Episode 1: The Price of a Core

The Hobgoblin didn’t scream. It only managed a wet, bubbling gurgle as Arkan twisted the rusted iron spearhead deeper into its throat.

He didn't pull the weapon out immediately. A careless yank would send highly acidic blood spraying across the cavern, ruining the monster's hide—and his only payday. Instead, Arkan braced his boots against the slick stone, using his entire body weight to pin the thrashing beast against the damp wall. He held his breath, ignoring the burning strain in his shoulders, until the violent twitching finally ceased.

Three minutes. Arkan exhaled, a plume of white mist rising in the freezing, ozone-scented dungeon air. He ripped the spear out and quickly crouched beside the carcass. His hands, wrapped in cheap, blood-caked bandages, worked with mechanical precision. A horizontal slice beneath the ribs, a sharp twist of his hunting knife, and a sickening, wet squelch echoed in the hollow cave.

He extracted a marble-sized stone that pulsed with a clouded, sickly green light. A low-grade Mana Core.

"Market value... maybe four hundred credits," Arkan muttered, his voice raspy. He wiped the core on his worn-out cargo pants and tossed it into the canvas bag slung over his shoulder. "Not enough for the good suppressants. I'll have to buy the generic brand for Elara this week."

This was a Dead Zone. An unranked, unstable Gate that the official Guilds deemed 'unprofitable.' It was highly illegal for an unlicensed scavenger to be here. If the Gate Regulators caught him, he’d be thrown in military prison without a trial.

But military prison didn't terrify Arkan. What terrified him was the hospital bill sitting on his kitchen counter back home.

BEEP. BEEP.

The cheap digital watch on his wrist vibrated. He had been inside for exactly forty-five minutes. The Gate’s mana signature was destabilizing, the cavern walls already groaning as the spatial laws began to collapse. If he didn't leave right now, the portal would snap shut, burying him in this subspace forever.

Arkan grabbed his iron spear, ignored the screaming ache in his muscles, and sprinted toward the shimmering blue tear in the air.

He dove through the portal just as the cavern ceiling behind him began to cave in.

FWUMP.

Arkan hit the wet asphalt of a dark city alleyway. The cold, biting rain of the real world washed over him. The blue Gate behind him shrank into a single point of light and vanished with a quiet pop.

He leaned back against the rough brick wall, gasping for air, sliding down until he hit the ground. He was alive. He had the core.

As he reached into his pocket for his phone to call his black-market buyer, his fingers brushed against a thick, high-quality parchment. He slowly pulled it out.

It was an envelope. Pristine, white, and sealed with a glittering gold crest of a sword and shield. It looked completely out of place in his filthy, blood-stained hands.

Arkan stared at it. It was the letter that had arrived this morning.

[Apex Warrior High School]

[Status: ACCEPTED]

His eyes didn't linger on the shiny crest. They drifted down to the bold, red ink stamped across the bottom of the letter.

[Department Assignment: DUNGEON RAID & LOGISTICS]

Not the Hero Department. Not the golden children who received corporate sponsorships, flashy custom armor, and roaring cheers from the public.

The Raid Department. The scavengers. The bait. The ones who carried the heavy bags and dug the muddy trenches just so the Heroes could shine.

Arkan tightly clenched the low-grade Hobgoblin core in his left hand, feeling its faint, residual mana sting his calloused skin. A sharp, icy smile crossed his face.

"Raid Department," he whispered into the empty alley. "Perfect. I hate the spotlight anyway."

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Announcement / Author's Note:

Welcome to Abyssal Raider! If you're a fan of gritty underdog stories, dungeon hunting, and MCs who actually use their brains instead of plot armor, you're in the right place.

This is just the beginning. The real academy survival starts soon. Drop a comment and let me know what you think of Arkan's debut! Don't forget to add this to your library! - itsYurtzy

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