Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Till woke up to the stench of garbage and the feeling of a paw on his face. He sat up quickly, only to hear a yowl before that same paw swiped down his cheek. It would have left a deep scratch, had he been a normal human.

He scrunched his nose and looked around to assess his surroundings. Some sort of alley, it seemed. With garbage bins. How pleasant. Was this some sort of dream? Did he stumble into some hidden illusion dungeon in the rift? Could he even get through one of those at that point? Till was tired. Waking up at the slightest sound, on alert every second of every blurred together day .  . . It was exhausting. How much longer would he be stuck? 

A loud horn blaring past the alley took him out of his thoughts. Focus. The hunter opened his inventory and scanned his items before pulling out a compass. Hunter’s Compass (A). He shook the small disc a few times and watched the little arrow spin around and around. A few moments passed with no sign of a direction being specified. Till shook it again, tapped it, and finally looked at the description again. Hunter’s Compass (A): Points in the direction of the nearest dungeon entity (A class or below). Requirements: Must be located in a dungeon or rift. Shake to activate. Till stared at the description, looking at the bright red text of the requirements. Must be located in a dungeon or rift.  

Till looked up from the compass and pressed his hand against the wall. He stumbled towards the opening of the alley. Was it possible? Another car passed by, splashing through a puddle. A door opened up nearby and two people passed by, conversing quietly as they walked.

It was only after the young girl behind the bar stared at him with wide eyes that Till considered his appearance. She scurried away before he had a chance to ask anything, which was honestly understandable for a civilian seeing someone walk in covered in dark blood, clothes dirty and messy, a dagger in hand. He put the dagger back into his inventory. Was she going to call the cops? That would be troublesome. Till sighed and ran a hand through his hair. 

Luckily, it wasn’t the cops that arrived a minute later, but another woman. She lowered her sunglasses– indoors? Really? –and let out a low whistle. 

“Straight from the job, huh?” 

Till looked at her awkwardly. Her long brown hair was tied back, and he could see a prosthetic leg instead of a full second pant leg. She had a badge clipped to her belt, identifying her as a hunter. 

“Uh, something like that,” he replied, thinking of where to start. He needed information, but he didn’t have his mask. How could he avoid giving too much away?

“Why don’t you get yourself cleaned up and I’ll pour you a drink, kid?” Kid? I’m twenty– , Till paused mentally. What year was it? He’d lost track of time in the rift, but it certainly had not been a small amount of time that he spent there. He was sure he had missed some birthdays. They weren’t exactly a priority in the middle of a rift. 

The woman pulled him away from his thoughts by throwing him a towel and plain black t-shirt before shoving him into a bathroom. Till hung them up on a hook before looking at himself in the mirror and oh, wow. He was a mess.  

After wiping himself off as much as he could and changing into the t-shirt, he came back out. The other hunter was waiting for him at the bar, two beers next to her. 

“So, what kinda dungeon has you comin’ in here lookin’ like that at three in the morning?” she asked Till when he finally took a seat next to her. He hesitated for a moment before praying his bullshit would be believable enough. 

“To be honest, my memory is kind of hazy. The system says I have some sort of memory-blocking status effect and it seems I lost my phone, so I was hoping I could borrow one?” He scratched his head and tried to look lost, which wasn’t too hard considering that was exactly how he felt. The woman shrugged and tossed him a cell. 

“Hope you remember some of your contacts at least.”

The first thing Till did was check the date and oh shit.  

Till learned a few things. First and foremost: five years had passed since he entered the rift. A while after he entered, searching for survivors and all of the monsters, the entrance had closed. After a year with no sign of the rift reappearing, he and everyone else who remained inside were presumed dead. Just a few days ago was his official death anniversary, prompting many articles that seemed to repeat every year talking about the situation. From those, he learned that Mizi was still alive. A quiet sigh of relief escaped his lips as he read one of her interviews. It seemed that the rift had closed during a moment that she had been bringing some of the survivors outside, leaving her out of it. It was a relief that she was okay. However, her number had changed, so he couldn’t get into contact with her. 

Second: the hunter lady was named Hyuna, who was part of a guild named Riot. She and a few of her friends ran the bar which was primarily for hunters. The second and third floor of the building had a few rooms, one of which she kindly allowed Till to stay in until he could either remember his own place or find a new one. 

Third: things had changed. A lot. Five years. It seemed like both long and short at the same time. A long time to be stuck in a rift fighting monsters. A short time for humanity to make so much progress. Dungeons and rifts could now be predicted. Technology advanced with the use of dungeon byproducts, improving the lives and safety of both civilians and hunters. There were shields, potions, weapon enhancements, and more. Would things have been different with all of these five years ago?

He thought of all of these changes as he laid in the soft bed Hyuna had led him to. Till tried to close his eyes, finally get some proper sleep, but the comfort of warm sheets didn’t put him at ease. He tossed and turned, jumped up when a car passed by. Closed his eyes again, felt himself sink into the mattress, imagined himself falling. After what felt like hours, Till pulled himself out of the bed and curled up in a corner on the floor. Slowly, the repeated creaking floors and cars passing by faded to the background and he was able to drift off into a light sleep. No monsters woke him this time. 

Chapter Text

It was two months later that Till rinsed some glasses as Hyuna chatted with some other hunters at the bar. 9 pm on a Friday meant it was busy. All of the seats present were filled, and the majority of people were standing, either talking to each other or enjoying their drinks on their own. It was a miracle that Till even had a moment to rinse and polish glasses. Hyuna had offered him a few dungeon by-product collecting gigs suitable for an E-class (she knew he was a hunter from the moment they met, but at least he could convincingly hide his rank), but he rejected them, saying he was plenty happy just working the bar and was grateful as it was for everything she did for him. 

The past two months had been . . . peaceful. Bartending may not sound like the most peaceful job with the busy nights and chaotic drunks, but it was the most relaxing time he had since awakening at 16 as an S-rank hunter. He had lived as the hunter, Aku, for more than he lived as himself. In a way, even the time spent stuck in the rift was more calm than working as the nation’s hero. 

Whatever the case, he was happy with where he was. Away from rifts, dungeons, and monsters. The world was getting by just fine without him. They didn’t need Aku anymore. Till could spend his time mixing drinks, cleaning glasses. 

The door opening pulled him out of his thoughts. Of course, that alone wouldn’t be enough to distract him. It was the overwhelming pressure that appeared with the door opening or, more accurately, the person that stepped inside. 

The whole bar fell silent to look at the man. A classic tall, dark, and handsome. His black hair was parted to the side, eyes a cold black with a hint of red, and a snaggletooth peeking out from his lips. His outfit was combat ready: full black with combat boots and a tight fitting shirt to match. Icy eyes swept over the room, seeming to linger in Till’s direction a little longer than others. 

All of the sudden, the pressure disappeared and a kind smile took over. 

“Sorry, sorry! I just came back from a dungeon,” he said, waving a hand and walking towards the bar. There were a few sighs of relief before the conversations started picking back up. The man took a miraculously empty seat next to Hyuna. Hadn’t it been filled just a moment ago?

“Ivan, you gotta stop doing that. I’m gonna lose business if you keep doing that,” Hyuna said to the man. The name was familiar. Where had he heard it before?

“Yes, I’m sorry. I just forget about it since I’m alone in there,” the man, Ivan, said. Alone . . . in the dungeons? Even if a hunter was strong, it was still incredibly dangerous to go into a dungeon a few ranks below them alone. The only ones who had the power to do that somewhat safely were S-class hunters, but even then . . . It clicked. Ivan. The number one S-class hunter. Known for going into dungeons alone and having never lost a fight. He was, in a way, the new Aku, the new hero. While opinions of him varied, one thing was agreed upon: he was definitely the strongest hunter of the generation. So what was a man like that doing in this bar?

Till didn’t have much time to ponder the question as Hyuna beckoned him over. 

“Till, this is Ivan. I’m sure you’ve heard of him. He’s a good friend of mine that helps me out sometimes,” she said. Till nodded politely. “Ivan, this is Till. I picked him up a few months back and now he carries the whole bar himself.”

“You’re exaggerating. I don’t do much,” Till denied. 

“You can take care of weekends entirely by yourself! Your speed is crazy. Do you secretly have some sort of S-rank bartending skill?” 

“You know that’s not possible,” Till replied, shaking his head. He stiffened a little at the mention, but it seemed Hyuna didn’t notice. However, there was another gaze on him. Ivan’s cold eyes didn’t match the smile on his lips. 

“Hello, Till. It’s nice to meet you. Are you awakened as well?” Ivan asked. 

“Ah, yes, but I’m only E-rank. I can’t do much so I work regular jobs.” 

Ivan hummed in response. His eyes lingered on Till for another moment before turning back to Hyuna, placing a hand in his pocket.

“Oh, Till, can you get me another beer? And a Strawberry Dream for Ivan,” Hyuna said. Till raised an eyebrow but nodded, pulling out a beer and martini glass. Ivan didn’t seem like the type to go for one of the sweetest drinks, but there were stranger things in the world. As Till let Hyuna’s glass fill up, he saw Ivan pull out a paper and slide it to Hyuna. She unfolded it and narrowed her eyes to read whatever was on it. For what seemed like the first time since he had met her, Hyuna’s smile dropped. 

He brought the drinks over as Hyuna raked her fingers through her hair and sighed. 

“Nothing new,” Ivan said. “We’ll keep looking.”

“Thanks.” Hyuna picked up her beer and took a swing. Her grin returned. “The night is still young. I’ll worry ‘bout it later!” 

In a flash, Hyuna was gone from her seat and on the bar’s little stage, mic in hand. Till sighed, ready for the chaotic night to get even crazier. 

“Have we met before?” Ivan asked suddenly. Till’s gaze snapped back to the man still sitting at the bar and staring at him. 

“No,” he replied shortly. Rank one S-class hunter, Ivan. That was not an individual that Till wanted to catch the attention of when he was trying to live peacefully.

“Hm, how strange. You seem familiar,” Ivan said, undeterred by Till’s attitude.

“I don’t think meeting the most famous hunter in the country is something I would forget easily, so you must be mistaken,” Till replied. That was the end of the conversation, Till thought. He gathered a few empty glasses and set them by the sink. Ivan’s eyes followed him and the smile never left his lips. 

“Well, we can just become familiar then,” Ivan called out after him. Till snapped his head back to look at Ivan and cursed under his breath. And why the fuck would I want to do that? he wanted to say. 

Fortunately for his professionalism, a few hunters waved him over to ask for more drinks before the words could escape. The rest of the night was busy, and Till had no time to sit and chat with anyone. Ivan had left after finishing his drink, leaving a business card and way more cash than was needed to cover the drink. Till almost threw the card away, but hesitated at the last moment. It wasn’t like Ivan had actually been rude or anything. Till just didn’t want to be involved, but there was no reason to just toss something he had given to him away like that, right? 

He slipped the card into his back pocket and got back to work. Hyuna was getting back on stage again and the crowd was going crazy. The night was far from over. Ivan was busier than him. It was unlikely they would meet again. There was no need to worry too much, Till thought. He was going to live peacefully. 

Peacefully. Just a normal civilian life. 

Peacefully. 

Peacefully. 

Chapter Text

Till’s definition of a peaceful life did not include going into A-class dungeons, especially as a supposedly E-class awakener. So one might wonder what he was doing standing outside of one of said dungeons. He would have to go back a bit to explain that. 

“Till, I have a job for you!” Hyuna said one day. 

“Hyuna, I appreciate it, but you know–”

“This is different. I’m asking for a favor,” she cut him off. Till shut his mouth. He couldn’t protest if she put it like that. Hyuna had already done so much for him, there was no way he could reject her asking for a favor for once. 

“We’re looking for some more hunters to go into an A-class dungeon next week,” she continued. 

“Wait, A-class?” Till hesitated. “Hyuna, in case you forgot, I’m only E-class.”

“Don’t worry! You just need to gather materials. There will be an A-class and a few B-class hunters with each collection group to protect you in the case that something is missed, but there will be plenty of higher ranked hunters going ahead. You won’t face any danger,” she explained. 

“But don’t you have enough B and C-class hunters? Why would you need me?” he asked. 

“Usually, yes, but scans have found this dungeon to be much larger than usual. It’s gonna have a lot of good resources and we need to take advantage to get as much out of it as we can.”

Another thing that had changed. Not only were dungeons and rifts able to be predicted now, but a lot of information could be gathered about the interiors without even entering. It was easier to figure out what skills, items, and potions would be needed. There were still some things that would come as a surprise, but hunters were much more prepared now. The survival rate of dungeons had gone up significantly from five years ago. 

“Trust me, Till. You will be completely safe,” she said. Till wasn’t actually concerned about safety. After all, an A-class dungeon was nothing special for an S-class. He was concerned about drawing attention and being around a lot of hunters, especially higher ranked ones. The stronger the hunters, the harder it was to conceal true abilities from them. But this was Hyuna asking for a favor, and it was unlikely he would have to even use any abilities. Resource gathering jobs were one of the safest dungeon related jobs. And so, Till reluctantly agreed. 

What he failed to understand was why Ivan, the number one ranked hunter, was here. Didn’t this guy usually clear dungeons solo? What was he doing here with such a large group? While the briefing had mentioned an S-class hunter, it hadn’t mentioned Ivan. Till turned to Hyuna to ask, but the hunter was gone already, probably off to greet someone she knew. He really should have paid more attention to the briefing . . . Till sighed and turned back around, only to almost jump out of his skin. 

“We meet again, Till.” Ivan stood before him, a sly grin on his lips. Till cursed silently. 

“Hunter Ivan,” he greeted with a nod. 

“There’s no need to be so distant, is there?”

“Since when are we close?” Till replied. Ivan pouted at him. 

“I thought we became friends last time, did we not? I was sad you didn’t text or call. I was waiting, you know,” Ivan said. 

What the fuck. Till stared at the man in front of him in disbelief. 

“Since when does exchanging two sentences make someone your friend? And I was busy,” he said. 

“Then all I need to do is talk to you more? That’s no problem!” 

No, it is a problem, Till thought. What the fuck did I do to catch this guy’s attention?

“I’m not sure what you want from me, but I would prefer you leave me alone,” Till said bluntly. He turned on his heel and walked away. Where to? He had no idea, but as long as it was away from that guy. Nothing good could possibly come out of getting involved with him. 

Luckily, Ivan was called to enter the dungeon first. Saved by the bell, or the speaker in this instance. 

“See you later, Till!” he heard the man call after him. He did not turn back around.

By the time Till looked back at the swirling mass of red light, Ivan was gone. He breathed a sigh of relief and waited for his group to be called up. The combat hunters followed Ivan, and then the support-oriented ones. Finally, the collectors. 

Till watched as his collection team stepped in one by one until it was his turn. He paused in front of the gate, hesitant. This was the first dungeon he would be entering since somehow getting out of the rift. An A-class dungeon. It was not uncommon for people to die in those. 

He shook his head. Ivan, an S-class hunter, was there, not to mention all of the others. Items, potions, and even the briefing before the dungeon. Things had changed. 

One of the collection hunters behind him put a hand on his shoulder. 

“Hey, it’s gonna be okay. The combat teams will take care of everything, so we won’t even see any of the monsters,” the hunter said. Till nodded. 

“Yeah, thanks,” he answered.  He belatedly realized she must have thought he was scared of entering a high ranked dungeon and getting hurt as a low-rank. There was no need to correct her if he wanted to maintain his E-class image. 

With a deep breath, he stepped through the gate. Outside, the red light flickered. 

Till stepped out into a deep ash-grey canyon. The cliffs on every side seemed to extend infinitely high, though the hint of a red sky could still be seen. The air was chilly, and he saw some of the lower ranked hunters shiver slightly. There was no wind. Immediately in front of the gate, to the left, and to the right there were three identical tunnel openings. It was as described in the briefing.

The combat hunters were already gone from sight, split into three groups and sent to each of the three tunnels. Shortly after the last hunters entered, the gate shrunk and disappeared. Till stood by the entrance of the left tunnel and waited for the signal to enter. 

It took one hour for the first silvery-blue butterfly to flutter out and explode into fireworks. It came from the middle tunnel.

An hour later, Till’s group got their own signal and headed inside. 

The entrance to the tunnel was dark, and various light producing artifacts were used for the first ten minutes of the walk. Soon, however, there was a light. As it got brighter, Till could feel the mana more strongly. The tunnel expanded into a large cave full of glowing blue crystals. 

“Woah,” one of the hunters near him breathed out. 

“Holy shit,” said another. Holy shit indeed, Till thought. Such a large cave completely filled with mana crystals was not a sight he had ever seen before, even as an S-class. Then again, many things were quite new to him after five years. Resource collection was one of the last things on his mind in the past. Hunters would grab things here and there, mainly focusing on the monster cores, but there were no dedicated teams for collection. Mana crystal research only made breakthroughs after the rift had disappeared. 

A clap brought everyone’s attention to the A-class hunter leading Till’s group. 

“Alright everyone, pick those jaws up off the ground. These crystals will only be worth something if we get them out of here.”

The mana crystals hummed with energy. Till pulled the pickaxe he had been provided with out of his inventory and got to work. 

The repeated strikes of the hunters caused the cave to vibrate slightly, rhythmically. The spread of all of them caused a constant hum underlying the rest of the sounds. A hum that became stronger as they worked. 

No. 

Till paused and turned to the tunnel they had come from. He narrowed his eyes. The sounds surrounding him died out in his mind, and he focused on mana. He felt various traces of mana surrounding him from the other hunters. He expanded the search. 

It was faint at first, so far away that it was hard to detect anything. But it was only a moment before it started becoming clearer and clearer. Very quickly. Till cursed under his breath. The A-class hunter accompanying them had just turned to the tunnel, likely noticing something as well, but it was too late. 

“Get back!” he yelled.

It all happened in an instant. The monster burst into the cave. The hunters near the first tunnel entrance got flung to the side, slamming into the crystal walls. A faint blue glow surrounded them, and thankfully no one was bleeding. Till glanced at the A-class hunter. Luckily, she had processed the situation quickly enough to deploy shields around the hunters at the entrance. However, there was only so much that would do. The other hunters that had either heard his shout and moved or were just lucky enough to be further away were frozen in fear, staring at the creature that had entered. 

The monster was huge. It fit perfectly in the tunnel; could it have been the one that made it? Hundreds, or possibly thousands, of tiny legs lined its long body. The worst part, however, was what seemed to be its face. Not even a face, but just a mouth. A circular opening at the front of the creature’s body was lined with rows upon rows of sharp fangs. A glowing violet liquid dripped from those fangs, producing a slight hiss with every drop that hit the ground. 

A system message appeared above the monster:

<Crystal Hoarder (A)>

Till looked around the cave. The A-class hunter had already sent a distress signal to the combat group ahead, but would they be able to hold out for long enough? She was a defense-type. Although there were a few B-class hunters among the collection group, most of them were not combat-types. Not to mention the C and D-class hunters. If the group was smaller, the A-class could probably protect them well enough until the combat group got back, but defending so many lower class hunters against an A-class monster would drain her mana too quickly. He needed a different solution. 

Someone ran at the monster. Having been one of the hunters flung against the crystal walls earlier, they raised their sword high and came at it from behind. 

“Stop!” Till and the A-class hunter shouted at the same time, but the swordsman didn’t listen. When he got to the Hoarder, he swung his sword as if to slice it. After the initial clash, there was a clatter followed by silence. The sword had bounced off.

The creature slowly turned its head to the swordsman. He staggered back, eyes wide with fear. The acid hissed as it dripped down. The shield wouldn't save him from a direct hit. Till could no longer stay still. 

He activated three skills almost simultaneously. 

<Perfect Alibi has been summoned>

<Shroud conceals you>

<Blink>

Till appeared behind the swordsman, grabbed him, and used Blink again. The Hoarder’s mouth was on the ground where they had just stood. The swordsman trembled in his arms. Horror was all that could be seen in his eyes. If Till was a second too late, the man would have been gone. 

The other hunters stared in shock at the swordsman, looking between him and the Hoarder. More accurately, they were looking behind the swordsman at Till. A few of them rubbed their eyes and squinted at him, but it didn't give them a clearer view. An S-rank ability was blurring his appearance to become unidentifiable; no one in the cave would be able to see through it. 

Till glanced back at his initial position. A perfect clone stood where he had been a moment ago, looking just like the other hunters. He let a small breath out, relieved. Perfect Alibi was a powerful S-rank skill that summoned a clone that almost no one would be able to tell apart from Till. Coupled with him being able to control it as desired, it was an incredible ability. The main downside was the amount of mana it used. Along with a high mana cost to summon it, the clone required constant mana to be maintained. With both Perfect Alibi and Shroud draining mana steadily, Till knew he had to end this fast. 

He scanned the Hoarder mouth to tail. It was well defended. The exoskeleton would be difficult to pierce, and the mouth had both the acid and the rows of fangs. There barely seemed to be any opening. 

But the creature had no eyes. After letting go of the swordsman, Till used Blink again. He summoned a dagger from his inventory and cleanly sliced off a few of the Hoarder’s legs. 

As expected, he thought. The joints were the weakest point. The creature let out a piercing screech. 

<Crystal Hoarder has used Fear (A)>

<You are immune>

The skill had no effect on him, however that wasn’t the case for the other hunters. Most of the hunters that were still standing previously collapsed to their knees. The A-class hunter was still standing, likely due to a resistance skill. Everyone else was close to the walls of the cave, so Till decided to lure it to the middle. Using Blink again, he appeared on the creature’s other side again, slicing off more legs. The Hoarder turned its head to attack, but he had already dodged. 

“Over here, you dumbass!” he taunted in a distorted voice. The Hoarder turned to him once again and charged at him. Till leaped up and landed on the monster’s back. Now that it was away from the other hunters, he hoped that the A-class shielder would be able to protect everyone from any second-hand damage. Now all he needed to do was weaken it enough. Running down the monster’s back, he continued to slice off legs. It thrashed violently, but its efforts to throw Till to the ground were met with failure. He inflicted constant damage, unyielding. 

Suddenly, the Hoarder raised its head and fell still. The hunters started whispering among themselves. 

“Is it over?” some asked. But Till knew better. He scanned over the room quickly and spoke. 

“Group with the shielder,” he commanded the hunters. A few of them stared at him blankly, while others whispered.

“Now!” he added. They broke out of their trance and rushed over to the A-class shielder. He watched his clone do the same. With everyone in one place, the shielder would be able to use one AOE shield to protect everyone. 

“What about you?” she called out, looking out at Till’s blurry figure. “Let me cast a shield on you separately.”

“No need, focus on them,” he said. Before she had a chance to respond, the Hoarder began to move again. Somehow, its already huge mouth expanded further. The next moment, a bright fountain of glowing violet exploded from the Hoarder’s mouth. The acid didn’t miss a single spot in the cave. A loud hiss came from the ground, and the shield protecting the hunters glowed a bright blue, leaving the liquid to bounce and roll off of it. With no shield of his own, Till took the damage directly. The acid burned and stung his skin, but he gritted his teeth and ignored it. As the acid rain began to die down, Till leaped up to stand on the edge of the Hoarder’s mouth. His eyes locked on to the glowing red core deep inside of the creature’s body. Before it had a chance to hide it once again, he quickly threw his dagger, shattering the outer core. Without another sound, the Hoarder dropped down and dissipated into dust, leaving only a shattered outside core and faintly glowing inner core. 

The cave was silent for only a moment before erupting in cheers. The shield protecting the collection group dissipated. The hunters quickly surrounded him, asking for his identity, his rank, his abilities. Till cursed under his breath. He looked over at his clone, further behind many of the others but also approaching to blend in. He shouldn’t get caught. 

Ignoring the hunters surrounding him, he closed his eyes and expanded his range of senses. There were two other tunnels. If there were Hoarders there as well, things could be bad. 

Thankfully, while Till felt traces of the monsters’ mana, they were no longer active. It seemed that the other tunnels got help in time. He sighed in relief and looked back at the group of hunters surrounding him. He checked that his skin had healed. Without another word, he deactivated Perfect Alibi and Shroud at the same time and used Blink to replace his clone with himself. There were a few gasps of shock and everyone started looking around, trying to find out where their mysterious savior had disappeared to.

“Ah, damn. I didn’t even get to thank him properly,” muttered the shielder. 

No need, Till thought. He hadn’t wanted to draw attention in the first place. He had no choice but to reveal himself, but at least he was able to keep his identity hidden. There would be some gossip and questions, but ultimately he hadn’t caused any issues and there was no way people would know he was Aku anyways. He would be forgotten eventually.

Or so he thought. Incorrectly. Because two hours later, a system message popped up in front of everyone. 

<Dungeon Clear>

<Individual Contribution Ranking:

1. Ivan
2. Hyuna
3. Aku>

Till stared at the message in disbelief and only thought two things: What the fuck? and Shit.

Chapter Text

Till looked at his phone. News. 

[5 Years After Death, Hero AKU’s Return]

[Hero or Impostor? Uncovering the Truth Behind AKU’s Appearance]

[Hunter Management Association: “We are looking into it”]

[X University’s System Research Team: “There is no history of the system making errors”]

Title: I was saved by AKU

6 hours ago

I was on the collection team in the dungeon that AKU appeared in. He appeared out of nowhere and saved us from an A-class monster! We couldn’t see his appearance due to a skill, but it was definitely him.

(Comments 99+)

   > AKU never showed his face so there’s no way to verify . . .

      >> didn’t he have some sort of disguise skill?

      >> yeah, but it’s not like he’s the only one in the world who has one. 

   (read more)

   > how could it be him lol we all know he disappeared in that rift. and if he did come back, wouldn’t he tell someone?

      >> Maybe he lost his memories.

      >> lololol s-class aku?

   (read more)

   > OP how are you so sure it’s him? Couldn’t it be a fake?

      >> even if he’s a fake, he took down an a-class monster all alone. aku or not, the guy has to be an s-class

      >> Yeah, but an S-class isn’t the same as AKU

   (read more)

   > op!!! did anyone disappear from your group when he appeared? we need to know who this guy is!!!

      >> everyone in the dungeon had someone that could confirm their location when aku appeared. he came out of nowhere.

      >> did he sneak in with the raid team?

   (read more)

Fuck . This was not what he meant by peaceful. Articles, forum posts, videos – everyone was talking about him. When the fuck did dungeons start adding a contribution ranking? What kind of bullshit was this? His only saving grace was that no one knew that he was Aku. But even that wasn’t very comforting, because everyone in his collection group was technically a suspect. As if he had committed a crime . . . All Till had done was save some people and he was being treated like a wanted criminal! It was driving him insane. 

He tossed his phone to the side and sighed. What was he supposed to do now? Evaporate into dust? Go into another rift and disappear with it again? He did not want to deal with all of this. 

The media attention wasn’t even the worst of it. The worst part was the mandatory re-ranking that everyone in his group had to go through. This would have been fine, if it was anything like the self-reported ranking confirmed by a demonstration that it was during Till’s first few years as a hunter. It would be easy enough to pretend to be barely stronger than a regular human, probably. Unfortunately for him, that had changed a few years ago. He had checked a few forum posts from new awakeners, and learned that to register as a hunter, people had to go through a few steps. The first was to report the awakening to the government within a week. After that, the awakener would be scheduled to come in for a ranking exam, which still consisted of a demonstration. But not just that anymore. There was a new mana-reading device that apparently could assess rank based off of a hunter’s mana. Very accurately. He wondered if he could make up some bullshit about being the first time the device messed up. 

Of course, all of that was just for registering as an awakened individual, but there was also an exam to receive a hunter’s license. Which Till did not have. Which meant that technically, he had entered that dungeon illegally. Till groaned and raked his fingers through his hair. He was so fucked, wasn’t he?

And yet the world moved on, and the time to open the bar arrived. If there was one thing that people did at bars other than drink, it was talk. What else would a bar full of hunters talk about other than the latest hunter news?

The night started out alright, since few people came in right at opening. It was still early in the day and people were still working, clearing dungeons, and doing whatever else. But as more people filtered in, the chatter got louder and larger groups formed. Till found himself tuning in to a conversation at one of the large tables in the corner. 

“Hey, you think it’s really him?” someone asked. 

“I was in the same dungeon, but in a different group, so I only heard about it after we cleared it. Everyone was so shocked when Aku’s name appeared on the contribution ranking,” said another hunter. “Wait, Mina, wasn’t he in your group?”

The woman, Mina, was familiar. She was the A-class defense-type hunter that had led Till’s group. 

“Yeah, it was my group that he saved. He really did just appear out of nowhere though, so I don’t know if it was anyone I was leading or if he came from somewhere else,” she replied. 

“What was he like though? You think it was him?” the first hunter asked again. 

“I only became a hunter after Aku went missing, so I had only ever seen him on TV. Based on just that, there was nothing particularly different, other than the fact that Aku has been proclaimed dead, of course.” Mina explained. Exactly. He was dead. 

“His body was never recovered though.”

“Obviously, since it disappeared with the rift. But the rift hasn’t come back. ANAKT has had their eyes on that area for years now and they haven’t found even the slightest disturbance,” a regular joined in. 

“Any chance the rift opened up somewhere else?” 

“Every other rift that has appeared since then has been cleared and was confirmed to be nothing like the one Aku disappeared in, so no.” 

Till found himself liking the direction this conversation was going. It seemed they were convincing themselves that there was no chance Aku was alive. Good. Now if they moved on to a different topic. 

“Hey, Till,” the regular called out to him. He looked up, ready to pour more drinks. “Didn’t Hyuna drag you into the dungeon too? Did you see Aku?” 

Till cursed silently for the millionth time. Why was he still here, just to suffer . . .

“Till was in my group, so he saw him up close too. Though a lot of the people were so shocked from everything that they don’t remember much,” Mina added. Till decided to roll with that. 

“I was there, but as Mina said, I don’t remember much. My memory went kind of hazy after an A-class monster appeared,” he lied smoothly. Mina looked down, regretfully. 

“I’m sorry, I should have protected all of you better. To think an A-class monster would get by the groups ahead of us . . .”

“It’s not your fault. And we all survived thanks to that guy, so I have nothing to complain about.” Till forced himself to keep a straight face while thanking, well, himself. The rest of the group looked a little awkward. Were they uncomfortable because they brought up Till’s made-up trauma? Any guilt he felt was overwhelmed by relief from them switching topics. Not that the relief lasted long.

How much does the world actually hate me? Till thought to himself when Ivan walked into the bar and immediately met his eyes. Busying himself with glasses did not make Till appear busy enough, apparently, because Ivan walked straight up to him and spoke.

“You still haven't messaged me, Till,” Ivan said. Till raised an eyebrow. 

“Why would I?” he replied. 

“I thought you might need some help. Was I wrong?” 

“The fuck would I need help from you for?” 

“Well, I just thought you might be concerned about your re-ranking. Considering the background check and all,” Ivan said, a playful smile on his lips. Till narrowed his eyes and looked around quickly. 

“I’m not sure why I should be,” he replied, watching Ivan carefully. The man shrugged and slipped Till another business card. 

“Maybe you’re the anxious type. Need a friend to accompany you?” This time, there was something written on the card. You need a registration for the re-ranking. At this point, there was no doubt about it. Ivan had looked into him. And he knew Till was unregistered. How much more did he know? Just that would already get him into trouble. Going into a dungeon without a registration was illegal, after all. But what if Ivan knew more? Did he know Till was Aku? 

When Till didn’t respond, Ivan continued, “Hang out with me for a little when you have a break. I’ll be in the corner.” The S-class hunter nodded in the direction of a two-top table in one of the bar corners and waved as he left. 

Till lasted approximately 10 minutes before finally asking Isaac to take over for a while. He headed straight to the table with Ivan, ignoring the eyes on him as he approached the man. Usually customers didn’t pay too much attention to what he was doing, especially when they weren’t chatting with him, but Ivan’s presence always drew attention. If his rank and identity weren’t enough, his looks sure were. 

When he arrived, Till didn’t speak. He waited as Ivan pulled out a small stone, set it on the table, and tapped it twice. 

“Now we won’t be overheard,” Ivan explained. Till confirmed the item’s description. Silent Pocket (B): upon activation, sounds within one meter of the item cannot be heard outside of that radius. 

“So what exactly do you want?” Till asked. 

“I just want to help a friend out,” Ivan replied. Till stared at him in disbelief. 

“I basically ignored you, and you’re here claiming you want to ‘help a friend?’ Why are you even so interested in me? And why do you even think I need your help?” 

“Well, let’s just say I have my ways of figuring some things out, and I would like to get closer with you. What I do know is that you’re S-rank, and it seems like you don’t want that known. I can help with that,” Ivan said. Ivan’s steady gaze stayed on Till and there was no hint of hesitation. There was no getting out of this. He had been caught. 

“Why not report me?” he asked instead. 

“Do you want me to? I thought you wanted to keep it a secret, considering how you’ve been acting.”

“Cut the crap. I’m asking what you get out of helping me.”

“Can’t a friend help out from the kindness of their heart?” Ivan let out a laugh at Till’s glare. “How about this then: I’d like a favor.”

“What favor?” 

“I’m not sure yet. How about I call it in when I think of something?”

“No,” Till refused immediately. Favors were the worst price for a deal. Who knew what he would be forced to do?

“Don’t worry. It won’t be anything too hard, I promise.” He spoke as if his promise meant anything to Till. 

“That’s for me to decide when I hear it,” Till said. 

“Oh, do you have other options then?” Ivan asked with a sickeningly sweet smile, his little snaggletooth becoming more prominent. Till wondered how hard it would be to get rid of this guy. Though that wouldn’t solve the registration problem. Ivan was a famous S-class. He had connections, and somehow found out Till’s true rank, though it seemed like he didn’t know his identity yet. Honestly, if there was anyone he believed would be able to get away with deceiving the government, it was probably Ivan. 

“Fuck, fine. But I won't do any dirty work or anything public for your favor,” Till decided. 

“It’s a deal then,” Ivan said, reaching his hand out. God, Till hoped he was making the right decision. The pleased expression on Ivan’s face made him nervous. 

Chapter Text

The sound of footsteps at the stairs down the hall drew Till’s attention. He had been staring at a blank piece of paper, unable to even start a sketch. Whatever he was going to hear would probably be a welcome distraction.

It was Isaac. He could recognize the footsteps: a little slower than Hyuna’s, a little lighter than Dewey’s. 

He waited until the knock to get up to open the door. 

“You have a guest downstairs,” Isaac said. Till didn’t bother asking who it was. There was only one person that would be looking for him. With a quick thank you, he walked down the stairs and belatedly wondered why Ivan didn’t just text, since they had properly exchanged numbers now. 

“What do you need now, Ivan?” he asked, getting straight to the point as he opened the door to the bar. He was met with silence. It was only after the door fully shut that Till turned around to look at the guest and froze. He could feel his face go from cool to flushed red in a matter of seconds. 

Ivan had not texted him because the guest was not, in fact, Ivan. Wide, golden-green eyes stared back at him. He would recognize the pink-haired woman anywhere. 

“M-Mizi?” he stuttered out. What was she doing here? How did she find him? She was there, alive, breathing. 

In an instant, Mizi had crossed the bar and Till found himself in her arms. He could barely breathe in her embrace. An S-class hunter’s strength was no joke. And yet, a strange tension left his body as he hugged her back. He knew she was alive; he’d read the news that she appeared regularly in. But everyone who had gone into the rift with him was gone, and it was like a whole different world since he came back. New people, places, things. Till had wondered if there was even a place for him still. The world had moved on. 

But Mizi, a shining light in some of his worst times as a hunter, a dear friend and great partner, was someone who knew him. Someone who remembered him and knew of his existence beyond the mask of Aku. 

He heard a sniffle and pulled back quickly. 

“H-hey, what’s wrong?” he said. Mizi tried to dry her face in vain. 

“I’m just so glad to see you alive,” she said. Her tears didn’t stop, but she smiled brightly at him. Till found his own lips turning up. 

After calming Mizi and pouring her a glass of water, Till ended up sitting across from her at one of the small bar tables. He talked about waking up outside of the rift one day and how he had been living the past few months. Mizi talked to him about what he had missed in the past five years, including her crush on a fellow hunter. He was glad she had been doing well. 

“Come to think of it, how did you find me?” he asked. 

“Oh, that! Ivan mentioned your name, so I said we were childhood friends and asked him about you,” she said. Till frowned. He did remember Ivan and Mizi being part of the same guild, but were they close?

“Ivan? What did he say?” Was he telling other people about Till’s rank? 

“Just that he found someone he was interested in,” Mizi said, winking at Till. “He’s a pretty good catch, you know.” Till rolled his eyes. 

“That’s not it. He just found out about my identity,” Till explained. 

“Oh, he knows?”

“Just my rank. He offered to help keep it hidden after . . . you know.”

“After you revealed to the whole world that you’re back?” Mizi teased him. Till groaned and dropped his head into his hands. Mizi laughed. “He’s a good guy. You can trust him.” 

“Really?” That wasn’t the impression Ivan had given him when revealing his secret and asking for an unspecified favor. However, he had ultimately offered to help, and Till was not in a position to refuse. If Mizi trusted him, he couldn’t be that bad. 

As if summoned by their discussion of him, Till’s phone began to ring. Caller: Ivan. 

“Hello, Till!” he immediately greeted from the other line. 

“What do you need?” Till asked.

“Come to the address I just sent you,” Ivan said, surprisingly getting to the point immediately. 

“I’m a little busy right now.”

“Mizi can show you the way.” 

Till decided not to question why Ivan knew that he and Mizi were together right now.

“Can’t this wait?” he asked instead. 

“Don’t worry, Till! We can keep talking on the way there,” Mizi cut in. “And it’s a super nice place. Why don’t we take a look around after you’re done with your business?”

Till hesitated for a moment, but since Mizi insisted . . .

“Alright,” he agreed reluctantly. 

Half an hour later, he found himself on the other side of the city in a quiet, green-filled neighborhood. The address led Till and Mizi to a worn down multi-story building with vines crawling up its sides. It didn’t look very usable, honestly, but Mizi went up to the entrance confidently and walked in. The inside didn’t look any better. 

“Is this really the right place?” Till asked, looking around at the dust filled reception room. “Super nice” did not seem like an accurate description. Mizi laughed and waved for Till to keep following. 

Behind the reception desk was a door that led them into a small, equally dusty room. Mizi walked to the back corner of the room and . . . knocked. A portion of the wall slid away to reveal a scanner, to which she pressed her hand and waited a moment. After a flash of green, more of the wall disappeared to reveal a hall. Wow , Till thought. Not excessive at all.

The interior past the hallway was completely different from the first part of his trip through the building. A clean, modern interior greeted him, decorated with thriving green plants growing from the walls. The air was fresh and the rooms and halls well lit. The most surprising difference, however, was the sudden influx of presences he could feel. Prior to getting past the secret entrance, he could sense the presence of just a few civilians in the buildings nearby and Mizi next to him. As he crossed the divide, at least twenty more people were added, with the varying amounts of mana identifying most of them as hunters. There had to be some sort of barrier hiding everyone’s presence, but Till had never heard of anything like that even being possible before. It was one thing to not be able to sense a presence outside of a certain radius, but for one step to be all the difference was something else entirely. He had judged too soon, it seemed. Mizi was right about the place being impressive. 

Mizi led Till to a room at the end of the hallway, entering without a knock. 

“Ivan!” she exclaimed, running over and throwing her arms around the man. They sure seemed close. 

“Hello, Mizi,” the hunter greeted in return with a pleasant smile. “I apologize for interrupting your reunion.” 

If you know, then why didn’t you wait? Till decided not to speak. 

“Not at all! We’ll have plenty of time to catch up more now that we’ve found each other again,” Mizi said. 

“What do you need?” Till decided to cut to the chase. Ivan turned his gaze to him, with that same perfect smile on his lips. 

“What if I just wanted to see you?” he asked. 

Ivan’s eyes darted to Mizi for a moment before looking back into Till’s eyes. 

“She knows everything, so just say it,” Till replied. Ivan’s eyes narrowed the slightest bit and Till imagined that the man’s smile faltered for a moment. 

“Well, if you insist. I would like to run some tests to see if we can trick the ranking device.”

“Is that even possible?” 

“They only check for enhancement artifacts and potions prior to testing. Since weakening potions and artifacts are made differently, they should pass the checks and weaken your mana which is what the device tests,” Mizi explained. 

“Exactly.” Ivan nodded in agreement. “Do you have any passive resistance skills?”

Till remained silent for a moment, hesitant to speak. He didn’t want to reveal too much about himself, and his skills were the most telling thing. Of course, no one knew all of the exact details about his skills, but the more he revealed the easier it would be to identify him. 

Mizi drew his attention, placing a hand on his shoulder and offering an encouraging smile. Ivan was helping him, so there was no point in making things harder for both of them.

“Well, I do have a poison resistance skill,” he admitted. Ivan nodded and looked over at the computer next to him. 

“May I ask what class? Weakening potions fall under the poison category, so I need to know if they are still a viable option,” Ivan said. Till summoned his system window and stared at the text as if that would change it. Passive skills: Poison Resistance (S). For the first time, he cursed the stupidly strong skill that had saved his ass in so many dungeons before. 

“I don’t think that’s gonna work,” Till said.

“I see. We will have to see what we can do with the artifacts alone then.” Ivan turned off the computer and gestured for Till and Mizi to follow. Right before entering an elevator, Mizi checked her phone and stepped back. 

“I’m so sorry, Till, I have to go. Good luck!” she said. Before he had a chance to respond, she was down the hall and disappeared from sight. Till stared blankly at the spot she was just standing in as the elevator doors closed. 

“How unfortunate,” Ivan said, not sounding upset at all. Till decided not to grace him with a response. 

After they entered what looked like a storage room, Ivan pulled out a few boxes and set them down in front of Till. 

“If potions won’t work, we can try items. Let’s see how low we can get you with these.”

Ivan started pulling all kinds of accessories from the boxes: bracelets, belts, chokers, and more. Ivan carefully sorted them into two different groups and finally picked out a pair of bracelets from the left group. 

“Start with these. These can be removed at any time,” Ivan explained. He gestured to the right group. “All of these are either single use or cannot be removed before a set period of time.” 

Till took the bracelets into his hands and took a look at their description. Shackles of Weakness (B). He looked back up at Ivan with A Look. Ivan shrugged. 

“Worth a try, right?” 

Till sighed. Would this guy really be able to help him? It didn’t matter. He had no choice but to believe in him now. 

Chapter Text

Unsurprisingly, none of the instantly removable artifacts were of any use. None of them were particularly high ranking, and they didn’t weaken Till in the slightest. Ivan started rummaging through the second pile, but Till didn’t have high hopes. He wondered if Ivan had some other plan because this wasn’t working. 

The taller man paused. 

“Your re-ranking is in two days, correct?” he asked. Till nodded in reply. “Wait a moment.”

Ivan turned around and went to the back of the storage room, where he pushed some boxes aside to reveal a safe. After he typed in some numbers and scanned his hand, the door swung open. Ivan returned with a silver band resting on a velvet cushion. There was a faint black mist surrounding the artifact, exuding an ominous energy. 

“This item cannot be removed for two weeks after putting it on. If you choose to use it, you may want the time to get used to it before testing,” he explained. 

“What makes you think this one will work?” Till asked. Ivan offered the item instead of answering. 

<Binding of Tartarus (?̸̭̠̩̞̱͖͎̮̤̼̰̜̘̙́̽͋?̵̡̧̧̻͔̪̞̮̲̞̗̲͎͌͐̐?̸̛͔͉̼̤̼̖̯̳̻̝͌̌́̅̓͗)>

<Seals ███ of the wearer’s power. Can only be removed two weeks after use by an equal or higher ranked hunter. Accept the punishment of the gods.> 

The letter grade of the item was obscured in his system window, with strange symbols and question marks covering it up. The screen trembled. Was this some sort of glitch? How could an item’s class not be visible to him, an S-class hunter? The last time he had seen something like that . . . He snapped his gaze back up to Ivan.

“Where did you find this?” he asked. 

“It was a dungeon reward.” 

“Dungeon reward? What kind of–” Till cut himself off. “Nevermind.” He reached out to grab the item, but this time Ivan pulled back.  An unusual hesitance lingered in his expression. 

“This item . . . I don’t know how much it will do, but it may be dangerous even for an S-class,” Ivan said. “We can look for another way.”

“There’s not enough time. I’ll be fine,” Till said. He reached his hand out, looking Ivan dead in the eyes. The tiny red spark in his black iris seemed to grow brighter. Ivan relaxed his grip and let Till reach out to grab the artifact this time. 

The band was cool to the touch. He brought it up to his neck slowly while Ivan watched intently. The item snaked around on its own to make a perfect fit. A moment later there was a sharp pain, a burning sensation where the metal touched his neck all around. Till gasped and brought his hands up, clawing at his neck. Ivan grabbed his shoulders to keep him standing up straight. 

“Till? Are you okay?” Ivan asked. Till leaned into Ivan’s grip, unaware of his legs giving out. Was this what it would feel like to get branded? It hurt, it hurt so much. The item dug into his skin and it burned, as though every single cell touched was set on fire. His vision darkened. His head swam. He couldn’t breathe. It hurt. 

Gravity, stronger than ever, pulled him down. Or was it just his body? His lightheadedness? The pain. A tremble started at his fingertips and spread through his body. It hurts, it hurts, it hurts. Till’s nails dug into his skin, as if to peel it off with the band. Could he carve the artifact out of his neck? That would likely hurt less. 

Then, suddenly, it all stopped. The pain dulled down to a simple unpleasant throb. Till gasped for air as his vision started to clear up. He blinked a few times before his eyes could properly focus on . . . someone’s chest? His eyes followed up to see Ivan’s eyes wide, lips pulled into a deep frown. Till felt the grip on his arms tighten. With a hiss, he put his hands on Ivan’s chest to push him away. A grip so strong it would even hurt an S-rank hunter like himself. If Till really was just an E-rank hunter, his arm would have probably been broken. 

Ivan let go, but his expression showed no change. 

“What happened? Are you alright?” 

“I’m fine. It must have been an undescribed side effect or something,” Till said, though he asked himself the same question. Was this the “punishment of the gods” mentioned? He pulled himself up off of the floor. Wasn’t he standing before? Ivan stood with him, lifting his arm for a moment as if to hold Till again, before lowering it back down. He turned his head away, hiding his expression.

“This is too dangerous, I’ll find a way to get it off.”

“You know that’s not possible. I’m fine and it’s over now.” Till pulled up his system window. “And looks like it worked. Somewhat, at least.” 

<Aku (B)>

<Status effects: Weakened by Binding of Tartarus.>

“What if that happens again? Or something worse happens? No, we can find something else” Ivan shook his head. His teasing smirk and confident demeanor were nowhere to be found. 

“Ivan, calm down,” Till said. “I can handle this much. You should focus on keeping your end of the deal. This only brought me down to B-rank.” 

Ivan closed his eyes and let out a slow breath. When he opened his eyes again, his brows unfurrowed and the frown disappeared. Till found himself feeling the slightest bit regretful. 

“I’ll take care of the rest,” Ivan said. 

“Then I’ll see myself out.” Till nodded and turned towards the door.

“Let me take you.” 

Till decided not to fight Ivan on that offer, as he wasn’t actually completely sure he would be able to get through all of the building’s security. Silently, he followed the taller man back to the elevator.

The ride up and the walk down the hall were awkward. Ivan was unusually quiet the whole way, lost in his own thoughts. When they got to the exit, Till turned around to look at him. 

“Ivan.” The man looked up at him, glum. Till opened his mouth. He closed it. He crossed his arms and looked down to the side. “Thank you. For helping me.” 

And finally, at that, Ivan smiled again. 

“Get back safe, Till. I will call you again soon.” 

Till nodded and turned away. 

He walked slowly. The world seemed oddly quiet. And empty. It had been hard to tell earlier, with both the strange facility and the pain. With a good portion of his powers sealed, everything became so much . . . less. He couldn’t feel the presence of everyone around him, couldn’t hear everything around him. It was peaceful. And frightening. 

There were days in the rift that were quiet and empty just like now. Till looked at the ground, the grass, the buildings, the sky. 

He was just a few minutes away from home when he noticed. The silence was hard to notice, as everything felt quiet after he was weakened. How much was normal for a B-rank hunter and how much was the environment shifting around him? A shiver ran down his spine, all the way to his fingertips and tips of his toes. Had he realized earlier, he would have been able to avoid it. His reaction was too slow. He only realized what was happening a second before a small crack appeared in the air in front of him. 

“Shit,” he muttered. It was too late to run. Even if he tried, he wouldn’t get out of the radius that would take him in. Till wasn’t worried about not being able to handle himself. Acting like a civilian was what concerned him. No one else appeared to be around him, but it could just be that he couldn’t tell. 

A blinding orange light flashed and everything went dark. 

Chapter Text

Till opened his eyes. Nothing changed. 

Everything was black. Or nothing. He couldn’t tell how much of anything there was, but the space was dark. He raised his hand and looked at where it should have been. Still nothing. 

Protocol for civilians being caught up in a dungeon was usually to stay in place if it was safe and wait to get rescued, but would anyone even be able to find him here? He opened his mouth to speak. Nothing. He could feel his heart beating slowly, steadily. Each beat felt stronger than the last, shaking him slightly. 

No, he couldn’t stay in place. He had to at least find his way out of this darkness, if not the dungeon itself. If no one else was trapped in it with him, maybe he could even clear it out before anyone arrived and make up some excuse (if he even got found). 

He carefully took a step forward. At least he could feel a solid ground beneath his feet. His hearing and eyesight had been taken, but he still had his sense of touch. He raised his hands and slowly reached out around himself, checking for a wall, structure, anything. Still nothing. Another step, another wave around himself. And again. Again. Again. 

He started counting his steps to distract himself from the silence and make an attempt to keep track of the time passing. 

240. 241. 242. His right hand hit something. He quickly turned and reached out to feel it with both hands. A cold, smooth surface. Was it a wall? He followed it horizontally until he felt a small dip and an abrupt edge a little further. Not a wall, then. The other side felt the same. He continued to feel out the shape of the object. His hand bumped into something new near the right edge, around waist level. Some sort of protrusion. Round. Twistable. A doorknob? Was this whole thing a door? A door with no wall? The doorknob was only on one side. 

He felt around the rest of the door, mapping it out mentally. That’s all it was. A frame and door with a knob on one side, with nothing surrounding it. Till considered his options. 

Option one: sit in place and wait. With a good chance he would not hear or see any help. Not ideal. 

Option two: explore further, try to map out the dungeon and find out if there was anything else. A slow and tedious option that would possibly be safer, but would not be getting him out any faster. 

And finally, option three: open the door and go from there. 

The choice was obvious. Till grabbed the handle, turned, and pulled the door open. The light inside the frame blinded him for a moment, though somehow it didn’t illuminate anything in the darkness he was in. He squinted for a moment, readjusting to the light after spending however long it was that he was in complete darkness. Till blinked once, twice, three times and finally he could make something out. 

The light shifted from a blinding, indiscernible color to a duller, hazy orange. A thick mist laid heavy over a dense tropical forest. Leaves of various blue shades shifted and rustled around him. A humid warmth surrounded TIll. Uncomfortable.

He stepped through the entrance. 

The door behind him dissipated without a trace, leaving Till trapped in the strangely colored rainforest with no escape. Not that he had been planning on going back into the darkness either way. With another quick glance around, he moved forward. Heavy drops of water slowly dripped off of the leaves, landing on Till and the ground around him with a plop. The air weighed down on him as he felt his clothes getting damp and heavy. 

He paused, remembering an item in his inventory. The compass appeared in Till’s hand. He quickly shook it and watched the arrow spin around a few times before stabilizing to point ahead of him to the left. It showed the direction of the nearest monster, but unfortunately not the proximity, so Till had no choice but to just continue. He walked quickly, looking around and occasionally checking he was going in the correct direction. 

The scenery did not change much, but something about it made him more uncomfortable the further he travelled. 

His eyes darted to every rustle in the leaves. His body was tense, more so than usual. It was odd. Unfamiliar. He spent so much time in dungeons, it was strange to have such an uncontrollable reaction. And the fact that he still couldn’t sense the monster’s presence did not help. How far was this thing? Till looked back down at his compass and froze. He somehow missed the moment that it stopped pointing in one direction and started spinning. He hadn’t sensed any monsters nearby, but if the compass was spinning now, that meant . . .

Till leaped back and looked at the thorn covered vine buried in the ground where he just stood. If he had been even a second later to realize, his body would have been pierced like a skewer. He shuddered at the thought. When was the last time he had felt so small? 

He leaped away again as another vine stabbed the ground where he stood. Till summoned a dagger from his inventory. The third time, he did not jump out of the way, but instead split the vine as it came for him. The pressure was stronger than expected, and he was pushed down to one knee. He needed a different method. 

Till went back to dodging the vines, which appeared to be a good choice as the next attack had two vines go for him. Just dodging wouldn’t get rid of the monster, however. He would only tire himself out. There were not often creatures that were difficult for Till to deal with. What class was this dungeon? He looked at the vines. 

<Thorned Creeper (B)>

Ah, right. He was a B-class now. That was inconvenient. But he had faced worse. 

<Perfect Alibi has been summoned>

<Shroud conceals you>

<Blink> 

He watched as two vines impaled his double, one of them going cleanly through the heart and out the other side. His skills must have had their ranks lowered as well, as the double dissipated instead of remaining where it was. Tricking the monster with that wouldn’t work then. He looked around for more of the vines. One, two, three . . . ten. Ten vines that he was able to spot. He had been able to split them with the dagger, despite their strength. 

Till summoned another alibi. As the vines came in, he blinked to where they came out of the ground. 

<Passive skill: Hidden Threat is active>

With the extra power, he swung his dagger with full force at the base of the vine. A clean slice. The vine fell to the ground, wiggling just a little more before falling still. The rest of the vines stilled. Till followed suit, crouching perfectly unmoving by the base of the vine he had just cut down. 

His breaths were slow, steady, quiet. A breeze rustled the leaves around him. Till watched a small blue leaf drift down, swaying side to side through the air like a boat. Left, right, left, right. 

Left, right, a moment from touching the ground. Two halves landed. 

The attack pattern had changed again. Till didn’t want to waste more time, but it seemed that would be difficult. He raised his dagger again. 

Till was jerked back. He swung his dagger behind him, but his hand was caught in a firm grip. The person’s other arm rested around his waist, holding him pressed up against them. Till summoned another dagger in his free hand. Before he could swing, the person holding him spoke.

“Running around, are we? Are you trying to get yourself killed?”