The all-knowing Player

Job change quest (2)

Dogs. They step out of the dungeon one by one, growling with shining golden eyes. How strange. Monsters usually have glowing red, menacing eyes. It doesn't mean that I can let my guard down. One of them barks loudly – and throws a ray of light towards me. I jump to the side and summon my dagger. Behind me, a crack is heard. I watch with horror how the beam collides with the rock, leaving a deep sizzling hole in the wall.

I immediately jump on the dog and cut it in half, causing the other ones to growl loudly, preparing to shoot another ray of light at me. I rush out of their reach and the beams hit the walls again. Frustrated, they rush towards me with open muzzles, ready to bite. As I meet them in the middle of the room to hit them with Critical attack, I notice the color of their eyes again. They are red.

I see. These dogs have a powerful skill, but it seems to work only once – they can use it when their eyes are golden. Apart from that, they are simply weak. A low defense, an average speed. They seem to rely on their numbers and skill. Just like the knights, they won't be too difficult to defeat. But there are too many of them, and by every second that passes , their number increases. If it keeps going, there's no way I'll survive.

Another portal appears. New dogs join the other ones. These ones don't throw light beams. Their eyes are purple and their shadow unnaturally long. My eyes open wide when I see a shadow extend towards mine and take form into what resembles a dark rope that grabs my leg to hold me still. I cut it and dodge another light beam.

A monster that immobilizes and another one that shoots rays. If they work well together, despite their weakness, I'll have no chance. Especially when they are so numerous. Still, at the sight of these dogs, I can't help but smile. But they're not dragons and none of them breathes fire. And that's enough to give me hope and a new burst of energy.

{Notice

-[Title: Wolf slayer] buff effect is activating.}

I jump on a light dog and cut it in two. They are the ones I need to eliminate first. Another one tries to attack, but I deviate the trajectory of my blade to take care of it, too. I throw myself in the middle of the pack, moving fast enough to force the light dogs to shoot at one another. Fighting against these monsters is pretty easy. I've fought against numerous steel-fanged lycans, been surrounded by jellies and have always made it out of it alive. I'm even stronger than I was when I cleaned the instance dungeons or Jin-Ho's C-rank dungeons. But something isn't right.

A dog bites my leg from behind, I let out a scream of pain. A ray of light grazes my side. The other monsters immediately take the opportunity to attack. 

{[Skill: Immobilize] has been activated.}

I barely manage to immobilize those around me and cut them in pieces. When fighting, I don't watch my back. And when hurt, I let my guard down. Why? The answer strikes me as I turn around, almost expecting to see a familiar figure beside me.

Because Jin-Woo isn't here.

We're used to fighting alongside each other. We're used to having each other's back, to protect the other when they can't or are hurt. But I'm alone here. If I want to survive, I'll have to get rid of that bad habit. My grip around the handle of the dagger tightens. Is Jin-Woo facing the same difficulty? I shake the question of my head. I need to focus. This place will not become my tomb.

So I direct my gaze towards the dogs again – only to notice that two other gates have appeared. Light and dark dogs step out of it, joining the ones that I didn't kill. I clench my teeth. How long will I have to hold on until the day ends? Is there a way to finish the quest before that? I jump high in the air to scan the room and find the sorcerers that opened the gates. Among the dogs, a humanoid figure shouldn't be difficult to spot. But I don't find any.