The dungeon gate shimmered shut behind the Iron Guts team. The goblin dungeon's second-floor raid was complete, and their van rumbled along the cracked roads back toward the city.
Rin sat quietly in the back, satchel resting on his lap, light but significant.
Iron Guts glanced at him through the rearview mirror."So, how many did you pull this time, kid?"
"Thirty cores," Rin replied calmly, eyes focused.
The group leader chuckled. "Second-floor goblin cores—lower grade, but plentiful. As agreed, one gold per core for porters."
He tapped his comms bracelet.
[+30 Gold Transferred to: Rin Kazer]
"Good work. You're sharper than most porters I've seen."
Rin nodded silently, tucking the pouch into his jacket. His thoughts were already ahead of the next raid.
Back in his quiet corner of the slums — the same cracked alley where he had first met Rakka — Rin crouched beside a worn water bowl. The evening sun cast an orange hue as he unwrapped a small piece of dried beast meat.
"Alright, Rakka. Time to eat."
He summoned the scavenger rat, who appeared in a shimmer of light. With eager eyes, Rakka sniffed the meat and started nibbling.
[Beast Fed – 2/7 Days][Evolution Progress: Ongoing]
"Two down… five to go."
After Rakka finished, Rin gently summoned the injured red-eyed bat he'd discovered during the dungeon run — overlooked by the rest of the team, but Rin had caught the faint, trembling aura hidden in the shadows. The bat was quiet, its wings nicked, eyes watching him warily.
"You're not looking too good, buddy," Rin whispered.
He poured a small portion of healing potion into a second bowl and slid it toward the bat. It sniffed the contents and slowly began to drink. A faint green glow wrapped its body, subtle but visible.
[Minor Healing Applied][Injury Recovery: 1 Day Remaining]
Once the bat looked stable, Rin opened his Status.
[Beast Space – Rank E (Unofficial)]
Environment: Small CaveCapacity: 3
1. Rakka (Scavenger Rat)
Trait: Loots unnoticed
Feeding Progress: 2/7 Days
2. Red-Eyed Cave Bat(Injured)
Trait: Dungeon Beast Detection
Status: Healing
3. (Empty)
Rin's lips curled into a small smirk."Dungeon Beast Detection… so you're basically a living radar."
With a touch, he stored the bat inside the Small Cave environment beside Rakka.
[2 / 3 Beasts Stored]
"That makes two. And both are better than they look."
He stood, slinging his satchel over one shoulder and glancing back toward the alley's dark entrance. The slums weren't home forever — just a starting point.
"I may still be an 'F-rank' to them…" he muttered, eyes narrowing. "But in here—"
He tapped his chest."I'm already beyond that."