The hallway reeked of iron and smoke.
Blood spread across the cracked tiles in uneven trails, mixing with dust and shattered glass. Some bodies were still twitching, fingers scraping weakly against the floor. Others had already gone still, their expressions frozen in confusion rather than fear.
It had happened too fast.
Kang Seo-jun stepped forward.
His footsteps were quiet, controlled, almost detached from the chaos around him. The three goblins ahead of him shifted restlessly, their hunched bodies tense as they sniffed the air.
Then their heads snapped toward him.
Yellow eyes gleamed.
Hungry.
In his past life, this moment would have felt overwhelming.
Now, it felt… slow.
The first goblin lunged.
Its claws tore through the air, aiming straight for his neck.
Seo-jun tilted his head slightly.
The attack missed by inches.
Before the creature could recover, his fist shot forward.
A dull crack echoed through the hallway.
The goblin's jaw collapsed inward as its body lifted off the ground, then slammed against the tiles without resistance.
It didn't move again.
Seo-jun flexed his fingers once.
No pain.
No strain.
"…so this is it."
The remaining two goblins shrieked and charged together, their movements more frantic now, less controlled.
One came low.
The other circled.
Seo-jun stepped back half a pace, just enough to throw off their timing. The first goblin overreached, claws scraping against empty space.
His hand shot down.
He caught its wrist.
Twisted.
A sharp snap followed instantly.
The goblin screamed.
Seo-jun pulled it forward and drove his knee into its chest. The impact crushed bone with brutal efficiency. The creature folded inward before he threw it aside.
The second goblin lunged.
Too late.
Seo-jun stepped inside its reach and grabbed its throat.
The creature clawed at his arm, but the strength behind it felt insignificant.
His grip tightened.
Bones gave way.
He released it.
Both bodies hit the ground.
Still.
Silent.
A faint glow flickered before his eyes.
[You have defeated low-grade creatures.]
[Experience gained.]
[Level increased.]
Warmth spread through his body again, more noticeable this time. It wasn't overwhelming, but it was steady, reinforcing his muscles, sharpening his senses.
Seo-jun exhaled slowly.
Then spoke.
"Status."
The blue screen appeared instantly.
Clear.
Organized.
Name: Kang Seo-junLevel: 2
Class: Player
Profession: Abyssal Regressor (Hidden)
Title: None
Stats:
Strength (STR): 18Agility (AGI): 17Vitality (VIT): 16Intelligence (INT): 15Perception (PER): 19
Skills:
• Regression Memory (Passive) – Retains knowledge from previous timeline• Abyss Adaptation (Passive) – Rapid growth when exposed to danger• Predator's Instinct (Passive) – Heightened awareness of hostile intent
Inventory:
• Broken Chair Leg (Common)• Torn Backpack (Empty)
Seo-jun stared at the screen.
"Abyssal Regressor…"
The name alone felt wrong.
Too heavy.
Too intentional.
In his previous life, professions had clear paths. Warrior. Mage. Scout. Even rare ones followed logic.
This didn't.
This sounded like something that wasn't meant to exist within normal rules.
His eyes shifted to his stats.
"…these numbers."
At level two, this was absurd.
Most players barely reached ten in a primary stat after several levels. His entire spread was already beyond that.
And his perception…
Nineteen.
That explained it.
The way everything felt sharper. The way movements seemed easier to read.
Seo-jun closed the screen.
"Good."
No hesitation this time.
No doubt.
If this was the path he had been given, then he would use it.
Because this time.
He refused to die powerless.
A deep rumble shook the building.
Seo-jun's gaze shifted toward the stairs.
The wyvern.
It had landed.
The pressure in the air had grown heavier, more suffocating with each passing second. Even breathing felt slightly more difficult now.
Most people wouldn't understand why.
But Seo-jun did.
That was killing intent.
Not aimed.
Not yet.
But present.
He moved.
The stairwell was filled with panicked footsteps, students rushing downward, pushing past each other in a desperate attempt to escape.
Seo-jun moved against them.
One shoved him.
He didn't react.
Another grabbed his sleeve.
"Help me. Please. Something's out there—"
Seo-jun pulled free without a word.
Helping them now wouldn't change anything.
Not yet.
He reached the first floor.
The entrance had been destroyed.
Sunlight poured through the broken walls, revealing a campus that no longer resembled anything familiar.
The ground had split open.
Buildings leaned at unnatural angles.
Smoke rose from multiple points across the area.
And at the center.
It stood.
The wyvern.
Its massive wings stretched outward, casting a shadow over everything beneath it. Scales shimmered dark red beneath the light, each one reflecting heat like molten metal.
Its head moved slowly.
Observing.
Waiting.
Seo-jun didn't step forward immediately.
He knew better.
"That's not a fight."
Not even close.
Even with his current advantage, the gap between them was absolute.
But.
His eyes shifted.
Scanning.
Searching.
And then he saw them.
Near a fractured section of earth, partially hidden beneath debris.
Goblins.
Five of them.
Feeding.
Seo-jun's expression sharpened.
"Perfect."
He crouched slightly and moved along the edge of the destruction, keeping low, using broken walls and overturned debris as cover.
The wyvern remained still.
It hadn't noticed him.
Good.
That meant he still had time.
Seo-jun picked up a shard of broken metal from the ground.
It was jagged.
Sharp enough.
Better than wood.
His grip adjusted naturally.
Familiar.
Comfortable.
He exhaled once.
Then moved.
Fast.
The first goblin didn't even react before the metal pierced its throat. Blood sprayed outward as it collapsed instantly.
The others turned.
Too late.
Seo-jun stepped in.
One swing.
A clean cut across the neck.
Another lunged.
He dodged.
Countered.
Drove the shard into its chest.
Everything flowed.
No wasted motion.
No hesitation.
The last goblin tried to run.
Seo-jun caught it.
And ended it.
Silence settled again.
[You have defeated low-grade creatures.]
[Experience gained.]
[Level increased.]
[Level increased.]
[Item acquired.]
Seo-jun's eyes flicked to the new notification.
"Inventory."
The screen appeared again.
Inventory:
• Broken Chair Leg (Common)• Rusted Iron Shard (Common)• Goblin Core (Uncommon) x2
He paused slightly.
Goblin cores.
Useful.
In the early days, these were valuable. They could be traded. Used for crafting. Sometimes even consumed for minor stat boosts depending on the system's evolution.
Seo-jun nodded once.
"Not bad."
His level had increased again.
"Status."
Name: Kang Seo-junLevel: 4
Class: Player
Profession: Abyssal Regressor (Hidden)
Stats:
Strength (STR): 23Agility (AGI): 22Vitality (VIT): 20Intelligence (INT): 18Perception (PER): 25
Skills:
• Regression Memory (Passive)• Abyss Adaptation (Passive)• Predator's Instinct (Passive)
Seo-jun let out a quiet breath.
Fast.
Too fast.
Even for him.
But he didn't question it.
He would use everything he had.
A shadow passed over him.
Large.
Heavy.
His body reacted instantly.
Seo-jun turned.
The wyvern had moved.
Its massive head lowered slightly, eyes locking directly onto him.
Not the others.
Not the fleeing students.
Him.
Seo-jun felt it immediately.
That pressure.
Focused.
Sharp.
Intent.
His grip tightened around the rusted shard.
"…so you noticed."
The creature exhaled slowly.
Smoke curled from its jaws.
Its gaze didn't waver.
And in that moment.
Seo-jun understood something.
This wasn't random.
The system.
The hidden profession.
This creature appears early.
And now.
Its attention was fixed on him.
A quiet realization settled in his mind.
He wasn't just surviving anymore.
He was being watched.
And whatever was watching.
Had just marked him as something worth noticing.