Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
The only sound in the silent tunnel was the rhythmic echo of Kenji’s footsteps.
He had been walking for half an hour now, yet he hadn’t encountered a single ghoul.
The path had been a singular, unbranching route from the moment he entered, leaving him no choice but to push forward.
As he reached a bend in the tunnel, Kenji’s ears twitched.
A faint, rustling chatter drifted from around the corner.
”Eat faster!
If we don’t, those guys will come by and snatch it away again!”
”Damn it!
If things keep going like this, we’re going to end up as food ourselves!”
”Just eat up.
It’s the only way to get stronger—the only way to avoid ending up on the menu.”
”I wonder when this will ever end.
I’m sick of cannibalizing!
I want real human meat!”
Kenji switched off his flashlight and continued forward, moving with absolute silence.
Ahead, in the darkness, a male and female ghoul were hunched over, tearing into flesh and muttering, completely oblivious to his approach.
Slash!
Before the female ghoul could even blink, her companion’s head went flying.
She froze, stunned as a spray of hot, thick blood splattered across her face.
She sat there for a good two seconds, paralyzed.
But a ghoul is still a ghoul; even in this life-or-death moment, she didn’t scream.
Instead, she kept her back to Kenji, trembling.
She understood: if he could kill her partner without a sound, he could kill her just as easily.
”What do you want?” she whispered, her voice shaking.
“Are you hungry?
I can tell you where we get our food.
Or…
do you want something else?
I can give you whatever you need.”
”Just let me go.
Please.
I want to live.”
Kenji pressed his blade against the nape of her neck.
The freezing steel made her shudder.
“Tell me: which faction do you belong to?
What’s the rank of your leader?
And point me toward the most dangerous ghouls in this sector.”
”I…
I’m with the Wild Dog Organization.
and the most dangerous ones nearby are two SS-rank ghouls.
Everyone else worth mentioning is just S-rank…”
Snick.
As soon as he had the answers, Kenji finished her off with a clean, surgical strike.
[Ding!
Host has killed two B-rank ghouls.
Obtained: B-rank Treasure Chest x2.]
”Two SS-ranks…
and judging by their conversation, it sounds like those two factions have been locked in a turf war.”
Kenji wiped his blade clean and pressed on.
The tunnel finally opened up into a massive, cavernous underground world.
The architecture was primitive, mostly fashioned from raw earth, with structures rarely exceeding three or four stories.
The settlement sprawled across the expanse, with holes peppering the vaulted ceiling, likely leading to other parts of the labyrinth.
”Time to start hunting the S-ranks.”
With his mind made up, Kenji vanished into the shadows.
Half an hour later, a group of roaming ghouls wandered into the area.
When they saw the two fresh corpses, their eyes lit up with predatory hunger, and they lunged at the remains.
”Lucky us!
Looks like someone left their scraps behind…”
”Number nine.”
[Ding!
Host has killed one A-rank ghoul.
Obtained: A-rank First Kill Chest x1!
Obtained: A-rank Treasure Chest x1!]
In just one hour, Kenji had cut down eight B-rank ghouls and one A-rank.
He had been aiming for S-ranks, but he hadn’t crossed paths with any yet.
”The ghouls down here are far more numerous than the ones on the surface, and they’re significantly stronger, too.”
Kenji rested in the darkness, reviewing his performance.
He could clearly feel that these ghouls were tougher and far more experienced in combat.
The A-rank ghoul he’d just taken down had even started to show signs of kakuja evolution; if he had continued cannibalizing, he might have hit S-rank soon.
But against Kenji, it hadn’t mattered.
Whether B-rank or A-rank, they were all the same—he didn’t even need a second strike to end them.
”Open all chests.”
[Ding!
Opening B-rank Chest x8, A-rank Chest x1, A-rank First Kill Chest x1.]
[Ding!
Gained: Attribute Points x43.
Gained: A-rank detection tool: ‘Eye of Battle’.]
[‘Eye of Battle’ has been automatically equipped.]
[Eye of Battle (A-rank Detection Item): Allows the host to view the stats of enemies whose ability levels are within 10 points of the host’s own.]
Kenji felt a surge of satisfaction.
This would make things much easier; now he could see exactly how he measured up against his targets.
He distributed his 43 new attribute points evenly, adding 11 to Strength, Agility, and Constitution, and 10 to Spirit.
[Host: Kenji]
[Agility: 121]
[Constitution: 121]
[Spirit: 52]
[Charm: 5]
Feeling his power surge, Kenji didn’t slow down.
He plunged back into the hunt.
This time, he wouldn’t stop until he broke through to SSS-rank in this underground world.
The hunt continued.
But the ghouls seemed to have grown wary.
Three hours passed, and Kenji didn’t find a single target.
They had all seemingly vanished into thin air.
”Did they realize something was wrong?
Looks like I’m in for a real fight now.”
Meanwhile, at the Wild Dog headquarters, the organization’s leader, Iruma Yuki, listened to his subordinate’s report with a furrowed brow.
”Eight B-ranks dead?
And even an A-rank was taken out in one strike?
Our opponent is a powerhouse.”
”Yes, sir.
And the boss of the Red Fire organization wants to talk to you.
They want to know if we should report this up the chain.
Four of those B-ranks and the A-rank cadre were their people.”
Iruma rubbed his temples, anxiety gnawing at him.
“They’ve killed this many and haven’t cannibalized a single one.
And the kakuhous were left intact.
This isn’t a ghoul—it’s likely an agent sent down by the CCG.”
”Their strength might be on par with mine.
Better to report it now before we take any more hits.”
Iruma made his decision.
“Notify everyone in Wild Dog: return to base immediately.
No one goes out.
Stop all feeding activities!
A monster is out there.
If you don’t want to die, get back here!”
”And go tell Red Fire to come join us.
This isn’t the time for turf wars.
The CCG is probably moving in to wipe us all out.”
”Where did they all go?”
Kenji walked through the district, eyes scanning the architecture, his heart filled with doubt.
It was quiet.
Too quiet.
The silence was so heavy it felt like a warning.