The Man Whose Beloved Girlfriend Was Stolen Destroys Everything ~After Being Forced to Witness the NTR Scene, What Awaited Him Was a Dungeon. - Episode 2: Resolve.

Episode 2: Resolve.

I pressed forward through the pitch-black corridor where even a few meters ahead vanished into nothingness, one hand trailing the wall for guidance while my senses strained for any sign of danger. My goal: the staircase that would lead me back to the surface.

Dungeons are divided into layers—upper, middle, lower, and deepest. The deepest layer is where the corpses of most D Disaster victims are eventually discovered. Based on that grim statistic, I had to assume this was the deepest layer and proceed accordingly.

Even among professional explorers, only those of the highest ranks are permitted to enter the deepest layer.

Which meant that someone like me—utterly untouched by combat until today, a complete amateur when it came to dungeons—could only fumble along with the most rudimentary actions.

“A fork in the path…”

No matter how far I walked, the endless darkness refused to end. Just as I began to wonder whether this single straight corridor was all there was, the passage suddenly split in two before me.

“A maze…?”

There could be traps lying in wait. Still, no other route presented itself. With little else to go on, I decided to follow the classic rule of mazes: keep the right wall at my side and advance.

After a while, the corridor opened into a slightly wider space lit by flickering torches.

Just an ordinary, featureless room—or so I thought.

Then, from the shadowed corridor ahead, two floating orbs of light emerged.

They approached slowly, deliberately. Harsh, ragged breathing—not my own—reached my ears. It sounded bestial… and when the torchlight finally reached them, the truth was revealed.

〈garururururu〉

“‘Night Wolf’…!!”

Glossy black fur that gleamed eerily under the torchlight. The predatory glint in its eyes made my entire body tremble with instinctive terror.

Truly befitting the name “demon wolf”—a B-rank monster, the Night Wolf. Easily two meters in length, yet possessing terrifying speed for its size. A creature no ordinary civilian like me had any business facing.

My brain screamed at me to flee this instant.

I spun on my heel without a second’s hesitation—

“…Huh?”

—but the Night Wolf was faster.

Its fangs, sharp as knives, sank deep into my left shoulder.

“Guh—aaaaaaaAAAAAHHHHHH!!”

White-hot agony exploded through my shoulder. The beast clamped down harder, as though determined to tear the limb clean off. My face twisted in pain; cold, greasy sweat poured from my forehead.

Desperately, I swung my right fist straight at its sensitive nose. A pained yelp—almost dog-like—escaped it, and with that momentary distraction I managed to wrench myself free.

My left arm now hung limp and useless. I could feel my blood pulsing out in thick, steady spurts. My vision swam; consciousness flickered at the edges.

Meanwhile, the Night Wolf seemed perfectly fine. It casually scratched at its nose with a forepaw, the earlier sting apparently already fading.

“Haah… haah… you fucking piece of shit…!”

The overwhelming difference in strength left me with nothing but curses.

This is it. I’m going to die here. My guts will be ripped out and devoured while I’m still half-alive.

Horrible futures flashed through my mind one after another. No clever plan presented itself. My mind—never particularly sharp to begin with—was now starved of blood and oxygen; every thought moved at a crawl.

All the while, more blood poured from the wound, pooling warmly at my feet. The sensation of it soaking into my shoes was sickening. I looked down—and my own reflection stared back from the crimson puddle.

“…!!”

Pathetic.

Hollow. Empty. The eyes of a weakling who had spouted all that bravado about becoming someone glorious… and yet here I was, already broken to pieces after mere minutes.

Seeing myself like that—so wretched it hurt—I—

“…Haha.”

—couldn’t forgive it.

The absurdity of it all was so laughable that a crooked smile forced its way onto my lips.

What the hell are you giving up for?

Why aren’t you moving?

Don’t give up—think.

Move—act.

You will achieve it—

“—To become a ‘glorious one’…!!”

I took deep, deliberate breaths, forcing the searing pain to recede, willing my scattered thoughts to sharpen. The Night Wolf, apparently deeming me beneath its notice, simply waited—arrogantly motionless.

That sheer complacency grated on me more than anything. The pain? Practically nothing now; adrenaline born of rage and hatred drowned it out.

Fine. Then let’s use this.

My left shoulder—already useless, barely able to twitch. Perfect. I’ll use it.

The single, insane idea that had just flashed through my mind was my one-shot gamble. Fail once and I die. Succeed once and it becomes the first step toward glory.

“…I’m doing this.”

Blood splashed from the puddle with a wet smack as I charged straight at the Night Wolf.

Even at my sudden lunge, it showed no alarm. The level gap was insurmountable; my movements were child’s play to track. Toying with me would only waste its stamina.

Which was exactly why I was betting everything on this moment—when both my stamina and willpower were still at their peak.

I closed the distance. Threw a right straight at its face. Naturally, it did zero damage. The wolf didn’t even flinch.

But pointless, fly-like harassment repeated enough times becomes irritating.

“Guh…!!”

Sure enough, the Night Wolf finally lost patience and pounced.

It pinned my fallen body beneath its weight and sank its fangs once more into my mangled left shoulder. Fresh agony ripped through not just the wound but my entire body. Still, I refused to let consciousness slip.

My gaze slid from the cold, filthy stone ceiling… to the left.

There—completely unobstructed—the Night Wolf’s throat lay exposed. The single most vital weak point of any living creature, bared right in front of me.

I knew full well that my frail arms couldn’t inflict meaningful damage with punches alone.

Which was precisely why—

“—Agh!!”

〈gyau!?〉

—I sank my teeth straight into its neck.

An indescribable bitterness and stench flooded my mouth and nose in an instant. I ignored it completely. This was my one and only chance—I would not waste it.

I will make this work…!!

My jaw muscles strained with a strength I had never known I possessed.

—My teeth pierced skin.

For the first time in this fight, the Night Wolf felt real pain. It released my shoulder and began to thrash wildly, trying to shake me off. My body slammed against the stone floor again and again, but I refused to let go.

—My teeth sank deeper into muscle.

Its naturally sharpened claws raked down, carving a vertical line across my right eye. Half my vision plunged into darkness. It hurt. Terribly. But none of that mattered now.

—Blood—hot, thick Night Wolf blood—filled my mouth and slid down my throat.

The beast howled in pathetic desperation, claws tearing at me over and over. I endured it all—

Until finally, a single beast’s death cry echoed through the dungeon.

—I tore its throat out.

The Night Wolf collapsed in a lifeless heap. I followed suit, crumpling beside it. I chewed mechanically on the stringy chunk of flesh still in my mouth.

“…Disgusting.”

Beastly. Reeking of iron and musk. Utterly inedible.

And yet… it was unmistakably the taste of victory.

This was my first step toward becoming a “glorious one.”