The God-Level Scavenger

The Secret in the Rubbish

The massive bone hand clamped around my ankle like a trap.

The bone felt freezing cold, and the force of the grip nearly snapped my leg. I was pulled off my feet, my stomach slamming into the dirt as the giant hand began to drag me backward into the dark pit opening up in the cave floor.

"Not today," I growled, grinding my teeth against the pain.

I did not panic. My new stats gave me speed. I rolled my body to the left, using my free left leg to kick hard against the giant wrist. My boot struck the thick bone with a heavy thud, but it did not break. The creature beneath the floor was much stronger than the Shadow Wolf.

The blue screen flashed right in front of my face, lighting up the darkness.

[Warning: High-Tier Dungeon Boss emerging: Giant Skeleton Warrior.]

[Danger Level: High. User is advised to escape.]

"I cannot escape if it does not let go," I muttered.

I reached out and activated my new skill. Shadow Step.

A sudden feeling of weightlessness hit my legs. My body blurred, moving out of the physical world for a split second. The giant bone fingers slipped right through my ankle as if I had turned into smoke. I appeared five feet away, landing on my feet in a low crouch.

The giant bone hand wrapped around empty air. A second later, a massive skull, cracked and yellowed from hundreds of years in the earth, pushed through the broken stone floor. It had no eyes, just two empty sockets staring ahead.

The boss monster was rising, and its massive chest armor was covered in thick iron plates.

I looked down at the iron pipe in my hand. It was too small to break something that big. I needed more power. I sprinted back toward the trash pile where the dead Iron Dragon heart was buried. If I could extract more from that dead beast before the skeleton fully climbed out of the ground, I would have a chance.

The giant skeleton threw its upper body out of the pit, bringing down a massive stone club right toward my path. The club smashed into the ground, throwing sharp rocks into my chest. One rock cut my cheek, but the wound healed almost instantly as my new health points worked.

I leaped over the club, my increased agility making me jump higher than ever before. I landed right on top of the old rubbish pile and shoved my hands deep into the wet, rotting scales of the dragon corpse.

"Extract everything," I said in my mind.

[Activating SSS-Class Extraction System.]

[Target: High-Tier Iron Dragon Corpse.]

[Extracting Dragon Bone Defense. Defense increased by 30 points.]

[Extracting Weapon: Damaged Dragon Scale Blade.]

A heavy weight appeared in my right hand. It was a long, dark sword made from a single solid dragon scale. The edge was jagged but sharp enough to slice through steel walls.

The giant skeleton turned toward me, its empty jaw opening to let out a silent roar that made the cave walls shake. It lifted its massive stone club again, swinging it sideways to crush me against the wall.

I did not move away. I held the dragon blade with both hands and leaped straight at the monster's neck.

Shadow Step.

I vanished into thin air just as the stone club hit the rubbish pile, scattering bones and dirt everywhere. A millisecond later, I appeared right behind the skeleton's head. I brought the heavy dragon blade down with all my strength, hitting the vertebrae of its neck.

The dark blade cut through the ancient bone like a knife through soft butter.

The massive skull detached from the spine, bouncing away across the stone floor. The giant skeleton body froze, then crumbled into a huge heap of useless, dusty bones.

I landed on the ground, leaning on my sword, my chest rising and falling fast.

[Dungeon Boss defeated. User level increased.]

[Extracting Boss materials... Extracting Core strength. Strength increased by 15 points.]

I closed the blue screen and let out a long breath. My body felt incredibly light, and the muscles in my arms felt like solid stone. I was no longer the weak boy who got thrown down the stairs.

As I turned to look for the exit gate, a small object glinted in the dust next to the skeleton's crushed ribs. It did not look like monster loot. It was a small, silver capsule, the kind wealthy people used to carry private documents inside the city.

I walked over and picked it up. My Debris Sorting skill naturally noted its value, but something else caught my eye. There was a small symbol carved into the silver cap—a small light flower.

It was Amina's personal magic signature.

My hands began to tremble. I twisted the capsule open. Inside was a rolled piece of paper covered in hurried handwriting.

Kofi, the note read. If you are reading this, it means my plan worked and you survived the fall. I know you hate me right now. I know the water felt cold, and my words felt like a knife. But you have to stay in the dark tunnels. Do not come back to the city yet.

My breath stopped in my throat. I stared at the paper, my eyes scanning the simple words.

Tariq found out about our marriage plan. His father's guards were coming to execute your entire family tonight to clear the slum sector. The only way to save you was to make Tariq think I belonged to him, and that I hated you. I asked him to throw you in this dungeon because I knew the guards would leave you alive at the gate instead of killing you in the alley. I hid my healing potions near the gate. Please, stay alive. I will find a way to fix this.

The paper crinkled under my grip. She had manipulated the richest young master in the city just to keep me breathing. She was risking her life right now, living with a monster like Tariq, while I thought she was a traitor.

A sudden mechanical beep came from the iron gate at the entrance of the cave.

The heavy doors started to slide open. The sound of heavy footsteps echoed down the stone tunnel. Two voices walked toward the room, their flashlights cutting through the dark air.

"Young Master Tariq wanted us to check if the garbage boy is fully eaten yet," one guard said, his voice full of casual laughter. "If he is still breathing, we finish the job."