The roar shook the entire goddamn dungeon.
It wasn't just loud—
It was the type of sound that slithered into your spine and started rearranging your internal organs just for fun.
The stone floor vibrated violently under my feet. Dust rained from the ceiling like crumbs of doom. A foul wind blasted down the corridor, carrying the scent of hatred, blood, and "you-fucked-up-now."
I swallowed.
"…Ahh fuck. That one sounds like a 'final boss' two seconds before you get your ass deleted."
The system window flickered again behind me:
((WARNING))
((CRITICAL HOSTILE SIGNATURE APPROACHING))
((RECOMMENDATION: RUN))
"Run? Run WHERE?!" I snapped at the glowing air.
"Do you SEE any green exit signs in this hellhole?!"
The system, as expected, ignored my pain.
((RUN))
I flipped it off.
But even as I did, my brain ticked.
Running = living.
Staying = becoming monster snacks.
I wasn't in the mood to get converted into protein for some dungeon abomination today.
I sprinted.
Well—tried to sprint.
It was more like limping quickly while swearing every two seconds.
The corridor stretched endlessly ahead—cracked stone walls dripping with slime, broken pillars, torn remains of armor scattered everywhere. Skeletons lay collapsed in corners, their jaws open in eternal screams.
Nice atmosphere.
Zero stars.
Would not recommend.
Behind me, the roar echoed again.
Closer.
Too close.
I risked a glance back.
The darkness bulged.
Then something stepped into the flickering torchlight.
"…Holy SHIT."
It was tall.
Tall as FUCK.
Some kind of ogre, but mutated—skin cracked and pulsing with black veins, eyes burning like furnace coals. Its jaw split open unnaturally wide, exposing rows of jagged teeth.
A club—no, a fucking TREE—rested on its shoulder.
Its presence alone felt like someone pressing a boot against my chest.
"Of course," I hissed. "Why not throw an S-class boss at a weak-ass level 1 guy who literally has a SPOON?!"
The monster let out a guttural snarl.
Then it charged.
FUCK ME—!!!
I dove aside as the club smashed into the ground where I had been standing. The impact shattered the stone, sending shards flying. One shard sliced my cheek.
Pain flared.
The system chimed:
((HP -5))
((WARNING: LOW LEVEL HOST SHOULD AVOID BEING HIT))
"Oh wow REALLY?!" I snapped. "Thanks for the life-changing advice, you useless toaster!"
The ogre swung again.
I rolled.
Barely.
My ribs screamed.
My arms were jelly.
My lungs burned.
I was going to die.
No.
No I wasn't.
I refused.
I wasn't going to die in a basement like a rat.
Not after the goddess bitch threw me here.
Not after falling fifty floors.
Not after random monsters tried to make sushi out of me.
If I died, I was dying after punching that holy whore straight in her divine face.
But right now?
Survival first.
I dodged again, scraping my elbow against harsh stone. The ogre's club slammed down, causing another quake.
Then the system chimed again:
((HOST HAS ENTERED "INEVITABLE DEATH" STATE))
"DON'T CALL IT THAT!!!"
((CALCULATING EMERGENCY PROTOCOL…))
((CALCULATION FAILED))
((CALCULATION FAILED))
((CALCULATION FAILED))
The system glitched violently.
My vision blurred.
((OVERRIDE ACTIVATED))
((IRREGULAR AUTHORITY – 0% UNLOCKED → 3%))
A sharp pain stabbed my skull, like needles crawling inside my brain.
"What the—fuck—NNNGH—!"
((HOST BODY ADJUSTING))
((ERROR))
((INSUFFICIENT RECORDS))
((FORCING ADAPTATION))
Energy surged through me—
Raw.
Chaotic.
Violent.
Like someone poured lightning down my spine while stabbing me repeatedly.
"Aaagh—fuck—shit—!!"
Then.
Everything stopped.
The pain vanished.
My vision sharpened.
Colors brightened.
Time slowed around me.
No—
It wasn't time.
It was me.
My senses had exploded open.
I could see tiny cracks on the ogre's club.
Dust particles floating in the air.
The subtle twitch of its muscles a second before it attacked.
And something else:
A strange warmth pulsed in my right hand.
I looked down.
The stone shard I had been gripping—
—was glowing faintly with pale blue light.
((WEAPON ANALYZED))
((NEW SKILL AVAILABLE))
((SKILL: UNORTHODOX WEAPON MASTERY – LV.1))
((EFFECT: Any object in host's hand becomes a potential lethal weapon))
"…Huh?"
The ogre roared again, raising its club.
I didn't think.
I moved.
And holy hell did I MOVE.
My body shot forward like I'd been launched by a catapult.
My feet barely touched the ground.
The air cracked behind me.
I darted to the ogre's blind spot.
Before it even realized I vanished, I leaped upward—knee bending, muscles obeying like trained beasts.
I slammed the glowing shard directly into the ogre's temple.
A wet crunch.
Black blood spurted.
The ogre screeched.
I dropped to the ground, panting, shocked.
"Holy shit… that actually WORKED?!"
The ogre staggered, shaking its head violently.
It wasn't dead—
Just pissed.
It swung its massive arm toward me.
I ducked.
Barely.
Still grazed me.
((HP -12))
((WARNING: HOST IS EXTREMELY FRAGILE))
"NO SHIT I'M FRAGILE!! FIX THAT PROBLEM!!"
((Acknowledged.))
((LEVEL UP CONDITIONS MET))
((Level: 1 → 2))
Healing warmth washed over me.
A bit of pain faded.
Still hurt like hell, though.
The ogre roared and charged again.
I sprinted to the side, using my new speed to avoid becoming a pancake. Stone shattered where I'd been.
"Okay okay—plan, Haruto, PLAN!" I muttered.
"I need to hit something vital. Something big. Something that kills it instantly—"
Then I saw it.
A large crack in the ceiling.
Barely holding.
Fragile.
Right above the ogre.
A grin stretched across my face.
"Oh hell yeah. Gravity, my beloved."
I sprinted backward, yelling like a lunatic:
"HEY SHREK'S UGLY COUSIN!! OVER HERE!!"
The ogre roared and barreled toward me like a freight train.
I ran.
It chased.
My lungs burned. My legs screamed. But I pushed harder.
"Come on—come on—just a bit more—!"
I slid under a broken pillar just as the ogre reached the weak point in the ceiling.
It stopped, confused.
I grabbed a loose stone the size of my fist and hurled it at the crack with all the strength my new system-boosted body had.
CRACK.
The ceiling groaned.
Then—
BOOM.
An avalanche of stone collapsed on top of the ogre.
Dust exploded.
Earth shook.
The monster's roar was cut off instantly.
I covered my head and dropped to my knees as rocks rained down.
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Thick.
Final.
My chest heaved.
"I—I actually killed it…"
"My dumbass, half-broken plan actually WORKED…"
The system chimed:
((EXP GAINED))
((EXP GAINED))
((EXP GAINED))
((LEVEL UP))
((LEVEL 2 → LEVEL 4))
Warm energy filled my limbs.
My bruises lightened.
Breathing became easier.
Muscles felt slightly stronger.
((NEW STAT UNLOCKED: SURVIVAL INSTINCT))
((NEW TITLE: "One Who Refuses to Die"))
I snorted.
"Yeah. No shit."
I pushed myself up, wincing.
But then—
A new window popped up.
Bigger.
Sharper.
Colder.
((DUNGEON EVENT TRIGGERED))
((YOU HAVE SLAIN THE FLOOR 50 MINI-BOSS WITHOUT PERMISSION))
((WORLD SYSTEM IS FORCED TO RECORD YOU))
"…Huh? The fuck does that mean?"
Another window opened.
((WORLD MEMORY SYNCING…))
((FAILED))
((FAILED))
((ERROR))
((IRREGULAR SOUL DETECTED))
((SYNCHRONIZATION REJECTED))
The fuck.
I felt a chill crawl up my neck.
Then—
One last window.
((YOU DO NOT BELONG HERE))
((AND YET YOU WERE HERE BEFORE))
My breath froze.
"…What?"
What the fuck do you mean "before"?
I've NEVER been here.
I would remember dying horribly in some dungeon shithole.
Before I could process it, more footsteps echoed from deeper inside.
They weren't small.
They weren't light.
They weren't friendly.
And there were… many.
"Fuck this!" I shouted. "I JUST killed your big guy! Let me rest, you assholes!"
A distant roar answered.
Different from the ogre.
Deeper.
Stronger.
More… intelligent.
The dungeon trembled.
Dust fell again.
Something big was waking up.
Something worse.
A chime rang in my ears.
((NEW OBJECTIVE: ASCEND THE TOWER))
((FAILURE: CERTAIN DEATH))
Another window:
((REWARD FOR SURVIVAL: UNKNOWN))
((COUNTERPART DETECTED: ???))
Counterpart?
What counterpart?
Before I could even swear at the system—
A massive shadow lurked at the far end of the corridor.
Red eyes.
Dozens.
Hundreds.
Crawling.
Approaching.
"Oh hell no," I muttered.
"Not fighting that. Not fighting ANY of that."
I turned around—
—and froze.
There, right behind me, embedded halfway inside the collapsed ceiling rubble…
…was a weapon.
A black-bladed dagger.
Strange symbols glowing faintly on its edge.
Pulsing like a heartbeat.
The moment I touched it, the system exploded with warnings.
((ILLEGAL ITEM DETECTED))
((DANGER: DEMON KING-CLASS ARTIFACT))
((USER ACCESS: FORBIDDEN))
Another line appeared:
((OVERRIDE ATTEMPTED))
((IRREGULAR AUTHORITY – 3% → 6%))
((ACCESS PARTIALLY GRANTED))
A shock of cold lightning shot up my arm.
I bit down hard, choking a scream.
The symbols on the dagger glowed brighter.
My vision blurred.
Voices whispered in my ear.
Not human.
Not divine.
"…You returned…"
"…At last…"
"…My other half…"
I staggered backward.
"What… what the hell are you talking about?! I don't KNOW you!!"
Heavy footsteps thundered behind me.
The swarm of monsters was approaching.
Too close.
Too many.
No escape.
No options.
Except…
I looked at the dagger again.
It looked cursed enough to kill me.
But so did the monsters.
And between "die now" and "die later"?
I choose "later."
I gripped the dagger tightly.
The moment my fingers wrapped around the hilt, the world flashed—
A blast of red-black aura shot outward.
The dungeon shook violently.
Monsters screeched.
Torches flickered.
The air distorted.
((ILLEGAL ENERGY OUTPUT DETECTED))
((WARNING: DEMONIC SIGNATURE MERGING WITH HOST))
((CORRUPTION: 4%))
Pain exploded in my chest.
I dropped to one knee.
The dagger pulsed.
Whispers grew louder.
My heartbeat synced with the blade's eerie glow.
Then—
A final window appeared.
((NEW TITLE: DEMON KING'S LOST COUNTERPIECE))
My blood went cold.
"…The fuck does THAT mean?!"
Before the system could answer—
Something gigantic burst through the darkness behind me.
A monstrous centipede the size of a truck, screaming with dozens of mandibles dripping venom.
It lunged at me.
I lifted the dagger.
My eyes burned with the same red-black glow.
"COME ON THEN, YOU UGLY PIECE OF SHIT!!"
The monster's jaws snapped shut and frozen in fear.