(Ren's P.O.V.)
I focused on the notification that appeared after the nightmare zombie boss fell, eager to see what killing a boss monster had earned me.
...
[Dungeon Clearance Rewards]
[Skill Rune: "Bloodlust"]
• Effect: A magic skill that allows the user to magically intimidate targets, inducing intense fear and reducing all of their stats by 50% for one minute.
[The Sword of Venom]
• Category: Katana
• ATK: +30
• Paralysis: Temporarily immobilizes the target.
• Drain: HP −1% per second.
• A katana forged from the skeleton of a venomous beast, retaining traces of its lethal poison.
...
Looking at the screen, I was quite satisfied with the rewards.
With a thought, I took out the Skill Rune for Bloodlust.
After examining it for a moment, I crushed the rune instantly. A strange sensation washed over me as a new skill registered itself directly into my mind. Honestly, it was a very useful ability—perfect for intimidating enemies—but it would most likely only work on targets weaker than me.
Still, it was a great skill. It would become even more useful once I leveled up further.
Next, I pulled up my status screen to see how the level-ups had affected my stats. The system had mentioned that I'd gained three levels from the boss fight, which meant automatic improvements beyond just the stat points.
...…
[Player Stats]
Name: Ren Toshiki
Level: 10
Job: None
Title: The player
HP: 1000 / 1000
MP: 83
Strength: 57
Agility: 57
Endurance: 28
Perception: 28
Recovery: 33
Intelligence: 25
Fatigue: 10%
Stat Points: 15
...…
Most of my stats had increased by one, two, or even three points from the level-ups, which was a nice bonus on top of the points I could allocate manually. Fifteen stat points wasn't bad either—five points per level seemed to be the standard.
My strength and agility were solid now, but my perception needed work. During the fight with the nightmare zombie boss, I'd sensed its attacks—but only barely in time. Thanks to Bringer of Light and Fullbringer high-speed movement, my agility was already high.
Against faster opponents, that slight delay could be fatal.
I invested nine points into perception, bringing it up to thirty-seven.
The change was immediate—my awareness of the chamber sharpened considerably. Every detail around me felt clearer, more defined.
Next, I added four points into recovery. Faster HP regeneration and better survivability were always a good investment.
As for the remaining two points, I put them into endurance. It would help more than I thought in the long run.
I looked down at the family heirloom katana in my hand. The blade was chipped and dulled from the fight, hairline cracks running along the metal. It had served me well, but it was clearly reaching its limit. Still, it was better than having nothing at all.
Wow… it's really looking rough now.
I stretched my body slightly, exhaustion finally catching up to me. Still, the battle had been incredibly thrilling.
I stored both katanas—the new one from the dungeon clearance rewards and my heirloom blade—into my inventory.
Then I heard another notification.
...…
[Notification]
[You have defeated the Dungeon Boss. The instance will now reset to its original state.]
...…
I looked up just in time to see the world around me begin to change.
The dark, swamp-like metro station slowly reverted to normal. Mold vanished from the walls, the lighting returned, and damaged structures repaired themselves automatically. Every trace of blood and destruction disappeared as if it had never existed.
Even nightmare zombie boss's enormous corpse dissolved into particles of light, fading away completely.
"Well… that was intense."
I sighed,
As I climbed the stairs and stepped outside, I froze.
The night sky stretched overhead, the world already swallowed by deep darkness.
A cold wind blew past me.
I raised an eyebrow.
"Huh? It's already this dark?"
For a moment, I could've sworn I'd only been inside the dungeon for a few minutes…
But apparently, hours had passed in the real world.
"Maybe time flows differently inside the dungeon…"
Without giving it much thought, I shrugged and started walking toward home.
All I wanted now was a hot bath, some food, and to sleep like the dead.
And on top of that… I still had school tomorrow.
To be continued.