3 Desperation to Live

[Notice: You have entered the wandering A-rank dungeon]

[You can die now]

"Dungeon? What the hell is it talking about now?"

Zen slowly opened his eyes as the sound of a little bell rang inside his head and read the text on the panel. He did not know what it is trying to convey but when he looks around an unknown and a beautiful sight was presented to him.

"Are you fucking kidding me!? Is this a forest?"

It was a weird and foreign land which he had never seen before. A forest that has trees that stretched for hundreds of meters high and constant roars of unknown beast echoing from afar made Zen think that he truly is inside a dungeon.

When that light appeared it was already night but it was still day time inside the dungeon, the sun was high up the sky and the warm and comfortable feeling bathed him.

He checked the time on his holo and just like he thought it was still 7:09 in the evening. Considering the time was still unchanged and it was still bright, Zen knew that truly was inside a dungeon.

"How the hell did I… wait, that light and that unsteady feeling I got before wandering off, did it have something to do with that? Because if not I really don't understand what's going on."

Zen was put into deep thought, he was surrounded by thick vegetation without any signs of the gate being present anywhere so the only that Zen can do at this point was stay there and wait for that flash to appear once more and get the hell out of here.

"I don't know where I am and I don't have any strength to fight anyone with my strength so the best choice is to stay and wait it out."

The choice he made was right. Staying there and waiting for the gate to open might sound stupid and lazy but considering his condition and strength the only thing he could do was wait.

If Zen were to wander around without any plan whatsoever he would die sooner or later if he were to encounter any monster and if he's in a real A-rank dungeon like the system had said then he would be in deeper shit if he were to move.

Zen did not have any problems staying there, because he had food and drinks with him and everything he would need to survive for at least a week. He even has a bunch of medicines that will help him.

"Seems like being a small-time traveling vendor has its perks."

He murmured to himself as he took a bag of chips from inside his pack and a bottle of water from inside his backpack. He opened the chips and started eating.

Zen had yet to eat anything the whole day, he was planning to eat at home but with his current situation, Zen did not have the right to be picky about what his location.

As he was drinking the bottled water Zen heard the sound of something moving around, he did know what it is but Zen did not have the luxury of finding out.

Without wasting any time he opened his backpack and started searching for the dagger he had bought the first time he became a Seeker, he had always kept it with him in case of emergencies.

He took out the dagger and took out three medicines from inside his backpack, two of those medicines were some kind of weak pain reliever while the other one was the one that calm the nerves.

Zen did not know just how far this monster was but he knew that it was just nearby and had been watching him for some time now even when he took out the dagger from his backpack that thing just kept watching him from the shadows.

'It's awfully cautious, seems like this guy is somewhat intelligent.'

Intelligent monsters are monsters that have some intelligence in them, most monsters like that are D-rank and above and all of these monsters are able to kill Zen in a heartbeat.

Then, as he was feeling the heaviness of his situation, Zen felt a tremble on the ground. He did know what made that trembling occur but Zen did know that it was coming to him.

"Shit, I need to get out of here."

Whatever kind of monster it is Zen did not want to stick around and find out, he carried the backpack behind him and quickly took out two bottled water before throwing the backpack in some bushes.

He marked the place where he dumps his belongings and made sure to remember it. He had dumped all his belongings and took the bare minimum he could so it will not hinder his movement at all.

"If I can live through this, I'll come back for your partner."

He runs and runs until even when his feet hurt and sides started to hurt Zen run like his life depended on it. Not knowing how long he had been running Zen finally stopped when the ground has finally stopped shaking and trembling.

Taking deep breaths Zen raised his head and looked up the sky, he then took out the hole from one of his pockets and confirmed the time. After doing so he took one of the bottled water and drunk as little as possible.

"I had run for almost two hours, the holo will not run out of battery if I don't use it but I better be careful not to break it. Seems like I can't go back."

There was no more trembling but Zen could hear the constant roars coming from the direction he came from, even if he wanted to go back Zen feared that he'll get the attention of the monster there.

An hour had passed and the observing eyes once again appeared but this time Zen felt that there was much more monster around instead of less.

Holding his dagger by his chest Zen stood up and begun to slowly walk out of that place, he was still surrounded by thick vegetation and he couldn't see the monsters around him but Zen knew that he was being surrounded.

"I need to get out of here, I can't die while Yin and Freya are still back there."

He was determined to live, Zen knew that couldn't fight so as he felt that he had finally got a second wind he started running with all his might once again.

Taking one step forward he made a mad dash out of that place, even though his strength was limited and could not be enhanced further Zen was a true and genuine Seeker so his running speed was almost twice as fast as a normal human.

However, that mad dash of his became the sign of the hunt, as he took his third step a dog like humanoid creature jumped him with claws and jaws aim at his neck.

'[Lycans]! Shit am I unlucky today.'

Zen looked at the sharp teeth and claws coming for his neck, he shivered as a chill run down his spine and he became unable to move any further.

He was petrified from the bloodlust that was aimed at him, his feet trembled and felt as if it had taken root on the ground, he tried moving but it was as if it was as heavy as lead.

'Move! Move! Moveee!!'

He screamed inside his mind.

Then as the Lycan was about to reach him Zen grit his teeth and just stood his ground.

Holding his dagger in front of him Zen took an amateurish stance he didn't take a step forward nor did he take a step back, he only looked ahead and got ready to kill.

'I am weak, but I will not die here.'

This thought resonated inside his mind, the monster in front of him was only an E-rank much weaker than what he had thought, but this kind of monster hunts with a pack so this single Lycan was most likely here to test if Zen was strong or not.

"Raaaa!"

He thrust forth and move his body forward, his eyes could follow the Lycan's movement but it meant nothing if his body couldn't he roared on top of his lungs he moved his and made a resolute decision.

Crunch!!

A set of fangs bore its teeth upon his fleshy body however the fangs did not reach his neck because he deliberately made it bit his left shoulder.

"Aaargh!"

Zen howled in pain as the Lycan took a deep bite of him but instead of his mind blacking out from the pain it woke up his senses as his instinct to survive kick in.

The dagger on his right hand that he had thrust forward change its course as he forces his wrist to change direction.

Swoosh!!

The Lycan on his shoulder has yet to open its mouth and took off and as it was on his shoulder Zen made a mad roar and drove his dagger on the side of the Lycan's neck.

"Die!!!"

He roared in pain and in desperation as he drove his dagger from above to the Lycan by his side and in response, the Lycan opened its mouth and howled in pain.

"Graaa!!!"

"DIE!!! DIE!! DIE!!"

It wanted to flail around and shook off Zen's dagger that had been embedded on the side of its neck but when it did Zen took the chance of taking away his dagger and in one swift, desperate motion a deep stab was made on the Lycan's head multiple times to ensure its death.

"Graa! @%$#@ ^%$# @#@*^%* !@# &% @#$!!!!"

The Lycan that had been stabbed multiple times on the head made non-understandable sound and roars as it slowly got on its knees and died, blood was still flowing from the stabs Zen gave it.

Zen's mind was as clear as day, the feeling of stabbing the body of a monster was unpleasant but this gave him confidence that he will not die here.

His strength may be limited and he may not have any strong artifacts or ranked weapon with him, but this single dagger made it possible for him to kill a monster a single rank higher than him.

However, he did not let this kind of victory get into his head and think that he can win with this kind of strength.

With his mind clear and adrenalin still kicking in Zen took off as he felt his feet once again, he moved forward and dashed with all his strength and feeling his shoulder aching from the bite Zen took out the medicine in his pocket.

He didn't hesitate and took in two pain relievers. Lycan's does not only have sharp teeth and claws but their saliva also has poison in them that doubles the pain of the wound they have inflicted.

"The pain relievers are doing almost nothing."

He wanted to stop and tend to his wounds but Zen could hear the fast steps coming his way, he did not know just where they are positioned but he knew that a pack of Lycans was coming for him.

Zen felt himself getting tired and exhausted but he could not stop or else death will come in the form of the claws and jaws of the oncoming furious Lycans.

Awooo!!

As he was running for his life he heard a howl from atop the near mountain, he was not sure if that's the boss of this dungeon but Zen knew that he can't meet with that monster right now.

And so he chose to change direction as he running away, he changed his course and move opposite of the nearby mountain and run at speed.

"Graa!!"

A Lycan suddenly jumped him from the side and just like before its claws and teeth were aiming for vitals. Zen noticed this and without much hesitation, he lowered his body to dodge the claws aimed to kill him but he still grazed his back.

"Ugh!"

The Lycan who jumped him regained its footing and returned to running after Zen.

This kind of scene where he is jumped by Lycans occurred many more times and most of the time he would get an injury on the back or by his side.

Only after a few minutes, Zen's clothes were already drenched with his own blood and if not for the adrenaline and the pain relievers he had taken he would have been long on the ground writhing in pain.

However Zen did not give in even when his body was about to give in, he chose to continue running in the slightest hopes of living, however, the fact that he was grievously wounded cannot be reversed just with hope alone.

Swoosh!!!

Then as he just running away he finally reached the end of the vegetation, but what he saw was not hope but death, because in front was nothing but a cliff with a bottom that cannot be seen.

"A dead end, I need to change course."

With haste, he tried to turn around but when he did eleven humanoid dog-like creature with brown furs appeared and surrounded him.

Awoo!!!

He heard the faraway howl and hearing this howl the Lycans responded with a howl of their own.

Awoo!!

In Zen's ears what he had just heard was nothing but the sound of death.

Graaa!!

A Lycan jumped him and noticing this Zen ducked and tried dodging with all he got, however, just like before a claw got him and this time it was more severe than before because his entire left hand was taken with that last attack.

"Aaaaaah! I can't die like, I can't leave my sister and Freya I can't die, not yet!!"

He howled in pain and started murmuring to himself like a dying villain from a cliché movie. Zen wished for a miracle to happen but just like anyone would have expected nothing happen.

'I want to live, I can't die yet.'

Zen took a step back and felt the land he was stepping on was about to end, there was to choices he had right now, first would be to wait for his death on the hands of the Lycans and second was to fall to his death handing his life to the heavens.

Zen did not want any of that.

'If I had the power I wouldn't be a trap with two options of death if I'm strong enough like Freya I could've cleared this dungeon with ease and went home if I was strong enough I could have live through this… I want power, I don't want to die!'

He roared and put his dagger by his chest once again, he wanted to cling on the slimmest thread of hope he could… he didn't want to die and so he wanted to fight.

At this time, the Lycans felt hesitation they were monster with no mind only and could only follow the orders of the boss of the dungeon they fear nothing if the boss was inside this dungeon but right facing this weak human they hesitated to take a step forward.

In front of them, there was not human only a beast that is clinging to the slightest hopes that he could live through this ordeal an outnumbered wounded beast that wanted to live and slaughter those who wanted to take its life.

This is the image Zen was projecting.

His dagger was his fangs and this fang would tear through every enemy it could if it meant clinging to life.

The Lycans could not move and take another step forward, they were petrified at the bloodlust oozing from this weak human.

Awooo!!!

A loud howl reverberated and echoed throughout the valley and a black shadow was suddenly cast upon the whole area and as the shadow was cast a few seconds later a Giant Wolf appeared in front of Zen and beside the Lycans.

Zen did not know what kind of monster he was currently facing but he knew that this monster was powerful, the air it had was different from the others and magnificent its beauty showed can be compared to gems.

The giant wolf looked at Zen and snorted and then it looked to the Lycans and as if it was speaking it made sounds from its mouth.

"Graa ruuu, roar, gruu!!!"

It was a weird sight but Zen could only watch and try looking for a means of escape.

Then the wold once again looked at Zen and snorted as it released its own bloodlust and intent to murder Zen. It acted as if it was competing with Zen on who could intimidate the other more.

Zen felt the bloodlust and his heart started palpitating as if it was about to burst apart. Seeing Zen's reaction the wolf snorted and raised one of its paws, it gave Zen one more look and with its sharp claws, it released a killing strike.

Zen knew that he will not live if he took that attack but he also knew he will not be able to block and could only jump backward and if he did that he will die without a doubt.

Every answer to his predicament all meant death but he didn't want death, only life and so he took a step forward and thrust 'fangs' in an attempt to kill the beast that's in the way of his path to living.

The wolf saw his action and as if it had seen something exciting its horrendous maw seemed to have formed a smile and gave a howl.

Crack!!

Zen's dagger was broken in half and the wolf paw did not stop and hit his body away and from the great force, Zen was sent flying to the cliff.

While he was falling Zen felt the wind on his back, the broken dagger was still on his hands and as he was falling Zen did not feel right.

Not because he was already dying but because he felt that the heavens were choosing his own death and feeling this way Zen gripped the dagger on his right hand and stabbed himself on the heart.

He didn't know why he did it but Zen felt refresh when he stabbed himself.

'I'm sorry Freya, Yin seems like I won't be coming home after all. I don't want to die but….'

"I want to at least choose my own death."

With that thought, he died with a heart full of regret and a middle finger raised to the sky.

Splat!!