulsed softly.
[Nervous, Host?]
"No."
[Your heart rate suggests otherwise.]
"My heart rate is fine." Riri dismissed the notification. "Show me the dungeon info."
[Corrupted Den - Rank C][Status: NEWLY AVAILABLE - First Clear Bonus Active][Known Information: None - dungeon has not been cleared by any party][Recommended Level: 8-12 | Estimated Clear Time: Unknown][WARNING: First clears have 300% increased rewards but lack established strategy guides]
First clear. That explained the thin Party Finder options. Most Players were waiting for someone else to test the mechanics before risking their own run. She spent the next hour running coordination drills with Loki and Vesper in the penthouse. Flanking patterns, retreat signals, emergency dismissal protocols. Loki responded to mental commands through the bond with perfect precision. Vesper anticipated her intentions before she fully formed them.
At 1:45 PM she headed for the Industrial Sector.
The Industrial Sector smelled like rust and old machinery. Riri arrived at Gate 7 fifteen minutes early, Loki padding silently beside her and Vesper perched on her shoulder. The warehouse district stretched in all directions, abandoned factories and shipping containers stacked like jagged teeth against the skyline.
Eight people were already gathered near the golden barrier. She matched faces to the roster she'd memorized.
Theo Cross was easy to identify: tall and broad-shouldered in custom-fitted plate armor, standing at the center like he'd already claimed it. Combat Power: 2,341. Beside him, the silver-haired woman checking a staff taller than she was had to be Avery Lin. Combat Power: 1,876. The others spread across the dock in smaller clusters: Yui inspecting her bowstring with focused intensity, Wren leaning against a shipping container looking bored, the two Mages sketching spell patterns in the air between them, Delilah watching the road with her arms loose at her sides.
Delilah noticed Riri first. Her gaze tracked from Loki to Vesper to Riri's face, then up to the golden "2" floating above her head.
She went very still.
"Theo," Delilah said, voice carefully neutral. "Our second slot just arrived."
Conversations died. Eight pairs of eyes turned. The golden "2" might as well have been a spotlight. Then their gazes dropped fractionally, reading her Combat Power display.
6,847.
The silence stretched.
Theo stepped forward, hand extended, expression moving through surprise and calculation before settling on something like relief. "Riri Lee, right? Thanks for joining. I'm Theo. Tank and party leader."
"Riri. Beast Tamer."
"Beast Tamer?" Avery's voice carried genuine curiosity. "I've never seen that class before."
"Summoner variant." Riri gestured to Loki and Vesper. "Permanent companions. They level with me."
Bryce, one of the Mages, frowned. "Permanent? They don't despawn?"
"No."
"How's that work? I thought pets capped at whatever level they hatched at."
"Different system. Beast Tamer is a unique class."
The word landed like a stone. Ripples of reaction, widened eyes, exchanged glances, Wren pushing off the container to get a better look.
Yui spoke up, soft but direct. "Your wolf is huge. What's its Combat Power?"
"Loki's at 1,847. Vesper's at 643."
Riddick let out a low whistle. "Combined with yours, that's..."
"Factored into my displayed total," Riri said.
"Still." He shook his head. "You're Level 12?"
"Yes."
"Multiple dungeons daily?"
"Efficient clears."
Not a lie. Not the full truth. She left the gap and let them fill it however they wanted.
Delilah crossed her arms. "I've been no-lifing this since day one and I'm at eleven."
"System #2 has good scaling."
The tension shifted. Not hostile, but wary. She'd confirmed she was playing on a different difficulty. Before anyone could push further, Theo cleared his throat and ran introductions, each person nodding as their name was called. Riri filed them away.
"Our final member should be here any minute," Theo said. "He reserved the slot two days ago."
"Who is it?" Wren asked.
"Didn't give a name. Just a System number."
Avery tilted her head. "That's unusual."
"His stats checked out. Wasn't going to argue."
Loki's ears swiveled toward the main road.
The bond pulsed. Alert.
Vesper's head lifted from Riri's shoulder, obsidian eyes fixed on the same direction.
Footsteps. Heavy boots on gravel.
A figure emerged from between two shipping containers.
Tall, six-three at least. Broad-shouldered beneath dark tactical gear that looked military-grade. Black reinforced jacket, cargo pants, boots built for silence. No visible weapons. The way he moved made that irrelevant.
Sharp angles in his face. Cold assessment in his eyes. Black hair falling just past his collar.
And above his head, floating in crimson text that seemed to absorb light rather than emit it:
[System #1][Combat Power: 11,847]
The entire party went silent.
He stopped ten feet from the group, gaze sweeping across each person with clinical efficiency. When his eyes reached Riri, they paused.
Half a second. Maybe less.
Then moved on.
"Theo Cross?"
"That's me." Theo's hand clenched once before he extended it. "You're our reserved slot?"
"Yes."
"Right. Welcome to the party. We were just—"
"I read the composition. Tank, healer, ranged DPS, support, summoner." His gaze flicked to Loki, then back to Theo. "Acceptable distribution."
Delilah found her voice. "You're System #1. Why are you running a C-Rank Raid with a pickup group?"
"Testing dungeon mechanics. Solo entry is prohibited."
Avery kept her tone professional. "Have you cleared C-Rank content before?"
"Eight times."
Wren's voice went tight. "What level are you?"
"Fifteen."
A collective breath. Theo cleared his throat. "Ground rules before we enter. Frontline holds aggro, backline manages damage and support. If someone calls retreat, we retreat together. No solo plays. Clear?"
Nods around the group. Samael said nothing.
"That includes you," Delilah said, sharper now. "This is a party run. We coordinate or people die."
Samael's gaze settled on her. The temperature seemed to drop a degree.
"I don't let party members die."
Delilah held his stare for three seconds, then looked away.
Theo checked the time. "Two twenty-eight. Top off consumables. Once we're in, there's no retreat until the boss is dead or we are."
The party dispersed slightly. Riri stayed where she was, Loki at her side, Vesper still on her shoulder.
Samael hadn't moved either.
His gaze was on her again. Not studying. Analyzing. Like an equation that didn't balance.
The golden barrier pulsed brighter.
[Party Complete: 10/10 Players][Corrupted Den - Rank C will activate in 60 seconds]
Theo raised his voice. "Formation up. Delilah and I take point. Wren on traps. Avery and Riddick center. Ranged DPS in back. Riri, you and your pets?"
"I'll float. Loki supports frontline. Vesper scouts ahead. I fill gaps."
"And me?" Samael's voice cut through the logistics.
Theo hesitated. "Where do you want to be?"
"Wherever threats emerge."
The barrier dissolved.
[Corrupted Den - Entry Available][WARNING: First Clear Attempt - No established strategies available][Good luck, Players.]
The loading dock gaped open, stairs descending into absolute darkness. Theo went first, blade catching the afternoon light. The party followed in order. Riri went second to last, Loki beside her, Vesper's weight barely registering on her shoulder.
Samael brought up the rear.
She didn't look back. She could feel his presence like a pressure system, heavy and cold, as the stairs swallowed them into dark.
[Welcome to Corrupted Den][Objective: Reach the Inner Sanctum and defeat the Crimson Swarm Queen][Enemy Types: Crimson Butterflies, Thorn Amalgamations, Toxic Spore Clouds][Time Limit: 12 hours]