A little time passed. How much exactly, Sato couldn't tell. He opened his eye slowly. He was lying unconscious in the tunnel. Beside him lay the dead body of the Rat King. Sato pushed himself up with difficulty. He looked around slowly. His wounds had healed. He stood up, legs trembling slightly.
"I wish this damn thing was just a dream," he muttered to himself.
Then he slowly approached the Rat King's corpse. It already smelled foul, starting to rot.
"Damn it… I almost died to this thing," he said quietly, voice hoarse.
At that moment, the system window appeared.
"Damn this thing. If I find whoever threw me into this hell, I'll kill them," he growled under his breath.
[Congratulations! You have defeated the Rat King (Level 28).]
[Congratulations! You have gained +3000 EXP.]
[Congratulations! You have reached Level 15.]
[You have gained +3 bonus Stat Points.]
Sato stared at the notifications.
"What? Just one level up for killing the rat king?" he said, a mix of exhaustion and disbelief in his voice.
Then he began thinking about how to use the stat points.
[Status Window]
Name: Sato
Age: 15
Level: 15
Class: None
Title: First Hunter of Tervezon
HP: 560 / 560
MP: 120 / 120
Strength: 15
Agility: 18
Endurance: 13
Vitality: 17
Intelligence: 11
Willpower: 13
Luck: ???
Charisma: 10
Mana: 100/100
[Passive Skills]
Regeneration Lv.2 – Regeneration speed +10%
Cold Resistance Lv.1
[Active Skills]
Single Slash Lv.1 – A single, extremely fast and precise strike. Mana cost: 10 per use.
[Available Stat Points: 3]
[Available Skill Points: 5]
[Equipment]
Asam Sword (Rare) – +3 Strength, +1 Willpower
Hard-Skinned Rat Claw x33 (Common)
Common Grade Mana Crystal x9
Rat King's Venomous Claw (Rare Grade – Dagger)
Sato stared at the window, his breathing still heavy, but steadier now. The numbers were higher.
Sato stared at the status window, his breathing still heavy from the fight. Then something caught his eye.
Skill Points: 5
He tilted his head.
Skill points? What are these?
He reached out and tapped the line.
A new description appeared.
[Skill Points]
Randomly grants skills tailored to the character's current situation, personality, and combat style.
Each use consumes 1 point.
The outcome is unpredictable—rewards can be powerful, situational, or even transformative.
Sato's eye narrowed. He felt a mix of curiosity and caution.
"Hmm. Random skills?" he muttered to himself. "Might as well try it. If it's something useful… great. If not… well, at least I used them."
He took a deep breath.
"Alright. Let's see what happens."
He focused and tapped to use them—all five at once.
The panel shimmered.
A translucent, spinning wheel materialized in front of him—like a glowing roulette wheel made of blue light. Symbols and faint images flashed across its surface too fast to read.
Sato watched, heart pounding.
Come on… give me something good.
The wheel spun faster, then slowed.
Symbols locked in one by one.
The blue screen appeared once more, glowing softly in the dim tunnel.
[Congratulations! You have acquired the skill: Bloodstained Steps (Passive).]
[Congratulations! You have acquired the skill: Golden Eye (Passive).]
Sato stared at the notifications, eyebrows raised.
"That's it? Just two?" he muttered, a mix of disappointment and resignation in his voice. "Fine… at least I got something."
He tapped the first skill.
[Bloodstained Steps (Passive)]
When your HP falls below 30%, your movement speed increases by 25%.
Additionally, for every significant amount of damage dealt to enemies in a short period, your speed receives a stacking +5% boost (resets after leaving combat).
Sato read it slowly, then let out a frustrated sigh.
"Damn it… so I can't use this whenever I want. It only kicks in when I'm already half-dead. Great. Just great," he grumbled, scratching the back of his head with his good hand. "If I'm below 30% HP, I'm already screwed anyway."
He tapped the second skill, hoping for better news.
[Golden Eye (Passive)]
After engaging in combat with an enemy for more than 5 minutes, you gain the ability to predict their movements up to 3 seconds in advance (accuracy depends on their speed).
After 10+ minutes of continuous combat with the same enemy, you can perfectly replicate and counter one of their combat skills used against you in that fight (once per skill per fight).
Sato's face darkened.
"Son of a… this is the same crap. I can't just use it whenever. I have to wait 5 or 10 minutes, and it only works on the same damn enemy?" He clenched his fist, anger bubbling up. "What a rip-off. One coin for this trash."
He glared at the glowing panel, then sighed deeply, shoulders slumping.
"Fine. Whatever. At least it's something."
Sato suddenly felt a surge of blood rushing back through his body. He doubled over, clutching his stomach as nausea hit him like a wave. His vision swam, and he dropped to one knee, gasping.
Then the blue screen appeared.
[Warning: Body afflicted with parasitic damage.]
Obtain a special antidote immediately or eliminate the source of the damage, or the parasite will fully mature and kill the host.
Parasite Maturity: 27%
Sato stared at the words, his heart pounding. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead. The pain in his wounds intensified—not just cuts, but something wriggling beneath his skin.