Han Joon stood over the massive corpse of the Camo Snake, staring down at the slick blue meat he had carved out. The smell was weird—like wet moss and iron—but his empty stomach didn't care.
He nudged the meat with the tip of his knife and groaned,"Damn it… I need fire somehow or I'm gonna die."
He dropped to a squat, let out a heavy sigh, and opened his system panel again. The glowing blue window reflected off his green goblin skin.
STATS
Strength: C
Speed: B
Stamina: B+
Virality: D
Intelligence: …wait.
Han Joon narrowed his eyes.I have Intelligence? When did that show up?
Before he could question it, another panel blinked in front of him:
GOD POINTS: 1You may use a God Point to increase any stat of your choosing.
He stared at the list.Stamina, Speed, Virality, Strength, Intelligence.
He rubbed his chin.If I'm gonna survive down here… Strength probably helps me not get stabbed by giant murder-snakes.
He tapped Strength.
A gentle chime rang.Strength: C → C+
…Nothing happened.
No glowing aura.No muscle growth.Not even a warm feeling.
Han Joon blinked."…Seriously? That's it? Not even a sparkle?"
He patted his arm.Still scrawny.Still goblin-y.
Then—Wait.
His eyes widened as a memory clicked.The dungeon corridors…The flickering orange light he had ignored earlier…
He slapped his forehead so hard it echoed."Am I stupid!? There were TORCHES. Torches! Actual FIRE! Right here!"
He sprinted to the wall and sure enough—A whole row of torches burned bright and hot, mounted securely in the stone.
He yanked one free, the flame flickering dangerously close to his ragged sleeves.
"Perfect. Finally something going my way…"
He dragged the Camo Snake's corpse closer, sliced off a chunk, and held it over the fire using a sharpened bone as a makeshift skewer.
Grease sizzled.Smoke curled up.The meat cooked slowly, changing from blue to a strange purple-gray.
Han Joon's stomach growled again.He swallowed hard, staring at the roasting meat.
If this doesn't kill me… I'm gonna be so happy.
The goblin leaned closer to the fire, eyes reflecting the flame, alone in the dungeon—but for the first time since being thrown into this nightmare,he felt like he might actually live.
Han Joon swallowed a trembling bite of the cooked Camo Snake meat. The taste was weird—strange and metallic—but hunger was stronger than disgust. He took another bite… and then the system chimed.
SYSTEM:Beast Eaten. Mutation Starting…
Han Joon froze."What… what?"
Before he could think, a sharp, burning-hot pain shot through every nerve and bone in his body.
AGHHHH!
It felt like his entire body was being roasted in a fire…and at the same time, frozen solid in Antarctica.
Heat and cold battled inside him, each wave screaming pain that made him drop to his knees.
He gritted his teeth, gagging, sweat running down his goblin-green face. His heart raced like it would burst.
I'm… I'm gonna die… isn't this it? This is it…
Then—suddenly—the agony stopped.
Silence. Stillness. Relief washed over him like a tide.
The system chimed again, calm and deliberate.
SYSTEM:Two new abilities acquired from the Camo Snake:
Rank E: Camo – Ability to partially camouflage yourself in surroundings. Not as effective as the original snake; requires leveling to improve.
Rank C: Fangs of Poison – Any weapon attack inflicts poison damage over time, even from weak attacks. Poison reduces health gradually until target reaches 65% HP. Can be stacked to 45% HP. Cannot damage beyond these thresholds.
Han Joon blinked, still trembling, clutching his stomach.
…What… What just happened?
He looked at his hands, flexing them slowly. They felt… different. Stronger? Sharper? A strange tingling ran along his claws.
He muttered under his breath, trying to calm his pounding heart:"…I survived. Somehow… I actually survived."
For the first time since spawning in this dungeon as a goblin, Han Joon felt power—strange, foreign, and terrifying.
He looked at the flickering torchlight, at the remaining Camo Snake corpse, and whispered:Okay… now we're really getting somewhere.