The monster's corpse lay at Ji-hoon's feet.
Its body, misshapen and stretched like a hybrid between a hyena and an insect, twitched slightly as steam rose from its woundless chest. Not even a drop of blood stained Grudge, the dull sword in Ji-hoon's hand.
[You have leveled up.][Current Level: 2][+2 Stat Points Gained]
The system prompt vanished as quickly as it appeared. Cold, efficient just like the death he'd dealt. His breath fogged in the thick, stagnant air of the dungeon. Red light filtered through the stained glass ceiling above, casting long shadows that twitched like the dying beast.
Ji-hoon's grip on Grudge tightened.
This is real.
He didn't need a reminder. The smell of rotting meat and the copper tang of dried blood was vivid. His muscles burned from the sprint earlier, but he didn't stop. He couldn't afford to.
One down. Dozens more to go.
The gate he had entered wasn't a high tier one no elite monsters, no boss class threats. But that was misleading. These early dungeons, labeled training gates by future guilds, were never about fairness. They were death traps disguised as tutorials.
Ji-hoon took a moment to examine the room.
Columns cracked from age or battle lined the corridor. The cathedral shaped dungeon had a central chamber flanked by two smaller ones, each filled with low level creatures. There were exit points visible one behind the altar, possibly leading to a deeper zone, and another through a side hallway partially blocked by collapsed stone.
The system map was still locked. That feature only activated at Level 5 or higher. Until then, he had to memorize every twist and turn.
He knelt by the creature's body and carefully inspected it. No loot. No coins. No magic stones.
Figures.
"Still too early," he muttered.
Status Window [Level 2]
Name: Ji-hoonTitle: Fragment of OblivionHP: 100%MP: 10/10Strength: 5Agility: 6Endurance: 4Intelligence: 4Perception: 5Stat Points Available: 2Skills: NoneInventory: [Artifact of Nullification], [Grudge]
He dropped both points into Agility. In his current state, speed was survival. Strength could wait until he had a proper weapon. Endurance didn't matter if he was dead before he could react.
The moment he confirmed the allocation, a light warmth surged through his legs. Muscles tightened. Joints flexed slightly faster. Subtle, but noticeable.
The dungeon growled.
No, not the dungeon.
Something deeper inside it did.
The noise rolled like thunder from beyond the broken columns ahead.
Ji-hoon's back straightened instinctively. His eyes flicked across the room, scanning for threats, for motion, for shadow. And then he saw them.
Three more beasts. Two smaller than the first. One… not.
A quadruped like the last, but with an exposed ribcage and a jaw that split open sideways like something between a crocodile and a deep sea predator.
Ji-hoon slowly stepped back.
The smallest beast let out a screech and lunged.
He didn't panic. He remembered.
Dodging to the left, he used a half-spin to pivot, slashing low. The creature leapt, expecting to meet flesh but instead, the flat of Grudge struck its spine mid-air.
A crack. A brief yelp.
Dead before it landed.
One down.
The second one was smarter. It circled.
Ji-hoon breathed deeply, calming the wild rhythm of his pulse. He waited. It growled.
He activated the Bloodlust Draw function.
[Fragment of Oblivion: Aggro Surge Activated][Nearby enemies feel compelled to attack you][Stat Boost: +50% active against stronger targets]
The creature stiffened, then snarled and lunged like an animal driven insane.
Ji-hoon welcomed it.
He ducked under the swipe of its claw, rolled forward, and rammed his sword upward into the base of its jaw.
Grudge sank in like a hot knife through butter.
No resistance.
That was the power of a weapon that ignored all defenses armor, magic barriers, even natural resilience. Useless.
What made it balanced?
The damage.
Grudge's attack stat was 45. That wasn't low it was pathetic.
If Ji-hoon didn't land vital strikes, his enemies wouldn't die. They'd just bleed slowly. He didn't have the time or mana for that.
He pulled the blade out cleanly, turning just as the largest beast charged.
And this one… was fast.
Ji-hoon barely dodged.
The beast's claws scraped along the wall, sending stone and dust flying.
Ji-hoon's eyes locked onto its frame thicker hide, more muscle, longer limbs. Its level had to be at least 5. Maybe 6.
He was only Level 2.
Which meant the system's danger detection triggered the 50% stat boost.
His body responded.
He leapt back farther than expected. His lungs filled easier. His reflexes sharpened.
But so did the monster's attacks.
The creature let out a low, guttural growl and stomped forward, claws digging into the floor as it prepared to pounce again.
Ji-hoon reached into his inventory and pulled out… nothing. He had nothing else. Just Grudge.
He gritted his teeth.
Fine.
He'd make this work.
The beast jumped.
Ji-hoon ran toward it.
Mid-air, time slowed.
He saw the mouth open, teeth glinting. The jaw split again like a flower blooming death.
He dropped low, slid under its leap, and slashed upward across its belly.
Grudge tore through flesh.
But not deep enough.
The beast landed with a cry, turning rapidly.
Ji-hoon panted. "Damn it."
One strike wasn't enough.
The boost helped, but it wasn't magic. He needed a better angle, a better opportunity.
It lunged again.
He dodged left. The claw grazed his arm. Blood splattered.
-8 HP.
Another hit like that, and he wouldn't last long.
He rolled behind a column. The beast growled and gave chase.
Ji-hoon jumped toward the column's opposite side, using it as a pivot to leap onto the beast's back.
Its muscles twitched. It tried to shake him off.
He raised Grudge high
and slammed it down into the base of the skull.
Nothing.
The blade didn't pierce deep enough.
It bucked.
Ji-hoon fell.
The world tilted
He landed hard on his shoulder, pain exploding through his arm.
The beast turned to finish him
And that's when it happened.
The connection surged.
A flicker.
Ji-hoon's vision blurred, and for the briefest moment, a cold wind swirled around him. His body pulsed with dark red energy.
[Passive Skill Activated: Echo of Fear][All enemies within 10m suffer a 15% reduction to all stats for 10 seconds]
The monster froze. Its muscles hesitated mid-strike.
Ji-hoon sprang up and stabbed.
Grudge sank through the creature's eye socket.
The beast collapsed with a scream.
Dead.
Ji-hoon fell back onto the ground, breathing hard. His clothes were torn, his arm scraped, and his HP bar hovered around 40%.
But he was alive.
And he had won.
[Level Up! → Level 3][+2 Stat Points][Skill Unlocked: Echo of Fear (Passive)][Description: Your presence carries a trace of the Constellation of Oblivion. Weakens enemies briefly when under pressure.]
He chuckled softly, even as pain throbbed in his side.
"You're watching, aren't you?" he muttered.
There was no answer.
But he felt it.
That silent, impossible gaze—the Constellation. Not as a savior. Not as a benefactor.
But as a witness.
Ji-hoon clenched his fist.
"I'm not your pawn. I'll carve my own path."
The red mist surrounding the gate thickened.
He wasn't done yet.
[Later that Day…]
The deeper sections of the gate weren't like the entrance. Gone were the ruined pews and holy symbols. The dungeon turned feral twisted roots lined the walls, and the ceiling curved inward like ribs.
Ji-hoon crept forward, sweat clinging to his back.
Each step echoed too loud.
Each heartbeat reminded him: this wasn't the past. This was the new beginning.
Another monster appeared.
This one was humanoid lanky, with a crooked head and long arms ending in bony blades. It didn't charge. It just… stared.
Ji-hoon prepared for a fight.
But it didn't move.
[Boss Zone Approached: Optional Challenge Initiated]Objective: Defeat the Hollow WatcherReward: Class Fragment
His eyes widened.
A class fragment?
That wasn't supposed to appear this early.
The system must've shifted, possibly due to his altered timeline. Or… the influence of the artifact.
"Worth the risk."
He stepped forward.
The fight was brutal.
The Hollow Watcher was intelligent it set traps, faked weakness, and moved like mist. Grudge wasn't suited for drawn-out combat. Every slash had to count. Ji-hoon used broken rubble as shields, old chandeliers as makeshift traps, even fire from shattered lanterns to blind the creature temporarily.
When he finally drove Grudge into the monster's core, he nearly passed out from blood loss and exhaustion.
[Boss Defeated][Class Fragment Obtained: ???][Item Acquired: Hollow Bone Core][Level Up! → Level 5]
As Ji-hoon limped back toward the gate's entrance, he passed the remains of all the enemies he'd slain. Shadows seemed to whisper behind him, acknowledging his passage.
He had no potions. No aid. No allies.
But he had something far more dangerous:
Memory.
Resolve.
And a blade that ignored all resistance.
Outside the Gate
The sky above Seoul was burning.
News spread fast. Governments issued emergency broadcasts. Chaos bloomed.
But no one expected a lone man to step out of a closed gate one that no one else dared to enter and collapse onto the sidewalk, bloodied and breathing.
He looked up at the swirling sky.
And he smiled.