The first thing he felt was pain.
Not the sharp, dramatic kind people talk about before dying.
This was dull. Heavy. Like his head had been stuffed with wet cement.
…I'm alive?
That thought barely formed before something slammed into his shoulder.
"Move, trash."
His body stumbled forward. The floor was cold under his palms when he hit it. Concrete. Rough. The smell of dust and sweat filled his nose.
Laughter followed immediately.
Not one voice. Many.
Mocking. Familiar in a way he hated.
"Did you see that? He tripped just standing there."
"Careful, don't touch him. What if weakness is contagious?"
"Hey, lowest-rank, you good? Or did your legs finally give up?"
Lowest-rank?
He pushed himself up slowly, blinking.
A massive indoor hall stretched out before him. Steel pillars. Digital screens mounted high on the walls. Rows of students in identical academy uniforms—black jackets with silver trims—stood in loose lines.
Above them, a giant holographic board flickered.
ASTRA ACADEMY – DUNGEON PRACTICE HALL 3
…Academy?
That didn't belong anywhere in his memories.
The last thing he remembered was white paint on black asphalt.
A crosswalk.
Headlights exploding into his vision—too bright, too close.
A horn screaming, stretched thin, refusing to end.
Pain dragged him back.
A needle-thin throb drilled behind his eyes as he sucked in a breath that wasn't supposed to be there. The air felt wrong. Lighter. Colder.
Images slammed into him.
A classroom.
Laughter that wasn't kind.
A boy standing alone while others turned away.
No.
Not memories—someone else's life.
Hands came into view. Thin. Calloused. Trembling.
Voices echoed in his skull.
"F-rank."
"Useless."
"Why did you even awaken?"
The name surfaced last, heavy and unwanted.
Kang Jihan.
Eighteen.
Talent: F rank.
The bottom.
And somehow—
this body was now his.
In this world, everyone awakened powers at sixteen. Everyone received a Status Window. Everyone, except monsters, was evaluated, ranked, and measured.
Talent determined everything.
Guild offers.
Resources.
Respect.
And Kang Jihan had none of it.
"Why are you staring off into space?" someone sneered.
A hand shoved his chest. Not hard enough to injure him. Just enough to remind him of his place.
He looked up.
Three boys stood in front of him. Confident postures. Relaxed smiles. Their status windows floated faintly beside them, semi-transparent, visible to anyone nearby.
Name: Park Minjae
Talent Rank: B
Ability: Flame Manipulation
Name: Seo Hyunwoo
Talent Rank: C
Ability: Enhanced Reflexes
Name: Lee Doyoon
Talent Rank: C
Ability: Steel Skin (Partial)
Mid-tier talents. Nothing special. But compared to an F-rank?
Gods.
Park Minjae crouched slightly, bringing his face closer.
"You know, Jihan, I'm impressed. Most people with your rank would've dropped out by now."
He smiled wider. "Still trying to become a hunter? That's cute."
More laughter rippled outward. Students pretended not to watch while very obviously watching.
Kang Jihan—no, he—straightened his back.
Slowly.
Something was different.
The fear wasn't there.
The habitual flinch was gone.
Instead, there was a strange calm. Like he was watching a scene from a distance, mildly interested.
So this is the body I got.
He exhaled softly.
"Well?" Park Minjae tilted his head. "Nothing to say?"
He looked at him. Really looked.
That's it?
This is the guy making my life hell?
Before he could respond, a sharp electronic chime echoed through the hall.
[DUNGEON PRACTICE ANNOUNCEMENT]
All conversations died instantly.
A female instructor's voice rang out, amplified and cold.
"Students. Today's practical test will be conducted in Dungeon Gate E-17."
A murmur spread.
E-17.
Even low-level dungeons had reputations. E-17 wasn't lethal—but it wasn't easy either.
The instructor continued. "Clear conditions: eliminate the dungeon boss. Team size optional. Maximum time: sixty minutes."
Her gaze swept across the hall.
"Failure will be recorded."
More murmurs. Some excitement. Some tension.
Teams began forming immediately.
Talented students grouped up naturally. Fire with wind. Tank with support. Summoners surrounded by guards.
No one looked in his direction.
As usual.
Park Minjae chuckled. "Guess you're solo again, Jihan."
Seo Hyunwoo leaned in, voice dripping with fake concern. "Careful in there. Don't die, okay? It'd be awkward explaining that paperwork."
They turned away, already done with him.
He didn't stop them.
He was busy staring at something else.
A translucent blue screen hovered before his eyes.
It hadn't been there a second ago.
He blinked.
The screen remained.
> [Status Window – Kang Jihan]
Level: 1
Strength: 7
Agility: 6
Vitality: 6
Intelligence: 8
Luck: 5
Talent Rank: F
Unique Ability: None
Wow, he thought dryly. That's impressively bad.
So this world ran on game logic.
Levels. Stats. Abilities.
He could work with that.
Then—
The screen shattered.
Not literally. It fractured into dozens of glowing shards, each one dissolving into light.
A new interface forced itself into place, darker, sharper, edged with gold.
A sound echoed directly inside his head.
[SYSTEM DETECTED]
[Searching for Compatible Host…]
[Compatibility: 100%]
He froze.
Students walked past him, unaware. The instructor continued giving instructions. The world moved on.
But for him, everything narrowed to that screen.
[Initializing Absolute Overlord System.]
His heartbeat spiked.
System, huh?
Of course it couldn't just be a normal reincarnation.
[Welcome, Administrator.]
Administrator?
[You have reincarnated into a world governed by rigid rules.]
[Those rules do not apply to you.]
The corners of his mouth twitched.
That was… promising.
[Granting Initial Authority.]
[Unique Skill Acquired.]
A line of text burned itself into his vision.
[Unique Skill: Dungeon Domination (SSS)
Effect:
– All stats increased by 300% inside dungeons
– Enemy suppression applied
– Loot drop rate massively increased
– Boss rewards guaranteed]
He stared at it.
Then reread it.
Then laughed.
Not out loud. Just a quiet breath of disbelief.
That's… not even subtle.
The system continued mercilessly.
[Hidden Achievement Unlocked: Reincarnated Overlord]
[Reward: Passive Skill – Calm Mind]
[Effect: Mental interference resistance +999%]
That explained the calm.
His pulse settled. His thoughts sharpened.
Around him, students began moving toward the gate entrance.
A shimmering oval of light had opened at the far end of the hall. Inside it, a dark forest waited.
Dungeon Gate E-17.
The instructor's voice rang out again. "Enter in order of registration."
Teams stepped forward.
He remained where he was.
Solo.
As always.
Park Minjae noticed and laughed loudly. "You're really going in alone? Bold choice."
He met his eyes.
Kang Jihan looked past him.
Not at his face.
At the dungeon gate behind him.
"You're in my way," he said calmly.
For the first time, Park Minjae frowned.
There was no fear there. No resentment.
He didn't know why.
And he hated that.
"Whatever," Park Minjae scoffed. " Don't die at starting."
He walked past.
Jihan followed shortly after.
The moment his foot crossed the threshold—
The world shifted.
The academy hall vanished.
He stood in a forest bathed in dim, greenish light. Massive trees twisted overhead. The air smelled damp and metallic.
A notification appeared instantly.
[Dungeon Domination Activated.]
Something surged through him.
Strength flooded his limbs. His senses sharpened. The forest felt… small.
Like a set.
A rustling sound came from the bushes ahead.
Three goblin creatures emerged, crude weapons in hand. Their eyes locked onto him.
Normally, this was where panic set in.
Normally, an F-rank like Kang Jihan would freeze.
He didn't.
He stepped forward.
The nearest goblin lunged.
He moved without thinking.
His fist connected…
There was a crack—wet and final.
The goblin's body flew back, smashing into a tree before collapsing into particles of light.
Silence.
He looked at his hand.
…Did I just do that?
A notification popped up immediately.
[Enemy Eliminated.]
[Experience Gained.]
[Level Up!]
Another goblin charged, screaming.
He sidestepped casually and kicked.
The creature's head separated from its body mid-air.
The third tried to run.
It didn't make it three steps.
Notifications stacked rapidly.
Levels climbed.
Loot dropped at his feet—coins, crystals, equipment.
He stood there, surrounded by glowing rewards, while his status window updated again and again.
After a moment, he sighed.
"…This was supposed to be a dungeon?"
Somewhere far above the forest, on a screen inside the academy hall, a name flickered.
Dungeon Progress – Solo Participant: Kang Jihan
The timer started counting down.
And the dungeon had no idea what it had just let inside.
To Be Continued...