Nyx exhaled, slowly lowering his weapon. His gaze swept over the very streets he knew like the back of his hand. It all felt like coming home — yet something inside him stirred uneasily. That moment when you feel something is off, that it's not truly the end.
"Now I need to figure out what to do next," the thought flashed through his mind.
The wind tousled his hair, and the chill of the night alley bit at his skin after the stifling air of the dungeon. The portal behind him closed slowly, like a wound in space sealing shut. Nyx leaned against the wall, catching his breath.
But something was wrong.
"Shadow?.." he called out quietly, turning around.
No answer. Only silence and the flickering light of a streetlamp.
A bad feeling pierced his chest. Nyx activated his interface — and immediately, a system notification popped up:
[SYSTEM: Summoned companion "Shadow" cannot accompany the user outside of dungeons. Returning to original summon point.]
"Damn…" he muttered. "Just like that. Didn't even say goodbye."
He ran a hand over his face, letting out a tired chuckle.
"Well then, buddy… until the next raid."
He knew Shadow hadn't vanished forever. He had just stayed behind, in the dark — where he was needed. Which meant… they'd meet again soon.
Nyx sighed and straightened up, shaking the tension from his shoulders. If Shadow returned to the system, then he was fine.
"All right… let's see what we've got," he murmured, activating the interface.
[PLAYER STATUS: NYX KAISER]
Level: 5
HP: 93 / 160
MP: 50 / 120
Strength: 15
Agility: 18
Endurance: 14
Intelligence: 18
Wisdom: 14
Luck: 7
XP: 20 / 800
Skills:
— Scanning (Active)
— Archery (Active)
— Mana Control (Active)
— Throwing (Passive)
— Stealth (Passive)
— Combat Instinct (Passive)
— Cold Blood (Passive)
Inventory: 12/01:
1: Goblin Battle Axe (Uncommon)
2: 5000 Dolors
3: Low-Grade Beast Meat (3 pcs)
4: Assassin's Dagger (Rare)
5: Plastic Hammer (Unknown)
6: Composite Bow (Uncommon)
7: Shaman's Staff (Rare)
8: Arrows (23 pcs)
9: Minor Magic Scroll (Common)
10: Herbal Brew (Rare)
11: Dirty Talisman (Unknown)
12: —
Equipment:(Equipped)
Simple Chainmail(Equipped)
Leather Gloves(Equipped)
Hunter's Belt(Equipped)
Primitive Amulet of Vision
[Inventory — Currency]
Silver Coins: 11
Copper Coins: 93
Gold Coins: 0
Diamond Coins: 0
Nyx whistled through his teeth."Now that's quite the haul…" he muttered.
His eyes lingered on the item list.
[INVENTORY: 12/11]
"What a mess," he chuckled. "Time to figure out what I can sell… or toss."
"Alright… first things first — home. Gotta stash all this loot somewhere. I'm a Player, not a pack mule," Nyx said with a smirk, feeling the weight of his nearly bursting inventory.
He instinctively checked his gear, then froze, as if remembering something.
"Wait… the Return Stone," he mumbled, opening the interface. "Where is it?.. I know I had one."
But the slot was empty. No trace.
Nyx frowned, and then it hit him.
"Of course…" He nodded to himself with a short laugh. "The system. It must have auto-activated when that goblin spy reported me… Without waiting for my command."
He shook his head, but didn't protest. It made sense.
"Automatic activation… in case of life-threatening danger. Or rather, a boss-triggered alert."
He exhaled.
"Well, one consumable down. But at least I'm alive… and with loot," he smirked.
He closed the interface and looked toward where the portal had shimmered before. Everything was gone — like it had never existed. Only a faint afterimage remained on the asphalt — weak, but real.
Nyx furrowed his brow, recalling the system notification.
"Goblin spy…" he repeated quietly. "So they do have recon units. Or… someone down there has a brain."
He crossed his arms and leaned back against the cold alley wall."If one of them managed to alert the boss, the next run won't be so 'quiet.' They'll be expecting me. Maybe not just goblins, either..."
He fell silent for a moment, thinking."And if E-class already has enemies like that… what's waiting in D and beyond?"
His gaze turned icy.
"I need to track them down earlier. Or wipe them out immediately. Miss one — pay the price. Next time — no chances."
Nyx scowled, turning the next piece over in his mind.
"The dungeon boss…" he murmured. "If the spy got a message to him, then he's not just some dumb brute sitting on a pile of loot waiting to get stabbed."
He looked upward — the sky wasn't visible from the alley, but that didn't stop him.
"So he can command. He has structure — and, damn it, even intel gathering."
Nyx pushed off from the wall, pacing as if organizing his thoughts."Maybe it's not just a goblin… Could be a shaman or something smarter. Or maybe… it's not even a goblin at all. Dungeons are weird. And if someone's running the show — who's to say he's alone?"
He paused again, and his gaze dropped to his status panel. Nyx rolled his shoulders, barely believing what he saw.
EXP: 20 / 800.
"What the hell?" he frowned. "I took out four archers. But the system didn't give me any experience."
He scrolled through the notifications again, replaying the fight in his mind. Sure, the spy had warned the dungeon boss, which might've affected the outcome. But it was strange that the system didn't acknowledge anything. Had his actions not counted? It didn't make sense. He remembered every arrow, every strike — enemies had definitely fallen.
"Maybe the system blocked the EXP because I was returned? Or… maybe there wasn't enough 'merit'? Unclear."
He stared at the interface again, feeling a twinge of frustration. Everything he'd done — and yet, no reward. Not the one he expected.
He stopped and looked toward the spot where the portal had vanished.
Then, in the silence of the narrow alley where the portal had just disappeared, a scream rang out:
"Help! Please, someone!"
A voice full of panic and fear echoed from the street — very close. A woman's voice. Breaking with desperation.
[SYSTEM: Nearby event detected]
[SYSTEM QUEST: Save the unknown woman from the assault. Accept?]
[Reward: +70 XP]
[Choose: Accept / Decline]
The soft whisper of the system prompt couldn't drown out what he felt inside. To save. Even if there was no system, he would still go. It was in his blood — first and foremost.Logic whispered, "Look away, don't get involved." But the heart always spoke louder.
Why? — he couldn't say for sure. Sometimes just seeing someone in danger was enough to spark an instinctive reaction. It was more than just a quest.
He stood there, thinking. He didn't need the system to know what he had to do. Everything else was just a formality. It was the right thing to do. Even if there were hidden motives — fear, duty, or something else.
Nyx exhaled and stepped forward, ignoring the system notification. He already knew what he would do.
Nyx tensed. He tilted his head slightly, listening. More footsteps — quick, hurried. Someone was running. And others — heavier, clumsier, thudding on the asphalt.
He glanced toward the alley exit."Of course... just got back, and it's already starting," he muttered.
His eyes sharpened like blades. He stepped forward, instincts still humming from battle.
"Alright, universe. Let's see what you've got this time..."
He bolted toward the voice.
Nyx burst out of the alley and almost immediately spotted the source of the noise.
At the edge of the sidewalk, near an old vending machine, two men — one in a hoodie, the other burly with a shaved head — had a girl pressed against the wall. One already had her purse, the other was yanking a phone from her pocket, grinning.
A few passersby walked past, quickening their steps, barely glancing over — no one wanted to get involved.But one did. A young man with glasses and a briefcase stopped and called out, uncertainly:
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?"
The thug with the shaved head turned sharply, glared at the guy, and without a word pulled a folding knife from his pocket. The blade snapped open with a predatory click.
"Walk away while you still can," he growled. The guy paled and stepped back immediately.
The rest of the pedestrians picked up their pace, trying not to notice. The girl struggled, but it was useless — trapped between the cold wall and two scumbags, she was completely at their mercy.
"Classic," Nyx muttered grimly and quickened his pace.
"Hey!" he barked, voice ringing with steel.
Both thugs turned. The one holding the bag scoffed and sneered,"Who the hell are you, Hero?"
"Worse," Nyx replied coldly.
They clearly hadn't expected resistance — one pulled a knife, the other grabbed a metal pipe ripped from some nearby AC unit.
"Get lost while you're still in one piece," the second one growled.
Nyx didn't answer. He stepped forward. After the dungeon, street thugs didn't inspire even a shred of fear.
More like… irritation.
"You have three seconds to drop the stuff and leave," his voice dropped low, dark and threatening — like thunder before a storm.
"Psycho," the one with the pipe hissed and stepped forward."Alright, you asked for it!"
Nyx didn't reach for a weapon. His fingers just tightened slightly into fists, and his body automatically shifted into a fighting stance. After dozens of battles in the dungeon, after goblins and traps, these two looked like warm-up fodder.
The first swing — the pipe whooshed through the air. Nyx easily sidestepped, shifted to the side, and drove his fist into the thug's solar plexus. He doubled over, dropping the pipe, and Nyx followed up with a knee to the face — a dull crunch, and the body crumpled to the pavement.
The second thug, with the knife, lunged with a yell, trying to stab. But Nyx already knew what he'd do. The dungeon had taught him to read movements.He caught the knife hand, yanked — a pop as the joint gave, and the weapon fell. Nyx spun and delivered a solid hook — the thug dropped like a sack of bricks.
[Gained 50 XP (Thug - Level 4)]
[Gained 50 XP (Thug - Level 4)]
[System Quest: Save the unknown woman from assault. (Completed)][Reward: +70 XP]
XP: 190 / 800
Nyx straightened up, exhaling through his nose. He didn't even glance at the experience notifications — already used to them. It all felt so… routine, it didn't even spark interest.
"It's alright now," he said calmly, picking up the bag and handing it over."They won't bother you again."
The girl, still trembling, took the bag from his hands with difficulty, her wide eyes fixed on him — a mix of fear, awe, and relief.
"Th-thank you…" she stammered, still glancing at the thugs lying on the ground.
And right then, a police car screeched onto the street. Tires screamed, lights flashed, a short burst of siren. The car skidded sideways across the road, and in seconds two officers jumped out — weapons drawn.
"Nobody move! Hands in the air!" one of them shouted.
Nyx raised his hands slowly, a faint smirk on his face.
"You're just in time," he said calmly. "These two attacked the girl. I just... dealt with it."
One of the officers leaned over the thugs, checking their pulse and condition. The other still had Nyx in his sights, but the tension in his stance had lessened.
"Looks like they got what they deserved..." muttered the one near the car. "Miss, are you alright?"
"Yes… he saved me," she nodded quickly, hiding her face in her hands. "They attacked me, and he just… came and stopped them…"
The officers exchanged a glance. One of them nodded.
"Alright. But we'll still need to take your statements. Both of you."
Nyx lowered his hands and shrugged.
"No problem."
He gave a slight nod as one of the officers approached him.
"We'll need you to come with us to the station," the officer said more calmly now. "Just to get everything officially recorded. Standard procedure."
Nyx sighed, stuffing his hands into his jacket pockets.
"Sure. Why not?" he said with dry irony. "Just—no handcuffs. I'm not a criminal."
"That won't be necessary," the other officer replied. "You helped. But procedure is procedure."
One helped the girl into the car, and Nyx was directed to the back seat of the second police vehicle. He sat down, resting his head against the cold window, watching as the street slowly faded from view.
The car pulled away, merging into the noisy current of the nighttime city.
The police car cruised smoothly through the night streets, its headlights catching glimpses of pedestrians, neon signs, and abandoned alleyways. Nyx sat silently, leaning against the window, watching the city flash past. His gaze was distant, but inside, he was boiling.
He had just come out of a dungeon. Out of a fight. Out of a world where any mistake could be fatal. And now—an ordinary street, ordinary people. It should've been easier. But somehow, sitting in the soft seat of a police car, he felt a strange heaviness in his chest.
"Why did I even…?" he muttered to himself.
He remembered the girl's voice. Panic. Fear. Just like when he first found himself in a dungeon, surrounded by the unknown.
She was just walking down the street. And two scumbags decided they had the right to steal her safety.
"That's why I stepped in," he exhaled.
He never set out to be a hero. He just… knew what it felt like to face danger alone. And he didn't want anyone else to feel that—if he could stop it.
His fist clenched on his knee.
"Dungeons… the city… what's the difference? A threat is a threat."
He turned away from the window and closed his eyes.
"If I have power—then I choose how to use it. And if it helped even once… then none of this is for nothing."
Nyx sighed and stepped out of the car. The night still blanketed the city, but the precinct building was brightly lit, as if it knew something important was about to happen. He immediately felt the change in the air—filled with tension and cold. Suddenly, his actions felt like part of something bigger than just saving a girl.
He looked around. The precinct was small, but everything was under control: serious-faced officers, partitions, the echo of a bell in the distance. Not long ago, this place would've seemed distant and irrelevant. But now, because of one saved life, he was here, among them.
Nyx walked through the doors, following the officer who led him toward an interrogation room. His mind was spinning—with thoughts of the dungeon, instincts, and the system. Maybe he shouldn't have gotten involved? Or maybe he had to? But that didn't matter now. He was here, and he had to deal with it. Though he had no idea what would come next.
The officer opened the door and gestured to a chair.
"Take a seat. We'll begin shortly."