Iron Fist Guild Members

I blinked. Blurry shapes hovered over me like ghosts, talking to each other. Two girls, one guy. I focused on the girl in front—the one with pink hair, standing too confidently with a sword on her back.

Wait.

I stared at her chest. Yeah, it was definitely her. The same girl from yesterday. The hero who saved me in that alley. I didn't forget those curves even if I tried.

"Stay away from him. What're you doing?" the boy said, annoyed. He turned to me. "You better start talking. You've illegally entered this dungeon, haven't you?"

I stayed quiet. My mouth felt like I'd been chewing dirt for hours. I looked around, trying to piece together what the hell was going on. Did I pass out?

"I asked you a question," he barked.

"Dunno what you're talkin' about," I said, rubbing my eyes. "I got lost. That's it."

He narrowed his eyes. "Don't lie. You were in a guild-only B-rank gate. How'd you even get in?"

"Fell through a crack or some shit," I muttered.

The other girl—Noa, I think he called her—glanced at Rosalyn, then back at me. The boy—Kael—looked like he was two seconds from slapping the truth out of me.

"Then take off your mask," he said. "If you've got nothing to hide."

I sat up slowly and put a hand on the mask. "Can't."

Kael frowned. "What do you mean, 'can't'?"

"I mean I don't know how. It just… stuck. I put it on and now it won't come off."

That was technically true. I didn't know how to take it off yet.

Kael's patience finally snapped. He reached for his sword, drawing it halfway out its sheath.

"Kael, back off," Rosalyn said, stepping between us.

"What?"

"I called him here. He's not a trespasser."

Kael stared at her like she'd grown two heads. "Now you're recognizing him? You didn't even know him when he was unconscious."

"I didn't recognize him because of the mask," Rosalyn said flatly. "But now that I've heard his voice, I remember. His name's Jason."

Jason?

That caught me off guard, but I didn't question it. If she was helping, I wasn't gonna shoot myself in the foot.

"Yeah, it's me," I said quickly. "Thanks for the help… Rosalyn."

Noa tilted her head. "Wait… we didn't say her name around you."

Shit.

Rosalyn smiled. "See? I told you. He knows me."

Kael wasn't convinced. "Why'd you call him here?"

Rosalyn didn't even flinch. "Because he's an Extractor."

What?

What the hell does that mean? I wanted to ask. 

But let's just play along.

Kael was equally confused. "You're making shit up now. What's the proof?"

Noa walked forward without a word. She looked around, crouched near a patch of snow, and picked something up. A glowing green crystal. Then another. Then another.

"These are fresh," she said. "Lots of 'em."

I looked at the scattered crystals and remembered. My inventory had been full. I couldn't store any more, so I just left a few dozen behind before passing out.

"I was in pain…" I muttered. My ribs, my legs, my whole body had been screaming earlier. But now…

I sat up straighter. I moved my fingers. My shoulder didn't ache. My ribs didn't feel like knives stabbing me.

I licked my lips and immediately made a face. "Tastes like ass…"

I spotted two empty bottles and realized they'd healed me.

I stared at Rosalyn.

I was still down on the snow when my brain slowly caught up with the scene around me. My body wasn't hurting, thanks to the potions they used on me, but everything still felt heavy… like I was hungover after getting punched by a truck.

But what really messed with me wasn't the pain—it was Rosalyn.

How the hell did she even recognize me with the mask still on? Did she actually recognize me, or was she bluffing? Maybe she was just the kind of girl who helped anyone who looked like they got fucked by a train. Yeah, maybe that was it.

Then Kael turned to me, voice sharp, eyes drilling into my face. "Where's the blue crystal from the boss?"

Before I could answer, Rosalyn stepped in again like she was my lawyer or some shit.

"The boss's body is fried," she said, brushing snow off her coat. "Minced, crushed, stabbed, buried, and roasted. Even a professional S-rank extractor would struggle to get anything out of that mess."

Kael's jaw twitched. "And why exactly didn't you inform me anything about Jason? About him being an extractor? I'm the team leader. I make the decisions."

Rosalyn didn't even flinch. "I don't need permission to do what I want. I don't take orders from you."

Damn.

Before Kael could say anything else, Rosalyn reached her hand out to me.

I hesitated. Then grabbed it.

The moment I stood up, my legs went full noodle mode. I stumbled forward and kind of… crashed into her. Not hard or anything, just enough to feel the warmth of her body even through all the layers of winter clothes. She was soft. Way softer than she looked.

Shit, that was a genuine accident. My bad.

Rosalyn didn't say anything though. She just looked at me, steady.

Kael's face? Redder than a volcano. Steam practically puffing from his ears.

And that's when he lost it. He stepped forward and shoved me again.

"If you're an extractor," he said, "then why the hell didn't you join us? Why'd you kill all the monsters and the boss? Do you even understand how much resources you just wasted?!"

I was done.

Deadass done.

This guy had been screaming since the moment I opened my eyes. That same tone. That same blame. That same judgmental stare like I was some stray mutt that pissed in his cereal.

That's how they all treated me in the past life.

I swore to myself I'd never let that happen again.

I glared at him, voice calm but sharp enough to cut steel. "Shut the fuck up already."

Kael froze. Like someone had slapped him across the face.

I looked at Rosalyn and Noa, ignoring the steaming volcano next to me. "Does this guy have a yelling fetish or something? Or is he just allergic to shutting up?"

Noa laughed. For real. She had to bite her lip to stop it, but I saw her shoulders shaking.

Kael clenched his fists. "I'm the leader—"

"And I'm supposed to care… why?" I said with a shrug. "When I came to this dungeon, no one was around. I was told I'd meet Iron Fist members at the gate. But I saw no one."

Noa blinked and turned to Rosalyn. "We didn't say our guild name… but he knows. That kinda confirms he's telling the truth."

I nodded. "Yeah. So I walked in, thinking maybe they were late. Next thing I know, monsters jumped me. What was I supposed to do? Sit down and wait for them to stab me to death? Or pray to the hero gods that y'all show up and save me?"

Rosalyn looked at me with… something in her eyes. Curiosity? Admiration? Hard to say, but it wasn't bad.

I stared right back at Kael. "If I waited, I'd be dead. You showed up after everything was done. Don't act like you were guarding the place."

"We passed through the forest earlier. No monsters were there," Kael said, arms crossed.

"How is that my fault?" I snapped. "Maybe they came out after. Maybe they were hiding from you."

I stepped closer. "If anything, you should compensate me for surviving all that shit alone. I did your job. You're welcome."

Rosalyn smirked. She was definitely holding back a grin now.

"We're done for today," Noa said, stretching. "We already cleared two areas. We'll report this to HQ. Let another team finish the rest."

Rosalyn took out some device from her pocket—it looked like a mini compass, but glowing—and said, "Let's head out."

They had a damn exit tracker. I was wandering like a blind rat and they had GPS the whole time.

I followed them, walking behind, still wearing the mask. I thought I'd dip once we were out, but—

"We're going to the Evaluation Center," Kael said, blocking my path. "Crystals need to be processed. You were part of the expedition, so you're coming."

I could teleport and vanish. Right there. But…

"Fine," I said, brushing past him. "Let's go. I've got questions anyway."

Like, how valuable were those crystals? How did dungeons work here? And maybe… I'd get more time near Rosalyn.

She looked over her shoulder and gave me a look. Just a small glance. Like she knew what I was thinking.

I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. But hell, I was curious.