The key was cold in Jin‑Woo's palm, its ornate teeth catching the pale morning light.
[Item: Key to the Karutenon Temple Instance Dungeon]
[Time Limit: 22:47]
Beside him, Takahiro's Codex pulsed in golden light.
[Controlled Environment: Confirmed]
[Prime Directive: Assist the Monarch's Growth – Active]
They left the hospital without another word, Jin‑Woo in plain clothes, Takahiro in a dark jacket concealing the short sword strapped to his back. The streets were quiet as they made their way to the location marked on Jin‑Woo's map — an abandoned park on the city's edge.
The gate shimmered into view between two dead trees, a vertical tear in the air, its edges rippling like disturbed water.
"You ready?" Takahiro asked.
Jin‑Woo tightened his grip on the key. "Let's go."
The key dissolved into light as he touched it to the gate. The world warped, and they stepped through.
---
The First Chamber
The air inside was cold and damp, carrying the faint metallic tang of blood.
[Instance Dungeon: Karutenon Temple – Wolf Den]
A low growl echoed from the shadows ahead.
Takahiro's Codex overlaid a golden map in his vision, marking twenty wolves in the first chamber.
They emerged in a wave — steel‑gray fur bristling, eyes glowing faintly, fangs gleaming like polished knives.
Takahiro tapped the ground.
[Environmental Shift: Floor Friction Increased]
The lead wolves slowed just enough for Jin‑Woo to sidestep and slash, his dagger biting deep. Takahiro intercepted another with a clean sword stroke, the body collapsing intact.
The chamber became chaos — snarls, the ring of steel, the thud of bodies hitting stone. Jin‑Woo's improved Strength let him parry charges without being bowled over, his Agility carrying him between snapping jaws.
By the time the last wolf fell, twenty bodies lay scattered, their pelts and mana stones waiting to be claimed.
[EXP Gained: 1,600]
[Level Up]
[Current Level: 7]
Strength: 22 → 23
Agility: 18 → 19
Vitality: 17 → 18
---
The Gauntlet Corridor
The tunnel narrowed, torchlight flickering. Takahiro's map showed fifteen more wolves ahead, spread through a twisting passage.
They came in bursts — three here, five there — forcing Jin‑Woo to fight in tight quarters. Takahiro's Codex hardened the floor under his feet for stability, then softened it under a wolf mid‑lunge, sending it sprawling.
Jin‑Woo's blade flashed, cutting down another. His breathing was heavy now, but his movements were sharper than ever.
[EXP Gained: 1,200]
[Level Up]
[Current Level: 8]
Strength: 23 → 24
Agility: 19 → 20
Vitality: 18 → 19
---
The Antechamber
The next room held fifteen wolves clustered together, their growls blending into a single, menacing rumble.
Takahiro raised his hand.
[Environmental Shift: Gust of Wind +15%]
The sudden blast staggered the pack. Jin‑Woo charged, weaving between them, striking at exposed flanks. Takahiro cut down those that broke formation, his movements precise and economical.
When the last wolf fell, the floor was littered with fifty bodies in total — proof of their combined efficiency and Jin‑Woo's rapid growth.
[EXP Gained: 1,500]
[Level Up]
[Current Level: 9]
Strength: 24 → 26
Agility: 20 → 22
Vitality: 19 → 21
Intelligence: 10 → 12
Sense: 10 → 12
---
The Boss Chamber
A narrow stairway led deeper. The air grew warmer, the torchlight orange and oppressive. At the foot of a vaulted chamber, something shifted in the darkness.
A sound like rolling thunder echoed off the walls. From a crevice carved into ancient stone, a massive form uncoiled — scales the color of tarnished bronze, eyes like molten gold. Rasaka slid forward, its body rippling with muscle.
[Boss Monster: Rasaka – Level 8]
---
The Surge
[Synchronization Threshold Reached: 10%+]
[Codex Efficiency Boost: +35%]
[Global Attribute Surge Applied]
Golden light spiraled into Takahiro's frame. His muscles tightened, his stance rooted deeper into the stone, and the air around him seemed to bend to his will. The runes spun in tight, deliberate orbits, each one humming with power.
Strength, Agility, Dexterity, Vitality, Sense — all surged. Lawscript Capacity swelled, Environmental Control stretched far beyond the chamber.
---
The Fight
Rasaka struck with terrifying speed. Jin‑Woo dove aside, the serpent's fangs slamming into the stone where he'd stood.
Takahiro moved to the flank, sword flashing to draw Rasaka's attention. The Codex raised a ridge of stone under Jin‑Woo's feet, giving him a higher angle.
Jin‑Woo slashed at Rasaka's neck, the blade biting between scales. The serpent hissed, whipping its tail around. Jin‑Woo ducked under it, the wind of its passing ruffling his hair.
The fight became a deadly rhythm — Rasaka striking, Jin‑Woo dodging and countering, Takahiro shaping the battlefield to open windows of attack.
A sudden lunge from Rasaka forced Jin‑Woo back against the wall. The serpent reared, fangs bared.
Takahiro slammed his palm to the ground.
[Environmental Shift: Surface Friction Reduced]
Rasaka's head slid just enough for Jin‑Woo to roll under it, driving his dagger deep into the softer scales under its jaw.
The serpent thrashed, its hiss echoing through the chamber. Jin‑Woo held on, twisting the blade until Rasaka's movements slowed, then stopped.
---
Aftermath
The massive body collapsed, its weight shaking the ground.
[Boss Defeated]
[EXP Gained: 4,800]
[Level Up]
[Level Up]
[Level Up]
[Current Level: 12]
HP: 340
MP: 60
Strength: 26 → 30
Agility: 22 → 26
Vitality: 21 → 25
Intelligence: 12 → 14
Sense: 12 → 14
Points Available: 0
[Skill Unlocked: Sprint] – Temporarily increases movement speed by 30%.
[Skill Unlocked: Vital Points Strike] – Increases damage dealt when striking enemy weak points.
[Synchronization: 12%]
[Architect's Codex – Status]
- Lawscript Capacity: 20% ↑
- Environmental Control: Tier 1 (Expanded Range, Faster Activation)
- Directives Unlocked: 2
- Prime Directive: Assist the Monarch's Growth
- Sub‑Directives: Alter environmental variables, Enhance challenge efficiency
[Status Window – Takahiro Kurogane] (All Attributes)
- Strength: 32 ↑
- Agility: 28 ↑
- Dexterity: 27 ↑
- Vitality: 30 ↑
- Sense: 26 ↑
Jin‑Woo glanced at the numbers, then at Takahiro. "You just got stronger… everywhere."
Takahiro flexed his fingers, feeling the Codex's hum in his bones. "And this is only twelve percent."
The gate shimmered open behind them, and together they stepped back into the world.