I stuffed the core into my pocket carefully, like it was a fragile egg.Then immediately remembered I was standing in water with a bleeding hand and a chain.
I forced myself upright and rolled my shoulders.My whole body buzzed like I'd just chugged three energy drinks and then licked a battery for fun.
The pain from the shock had faded into a subtle sting under my skin, but it was still there, like a warning label my nerves had printed out.
I pulled up my system again.
STATUS.
CORE.
LOG.
I flicked to STATUS first. After nearly dying, I felt entitled to at least see my numbers go up.
[STATUS]
Name: Kura Miyamoto
Class: True Mage
Affinity: Lightning
Core: Bronze (Stabilizing)
Level: 2
Unspent Stat Points: 10
STR - 5
AGI - 8
VIT - 7
INT - 7
MGK - 10
LCK - 15
Unspent points: 12.
Twelve.
That was… actually kind of insane. I stared at it like it would disappear if I blinked.
"So you're telling me," I whispered, "that almost dying is a viable progression method."
The system, as always, offered no moral commentary.
I tapped my chin and stared at my stats.
If I was going to survive in here, I needed two things.
More magic output so I didn't feel like I was using a cheap taser every ten seconds. More durability so I didn't die from slipping on dungeon water like a cartoon character.
I allocated slowly.
+6 MGK
+3 VIT
+3 AGI
The moment I confirmed it—
A mild warmth spread through my chest, subtle but noticeable, like my core was stretching and settling into place.
"Okay," I muttered.
I closed the panel and stared down the tunnel exits.
Now that Slime Prime had melted into a sad puddle, the chamber had three paths leading out. All were equally dark and equally suspicious. I chose the one that looked the least like it wanted to trap me again.
My boots squelched as I moved forward, chain held loosely at my side.
The next part of Mireglass Tunnels wasn't… easy.But compared to Slime Prime, it was like being bullied by toddlers after surviving a bear attack.
The slimes came in small clusters now, wobbling in shallow water, and the leeches stuck to the ceiling like wet noodles.
The first time a leech dropped near my shoulder, I almost Zip Dashed straight into the wall out of instinct.
But I didn't.
Because I'm a brave, intelligent, heroic protagonist.
…And also because Zip Dash had cooldown scaling and I wasn't wasting a premium escape button on a ceiling parasite.
Instead, I flicked Lightning Burst.
ZZT—!
The leech twitched, smoked slightly, and fell into the water.
"Disgusting," I hissed, stepping away.
"Can you even call yourself a monster. More like a pest."
Slimes were annoying in a way they always had been.
They just kept wobbling forward, shameless.
If only they had more of a brain.
Not to mention that, due to my bloody hand they always moved with enthused vigour. They were looking at me like a snack. I didn't know how to feel about that.
My chain helped quell these stupid monsters. It wasn't a sword, but it worked like one when I swung it hard enough. I'd whip it, snag a slime, and then send a burst down the links.
Sometimes they popped and other times they'd melt.
After the fourth group, the system chimed.
[Elemental Slime Group Slain. EXP +15]
[Leech Cluster Slain. EXP +15]
[Level Up! Level 3]
[Unspent Stat Points: +5]
I paused mid-step.
"…I'm leveling up quite fast."
I opened STATUS again.
Level 3.
More Points gained.
More numbers.
More dopamine.
I distributed them without overthinking.
+2 MGK
+3 INT
The warmth returned, faint and steady, before dissipaing.
My body felt lighter after that.
My joints moved smoother in the water, like my magic sat closer to the surface of my skin.
And then—
A new panel flickered.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
Skill Unlocked: Static Sense (Lv.1) — Passive
Description: Detects nearby mana movement and core signatures within a short radius.
Note: Stronger entities can hide their signals.
Immediately, the dungeon… changed.
I could sense little ripples of mana in the corridor ahead—small slimes, a few leeches, and farther away.
Something bigger.
My stomach tightened.
"Okay," I muttered, "so now the system is giving me spider-sense so I can die more efficiently."
Another notification popped up right after, like the system was in a generous mood.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
Skill Unlocked: Chain Arc (Lv.1) — Active
Description: Converts Lightning Burst into a chained discharge for 30s. Creating electric chain extension that extends the chains by 3m range.
Cost: Core Output (Medium)
Cooldown: 25 seconds
I stared at it.
Then stared harder.
Slimes came in groups.
Leeches came in clusters.
If I used this skill I could hit a large group at once.
That meant less time being in this damp, cursed place.
I flexed my fingers, felt the subtle sting, felt the hum of electricity beneath my skin.
Then I moved.
The dungeon shifted into a final stretch.
The water was now deeper, up to my shins, and the walls glistened brighter.
The dripping stopped.
That was never a good sign.
My Static Sense practically screamed.
In the centre of the room was a mound.
A large, bloated creature sat coiled in the water like a throne made of wet muscle, its body thick and ringed, with smaller leeches attached to it like living armor.
Its head lifted slightly.
A system panel slid in like it was proud of itself.
[DUNGEON BOSS DETECTED]
Name: Leech King
Threat Level: Minor+ (F+)
Description: Dungeon boss entity. Controls lesser leeches through pheromonal mana output. Weak to elemental discharge. Low mobility. High drain potential if allowed to attach.
I stared at it.
Then I stared at the "F+" label.
Then I stared at the creature again.
"…So this is the actual boss. Not the D-rank slime you randomly threw at me earlier."
The dungeon did not apologize.
The Leech King shifted, smaller leeches wriggling along its sides.
I sighed.
"Alright," I muttered, raising my chain. "Let's get this over with before something else evolves."
The fight wasn't cinematic or dramatic.
Infact it felt more like basic pest control.
The Leech King tried to send its little minions forward, but Chain Arc turned them into nicely kebabed leeches.
ZZZT—KRAK!
The discharge jumped from leech to leech, snapping through them like a cruel party trick.
The little ones curled, smoked, and floated belly-up.
The boss itself tried to lunge.
However compared to Slime Prime its movements were much slower and heavier.
I moved out of its line of sight. I wasn't letting a wet noodle king touch me for any reason.
Putting my palm forward I fired a full Lightning Burst straight into the water in front of it.
The current spread.
The king convulsed.
The whole chamber flashed once, bright and blue.
Then the Leech King sagged, deflated, and slowly collapsed into the pool accepting its death.
A beat of silence.
Then—
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
Boss Slain: Leech King
EXP +30
[Dungeon Progress: 100%]
[DUNGEON CLEAR REWARD: +10 Stat Points]
[Core Acquired: Leech King Core (Unrefined)]
I blinked.
Then I looked at the glowing core on the water's surface.
"…I did it."
And the strangest part was—
I didn't feel relief.
I felt… annoyed.
If clearing a basic dungeon like this took this much effort.
Then I could only imagine how much harder other ones could be.
I grabbed the new core and stuffed it away, then pulled up my status.
Level 3.
Unspent points: 15.
"Okay," I muttered. "We're doing this later. Right now I want air, food, and therapy."
A final message appeared.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
Exit Gate Generated.
A pale shimmer formed on the far wall, widening into a soft circular portal.
Without hesitating I stepped through.
The dungeon dissolved like fog.
And suddenly—
—I was back in the gate district of the black market.
The market buzzed on like I hadn't just fought a slime dictator and a leech monarch.
I stood there for a second, blinking.
Then I checked my phone out of habit.
Hours had passed.
More than I expected.
My body felt tired in that deep, post-adrenaline way, like my bones were finally remembering they were flesh. As I started walking away from the gate booth, I heard a familiar voice.
"You're alive."
Mr. B.
I turned my head slightly.
He was leaning against a pillar, arms crossed, expression unreadable—but the relief was there, tucked behind the sarcasm.
I lifted my ruined backpack slightly like a trophy.
"Barely," I said. "Your beginner dungeon was very misleading."
His eyes flicked to the stains.
"…What happened to your bag."
"I got bullied by slime royalty."
He stared.
I stared back.
Then he sighed, like he'd made peace with the fact his night was never going to be normal again.
"…You clear it?"
I pulled out two monsters core out just enough for him to see the glow, then tucked them back away.
His eyebrows lifted.
"Damn," he muttered. "You actually did it."
"I told you," I said smugly, trying not to wobble from exhaustion. "I'm built different."
He huffed. "Yeah, yeah. Just don't die next time."
I gave him a lazy salute with the hand that wasn't bleeding anymore.
"No promises."