---
A thin layer of gray dust scattered beneath Arthur's feet as he stepped out of the black gate.
The smell of this floor was different from the first one… less corrupted, yet somehow heavier.
Like the scent of a place that had witnessed far too many deaths… and an unnaturally long silence.
The tall walls were jagged, marked with old claw traces, some broken as if something massive had tried to escape—only to fail.
The scattered bones were no longer white… they had turned into dark gray stone, fused with the ground itself.
The system appeared immediately:
---
[Analyzing environment…]
[Second Floor — The Fallen Cells]
[Active Threats: Dark-Gray Rank Monsters (3 Stars)]
[Primary Threat: Dark-Gray Rank Commander (5 Stars)]
---
Arthur raised his sword slightly, as if testing its weight.
"So… this time they're not just mindless puppets crawling on all fours."
The system replied sharply—unusually so:
[Slow down, Arthur… These monsters are stronger than you in physique, speed, and endurance.
Their intelligence is higher than the first floor, and they hunt as a pack, not as scattered individuals.
Any misjudgment here… could cost you the lifespan you're trying to gather.]
Arthur smiled faintly, though his eyes remained serious.
"And that's exactly why I'm here."
He stepped forward, the hand holding the sword steady and unshaking…
For now, he needed only one thing:
Lifespan.
And the road to it… passed through predation.
The first monster emerged from the darkness… then the second, then the third and fourth.
Long, hunched bodies; their front arms slightly longer, ending in sharp gray claws.
Their faces lacked features—just a stretched mouth lined with crooked teeth.
Their eyes… mere glowing white slits amid the blackness.
They stopped a few meters away; one released a broken, gravel-like voice:
[Huuum… aaah… hu-man… co-rruuup-tion… waalks… on… two… leegs…]
[Fleeesh… liiive… tiiime… fresssh…]
Then a heavier sound came from behind them, as if the wall itself had moved.
The commander emerged.
He was taller than all of them, shoulders broader, his back covered with natural bone plates like armor.
His lower jaw was reinforced with a thick calcified layer that doubled the strength of his bite, and each breath he released made the gray fog tremble.
He lifted his head toward Arthur, speaking with effort—yet with a deeper, more focused voice:
[You… caaaarry… Aaaabyss… smeell… insiiide… huuuman… fleeesh… Siiin… muust… be… eraased…]
The system whispered tensely:
[He senses the corruption aura inside you. Only because I opened it.]
Arthur nodded once, raised his sword into a ready stance, and said calmly:
"Then come… and give me your time."
They did not attack blindly.
Two of them moved first, as if testing his reaction.
One from the right—slow, leaning forward, claws dragging on the ground.
The second from the left—faster, but with staggered steps meant to distract.
The system said:
[Initial probe… they'll adjust their plan based on your response.]
Arthur replied with dry sarcasm:
"Then let's give them a bad impression."
He activated Lightning Step.
He vanished from his spot—and didn't reappear attacking the weaker one.
Instead, he appeared behind the faster monster on the left.
He swung upward from below, slicing the monster from belly to chest.
Bone fragments flew with dark-gray blood as the creature collapsed, releasing choking, gurgling sounds.
---
[Predation Active: Partial Core Absorbed]
[+0.03 Strength]
[+0.02 Endurance]
[+0.01 Mana]
[Time Extracted: +4.8 hours]
---
Strength: 41.49% → 41.52%
Endurance: 40.80% → 40.82%
Mana: 35.88% → 35.89%
The system murmured:
[Partial consumption of physical energy… in exchange for minor increases.
Predation remains stable.]
"That's exactly what I want."
The remaining monster did not retreat—it lunged straight at him, claws aimed at his throat.
Arthur dropped his body instantly, letting the claws pass mere millimeters above his head, then pushed forward and delivered a horizontal cut that severed its leg at the joint.
It fell to its knee, body leaning forward without balance.
Arthur drove his sword from under the chin straight through the back of its skull.
---
[Predation Active: Partial Core Absorbed]
[+0.04 Strength]
[+0.01 Endurance]
[+0.01 Magic Power]
[Time Extracted: +5.2 hours]
---
Strength: 41.52% → 41.56%
Endurance: 40.82% → 40.83%
Magic Power: 35.88% → 35.89%
---
The last two monsters paused.
Then swapped positions in two synchronized steps, as if immediately shifting tactics after losing two comrades.
The system warned:
[Be careful!! They now consider you a mid-level threat—one not to be underestimated.]
[They will aim to exhaust you, not kill you in one blow.]
"Let them try."
This time, Arthur didn't wait.
He charged.
He rushed at the nearest one, but it retreated with surprising speed while the other leaped over it from behind, targeting Arthur's eye.
Its claw nearly reached his face—
But Arthur's eye moved before his body.
Insightful Eye — Instant Activation.
No text appeared, but he saw the claw's path as if a glowing line had been drawn in the air.
He tilted his head, letting the claw slice his cheek but miss, then twisted his body and stabbed the monster mid-air—right between its ribs.
Its body stiffened, then fell.
---
[Predation Active: Partial Core Absorbed]
[+0.02 Strength]
[+0.03 Endurance]
[+0.01 Mana]
[Time Extracted: +6.1 hours]
---
Strength: 41.56% → 41.58%
Endurance: 40.83% → 40.86%
Mana: 35.89% → 35.90%
The last three-star monster did not flee.
It crouched, lowering its center of gravity, its narrow gray eyes fixed on Arthur without blinking.
It released a broken hiss, almost scolding:
[Faaast… kiiill… huuuman… daaan-ger…]
The system:
[This last one is more cautious. It won't show its back or fall for a simple trap.]
"Good… I dislike dumb prey."
Arthur extended his hand.
"Shadow Manipulation."
His shadow stretched across the ground—not towards the monster, but around it, circling slowly as if doing nothing.
Arthur advanced in slow, deliberate steps, sword raised.
The monster circled with him, keeping the same distance.
Suddenly, Arthur dashed forward with Lightning Step… then halted half a second before reaching his target.
At that exact moment—
A shadow spear shot upward from behind the monster, piercing its thigh from back to front.
The creature screamed, losing balance.
Arthur charged in and delivered a diagonal slash from shoulder to flank, tearing through its body—then a final stab to end it.
---
[Predation Active: Partial Core Absorbed]
[+0.03 Strength]
[+0.01 Endurance]
[+0.02 Magic Power]
[Time Extracted: +5.6 hours]
---
Strength: 41.58% → 41.61%
Endurance: 40.86% → 40.87%
Magic Power: 35.89% → 35.91%
The system spoke after a moment of silence:
[All Dark-Gray Rank (3-Star) units have been eliminated.]
[Be careful, Arthur… only the commander remains.]
Arthur wiped the blood from his cheek with his thumb and looked at the commander, who had yet to move.
The commander finally stepped forward.
Each step echoed through the chamber like the beating of war drums.
He stopped at a distance close enough for Arthur to see the cracks in his skin and the bones protruding from his elbows and knees.
Arthur felt a sudden weight press against his body.
The system explained:
[Physical Pressure Aura—origin: massive muscle density and accumulated corruption.]
[Your endurance allows you to remain standing… but not for long if this continues.]
The commander raised his head and spoke slowly, choosing each word like a stone:
[You… preeedaaate… our… tiiime…
We… preeedaaate… your… fleeesh… and… miiind…]
Arthur replied coldly:
"Try."
Then he pushed forward.
The first clash was like rock slamming into a wall.
A claw strike from the commander—Arthur blocked with his sword, but the force made his arm tremble, shoulder burning with pain.
The commander shoved him back, following with a faster second strike.
Arthur was forced to use Lightning Step only to retreat—not to attack.
The system:
[His physical strength far exceeds yours. Direct confrontation will only lead to prolonged loss.]
"Stop reading my mind and just give me information."
The system grumbled:
[I'm only trying to help!]
Arthur didn't answer—he only scowled and dashed again.
He rushed toward the commander, then swerved at the last instant, aiming a quick slash at the knee joint.
It didn't sever the limb, but the commander staggered half a step.
A tail strike—thick bone—nearly crushed his ribs; Arthur ducked beneath it, the whistle of air slicing above his back.
The system:
[If this exchange continues, you lose. Your body won't endure.]
"Then… we'll steal a little."
Arthur raised his hand; his eye glowed faintly with corruption.
"Predation."
Not aimed at the commander—
But at the remains of a three-star monster whose core wasn't fully consumed.
A tendril of shadow extended, devoured what little essence remained, and returned to Arthur.
---
[Predation Active: Absorbed Remnant Core — Dark-Gray Rank]
[+0.02 Endurance]
[+0.02 Mana]
---
Endurance: 40.87% → 40.89%
Mana: 35.90% → 35.92%
The system, annoyed:
[Smart use… but this kind of limited recovery won't save you if you take a fatal hit.]
"I don't plan on taking a fatal hit."
The commander charged again—faster, as if corruption itself pushed him.
A downward strike—
Arthur dodged sideways.
A massive side kick—
He evaded with a short backward hop.
Then came the triple attack:
Right claw.
Left claw.
Tail from behind—simultaneous.
Dodging alone wasn't enough.
Arthur activated partial Berserk Krypton — Level 2; not the full state, but enough corruption to amplify reaction speed for a brief moment.
The world slowed.
He saw the three attack paths as glowing trails.
He bent forward, letting both claws pass above his shoulders, then grabbed the commander's tail with both hands—using the enhanced strength from the partial berserk.
The commander roared, trying to pull him in reverse, but Arthur used the momentum, pivoted half a turn, then jumped—using the tail as leverage to launch himself upward.
In an instant, he stood on the commander's shoulders.
He raised his sword with all his strength…
And struck the neck between the bone plates.
CRAAACK!!
Not fully broken.
Second strike.
Third strike.
Each hit widened the crack.
The commander thrashed wildly, trying to reach him, but Arthur moved across his back as if on stable ground.
Fourth strike… fifth… then silence for a heartbeat.
And then—
The bone broke.
Arthur plunged the sword into the gap, pushing it all the way in.
The monster let out a long shriek, fell to its knees, body shaking like a tree with its trunk severed.
Arthur pulled the sword free and let the creature collapse forward, smashing part of the ground beneath it.
Silence followed.
The system did not speak for several seconds.
Then the text appeared:
---
[Predation Active: Partial Core Absorption — Dark-Gray Rank (5 Stars)]
[+0.06 Strength]
[+0.04 Endurance]
[+0.02 Mana]
[+0.02 Magic Power]
[Time Extracted: +10.3 hours]
---
Strength: 41.61% → 41.67%
Endurance: 40.89% → 40.93%
Mana: 35.92% → 35.94%
Magic Power: 35.91% → 35.93%
A new transparent panel appeared:
---
[Total Extracted Lifespan on Floor Two:]
Total: +32.0 hours
---
[Base lifespan remaining before entry:]
136.6 hours (≈ 5.69 days)
[Current lifespan after predation:]
168.6 hours (≈ 7.03 days)
---
Arthur exhaled a long breath, feeling a faint lightness in his chest.
"Forty-eight extra hours from death… a small step, but an important one."
The system didn't give him time to dwell.
A new notification appeared with a clear chime:
---
Ding
Hidden Quest Completed
Quest: Purify a Floor of the Fallen Cells
Details: Eliminate all Dark-Gray Rank monsters on the second floor
Reward: High-Quality Healing Potion
Bonus Reward:
+0.88 Strength
+0.66 Endurance
---
Immediately after, another update:
---
[Updated Stats After Reward:]
Strength: 41.67% → 42.55% (E)
Endurance: 40.93% → 41.59% (E)
---
A warm sensation spread through Arthur's muscles, easing some of his pain.
He looked at his blood-soaked body, then at the fallen commander.
He muttered, with a tired yet satisfied smile:
"This is good… this is what hidden dungeons should be."
When he lifted his head, he saw the next gate at the far end of the hall… larger, deeper, darker than the previous one.
He walked toward it with steady steps, sword resting on his shoulder, eyes holding only one thought:
"Lifespan… then strength."
---