Riley stood in the middle of the path, the dust slowly settling around him.

Three players who had once been his teammates in another life were now gone.

Not betrayed by them this time, not cast aside at their whim—no. He had erased them before they even had the chance.

He lowered his hand, flexing his fingers slowly, and let out a soft breath.

"…As expected, it was a trap."

A faint smirk tugged at his lips as he turned back toward the path ahead.

He hated to admit it, but the feeling of punching those who made him to through hell in his past life, was just too good.

He already knew their offer was a trap.

That was why they went around, making teammates only to bite them in the back.

Due to his class, his presence could easily be overlooked, so it made sense why they believed he was merely level six.

He had also noticed how the taller one had been eyeing his armour, clearly envious of it.

They probably thought of him as a weak player, who could only use money to purchase items from the system shop.

Their belief was that no matter how strong the item was, it would never be enough to make him overpower three players stronger than him.

Unfortunately for them, he was never weaker than them.

He didn't even need to pull out his daggers to take care of them.

That was how huge the gap between them was.

Nonetheless, the most important thing was still to find the key to the boss room.

And from there, he would kill the boss monster by himself and proceed to the next floor.

The eerie silence returned, but it was one he had already gotten used to after coming this far.

Most players wouldn't dare walk through the paths the same way he was doing right now, for fear of encountering one of those boars.

However, he wasn't worried about encountering any monsters.

His pace never faltered. He moved deeper into the twisting labyrinth until the tunnel suddenly split into two paths ahead, forming a wide T-junction.

Riley's eyes instinctively narrowed as he slowed. The faint growls carried through the air a moment before figures appeared from the darkness.

Large bodies lumbered into view, the stone beneath their hooves cracking with every step.

Horned Boars, their massive tusks catching what little light reflected off the damp walls, emerged from the shadows.

Their breaths were ragged, heavy, and their eyes gleamed with primal hunger.

Riley's gaze wasn't fixed on them, however. His vision extended past their charging forms, far into the distant stretch of the right passage. There, faintly visible to his sharpened eyes, was a red circle glowing against the stone wall. It was minuscule, far too small for anyone else to notice from this distance.

A low smirk curved Riley's lips.

'That is it!'

The thought flashed through his mind, and in the same heartbeat, the boars let out a guttural roar and charged.

The sound reverberated through the tunnel, shaking loose tiny specks of dirt from the ceiling.

Riley's expression didn't shift. His smirk remained as his hand flicked slightly, and with that subtle motion, the storage ring on his finger glowed.

Two familiar blades appeared in his hands — twin daggers, gleaming with a dull reflection of the faint light that seeped into the cavern.

The beasts thundered forward, their massive forms threatening to crush and gore anything in their path.

Riley, however, stepped forward lightly, almost lazily, before his form blurred into motion. His speed was explosive — sharp, precise.

He dashed straight toward the horned beasts without hesitation. His body lowered, and in one seamless motion, he ducked beneath the first charging boar.

The dagger in his right hand sliced upward in a ruthless arc, slitting its throat open with terrifying ease.

Blood sprayed in a hot mist as the boar stumbled forward, momentum carrying it even as its lifeforce fled.

Riley's movement didn't pause. In a flash, he twisted to the left, slipping under the second beast.

His left-hand dagger carved into its exposed underside, drawing a deep, jagged line that severed its vital artery.

The third came faster, tusks goring forward with wild fury. Riley bent his knees sharply, rolling beneath its body as his blades danced once more.

Two slashes, quick and merciless, carved through its neck and chest before he landed gracefully behind them all.

The entire exchange happened in mere seconds.

The sound of hooves skidding against stone abruptly ceased, replaced by the wet thud of heavy bodies collapsing.

One after another, the horned boars fell lifelessly to the ground. Blood oozed freely from the savage wounds, forming dark pools that spread across the dungeon floor. The metallic tang thickened in the air.

Riley straightened, his daggers still in hand, their edges dripping crimson. His expression remained calm, detached, as his gaze swept over the corpses.

For a moment, silence reclaimed the dungeon. Then, Riley's lips pressed together as he slowly walked toward the fallen beasts. His steps were deliberate, unhurried.

Devour them.

The thought rose almost naturally, instinctively. The hunger that always lingered at the back of his mind stirred awake once more, whispering its sweet promises.

He could feel it gnawing, the urge to claim the essence of the beasts, to feed and grow stronger.

He came to a halt directly before the nearest corpse. His shadow stretched long across the body, and his breath came out steady.

Slowly, his mouth opened, the faint shimmer of something unnatural began to stirring in the back of his throat.

But then—he stopped.

Riley's eyes flickered, and after a brief pause, his jaw closed again with a soft click of his teeth.

His lips curled slightly downward, not out of frustration, but cold consideration.

'Perhaps I shouldn't do that here.' he thought.

His gaze swept across the dungeon, sharp and calculating. The walls seemed empty, silent, but Riley knew better than to grow careless.

This was not a place to recklessly display his true nature. Too much risk. Too much chance of being observed.

His hands tightened around the daggers, and with a low exhale, he straightened once more.

The corpses of the beasts remained at his feet, untouched. Their blood continued to flow, forming shallow streams that trickled toward the cracks of the dungeon floor.

He stretched his hand at it, and the three corpses immediately vanished into his storage ring.

Riley turned his head slightly, eyes once again finding the faint red glow in the distance.

That was his goal, not these corpses. Devouring them here would be a waste, not worth the risk.

He adjusted his grip on his daggers and took another steady step forward.

The hunger simmered inside him, restless, but he buried it deep beneath layers of control.

There would be time to feed later. For now, he needed to move.

Riley soon arrived at the spot where the red circle glimmered faintly against the rough wall of the dungeon.

The glow was faint, nearly invisible to the naked eye, but his sharpened vision made it clear as day.

His gaze swept across the uneven surface of the wall, and his eyes narrowed when he spotted it — a small stone sticking slightly outward, not aligned with the rest.

Without hesitation, he reached forward and pressed it.

The wall trembled violently, dust trickling down in thin streams.

A deep rumble echoed throughout the corridor, almost like the dungeon itself was groaning at being forced to reveal something it wanted hidden.

The vibration lasted for a few seconds before the stone wall split apart in a jagged line.

Slowly, like a giant stone door grinding against itself, the wall shifted open.

A narrow path revealed itself.

The passage was different from the rest of the dungeon.

While most of the tunnels had been dark, illuminated only by faint crystals and moss, this hidden path pulsed with life.

The glowing moss crawling across the jagged moss shone brightly, spreading a pale green hue that reflected off the rocks.

Riley smirked, a faint gleam flashing in his eyes. "Found you," he muttered under his breath.

Without sparing a second glance behind him, he stepped inside.

As soon as he did, the wall rumbled again and sealed itself shut.

The stone slid back into place, perfectly blending with the rest of the wall. No one passing through would ever know a hidden passage existed there.

His boots pressed against the damp stone as he continued forward. The air here felt different — thicker, as though it carried secrets buried for ages. Each step echoed faintly, but he wasn't alone.

A faint blue light shimmered ahead. It floated like a flame, suspended in midair.

Riley's smirk widened the closer he got until the object came into full view.

Hovering silently in the middle of the moss-lit tunnel was a translucent, glowing key. Its edges were sharp, and its form looked almost ethereal, like it wasn't made of metal but of pure energy condensed into the shape of a key.

"A First Floor Key…" Riley muttered, his smirk deepening.