My arms felt numb, but my hands? Steady.

The bastard was taking his time, probably enjoying the fear in the woman’s eyes. It wouldn’t be long before he actually did something.

Not happening.

"Kneel."

And then, like a shadow slipping into the night, he appeared.

Ruk.

I wasn’t just using him—okay, maybe I was—but rushing in with my current strength was a damn death wish. I needed him this time.

"What is it this time, Ethan?" He sounded unimpressed. Annoyed.

I didn’t speak. Just pointed.

The man. The knife. The woman.

Ruk exhaled sharply. "What a pain. You seriously can’t handle that?"

Not the point.

"That’s why you’re here." I muttered.

Then, without another word, Ruk leaped—scaling the building beside us in a single motion, his form vanishing into the dark.

I had no idea what he was planning.

Didn’t matter.

As long as he got it done.

Summoning Ruk was the easy choice. The safe choice.

But as I crouched there, hidden in the shadows, something gnawed at me.

I could’ve jumped the guy myself. I thought about it. But I hesitated. My mind got tangled in numbers—attributes, stats, power levels.

Why did that even matter?

What if this wasn’t some "new world"? What if there were no levels, no abilities, no damn system to measure strength? If I saw someone being attacked in the old world, would I still have stepped in?

Probably.

So why the hell was I standing here, watching from a safe distance?

I exhaled sharply and glanced up. Ruk had already moved—silent, efficient. He was on the rooftop now, watching, waiting. I could guess what came next. He’d drop down, end this fast.

And yet, guilt crept in.

I hadn’t even tried to save her myself.

Just summoned Ruk. Let him handle it.

And the worst part? I was scared.

Not just of the guy with the knife—though yeah, there was that too—but of what would happen if I screwed up.

I didn’t even look directly at the bastard, afraid he’d spot me, afraid he’d lash out at the woman or me before I could react.

I clenched my jaw.

Then—shouting.

Loud. Angry.

My head snapped toward the noise.

The bastard had grabbed the woman again—hard—his fingers digging into her arm as she struggled against him.

My hands clenched. My heartbeat pounded in my ears, loud enough that I almost didn’t hear her sharp, panicked cry.

I could feel my breath shaking.

And in that moment, something twisted inside me.

What kind of person am I?

I was standing here, watching a crime happen—and what? Just letting Ruk handle it like some detached observer?

No.

Not this time.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

I had to move.

Before it was too late.

This wasn’t going to end well.

I knew that.

But the bastard was gearing up to do worse, and my body moved before my brain could catch up.

My legs kicked into motion—quick strides turning into a full sprint.

Before I even thought about it, I was already throwing my weight forward, ramming into him like some reckless idiot.

Elbow first.

Which, in hindsight? Terrible idea.

The guy barely moved. Solid. Muscled. Like slamming into a damn brick wall.

FUCK. BAD PLAN. BAD PLAN.

Then—

A blur. A shadow above us.

Ruk dropped.

Fast. Heavy.

Before the guy even realized what was happening, my summon slammed into him, driving him straight into the pavement like a goddamn meteor.

No struggle. No sound. Just out cold.

I exhaled.

"I loosened him up for you." I muttered.

then I exhaled, Relief flooded through me.

But under it—disappointment.

I actually didn’t do a damn thing.

As I rushed toward the woman, I got a better look at her.

Younger than I expected. Probably around my age, early twenties at most. But that wasn’t what caught my attention.

Her eyes—wide, unfocused.

Her head shook slightly, body trembling.

And her breathing—ragged, uneven. Too fast.

Shock.

I crouched down, scanning her for injuries. No wounds. No bruises. Nothing visible.

Good. That’s something.

But she wasn’t okay.

She just sat there, frozen, locked in the moment that almost happened.

I hesitated before slowly reaching out, resting a hand lightly on her back. A small, reassuring gesture.

"It’s....over." My voice was quiet.

She flinched. Hard.

Damn. She was terrified.

I pulled my hand back.

"Holy shit—uh, I mean, thanks. Seriously. That was—yeah. Thanks." Her voice was unsteady as she looked at me, then slowly shifted her gaze to Ruk.

I nodded. "You need a hospital or something?"

She shook her head, already reaching for her bag on the ground. "No...no.. I’m fine."

Her hands were still shaking.

As she bent down, loose papers scattered around her. I moved to help pick them up.

Not just papers—posters.

“Hiring Party Members. F-Rank Dungeon Raid.”

So that’s what she’d been doing. Handing these out, looking for people.

She bowed slightly. "I don’t know how to properly thank you…" Her hands fumbled inside her bag, pulling something out.

A small bill.

Ten dollars.

"Would you… uhm… accept this?" She held it out, palm trembling.

I stared at it, then glanced at Ruk. He sat off to the side, completely uninterested in what was happening.

Tempting, but I’m holding out for a solid twenty.

Just kidding, I couldn’t take it.

I waved a hand. "Nah. Don’t worry about it. And actually…" I pointed at Ruk. "He’s the one who knocked the guy out. You should thank him."

Ruk’s ears perked. He turned his head slowly, giving me a look.

She turned to Ruk, who was still sitting, now completely staring at me like I’d personally offended him.

"Uhm... thank you!" She bowed her head toward him.

I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing. Not at her—but at him.

Ruk probably had no idea how to handle gratitude. I could feel the irritation radiating off him. He wasn’t built for this appreciation nonsense.

Good.

He did save her, after all. And honestly? I was grateful too.

Then she looked at me. For some reason, I smiled—awkwardly.

"Are you… a summoner?" she asked.

That caught me off guard.

I nodded, half-expecting the usual reaction—mockery, disgust, some offhand comment about how summoners were weak.

But she didn’t look disgusted.

She didn’t even look surprised.

Instead… she looked almost excited. Maybe even relieved or impressed.

Weird.

image [https://static.vecteezy.com/system/resources/thumbnails/034/487/737/small_2x/gold-frame-page-divider-free-png.png]

Yeah. So, in case it wasn’t obvious, I didn’t take the money.

Instead, she insisted on treating me to a meal. I tried to turn her down, but she was stubborn.

Which is how I ended up back at the night market, sitting across from her, eating ramen.

When she asked what I wanted, I just blurted out ramen, because, honestly? I was hesitant.

But I was also starving.

So here I was. Eating with a girl Ruk just saved.

I just hoped my mother and her fiancé weren’t out for a second dinner.

The last thing I needed was to bump into them while eating ramen. Again.

I took a bite, then glanced up. "So… you from here?"

She nodded. "Yeah. But I live farther out, different district. Just came here for work."

"Handing out posters?"

She blinked, then glanced at her bag, still stuffed with them. "Yeah… you got me." She let out a small laugh before shaking her head. "Wait, I haven’t even asked your name yet. That’s rude of me."

"It’s fine. You can just call me Ethan." I took another bite. "And you?"

"Raine. You can call me Raine."

Raine.

Not a name I heard often. A bit peculiar.

I leaned back slightly, watching her. "So, you in a guild or something?"

Had to make sure. Couldn’t risk her being tied to that guild.

She hesitated for a few seconds before answering. "Actually, yeah. I manage an independent guild."

That made me pause.

Oh.

Not what I expected. But at least it wasn’t the Awakener Guild. Thank god.

Still—her? Running a guild?

I raised an eyebrow, trying to make sense of it. Maybe she was a big deal. But then… if that were true, why the hell was she out here, personally handing out recruitment posters?

That didn’t track.

"You have your own guild?" I asked, trying to piece it together.

She nodded, absently running a hand through her dark blue hair. "Not… exactly mine. It was my father’s. He handed it over for me to manage, so yeah."

That explained a lot.

A manager personally recruiting members? That meant the guild wasn’t big. Probably barely holding on. Independent guilds had it rough, especially ones without solid backing.

"It’s weird." I muttered, finishing another bite.

She blinked. "What is?"

"Don’t get me wrong, I’m just curious. You’re technically the boss—or...uh.. at least the manager. So why are you the one handing out posters?"

She chuckled, rubbing the back of her head, almost embarrassed. "Look, I know how this sounds, but yeah, my guild’s barely hanging on. I mean, not barely-barely, but… okay, fine, yes. It’s bad."

So I was right.

I grabbed a napkin, wiping my lips. "But you’ve got a functioning party at least, right?"

She nodded. "Hmm, yes. but actually...the problem was we need more people to keep it running."

"How many Awakeners do you have right now?" I asked, not because I was interested—just curious.

Her answer came quick.

"Five."

"Five? Isn’t that more than enough to raid a dungeon?" My tone came out sharper than I expected.

Raine shook her head. "No, no, actually. The Awakener Guild requires party groups to have at least six members before they can enter a dungeon."

That caught me off guard.

I hadn’t known that. Then again… it made sense. I’d seen party groups before, most of them rolling in squads of six. I just never thought much about why.

So the guild wasn’t just controlling Awakeners—they were setting rules for even independent guilds?

Freaking bastards.

"And.. if you don’t follow that rule?" I asked.

Raine hesitated. Blinked.

Then her expression shifted—something uneasy in the way her lips pressed together.

"Independent guilds… we have to sign a contract with the Awakener Guild at the start. The system registers it. If we break the rules—" She exhaled. "They know. And they will come down on us for it."

"Hmm? Sounds like something they’d do." I muttered, sipping the last of my noodles.

Raine glanced up, eyebrows raised. "What?"

I waved it off. "Ah, nothing."

No need to tell her what I really thought about the Awakener Guild.

The conversation lulled after that. She kept eating, taking slow, careful bites. Meanwhile, I had already finished my bowl like some starving animal.

She broke the silence first. "What about you? Are you working or doing anything here?"

"Nah." I paused, then corrected myself. "No—actually, yeah. I’m looking for a job."

Her expression shifted slightly. "Wait… you’re a summoner, right? So, uhm… have you raided a dungeon before?"

A dungeon?

Yeah. I was thrown into one.

Nearly died. Barely made it out. Was even attacked by my own summon at one point.

I leaned back, exhaling.

"Only once."

She looked at me again, and for the first time, I actually noticed—her eyes were blue.

Not just blue—bright. Sharp.

Not that I was getting weird about it or anything. Just... surprising.

"And the wolf… he’s your raiding partner?"

"That’s true." I nodded. "His name’s Amaruq. But I just call him Ruk, mostly because 'Ruk' I think is way cooler."

Raine blinked, then let out a small laugh. "That’s… uh, a unique name for sure!"

She hesitated, then smiled—awkwardly. "Hey, uh… do you mind if I ask something?"

I leaned back, giving her a thumbs-up. "Yeah, go ahead."

And then—

"ARE YOU INTERESTED IN JOINING MY PARTY?!"

She screamed.

Not asked.

Not suggested. Screamed.

At full volume.

In the middle of a public food stall.

Every single person around us turned to stare.

I nearly choked on air. "What the hell—"

My heart was still recovering from the previous near-death experience, and now this woman was trying to kill me with a damn ambush shout?

I just sat there, blinking. Processing.

What. The. Hell.