Is this some kind of joke? he thought.
After everything I went through… you finally give me a proper skill? Finally?
"And what the hell is this 'malware' part supposed to mean?" he muttered. "Don't tell me there's a bug in my system ."
He clicked his tongue, then forced a crooked, excited grin.
"Whatever. Time to test it out."
His eyes skimmed the details again.
"Compatible… huh? So I have to choose wisely… or I'm done for."
The grin faltered.
"Tch. Great. No pressure."
He exhaled and pulled up his current list.
---
Current Skills Acquired - Motherly warmth ,Blink ,Fruit Peeler,Sweet Dreams one minute, Relief
---
He let out a slow breath.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
His voice rose in panic.
"They're all useless! How am I supposed to mix this garbage together?"
His gaze darted over the names again.
"And I can't even do it randomly. If the compatibility tanks, I eat the penalty."
He swallowed.
"Motherly Warmth… no."
"Fruit Peeler? What am I supposed to do, assassinate someone with kitchen utensils?"
"Relief… that sounds suspicious already."
"Blink's decent, but mixing it blindly could ruin it."
He stared harder.
"Sweet Dreams for one minute…"
A pause.
"…Wait."
His brows slowly knit together.
"Motherly Warmth and Sweet Dreams… both are comfort-type skills."
He tilted his head.
"I mean… they're basically almost same in nature."
A dry chuckle escaped him.
"Alright. If I'm going to gamble, might as well gamble smart."
He gulped.
"Fuse Motherly Warmth with Sweet Dreams for one minute."
---
Activating Skill — Fusion
Fusing Motherly Warmth with Sweet Dreams one minute
Compatibility Rate — 81.09%
Fusion Successful
New Skill Created — Proper Rest
---
He blinked.
"…Proper Rest?"
A long silence followed.
"…That's it?"
He stared at the name, conflicted between relief and disappointment.
"At least it didn't failed."
"Let's see what you actually do…"
His eyes flicked to the floating window.
---
Skill — Proper Rest
Description — There once was an old bastard who wandered the snowy
mountains, hunting monsters long after his prime had passed.His bones ached. His breath froze in his lungs. His sword felt heavier with every swing.One winter, after collapsing in a cave and sleeping for three days straight, he awoke to something strange.Not strength. Not youth.Warmth.
Not the warmth of fire—
but the quiet comfort of surviving.
From that day onward, no matter how brutal the battle, no matter how deep the snow or how savage the beast, he carried that warmth within him.
And whenever he fought, he did not tire as easily as before.
Each clash felt lighter.
Each breath steadier.
As though rest itself lingered in his veins.
Simplified Description —
Reduces stamina consumption during battle by 25%.
---
A slow grin spread across his face.
"Twenty-five percent is insane."
"Finally… finally."
His shoulders trembled—not from exhaustion this time, but from something dangerously close to triumph.
"After all those shitty tasks… after crawling through hell just to earn those fucking garbage skills…"
He stared at the floating words again.
"I finally got something."
A slow, disbelieving laugh slipped out of him.
"After all that suffering… this actually feels like heaven."
His lips curled upward, sharp and unhinged.
"Hell yeah."
He tilted his head slightly, as if looking at someone only he could see.
"Did you see that coming, you fucking lunatic?"
A breathless chuckle escaped him.
"No? Of course you didn't."
A sudden message popped up.
---
Task – Kill 10 Goblins
Progression - 0/10
Time Limit – 24 Hours
---
Before he could even breathe, another screen appeared.
This one was black.
---
Special Task
Task – Kill 100 Goblins
Progression - 0/100
Time Limit – 72 Hours
Penalty – Death
---
He froze.
"What the fu—"
"Fucking hell is going on here?!" he shouted.
"I'm barely okay with killing 10 goblins—barely. I'd somehow manage that. But 100? In three days? Are you fucking insane?!"
"And what the hell is that penalty supposed to mean?"
He stared at the word.
Special.
"…Special."
"…Special."
His jaw tightened.
"I know it's you, you fucking lunatic."
"You think this is funny?"
"You'll pay for this. Just wait."
His voice trembled with anger and frustration as he glared at the black screen like it could glare back.
---
After some time.
In a low-rank dungeon.
"Finally… the ninth one," he muttered.
He pulled the sword out of the goblin's head.
"Proper Rest is actually insane… I'm only a little tired."
"It's been five hours… and I only managed nine."
"All the money I earned mining those damn rocks… gone. Just to buy this sword."
He exhaled.
"I should go deeper. Looks like there's nothing left here."
He stepped forward.
A zombie appeared.
"My last prey before I complete the task."
"Hell yeah."
He rushed toward it—
And stopped.
"What the fuck is this…?"
Behind him—
Goblins.
Not one.
Not two.
Not five.
Not ten.
Not twenty.
Not fifty.
Not seventy.
Hundreds.
"…What the fuck?"
"Where did they even come from?"
He slowly turned.
Every direction.
Green skin. Yellow eyes. Rusted weapons.
Surrounded.
"No way…"
"There's no way I survive this."
"No way."
He collapsed to his knees.
A goblin approached, its laughter sharp and mocking.
"…So it's still the same," he thought.
"I'm weak. Damn weak. I can't do anything at all."
A memory flashed.
A boy pinned to the ground.
Beaten.
Left half-dead.
Laughter ringing in his ears.
Another memory.
A rooftop.
Cold wind.
A trembling figure staring down at the world below.
"…Yeah. Still the same."
Then—
Another image.
His old self standing atop the tallest building, looking down—not in despair.
But in defiance.
A faint grin formed on his face.
"No… it's not the same."
"I'm not the same."
"Not me."
"Not Leon."
"Not Lucus."
"We never give up."
"Even if we're the lowest of the low… we crawl."
"And we rise."
The goblin swung its rusted sword at him.
He moved at the last second—
And caught the blade with his bare hand.
Blood dripped down his fingers.
But he didn't let go.
"I'm not the one who gives up!"
He roared—
And drove his sword upward, piercing through the goblin's mouth.
The body fell.
The surrounding goblins froze.
Some shrieked.
Some stepped back.
Some tightened their grip on their weapons.
He stood slowly, blood sliding down his hand.
"Come."
"Do whatever you can."
"But I'll kill every last one of you."
A crooked smile spread across his face.
And then—
A system screen popped up.
Right in front of his eyes.
Blue light cutting through the stench of blood and fear.
He glanced at it—
And a slow, crooked grin spread across his face.
"…Perfect timing."
He wiped the blood from his chin with the back of his hand.
"You really know how to make an entrance, don't you?"
His eyes flicked between the screen and the horde closing in.
"If this is another joke, I swear…"
His grin widened instead of fading.
"…No. No, this is good."
"Show me."
"Let's see what kind of madness you've prepared for me this time."
The goblins hesitated.