The pain was unbearable.

Melina couldn’t breathe.

Blood filled her mouth.
Metallic, mixed with dirt and dust.

One arm wouldn’t move.
The other trembled, barely lifting her heavy body.
Beside her—
Bones snapping.

Above—
A blackened sky.
And that scream.

So sharp. So twisted.
It made her heart ache just to hear it.

“Scan failed. Level difference too high. Evaluation impossible.”

That message was burned into her eyes.
She couldn’t forget.
Not the sound of flesh tearing.
Not the voice of the tank yelling—

“RUN OR DIE!!”

But…
There was nowhere left to run.

A few weeks earlier…

The courtyard of the Hunter Academy roared with excitement.
Instructors called names one by one,
Handing out golden badges—
Proof of graduation.

Melina stood among them—
Eyes bright. Heart pounding.

“Melina. Class: Appraiser.”

Silence.
Some students hid their laughter.
Others sighed in pity.

Appraisers.
The weakest class.
The most useless.

No combat skills.
No attack magic.
No defensive spells.

Their only job—
Watch.
Analyze.
Observe.

Eyes on the battlefield…
But never part of it.

Yet for Melina, this was a dream.

She accepted her badge with a smile,
Even with the twisted stares.

“Even if I can’t fight… I’ll help my team. I’ll protect them.”

The Gate to World 1 – Apex
A glowing circle of energy.
All new graduates passed through it.

Earth was broken.
Deserted cities.
Ruined ecosystems.
Monsters roaming free.

But Dungeon-Worlds offered hope.
A second chance.

Seven worlds had been discovered so far.
Each one three times deadlier than the last.

Apex was the only stable one.
Safe cities.
Guilds.
Trade routes.

But even there—
Danger lurked beyond the walls.

Melina stepped into the portal.
Gripping her appraisal staff tight.

Her feet hit the ground in Apex—
She gasped.

A field of blue flowers stretched forever.
Golden mountains rose in the distance.
Winged birds soared overhead.
Deer-like creatures ran freely.

It was… magical.

“More beautiful than anything I saw on Earth…”

Days passed.
Melina joined a small expedition team.
They needed someone to evaluate loot and monster ranks.

It was her role.

The team:

• Griegor – the leader. Stern and experienced.

• Sela & Runn – battle mages.

• Tannor – healer and floor climber (riler).

• Tayk – the tank.

• Dars – quick and agile warrior.

• And finally… Melina, the Appraiser.

They treated her politely… but distant.

In battle, Melina scanned monsters.
Noted weaknesses.
Warned of mutations.

No one listened.

“Appraisers don’t kill monsters. They just slow us down.”
“If things go south, she’ll be the first to die.”

She heard it all.
But never gave up.

After four successful missions in Apex,
The group felt ready.

It was time to climb.
To World 2 – Atreus.

Climbing worlds was a risk.
Each level brought harder enemies.
New rules. New dangers.

Apex monsters were predictable.
Atreus?
Savage.

Still, they went.
Led by Griegor.
Authorized by Tannor.

They stepped through the second portal—
And the air turned heavy.

Atreus was a dark forest.
The trees whispered.
The leaves made no sound.

Melina tried evaluating the first few monsters—
But the scale had changed.

What used to be elite…
Was now basic.

Still, with tactics and strength—
They pressed forward.

Until—

The sky tore open.

A rift.
Purple. Pulsing like a heart.

Tannor’s eyes widened.

“This is bad…”

“A descending portal!” Runn shouted.
“A monster’s coming down from an upper world!!”

Melina froze.

A shadow fell from the sky—
A colossal bat.
Ruby eyes.
Wings that blacked out the sun.

She activated her skill.

Appraisal: Activated

…

…

Scan failed. Level difference too high. Evaluation impossible.

Her knees hit the ground.

“I… I can’t scan it…”

Griegor raised his sword.

“Stay behind me!!”

A flash.
The sound of tearing flesh.

Griegor’s body—
Split in half.

“NO!!” Sela screamed, launching a fireball.
Runn cast a water spear.

Magic exploded against the bat’s body—
It smiled.

Then—
Their heads hit the floor.

Tannor raised a healing barrier.

“RUN, MELINA!!”

The bat shrieked.
The barrier shattered.
Tannor’s head… burst.

The tank turned to her—
Eyes full of terror.

“RUN OR DIE!!!”

He charged the beast.
But was thrown like a ragdoll—
Straight into Melina.

CRACK.

Bones shattered.
An arm.
Two ribs.

Then—
Darkness.

End of Chapter 1.