[Timer: 59.9s]
The Rat King lunged.
The stop sign spear was crude, a jagged piece of municipal steel welded to a rebar pipe, but in the hands of a two-meter-tall monster, it was a siege weapon.
It thrust forward with the force of a truck.
Whoosh.
The air pressure alone ruffled my hair.
Under normal circumstances, my heart would have stopped. My body would have frozen. But the [Cold Blooded] skill was a chemical shackle on my amygdala. I watched the spear tip approach with the detachment of a surgeon looking at a scalpel.
'Attack vector: Linear. Speed: 18 m/s. Correction required.'
I didn't dodge backward. That was a rookie mistake; the reach of the spear would catch me.
I stepped into the guard.
[Agility: 11]
My body moved faster than it ever had before. I twisted my torso to the left. The rusted metal of the sign scraped past my ear, close enough to slice a few strands of hair.
[Timer: 58.2s]
I was now inside the spear's effective range.
The Rat King's red eyes widened. It tried to pull the weapon back, but momentum was against it.
I slashed.
Shing.
The Void Shortsword didn't cut flesh; it parted it. I drew a diagonal line across the Rat King's exposed thigh.
Black blood sprayed.
The monster roared—not in pain, but in annoyance. It released one hand from the spear and swiped at me with claws the size of steak knives.
'Predictable. Pattern B: Close-quarters panic swipe.'
I dropped to my knees, sliding across the slick, tiled floor like a baseball player stealing a base. The claws swiped the air where my head had been a millisecond ago.
As I slid past its legs, I slashed the back of its ankles. Hamstrings.
Snick. Snick.
The Rat King stumbled.
[God of Speed has entered the chat.]
[God of Speed]: Oh? Look at that footwork! He's not fast, but he's efficient. Zero wasted momentum.
[God of Mischief]: 50 seconds left! Don't praise him yet, he hasn't done lethal damage!
I scrambled to my feet behind the boss.
The Rat King roared, spinning around with a speed that defied its bulk. Its tail—a thick, pink whip of muscle—lashed out.
CRACK.
It hit the tiled pillar next to me, shattering the ceramic. Debris rained down.
If that hit me, my ribs would be powder.
'45 seconds remaining. Armor thickness on chest: High. Neck: Protected by muscle. Weakness...'
I scanned the creature with [Mana Perception].
The mana flow in the Rat King was erratic, pumping hard to support its rage. But there was a spot where the flow was turbulent. A scar on its lower left abdomen. An old wound.
The skin was thinner there.
"Hey, big guy," I said, my voice monotone.
I tapped my sword against a metal turnstile. Cling.
The Rat King screamed and charged, abandoning its spear to maul me with bare claws.
It was exactly what I wanted. A wild charge meant an open guard.
I stood my ground.
[Goddess of Love]: MOVE! IT'S GOING TO SQUASH YOU! 😱
[God of War]: HOLD! WAIT FOR THE OPENING!
The monster was two meters away. One meter.
I could smell its rancid breath.
I dropped the sword.
[God of Mischief]: ???
The sword clattered to the floor.
The Rat King, confused for a microsecond by the surrender, hesitated.
In that microsecond, I stepped on the blade's hilt, kicking it upward like a soccer ball.
I caught the handle in a reverse grip as it flew up, adding the momentum of the kick to my swing.
I didn't slash. I thrust.
I drove the Nameless Void Shortsword upward, directly into the scar on the lower abdomen, angling it up toward the heart.
SQUELCH.
The blade sank in to the hilt.
The Rat King froze. Its claws were inches from my face.
[Passive Effect Activated: Void Hunger]
[The weapon is consuming the target's mana to bypass physical resistance.]
The black blade pulsed violently. I could feel the monster's life force being sucked out through the handle, vibrating into my arm.
The Rat King convulsed. Its eyes rolled back.
I twisted the blade.
"Down," I commanded.
The massive creature collapsed, its weight nearly crushing me as I rolled away.
[Target Neutralized.]
[Timer: 42.0s]
I stood up, breathing heavily. My stamina bar was flashing red.
[Bet Won!]
[The God of Mischief is crying.]
[Pot Distributed: 1,000 DP]
The chat went nuclear.
[God of War]: 42 SECONDS! DOMINANCE!
[God of Speed]: That hilt-kick? That was stylish. I like style.
[Goddess of Wisdom]: He exploited the psychological hesitation of the beast. Brilliant.
[God of Mischief]: MY POINTS! MY PRECIOUS POINTS! THIS IS RIGGED! 😭
[God of Golden Coins]:[Donation: 100 DP] A profitable venture! Well done!
[System Alert: Level Up!]
[System Alert: Level Up!]
[System Alert: Level Up!]
[Level: 3 -> 6]
I walked over to the corpse. The Void Shortsword was still stuck in its gut. I pulled it out with a wet shluck.
The blade was glowing with a faint, purple aura.
[Weapon Growth: 5% -> 12%]
[New Attribute Unlocked: Minor Mana Drain (1% per hit)]
"Not bad," I said, my voice still devoid of emotion thanks to the skill.
I knelt down and performed the dissection. I carved out the heart. Inside was a mana core the size of a golf ball, glowing with a muddy yellow light.
[Item: Rat King's Core (D-Rank)]
Value: Approx. 2,000,000 Won ($1,600)
Finally. Real money.
But there was something else.
Stuck between the Rat King's ribs, glinting in the gore, was a small, leather-bound book.
'A drop?'
In reality, skill books were incredibly rare. Maybe 1 in 1,000 bosses dropped one.
I pulled it out and wiped off the blood.
[Skill Book: Shadow Step (Rare)]
Description: Allows the user to teleport instantly to a shadow within 5 meters. Cooldown: 10 seconds.
Requirements: Agility 15, Mana Perception.
My eyes narrowed. Shadow Step. This was an assassin's bread and butter. In the auction house, this would sell for 50 million won easily.
But I wasn't selling it.
"Learn," I said.
[Error: Agility Insufficient. Current: 11. Required: 15.]
I checked my status. I had gained 3 levels, which meant 9 unassigned stat points.
"Assign 4 points to Agility. 5 points to Strength."
[Agility: 11 -> 15]
[Strength: 6 -> 11]
"Learn."
The book dissolved into particles of light and shot into my chest.
[Skill Acquired: Shadow Step (Lv. 1)]
I stood up. I was stronger, faster, and armed with a teleportation skill. I was no longer an F-Rank weakling. I was solidly in the E-Rank, bordering on D-Rank capability.
"Dungeon Clear," I whispered.
[Dungeon Clear! Teleporting to entrance in 10 seconds...]
I sheathed the sword.
[Duration of 'Cold Blooded' has expired.]
Crash.
The chemical dam broke.
My knees buckled. I fell to the floor, retching dryly.
The fear I had suppressed for the last thirty minutes came rushing back all at once. My hands shook so violently I couldn't make a fist. My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird.
'I could have died. It was so close. Its claws were right there.'
I gasped for air, sweat soaking my clothes instantly. The after-effects of the drug were brutal. It wasn't just fear; it was the emotional whiplash.
[Goddess of Love]: Oh no... look at him. (T_T)
[God of War]: The price of power. He bears it well.
[God of Mischief]: He looks like he's gonna puke. Can I bet on if he pukes?
[Goddess of Wisdom]: Leave him be. He has proven himself.
I sat there for a minute, waiting for the teleportation light to take me, forcing my breathing to steady.
"I'm... fine," I wheezed, wiping bile from my mouth.
I looked at the camera, my eyes red-rimmed but fierce.
"I won the bet. Pay up."
[Total DP: 1,650]
The world twisted, and I was back in the cool night air of Seoul, standing behind the convenience store.
It was 3:00 AM.
I leaned against the brick wall, clutching the 2 million won core in my pocket.
I had survived the first night.
Now, I had to survive the morning.
"Tomorrow," I muttered, looking at the city lights. "I need to register as a D-Rank. And then... I need to have a little chat with the Titan Guild."
[Status Update]
Name: Lee Jin-Woo
Level: 6
Rank: F (Officially) / D (Actual)
DP: 1,650
Skills: Mana Perception, Cold Blooded, Shadow Step
Items: Void Shortsword, Rat King Core