He clenched his teeth. "System, are you there? Answer me!"
Then, finally—
[Raito. Recording… System Online.]
"Yes! Finally!" he gasped. "You haven't been talking to me! What is this?! I didn't think I'd get thrown into a dungeon, and now I can't use any of my real skills. One trial each… and I thought I was finally strong—but I'm not."
[Keep striking the ogre. Each strike increases your LP. Your LP can be traded to accelerate the processing of your weapon.]
The voice cut off.
Raito's eyes snapped to his screen. "My LP…" He scrolled fast.
[Current LP: 300]
His heart skipped. "It's really going up!"
Just then, the ogre roared and swung its club again, forcing Raito to leap back, panting.
Raito dashed forward, leaping high, and drove a sharp kick straight into the ogre's face. He didn't stop, his body moved like lightning as he jumped again, raining blow after blow into its massive torso. Faster. Faster. Don't stop. His fists hammered down continuously, too quick for the ogre to follow.
Before the beast could slam him, Raito had already moved behind it, striking its back with a relentless flurry of punches. The ogre roared, furious, and spun in a wild circle, swinging its massive wooden club with crushing force.
CRACK!
The club caught Raito in the back. His body was hurled across the dungeon, slamming against the cold stone wall. Pain surged through his spine. "Aghh, this isn't great. I thought I was finally awakening. I didn't know it would be like this."
Gritting his teeth, Raito pushed himself up, blood dripping from his lip. His eyes flicked toward the glowing window. "System, tell me. How many points do I need to trade? How much LP will it take to fasten the weapon's process?"
The system didn't answer him again.
"Crap, it's not answering…" Raito muttered, then checked it himself.
He opened the weapon tab.
[Weapon Creation: Infernal Demon Claw]
[Time Remaining: 1 hr 10 min]
"Tch… still a lot of time. But how do I trade it?" He tapped again.
[Trade for LP? Cost: 300 LP]
A grin spread across his face. "Neat. After I kept punching that ogre, my LP rose to 550. Perfect. Yes, I'll do it."
He pressed accept. His LP dropped.
[LP: 250 Remaining]
[Weapon Creation—Successful]
A glowing circle formed in his palm. Light flared, swirling, until two black daggers fell into his hands.
Raito stared at them, eyes wide. "Whoa… this is really cool. Is this it? They feel so light… but can they really hurt that thing?"
"Now… come at me. I'm not running anymore," Raito said, raising the dagger.
The ogre roared, swinging its massive wooden club down at him.
Raito slashed upward—
CRACK!
The club split cleanly in two.
His eyes widened. "Huh? Whoa… just one slash… it's that sharp?" He stared at the broken weapon in disbelief.
The ogre roared again, charging this time with its arm stretched out, trying to grab him.
Raito's dagger flashed.
SLASH!
The ogre's wrist flew off, its severed palm crashing onto the dungeon floor. The monster screamed, glaring at him in fury.
It lunged again, swinging its other arm.
Another slash.
Another wrist severed. Both of the ogre's hands hit the ground with a heavy thud.
Raito didn't stop. He dashed in close, blade dragging across its stomach.
SHRRRK!
The ogre howled, blood spraying as it staggered back, bellowing in pain.
"Wow… this dagger is really sharp." Raito's eyes gleamed as he held it up. "So these are the claws of that S-rank monster I defeated… turned into a weapon. Incredible."
He glanced at the ogre, already staggering back, its eyes trembling with fear.
"Time to end this."
Raito crouched, then launched himself into the air. In a single, clean motion—
SLASH!
The dagger sliced straight through the ogre's neck. Its massive body collapsed with a thunderous crash, the roar dying in its throat.
A glowing panel appeared before Raito's eyes.
[Ogre Defeated]
[Level Up: Lv. 2]
He landed lightly on the dungeon floor, staring at the bloodied blade in his hand.
Raito exhaled sharply, the dagger still trembling in his grip. Then—
The ground shook. The walls of the dungeon rippled like glass, then shattered. In the blink of an eye, everything dissolved into darkness.
He was back in the void. Empty. Silent. Weightless.
Before he could comprehend it, light burst around him—and suddenly he was standing exactly where he had been before: outside the hospital. The cool evening air brushed against his face as if nothing had happened.
Raito staggered, glancing around. "What… what is going on? Was that real? Is this how people manifest their powers? Or… is it just me?" His voice wavered, disbelief curling in his chest.
A soft chime echoed in his head.
[Level Up: Lv. 2]
"The system…" he muttered, clenching his fists.
Then the voice whispered in his mind again, smooth and steady: User has reached Level 2.
Raito gritted his teeth. "Oh, so now you speak? When I needed you back there, you were silent. And now you're just… popping into my head out here?"