The air inside the cave was thick and cold, carrying an almost metallic tang. Every step echoed loudly, swallowed almost immediately by the cavern's yawning depths. Jae-hyun kept close behind Aria, Kael, and Renn, their torchlight cutting swaths of gold through the blackness.
He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "So… we're just gonna walk deeper in until something eats us? That's the plan?"
Aria didn't answer. Kael only grunted in agreement. Renn chuckled. "Pretty much. That's adventuring."
Jae-hyun grumbled under his breath, adjusting his grip on the strap of his satchel. His Minor Copy skill pulsed faintly in his mind — a familiar but frustrating feeling. This was only his third time using it, and each time had been different. The first time was sheer luck, the second an accident. Now… he wanted to test it properly.
But there was a rule he still hadn't fully understood. Minor Copy didn't just conjure skills out of thin air. It stole skills in real time — only from things that were actually using them.
Which meant: unless the target used the skill right in front of him, he wouldn't get it.
They moved deeper into the cave, walls narrowing slightly until they entered a massive chamber. The ceiling arched high above them, disappearing into darkness. Strange runes glowed faintly along the walls, pulsing like living things. The air thrummed with unseen energy.
A sound broke the silence — low, guttural growls, coming from the far end of the chamber.
Kael froze. "Something's here."
From the shadows emerged them — three beasts, larger and more menacing than the ones they had fought outside. Their bodies were covered in coarse black scales that shimmered with an unnatural sheen. Their eyes glowed red like burning coals. Sharp claws dug into the stone floor, and their movements were unnervingly calculated.
Jae-hyun's heart thudded painfully in his chest. He glanced down at his floating stat panel.
Name: Jae-hyun
Level: 2
HP: 110
Mana: 55
Strength: 12
Agility: 13
Luck: 0.1
Skill: Minor Copy (F Rank)
Stored Skills: None
Exp: 3/30
He inhaled sharply. This was going to be his test.
Aria raised her staff. "Stay behind me."
Kael nocked an arrow. Renn twirled his daggers, grinning. Jae-hyun adjusted his stance.
The beasts roared and charged.
Kael fired his first volley, arrows streaking through the air and embedding in a beast's neck. Renn darted in, slashing and pivoting with practiced precision. Aria sent out a burst of arcane energy, striking another beast square in the chest.
Jae-hyun stayed behind the group, watching closely. The fight was brutal — claws slashed through armor, teeth tore at flesh. His heart raced.
One beast roared and then suddenly moved with unnatural speed, vanishing for a split second and appearing behind Kael. Kael barely blocked the strike in time.
That movement — that was a skill. Shadow Step.
Jae-hyun's heart skipped. This was his chance. Minor Copy pulsed strongly. His mind locked onto the movement, absorbing it.
His panel updated:
Skill: Shadow Step (E Rank) — Active Skill
Stored Skills: None
Copied Skill: Shadow Step — 24:00 Remaining
He blinked in shock. "Finally… a real skill."
The beast roared again and lunged toward Renn. Jae-hyun activated Shadow Step without thinking, vanishing in a blink and reappearing behind the creature. He kicked at its flank with enough force to stagger it.
Kael blinked. "What the hell?"
Jae-hyun smirked. "Testing my third try at this thing." He blinked again, landing just to the side of another beast's head. "Shadow Step… yeah, this one's actually useful."
The group fought harder now, emboldened by his unexpected move. Jae-hyun stayed close enough to watch but far enough to avoid direct danger — using Shadow Step to reposition and strike opportunistically.
After a particularly savage swing from Renn, Jae-hyun had another thought.
What if I copy another skill?
He concentrated again. Minor Copy pulsed. The beasts roared in unison, but none of them used anything new. That meant no skill to take… until a sharp hiss echoed. One beast lunged with a toxic spray — Poison Fang.
That was it. He grabbed it. His active skill panel changed:
Skill: Poison Fang (F Rank) — Active Skill
Description: Coat your weapon in venom, dealing damage over time. Duration: 30 seconds.
Stored Skills: Shadow Step (E Rank) — 23:55 Remaining
Copied Skill: Poison Fang — 24:00 Remaining
Minor Copy still glowed faintly in his panel. This meant it wasn't gone — it stored these skills, and the countdown for each began the moment they were copied. After 24 hours, they would disappear.
Jae-hyun blinked. "Okay… so it stores skills, but only one can be active at a time. And they expire." He smirked. "This is actually way cooler than I thought."
The beasts roared, charging Kael again. Jae-hyun stepped forward, coating Renn's dagger with a faint green haze from Poison Fang. Renn slashed again, the beast stumbling under the venom's effect.
"Nice!" Renn grinned. "You actually helped!"
Jae-hyun smirked. "Yeah, I'm the group's wild card."
They fought hard, the beasts finally collapsing under their combined assault. The cave grew silent again except for their breathing and the echo of dripping blood.
Kael lowered his bow. "That was… impressive. Where'd you learn that?"
Jae-hyun smirked, tapping his panel. "Trade secret."
Aria gave him a curious look. "We'll need to talk about that skill of yours. It's… unique."
He chuckled softly. "Yeah. Minor Copy is unique. I just need to figure out the limits." He glanced at the fallen beasts. "Guess that means I have to be careful what I take next time."
They stood there for a moment, catching their breath. Somewhere deeper, the strange hum pulsed again — faintly, steadily.
Jae-hyun's eyes narrowed. "This just got interesting."