The first thing I noticed when I started walking was how loud I was.
Clank. Clank. Clank.
Every step echoed through the stone corridors like I was ringing a dinner bell for every monster in a five-mile radius. Stealth? Out the window. Assassin build? Forget it. I was basically a walking drum set in a haunted cave.
I sighed—or tried to. It came out as a hollow rasp from inside my helm. Great. I even sounded like a boss monster. Somewhere, some level 15 noob was probably grinding goblins right now, blissfully unaware that I had become the exact nightmare they'd beg a party to help them beat.
The dungeon stretched on before me, torches burning with bluish flames that didn't seem to go out, no matter how damp the air was. Strange symbols glowed faintly on the walls, pulsing like veins. It felt less like a cave and more like… a body. Alive. Breathing. Watching.
"Creepy," I muttered, my voice bouncing back at me.
I flexed my gauntleted hands again, testing the weight. Surprisingly natural. I gave one of the stone walls a casual punch.
BOOM!
The wall cracked. Dust rained down.
I froze.
"…Holy sh*t."
Back when I was human, that punch would've broken me. Now? I was the kind of guy who left holes in medieval architecture just by being curious. My Strength stat wasn't a lie.
I grinned under the helm. This wasn't terrifying—it was thrilling.
I'd spent years watching my health bars tick down in boss fights, clutching at potions, screaming when I died for the twentieth time in a row. But now? I was on the other side. I was the health bar. And I wanted to see what I could do.
I tried a sprint. My boots thundered across the stone floor, cloak billowing behind me. No strain, no gasping breath. If anything, the more I ran, the more I wanted to push harder.
Next test: jumping.
I bent my knees and launched upward. My body soared, easily clearing two meters before slamming back down. The impact rattled the floor, cracks spiderwebbing outward.
A manic laugh burst from my helm. "Oh, this is so unfair. I love it!"
For years, I'd lived in a cramped apartment, dragging myself to a desk job that sucked the soul out of me. And now? I could literally shatter stone with my bare hands. If this was hell, then sign me up for the extended vacation package.
Ding!
A faint glow appeared in front of me:
[System Notice: Basic Actions Recorded. Stats Synced.]
[+1 Agility.]
I froze. "Wait. Did I just… gain a stat from running?"
I opened my menu again. Sure enough, my Agility had ticked up by one.
"This… this is insane," I whispered. "So I can grind stats just by using them?"
In the game, stats were fixed. You leveled up, you distributed points, end of story. But here? If I trained, I could keep growing. No level caps. No restrictions. Just pure, endless potential.
A shiver of excitement ran through me.
"…Ohhh, I'm gonna abuse the hell out of this."
I slammed my fist into another wall, just to hear it crack. I sprinted down a corridor, then vaulted up the side like a parkour junkie. My body moved heavier than a human's, but stronger, smoother—like I'd been forged for this.
And the best part? I didn't feel fear. I felt hungry.
The dungeon air reeked of damp stone and old blood, and instead of making me nervous, it made my pulse race. Every sound in the dark set me on edge, not with dread, but anticipation. I wanted something to jump out at me. I wanted to test myself.
That's when I heard it.
A low, wet growl.
I froze, head turning toward the sound.
Something shuffled in the torchlight ahead. A hunched figure, skin pale and stretched tight, claws scraping the floor. Its yellow eyes glowed as it spotted me.
A Lesser Ghoul. Dungeon fodder. Rank 1 trash.
The kind of mob I'd farmed in the game until my eyes glazed over.
But now? Now it was real.
It hissed, saliva dripping from jagged teeth, and crouched low like it was ready to pounce.
I tensed, battle lust rising in me like a fire. Yes. Finally.
And then—
[Passive Skill: Intimidation activated.]
The ghoul froze. Its body trembled, legs shaking. With a pitiful whimper, it turned tail and scurried back into the shadows.
"…Eh?"
I blinked.
The system chimed:
[Intimidation Lv.1 → Lv.2]
I just… stood there.
"Wait. Did I scare it off without even swinging?"
I tilted my helm back and laughed. Hard.
"Oh my god, this is busted. I'm literally a walking fear aura. That thing just wet itself and ran."
The laugh didn't stop. It echoed down the dungeon corridors, a hollow, metallic roar.
Because even though the fight never happened… I felt alive.
My armor hummed with strength, shadows pooling at my feet like they wanted to move with me. My whole being screamed for combat. For challenge. For something worthy to test me.
I wasn't the old Rudra anymore. The salaryman who sat behind a desk and complained about overtime had died on that mountain.
What stood here was a monster. And worse… a monster who wanted to fight.
I flexed my gauntlet again, summoning [Dark Slash]. A blade of shadow energy burst forth, slamming into the wall. Dust rained down, the stone marked with a deep, jagged cut.
"Beautiful," I whispered. "Absolutely beautiful."
I wanted to try again. Stronger. Faster. Bigger.
If that ghoul had stuck around, I'd have torn it apart just to see what my body could do. The thought didn't disgust me. It excited me.
…Maybe I really was losing it.
The dungeon groaned faintly, as if it had heard my thoughts. The walls pulsed with faint light, like veins carrying blood. Torches flickered unnaturally.
And for just a moment, I felt it—something cold, brushing against my armor. Fingers? A presence? The dungeon itself?
A shiver of delight—not fear—ran through me.
"Watching me, huh? Good. Then watch closely."
Ding!
[Main Quest Reminder: Conquer the Dungeon.]
I smirked. "Don't worry, system. I'll conquer it. I'll conquer everything."
Because for the first time in my life, I wasn't weak. I wasn't normal.
I was the Black Knight. And I was ready to fight the world.