The air in the "Abyssal Gate" smelled like ozone and rotting meat.
Han Jue gripped his rusted extraction knife, his knuckles white. Ten meters ahead, the "Golden Dawn" guild—the elite heroes of the sector—were laughing as they stepped over the carcass of a Twin-Headed Ogre.
"Hey, Trash-man!" the leader, a Tier-A Flame Mage named Kael, yelled back. "Scrub the blood off the mana stones. If there's a single scratch on them, I'm deducting it from your pay."
Han Jue didn't look up. He couldn't afford to. His sister's hospital bills were due in three days, and scavengers like him were lucky to earn enough for a meal, let alone a miracle.
"Understood, Captain," Han Jue muttered, his voice hollow.
Suddenly, the ground groaned. The "cleared" dungeon shivered. A rift, blacker than the surrounding cave, tore open beneath the Ogre's corpse.
"An Abyssal Mutation?" Kael's face went pale. "Retreat! Everyone, out now!"
The heroes didn't look back. They didn't grab the scavenger. Kael even used a wind-burst spell to propel himself toward the exit, the shockwave knocking Han Jue directly into the growing black maw.
"Wait! Help me!" Han Jue screamed, reaching out.
Kael looked back for a split second, his eyes cold. "Sorry, kid. You're just a D-Rank. Not worth the mana."
The darkness swallowed Han Jue whole.
[System Initializing...] [Condition Met: Abandoned by Kin while facing True Death.] [Binding 'The Eternal Debt Collector' System...] [Current Balance: -1,000,000 Soul Points.] [Warning: If balance is not settled, Soul Erasure will commence in 24:00:00.]
Han Jue felt his heart stop, then restart with the force of a hammer. A holographic screen flickered in his fading vision.
[Do you wish to take out your first loan?]