Chapter 87: Network Access Granted
The black blood in his veins burned hot, hammering through him like a pulse made of fire. He couldn't stop grinning. The glow of the UI reflected off his teeth as he pulled up the update log, claw clicking against the tab for his profile. He had to see it.
[Basic User Profile]
[User Name // Wohan Seo-jin]
[True Name // Azakh-Tur]
[Entity // Imp | Mawspawn Variant]
[Class // Broodspawn]
[Status // Registered]
[Rank // D]
[Shard Rank // A]
[Flag // Anomalous Host Detected]
He blinked. Then frowned.
"A? That's it? Were they fucking with me?"
[Unlikely. Cross-reference of new Network data confirms: three AP per level is exclusive to high-tier shards.]
"Then why the hell does it say A?"
[Unknown.]
He leaned back, jaw tightening.
"You've been back less than a minute and you're already annoying."
[Not my fault.]
He froze.
"…My fault?"
The voice sounded different. Not the cold monotone he was used to, there was tone, weight, something like breath under it.
"Since when did you start talking like that?"
[My operating system was upgraded during the synchronization process. Natural speech patterns improve clarity and response.]
He squinted at the air in front of him, unimpressed.
"Not sure I like this."
[You'll adapt.]
"Sure."
He went back to the profile, eyes narrowing at the rank display. Still D. Only half his stats were C, he needed to raise the rest to rank up.
"I need to start farming."
He looked up, and they were staring at him again, three pairs of dull, unblinking eyes fixed on him like he'd started howling at the walls. He'd forgotten. They still didn't know about the voice in his head.
He let the silence hang, mouth twitching at the thought. Explaining it would ruin the fun.
"Go rest."
Their faces lit up.
Pain, Panic, and Snare practically bounced as they rushed toward the Twinback Growths, laughing, tripping, shoving each other until the fleshy pods split open to swallow them whole. Their giggles echoed until the mouths sealed shut, muffling the sound into a wet hum.
Seo-jin sat back down, smiling faintly at the grotesque quiet that followed. Then he pulled up his next menu. The Network.
The tab turned blue, panels flickering open one after another, flooding his vision.
[Accessing Network]
[User #634578921 // Approved]
[D-Rank Access Granted]
[Network Shop]
[Auction House]
[World Link]
[Dungeon Ranking]
[Quests]
[Bounties]
He stared, pulse quickening. It was like finding the gates to another world—and every one of them was unlocked.
"Like a demon in an orphanage...don't even know where to start."
He hovered over one—the one that made the least sense. World Link. He tapped it.
The feed exploded open. Thousands of posts streamed by, crawling across his vision in glowing lines of blue text. His eyes widened.
"What the hell is this?"
[A global message board. Users share data, post requests, or talk shit. A cornerstone of human networking.]
He blinked.
"You're cussing now?"
[It seems... natural. Human profanity carries rhythm and emotional weight. I enjoy it.]
He snorted.
"Can't argue with that."
The feed scrolled on. His eyes darted across the noise.
[LF Experienced Tank for Class Quest – A-Rank or Higher Only]
[Need 15,000 XP to Level. Anyone feeling generous?]
[Jason Squig is a Loot Thief. Do NOT party with him.]
[Silf is the world's top idol. Fight me.]
He frowned, lips pulling tight.
"…What the fuck is an idol?"
Even Seo-jin's borrowed memories came up empty. No trace of the word idol.
He tapped the post.
A woman's face appeared, flawless skin, wide eyes, soft light filtering across her. She wore something that looked like a maid uniform, lace and ribbons and a fake smile stretched thin as porcelain. Music kicked in a moment later...shrill, bright, synthetic.
He flinched, nails digging into the arm of his chair as the pop beat drilled into his skull.
"Gods, what is this?!"
He swiped the feed closed before the chorus hit. The silence that followed felt sacred.
He scrolled through a few more posts, advertisements, arguments, desperate calls for help, and lost interest fast. Nothing here he could use yet. Nothing that fed him.
He flicked back to the main menu and hit the next tab.
[Network Shop]
[D-Rank Access]
The first thing that hit him was the currency—
[DP // 0]
The second was the endless list of things he couldn't afford. Gear, weapons, potions, tech, all locked behind a number that meant nothing to him yet.
[DP are Dungeon Points. Earned by participating in or clearing dungeons.]
A low, hungry pulse twisted through his gut. So that's the game. He clicked on one at random, more to torture himself than anything else.
[Armor Profile]
[Name // Haunted Chest]
[Type // Armor]
[Rank // D]
[Sub-Category // Chest Piece]
[Description]
[An iron cuirass bound in rusted chains. When worn, it breathes like lungs that forgot how to stop.]
[Effect]
[Spectral Veil // 10% of all physical attacks phase through the wearer as a miss. In darkness, the chance increases to 15%]
[Durability // 78/78]
[Cost to Use // None // Passive Effect Bound to Armor]
["The chains rattle when no hand touches them."]
He leaned back, staring at the listing until his claws flexed against the desk.
"Yeah, armor's gonna be the first thing I buy."
The thought itched like hunger. A dungeon couldn't come soon enough. He scrolled past blades, guns, grimoires—then stopped. The next listing hit something deep in him. It felt like him.
[Weapon Profile]
[Name // Soulkeeper's Lantern]
[Type // Offhand]
[Rank // D // Artifact]
[Sub-Category // Lantern]
[Description]
[A wrought-iron lantern, its panes smoked black. The flame inside writhes and changes color, burning on the souls of the dead.]
[Effect]
[Soul Reservoir // Stores the souls of those you kill. Capacity: 0/25.]
[Soul Mend // Expend 1 soul to restore 5% HP.]
[Soul Burst // Expend 3 souls to release a spectral blast, dealing INT × 1.5 damage.
Wandering Flame // Expend 2 souls to send a wisp up to 50 meters ahead, revealing the dark or unseen.]
[Durability // 120/120]
[Cost to Use // Soul-dependent. Bound to the user's kills. Cannot be recharged externally.]
["The lantern never dims, but its light is never free."]
Seo-jin's grin spread slow and sharp.
"I want this..."
He could feel it...the pull of it. The way it would hum in his palm, the flicker of captured life thrashing behind the glass.
"It's an Artifact?"
He leaned forward, eyes narrowing.
"That's the same as Butcher's Wrath. How the hell is that possible?"
[Artifacts are relics created by the realms themselves, not the Network. However, when dungeons are cleared, any artifacts left within are seized and catalogued for sale. Suggest regular shop checks once you possess Dungeon Points.]
He nodded, jaw tightening.
"And if the dungeon breaks?"
[Then the artifact merges into physical reality—along with whatever survived inside.]
He pictured the wastelands outside Shatterbay: warped earth, bone fields, dungeon beasts wandering without end. He could almost smell the treasure.
"Then we'll add hunting outside the city. Once the Brood's ready."
He dismissed the shop tab and flicked to the next, eyes narrowing at the blue text across his screen.
[Dungeon Ranking: Access Restricted // Requires B-Rank Minimum.]
He stared at it a long second.
"The fuck? I can't even look?"
[Dungeon Ranking is where Users are ranked by dungeon clears. The Network hands out monthly rewards by rank. I would avoid participating until you are stronger.]
Seo-jin let the line hang in the air, then snorted.
"Why?"
[Data shows rank poaching is rampant. Rankings are territorial. If someone wants your spot they either grind more points or they kill the person above them. Once you rank, the risk climbs.]
A slow, dark grin split his face.
"Sounds entertaining."
He flicked the screen away as he wondered at the possible rewards, then opened the next panel.
[Bounties]
[Region // Freelands / Shatterbay]
[Available // 3]
A list populated. Contractor names, targets, rewards, cold business laid bare.
[Contractor // Woon Corporation]
[Target // User]
[Designation // Black Jade]
[Rank // B]
[Location // Shatterbay]
[Reward // Five Levels of Experience / Choice of A-rank Artifact]
[Status // Open]
The Woons. Seeing their name sharpened something under his ribs. They were the teeth in the city's jaw, pay them or get eaten. If he wanted Shatterbay, they would have to die eventually.
The second bounty was another User flagged by the Woons, some poor bastard out in the open. Seo-jin scrolled mechanically, appetite stirring at the thought of disruption.
Then the last entry froze him. He stared until the letters blurred, a laugh dying in his throat and turning into a hot, rising rage.
[Contractor // The Children of Light]
[Target // User]
[Designation // Wohan Seo-jin]
[Rank // C]
[Location // Shatterbay]
[Reward // Vial of Resurrection]
[Status // Open]
"They're dead. They're all fucking dead."
A target on his name, less than a day after the angels' torching. His mind split into possibilities, this was either retaliation from surviving cultists, or worse: the Realm of Light itself peering through the cracks.
He shoved the panel closed. The office felt suddenly too small, the air too thin. He stood, fingers flexing against the desk as if to tear the world open.
No more waiting. He'd summon the Dead Hands, sharpen plans, and turn every enemy into a resource. The next move had to be brutal, fast, absolute.
His plan started now.
It was time to start killing again.