Sato stood in the center of the ruined village, breathing heavily. Bodies of Kabolt fighters and archers lay scattered around him—tents torn, fires extinguished, ground soaked in blood. He had killed them all.
The system windows appeared one after another, blue light flickering across the carnage.
[Congratulations! You have defeated 34x Kabolt Fighter (Level 30).]
[EXP gained: +27,200]
[Congratulations! You have defeated 16x Kabolt Archer (Level 28).]
[EXP gained: +9,600]
[Congratulations! You have reached Level 45.]
[You have gained +30 bonus Stat Points.]
Sato stared at the notifications for a long moment.
Then he laughed—low at first, then louder.
"Hah… Hahaha…"
He wiped blood from his face with the back of his hand.
"Why does this feel so good?" he said, voice hoarse but strangely satisfied. "I don't know… maybe I'm going crazy."
He opened the status window.
[Status Window]
- Name:Sato
- Age: 15
- Level:45
- Class: None
- Title:First Hunter of Tervezon
- HP:680 / 1,450
- MP:420 / 420
- Strength:*31
- Agility: 33
- Endurance: 28
- Vitality: 25
- Intelligence:19
- Willpower:26
- Luck:???
- Charisma: 12
[Passive Skills]
- Regeneration Lv.3– Regeneration speed +15%
- Cold Resistance Lv.1
[Active Skills]
- Single Slash Lv.2 – A single, extremely fast and precise strike.
- Mana Blade Lv.2 – Infuse your weapon with mana for enhanced cutting power. Physical attacks now deal bonus damage to ethereal and resistant enemies.
- Crescent Wave Lv.1 – A wide, crescent-shaped mana wave that cuts through multiple enemies in a broad arc.
- Blood Serpent Lash Lv.1 – Manipulate surrounding blood with mana to create serpentine lashes that bind and cut enemies.
[Available Stat Points: 30]
[Available Skill Points: 1]
[Equipment]
- Asam Sword (Rare)
- Cursed Eye Dagger (Rare)
- Gold Armour of the Titan (Epic)
- Gold Ring of the Titan (Epic)
- Golden Bracelet (Rare)
Sato stared at the numbers for a long time.
Level 45.
New skills. New gear.
He let out a slow, tired breath.
Then he looked toward the far tunnel—the one leading deeper.
The path was clear.
Sato took a deep breath, wiping the last traces of blood from his face.
"Alright… I'll deal with the bonus points later," he muttered to himself. "First, I need to get out of this damn hell."
He turned toward the tunnel ahead and began walking.
The passage gradually widened, the glowing stones growing larger and brighter, casting a soft, ethereal light. The air felt cleaner, less stale, as if the dungeon itself was changing.
After some time, the tunnel ended at a massive white door—carved with ancient runes that seemed to pulse faintly with silver light. The door was tall enough to fit a giant, and yet it opened with surprising ease when Sato pushed.
He stepped through.
The moment his foot crossed the threshold, a system window appeared in his vision.
[Welcome to the Forgotten Garden of Camelot]
Sato froze.
The room—no, this was no ordinary room—was breathtaking.
A vast, open cavern stretched before him, its ceiling lost in soft, perpetual twilight. But the ground… the ground was alive. Soft green grass covered every inch, dotted with delicate white and violet flowers that glowed gently. Small streams of crystal-clear water flowed from the walls, forming tiny waterfalls that sparkled like liquid diamonds. A few ancient stone statues stood half-ruined—knights in armor, their swords raised toward a sky they could never see.
In the center stood a single tall stone pillar, smooth and black as obsidian. At its peak floated a dark, pulsating crystal—the Darkness Rune. It radiated a deep, cold purple-black energy that made the air around it shiver, as if reality itself was bending.
The entire garden felt like a contradiction: beautiful, peaceful, almost serene… and yet heavy with an ancient, oppressive sorrow.
Sato stood there, sword in hand, taking it all in.
This place… it's not like the rest of the dungeon, he thought. It feels… wrong. Like it's waiting for something.
He took a step forward.
The grass was soft under his boots.
The water sang quietly.
The statues watched in silence.
And in the center, some kind of crystal pulsed slowly, as if breathing.
Sato slowly approached the central pillar, his steps cautious on the soft grass. The crystal floated above the obsidian stone, radiating deep black-purple light, as if liquid darkness dripped from it in slow, hypnotic waves.
He reached out.
His fingers touched the cold surface.
The moment he made contact, the rune shattered into thousands of tiny black fragments and surged toward him — pouring into his chest like living smoke.
Pain exploded through his entire body. He fell to one knee, clutching his chest, gasping.
The system window appeared in his vision.
[Congratulations! You have obtained the Darkness Rune]
Then the effects appeared one by one.
[Rune Integration Complete]
Permanent Boosts:
- Mana Capacity +100%
- Agility +15%
- Mana Regeneration +20%
- Dark Environment Bonus: In darkness, shadow, or nighttime: All stats +15% (stacks with everything)
Dark Steps (Passive/Active)
Instantly teleports short distance forward in any direction.
Soul Drain (Active)
Drains 30% of the target's current HP/MP, absorbing it to user.
Dark Flame (Active )
Ignites the target with black-purple flames that burn until death.
He felt… different.
Sato looked at the new skills and item, a faint, tired smile tugging at his lips.
"Oho… for the first time, I actually got something useful," he muttered to himself. "But some parts… I still don't fully understand."
He stood up, rolling his shoulders. The new gear felt solid — heavy, but comforting. He scanned the garden, searching for the exit. The far door was still closed, the statues silent, the flowers glowing softly.
If I can just get out of this cursed place… he thought.
Then—
Sviiing
A massive sword erupted from the ground right beside him, splitting the grass and soil.
Sato leaped back instinctively, heart slamming against his ribs.
The door he had entered slammed shut behind him with a thunderous boom.
From the hole where the sword had risen, a figure emerged.
He was enormous — over 6 feet tall, clad in pitch-black armor that seemed to absorb light itself. The plates were etched with ancient runes that glowed faintly purple, like dying embers. A tattered cloak of pure shadow hung from his shoulders, trailing wisps of darkness that moved as if alive. His helm was a brutal masterpiece — spiked, crowned with jagged black thorns, visor completely hiding his face except for two burning crimson slits where eyes should be.
In his right hand, he held some kind of sword — the golden blade, but a corrupted version: black as night, edges crackling with dark violet energy. The sword itself seemed to drink in the light around it, leaving a faint trail of shadow wherever it moved.
The air grew heavier. The flowers dimmed. The glowing stones flickered as if afraid.
The figure spoke.
His voice was deep, resonant, and cold — like thunder trapped inside a tomb.
"While I slumbered… vermin dared disturb this sacred duty?"
He tilted his helm slightly, crimson eyes locking onto Sato.
"A weak human… dares set foot in this place?"
He paused.
"How pitiful."
The words hung in the air.
The garden trembled.