Silence returned to the dungeon.
Not the peaceful kind.
The kind that felt like a predator holding its breath.
The skeleton stood motionless, blue system light fading slowly from his vision. Black rat blood dripped from his fingers, splashing softly against the stone floor. His bones felt heavier than before, not because of weight, but because of awareness.
He had killed something.
Not as a human.
Not with a weapon.
As a monster.
"…So this is how it starts."
The thought echoed calmly in his mind, and that calm scared him more than fear would have.
In his previous life, killing a rat—even a mutated one—would have disgusted him. He would have flinched. Felt sick. Questioned himself.
Now?
Nothing.
No nausea.
No guilt.
Only analysis.
He looked down at his status window again.
[STATUS]
Level: 1
XP: 3 / 100
HP: 11 / 12
Bone Integrity: 31%
Soul Stability: 9%
"Three XP…"
In Eternal Dominion, early monsters required absurd amounts of grinding. Skeleton mobs like him usually never reached Level 2 because they died long before that.
He remembered clearly.
Skeletons were weak not just because of stats—but because they had no growth curve.
Except I do.
The Compensation Protocol hovered faintly at the edge of his perception, like a silent overseer.
He shifted his weight carefully and took a step forward.
Crack.
A warning tremor ran through his left leg. The fracture from earlier had worsened.
Another message appeared instantly.
[WARNING]
Bone Integrity below 30% may result in limb failure.
"Tch."
He paused.
Running blindly into fights would get him deleted. The system didn't care about bravery. Only results.
He crouched near the dead rat and focused.
"What can I do with you?"
In the novel, dungeon rats dropped materials used by low-level crafters. Bone fragments. Blood residue. Sometimes poison glands.
He reached out hesitantly.
The moment his fingers touched the corpse, a new interface appeared.
[MONSTER LOOT DETECTED]
Absorb materials?
Yes / No
His empty eye sockets widened slightly.
"Absorb?"
He selected Yes.
The rat's body dissolved into faint red and gray particles, flowing into his bones like smoke.
A strange sensation followed—not pleasure, but alignment. As if something incomplete inside him had been marginally repaired.
[ABSORPTION COMPLETE]
Bone Fragment consumed
Blood Residue consumed
Effect:
Bone Integrity +2%
Soul Stability +1%
The numbers updated.
Bone Integrity: 33%
Soul Stability: 10%
"…So monster materials can repair me."
That was huge.
Skeletons in the novel relied on necromancers or dungeon regeneration zones. Alone, they deteriorated quickly.
This changes everything.
He straightened slowly, testing his leg.
The crack remained—but it held.
"Alright."
He turned his gaze toward the darkness beyond the broken bars.
The rats hadn't left the dungeon.
They were circling.
Watching.
Waiting for weakness.
In the novel, dungeon rats attacked in packs, retreating when they sensed danger, then striking again from blind angles.
He remembered their behavior patterns.
They're not gone.
As if responding to his thoughts, faint scratching echoed from the walls.
Left.
Right.
Behind.
"Then I won't wait."
He moved.
Not toward the open corridor—but toward the shadows near the wall, where broken debris and collapsed stone formed natural cover.
His movements were clumsy, awkward. Every step produced a faint clatter. Stealth was impossible.
But monsters didn't rely on silence.
They relied on positioning.
The first rat lunged from the right.
He twisted, barely in time, its teeth grazing his ribs instead of his skull.
Pain flared as a rib cracked loose.
[HP -1]
Before it could retreat, he slammed his elbow down.
Bone met bone.
The rat shrieked.
He stomped.
Crack.
Kill.
[KILL CONFIRMED]
XP +3
Another rat came from behind.
He let it bite his forearm.
Intentionally.
The rat's teeth failed to pierce deeply, stuck between bone joints.
While it struggled, he grabbed its spine and twisted.
Hard.
The body snapped unnaturally.
[KILL CONFIRMED]
XP +3
Pain messages stacked up.
HP dropped to 9.
Bone Integrity fell to 29%.
Warnings flashed, but he ignored them.
Pain is data.
The last rat hesitated.
It backed away, squealing.
The skeleton didn't chase it.
Instead, he stood still and let the system process.
[XP Accumulated: 9 / 100]
"…Too slow."
At this rate, reaching Level 2 would take dozens of fights.
And each fight damaged him.
I need efficiency.
A new message appeared, as if answering his thoughts.
[SKILL CONDITION MET]
Repeated use of skeletal grip detected.
Skill available for unlock.
His attention snapped to the window.
[NEW SKILL AVAILABLE]
Bone Grip (Passive) – Rank F
Effect:
Increases grip strength and damage when restraining targets.
Unlock Cost: 5 XP
His remaining XP dropped instantly.
[XP Remaining: 4 / 100]
A subtle change passed through his arms.
Not strength.
Control.
His fingers flexed more smoothly, joints aligning better.
He tested his grip against a broken stone.
Crack.
The stone chipped.
"…Worth it."
In the novel, skills were everything. Raw stats meant nothing without abilities to apply them.
A low-rank skill now could evolve later.
He absorbed the remaining rat corpses quickly, restoring a bit more integrity.
Then—
A deeper sound echoed from the corridor.
Heavy footsteps.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Not rats.
His mind instantly identified it.
"…A patrol skeleton."
In Eternal Dominion, dungeon skeletons didn't spawn alone. Stronger undead roamed to prevent mobs from escaping.
A Rank E skeleton.
Twice his level.
Armed.
A silhouette emerged from the darkness—taller, thicker bones, rusty armor hanging loosely from its frame. In its hand, a corroded sword dragged across the floor.
Its empty gaze locked onto him.
[ENEMY DETECTED]
Skeleton Guard – Rank E
Estimated Survival Rate: 2.1%
The system didn't sugarcoat reality.
Fight, and die.
Run, and maybe die slower.
The guard raised its sword.
For the first time since reincarnating—
The skeleton smiled.
Not with lips.
But with intent.
"…Good."
If he killed this thing—
He wouldn't just gain XP.
He would gain equipment.
And maybe…
A level.
[HIDDEN CONDITION DETECTED]
Defeat higher-rank undead alone.
Potential reward: System Equipment Unlock.
The Skeleton Mob tightened his grip.
And stepped forward.