The words hung in the air like a sentence being passed down.
[Boss Evolution Initiated]
For a moment, no one moved.
Min-Jae stood frozen in the middle of the shattered street, staring up at the glowing system message. Even after everything he had seen in his previous life—dungeons collapsing, cities burning, S-rank hunters fighting monsters the size of buildings—this still felt wrong.
Completely wrong.
"Evolution…?" he muttered quietly.
That mechanic existed in higher-level dungeons. Powerful monsters could sometimes transform mid-battle, becoming stronger and gaining new abilities.
But never during the tutorial.
Never.
Behind him, the café door creaked open again.
One of the survivors peeked outside nervously.
"What… what does that mean?"
Another voice trembled from inside the café.
"Is it getting stronger?"
Min-Jae didn't answer.
His eyes were locked on the monster.
The creature had stopped moving. Its massive body stood perfectly still in the center of the road, head tilted slightly toward the sky.
Then its skin began to crack.
Thin glowing lines spread across its gray stone-like body like lightning traveling through rock.
CRACK.
A piece of its outer skin broke off and fell to the ground.
Another crack followed.
Then another.
The survivors gasped.
"Oh my god…"
"It's shedding its skin…"
Chunks of gray armor fell away one by one, smashing against the asphalt.
Underneath, something darker began to appear.
Something alive.
Min-Jae clenched his jaw.
"This is bad."
The monster's body began expanding slightly, muscles swelling as the stone armor shattered completely.
The glowing lines spread across its entire body now, pulsing like veins of molten lava.
Then the creature let out a roar.
Not the dull growl from before.
This one was deeper.
Angrier.
Alive.
The shockwave rattled the windows of nearby buildings.
Min-Jae raised his arm to shield his face from the wind.
When the dust finally settled, the monster slowly lowered its head.
And opened its eyes.
They were no longer yellow.
Now they burned a deep crimson.
A new system window flickered into existence.
Min-Jae's eyes immediately moved toward it.
[System Analysis Updating...]
The text struggled for a moment.
Then finally stabilized.
Stone Brute – Mutated
Rank: ELevel: 10Special Trait: Rapid Evolution
Min-Jae's heart sank.
"Level ten…"
That was far beyond anything that should appear in a tutorial stage.
In the original timeline, most monsters during the tutorial were barely level one or two.
This thing was five times stronger than anything that should exist right now.
The Stone Brute rolled its shoulders slowly.
The cracking sounds coming from its body were louder now, like heavy rocks grinding against each other.
Then it looked directly at Min-Jae again.
And smiled.
Min-Jae exhaled slowly.
"So you kept your sense of humor after evolving."
The monster suddenly disappeared.
Min-Jae's eyes widened.
Too fast.
His instincts screamed.
He jumped backward just as a massive fist crashed into the ground where he had been standing.
BOOM.
The street exploded.
Chunks of asphalt shot into the air like shrapnel.
Min-Jae rolled across the ground, barely avoiding another swing that smashed a nearby streetlight in half.
The pole crashed down with a loud metallic scream.
Min-Jae pushed himself back to his feet.
His breathing had already grown heavier.
"That speed… increased too."
The Stone Brute stepped forward again.
Each step cracked the pavement beneath its weight.
The monster swung its arm horizontally this time.
Min-Jae ducked under it and rushed forward.
The metal rod in his hand struck the monster's ribs.
CLANG.
The impact vibrated through his arms.
It felt like hitting a steel wall.
The monster barely reacted.
Instead, it turned its head slowly toward him.
Min-Jae jumped back immediately.
"Yeah… that's not working."
He glanced quickly at the cooldown timer floating beside his skill window.
System Glitch – Cooldown: 34 seconds
Too long.
He couldn't rely on it yet.
The Stone Brute took another step toward him.
Behind Min-Jae, the survivors watched through the café windows.
None of them dared to step outside.
One woman covered her mouth.
"He's going to die…"
Another man whispered nervously.
"There's no way anyone can fight that thing."
Min-Jae ignored them.
His focus stayed entirely on the monster.
He had fought stronger enemies before.
Much stronger.
But those fights had been when he was experienced, equipped, and part of a hunter team.
Right now he was alone.
Underleveled.
And holding a bent metal rod as a weapon.
Still…
A small smile appeared on his face.
"I've survived worse."
The monster suddenly charged again.
This time it didn't slow down.
The ground shook violently with each step as it rushed forward like a charging truck.
Min-Jae ran toward it.
The survivors inside the café screamed.
"Is he crazy?!"
At the last second, Min-Jae slid under the monster's swinging arm.
He twisted his body and slammed the rod into the back of its knee.
CRACK.
The monster stumbled slightly.
Not much.
But enough.
Min-Jae immediately jumped away.
His eyes sharpened.
"So the joints are weaker."
Good to know.
The Stone Brute slowly turned around again.
This time its expression had changed.
The smile was gone.
Now it looked annoyed.
Min-Jae rolled his shoulders.
"Good."
That meant it was taking him seriously now.
A system notification appeared beside him.
System Glitch – Cooldown Complete
Min-Jae's eyes lit up.
"Perfect timing."
He raised his hand again.
"System Glitch."
The world flickered for a split second.
The monster's body distorted like a broken image.
Then the weak points appeared again.
Three glowing red marks.
One on its chest.
One on its neck.
And one directly in the center of its forehead.
Min-Jae's mind worked instantly.
Three seconds.
That was all he had.
He ran.
The monster raised its arm to attack again.
But Min-Jae was already moving.
One step.
Two.
He jumped onto a broken car hood, using it as a platform to launch himself higher.
The rod swung downward with everything he had.
Straight toward the monster's forehead.
CLANG.
The impact rang out like a bell.
The red mark flickered.
The monster roared in anger.
Min-Jae landed on the ground and rolled away quickly.
The weak points disappeared again.
But this time something had changed.
A thin crack had appeared on the monster's forehead.
Min-Jae grinned.
"There we go."
The Stone Brute touched its forehead slowly.
Then it looked down at the blood now dripping from its fingers.
For the first time since the fight started…
The monster looked confused.
Min-Jae straightened up.
"That's right."
He pointed the metal rod toward it.
"You can bleed."
The monster's confusion quickly turned into rage.
Its entire body trembled as it roared again.
The sound echoed through the entire street.
Then it crouched low to the ground.
Min-Jae's instincts screamed again.
Something about this felt different.
The monster's muscles tightened.
Energy seemed to gather inside its body.
Then the system window appeared again.
But this message made Min-Jae's heart stop.
[Warning]
Boss Skill Unlocked
Min-Jae's eyes widened.
"Already?"
Another line appeared beneath it.
And this one made his blood run cold.
[Boss Skill: Earthbreaker Preparing]