The battlefield was silent for only a second.
Then came the thunderous roar of the troll collapsing.
Suho and his skeletons had somehow managed to defeat it — barely.
But before they could even breathe, new shadows moved in the distance.
Goblins. Dozens of them. Warriors, archers, mages — chasing.
Suho, still half-bloodied, sat on the shoulders of his Skeleton Warrior as they ran through the narrow, crumbling tunnels. His vision blurred, MP drained, bones cracking around him.
The same place again —
The narrow hallway where he had once fallen to the **Goblin Mage**.
That mage appeared again, screeching, but this time…
It wasn't the same.
The Goblin Mage that Suho had *combined* countless times — the one who had died and reborn again and again — suddenly turned back mid-run and gestured something with his bony hand.
A sharp flick of the wrist, a wave toward the wall.
> "What…?" Suho muttered, confused.
> The Skeleton Goblin pointed again, more urgently, then ran — straight into the wall.
> And disappeared.
Suho blinked in disbelief.
Before he could react, echoing footsteps thundered behind him — goblins closing in fast.
> "...Damn it!"
Without another thought, Suho urged his Skeleton Warrior forward.
They rushed toward the wall — and passed through it like mist.
The air shimmered, and suddenly… everything changed.
> [Congratulations! You have discovered a Hidden Treasure Room.]
A bright notification filled his vision.
The air smelled different — cleaner, almost sacred.
Inside were piles of **gold bars**, **coins**, and glittering **materials** he couldn't even name.
> "Tch… None of this will save me right now."
He could barely stand, his body screaming in pain.
He sat down, slowly recovering his MP while his skeletons guarded the entrance in silence.
After some time, Suho packed what he could carry, mounted his Skeleton Warrior's shoulder again, and headed back toward the safe room portal.
The goblins were still there — waiting.
The first Goblin Skeleton and the others charged forward, clashing blades with the goblin warriors. Arrows flew through the corridor as Suho threw ordinary knives, no aura, no magic — only desperation.
The moment they broke through the last line, Suho yelled,
> "Inside! Now!"
They ran through the portal.
And just before Suho entered, he glanced back—
A massive **troll's face** stared right at him, grinning.
Then—
> [System Notice: Dungeon Reset Initiated.]
Everything vanished.
---
When Suho opened his eyes, he was back inside the **Safe Room** — again.
The same bed. The same quiet flame flickering in the corner.
Every time he entered, the dungeon reset.
Which meant… when he left, everything would begin again.
The goblins. The mage. The trolls. The village.
Endless repetition.
Suho leaned back against the cold wall. His breath shallow.
> "Only a few months left to clear Stage One…" he muttered.
> And this was just **Level 1** of the stage.
> There were still other levels, stronger monsters, harsher tests.
Despair crept up his spine.
Just then, the **first Goblin Skeleton** stepped forward and unsheathed his sword, standing guard in front of Suho.
Suho frowned.
> "What are you doing?"
The skeleton tapped his bony chest twice.
A gesture — *I'll protect you.*
Suho chuckled weakly.
> "You're saying you'll protect me? You? The first one who tried to kill me?"
The skeleton immediately bowed its head — almost… apologetically.
Suho froze.
That wasn't supposed to be possible.
> "You're… sorry?"
> He stared at it for a long moment.
> "How did you become like this? You weren't like this before. You were just following orders."
Then the window appeared before his eyes:
> [Status – First Goblin Skeleton]
> [Talent: Swordsmanship (Novice)]
> [Level: 1]
> "...What?" Suho whispered.
The skeleton had reset to Level 1 — but its **stats** were the same as when it was Level 4.
Somehow, it had *kept its progress* after the reset.
And now… it had developed a **talent**.
A shiver ran down Suho's spine.
> "So… even if my necromancy is weak… they can grow on their own."
He understood what he had to do.
---
Days passed inside that loop.
Suho hunted, leveled up, combined, and learned.
He reached **Level 10** himself when suddenly the system spoke again:
> [Analyzing Player's Talent…]
> [Magic Detected. Aura Detected. Dark Magic Detected.]
> [Talent – None.]
> [Searching... No Talent Detected in Any Field.]
> [?? Skill Ignored by Universe – Detected.]
> [Player may now choose a class.]
> [Recommendation... Error. (Ignored by Universe Activated.)]
Suho stared at the flickering message.
> "So I still don't have a class…"
> "Figures."
After fighting trolls, he had already realized the truth.
He wasn't talented.
He wasn't blessed.
He wasn't special.
He survived because of his skeletons — and luck.
He began visiting the goblin village again, harvesting bones to create new warriors.
Slowly, methodically, he raised them all to **Level 4**, then used **Combine** again.
> [Error: Player lacks talent to control high-level undead.]
> [Safety protocol initiated.]
> [Connecting to higher system...]
> [Failure.]
> [Skill Ignored by Universe – Activated.]
> [All summoned units reset to Level 1.]
All skeletons turned Level 1 again —
But their stats remained those of Level 4.
Their EXP requirements, however, had multiplied several times.
And something else happened.
Each of them awakened a *talent.*
> Skeleton Warrior (x5)
> – Swordsmanship (20)
> Goblin Archer – Archery (17)
> Goblin Mage – Magic (12)
Suho watched them train, their movements sharper, faster, alive.
> "So this is how we'll survive…"
> "If I can't gain talent—then I'll create it."
Three months remained for **Stage 1**.
Suho was still on Stage-1 Dungeon Level 1.
But behind him stood an army of undead — faster, smarter, and stronger than ever.
And when the dungeon reset again, Suho smiled faintly.
> "Let's start over."
⚡ **End of Chapter 5**
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