[Initiating sequence - - User.00- - ]
[- - System prerequisite check - - approved - - Authorization - - denied - -]
[ - - Over-ride - - denied - - Over-ride - - denied -- ]
Weird texts began appearing in a transparent blue window in front of me.
[Denied, denied, denied-]
It continued to deny me. Being denied from god only knows what but, as strange as it sounds, it isn't my biggest concern.
Due to unfortunate events that happened prior, I'm currently bleeding out.
The initial blotch red is getting wider.
"Shit-"
Do I have anything to stop the bleeding?
Fuck. I'm definitely going to die.
Damn it.
But then again, what did I expect considering this line of work.
Hell, it's a miracle I made it this far, seeing as how I'm only an F-grade contractor.
Sure being a contractor sounds fun, being able to play an RPG game in real life sounds amazing after all.
Funnily they're even graded in ability, even going up to SSS-ranked contractors.
All in all, it plays into the whole "game in real-life" aspect. But it's a different story when you're at the bottom rung of the tier list. If this were a gacha game, you'd see me firmly seated on the shit-tier list.
As a contractor, I'm just barely above human physique. Meaning I'm barely qualified to be considered a contractor.
I try to muster some strength into my legs, but they're dead limp.
" - - Over-ride - - denied - - Over-ride - - denied -- "
"Jesus CHRIST SHUT THE FUCK UP"
And it's still going on. I'm getting colder and it's getting harder to breathe.
Shit.
Of all places, I never expected to die in an F-ranked dungeon either. Only barely a step up from a tutorial dungeon.
I came in here with 3 other F-ranks and 1 E-rank so this should have been an easy dungeon. Dungeon clear conditions were simple: clear the area of dire wolves.
---
At the time money was hard to come by.
I was desperate for some money since rent was due in a weeks' time, so I just partied up with a random group as a shadow contractor.
Shadow contractors are unauthorized dungeon participants.
Normally, in order to participate in a dungeon one would have to apply through proper channels with the World Contractor Association.
But doing so would place you in queuing process for a dungeon that would normally take 1-2 weeks for low-priority contractors.
In other words, shit-tier contractors like me could go kick a can and wait.
Now seeing as how my rent was due soon, I had no choice but to use other channels to go dungeon raiding.
When I met my raid team at the time, I wish I had picked up on some red flags when I saw them.
The first tip-off was the presence of an E-rank contractor.
E-rank contractors often avoid F-rank dungeons due to negligible pay and would do much better teaming up with other similar ranks in an E-rank dungeon instead.
F-rank dungeons are just barely a step up from a tutorial dungeon.
That should have been a clear red flag to me, but I was just so desperate that I ignored it.
Entering the dungeon and fighting the mobs were easy.
Too easy in fact. It shouldn't have been a surprise to see the E-rank outperform everyone in the raid.
But what bothered me was the efficiency of group work the F-rankers seemed to display.
They seemed to know all the attack patterns of the wolves and what direction the dungeon mobs would spawn.
It had seemed very...rehearsed.
However, during that time I was more or less busy not trying to get my leg chewed off and I again brushed it off as over suspicion.
After clearing some mob waves, we began to harvest monster drops.
Dungeons were profitable because not only could we harvest their parts for money, but sometimes these monsters had a crystal inside that could be harvested.
These crystals are essentially their true manifestation, and higher-ranked monsters dropped high-ranked crystals.
But since crystal drops are so rare, its value speaks for itself- with a crystal from an F-rank boss monster even going along the lines of $15,000 in the current market.
Normally with an F-rank dungeon, you could see a payoff of around $1,500 after fees and processing of materials.
After we slew the dungeon boss and initiated the dungeon clear sequence, I thought I had finally lucked out since I managed to harvest a crystal.
A dungeon boss crystal no less.
Forget rent for this month, this would keep me in the green for a year.
Even if we had split it among all 5 of us, I'd still make a killing.
Or so I thought.
It was customary to report the dungeon drops and scavenged materials to the WCA to properly divide the group earnings.
This was a mandated law by the WCA to prevent higher ranks from withholding earnings to lower ranked contractors.
So naturally, I was eager to report our jackpot to the group.
But when I had declared the drop, the mood felt heavy.
Eyes darted back and forth. They began eyeing each other.
Then they look straight at me. At the same time.
My fight or flight response had kicked in but at that point, I might as well be a rabbit in front of a pack of wolves.
I remembered the sinking feeling in my gut when I realized my instincts were screaming.
I was in danger.
Before I managed to turn heel in an attempt to escape, I heard the sounds of 3 steps in succession.
TMMP! TMMP! TMMP!
SHUUUK!
In an instant, the E-rank's dagger was firmly logged in my gut.
An extremely hot and sharp pain resounded throughout my body, but the shock prevented me from making a sound.
All I could do was glare at this son of a bitch who just fucked me over.
He even had the audacity to lean in close and speak into my ear.
What a prick.
"Yeah, I'm going to need you to hand that over, see.."
He twisted the blade before yanking it out, lacerating my stomach even more.
Blood began spilling out.
"Why would we need to split it 5 ways, where there's only 4 of us?"
"What the fuck do you mean 4-"
Then it hit me.
Fuck. So that's why they were looking for a shadow contractor.
The shock of the blood loss sapped the strength from my legs and my body crumpled to the soil under its own weight.
The E-rank was motioning one of the F-ranks to take my gear, supplies, and whatever they could rip off me.
I see- so that's what this group was.
"You guys- you guys are black-list contractors..."
The E-ranker shot a quick, triumphant smile.
"Ding-ding! For a smart guy, you sure died a dumb way-"
Black-list is a designation the WCA lists contractors who routinely violate guidelines and commit illegal activities while inside dungeons.
However, they're hard to identify since there's no way to properly identify them unless an association contractor catches them in the act.
In most cases, they're the reason why solo contractors die if not for dungeon-related incidents.
"YOU SONS OF BITCHES-!!!"
"Tut. Tut. Tut. Now, now. The dead shouldn't scream."
Two of the F-rankers rushed over and pirated my gear.
The dungeon portal opened and the E-rank motioned the group to leave.
I caught one of the F-ranks sneaking a glance at me.
"We're just going to leave him? What happens if the association sends out a recovery party?"
The E-rank bastard wasn't fazed in the slightest and laughed.
"Yeah, right. By the time we leave, the dungeon won't reopen until next week. In that time the wolves that spawn will find the little snack we left for them."
He paused and looked at me.
His eyes said it all-it was like he had just stepped on some shit.
"And besides it's just an F-rank, these guys disappear all the time. The association has no time for these nobodies."
Boisterous laughing erupted as they walked out.
The dungeon portal soon closed and all that was left was me and the forest.
---
It's been 30 minutes since the dungeon portal closed.
I managed to stop the bleeding by packing the wound with dirt.
I even managed to wrap it with a piece of cloth I ripped from my shirt.
But the pain was still more a less a bitch.
"Okay. I managed to not die. Huu..."
Taking a moment to recollect myself, I let out a deep sigh and got to thinking.
"What the fuck do I do now?"
Like the E-rank said unless I have plans on being dog chow I have to find a way to survive in this place.
[ - - Over-ride - - denied - - Over-ride - - denied -- ]
Oh right, this shit's still going on.
The blue window in front of me continues to post the same message.
Seriously. What the fuck is this situation?
"First I'm stabbed, now this."
I could feel the anger, pain, and frustration that sat in my stomach begin to rise through my body.
I'll make them pay.
I'll remember their faces, I swear I'll shove my foot so far down their-
[Admin Over ride - - approved - - initiating protocol; Rebirth - - Prominence 0%- ]
Oh?
Has the blue screen prompt changed?
"Prominence?"
The percentage slowly began to rise.
[4%..15%..27%..]
Why's loading?
Wait. My luck has been complete shit so far, so what stopping this from making it even shittier?
"Ah..fuck."
[43%...72%...88%]
Wait, don't tell me this is one of those hidden dungeon boss entrances that all the higher contractors are talking about.
The thought just loomed on me.
This could very well be the countdown of a boss several grades higher than me!
I have to find a way to survive, anything! A shelter! A cave!
There's no way I can fight a boss right now, much less a normal dire wolf.
I try to muster the strength in my legs but the shock from the blood still hasn't lifted from my system.
[89%...96%...100%]
My eyes dart menacingly around me, pushing my senses to the extreme to find the smallest hint of change
[Rebirth- - Prominence complete! The user has been granted access to limited system privileges and settings.]
[Will user.00 initiate reset and calibration sequence?]
[Yes/no ?]
I stared blankly at the floating blue screen in front of me in a daze.
"What?"