2025-04-08 20:16:39Leo walked with calculative steps, his grip tight around the hilt of his light dagger. Before him stretched a gaping, worm-like tunnel, wide and pulsating faintly with an unnatural energy. The air felt colder the closer he got to it, as if the tunnel exhaled death itself. He paused at the entrance, his eyes narrowing at the darkness that stretched downward in a spiral.
"If this is the second floor," he muttered, "then it's probably ten times worse than the last."
Every sense screamed caution, but Leo knew he had no choice. The mission must be completed—and besides, that damn internal backlash wasn't going to give him much of a break. He tiptoed forward, dagger poised, feet silent against the stone.
The walls shimmered faintly with embedded stones—some dull, others glowing faintly with colors ranging from icy blue to pale green. As he walked deeper, he noticed the luminous stones were getting smaller.
"Wouldn't hurt to take a few," he muttered, reaching up to pry three larger stones from the wall. He weighed them in his hand. "Might be worth something."
But then he frowned. "Where the hell do I keep these? I can’t carry them forever."
Ding!
[System Notification: Host has access to a Personal Vault. All non-consumable items may be stored safely.]
Leo smirked. "About damn time you said something useful. Store stones."
The stones glowed and vanished into digital particles before disappearing into the air. The tunnel was darker now without them, but he pressed on.
Five steps further, a noise stopped him cold.
SSSSLLLRK—SSHHH—SSSSSSK—
Slithering. Multiple. Quick. Close.
Ding!
[WARNING: Multiple Nightscale Crawlers detected ahead.]
[Objective: Eliminate all Nightscale Crawlers to unlock floor access.]
[Reward: +1 Stat Point | Night Hunter Passive Skill Scroll | 100 EXP]
Leo clenched his dagger and cursed. "Couldn't be something that sleeps peacefully, huh?"
From the shadows ahead, the beasts emerged—dozens of them. Each crawler was nearly the length of his torso, sleek and pitch black with reflective scales. Their mouths split open vertically, revealing rows of shimmering, curved fangs. Neon green venom dripped from their fangs onto the floor, burning small holes in the stone.
The first one lunged.
Leo sidestepped, slashing down with his dagger, but the crawler twisted midair and slithered up the wall like a serpent. Another came from behind, and another from the side. He barely parried one before being knocked to the floor by another.
His back hit the ground hard, the air rushing from his lungs. A crawler leapt at his face—he rolled and stabbed blindly, feeling his blade sink into something soft.
Screeeee!
The creature screamed and convulsed before bursting into a sickly green mist.
Leo scrambled to his feet, breathing hard. "They're coordinated... dammit."
He slashed, dodged, ducked—one cut across his arm made him hiss in pain. The venom from the tip of a fang grazed him, and his muscles spasmed slightly.
"One more hit and I’m toast..." he muttered.
They were too many. He couldn't keep up. His lungs burned. His dagger felt heavier with every swing. A crawler sank its fangs into his boot—he screamed and kicked wildly, stabbing down.
[HP Critical.]
[Vital Signs Unstable.]
"Is this it?! Is this where I die?!" he yelled through clenched teeth.
Ding!
[Emergency Protocol Activated. Temporary Skill Awakened: Arc Spark Blade]
[Duration: 3 Minutes. Cooldown: 24 Hours.]
Suddenly, Leo’s dagger pulsed with electric blue energy. Sparks danced along the blade, crackling in the silence.
He blinked. "Whoa. This—this feels—"
He didn't finish. A crawler sprang at him, but Leo swung the now-sparking dagger. The blade slashed through the air—and the creature exploded into ash, its body disintegrating with a shriek.
He didn’t hesitate.
With a feral roar, Leo spun into motion, his limbs fueled by adrenaline and the strange energy. Each strike was followed by a burst of electricity that burned through the creatures. Their shrieks echoed like dying sirens.
One leapt from above. Leo twisted, impaling it mid-air. Another crawled along the wall. He threw the dagger like a javelin—crackling energy split the tunnel and the crawler combusted mid-crawl.
"Come on! Who’s next?!" he screamed.
He slashed. Sprinted. Jumped. Rolled. He became a blur of motion, a deadly force of light and sound.
And then...
Silence.
The tunnel was littered with burnt scales and twitching remains.
Leo panted, falling to one knee.
[All Beasts Eliminated. Objective Complete.]
[Reward Unlocked.]
[+1 Stat Point Earned.]
[Item Received: Night Hunter Passive Skill Scroll]
[EXP Gained: 100. Level Progress: 100/200]
Leo stared at the notifications, then at his shaking hands. The light from the Arc Spark Blade faded, and the dagger returned to its normal, dull glow.
He exhaled deeply. "I... actually survived."
He wiped blood and grime from his face and looked around.
"System... show me the scroll."
[Item: Night Hunter Passive Skill Scroll]
[Effect: Increases visibility in low-light environments, boosts evasion against dark-aligned creatures by 15%. Permanent once activated.]
Leo grinned. "I’ll take it. Activate."
The scroll disintegrated in his hand, the energy seeping into his skin. His eyes shimmered briefly before returning to normal.
[Skill Acquired: Night Hunter (Passive)]
He leaned against the wall, finally able to breathe without fear of being attacked.
And just as he started to rest...
The ground beneath him shook.
KRUMMMM—
From the darkness ahead, a larger presence stirred.
Ding!
[Warning: Mid-Boss Creature Approaching. Prepare for Battle.]
Leo’s grin faded.
"You’ve got to be freaking kidding me."
He stood up, wiped his dagger clean, and squared his shoulders.
"Alright, bring it on. If I’m gonna die, I’m taking something ugly with me."
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
Chapter 33: Mansion
Leo sat lazily on a stone bench outside what had once been his ramshackle hut, a cold can of soda hissing faintly in his hand. The carbonation tickled his throat as he took a long gulp, eyes fixed on the translucent screen hovering before him.Through the system’s projection, he could see the chaos unfolding inside the rift — Gareth and his squad locked in a desperate struggle with the mutated hybrid. To Leo, it looked less like a battle and more like a particularly bloody play staged for his entertainment.Inside the gargoyle ring, Mira’s sigh carried into his mind. “You’re cruel, Master. Sitting here drinking soda while they bleed out in there?”Leo smirked, tilting the can back. “Cruel? No. Call it… entertainment. Besides, I don’t see why that Kale guy has had it out for me for so long. He’s practically obsessed.”Mira’s weary voice dripped with exasperation. “Obsession or not, you don’t have to keep controlling the corpse of that demon. You already proved your point when you dropp
Chapter 32: Guests 2
Sammy—” Gareth turned toward the assassin. Her eyes gleamed sharp beneath the hood. “You’re my shadow. Flank, eliminate, and report back. Nothing escapes your sight.”Sammy bowed her head slightly. “Understood.”Then Gareth’s eyes landed on Kale, who had been smirking the whole time. His jaw tightened. “And you…”Kale raised a brow. “What about me, Commander?”“You’re here to supervise. So do just that. Stay. Out. Of. Trouble.” Gareth’s voice cut like steel.Kale’s smirk twitched. He wanted to spit back an insult, but the coldness in Gareth’s eyes silenced him. His teeth ground together, but he said nothing.Sammy, watching from the side, gave Kale a single, dismissive glance before vanishing into the shadows.Just then, Yuto’s voice buzzed through Gareth’s comm.“Commander! The readings inside the rift just changed! Mana surge has dropped. Movement inside has… ceased entirely.”Gareth frowned deeply. “Seized? As in—whatever was fighting in there… stopped?”“Yes,” Yuto replied, voice
Chapter 31: Guests
The cavern reeked of blood and burning ichor. Leo’s breath came in sharp rasps, sweat dripping into the open gash along his ribs. Each movement sent lances of fire through his side, but he gritted his teeth and pressed on.A towering brute—the ogre-bat hybrid—swung its massive claw.[Skill Activated: Quick Step]Leo blinked sideways, but pain slowed him just enough—the edge of the strike clipped his shoulder, sending him sprawling. His dagger skittered across the stone floor.“Leo!” Mira snarled, swooping low. Her wings lashed like whips, striking back two wolf-spine hybrids. She slammed into the brute, her claws digging into its throat. But the monster’s hand clamped around her wing, wrenching it at an unnatural angle.Crack.Mira screamed—a sound that tore through the cavern. Her stone hide held, but the joint bent grotesquely. The wing twitched, half-crippled, forcing her to the ground.Leo pushed up, coughing blood. His dagger answered his call, flashing back into his palm.[Skill
Chapter 30: The battle had just begun.
“Meat! Meat! Meat!”Leo’s jaw clenched. He leaned toward Mira just enough for her to hear him. “We’re not food,” he whispered, eyes narrowing. “They just don’t know it yet.”The hybrids surged closer, claws clacking, teeth gnashing—preparing for the feast.The system’s warning blared again in his head:[Warning: Time remaining to clear Rift—10 hours, 57 minutes]Leo groaned. “I get it, System. You’re training me, but seriously, throwing me into this hellhole with monsters that look like they crawled out of a dumpster fire? A bit extreme, don’t you think?”Still, the thought of wealth and power pulled a smirk from him.Mira, pale and clutching her stomach, caught sight of that smile. Her lips trembled. “Master… I hate when you smile like that! It means you’re about to do something reckless! Let’s just get out of here!”Leo chuckled. “Of course.”But “out of here” wasn’t going to be so easy.The hybrid creatures—half rotting humans fused with reptilian scales and insect-like mandibles—c
Chapter 29: Dispatched.
Meanwhile, in the Central Government Guild Headquarters, the atmosphere was unusually heavy. The marble floors gleamed beneath the golden chandeliers, and guards stood rigid at every doorway. The president’s office, however, was quieter, though tension rippled in the air like a bowstring drawn too tight.A man in a white lab suit, his glasses slightly fogged from his hurried pace, burst into the room. His breathing was uneven, but his voice carried urgency.“Mr. Chu!” he exclaimed, “We detected a strange energy from an area off the eastern coast!”Mr. Haruki Chu who was in a virtual meeting with few subordinates regarding expanding the hunters library and providing free access paused. His pen stilled above the documents he was reviewing, and he lifted his head slowly, frowning.“Jasper,” he said evenly, “give me the coordinates.”The man, Jasper, fumbled through his datapad and handed it over. “Until this morning, the energy was stable, neutral even. It seemed dormant, like it had bee
Chapter 28: Dangling Skulls
The system directed Leo and Mira towards a red pulsing rift that loomed in the distance; beating like a living heart within the depths of the forest. The closer Leo and Mira walked toward it, the thicker the air became. The atmosphere was heavy, charged with something unnatural, as if the woods themselves were trying to push them back.Leo’s body stiffened. His chest tightened until each breath burned his lungs. The pressure weighed him down, making his veins bulge beneath his skin. His vision blurred at the edges, and his lips parted desperately, gasping for air that refused to come.“D–Damn it!” Leo cursed under his breath, clutching at his throat. “The system’s trying to kill me!”Mira, alarmed, reached for him. But to her shock, she was breathing normally, unaffected. She blinked in confusion, her foxlike ears twitching as if sensing the abnormality in the air. “Master? Master! What’s wrong? I’m fine!”Before panic could fully take over, the familiar blue interface of the system ma
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