Blood Wolf Summoned
Eugene shook out his damp hair with the Baeksa Guild towel and gazed down at the black marble clutched in his hand. Even after washing off with cold water, the thoughts swirling in his mind refused to rinse away. The Abandoned Underground Mall gate. The polluted mutant beast he'd encountered there. The voice it had spat out right before dying kept echoing in his ears.
Monsters speaking wasn't all that surprising in itself. Barcas had talked too, after all. But this time, it nagged at him especially hard. Like a fishbone stuck in his throat—a nagging, grimy discomfort.
"Haa."
Eugene let out a short sigh. Racking his brain right now wouldn't yield any answers anyway. He fiddled with the black marble in his palm as if shaking off tangled thoughts, then casually tossed it toward the shadow rippling at his feet.
Kududuk.
The shadow surged up like a serpent, as if it had been waiting. With a bursting sound, the marble vanished into the darkness.
Skill: Gravity (S)
Confirming his boosted mana stat, Eugene dismissed the status window without a second glance. He stood, opened the fridge, and cracked open a can of beer, downing it in one go.
Gulp.
The cool brew slid down his throat. But the bitter aftertaste lingered stubbornly in his mouth.
'Am I getting used to it... or just numb?'
Take this latest incident. A man had died right in front of him, yet the guilt—if you could even call it that—was weirdly faint. His emotions had churned briefly, but now? He couldn't tell if his heart had just hardened or if becoming a Dungeon Master had rewired his mind to fit the role.
Eugene wiped the beer foam from his lips with the back of his hand and slumped back in his chair, staring blankly. No point dwelling—no answers would come right now anyway. His mind didn't wander long. He had more pressing goals to focus on.
At that moment, the announcer's voice drifted from the living room TV.
"Breaking news. World Rank 1 Awakener Yuseorin has single-handedly cleared the Jeju Island S-rank gate and returned. In the footage, a massive dragon's severed head lies sprawled across the ground."
"Yuseorin stated she will cancel all overseas schedules for the time being and remain in Korea to rest. In response, major domestic guilds are..."
World #1 Awakener Yuseorin. If he went out on the street right now and shouted that this woman was his childhood friend, everyone would just call him crazy.
'Back in the day, I used to play with her and—' That classic urge to brag about knowing a celebrity.
'Maybe it's the booze hitting me after so long.'
He set the empty can on the table, and the alcohol rushed up fast. His face heated, vision blurring slightly. Back then, he'd envied those Awakeners on TV. If only I had power like that... He'd been insanely jealous.
But not anymore. Now he had power to rival theirs.
Eugene smirked, flopping back onto the bed. He stared dazedly at the ring before speaking.
"Aria."
"Yes, Master!"
A lively voice rang in his head.
"What is it today, Master?"
"Nah, just... curious."
Eugene scratched the back of his head.
"With my current mana, could I open a dungeon gate...?"
Her voice pitched up with uncharacteristic excitement—a tone he'd never use sober. The booze was definitely kicking in.
A long silence stretched from the ring. Then came a creeping, almost criminal whisper.
"That... I'm sorry, Master. Not yet."
"I see..."
He'd half-expected it. Still, hearing it confirmed deflated him. If it were possible, Aria would've said so first.
As Eugene started to sprawl out on the bed—
"B-but, Master! There's good news!"
Aria's voice rose desperately, like she was scrambling to meet his expectations.
"Good news?"
"Yes! With your increased mana, Master, you can now summon the dungeon's lower-grade monsters outside!"
Dungeon monsters? Eugene's eyes widened.
'Monsters, huh...'
Gate-spawned monsters and dungeon monsters were similar yet subtly different. Even same-species ones looked distinctly apart. Above all, dungeon monsters were like meat shields—disposable fodder he'd whipped up without much care.
Still, being able to call them out? Eugene sat up.
'Let's see.'
Past monster lists flashed in his mind, vivid despite the years. Even as disposables, they'd taken time and effort.
Most were on the 1st floor.
"Aria. How do I summon? Like last time, you send it?"
"I could, but no need. All dungeon ownership belongs to Master, after all."
Aria continued.
"No complicated process. Visualize the target in your mind and infuse mana into the ring. Your will is the key to summoning."
'Just call it, then.'
Simple enough. Eugene grinned and extended a hand into empty air. Seeing was believing—better to test it.
He pictured the blood-red wolf that had shredded Park Cheolgi's crew. Stationed on the 1st floor.
Eugene poured mana into the ring. Space warped in response to his will.
Creeeak!
The air split open. Crimson eyes gleamed from the pitch-black rift.
A massive wolf emerged, filling the cramped room. Tiger-sized, unnatural bulk. Oppressive pressure crushed the air.
But the blood wolf locked eyes with Eugene and instantly dropped its killing intent, crouching submissively.
'It bared its teeth when we first met.'
Now it was just a giant dog wagging its tail for its owner. Aria's shadows were the outlier—no mana drain there.
As she'd said, mana leaked steadily, like from a bottomless barrel.
A mere low-grade dungeon monster. But here? C-rank shredder meant at least A-rank equivalent, probably higher.
Eugene chuckled and reached out. Stroking the wolf's rough mane—
It flopped belly-up with a whine. Kiiing, ngh! Adorable for its size. Its huge tail thumped the floor, kicking up dust everywhere. The room shook like an earthquake.
"H-hey! Stop, stop!"
Eugene startled, frantically shushing it. Thin-walled one-room—no soundproofing. If the noise got worse...
Bang bang bang!
Sure enough, irate banging from the neighbor's wall.
On the outskirts, a rundown logistics warehouse. Bland exterior hid Baeksa Guild's infamous underworld front.
1st-floor break room. Laughter mixed with acrid cigarette smoke.
"Yo, Kim Seokdu's party still not back?"
"Probably snagged by ghouls. Or dead."
To low-rank grunts, Kim Seokdu's disappearance was bar snack fodder. Third-rate Awakeners died in low gates all the time.
3rd-floor exec office. Choi Siljang coldly eyed the report on his desk.
"What happened?"
"Yes, sir. Sent guys to check the gate... found bodies torn to shreds."
"Fucking hell..."
Choi lit a cigarette. Grunts might see Kim Seokdu as disposable muscle, but no. His real job: kidnap promising Awakeners, clean up without traces—guild's dedicated janitor.
And his power? Solid C-rank. Dying like a dog in an E-rank zone?
'Not an accident.'
Choi exhaled slowly. Kim Seokdu dying? Whatever—pawn anyway. Issue was no SOS, comms cut clean.
Two possibilities: cocky and eaten, or murdered.
Meaning a five-man C-rank-led party wiped without resistance.
"Hack the Association database. Pull every entry/exit log for that gate today. Down to the last ant."
"Got it!"
His underling hammered the keyboard. Today's entrants scrolled on the monitor.
Eyes scanned timestamps.
"Kim Seokdu's entry time confirmed. Cross-checking before/after... Huh?"
Mouse froze. Underling's eyes widened.
"Sir, found it! One guy entered right before Kim Seokdu's party."
"Guild? Association dog?"
"N-no."
Underling's pupils shook at the screen.
"No guild mark. Total indie."
"Indie? Rank."
"E-rank. Class..."
Underling swallowed dryly, reading the screen.
"Summoner."
Name:Eugene
Affiliation:None
Rank:E-rank
Class:Summoner
"What...?"
"E-rank Summoner."
Choi's brows furrowed. Puzzle pieces snapped together.
'Kim Seokdu, that bastard.'
Solo indie E-rank Summoner in the gate. Perfect prey for him.
'Tried hunting the kid, got reversed?'
Veteran party with a C-rank wiped by one E-rank Summoner. Absurd—no laugh left in him.
Choi's glare darkened on the photo.
Lucky rookie? Hidden monster? Association plant?
Didn't matter. Dare cut Baeksa lines, invade turf? Pay in blood.
Crackle.
Choi ground out his cigarette in the ashtray.
"This Eugene punk... Soon as we confirm intel, send guys. Drag him here alive."