He had seen things like this many times in his younger brother's room. Yes, his brother was always watching some shows or playing games like these. Dexter, even though he was already twenty-four, sometimes wished he could relive a bit of his youth. The truth was, he had never been able to enjoy such pleasures as a child. Their father had barely cared about them, and because of his mother's illness, Dexter had always been the one to look after both her and his younger brother. That responsibility had stripped him of the simple joys of childhood.
From a very young age, Dexter had been forced to earn money for the family. At first, it was petty theft. But as time passed, his crimes grew larger, more dangerous. The streets had raised him, hardened him. Eventually, he even began to kill for money. That was how he supported his younger brother, how he paid for his education and future.
Dexter had even planned to retire. Yes, the killing he had carried out that very day was supposed to be his last. But fate had chosen a different path for him — and, unfortunately, it had dragged him into this mysterious world.
At that moment, the blue window appeared again, glowing before his eyes. This time, it displayed:
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Name: Dexter
Alias: D-blade
Level: 1
Abilities:
• Snake Fang (Grade B)
• Single Shot (Grade A+)
Stats:
• Strength: 17
• Speed: 18
• Endurance: 20
• Vitality: 18
• Defense: 12
• Intelligence: 16
• Magic: 0
• Mana: 25
Title: First Player
Dexter slowly began to understand the situation. Yes, he had somehow fallen into the world of a game. As he observed his surroundings again, the tall brownish walls and the narrow corridor felt strangely familiar. Almost as if he had stepped right into one of those shows or computer games he used to watch with his younger brother.
"So this is… a dungeon. Just like the ones I saw before. And if my memory isn't deceiving me, this place should have an owner… a lord, or some kind of boss," Dexter muttered to himself.
His eyes glinted a little colder.
"So, if I defeat it… I might be able to get out of here. But the lord must be strong. I don't know if my current stats will be enough."
In his mind, he recalled the words that had flashed during the fight with the skeleton: Intermediate-level Mana Bullets.
"So those weren't just ordinary bullets—they were strong and valuable ones. I don't have any more left, which means I'll have to rely on knives."
He carefully opened his USP, removed the magazine, and placed it back into the case. But his thoughts lingered on the weapon. An idea crossed his mind. Picking up the USP again, he pulled the trigger without loading any bullets. From the barrel, the same yellow light burst out, but this time it was weaker. Dexter suddenly felt drained from within. His breath shortened, his body weakened. After a moment, his strength slowly returned.
"So… this gun fires not only with bullets but with mana as well. But I can't use it as much as I want. Even if my mana stat is higher, there's still a limit," he muttered.
This time, he took out four slender, finely crafted daggers from the case. Their blades gleamed with a cold shine. Their design was so balanced it felt as though they were made not only for close combat but also for throwing.
Just then, another blue screen appeared:
Congratulations! You have obtained "Twin Daggers" (Rank B).
Attack: +18
Dexter allowed himself a faint smile.
"So, they count as two, not one. Nice."
He took a deep breath, brushed the dust off his coat once more, and picked up the case. The corridor was dark, but faint crimson lights flickered from a distance.
"I need to move faster… the quicker I run, the quicker I'll get out of here," he whispered to himself, stepping forward into the narrow passageway.
As Dexter walked along the corridor, three short, green-skinned goblins with glistening bodies appeared before his eyes. He smirked—this was the perfect chance to test the power of his weapon. Without stopping, he raised his gun and fired at their foreheads in quick succession. Three pulls of the trigger, three shots fired—the three goblins collapsed to the ground before they even realized what had happened.
At that moment, a blue window appeared:
Congratulations! You have defeated 3 Common Goblins (Rank E). You gained +3 EXP.
Congratulations! You have leveled up to Level 2. All stats increased by +1.
Dexter narrowed his eyes and whispered:
"So, by killing these creatures, I can raise my level and become even stronger…"
Continuing down the path, he soon faced a rattling skeleton. Dexter aimed for its chest and fired. The bullet struck straight into its skull, but the skeleton didn't fall. He shot again—still, it endured. Finally, after firing three consecutive times, the skeleton's skull shattered, and it collapsed lifelessly onto the floor.
Congratulations! You have defeated a Common Skeleton (Rank E). You gained +1 EXP.
Keeping his weapon raised, Dexter thought deeply:
"It didn't fall with a single bullet… Wasting ammo on enemies like this isn't smart. If there are many of them, I'll be in serious trouble."
Then he recalled the abilities he had seen on his stats screen:
Single Shot (Rank A+):
The weapon's maximum power is concentrated into a single bullet. Attack: +35. Cooldown: 1 minute.
Snake Fang (Rank B):
Strikes the enemy's weak point with extreme speed. Increases Speed by 15% when activated. Cooldown: 3 minutes.
Dexter assessed his weapon's power:
"Single Shot is definitely strong, but it can only be used once at a time. Using it against a group would be the stupidest decision. But Snake Fang seems much more useful. Perfect for finding and striking weak points. I'll need to test it against new types of monsters."