“Lesson eight.”

  Jin, realising Ritchie was no longer around, let out a grin as he placed his weapon on the ground, slowly backing off. If there was one occasion he didn’t want to risk his life, this was it. Even passive monsters, when pushed to the corner, could become feral. A dangerous foe that would fight to the death, even though it was dying itself.

  The creature hunched still, its gaze still locked onto Jin – those same wide, wounded eyes Jin had seen in alley cats and stray dogs back home. Its dirt-stained front leg hitched with every breath; a jagged gash oozing bluish blood dripped onto the leaves and ground from its beautiful light green fur.

  “You’re hurt, right?”

  Jin crouched and eased back even more, his palm up. Once he reached a distance he thought would be safe, he then pulled out his medikit bag, with bandages and some healing potions.

  “Alright, furball. You’re bleeding out, and I can help. Your move.”

  The carbuncle’s ears raised, then flattened, but it didn’t bolt.

  Smart.

  Jin tossed a scrap of jerky between them. “Eat. My treat. You’ll have more once we fix that leg. Deal?”

  After a moment of hesitation, the furry little monster raised its head, turned around once before lying down, extending its injured legs forward.

  “What do you know, eh?” Jin muttered under his breath as he walked forward slowly with some wipes, bandages and a healing potion in his hands. “This little fella can understand what I say.”

  He immediately went to work. After cleaning the injured area, he then dabbed the wound with a healing potion. He always brought a few in case there might be a Player or two nearby that might need some emergency treatment, but he never knew it would work on monsters, too.

  At first, he thought it was a placebo effect. But after noticing how much more alive the little furry creature was – after an initial wince or two from the treatment – he let it drink from his palm. His other hand swiftly worked on the bandage wrap.

  He initially wanted to suture the gash. But with how fast and effective the healing process became just from a potion alone, he opted his little ‘patient’ out from the unneeded suffering. After making sure the bandage was tight, Jin fed it with a couple more jerkies. The little creature purred excitedly before munching on it like a glutton.

  “Slow down, will you? It’s going nowhere. I have more if you want.”

  Once it was done eating, instead of running away, the little furry creature purred and nuzzled Jin’s hand.

  “You’re asking for a pat?”

  Kri…Kri…Kri…

  Jin was a sucker for such things. His late wife would have scolded him if he hesitated any longer. “I know you’re a big softie,” she’d say, dumping a litter of kittens in his hands. Eleana, meanwhile, would’ve already named it by now, probably something ridiculous like ‘Fluffernut’.

  “Alright, you win,” he sighed.

  As Jin’s fingers brushed the soft fur behind the creature’s ears, a faint glint caught his eye. The carbuncle pulled back slightly, then dipped its head, parting the light-green fur like a curtain. There, nestled in its forehead, was a small slit and within it was a red gemstone, pulsing faintly like a slow heartbeat.

  “Oh? You’re a carbuncle?” Jin murmured.

  He’d heard the stories from Players – carbuncle was a squirrel-like passive monster with a gemstone etched in its forehead. Weak in a fight but impossible to kill with magic. Their only vulnerability was the gem itself, if you could land a hit. Fast, agile, and slippery as hell, they were prized for their gemstone and thus hunted for their rarity. If not for sports.

  Jin’s thumb traced the edge of the gem, warm under his touch. No wonder someone went after you.

  He should’ve left it there. Should’ve let it run off, like he’d planned. But the way it continued to nuzzle against his palm, the way its big blue eyes blinked up at him – damn it.

  “Off you go, little one.” Jin tried to resist his urge to continue petting. “It’s late. I got to go home.”

  The carbuncle didn’t move.

  Instead, it purred with the soft ‘kri’ sound, pressing its head against his boot like an overgrown kitten. When Jin took a step, it followed him with its tail flicking vigorously. He tried shooing it, but the creature just blinked up at him, unyielding.

  Almost too determined. Like it had decided to be with him, wherever that would be.

  Jin exhaled, shaking his head. He was already a part of the goddamn distribution system, only this time, instead of a cat, it was a carbuncle.

  “You’re going to get yourself killed, you know that?”

  It purred again, as if to say, ‘I’m not afraid’.

  He didn’t have the heart to argue. One way or another, eventually they would have to part ways as the carbuncle could not pass through the RIFT’s portal since the mission had already been cleared half a day earlier.

  The little furry creature climbed up and nestled itself inside Jin’s jumpsuit like a baby kangaroo, its head peeking out occasionally. They went past the forest into a clearing. Past the river ahead was their camp. But before Jin could take another step, a voice cut through the air.

  “Oi, Cleaner! Hold up!”

  Jin turned, irritated by the dismissive tone. No ‘sir,’ no ‘hi or ‘hello. Basically, no respect – just another Player who thought Cleaners were beneath him.

  A lean, good-looking Player strode toward him, clad in leather armour and a green beret, a dagger in hand and a bow slung across his back.

  Jin didn’t bother with any pleasantries.

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  “Have you seen a small furry monster nearby?” the archer demanded.

  Jin shrugged. Of course, he knew. But he wasn’t about to hand over the carbuncle to some hunter.

  “And you think I’d still be standing here if a monster came my way?”

  The archer’s lip curled in disgust. “You damn green-monke-”

  “Oi.” Jin’s voice cut through, low and cold. “Think twice before you talk.”

  “Or else what?”

  Jin shot a smirk before turning away. “Or else when you die horribly,” Jin said, not breaking stride, “I’ll cut your lips off and sew them to your asshole.”

  Jin didn’t stick around to see or hear the reaction. He knew the archer wouldn’t dare to try anything – especially not with the Cleaner’s designated bodyguards approaching. Players like him were the worst; bastards forming hunting parties that preyed on passive and peaceful monsters after a RIFT had been cleared.

  Legal? Sure. But Jin had seen enough cowards with weapons to know the type.

  “Dr Frankenstein,” one of the bodyguards called, “you done for the day?”

  Jin nodded. “Is Ritchie back? And the girl?”

  “Yup. We got them treated. Now, what’s left is-“

  The air trembled!

  A relentless ting-ting-ting then echoed across the forest, swallowing every other sound. Above, the sky darkened as if an eclipse had fallen, and burning red text blazed across it:

  <<< SYSTEM ALERT! SYSTEM ALERT! SYSTEM ALERT! >>>

  <<< MAJOR SYSTEM INFRACTION DETECTED! >>>

  <<< RIFT WILL NOW CLOSE! >>>

  <<< T-MINUS 3600 SECONDS >>>

  ***

  The System’s message sent a chill down everyone’s spine – visible to all, Player and Cleaner alike, as if the world itself had screamed a warning. But a warning of what?

  The answer came swiftly. And monstrous.

  A jagged tear split the eclipse-tinted sky like a wound in bleeding darkness. From it slithered a monstrosity so vast that its single wing blotted out a chunk of the sky, casting the forest in a sickly, flickering twilight.

  Panic erupted.

  The bodyguard who’d been talking to Jin tripped over his own boots, his arms windmilling before hitting the dirt. Once. Twice. By the third time, he crawled on all fours before finally scrambling up and bolting without a glint of a backward glance, his dignity lost to sheer, primal terror.

  “RUN, EVERYONE!”

  The shout came from a group of Cleaners stumbling into the clearing, their faces pale as ash. One of them – a lanky kid with a busted lip – waved his arms wildly. “Portal’s still open! MOVE!”

  “We won’t make it in time!” a woman screamed, clutching a satchel of half-harvested herbs. “Not with all this-”

  “LEAVE IT!” a grizzled Cleaner roared, shoving her toward the portal. “You want to die for a few leaves?! GO!”

  “B-But the quota-”

  “THERE WON’T BE A QUOTA IF YOU’RE DEAD!” The man grabbed her by the scruff of her jumpsuit and hurled her forward. “LAST WARNING!”

  Jin didn’t flinch. He tilted his head back, squinting at the black-scaled abomination hovering high in the sky. It hadn’t moved since crawling out of the rift, its massive wings wrapped around its body like a cocoon shroud. But the shape was unmistakable.

  A dragon.

  The kind of monster that should’ve been locked away in the deepest, most nightmarish of RIFTs. Not here. Not in a Class F zone, where the worst they usually dealt with were overgrown rats, temperamental slimes and some perverse plants.

  From the Security Commission’s archive, a dragon had only been spotted once, back when the strongest Players were still scraping by at Silver V. A single encounter in an S-class RIFT where the mission had been solving a puzzle, not fighting.

  No combat. No deaths. No data. Just a footnote in the reports:

  “Subject must be avoided at all costs. Do not engage.”

  That was thirty, forty years ago.

  And now, one was here.

  Jin exhaled through his nose. Well. Ain’t this just a lovely day?

  He reached the portal without breaking a sweat. Old Man Sid was already there, barking orders at the stragglers. Ritchie was hauling a limping Cleaner toward the exit, his face twisted in a snarl.

  “Move your damn arse already!” However, when he saw Jin approaching, his face beamed. “Mentor Sir. Glad you’re here. Was worried for a bit.”

  Before Jin could respond, a new shout cut through the chaos.

  “SHE’S NOT HERE?!” A Player – a senior-ranked role in their party – grabbed a trembling scout by the collar. “DID YOU LEAVE HER?!”

  “N-No, sir!” the scout stammered, pointing a shaking finger right back the way Jin had come. “She was right behind us when we ran! Over there!”

  Jin’s eyebrows shot up. He’d just come from there. And he’s seen no one.

  “Oi, Jin!” Old Man Sid’s called. “What the hell are you-?”

  Jin didn’t look at him. He jerked his chin toward the Players. “Sounds like they’ve got a problem.”

  “SCREW THEM!” Old Man Sid snapped. “They’re Players! They’ve got skills, gear, actual levels – everything!”

  “They’re also idiots who don’t know the forest,” Jin said, already walking toward the other side. “And I do.”

  “Fuck you. You’ll be the death of me.” Old Man Sid grumbled but still tagged along anyway.

  Without introducing himself, Jin told the Players’ group what he’d seen, where he was earlier and how he’d been the last one coming from that direction. And to everyone’s surprise – especially Old Man Sid’s – Jin offered to look for her.

  The leader, a broad-shouldered man with a sword the size of a small tree, stepped forward. “You’re not even a Player. You got Tracking? Hunting? Anything?”

  Jin smirked. “I spent some time in that mazy forest. That’s more than any of you’ve got.”

  The man opened his mouth to argue, but was cut short by another relentless ting-ting-ting sound.

  <<< T-MINUS 1800 SECONDS >>>

  The glowing red countdown flickered above them, casting their faces in a hellish glow. The Players exchanged glances. A couple of headshakes followed. No one had a better idea.

  “Fine,” the leader growled. “But if you die, that’s on you.”

  Jin didn’t say anything, only giving a thumbs up. Then he turned to Old Man Sid, his hands clapped onto the veteran’s shoulder. “I’ll be fine. Wait for me outside with the rest. I’ll be back before you’re done with your first cig.”

  Old Man Sid stared at him, then heaved a sigh. “Sure?”

  Jin winked. “I’ll be back.”

  “You better.” Old Man Sid’s voice was low, but it carried more weight than usual. “Or I swear to god, I’ll tell your daughter you fucked everything up.”

  Jin didn’t waste time arguing. He jogged back into the forest, weaving through the trees with practised ease. The panic, the dragon, the ticking clock – none of it rattled him. He knew these woods. Knew where the ground dipped, where the branches hung low, where a person could get turned around and lost for hours.

  What he hadn’t expected was the light-green blur darting beside him.

  “Hey, little one,” Jin said, glancing down at the carbuncle keeping pace with him. “This place is about to get real messy. You should-”

  “Krii!” The carbuncle skidded to a halt, its nose twitching. Then it bolted to the right, stopping so abruptly that it nearly tripped over its own paws.

  “KRII! KRI-KRI-KRII!”

  Jin frowned. “What’s wrong? Wait – You found her?”

  The carbuncle shrieked once before dashing forward. Another bout of ting-ting-ting echoed, louder than the first two times.

  <<< T-MINUS 1500 SECONDS >>>

  Already?

  Jin cursed under his breath. No time to second-guess what the carbuncle wanted. He let the creature lead the way, dodging more roots and low branches before bursting into a small clearing. A certain scene froze Jin on the spot.

  The girl – the very same archer that he had the displeasure of meeting earlier – was backed against a tree. With her green beret lost, her long brunette hair was now tangled with dirt, leaves and twigs as she slashed at the air with her dagger. A horde of Jiggyjugs, a pitcher-plant monster that was usually harmless unless provoked, had her surrounded, their vine-like tendrils snapping like whips.

  “Get away from me, you scumbags!” she screamed, her voice high and desperate. Nothing like the gruff, arrogant tone she’d used earlier.

  Jin crossed his arms and smiled. Well. Isn’t this interesting?

  The Jiggyjugs hissed, exposing their toothy maws dripping with green sticky digestive fluids. Jin counted thirty of those bulbous bodies, pulsing with agitation.

  Thirty.

  Even a Player would have trouble with those odds.

  And Jin? He was just a Cleaner.

  But he was also a man; the kind who wanted his daughter to be proud of. The kind who, when he told her about his work, could look her in the eye and say he’d done the right thing. The kind she looked up to as a role model.

  The only question left was how?

  However, to his and the girl’s immediate solace, the help came in the form of a cute, furry monster.