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Hello readers , I am going to change the mc's name from Arthur Glaiz to Arthur Dravenlock
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The faint aftertaste of bitterness still lingered on my tongue.
"Now that I've absorbed the Black Vein Root, my job here is done," I muttered, brushing dirt from my clothes. "Time to leave this place."
The cave air was damp, suffocating. I didn't look back as I stepped out, letting the cold forest wind wash over me. My lungs filled with fresh air, and for the first time since waking in this body, I felt… different.
Compared to before, the weakness that had clung to me like chains was loosening. My body still wasn't strong, but it was no longer utterly fragile. Each step I took felt steadier, the ache in my muscles fading into something manageable.
"One problem down," I whispered. "Now for the second."
Fortunately, I wouldn't need to travel across kingdoms for it. My next target—my second cheat—was hidden right here in this forest.
The **Vial of Ascension.**
A miracle elixir capable of breaking the limit of a person's talent.
In the game's timeline, it was discovered by a villain—a man who used it to shatter his own limits, rising high enough to force the protagonist and his allies into a desperate war just to put him down. That was how valuable, how dangerous, the Vial of Ascension truly was.
This time, though, it wouldn't fall into villainous hands.
This time, I would claim it.
I walked deeper into the woods, my boots crunching over dried leaves. The forest stretched endlessly in every direction, a maze of towering trunks and whispering branches.
It was too quiet.
No chirping insects. No flutter of wings. Only the sound of my own footsteps, each one unnervingly loud in the silence.
"I wonder if I'll stumble across a monster," I muttered, half to myself. "I mean… I *want* to fight, I want to test what I can do now. But… if I had a choice, I'd rather fight a human. Monsters don't stop until you're dead."
"Chrrff—"
The sound came from my left. My breath hitched.
Slowly, carefully, I turned my head.
A shadow slipped from the underbrush, silent but deliberate. Fur as dark as storm clouds streaked with black, its pelt matted and rough. Sickly yellow-green eyes glowed faintly like dying embers, fixed on me.
My throat went dry.
The system's panel flashed before my eyes.
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**\[New Quest Generated!]**
*[Quest: Slay the Duskhound]*
Description: A Duskhound has targeted you. Survive by killing it.
[Reward: +2 to All Stats, EXP]
[Failure: Death]
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"…You've got to be kidding me." My voice cracked. "No option to run?"
The panel vanished. The beast remained.
A low growl rumbled in its throat, vibrating through the forest floor. Its lips curled back, exposing jagged, uneven fangs, each one perfect for tearing flesh. Its claws flexed, long enough to carve stone.
"No way out, huh?" My hand tightened around my sword. "Fine… let's do this."
The Duskhound lunged.
"**Dash!**"
My body blurred sideways, instincts flaring as the world tilted. Its jaws snapped through the space where my throat had been a heartbeat before. I rolled hard, grit scraping my palms.
It spun with terrifying speed. Claws scythed downward. I barely managed to block. The impact rattled through my arms, sending a painful shock up to my shoulders. One claw still grazed my forearm, leaving a hot, burning gash.
"Damn it!" I hissed, stumbling back.
The Duskhound circled slowly, predatory, eyes never leaving me. My heart thundered so loudly I could barely hear its growls. Sweat stung my eyes as I raised my blade again, arms trembling.
It lunged a second time.
I forced myself to watch—not its glowing eyes, but the coil of its hind legs, the twitch of its shoulders.
**Perfect Poker** sharpened my focus.
The instant it moved, I sidestepped. My sword arced across its flank, slicing shallow but enough to draw blood.
The Duskhound howled, but pain only drove it further into madness. It came again, faster, heavier.
Claws ripped across my side, hot agony exploding through my ribs. My knees buckled—too close. Too damn close.
Then it was on me, slamming my body to the dirt. My back hit hard, the air rushing from my lungs.
The monster loomed above, fangs descending.
I thrust my sword upward, barely wedging it between us. The jaws clamped down, teeth gnashing against steel. My arms shook violently, the weight crushing down. Its rancid breath filled my nose, its saliva dripping onto my cheek. The metal creaked under the pressure.
*I'm going to die.*
"Not yet!" I roared. My knee shot upward, slamming into its stomach. The beast flinched, just for a heartbeat—
"**Dash!**"
I burst sideways, scraping flesh against dirt and stone, tearing skin but buying space. My sword swung wildly upward—
—and pierced beneath its jaw.
A guttural, broken howl split the air. The Duskhound convulsed violently, claws raking my chest in one last frenzy. My vision blurred, red flooding my sight.
Then, silence.
The beast collapsed. Its glowing eyes dimmed into dull, lifeless glass.
For a moment, I didn't move. My sword slipped from trembling fingers, clattering against the dirt. My chest heaved. Each breath was agony, ribs screaming in protest, blood soaking through my shirt.
I had won.
Barely.
The system's panel appeared again.
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**\[Quest Completed!]**
*[You have slain Duskhound].*
[EXP Gained]
[+2 to All Stats]
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Warmth spread faintly through me, vanishing just as quickly.
I forced myself upright, clutching my bleeding side. My voice came out hoarse, cracked.
"Status"
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Name: Arthur Dravenlock
Class: Swordsman
Talent: 25
Attribute: Locked
...
Strength: 16 → 18
Speed: 15 → 17
Endurance: 14 → 16
Dexterity: 15 → 17
Perception: 15 → 17
Mana: 10 → 12
...
Passive Skill: Perfect Poker
Active Skill: Dash
...
Arts:
Basic Sword Style (Common)
Basic Non-Armed Combat (Common)
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I stared blankly at the panel. "My stats… really went up. So I did get that reward."
The panel faded, but the weight of it remained.
I should have been happy. I had slain my first monster, proven that I wasn't utterly helpless in this world. But staring at the Duskhound's corpse, the blood seeping into the dirt, all I could think was—
"…I almost died."
A single low-rank monster had pushed me to the brink. If not for *Dash*. If not for *Perfect Poker*. If not for the system's intervention, I would be nothing but another corpse in this forest.
"I'm still weak."
The words came out bitter, jagged. I clenched my fists until my knuckles bled.
Pathetically weak.
The silence of the forest swallowed the confession. The corpse at my feet was proof of survival, yet it felt more like a warning.
The path ahead was clear.
If I wanted to live—no, if I wanted to rise—weakness could no longer be tolerated.
Not here. Not in this world.
My eyes drifted deeper into the woods, past the bloodstained earth, toward the endless stretch of trees that hid countless dangers—and opportunities.
The Duskhound had nearly killed me. A single low-rank monster. And yet…
A faint smile tugged at my lips despite the blood on them.
"I can't afford to hesitate anymore," I whispered. "The Vial of Ascension is in this forest. And once I have it…"
I glanced at the fading glow of the system panel, feeling the phantom warmth of my increased stats.
The night wind stirred the leaves, carrying with it the promise of danger—and the lure of power waiting just beyond my reach.