Left in Rage

The dungeon was finally cleared, and the exit portal shimmered behind them. But before they left, there was still one thing to do.

"Alright, let's gather the magic stones," Grido said, stretching his arms before rolling his shoulders.

Cha-Jong sighed.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's get to it."

Victor, already moving toward the dead trolls, scoffed.

"Hmph. It's the least we can do."

"Akira took care of everything, after all."

Grido chuckled.

"Right? At this rate, we're just glorified looters."

Cha-Jong muttered,

"I'd rather loot than fight those things."

They got to work, moving through the cave littered with troll corpses. The air was thick with the stench of blood and burnt flesh from Akira's white lightning.

Cha-Jong knelt beside one of the dead trolls and pressed his hand against its chest.

With a slight pull, a faint blue glow emerged, and a small, rugged magic stone came.

"Got one," He said, tossing it into a pouch at his waist.

Grido was already stacking a few in his bag. "These are worth a decent amount."

Victor, standing over the boss's massive corpse, smirked.

"Then this one should be even better."

He placed his palm against the troll boss's cracked chest, and with a sharp pull, a larger, brighter magic stone emerged, humming with pale green energy.

"Jackpot," - He muttered.

Grido whistled. "Oh yeah, that one's definitely worth something."

Victor looked over at Akira, who was leaning against the cave wall, arms crossed, watching them in silence.

"You sure you don't want to help?" - He asked.

Akira's gaze flickered toward him, then to the stones.

"Not interested."

Victor snorted.

"Figured."

Grido laughed. "Let the kid relax. He did all the work, anyway."

They continued, moving from corpse to corpse, collecting every magic stone they could find. The sound of stones being pulled, bags being filled, and occasional sighs of exhaustion echoed through the cave.

Eventually, Grido dusted his hands off.

"Alright, we're done. Got everything worth taking."

Victor adjusted his bag. "Let's get out of here. This place stinks."

Cha-Jong exhaled, standing up and rolling his shoulders. "Agreed."

Grido turned to Akira. "After you, killer."

Akira stepped toward the shimmering portal, disappearing into the light.

The others followed right behind

The moment they stepped out of the portal, the afternoon greeted them. The park in Seoul was eerily quiet, aside from distant sounds of the city.

The Terra Agents, still stationed nearby, turned their heads toward them.

One of them, a sharp-eyed man in their usual uniform, raised a brow as they walked over.

"You're already out?" - He asked, sounding skeptical. His partner, a younger man with glasses, pulled out a tablet.

His eyes widened.

"No way…"

The sharp-eyed agent narrowed his gaze.

"What?"

The man with glasses blinked, then looked up at them, stunned.

"You guys cleared the entire dungeon in… one hour and thirteen minutes."

A beat of silence followed.

"…That's fast?" - Victor asked, raising a brow.

The agent chuckled, shaking his head.

"Fast? That's insane! The previous record for clearing a mid C-rank dungeon was two hours flat. And that was set by an elite B-rank party."

Grido let out a low whistle. "Damn. So we just broke that?"

The younger agent nodded furiously. "YES!"

Cha-Jong blinked. "Wait, so… we broke a national record?"

The sharp-eyed agent smirked. "Yep. Fastest C-rank dungeon clear in Korea. Congrats, Dear Stars."

Cha-Jong let out a low whistle. "Damn.That's actually big."

Victor crossed his arms, nodding in approval.

"Not bad at all. Breaking records means recognition. Status. Our guild's name is definitely gonna spread even more now."

Grido laughed.

"And we owe it all to this crazy brat!"

He turned to Akira with a playful smirk.

"You do realize, right? This wouldn't have been possible without you."

Akira's expression remained calm, indifferent. His sharp black eyes barely flickered as he responded in a flat tone—

"…And?"

That single word made Grido and Victor pause, before they both burst into laughter.

"Hah! This guy doesn't care at all!"

Grido shook his head.

"Unbelievable. Most STARS would kill for achievements like this!"

Victor scoffed.

"Yeah , he only cares about getting stronger."

Cha-Jong, watching Akira's uninterested face, was silent. He knew why these things didn't matter to him. Akira only cared about getting stronger—for revenge.

Akira didn't respond. He just turned his gaze toward the sky, his mind already elsewhere.

Grido shook his head, then turned to the others.

"Alright, let's send the magic stones to the guild and convert them to money. Should be a decent ammount."

Cha-Jong nodded.

Then, Grido looked at Akira.

"You coming?"

Akira shook his head. "No. Cha-Jong will take my part and bring it to me later."

Cha-Jong raised a brow. "You got something else to do??"

Akira's expression didn't change. "My Daily Quest."

Akira simply turned away. "If the guild gives you another dungeon, call me."

Grido gave him a thumbs-up. "Sure, mad kid."

Cha-Jong exhaled. "See you at home, then."

Akira lifted a hand, giving a small, wordless wave as he disappeared into the night.

The soft rustling of leaves and the gentle flow of the river created a calm, almost tranquil atmosphere. The sky was dull gray, with heavy clouds hanging low. The cold air bit at Akira's skin, but the heat from his training still lingered, making his breath come out in faint, white wisps.

Sweat dripped from his chin as he sat on the cool grass, his arms resting on his knees.

His body ached slightly—not from exhaustion, but from the intensity of his Ultimate Body Quest, a daily task that had long since become a habit, a necessity.

His status window flickered into existence, displaying his progress.

!DING!

[Daily Quest Complete]

[+2 Attribute Points]

[Perfected Symmetry in effect. Allocating stat points equally across all attributes.]

"Nice"

Another increase in strength. Another step forward. He barely glanced at it before closing it with a thought, letting the screen vanish into nothing.

His gaze drifted toward the river, its surface rippling softly under the wind. The sight was oddly peaceful. But then—

Laughter rang out—the sound of children playing nearby, breaking the silence

He turned his head slightly, noticing a small group of families passing through the riverside path. Parents walked alongside their kids, some holding their little hands, others carrying them on their shoulders.

It was… normal. A scene of warmth in the midst of the cold.

Akira's ears picked up a parent's lighthearted voice.

"Look, the weather's just right for snow. If it starts snowing, let's make a snowman together, Toko."

A tiny voice responded, excited and cheerful. "Really?! I wanna make a big one!"

The parent laughed. "Then we'll make the biggest snowman in Seoul."

Akira's expression froze. His gaze dropped to the ground, eyes darkening.

"Snow…"

"…You hated the snow, Dad."1

The words echoed in his mind, laced with a pain he rarely let surface.

Memories stirred. Flashes of a warm vila home. A familiar voice. His father, Shiro Shoto, standing by the window, arms crossed, watching as the first snow of winter fell.

"It's too damn cold," - His father had muttered with a frown, grumbling about having to shovel the driveway while Akira and his mother had laughed.

"You always complain, but you still do it anyway," - His mother had teased, nudging him playfully.

"Because you two like it." His father's voice had been resigned but affectionate, his gaze soft as he watched them play outside.

Now, those days were gone.

Akira's hands clenched slightly. The cold, once comforting, felt suffocating now.

His thoughts ran deep, pulling him further into the weight of memories—until a soft, gentle voice broke through them.

"Do you need a towel?"

Akira blinked, snapping back to the present. His black eyes lifted, meeting the gaze of the person standing before him.