Jaemin's fingers hovered over the glowing panels.
He swiped, and the Skill Set panel unfolded before him—clean, sharp lines of violet and blue light converging into a crisp interface.
At the very top, a skill was listed—clear, bold:
FOCUS
[An advanced sensory interface resembling a heads-up display, designed to augment user perception and cognition by projecting a dynamic holographic overlay within the field of vision. Focus operates seamlessly in real-world conditions, enabling enhanced environmental awareness, real-time tactical data analysis, and selective information filtering.]
[Activation is user-controlled and can be maintained during complex motor functions, allowing simultaneous combat and interface interaction. Focus improves reaction speed, decision-making efficiency, and spatial awareness without hindering physical performance, making it an invaluable tool for both exploration and battle.]
Jaemin's lips twitched.
"Like a game system… but built for survival."
Not just flashy visuals or XP bars—something that could save his life.
He flexed his fingers, feeling the subtle hum of power stirring beneath his skin.
Jaemin's fingers drifted from the Skill Set panel to the next one—Core. This was the one that mattered. The one he had to understand.
With a light tap, the panel expanded, and glowing text scrolled into view:
[You currently hold two Cores:]
1. Core of Shadows
2. Core of Tempest
3. [Redacted]
His brow furrowed.
"Redacted…?"
A cold chill slid down his spine.
"So there is a third one…"
He muttered to himself, voice low.
"There must be a reason I can hold multiple Cores. But… what even is the third?"
No answer hint.
Just that one word—[Redacted]—hanging in front of him like a locked door.
Jaemin exhaled slowly, then turned toward the glowing panel hovering off to the side—Status Window. He tapped it. The panel slid open with a soft whirr.
Status:
Name: Han Jaemin
Current Status Effect: Null
Fatigue: 77/100
Valour Surge: 1000 / 1000
"Huh? What's Valour Surge?"
As soon as he spoke, the interface responded.
Another panel popped up, sharper and faster than the others, like it had been waiting to answer that exact question.
[Valour Surge is the energy resource used to activate specific high-impact skills.]
Skill Exceptions (can be used freely without consuming Valour Surge):
>Dash.
>Brute Strength.
>Healing.
>Super Jump.
>Flight (Unlockable upon meeting criteria).
"I CAN FLY?!"
Jaemin nearly yelled, his eyes wide. He was bruised, bleeding, and still half-wrecked from the fight—but right now, he was giddy.
"I can fucking fly?!"
The panel shimmered, then slid away smoothly as the system resumed the previous view.
At the very bottom of the Status panel, another entry caught his eye:
Title: Sacred Swordsman [All sword- and dagger-based damage increased by 27%]
Jaemin let out a short, breathless laugh, lips curling into a grin.
"Now we're talking…"
From shattered ruins and near-death fights… to this.
He wasn't just catching up anymore.
He was becoming something else entirely.
And this was just the first page.
PING!
The Skill Set window reopened—this time, on its own.
Your skill set has been updated.}
The panel expanded as fresh lines of light traced across it, locking into place. Jaemin's eyes scanned down the list:
Skill Set:
1. Dash
2. Brute Strength.
3. Healing.
4. Super Jump.
5. Flight
6. Master Swordsman
7. Dual Daggers
8. Binary Orbital Overload (Weapon Specific)
9. Telekinesis
10. Storm Call
11. Divine Winds
12. Thunderbolt
13. Shadow Walk
14. Wraith
15. Biome Burst (Unavailable—can be earned through a quest after levelling up)
Jaemin blinked, then narrowed his eyes.
"Levelling up? There is no levelling up here."
It was true—there was no XP bar. No HP gauge. No glowing 'Level 14' floating above his head.
But then his eyes caught something—a small icon in the corner. He tapped it.
[System Notification]:
[The system's heuristics matrix is still calibrating.]
Progress: 35/100
Estimated Time Until Full Integration: 2:12:09
"Ahh… so this whole thing isn't even running at full strength yet."
He exhaled, the holograms folding back into nothing with a soft, clean chime. For a second, he forgot where he even was.
The Lapis Chamber.
Still. Quiet. Heavy.
The Maiden's scorched body lay crumpled nearby. Dead Graveyards are scattered like charred statues. And Gyeongnim… or what was left of him…
But that silence? It didn't last.
A presence.
Not many.
Jaemin looked up. Looked back.
And he was right.
From the far corridor, shadows shifted—wrong and heavy—and out of them came a horde.
A wave of dark, armoured bodies poured in like a flood.
17 Iron Bison
Massive, hoofed Abyssals with burning manes and twin glowing cores in place of horns.
30 Vanguard Abyssals
Towering like plated tanks, armed in jagged black armour.
Some with greatswords.
Others with hammers.
A few with twisted bows, glowing with corrupted energy.
Jaemin cracked his knuckles.
Status: Fatigue: 77 / 100
The window vanished again.
"I can go till 80 for this."
He smirked, both hands lifting as the Binary Stars formed in his grip, the twin daggers burning with kinetic aura.
Active Skill: Dash.
He disappeared.
A blur of wind.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!
The Iron Bison fell like oversized dominoes—guts and core-shards painting the air. They were fast and strong… but nothing he couldn't handle.
It was the Vanguards that posed a problem.
He landed among them, daggers scraping across one's plated chest—No penetration.
"Shit."
Jaemin tossed his daggers aside.
Active Skill: Brute Force.
His body snapped tight—muscles coiling like steel cables. Power surged down his arms.
BOOM!
His punch collided dead-on with a Vanguard's helmet.
The steel didn't crack—it exploded, caving inward like foil. The shockwave tore through the others, sending four of them flying back, slamming against the far wall with bone-shattering force.
Jaemin stood in the crater his foot had created from the punch, light flaring around his fists.
"Alright then..."
"Let's see how long y'all last."
Jaemin tore through the last of the abyssals with brutal precision, body blurring from one kill to the next, full speed, no hesitation. Compared to the Maiden… or Gyeongnim? These things were warm-up exercises.
One final bison fell with a crack of bone and Core. Its corpse hit the ground with a heavy thud.
Silence.
Jaemin stood in the aftermath—blood-streaked, breathing steady, posture loose. He took a moment. Finally.
But deep down, he knew it wouldn't last. Not in here.
FWIUP—PING!
A thin, clean chime cut through the air. That familiar iridescent ring of blue and violet lit up near his temple.
His Focus reactivated.
"Oh?"
Jaemin raised a brow, wiping blood from his jaw. Even though the system was still integrating, a new feature had just been unlocked.
Status:
Name: Han Jaemin
Current Status Effect: Null
Fatigue: 77 / 100
Valour Surge: 1000 / 1000
Title: Sacred Swordsman
HP: 7664 / 10,000
XP: 12,563 / 13,000
"…So now I have HP and XP."
Before he could even think about it, the next window popped up:
Level: 37
Jaemin's eyes narrowed…
And then he yelled.
"WHAT THE FUCK, MAN—HOW AM I ONLY LEVEL 37?!"
"AM I PLAYING THIS ON ULTRA HARD OR SOMETHING?!"
All that pain, all those near-death moments, and this system dared to call him thirty-fucking-seven?
He groaned dramatically, throwing his head back—
"Nah, someone's trolling me. This system's gotta be drunk."
"WOOOOO!"
A fresh howl echoed through the chamber.
Jaemin's head whipped back. His Focus flickered—but not before giving him one last readout:
Multiple entities detected.
Through the far corridor, more abyssals poured in—Vanguards and Iron Bison, again, but in greater numbers. Thicker armour. Faster steps. Stronger aura signatures.
Jaemin sighed deeply, rolling his shoulder with a loud crack.
"Can y'all let me take a break for at least five minutes?"
His voice was tired, but his stance was ready.
PING!
A notification shimmered in front of him:
New Main Quest:
Lapis Chamber: Survive the Chamber (Wave 3 of 5)
Jaemin's grin dropped.
"Wave three…? Of five?"
He muttered under his breath, eyes darting to the fatigue meter.
"This is bad."
He could already feel the weight creeping into his limbs.
"My fatigue's just gonna keep climbing. If it hits 100..."
"I'll be a sitting duck."
Jaemin clenched his fists. He needed a plan—fast. This wasn't just survival anymore.
This was endurance. And he was running out of time.
After what felt like a lifetime of non-stop carnage, Jaemin stood still, chest rising, shoulders heavy, bones cracking with each breath.
The third wave was over. And it had been nearly two hours since the assault began.
His blade was still hot. His boots were soaked in shadow-blood. His breathing was stable, but his body wasn't.
Status:
Fatigue: 96 / 100
"This is bad."
He muttered, hunched over slightly, his hands on his thighs.
"If I keep going like this… I'll be on the ground in no time."
The fatigue meter glowed red, blinking at him like a warning sign.
FWIUP—PING!
The familiar iridescent ring flared near his temple. The Focus snapped on.
Jaemin swept his fingers through the air, flipping through panels with urgency. Inventory? No help. Skill Set? Already known. But then—
A glimmer. STORE.
"Finally."
He whispered, pressing the icon instantly.
TING!
[STORE will be available after the heuristic matrix has been calibrated fully.]
(Progress: 48 / 100 — Estimated Time: 1:09:22)
"Of course…"
Jaemin exhaled harshly, jaw clenched.
"Why the hell would anything be easy for me?"
With a frustrated click of his tongue, he backed out and pulled open the Status Window again.
Status:
Name: Han Jaemin
Current Status Effect: Null
Fatigue: 96 / 100 (
Valour Surge: 1000 / 1000
Title: Sacred Swordsman
HP: 7664 / 10,000
XP: 12,967 / 13,000
Not enough to level access to the Store. Health hadn't tanked, but that fatigue bar was crawling into danger zone territory. His body felt slower. His vision slightly blurred.
He closed his eyes.
"Recover."
SHIIIN!
A warm emerald hue surged from his chest, swirling over his skin like mist before sinking into his core.
Instant relief. Muscles loosened. Breathing calmed.
Status:
Name: Han Jaemin
Current Status Effect: Null
Fatigue: 10 / 1000
Valour Surge: 1000 / 1000
Title: Sacred Swordsman
HP: 10,000 / 10,000
XP: 12,967 / 13,000
Jaemin rolled his shoulders. His hands flexed.
"Alright… that bought me time."
He knew that healing wasn't infinite. Valour Surge would hold, but with two more waves incoming—and the system still half-calibrated—he needed more than just time.
He needed an edge.
And if the Store wasn't opening until the heuristic matrix finished calibrating… then whatever was coming next?
It was meant to push him past the limit.
Jaemin looked up, the faint violet glow in his eyes flickering.
"Alright, Lapis Chamber."
He muttered to the silent dark.
"Throw wave four at me. I'm not done yet."
The ring of light faded out with a soft chime, and Jaemin stood alone, recovered, refocused, and ready to bleed again.