"Damn, why did I have to run into these Evilus lunatics now?"
After escaping from Rudra's sight, Kael clutched his racing heart, unable to calm down. His earlier fearless demeanor had been nothing but an act.
"Ha! This reminds me of unclogging that drain for my sister-in-law right under my brother's nose. What a thrill!"
If not for the acting skills he'd honed in his previous life, he would surely be dead now. Kael mentally reviewed his performance, searching for any flaws that might have betrayed him to a deity who could detect lies.
Still, he'd accomplished what he needed to — dealing with his bullies, securing 5 million Valis as startup capital, and causing trouble for Zanis. The crisis was 90% resolved.
"Can't let my guard down yet. Knowing Evilus's methods, that remaining 10% of danger should arrive any moment!" Kael kept moving, sprinting along the corridor toward the regular route.
After just four intersections, a great sword slashed out from the shadows around a corner.
Holy crap!
Kael slammed his left foot down, halting his sprint. The great sword crashed into the ground, shattering the stone.
Two thugs in white robes, dressed in Arab fashion, blocked the passage ahead.
"What's this bug doing here?"
"Kill it."
Their hollow, frenzied eyes gleamed with murderous intent.
Kael spun around and bolted toward another passage.
"Stop! Don't run!"
Evilus! Right on schedule!
Rudra couldn't have appeared in the Dungeon just for me — they must have their own objective. From the looks of it, they've already sealed off this area!
I see. They want the money... Is surviving and escaping the Dungeon their test for me?
Calming himself, Kael ran while considering his options.
His combat power relied on [Drunken Rage], but it needed alcohol as a medium. Without alcohol reserves, his fighting ability was worthless. With their tight blockade in place, refreshing his Skills was his only choice.
But there was a problem. While [Bearing the Burden] let him move freely in heavy armor, refreshing the Skill meant abandoning his equipment. This wasn't just about losing property — without his 'natural armor', his resistance to Soma would vanish too!
But right now, I have no choice!
Unknown Skills had too many unpredictable factors to rely on for victory. So... where was his chance to win?
Kael recalled Rudra's parting words, his eyes lighting up:
Justice bitch?
Right! The Astrea Familia! The 7th Floor was as big as Central Park, and Gannu and the others' screams had definitely caught the attention of Adventurers on the outskirts.
Normal Adventurers wouldn't be foolish enough to rush in for a rescue, but they'd report it! If luck was on his side, they should have engaged by now!
This is my escape route!
Assessing his situation, Kael hurled his battle axe behind him. The narrow passage — barely wide enough for two battle axes — forced the white-robed men to stop and defend themselves.
He used this chance to put more distance between them.
Clang Clang Clang—
As he fled, Kael stripped off his equipment, throwing his sword, armor, and helmet one by one at his pursuers. Each piece became an obstacle, further slowing them down.
Clutching the bag of coins to his chest, he rounded another corner. The sounds of battle grew louder in his ears. Though close by, the maze-like passages made his destination feel frustratingly distant.
Desperately, Kael prayed for a skill that would save his life!
"Can't wait anymore! Pandora! Refresh!"
The Falna on his back blazed with scalding light as chaos swept through his soul.
While Skills and Magic were abilities that worked through his vessel (body), [Second Dimension Pandora] transformed how that vessel expressed itself at its very foundation!
This was the miracle of the lower world!
After a moment of dizziness, new Falna information crystallized in his mind.
╔══════════════════════════╗
║ Kael Kane
║ Level: 1
╠══════════════════════════╣
║ Strength: I 50 → I 78
║ Endurance: I 60 → H 157
║ Dexterity: I 80 → I 97
║ Agility: I 50 → I 66
║ Magic: I 0 → I 0
╠══════════════════════════╣
║ Magic: [ None ]
╠══════════════════════════╣
║ Skills:
║ [Working Like a Dog]
║ • Continuously Active
║ • Grants Combat Continuation and Death Resistance
║ • Greatly Reduces Endurance, Making You More Vulnerable
║
║ The collapse of your body cannot stop your determination to work where you wish,
║ your ancestors will plead your case in the underworld.
║
║
║[Goes Where He Pleases]
║ • Resists Control and Negative Effects at Low HP
║ • Strength Increases Based on Lost HP
║ • Converts Damage into Healing Potions
║ • Significantly Increases Health Recovery
║
║ Dr. Mundo goes where he pleases!
╚══════════════════════════╝
Kael stared in disbelief at the skill information.
What... had he just received?
[Working Like a Dog]? What kind of skill was this?
The second skill made sense — it was Dr. Mundo's passive ability from League of Legends — but the first one...
"A common saying can become a skill?" Kael's understanding of his cheat ability shifted once again.
Not only could it refresh powerful game abilities, but it could also create skills with drawbacks? 'Greatly Reduces Endurance' was essentially the same as dropping an entire Endurance rank!
Kael felt his stamina draining rapidly. His running slowed, and he started panting after just a few steps — reminiscent of his previous life when he'd worked himself to exhaustion for 48 hours straight.
However...
"Heh haha haha..." Instead of despair, he burst into hearty laughter.
Though [Working Like a Dog] caused his physical abilities to deteriorate quickly, it came with some incredibly powerful effects.
'Combat Continuation' and 'Death Resistance'. These two simple descriptions, combined with the saying's origin, revealed just how formidable this ability was.
"Well, it's fitting — considering how I had to handle everything with my sister-in-law, working like a dog for those people..."
The only issue was that this skill lacked healing power. If he were truly blown apart, even Orario's medical expertise couldn't save him.
But as luck would have it...
[Goes Where He Pleases] addressed Kael's last worry.
'Significantly Increases Health Recovery' was essentially a weaker version of "Self-Regeneration", giving him recovery speeds approaching those of Monsters!
HP lock plus super-fast regeneration! How could he possibly die?
It was absolutely impossible!