DarkSync: Shadow Protocol

Chapter 6: The First Dungeon Raid

Evening shadows stretched long over the cracked pavement as I arrived at the marked location—a deserted parking lot near the edge of the city. Faint light buzzed from a dying streetlamp, casting an eerie glow over four figures waiting nearby.

I slowed my steps as I approached. Four other Hunters stood clustered together, casual yet alert. Their postures screamed experience, and their gear was clean but worn—used, not ornamental. The air was quiet, but the tension was unmistakable.

One of them turned as I got closer. He was tall, lean, with a pair of reinforced gloves strapped to his belt. A D-Rank Hunter, just like the others.

"Yo, you the porter?" he asked, eyeing me with a mixture of indifference and curiosity.

I nodded. "Luo Shen. First time on a raid."

Another Hunter, a woman with short, silver-dyed hair, gave a small nod. A soft blue glow pulsed faintly from a rune-engraved bracelet on her wrist.

"Welcome. I'm Iris, the team's healer—Support-type. If you get scratched up, I'll patch you up... if I feel like it," she added with a teasing smirk.

I gave a half-smile. "I'll try not to."

The others introduced themselves as well:

Kael, the team's vanguard, wielded a blunt-tipped spear and had a permanent scowl etched into his face.

Taro, the dependable shield-user with a calm voice and stocky frame.

And Rin, the scout—quiet, lean, and fast, with twin daggers strapped to his thighs and an impatient glint in his eyes.

That made five of us total.

I noticed their gear was well-fitted, balanced for agility over brute force. They looked confident. I couldn't tell if that made me feel safer or more like a liability.

"We move in five," Kael said without looking at me. "Porter, stay at the rear, carry what we tell you, and for the love of the gods, don't touch anything unless we say so."

I nodded again. This wasn't the place to argue or pretend.

Iris smiled faintly as she handed me a small pack. "You'll be fine."

---

The dungeon portal shimmered like a warped tear in reality—an oval-shaped vortex suspended midair in the middle of the empty lot. It pulsed with low mana pressure, invisible to most eyes but heavy on my skin.

> One by one, the team stepped through. I followed last, the air crackling as I crossed the threshold.

> For a moment, I felt like I was falling—then I landed, light returning dimly around me.

Kael took the front without a word. Taro flanked him, shield raised. Iris stayed in the middle, and Rin drifted silently along the shadows. I kept at the back, clutching the empty item pack they gave me.

> Ten minutes in, the first wave hit.

Skeletal creatures burst from the walls, their bones clicking unnaturally as they charged. Weak—barely F-Rank trash mobs. Kael didn't even flinch. His spear swept through them with mechanical precision. Taro blocked a lunge from one and slammed it into the wall with his shield.

Bone shards scattered. The fight was over in seconds.

"Stay sharp," Kael said. "This dungeon's been quiet for too long."

More monsters came as we pressed deeper—twisted beasts with rotting flesh, low-level creepers, and scattered packs of half-sentient scavengers. The two frontline fighters tore through them easily, moving like a pair of seasoned wolves.

> Then we ran into something tougher.

From a dark alcove, two Peak E-Rank monsters emerged—wolf-like beasts with barbed tails and hardened hide. Fast. Coordinated.

Rin cursed softly. "Finally, something with teeth."

The group shifted formation. Kael distracted one, while Taro locked the other in place with a brutal shoulder charge. Rin moved in and struck at weak points. Iris supported them with subtle healing bursts from her glowing bracelet.

The battle took a minute or two longer, but the outcome was the same. The beasts fell.

Kael gestured toward me with his spear. "Luo Shen. Drops."

I hurried forward, careful not to trip on the scattered limbs. A faint shimmer glowed around the fallen monsters—loot markers from their corpses. A curved fang. Some monster cores. A cracked piece of armor that still radiated mana.

I collected them into the pouch, nodding silently.

> That became the rhythm.

They fought. I carried.

They advanced. I followed.

My arms started to ache from the weight, but I didn't complain. This was still better than what I'd faced outside—alone and powerless.

---

> Then came the boss chamber.

The path widened, opening into a dark, dome-like cavern. Moss glowed faintly above, casting green shadows across the broken stone floor.

From the center of the chamber, a hulking creature stirred.

Its hide was slate gray, pulsing with veins of black mana. Horns curled from its shoulders, and its eyes burned with an unnatural red glow. It stood nearly three meters tall, with claws that could tear steel.

> [D-Rank Mid-Tier Monster Detected]

— System Notification.

Kael and Taro both exhaled, lowering into ready stances.

"This one's tougher," Taro muttered. "Be ready to back me up, Iris."

The battle erupted instantly.

Kael's spear slashed into the beast's side, but it barely flinched. Taro charged from the other side, shield bashing its knee, forcing it to stagger.

But the monster roared, and the entire chamber shook. With a single swipe, it knocked Kael back several meters. Taro grunted as he blocked another blow, skidding across the floor.

"They're struggling…" I whispered.

Even though both were Peak D-Rank Hunters, the boss was pure muscle and monster instincts—no hesitation, no pain, no fear. And unlike Hunters, it didn't have to hold back.

The clash echoed like thunder in the stone chamber.

Kael's spear struck true, but the monster's hide was tough—too tough. Taro's shield-arm trembled from the repeated blows he absorbed. Both of them were gasping now, their attacks slowing, footsteps heavier.

And Iris… she was glowing dimly, her healing skill flickering like a candle in wind.

"Just… a little more," she whispered, pushing her mana into a recovery burst.

But her face had gone pale.

Then—her knees gave out. She collapsed to the stone floor with a dull thud, eyes shut, breath shallow.

"Iris!" Rin shouted, but she was too far to reach her.

They couldn't stop now.

The boss roared again, shaking the walls. The battle had raged for over fifteen minutes, and finally, the Hunters were starting to land solid hits—opening shallow wounds on its arms, cracking parts of its armor-like skin. But it wasn't enough.

And then—everything collapsed at once.

Kael got slammed by the monster's backhand, crashing into the cavern wall. Taro held out for one more desperate strike before getting flung away like a rag doll. Rin landed a sneak attack from behind, carving into its spine—only to get kicked and sent flying.

> One by one, they fell unconscious.

And the monster?

It groaned, staggered... but then its claws dug into the floor. With a snarl, it forced itself upright, towering again.

I stood there—the last one conscious.

Heart pounding. Muscles tense.

I couldn't move for a second.

Then something inside me clicked.

> "Time to test my strength."

The System Interface blinked into view in front of me:

> [Current Strength Rating: D-Rank – Entry Level]

Note: Status calibrated from public Hunter Association data.

But I didn't feel weak.

No—I felt ready.

> A soft hum echoed in my mind.

From my inventory slot, the C-Rank dagger—a gift from the system when I first entered this dungeon—materialized in my hand. It was light, perfectly balanced, as if it had been made just for me.

The monster turned its eyes to me. It hadn't expected another fight.

Good.

I dashed forward.

> It lunged. I slid under its swipe, blade flashing.

Sparks flew as my dagger cut deep across its thigh—deeper than the others had managed.

It howled in pain.

We clashed again—and again.

My arms moved faster than they ever had.

I could feel it—my body was adjusting mid-fight. Every movement was sharper. My footing, more stable. My eyes, tracking every twitch of the beast's muscles.

> Adaptation in Progress...

Synchronization Increasing...

Its claws nearly grazed my face. I ducked and drove the dagger into its shoulder, then twisted, ripping through muscle and bone. It reeled back in pain, and this time—I didn't let it recover.

I advanced.

Step by step, attack after attack. The beast fought with fury, but I was getting stronger—every second I fought.

And finally—

> I leapt up, spun midair, and sank the dagger into its throat.

The monster gave a gurgled shriek, then collapsed with a tremor that echoed through the cavern.

> [Boss Defeated]

[D-Class Dungeon Cleared]

[System: +50 Points Awarded]

[New Title Unlocked: "Unranked Slayer"]

---

I stood there, panting, the dagger trembling in my grip. Around me, the fallen Hunters were still unconscious. The chamber was silent now—except for the low hum of my interface and the rush of blood in my ears.

> "D-Rank? No… I'm something else."

The silence that followed was thick—unnatural.

I stood over the monster's corpse, panting lightly, its blood soaking into the stone beneath me. The glow from my dagger dimmed as the mana faded. [System: +50 Points Awarded] still lingered faintly in my vision, slowly flickering out.

Then, groans.

Shifting.

Movement.

The others were waking up.

Taro was the first to stir, rubbing his head and blinking as he sat up. Iris followed soon after, coughing slightly as she pushed herself upright, her bracelet still glowing faintly from residual mana flow. Kael groaned, his spear clattering beside him as he sat up against the dungeon wall, while Rin blinked hard and scanned the area from where she'd fallen.

One by one, their eyes landed on the massive corpse behind me.

"…It's dead?" Kael muttered.

Taro got to his feet, wobbling slightly. "Guess our last hits landed before we blacked out…"

"Or maybe we wore it down just enough," Iris said, slowly standing with a hand to her temple. She glanced at the body again. "Looks like it collapsed right after."

Kael scowled, as if trying to remember the final blow. "Must've been a delayed death. It dropped hard right after we passed out."

No one questioned it further.

None of them looked at me.

None of them saw the kill.

And I didn't correct them.

I just gave a small nod and stepped back, wiping the blade on my sleeve before quietly sliding it into the pack.

"Let's grab the loot and get out of here," Kael said, pulling himself to his feet fully.

I followed them as they gathered around the boss's remains.

Silent.

Unknown.

But inside, I knew exactly what had happened.

And so did the System.

The dungeon dissolved behind us, collapsing into sparks as the portal shimmered one last time—and closed.

The world returned.

Back to the same broken pavement, the flickering streetlamp, and the distant hum of city noise. The cold night air hit me as I stepped out behind the others, my breathing steady, my clothes still carrying the scent of dungeon rot.

Taro passed out the reward money from the Association, minus the team's cut. It wasn't much—just enough to barely cover a day's worth of food if I lived cheap. But I didn't complain.

That wasn't why I went.

After a few half-hearted farewells, the group scattered. No one mentioned the boss fight again. No one questioned what really happened.

I walked home under the dim glow of streetlights, replaying the battle in my mind.

The way my body had moved…

The way I'd adjusted mid-fight…

The way I grew stronger with every exchange.

Once I was back in my room, I collapsed into my chair, pulling up the system interface with a thought.

> [STATUS]

Name: Luo Shen

Rank: D-Rank (Entry)

Health: 100%

Points: 50

Attributes:

— Strength: 22

— Agility: 24

— Vitality: 21

— Perception: 19

— Intelligence: 16

— Luck: 13

I froze.

My eyes scanned the numbers again.

Before the raid, most of these were around 14–16.

I hadn't leveled up. My rank was still the same.

But the stats... had climbed.

Just from the fight alone.

"…So this is what it means to grow through battle," I muttered.

Despite the rank label, my body was no longer at D-Rank Entry. The raw numbers alone put me near—or even into—C-Rank territory.

Without even using any enhancement items.

Just fighting.

My lips curled slightly.

So the system had been hiding something from me. Or maybe it just couldn't keep up.

Either way, I wasn't D-Rank anymore—not really.

I had stepped into something more.

And this… was only the beginning.