Akimitsu Shikichi was just a normal 17-year-old high schooler—at least until the day he and his classmates were suddenly summoned to another world. The king proclaimed that they had been chosen to save humanity from approaching threats, and everyone received special abilities to help them fight. Everyone except Akimitsu.
While his classmates celebrated their new powers, Akimitsu was met with pity, side-glances, and quiet insults. With no abilities of his own, he became the odd one out during training and expeditions.
One day, their group entered an underground labyrinth crawling with monsters. When an ogre—far stronger than anything they had faced—attacked, panic spread instantly. Akimitsu's classmates were forced to retreat back to the palace… but in their fear, they left him behind.
The ogre cornered him. With no skills, no weapons, and no backup, Akimitsu braced himself as the monster raised its arm——but before the blow could land, the ogre suddenly collapsed.
Akimitsu stood frozen, unsure whether he had been saved… or if something far stranger had just begun.
Akimitsu stared at the fallen ogre, still struggling to understand what had happened. Moments ago, the creature's roar shook the dungeon walls. Now it lay motionless, as if something had drained the strength out of it in an instant.
A faint warmth spread through Akimitsu's body. It wasn't painful—just strange, like a pulse of energy flowing into him from somewhere else.
"What… was that?" he whispered.
The dungeon around him rumbled. Dust fell from the ceiling as the torches flickered. Something was wrong—very wrong. An ogre appearing on the second floor was already abnormal. But now the exit behind him, the one his classmates had escaped through, was sealed shut with thick roots and black stone.
He stepped closer and pushed against it.
It didn't budge.
The only way out he have is the teleporter at each ten floor.
His chest tightened, but he shook his head. Now wasn't the time to feel bitter.
He turned back to the ogre. Its skin looked duller than before, as though its energy had been drained. When Akimitsu touched its arm, a faint glow ran up his fingers and vanished into his chest.
A notification window appeared before him—one he had never seen before.
< Hidden Skill Unsealed > [ Calamity Absorption ]
You can absorb the power and energy of beings stronger than you.The more dangerous the situation, the greater the amount absorbed.
Warning: Skill automatically activates under life-threatening stress.
Akimitsu blinked."This… is my real ability?"
Before he could process it, another tremor shook the floor. A deep roar echoed from the hallway ahead—much deeper than the fallen ogre's.
Multiple sets of heavy footsteps approached, growing louder and louder.
More monsters? But this is only the second floor…This wasn't normal. Something in this labyrinth had broken.
The torches dimmed, and the corridor filled with a chilling wind. Akimitsu felt his heartbeat quicken—but at the same time, that strange warmth inside him pulsed again.
His body felt lighter. His vision sharpened. Strength flowed through his arms.
The power he absorbed… it was real.
He stepped back, scanning the narrow passage. He had no weapon, no armor—nothing but the unexpected power surging in his veins.
"If you're throwing more monsters at me," he muttered to the dark corridor, "then I guess I have no choice but to keep going."
The footsteps stopped.
A massive shadow appeared at the end of the hallway.
And with his newfound strength beginning to awaken, Akimitsu took a steady breath and faced it head-on.
He advance to the 3rd and the lower floor.