Kang Min-joon leaped through the shattered window without a second thought.
Glass crunched under his boots as he landed on the ledge two stories above the chaos. The rusty goblin dagger felt like a toy in his grip now that Strength sat at 14. Wind whipped his blood-stained shirt. Below, the street had become a warzone. Cars burned. Civilians ran screaming. And in the center of it all, the Level 25 World Boss roared.
**Grom the Butcher**
Level 25
HP: 8,450 / 8,450
A towering orc warlord clad in crude iron plates, axe dripping with fresh blood. Its red name tag pulsed like a warning beacon.
Min-joon's lips curled. "Triple EXP, huh? Don't mind if I do."
[You have entered combat with World Boss "Grom the Butcher"!]
[All nearby players have been notified of your location.]
He didn't care. Let them come. He was done being prey.
Three goblins spotted him on the ledge and charged up the rubble pile like monkeys. Min-joon didn't wait. He dropped straight down, dagger flashing.
The first goblin's head left its shoulders before it could squeal. Blood sprayed across his face.
[You have killed a Level 4 Goblin Warrior!]
[You have gained 65 EXP!]
[Level Up!]
[You are now Level 3!]
Power flooded his veins again. Five more points. He slammed all of them into Agility without thinking. The world sharpened. Movements slowed in his eyes like slow-motion VR.
**Agility: 12**
He spun mid-air, slashing the second goblin across the chest. The third tried to stab him from behind—too slow. Min-joon's foot connected with its jaw, sending it flying into a burning car. It exploded in a shower of green limbs.
[You have killed two Level 4 Goblin Warriors!]
[You have gained 130 EXP!]
[Level Up!]
[You are now Level 4!]
Four more points. Vitality this time. He needed to tank hits from that monster.
**Vitality: 13**
HP jumped to 210. His wounded arm closed up completely, leaving only a faint scar.
Min-joon landed in the middle of the street, breathing hard but grinning like a madman. The orc warlord turned its massive head toward him. Yellow eyes narrowed.
"Little human… dares challenge Grom?" the boss growled in broken Korean, voice like gravel in a blender.
Min-joon wiped blood from his cheek. "Challenge? Nah. I'm just here to farm."
He charged.
The orc swung its axe in a wide arc that could cleave a car in half. Min-joon ducked under it, feeling the wind slice past his scalp. He slashed at the beast's thigh, carving a shallow gash.
-87 HP
Grom roared and backhanded him. The blow lifted Min-joon off his feet and sent him crashing through a convenience store window. Cans and glass exploded everywhere.
-112 HP
He rolled to his feet inside the ruined store, pain screaming in his ribs. The System immediately started healing, but slower than before. Boss damage hurt.
"Pathetic," the orc laughed. "System gives weaklings false hope."
Min-joon spat blood and stood up. "False hope? Let's test that."
He activated his new skill for the first time.
[Dimensional Theft (Lv.1) – Target Acquired: Grom the Butcher]
[Stealing one random skill…]
[Success!]
[You have stolen "Butcher's Roar" (Active Skill)!]
[Butcher's Roar (Lv.1): Unleash a deafening war cry that stuns enemies within 15 meters for 3 seconds and boosts your Strength by 20% for 10 seconds. Cooldown: 30 minutes. Mana Cost: 40.]
A savage thrill shot through him. The System had let him steal from a World Boss on the first try.
Min-joon stepped out of the store, eyes glowing with red Nexus energy.
"Try this on for size."
He opened his mouth and roared.
**Butcher's Roar!**
The sound wave blasted outward like a sonic boom. Grom staggered, axe dropping slightly as the stun locked its muscles. Nearby goblins clutched their ears and froze.
Min-joon exploded forward. His boosted Strength made every step crack the asphalt. He drove the dagger straight into the orc's knee joint—deep.
-245 HP (Critical!)
Grom bellowed in rage, stun breaking early because of its boss resistance. The axe came down like judgment. Min-joon barely twisted aside. The blade smashed the ground, carving a three-meter crater.
He wasn't done. While the orc recovered balance, Min-joon jumped onto its arm, ran up the shoulder like it was a staircase, and stabbed the dagger into the side of its thick neck.
-189 HP
Blood fountained. The orc grabbed him with one massive hand and hurled him across the street like a ragdoll. Min-joon smashed into a bus stop, metal bending around him.
-156 HP
HP now at 42 / 260. Dangerously low. But the EXP notifications were flooding in.
[You have dealt significant damage to World Boss "Grom the Butcher"!]
[Party EXP multiplier active!]
[You have gained 420 EXP!]
[Level Up!]
[You are now Level 5!]
Six points. He dumped four into Strength and two into Agility. No mercy. No overthinking. Pure efficiency.
**Strength: 18**
**Agility: 14**
The power surge felt like liquid fire in his blood. He stood up from the wreckage, bones already knitting back together. The orc was bleeding heavily now, HP at 7,300 / 8,450. Not enough. But Min-joon was just getting started.
That was when he heard footsteps behind him—light, fast, professional.
A woman landed on a nearby car roof, long black hair whipping in the wind. She wore the torn remains of a hunter's leather jacket, dual short swords already drawn and dripping goblin blood. Her eyes—sharp, ice-cold—locked on him.
**Lee Seo-yoon**
Level 7
Class: Blade Dancer (Rare)
She had clearly been fighting her way here. Blood streaked her cheek, but she didn't look afraid. She looked pissed.
"You," she called down, voice steady. "The one with the red aura. You stole that roar from the boss just now, didn't you?"
Min-joon didn't answer. He simply nodded once.
Lee Seo-yoon's eyes narrowed. "Then you're not normal. Most players are still hiding in buildings crying. You're already hunting a World Boss solo." She flipped one sword, catching it perfectly. "I lost my entire guild to these things. If you're planning to kill that monster, I'm in. Temporary alliance. No backstabbing until it's dead."
Min-joon's mind raced. First companion candidate. Strong. No nonsense. Perfect.
"Deal," he said, voice cold. "Stay out of my way and take the scraps. I get first loot rights."
She smirked. "Arrogant. I like it."
Grom had recovered. It slammed its axe into the ground, sending a shockwave that knocked over streetlights.
"Enough games, insects!"
The boss activated its own skill. Red energy exploded from its body.
[World Boss Skill: Butcher's Frenzy!]
[All damage taken reduced by 40%. Attack speed increased by 50% for 60 seconds.]
Grom became a red blur. It charged both of them at once.
Min-joon and Lee Seo-yoon moved like they had fought together for years. She danced left, blades singing as she carved shallow cuts across the orc's side. Min-joon went right, using his new speed to stay in the blind spot.
He activated Butcher's Roar again the moment cooldown allowed—no, wait, 30 minutes? He still had 28 minutes left. No problem. He had levels to burn.
Instead he just attacked. Dagger flashing. Every hit landed harder than the last.
-134 HP
-167 HP (Critical!)
-98 HP
Lee Seo-yoon's swords left glowing blue trails. Her class was clearly built for speed.
Together they whittled the boss down. 6,800… 5,900… 4,200 HP.
Min-joon's breath came fast but controlled. Inner monologue steady as steel.
*This is what power feels like. No more sitting at a desk waiting to die. No more being stepped on. The System wants a game? Fine. I'll rewrite the rules.*
Grom roared in fury and swung a wild horizontal strike. Lee Seo-yoon flipped over it gracefully. Min-joon took the hit head-on—on purpose.
The axe smashed into his crossed arms. Pain exploded, but his boosted Vitality held.
-201 HP
He grinned through bloody teeth.
"Now," he told her.
Lee Seo-yoon nodded and unleashed her own skill.
**Blade Storm!**
A whirlwind of sword light exploded around the orc's legs, crippling its movement.
Grom dropped to one knee, roaring.
Min-joon jumped. He landed on the boss's chest, dagger raised high.
[Dimensional Theft cooldown refreshed early due to level-up anomaly!]
[New target available: Lee Seo-yoon – but alliance active. Theft disabled on allies.]
The System was already protecting his new partner. Good.
He drove the dagger straight into the orc's left eye.
-412 HP (Critical! Weak Point Hit!)
Grom screamed—the sound cut off as Min-joon twisted the blade.
[You have killed World Boss "Grom the Butcher"!]
[You have gained 2,850 EXP!]
[Massive Achievement Unlocked: First World Boss Solo Assist!]
[Level Up!]
[You are now Level 8!]
[You are now Level 9!]
[You are now Level 10!]
Ten unallocated points flooded in. The System went wild.
[Title Earned: "Butcher's Bane" (Rare)]
[Effect: +15% damage against all orc-type monsters. Intimidation aura on lower-level enemies.]
Min-joon dropped to the ground as the giant corpse collapsed behind him, shaking the street. Loot orbs floated up—glowing weapons, armor pieces, and a single blood-red crystal pulsing with power.
Lee Seo-yoon lowered her swords, breathing hard. She looked at him like she was seeing a monster for the first time.
"You… you're the real deal," she said quietly. "What the hell are you?"
Min-joon didn't answer. He was too busy opening the loot.
But before he could touch the red crystal, the sky above them cracked again—bigger this time. A new portal, pitch black, tore open directly overhead.
[Global Announcement!]
[First Overlord Candidate has revealed himself in Sector 7 – Seoul!]
[Player Kang Min-joon has been flagged as "Nexus Threat Level 1"!]
[All rival Overlord candidates within 50 kilometers have received his coordinates.]
A new figure stepped out of the black portal, floating down slowly. Handsome face, white hunter coat, golden sword on his back. Level 12 already. Arrogant smirk.
**Park Ji-han**
Title: Hero of Seoul (Legendary)
"Well, well," the newcomer called out, voice carrying across the ruined street. "Looks like the System gave a nobody a lucky break. Hand over the boss loot and the girl, trash. I'll make your death quick."
Min-joon's eyes turned ice-cold. The red Nexus authority flared brighter in his chest.
He cracked his neck once.
"First rival, huh?"
His fingers tightened around the bloody dagger.
"Perfect. Let's see whose game this really is."