Chapter 95: Unexpected Encounter

The deeper they ventured into the ruined city, the more Dungeon Monsters they encountered.

Jet and Frey had barely traveled another two hundred meters before a group of Ruin Hounds emerged from a narrow alley between two collapsed skyscrapers.

There were five of them this time, their elongated bodies covered in grey skin and their hooked claws scraping against the cracked asphalt as they rushed toward the three intruders.

Unfortunately for the monsters, they had chosen the wrong opponents.

Jet met the first Ruin Hound with a horizontal slash of his Vorpal Blade, severing its front limbs before finishing it with a thrust through the skull.

He immediately stepped over the falling corpse and intercepted another monster attempting to circle toward Mikhail, driving his blade beneath its jaw with enough force to lift its front paws from the ground.

Frey handled the remaining three.

Two translucent serpentine Coils materialized around separate Ruin Hounds, constricting their bodies with enough force to fracture their bones. While they struggled helplessly, Frey rushed the third monster and drove both curved swords through its chest before twisting his wrists and ripping the blades free.

The entire encounter ended in less than half a minute.

Mikhail, who had already taken shelter behind a concrete pillar when the monsters appeared, emerged with an expression of professional satisfaction. He examined the corpses scattered across the street before removing his enormous backpack.

"Five more," Mikhail announced cheerfully, rubbing his gloved hands together as he approached the nearest body. "At this rate, I’m going to run out of collection bags before we even reach the Boss."

Frey flicked the blood from his curved swords and glanced toward the porter. "Then stop collecting every little thing you see, Fatty. We’re not opening a monster butcher shop."

Mikhail gave him an offended look while kneeling beside the first corpse. "That’s a terrible attitude toward money. You should be grateful someone here understands the importance of maximizing profits."

Jet smiled faintly at their exchange before turning his attention toward the surrounding buildings. He had already grown accustomed to Mikhail’s efficiency, and rather than standing around watching him work, he used the opportunity to examine their surroundings for additional threats.

The ruined city was enormous, and the deeper they traveled, the more difficult the terrain became.

Several streets were completely blocked by collapsed skyscrapers, forcing them to navigate through narrow passages between mountains of rubble. In some places, enormous sections of concrete had fallen across the road, leaving only small openings beneath twisted steel beams.

Other areas were covered in thick layers of grey dust that rose around their boots with every step.

The buildings themselves offered countless hiding places for monsters.

Broken windows overlooked the streets from dozens of floors above, while dark entrances and partially collapsed underground passages created opportunities for creatures to approach from unexpected directions.

Jet kept his Vorpal Blade drawn. Although the monsters they had encountered so far posed little threat, he had no intention of becoming careless.

After Mikhail finished processing the five Ruin Hounds, the three resumed their advance.

Their next encounter came near an enormous intersection where a collapsed skyscraper had fallen diagonally across the road.

This time, the monsters weren’t Ruin Hounds.

Four creatures resembling oversized centipedes crawled out from beneath the rubble. Each measured nearly four meters long, with segmented black shells, dozens of sharp legs and enormous mandibles dripping with a thick yellowish substance.

[Iron-Shell Crawler ]

[White-Class Dungeon Monster ]

One of the Crawlers immediately climbed the side of a broken building, its numerous legs digging into the concrete as it moved with disturbing speed.

Another rushed directly toward Jet.

Jet lowered his center of gravity and waited until the creature came within striking distance before stepping sideways and bringing the Vorpal Blade down against its armored head.

Clang!

Sparks erupted as the Relic struck the thick shell. The creature’s armor resisted the first blow, but Jet immediately adjusted his grip and drove Mana through the weapon. The Vorpal Blade’s edge cut into the damaged section, splitting the shell and exposing the softer flesh beneath.

The Crawler thrashed violently.

Jet twisted his wrist and dragged the blade through the opening, tearing apart the creature’s head before withdrawing his weapon.

Beside him, Frey was already dealing with two others.

A massive translucent serpent Coil wrapped around one Crawler and lifted it partially from the ground. Its segmented body bent unnaturally as Vritra’s Coil tightened, producing a series of sharp cracking sounds before the creature’s armored plates began splitting apart.

Frey released the crushed monster and immediately redirected his attention toward the second.

He dashed forward, avoiding the creature’s snapping mandibles before driving one curved sword between two armored segments. His second blade followed, cutting deeper into the exposed joint until the Crawler collapsed.

The fourth monster suddenly detached itself from the building.

It dropped toward Mikhail.

"Above you!" Jet shouted, immediately turning toward the porter.

Mikhail reacted before the warning had even finished.

He threw himself sideways, his enormous backpack striking the ground as the Crawler crashed into the spot where he had been standing. Its mandibles snapped shut around empty air, and several sharp legs scraped against the concrete as it twisted toward him.

Jet was already moving. Crimson-black Mana erupted from his upper back, forming two muscular spectral arms beneath his shoulders.

[Asura Arms — Stage I]

One Asura Arm seized the creature near its head while the other caught its twisting body, forcing it against the ground.

The Crawler struggled violently, its numerous legs scraping across the asphalt, but Jet stepped forward and drove the Vorpal Blade into the exposed gap beneath its armored head.

The monster convulsed before falling still.

Jet dismissed the additional arms almost immediately.

Mikhail remained seated on the ground for a moment, staring at the dead Crawler less than a meter away. He adjusted his crooked glasses and slowly released the breath he had been holding.

"Well," Mikhail said, looking up at Jet with a strained smile, "that was considerably closer than I would’ve preferred."

Jet extended a hand and helped him stand. "You reacted quickly. That’s good."

Mikhail brushed dust from his uniform and glanced at the enormous backpack lying beside him. "I’ve learned that being fat doesn’t mean I should wait around when something tries to eat me."

Frey approached them while wiping one curved sword clean. He looked at the dead Crawler before turning toward Mikhail with an amused expression. "I didn’t know you could move that fast, Fatty."

Mikhail retrieved his backpack and gave Frey an irritated glance. "You’d be surprised how much motivation a giant insect provides."

Jet allowed them to continue talking while he examined the surrounding buildings.

The encounter had reinforced something important.

Even weak Dungeon Monsters could become dangerous when they attacked from unexpected directions, particularly when an ordinary human accompanied the Raid Team.

Mikhail had handled himself well, but Jet and Frey couldn’t afford to assume every monster would approach them from the front.

After ensuring there were no additional Crawlers hiding nearby, Mikhail began harvesting.

Unlike the Ruin Hounds, the Iron-Shell Crawlers possessed valuable armored plates and mandibles. Their shells were difficult to process, but Mikhail knew exactly where to cut, separating usable sections without wasting unnecessary effort.

He also collected small venom sacs from beneath their mandibles, carefully sealing each one inside a reinforced container.

Jet watched him inspect a damaged plate before discarding it.

"Not worth carrying?" Jet asked, gesturing toward the discarded material.

Mikhail shook his head while continuing to work. "Too many fractures. Someone might buy it for scraps, but the weight isn’t worth the return. The intact plates and venom sacs are where the money is."

Jet nodded.

Once again, Mikhail’s experience proved useful.

By the time they resumed moving, their Raid had already produced a respectable collection of materials, and they had barely scratched the surface of the Dungeon.

Over the next hour, the three continued deeper into the ruined city.

They encountered another pack of Ruin Hounds near a collapsed overpass, followed by several Iron-Shell Crawlers hiding beneath the remains of a parking structure. Later, a group of six skeletal creatures emerged from a ruined building, their bodies covered in cracked stone-like armor and their elongated arms ending in jagged claws.

[Gravebound Stalker]

[Whitw-Class Dungeon Monster ]

The Stalkers were faster than the previous monsters, moving across walls and broken concrete with surprising agility.

Unfortunately, speed alone wasn’t enough.

Jet’s Vorpal Blade tore through their limbs and torsos, while Frey’s Vritra Coils repeatedly dragged the creatures from walls and crushed them against the ground. Whenever several attacked together, the two Raiders adjusted their positions to prevent any of them from reaching Mikhail.

Their coordination continued improving with every encounter.

Jet had grown increasingly comfortable fighting alongside Frey, and their different combat styles complemented each other surprisingly well. Frey’s Coils could restrict enemy movement, while Jet possessed the speed and precision necessary to exploit those openings.

The Ruin Hounds fell quickly.

The Crawlers followed.

Even the Stalkers failed to slow them for long.

Meanwhile, Mikhail continued proving his worth. He harvested useful materials, organized their loot, kept track of what they had collected and occasionally pointed out valuable monster parts that neither Jet nor Frey would have recognized.

He also knew when to stop. Once his backpack began approaching its comfortable carrying capacity, Mikhail informed them and recommended prioritizing higher-value materials for the remainder of the Raid.

Frey seemed particularly impressed by that decision.

"Look at you, Fatty," Frey remarked as they crossed another ruined intersection. "You’re actually making sensible business decisions instead of trying to stuff an entire Dungeon into your backpack."

Mikhail adjusted his glasses and gave Frey a smug smile. "That’s why I’m the professional. You two kill monsters, and I make sure we don’t end up carrying fifty kilograms of garbage."

Jet chuckled quietly.

Their first Raid together was progressing better than expected.

According to the Dungeon information, they had already eliminated a substantial portion of the estimated monster population. If the remaining encounters continued at this pace, they would likely reach the Boss area well within the projected clearing time.

However, Jet didn’t allow himself to relax.

The deeper sections of the city were becoming increasingly difficult to navigate, with collapsed buildings creating narrow corridors between enormous piles of rubble.

They eventually reached a broad avenue surrounded by skyscrapers whose upper floors had collapsed into one another.

Jet slowed his pace. Something felt strange. The street ahead was unusually quiet.

He glanced toward Frey, who appeared to notice the same thing. His friend tightened his grip around his curved swords and began examining the broken windows overlooking the avenue.

Mikhail immediately stopped behind them.

"Something wrong?" the porter asked quietly, his earlier cheerful expression disappearing as he noticed their caution.

Jet was about to answer when a tremendous impact suddenly erupted from the building to their right.

BOOOOM!

An entire section of the ruined wall exploded outward.

Concrete fragments and twisted steel scattered across the avenue as an enormous shadow burst through the collapsing structure.

Jet reacted instinctively, throwing himself backward while Frey immediately moved to intercept whatever had emerged.

The creature landed in the middle of the road with enough force to shatter the asphalt beneath its feet.

Dust erupted around its massive body. Before Jet could properly examine the monster, a familiar System notification appeared before his eyes.

[Monster Identified ]

[NAME: Ironmaw Devastator ]

[Classification: Green Class Dungeon Monster]

Frey stared at the notification hovering before him.

His expression changed instantly.

"What the fuck is a Green Class Dungeon Monster doing here?!"

Frey cursed, his eyes widening as he looked from the System notification to the enormous creature standing amid the settling dust.