Chapter 93: Ruined City

The sensation of passing through the White Gate lasted less than a second.

One moment Jet was stepping into the swirling portal beneath the supervision of O.R.D.O.’s Gatekeepers, and the next his boots struck cracked asphalt beneath a dull grey sky. Frey appeared beside him almost immediately, followed by Mikhail, whose enormous backpack swayed from the sudden transition before the fat porter planted his feet and steadied himself.

Jet’s hand moved instinctively toward the Vorpal Blade as he surveyed their surroundings.

The Dungeon was an enormous ruined city.

A broad road stretched ahead between rows of towering skyscrapers, but there was hardly a structure that remained intact. Some buildings leaned dangerously over the streets with entire sections missing from their sides.

Others had collapsed completely, leaving mountains of broken concrete, twisted steel and shattered glass piled between the surrounding ruins.

One skyscraper had snapped somewhere around its middle, its upper half lying diagonally across several smaller structures while hundreds of exposed floors faced the open air.

The roads weren’t in much better condition. Deep cracks divided the asphalt into uneven sections, and several areas had collapsed into enormous depressions filled with rubble. Rusted vehicle wrecks were scattered between overturned streetlights and broken concrete barriers.

Black weeds pushed through cracks in the pavement, while thin vines crawled over walls and disappeared through shattered windows.

Everything looked ancient.

Centuries of decay seemed to have passed over the city until entire sections had become almost unrecognizable beneath dust, corrosion and vegetation.

Farther ahead, several collapsed skyscrapers had fallen against one another and formed a tangled wall of concrete and steel that divided the street.

Mikhail slowly looked upward, craning his neck to see the upper reaches of the surrounding towers.

"Well, this definitely explains the Ruined Settlement classification," he said, adjusting his rectangular glasses with one finger before glancing toward the enormous backpack behind him. "I’m already regretting bringing this much equipment. If we have to climb through half of that rubble, somebody is carrying me back."

Frey drew one of his curved swords and looked at Mikhail’s large stomach before replying with a crooked smile, "I’d leave you here before carrying you."

Mikhail’s expression immediately soured. "It’s reassuring to know my employers are so committed to staff welfare."

Jet ignored their exchange and studied the nearest intersections. Visibility wasn’t terrible along the main road, but the surrounding buildings created dozens of blind spots.

Alleyways disappeared between structures, broken storefronts opened into darkness, and piles of rubble offered enough cover for monsters to approach without being immediately noticed.

"Keep the jokes down once we start moving," Jet told them, drawing the Vorpal Blade from behind his waist. "The report estimated thirty-five to fifty monsters. We don’t know how spread out they are."

Frey’s amusement faded as he drew his second curved sword and nodded. "I’ll take the right side. You watch the left."

Mikhail tightened both straps across his shoulders and positioned himself several meters behind them. "And I’ll stay exactly where a smart porter belongs. Behind the two people with supernatural powers."

Jet glanced back at him briefly. "If something gets around us, don’t try fighting unless you absolutely have to. Call it out and create distance."

Mikhail nodded without joking this time. "Understood."

The three began moving.

Their footsteps carried across the cracked road as Jet and Frey maintained a loose formation at the front. Mikhail followed behind them with enough distance that he wouldn’t interfere with their movements if combat started, but remained close enough that neither Raider would need to travel far to intercept anything targeting him.

They crossed the first intersection without encountering anything.

The second was different.

Jet heard claws scraping against concrete somewhere to his left.

His pace slowed immediately.

Frey noticed the change and stopped beside him, both curved swords already lowered into a ready position. Mikhail reacted almost as quickly. The porter said nothing as he backed toward the remains of a concrete barrier and placed the obstacle between himself and the nearest alley.

Another scraping sound came from inside a partially collapsed building.

Jet’s eyes shifted toward the darkness beyond its broken entrance.

A grey shape suddenly burst through.

[RUIN HOUND]

[ White-Class Dungeon Monster ]

The creature landed on all fours and immediately accelerated toward them. It was roughly the size of a large motorcycle, with hairless grey skin stretched across an elongated body.

Its front limbs were thicker than its hind legs, and hooked black claws struck sparks from the asphalt as it ran. Its oversized jaw opened wide enough to expose several rows of crooked teeth.

It wasn’t alone.

Three more Ruin Hounds rushed through the damaged entrance behind it while another pair appeared from an alley across the road.

Six.

Jet moved first.

The leading Ruin Hound sprang toward him, claws extended for his chest, but Jet stepped diagonally from its path while injecting Mana into the Vorpal Blade. The Relic responded instantly. Its edge accelerated through the air as Jet swung upward beneath the monster’s jaw, cutting cleanly through its neck.

Dark blood sprayed across the road.

The head separated from the body before both struck the asphalt several meters apart.

A second Ruin Hound was already coming from Jet’s right. He pivoted before it could reach him, avoiding the first swipe of its claws and bringing the Vorpal Blade down through the top of its skull. The blade sank deep, and Jet ripped it free as the monster collapsed beneath him.

Frey had engaged the others.

One Ruin Hound launched itself directly toward his chest, but Frey shifted outside its trajectory and drove one curved sword through its ribs. The creature screamed and twisted violently, only for Frey’s second blade to carve across its throat as he pulled the first weapon free.

Another monster attacked from behind the falling corpse.

Frey stepped backward and raised his left hand.

Mana surged.

A translucent serpentine Coil manifested around the charging Ruin Hound and tightened around its torso. The creature’s momentum stopped almost instantly as Vritra’s Coil compressed around it.

Bones cracked beneath the pressure before Frey twisted his wrist and sent the trapped monster smashing sideways into the rusted remains of a vehicle.

The impact crushed the vehicle’s door inward.

Jet intercepted the fifth monster as it attempted to circle around Frey’s side. He caught its first claw strike against the flat of the Vorpal Blade, redirected the limb outward and drove his boot into the creature’s chest.

The Ruin Hound stumbled backward, and Jet followed immediately, sweeping the Relic horizontally through its exposed throat.

The final Ruin Hound tried to rush past them.

It was heading toward Mikhail.