Ashborn smiled behind his dark helmet as Sung Jinwoo accepted Kandiaru’s System into his soul. He knew the Mage did not trust his choice, but the System’s creator’s opinion mattered not. Ashborn could see the potential for greatness in Sung Jinwoo. A lesser soul would have quit long ago.
Yet time after time again, Jinwoo had met with death and declared, ‘Not today.’ Some of those times were lucky, true enough, but not all. Not even most. He understood death on a primal level that most mortals never would. And he had such a will to live. To fulfill his duty as his sister’s primary caregiver. To revive his mother from her unfortunate sickness those damned Rulers had inflicted on her inadvertently.
Ashborn would see that grit and determination rewarded. “So, it is done.” His voice was dark, powerful, and heavy.
A complete contrast to Kandiaru’s smarmy voice. “Of course, my Lord.” The Mage declared, a simpering smile on his face. “My System is perfect. Soon, you will have your new vessel. Soon, we will be able to destroy the Rulers for good. The Cup of Reincarnation will not save them this time.”
“Indeed. I thank you for your services.” Ashborn declared. And then the shadows around them moved, impaling Kandiaru a hundred different times and killing the Mage instantly. “Your services are no longer required.” He said in complete satisfaction. After all… the Monarchs weren’t great allies either. He was certain that Antares had been behind Baran and Rakan’s betrayal. He had little doubt that the Mage had intended on somehow using the System to take Ashborn’s power for himself.
He wouldn’t even give Kandiaru the honor of raising him as a Shadow. All that would remain of the slime was his Statue inside the Cartenon Temple. Ashborn had learned all he needed to learn of the System by watching the Mage’s work. He could handle this himself. “Now let’s see…” Once again, Ashborn smiled. It was time to make improvements.
-]|[-
Jinwoo awoke with a scream. He gasped for breath, holding his chest in a trembling grip. Sweat poured off his body in rivulets. ‘A-A hospital?’ He looked around, ‘W-Was it all a dream?’ His stomach clenched as he threw the covers off his legs, and he sagged when he saw two whole, healthy legs on the bed. ‘It… it felt so real.’
The door opened up, and two men walked in. A blond with slicked-back hair wearing sunglasses (indoors), and another man with wild purple hair. Both wore suits, and the blond walked over, “Sung Jinwoo… I see you’re awake.” He held out a business card, “Woo Jinchul. I’m with the Hunter’s Association Surveillance Team.”
“Wh-What does the Surveillance Team want with me?” He was then flabbergasted to learn that not only had that Double Dungeon happened, but he had been unconscious for three whole days! But that wasn’t important. What was important was finding out, “What happened to Joohee and Mr. Song?! Did they make it out okay?!”
“They did.” Woo said, “But Mr. Song lost his arm. He’ll have a lot of difficulty fighting as a Hunter. He may choose to retire.” His voice was sympathetic, but also clinical. As if he were discussing the weather. “Miss Lee Joohee is heavily traumatized and is receiving therapy. We suspect that she too will decide to retire.” He closed his eyes, “Mr. Kim Sangshik and the others-”
“I don’t care.” Jinwoo said bluntly, interrupting him. “Not about them.”
“I see.” Woo sighed, “I can’t say I blame you. All the survivors’ stories told the same thing. That you figured out all the riddles, and yet they left you behind. All of them feel ashamed.”
“Fat lot of good their shame does now.” Jinwoo said bitterly, glaring at his fists. “How did I get out?”
“We’d like to know that ourselves.” The purple-haired Kang Taeshik said dryly. “We called the White Tigers Guild to mount a rescue, but by the time they arrived, by all accounts, you had been thrown out of the dungeon.”
“What?” Jinwoo asked in confusion.
“Your clothes bore the marks of the injuries you must have sustained.” Woo said, “The right leg of your pants shredded and bloodied from where you lost your leg. Your sleeve sliced where you must have lost an arm.” He hesitated for a moment. “And a deep hole in your hoodie on both sides. The only explanation for which being that you were impaled with great prejudice.” Jinwoo swallowed heavily. “And yet every member of that Strike Squad who survived said the same thing. You were unconscious when you came out. Or more accurately, were thrown out. All of your wounds were healed despite the fact that you were unconscious. And then the Gate immediately closed behind you.”
“W-What the hell?” Jinwoo asked, completely shocked.
“What do you remember happening in there before you went unconscious?” Woo asked him, and it was clear that he was expecting an answer.
“I died.” Jinwoo replied flatly. “It’s as you said, Manager Woo.” His hands trembled, “One of the statues impaled me through the chest. It’s the last thing I remember.”
“Then perhaps our theory is true.” Kang muttered and brought out a Mana Meter.
“Theory?” Jinwoo asked, focusing on him before Woo grabbed his attention again.
“The only explanation we can think of is that you Reawakened.” Woo replied bluntly. “If you please.” He motioned to the Mana Meter.
Jinwoo was completely stunned. “R-Reawakening?” He felt something pulse in his chest. I-If he Reawakened, then he wouldn’t be a weakling anymore! He could actually Hunt and provide for his family! He wouldn’t be a target for ridicule anymore! He quickly placed his hand on the crystal. “Well?!” He asked eagerly.
And then watched as the two agents packed up the mana meter. He could feel the derision in Kang, though Woo was too controlled for that. “My apologies for getting your hopes up, Hunter Sung. It appears our theory was wrong.” Woo said before they walked out the door.
‘What the hell, man?’ Jinwoo thought dumbly. He let out a disgusted groan and then flopped back onto the bed. ‘Assholes.’ He thought to himself, not daring to even whisper it just in case one of them had good ears. ‘I wonder why neither of them said anything about these, though?’ He stared at the multitude of screens that floated near him. ‘C-Could they not see them?’ He tried to touch one, but nothing happened. He sighed, “Don’t tell me it’s voice activated.”
Before he could do anything else, his beautiful and worried sister came to lay into him for getting hurt again. She even threatened to quit school and find a job if he kept getting hurt. He tried to draw her attention to the screen, but she couldn’t see a thing.
He quickly waved her off, and she left for the day after giving him a tight hug, begging him to stop worrying her. He sat back on the bed and opened his mouth. “Open the mailbox.” He said softly.
[Congratulations, you have become a Player.]
‘Hmm…’ He thought to himself. ‘Maybe mental commands will work too?’
[The System will help the “Player” grow stronger.]
[Failing to comply with the System’s Orders could result in Penalties.]
[You have received a Reward.]
‘Jeez, am I going nuts or is this thing really real?’ Jinwoo thought. ‘Check Rewards.’
[You have received “Kandiaru’s Blessing.”
As a reward for completing the Secret Quest: “Courage of the Weak,” you have been gifted a special enchantment.
Effects:
- Will to Recover: Any damage to the body will heal completely upon using Health Potions or “Status Recovery.” Regeneration will increase exponentially while asleep.
- Longevity: You will be immune to all Diseases, Poisons, and any abnormalities in your Status.]
Jinwoo’s jaw dropped. “Wait, is this how I survived? This Blessing?”
[Yes.]
The System responded to him. “Holy shit, this is real.” He gulped heavily as he eyed the screen informing him that ignoring the System could result in penalties. He really did not want to find out about those penalties. He eyed the other unread message “…Train to become a formidable combatant… Open.”
[Quest Info!
Daily Quest: Train to become a Formidable Combatant
Goal: Enter the “Training Dungeon.”
Caution! Leaving the Daily Quest incomplete will result in penalties.]
Jinwoo gulped, “And what is this… penalty?”
[You will be placed in the Penalty Dungeon.]
“…Well… shit.” Jinwoo swore. “Do I need to bring anything into the Training Dungeon?”
[All will be provided.]
He swallowed heavily. He wanted to protest that he was injured but… frankly, he felt fine. His body was a hundred-percent back to normal. He didn’t even feel the phantom pains he had expected to feel. “Alright then.” He said softly. “Enter the Training Dungeon.”
Shadows spewed around him, making him yelp, before engulfing him. When he opened his eyes again, he felt his stomach sink beneath his feet. “No! No, not here!” He was back in the Cartenon Temple and hyperventilating like crazy.
Only as he whirled around to look at the Statue of God, he found it missing. And as his breathing calmed, he realized that the room was vastly scaled down too. The statues stood at a human scale, though only the ones with weapons remained. The ones with instruments were gone. “Wh-Why am I here?” He asked.
[The Player’s combat skills are insufficient.]
“Gee, thanks!” Jinwoo snarled at the screen.
[Choose a weapon for basic training to begin.]
[All Statues scale exactly to the Player’s ability when in training mode.]
[Time Dilation is in effect. One minute will pass outside for every hour spent here.]
Jinwoo’s jaw dropped. “Holy shit, how powerful is this thing?! Time dilation?! Are you kidding me?!”
The System was silent and allowed him his freak out.
Jinwoo looked around at the statues. He realized all of them had different weapons. Swords, greatswords, hammers, spears… every weapon he could name, he did. But there were some stranger-looking ones too.
Hesitantly, he walked towards the nearest statue, one with a greatsword.
[The Greatsword
Excellent for single-target damage as well as crowd control. Excellent for unarmored targets. Medium range. Heavy and will require high strength to use properly.
Place your hand on the statue’s chest to select your weapon.]
He hummed and moved to the next one.
[The Spear
Excellent for single-target damage. Can be used for slashing but excels in piercing. Enemies can be kept at greater range. Weapon can be thrown with precision. Struggles at the closest combat range. Light and fast.]
Jinwoo grinned. If this wasn’t just some dream, he could really just grab any one of these weapons. Or maybe multiple weapons, if he were feeling particularly greedy! He could Hunt without having to do so with his bare hands.
He skipped the daggers. He was far too used to having the damn things break, leaving his enemies in the perfect range to gut him.
[The Kanabo
A Club variant. Heavy and blunt, it is excellent for single-target damage and for crushing armor. Will require high strength to use properly.]
‘Hmm, I haven’t run into many armored beasts before.’ Jinwoo thought to himself idly. He moved on, wanting to take a look at some of the stranger weapons.
[The Switchglaive
A versatile weapon that cannot be used by those without magic. Capable of swapping between three forms: Glaive, Scythe, and Guillotine. Excellent at controlling range. Can inflict high slashing and piercing damage depending on the form used. When in Guillotine form, it can inflict mediocre crushing damage. It is an intensive weapon to master, but once accomplished, is extremely dangerous to any foe.
Weapon Difficulty modifier: Daily Quest Rewards doubled.]
“Holy shit! This thing is awesome.” His eyes were wide. There wasn’t any harm in trying it out, right? He placed his hand on the statue’s chest.
It began to glow with an inner blue flame and Jinwoo backed up in a hurry. He suddenly felt weighed down and yelped when the Switchglaive appeared in his hand. “Wow, it’s heavier than I thought! This blade is huge!”
[Training Switchglaive]
A crunching footstep drew his attention back towards the statue. It pulled its own Switchglaive off of its back.
[Basic Training with the “Switchglaive” has begun. Learn to switch between forms.]
A pulse of magical power came from the statue and the Switchglaive sprang open like it was spring loaded. Jinwoo’s eyes widened as he cautiously copied the statue. He was almost thrown and had to regain his balance as the opening of his own weapon caught him off guard. He looked at it in awe. He had a huge reach advantage like this. He could keep an enemy at least two body lengths away!
The statue caught his attention again as it pulsed its mana in a different way, causing the Switchglaive to snap into Scythe form. Jinwoo was prepared for it this time, but he still had to regain his balance. Finally, the statue returned to the Guillotine position, and Jinwoo finally managed to keep his feet steady.
Unfortunately, his hand was not placed correctly, and he sliced open the back of his forearm. He howled in pain and dropped the weapon with a clang.
[Player injury detected within Training Dungeon.
Healing.]
He sighed in relief as his arm stopped gushing blood. “Damn… it wasn’t kidding when it said the weapon was difficult to use.” He panted. “Is double rewards really worth it?” He eyed it for a moment.
[Would you like to choose a different weapon?
Yes/No]
Jinwoo grimaced as he eyed his blood. He picked it up again. “No.” At least not yet.
[Acquire “Basic Switchglaive Techniques”
0/100 Slashes in Glaive form
0/100 Thrusts in Glaive form
0/100 Slashes in Scythe Form
0/100 Scythe Throws in Scythe form
0/100 Deflects in Guillotine form
0/100 Strikes in Guillotine form]
“A hundred each?!” Jinwoo gasped. The statue opened the Switchglaive fully, before demonstrating a slash. Jinwoo did his best to copy it. He clearly must have done something wrong because he heard a buzzer. He eyed the statue more closely and tried again. It took him five more times before he heard a ‘ding’ and saw that the ‘Slash’ counter had gone up by one. “…Great.” He said with a small voice crack. “Only ninety-nine more to go.”
…
He was absolutely drenched in sweat by the time he finished. Four hours had passed by the time he deflected the statue’s final blow. The thing that had absolutely taken the most amount of time were the Scythe Throws. Jinwoo thought ‘boomerang throws’ was a more appropriate quest goal name, seeing as the damn thing returned to his hand through magic. Jinwoo had sliced his own fingers off half a dozen times before he ‘mastered’ the skill. But the System was patient and healed him every time. He’d even screwed it up badly enough that the statue’s Limiter was removed, allowing it to stop him from cutting his own head off.
But it was worth it when he acquired Basic Switchglaive Techniques. Suddenly, every misstep he had made seemed obvious. It was like he had been practicing with the weapon for months already. His body instinctively knew where to hold the weapon, the best angles to move it, etc.
This was all real, if that had still somehow been in doubt. He used Arc of Chaos like he’d been doing it for years. Even in his exhaustion, he was still able to catch the scythe as it returned to his hand. Without cutting off a limb, even!
[Basic Switchglaive Training is complete. This satisfies Daily Quest requirements. End Quest and accept rewards?]
“Yes.” He gasped out.
[Daily Quest Complete! Returning Player to the real world.]
His training Switchglaive vanished and all of a sudden, he was back in his hospital bed. “…I really hope this isn’t all a dream.” He thought.
[Quest Rewards have arrived!
Please select your rewards:
Reward 1: Status Recovery.
Reward 2: Ability Points +6
Reward 3: Random Loot Box x2]
“Status Recovery?” Jinwoo asked as he read them out loud. Apparently that was good enough for the System. “Woah!” He yelped as a bright glow engulfed him. Every trace of exhaustion and phantom pains from the Training Dungeon vanished. He was completely healed. His Fatigue was at zero. His HP and Mana were both topped off. Not that he had much mana to regain. “That’s crazy man…” He grinned, “Give me the ability points.”
He opened up his status screen and gulped. He had taken breaks while practicing and looked at more information on his stats. They hadn’t actually been as self-explanatory as he had believed.
Strength governed both strength and speed. He had figured speed would be tied to Agility, but Strength covered both. Agility instead governed his reactions and processing speed. Perception governed his ability to sense both Mana as well as intentions if the stat was high enough. Vitality governed not only his HP, but also his stamina and resistance to physical damage. His Fatigue would grow a lot faster with a lower Vitality stat. Intelligence governed not only the damage his spells would do, but also his mana totals and his resistance to magical damage.
Each stat worked with one another. Strength without Agility would leave him crashing into walls. Strength without Vitality would have him getting gassed out quicker. Strength without Perception would leave him vulnerable to stealth attacks.
So leveling each stat was beneficial. That said… He put three points into Strength and three into Intelligence, since his Switchglaive did actually use some Mana. Primarily when switching forms. ‘I’ve had enough of being mocked for being so weak. I’ve had enough of going on raids and leaving with nothing but injuries. If I can get six points a day, strength will get the lion’s share. Or at least half. I’ll level the others as well. At least one different one a day.’ He thought as he confirmed his choices.
Immediately, he felt a pulse within his chest. His muscles seemed to bulge, and he let out a gasp. He patted himself down when the feeling ended, before feeling his bicep. It was noticeably harder and more muscular.
An elated grin crossed his face. ‘I can really do it. I can really grow stronger!’
Finally, he accepted his two random loot boxes… only to be completely underwhelmed when he got complete junk. “…Fucking Gacha…”
-]|[-
Jinwoo’s life had become something truly strange. The screens which had marked this second chance truly weren’t going away, and he could feel the benefits that they were granting him intimately. How else could he explain the feeling of his body starting to stretch out as he grew taller long after he should have stopped doing so? How else could he explain the inexorable feeling of his muscles getting bigger and harder by the day?
Seven days into practicing with his Switchglaive ‘master,’ he could hardly recognize himself. Oh, sure, his face was still the same, but he was a good ten centimeters taller than he had been the week prior and had put on at least ten kilos of muscle. Every time he woke up, his body felt just that little bit different than the day before.
His Basic Switchglaive Techniques had leveled up to level three as well, with each bump in level giving him a little bit more familiarity with the weapon. Of course, it wasn’t all sunshine and daisies. The reason for the Statues scaling to his own power had been made clear on day three. The System had judged him ready to proceed with real training… and promptly made him face off against his ‘Master.’
Even with the scaling being what it was, Jinwoo had been obliterated by the statue. It wasn’t like it was the first time he’d experienced the agony of being gutted, but consistently losing limbs had been a new and very unwelcome experience, no matter how simple it was for the System to restore them.
It took him all the way until today to even put a scratch on the Switchglaive Statue, and that had apparently been enough for the System to cut his training short and reward him.
His stats were looking great after he allocated his points.
Sung Jinwoo
Level: 1
Class: None
Fatigue: 0
Title: None
HP: 475
MP: 130
Strength: 31
Agility: 16
Perception: 16
Vitality: 13
Intelligence: 16
For someone who had ten meager points across the board, he was light years ahead of where he had been. The weapon might have betrayed him on multiple occasions on that first day, but Jinwoo was super glad he had chosen it for the doubled Stat Points.
The loot boxes may have been total misses, but that was okay. Tripling his Strength was reward enough for him.
He opened the first of the day’s loot boxes, only for his eyes to widen when something strange came out. “What is this?”
[Item: Dungeon Key
Rank: E
Type: Key
This key enables you to enter a System-Created Instance Dungeon at Hapjeong Station, Exit 3.]
Jinwoo’s jaw dropped. A System-created Dungeon?! It could DO that?! This wasn’t going to put anyone into harm’s way or create a Gate that could possibly break, right?
[Only the Player can interact with the Instance Dungeon. There is no risk to the outside world.]
“Hmmm…” Jinwoo rubbed his chin. “I don’t exactly have anyone I would care to bring with me, but what happens if I try to?”
[Player may choose to grant System access to Companions. System Access may not be revoked by the Player, so care must be taken when choosing Companions. Player will gain less EXP overall in a party as EXP will be shared equally. This may be counteracted through the Dungeon Difficulty Modifier.]
“Holy shit…” Jinwoo lay back on his hospital bed. So… he could… share this thing with others. But would he? Mr. Kim’s blubbering apologies as he abandoned them flashed in his mind. Jinwoo scowled. Like hell he’d give access to the System to that jackass. Joohee… he doubted it. He never got the feeling that she wanted to be a Hunter. She never had the stomach for it. Mr. Song was a possibility but…
He shook his head. No, he wouldn’t be accepting any Companions any time soon. If he could, he’d find a way to heal Mr. Song’s arm. Maybe the System would have something on that front…
In any case, he put his Key into his Inventory and then took out the other loot box. “Time for some bandages, I guess.” He snickered as he opened it. Only, to his shock, a golden flash nearly blinded him as the ball grew bigger and bigger before elongating. “Oof!” He grunted as something heavy landed on his legs.
Jinwoo blinked the spots out of his eyes before looking down. His jaw dropped again.
[Hunter’s Switchglaive
Rank: D
Type: Weapon (Switchglaive)
+20 Attack]
He couldn’t believe his eyes. This was by far the best weapon he’d ever personally seen. The System had just given it to him? For free?! He looked at his inventory and pulled out something he’d seen in there a few days prior: Mr. Kim’s sword. He wasn’t sure why he had it, but he did.
[Steel Sword
Rank: D
Type: Weapon (Sword)
+10 Attack]
“It’s twice as good?!” Jinwoo yelped. Mr. Kim had paid three million Won for this thing! The dagger he had bought for five-hundred thousand Won felt like a toy in comparison! He grinned, “If you’re giving me this and the Key together, it means you think I’m ready to face it, right?” He put everything in his inventory and pulled on some actual clothes.
He had felt how he had grown over the past week. It wasn’t some nebulous feeling he was unsure was real. He knew he was a totally different person from the one who had walked into that Double Dungeon. And he knew one additional thing.
It was time to Hunt.
-]|[-
He managed to exit the hospital without much issue, making up some excuse to the nurse in order to be given leave. He wasn’t sure why they were insisting on keeping him for the full ten days when he was very visibly more than fine, but whatever.
He found his way to Hapjeong Station as the key requested and took out his key. A magical keyhole appeared in front of him, which he inserted the key into before twisting it. Immediately, a lightshow only he could see turned into a portal, and he stepped through.
[Notice: You have entered an Instanced Dungeon.]
Jinwoo’s eyes widened when he heard a sound vaguely like crinkling glass behind him. He turned and saw a solid… crystal-like formation form in front of the Gate. “Am I trapped in here?” He wondered as he placed his hand on it. A woman then passed completely through him, proving that he was in a completely different dimension.
[You have entered the Hapjeong Station Instanced Dungeon. You cannot leave this Dungeon unless you defeat the boss or use a Teleportation Stone.]
He took a deep breath and summoned his new Switchglaive. The System had been harsh, but it had also been kind. He had a feeling it was done holding his hand, at least for now, but that it also would not put him in a situation he could not survive.
He proceeded down the steps, finding that the station was broken down and dilapidated. There were tube lights hanging from their housings. Most of them were dark. Signs of disrepair were everywhere, from rust coating the ceiling to weeds peeking through the floor. It was very eerie to see the stop so quiet.
And the stench. ‘Beast-Type monsters.’ He thought to himself, having smelled the foul aroma many times before. As he crossed a small hallway, his assumption was proven correct. A red-furred beast with a steel lower jaw roared as it charged at him from the darkness.
Jinwoo’s Switchglaive snapped open with him already in motion. The glaive swung and left a trail of blood as the beast’s upper and lower jaws separated. Jinwoo blinked in shock as he avoided having the beast crash into him. “A-Are you kidding me?” He managed to get out. “I-It was so… so easy… I didn’t even have a chance to catch its name!”
He eyed the growing pool of blood for a moment before a chuckle rang out. “Heh… hehehe…HAHAHAHAHA!” He actually started to cackle, looking almost insane in the process as he rubbed his forehead. He just couldn’t help it. It was just too funny in the most infuriating of ways. He had just insta-killed a real magic beast! He’d even gotten a [Level Up!] message for it!
Every whisper of doubt that he’d had previously melted away. Jinwoo grinned as he turned his body towards the loud growling.
There were two more [Steel-Fanged Lycans] coming out of the dark. The beasts were huge. Their shoulders came up almost to his neck, and that was after his growth spurt. He snapped his weapon into Scythe form. “Come on then.” He said savagely. “I haven’t Leveled Up enough, you damn mutts.”
The beasts howled and charged at him simultaneously. Jinwoo somersaulted above the beast, twisting in the air and allowing his scythe to cut through the wolf’s neck, then spine at around its midsection, and finally near its tail. He whirled around and dodged the other wolf, only for it to catch the blade of his weapon in its steel jaws. “Hey, that isn’t a chew toy!” Jinwoo yelled as he sent a pulse of Mana into the weapon.
The Switchglaive snapped shut, cutting the beast’s head in half with a gout of blood.
[Level Up!]
Jinwoo sighed as he took a seat. Killing those three beasts had gained him two levels, which he could see gave him ten stat points evenly distributed between the five stats. So, he got five per level, huh? “I guess when I’m a low level, leveling up will be far more efficient than the Daily Quests, even if I get one extra point.” That also meant that once his level was higher, it would be far more difficult to level up. At least if the EXP needed rose like it did in so many games. Seeing as three Lycans had only given him two levels despite one Lycan giving him one, he was confident that the requirements would only get higher.
The fight, while quick, had left him with questions though. “System, what was with the color of the Lycans’ name tags?”
[Grey: Enemy is far weaker than the Player and will grant zero EXP when killed.
White: Enemy is weaker than the Player.
Orange: Enemy is equal to the Player.
Red: Enemy is stronger than the Player.
Black: Enemy is overwhelmingly more powerful than the Player. The Player will be incapable of dealing damage to the enemy and can be killed instantly by any attack.
Each color may have modifiers. A darker red indicates a more dangerous foe. A light pink indicates a foe that is above the Player in Level but is weaker than expected.]
“These guys were stronger than me?” Jinwoo asked incredulously. “But I killed them all! Some of them in single blows!” The System was silent, so Jinwoo was left to figure it out on his own. “Hmm, I suppose it’s all about levels? I’m only level three, but with the thirty points I have in Strength, plus all the other additions, I’m technically stronger than my level would indicate, right?”
But again, the System was silent. He rolled his eyes. “Whatever then. Time to harvest.” He walked up to the first beast, only to receive a nasty surprise. “There’s no Essence Stone?” He gasped, “But all Magic Beasts have them! How can these things not?!” He shuddered, “Shit, I hope that’s only for these Instance Dungeons. I’ll never be able to pay for anything if I can’t get Essence Stones anymore!”
Still, he wasn’t walking away empty-handed. Apparently he got three Lycan pelts as well as a dozen large fangs. “What am I going to do with these?” He wondered aloud as he looked at the fang he pulled out of his inventory. It was just about fifteen centimeters long.
[Store Unlocked!]
[Crafting Unlocked!]
“…Eh?” He muttered in shock as he examined the new surprises. He had a whole ass store?! The System just loved surprising him, huh?
The Crafting System allowed him to use materials he grabbed from magical beasts to make everything from clothing to armor to weapons to accessories. The Lycan pelt, for instance, could be used to make a Rank ‘D-’ fur coat that provided just a tiny bit of defense.
Well, he wasn’t going for the caveman look, so he’d pass on that.
Additionally, he could Reforge any items he received if he liked the benefits, but it was the wrong type of item. Like if he got a dagger and wanted to turn it into a Switchglaive. Extra materials would be needed, but it was doable. Additionally, he could Enhance weapons and armor that he liked to make them stronger. How much stronger, he had no idea, but the option was there.
Finally, the Crafting System had a repair function. If his weapons ever got damaged, as long as they weren’t completely broken, he could fix them!
In any case, the Store was exactly what it said on the tin. He could sell items directly from his inventory in exchange for ‘gold,’ the System-Exclusive currency. He was now four-hundred-and-twenty gold richer but had nothing he could actually spend the gold on. He was restricted from buying things until level twenty.
He got up and cracked his back, before grabbing his Switchglaive and smirking towards the darkness. Over a dozen Lycans were coming his way. “Twenty seems like a nice, round number.” He said with a feral grin. “After the Cartenon Temple, you guys don’t scare me one bit.” He snapped his weapon into glaive form. “So put up a fight for me, otherwise I’ll feel bad about slaughtering you all!” He charged at the horde.
One leapt at him, and he parried its entire body with the Switchglaive in guillotine form, throwing it over his head. His weapon quickly snapped open again and he cut another to ribbons. It snapped into scythe form, and he threw it with Arc of Chaos, cutting down three on the flight forward, and another that had lunged for him, thinking him defenseless, as it returned to his hand. He ignored the [Level Up!] message and continued to fight.
More and more beasts joined the party as he fought his way through the dilapidated station. Lycans were soon joined by [Razor-Clawed Brigas,] these monkey-type monsters with gigantic claws, as well as [Black-Shadow Razans,] which were black panthers with saber-teeth on their lower jaws.
He slaughtered them all, going down to a lower floor and wiping those out too, only to go back up as he realized all these monsters respawned. It was exactly like a video game, and Jinwoo was going to farm them until their names greyed out. Who knew when he’d have another chance like this?
By the time he got to that point, he was completely drenched in blood. His weapon had a few dings and knicks, and Jinwoo was happy to see that the Lycan Fangs and Razan Fangs were all that he needed to bring it back to full durability. He also used some gold and some of the materials he’d gotten to upgrade it a bit.
[Hunter’s Switchglaive +5
+30 Attack]
Honestly, a ten percent boost for each enhancement level wasn’t too bad! If it wasn’t for the fact that going further presented the risk of failing and even damaging the weapon, he would have kept going.
Jinwoo had also reached level twenty, which was a great feeling.
Sung Jinwoo
Level: 20
Class: None
Fatigue: 0
Title: Scourge of the Jungle
HP: 2850
MP: 510
Strength: 50
Agility: 35
Perception: 35
Vitality: 32
Intelligence: 35
He checked the Store to see if there was anything worth buying before enhancing his Switchglaive, only to balk at the prices. Even the cheapest weapons (E-Rank ones!) started at a thousand gold! He’d collected quite a bit of gold from this Dungeon, sure, but not enough to justify a purchase like that! Buying a new weapon would only be worth it if he could at least go up a rank from his previous weapon, and even D-rank weapons started at ten-thousand gold.
And even if he somehow had the (he was assuming here) one-hundred-thousand to one-million gold that it would cost him to buy a C-Rank weapon, no such weapon even existed in the store. There were side-grade weapons in the Switchglaive class available, but, again, they were side-grades. He wasn’t sure what the “Attack to Strength” conversion was, but somehow he didn’t feel that ten Strength would be very different compared to twenty Attack.
The most expensive weapon he’d been able to find was a D-Rank Greatsword worth seventy-five thousand gold. Definitely not worth buying, even if he had that kind of money! “Man, and I had gotten excited too…” Jinwoo drooped as he closed the store.
Jinwoo shook his head and refocused. He’d been able to take a break because the enemies had stopped respawning once their names had turned grey. He’d taken his food out of his Inventory and had himself a nice lunch.
Well, as nice as lunch could get in a dilapidated, dank, and decrepit replica of a well-loved metro station surrounded by the corpses of the beasts he’d killed. As he looked down the stairs leading to the tracks, he couldn’t help but feel that whatever awaited him down there was leagues ahead of every enemy he’d killed up here.
He had the Teleportation Stone that he’d gotten as a drop a while ago. He could use it to get on out of here and go back to the hospital. But that would be a huge waste. He didn’t know if the key would be reusable, and he didn’t care to find out. He was as ready to face this boss as he was going to get. His new Title even gave him an additional fifty-percent damage against Beast-Type enemies. His Basic Switchglaive Techniques had leveled up twice in here. He was ready for this.
He placed the stone back into his Inventory and readied himself. He started making his way down the steps, growing slightly incredulous when the ominous tunnel he was descending seemed to stretch out. He knew damn well these stairs weren’t this long!
Finally, he arrived at the bottom. “What the hell happened to this station?” He asked in complete confusion. There was greenery everywhere. Moss growing on walls, algae growing in the deep rivers that definitely shouldn’t have been where the tracks were supposed to be. His steps echoed as he moved around, and he stopped suddenly when he heard the sound of rushing water. Like a river was flowing. With how still the waters were, that just couldn’t be.
And then they surged up and outwards. Jinwoo reacted quickly, grunting as a gigantic tail smacked straight into his Switchglaive. Despite blocking the attack, the force was so great that he was driven into the wall. He coughed out blood as he took a not-insignificant four-hundred HP loss.
He forced out a chuckle, “Shit… I thought I had gotten stronger…” He glared at the massive blue serpent that loomed imperiously over him. “I can’t believe its name is still orange…”
[King of the Swamp, Blue Venom-Fanged Kasaka.]
The snake’s orange eyes glowed with an inner light as it hissed at him, revealing massive scythe blades for fangs. Smaller, but still quite big, fangs lined both sides of its maw behind the bigger fangs. Its forked tongue was also as black as the night.
“I guess you’re the one in charge here.” Jinwoo snapped his weapon into scythe mode. “Well, come and get me!” He hissed back. The snake lurched for him, its massive bulk making its slithering sound more like grinding. Jinwoo dodged it nimbly and yelled, “TAKE THIS!” He drove the point of his scythe into its scales with all his strength.
A screech rang through the Dungeon as his blade skidded off the snake’s scales. “SHIT!” He yelled as Kasaka barreled into him and sent him flying across the station. “Guh!” His eyes nearly unfocused from the heavy impact.
[HP: 2675/3475]
He got to his feet in a rush, dodging out of the way as Kasaka came speeding in like a runaway train itself. ‘Shit, how could I have forgotten! This kind of weapon is no good against enemies with tough armor!’ He dodged a tail swipe and landed on his feet. ‘Even the guillotine form crushing damage was described as ‘mediocre!’ How am I going to break its defenses?’ He leapt over it as it charged, landing on its back.
He was fast enough to just run down its spine, his speed matching its and making it look like he was on a treadmill. The sight might even have been funny to an outside observer. Jinwoo watched as Kasaka crushed one of the central pillars. ‘Where?’ Kasaka turned and started rushing towards him again. ‘Where?’ He leapt at it and swung for its left fang with all his strength. He was flung away from the impact but was elated to see a fracture running along the width of the fang. ‘Where, damn it! This snake isn’t invincible!’
Kasaka hissed, suddenly furious from the pain it felt in its mouth. The great snake opened its maw wide, and a deluge of blue fluid erupted from its upper mouth near the big fangs. “Shit!” Jinwoo threw himself to the right and rolled away.
Whatever the blue fluid touched, dissolved in seconds. That would kill him instantly if it touched him. He knew it with every fiber of his being. ‘Snakes can’t just recharge their venom that quickly. I need to kill this thing before it can spit again!’ He charged at it.
Kasaka met him head-on. Its body cut furrows into the station as it moved. He leapt up to get over it, but it read him like a book, shooting its body up and intercepting his flight. “GAHHH!” He yelled as he was pounded through one of the train cars lying around and into the waters.
He choked back a scream. He needed that oxygen. He swam to try to get to the edge, only for Kasaka to join him underwater. The snake had the perfect trajectory to bite him in half. Jinwoo only had one desperation move. He punched downward, a cavitation forming and then collapsing. The shockwave took another two hundred HP from him, bringing him to under a thousand after all the punishment he’d received.
But it also forced Jinwoo up and out of the water, allowing him to escape Kasaka’s maw. His attack even crushed some of its facial scales, but he didn’t see that. He landed on the platform, soaked, but okay. “Damn it, was it not enough?” He growled out. All of his effort, for this?! This was all that killing hundreds of beasts amounted to? “I thought I got stronger.” He punched the tiled floor, shattering one of them. “How much stronger do I have to get… to escape this life of constant ridicule?!” He roared as he got to his feet.
All he had ever wanted was to be able to provide for his sister! To keep his mom alive! But he’d been mocked for his efforts. Again, and again, and again! All because he was weak! What had his kindness ever gotten him? Nothing! “You can be wise, you can be creative, you can be considerate, AND NONE OF IT EVER MATTERS!” He howled as he deflected Kasaka’s coils for the nth time. His weapon sparked against the beast, not doing any appreciable damage at all. “When you’re strong you walk into every situation with the advantage, but when you’re weak everyone just STEPS ALL OVER YOU!”
Kasaka coiled around him and tried to bash him again. He moved to the right with his Switchglaive in guillotine form and smashed it into the snake’s cheek. He was elated to see actual damage as scales exploded away from its body, its head distorting from the impact. It veered away from him, “So I’m going to get stronger! So no one can call me weak ever again!” He roared his fury at the world.
Kasaka hissed in fury as it faced him and spat its venom at him again. “I’M NOT GOING DOWN HERE!” He ran around it even as it tried to follow him with its spray. “AND I’M GOING TO KILL YOU!” He roared as he leapt for its face. Its venom ran out at the perfect moment, and its eye only had a moment to process what it was seeing before his scythe blade buried itself into its eye.
Kasaka howled in agony as even that was apparently not enough to kill it. It thrashed and pounded itself into the walls and support pillars, trying to crush Jinwoo’s bones to dust.
[HP: 450/3475]
Jinwoo howled as he jerked the scythe out through its skull. Purple blood poured out of the wound, and yet Kasaka continued to fight. It managed to fling him off its body, though now its vision was half decimated. Jinwoo attacked that side, keeping himself out of its vision. It opened its maw to wiggle its forked tongue, trying to find him by scent, but it was too late. His scythe struck its half-broken fang and finished the job. The giant blade went flying as Jinwoo’s attack broke through it and then pierced into its unarmored, fleshy mouth. Jinwoo roared as he dragged the scythe through its flesh, running down its length and damn near parting the snake in half.
Kasaka never managed to get out a final hiss as it died. Jinwoo collapsed in complete exhaustion as five [Level Up!] messages hit him at once. He gasped for breath even as his wounds were healed and his Fatigue reset. He leaned against the dead beast, feeling elated. “I guess it’s true.” He let out a weak chuckle, “I really did get a little stronger.”
[You have defeated the King of the Swamp, Blue Venom-Fanged Kasaka.]
He smiled at the system and acknowledged the message. A new one opened.
[You have acquired “Kasaka’s Venom Gland”
Rank: A
Type: Poison
A pouch containing refined venom from Kasaka. Drinking this venom will make your skin tough, but your muscles will be permanently damaged.
Effect: “Kasaka’s Ironclad Scales.” +20% Physical Damage Resistance
Side Effect: “Muscle Damage” -35 Strength]
He stared at it in shock, before he remembered something and checked Kandiaru’s Blessing. “I can’t really be that lucky, right?” Deciding to take the chance, he drank down the venom, shuddering when the taste hit his tongue. He grunted as he dropped the pouch, feeling his body react to it.
[A harmful substance had been detected.
Detoxing.]
Jinwoo laughed in glee when three seconds later, the side effect was deleted. “Hell yes! Thank you, System!”
[C-Rank Items have been unlocked in the Store.]
His eyes widened, “Oh that’s why I couldn’t find a damn thing above D! I wonder when future ranks will unlock?”
[You have acquired a Rune Stone.]
He choked. “A Rune Stone?!” He yelled in shock as it popped up in his hand. “No way… no fucking way!” This… this was… incredible. This would give him a skill! His very own skill! These things sold for billions of Won just for a B-Rank stone, and this thing was A-Rank!
He crushed it immediately. It might set him up for life, but it was just far too valuable not to use.
[You have acquired the Skill “Umbrakinesis.”
Control the shadows around you for attack, defense, and movement.
Able to solidify shadows into weapons or shields. Able to teleport short distances between shadows.]
“Wat?” He croaked out the word. “A-Are you serious right now?” He quickly got off Kasaka and turned around. The shadows beneath his feet darkened before a surge of spears hit the snake. Even with it dead, its scales were too tough for the weak spears to pierce. He sighed, “Guess I shouldn’t get too excited. Even if the skill is strong, I’m still not all that.” He chuckled as he clenched his fist. “But that doesn’t mean it can’t become much stronger.”
He eyed one of the broken pillars, which was still casting a shadow. He stepped into the shadows, and the entire world went grayscale for a moment. All the available shadows glowed purple in his vision. He picked one and instantly appeared out of the shadow he had chosen. There was a faint wisp of a shadowy smoke surrounding both him and the area he had just vacated. He cackled in glee and grabbed his Switchglaive before throwing it. It traveled about two meters before Jinwoo appeared out of its shadow, grabbed it out of the air, and sliced with his glaive. “Oh, hell yes.”
[Due to the Dungeon Boss being slain, this Dungeon will now be restored to its original state.]
“Eh?” His celebration was cut short as a bright white glow erupted from below his feet and quickly spread out from under him. In a moment, the entirety of the destroyed station looked as pristine as ever. He scratched the back of his head, which just reminded him of how much of a mess he was right now. He sighed and, wondering where the hell everyone was, made his way up the steps.
As he exited the station, he immediately sensed the reason for the lack of people in the area in the distance. ‘I can feel a large source of Mana.’ He thought to himself, ‘Has there been a Dungeon Break?’
“Hey, you!” A soldier yelled. “What are you doing?! Why did you come out of hiding?” Jinwoo turned to him, and the man’s eyes widened as he took in the state of Jinwoo’s clothes, “Are you a Hunter?”
“Yes, I am, but…” Jinwoo had a sheepish grin on his face.
“Then please let me escort you.” The soldier started leading him away.
Jinwoo looked around and saw all the corpses lying around. “Was there a Dungeon Break?”
“There was. Did you not hear the announcement?” The Soldier confirmed and continued before Jinwoo could respond, “The smaller beasts have all been taken care of. There’s just one large beast left.”
“I see.” Jinwoo urged the soldier to hurry, jogging behind the man. When they arrived, Jinwoo saw that the boss was a large Golem-Type beast. He also immediately realized that the Strike Squad was in over their heads. ‘What an awful squad composition. The highest ranks are a Tank and-’ His eyes widened as he spotted Joohee, who was failing to even cast a spell. ‘…She’s still terrified. I can’t say I blame her.’
He also listened to the crowd, which was refusing to follow the soldiers’ orders to evacuate. They were just trashing the Hunters and complaining about the property damage and the possibility of the property values falling. Jinwoo’s face went flat as he listened to it and turned back to the boss. ‘Morons. This squad can’t possibly beat this boss. They don’t have the damage for it, and the Tank will wear out eventually.’
He held an arm to the side, and a black spear rose out from the darkness. ‘This boss is D-Rank. Nothing compared to Kasaka. Let’s see how this skill can really perform!’ He reared back and aimed the spear. ‘If I can just crack its Defense Shield, even these guys should be able to take it out!’ With a grunt of exertion, he threw his weapon over the crowd. The wind ruffled their hair as it passed.
The shadow spear smashed into a hexagonal blue barrier, which flashed for just a second before shattering. The spear struck the golem’s head and instantly blasted it apart. Chunks of stone rained down on the confused Hunters, forcing one of them to throw themselves out of the way. Jinwoo’s eyes widened at the realization that his attack had just one-shotted the boss. ‘…Better get out quick. I don’t need the attention right now.’
He turned tail and quickly walked off, not noticing Joohee turn around and stare at him in shock. “Jinwoo…?” The other Hunters there were celebrating, except for the Tank, who was flabbergasted at the sight. He knew damned well that his Damage-Dealers hadn’t suddenly broken through that shield.
As for Jinwoo? He walked into an alley to disappear, before really testing out his Shadow Warping in an attempt to get home quicker. ‘I didn’t think a single blow would knock it out.’ He didn’t stop to wonder if the others had tired it out. His Perception had grown high enough that he could tell its defensive shield had still been at nearly full strength. Those E-Ranks had been doing next to nothing to it. ‘I thought Kasaka was a reality check… but maybe it was just far stronger than I thought.’ A smirk crossed his face as he continued to travel through the shadows.
-]|[-
Three extra days in the hospital (which he had not been able to get himself out of, much to his annoyance) had seen yet more changes in Jinwoo. He’d continued his Daily Quests, though he had also stopped exiting the Training Dungeon immediately upon being judged to have completed the Quest. Instead, he’d decided to get himself a secondary weapon specifically for armor. He might love his Switchglaive, but he wasn’t foolish enough to continue trying to use it against armored targets.
So once he finished his Switchglaive practice for the day, he tried out a couple other weapons. The Kanabo hadn’t felt right, so he ended up settling for a pair of greaves to armor up his legs in addition to a pair or Tonfas.
He’d whacked himself in the face far too many times before earning [Basic Tonfa Techniques.] It was really painful. Still, he had persevered, and now he had two sets of weapons he could switch between for whatever the situation required.
Each time he exited the Dungeon, he received his Status Recovery, which just started leaving him feeling like he was going to vibrate out of his skin. He had so much extra energy he didn’t really know what to do with it. He started working out, which led to a cute nurse asking for his number the day he was discharged after catching him doing pushups with his shirt off.
Jinwoo still wasn’t sure what that was about.
(Even the eternal Ashborn couldn’t help but facepalm over how clueless his successor was. Not that Jinwoo knew that.)
He’d finally been allowed home after that, looking like a completely different person than when he’d been admitted. Jinah had been totally shocked to see him. “What the Hell, Oppa?” She leapt from the couch and looked him up and down. She even circled around him. “You’re like a different person! How the hell did you put on so much muscle in ten days?!”
“Uhhh…” Jinwoo rubbed the back of his neck. ‘Do I tell her?’ He mused, knowing she wouldn’t leave it alone. She looked super concerned. “So a… thing happened after the Double Dungeon.”
“A thing?” Jinah asked flatly. She put her hands on her hips, “You’re going to have to give me more than that.” She deadpanned.
He winced, “I uh… apparently got a reward for surviving it.” He admitted.
“What, big muscles?” She asked incredulously.
“A Second Awakening.” He replied, watching shock replace every other emotion on her face. “…Kind of.”
“Kind of?” Jinah asked incredulously, “What the hell does that mean?!”
“More like…” Jinwoo hemmed and hawed for a moment, “More like I can grow stronger…”
She stared at him in shock. “Are you serious, Oppa?”
He rubbed the back of his head again, “I’m… at least a C-Rank now.” He said quietly.
Her face lit up in joy, “Oh, that’s wonderful!” His sister lunged for him and embraced him tightly. “Are you going to go get reassessed?” She paused, “Wait, no, that’s stupid. If you do that now it’ll be super suspicious if you eventually have to do it again.”
Jinwoo chuckled, “Good use of that noodle.” He teased her.
She snickered, “Well, I am going to be a doctor.” She let go of him and stepped back. “I’m so happy. I-” She wiped a tear from her eye, “I never said anything beyond the obvious, but I hated seeing you get hurt after every single stupid Dungeon. I hated that I could never help you.” She wiped her other eye, “I… I prayed that I would awaken too.” Jinwoo’s eyes bulged, “Even if just as a D-Rank, so I could watch-”
“I wouldn’t have let you anyway.” Jinwoo clapped his hands on her shoulders. “This life… the only way you could have convinced me would have been if you awakened as an S-Rank, Jinah. And only because I wouldn’t have been able to do a damn thing to stop you. You… you’re not a bum like I am.”
Her face had grown more and more shocked, but during his last sentence she yelled, “OPPA!” In shock.
“It’s true, Jinah.” Jinwoo sighed, “I barely graduated high school. I was never good at sports, or at things like drawing or writing… I had no prospects in life.” He rubbed his thumbs on her cheeks, wiping away her silent tears. “You’re so much better than I was. I would never let you throw away your future for Hunting.”
She shook her head and tried to hug the life out of him. “You’re the best big brother anyone could ask for.” She sobbed. “You shouldn’t have had to deal with… with any of this.”
He shook his head. “Deserved or not… it looks like all my perseverance did eventually pay off.” He smiled at her, “So I want you to stop worrying about me, okay? I’ll always do my best to come back to you. Just like I always have.”
“You better!” She wiped her arm across her eyes. She grabbed him by the arm and tugged him onto the sofa. After learning what she just had, they both needed some cuddles.
-]|[-
The next day saw Jinwoo back on the grind. He was late on rent and could only thank his lucky stars that the landlord was such a friendly man. Most other landlords would have given him and Jinah the boot long ago. He found a Strike Squad that seemed to be looking for fillers and had immediately applied.
The Captain had sounded like a good man over the phone and hadn’t given Jinwoo a bit of grief over his official E-Rank. Near dusk, he had gone over to the construction site after he finished up his Daily Quest training, though he had kept the Status Recovery rather than use it, since he was heading into a Dungeon. It never hurt to be prepared.
And like he expected, the Captain seemed to be just as kind as his conversation over the phone had suggested.
His squad was a different story. Larry, Curly, and Moe (and that was the best they were going to get) in particular were jackasses of the highest order. The second Larry heard Jinwoo’s name, he started poking fun at him, making sure to use Jinwoo’s ‘title’ every chance he got. That was what made Jinwoo start looking deeper, and all of a sudden, he could feel the derision even Hwang Dongsuk was keeping well hidden.
Then Yoo Jinho showed up, introducing himself as filler just like Jinwoo. It had almost distracted him from the bad vibes he was feeling from the Strike Squad, which only intensified when Dongsuk revealed that their Strike Squad regularly operated without a Healer.
The bad vibes were starting to sound an awful lot like alarm bells once they finally entered the Dungeon. As he entered Jinwoo couldn’t help the thought that ran through his head. ‘Please don’t let this be a whole squad of Lizards.’
-]|[-
And that’s that, for now!
Making zero promises with this one. Going to do my damndest NOT to start another Solo Leveling fic before my first one is finished. But this wouldn’t get out of my head, so I eliminated the distraction.
For those curious, the Switchglaive is a weapon from the Nioh series. Nioh 2 and 3 (the only ones I’ve played) were fun as hell. Go watch some gameplay if you want to see part of what Jinwoo’s combat will look like.