###
Today is the 4th day of stats training.
I cut down the roots of the Black World Tree.
Slice.
[Perfect Clear! (Solo)]
[A tremendous achievement! You have completely thwarted the invasion of the World Tree!]
[Due to your achievement, a ‘Blessing’ will be bestowed upon the surrounding area! Everyone will praise your achievement!]
[As a reward for achieving a Perfect Clear! (Solo), you are granted a special reward.]
[A ‘Bronze Box (+2)’ is awarded.]
But then, another unexpected notification chimed in—one I welcomed with open arms.
Ding!
[First to achieve 20 Perfect Clears!]
[Outstanding Achievement!]
[A reward for this milestone is granted.]
[A ‘Silver Box’ is awarded.]
“Oh?”
“What is it, Master?”
“It’s another achievement! I’m getting another reward for the 20th milestone!”
“Ooooh, a Silver Box!”
The system can be unexpectedly generous sometimes.
Even the rewards over the past three days had been decent.
Is this the peak?
“Let’s start with the Bronze Box first.”
“These are always like offerings. If this one’s bad, the next one will be great—”
“Hey! That’s nonsense! Both should be good!”
“You’re so greedy, Master…”
[Opening ‘Bronze Box (+2)’…]
A familiar effect and sound burst forth.
Now, what will it be?
“Not doing that ritual of yours?”
“Nah, I’ll do it for the Silver Box. Let’s not jinx it too early.”
Whoosh—
Ding!
[A random Word of Power has been unsealed.]
[The Word 【Gara】 has been unsealed.]
“It’s here! It’s here!”
“What?! Already?! What is it?!”
“It’s… junk!”
“Oh, come on, Master! You were doing so well!”
At last, the result I had been hoping for appeared!
This was why I hadn’t just focused on training and had been running dungeons regularly—because of the Words of Power.
‘Each time a new Word is unlocked, my combat ability increases significantly.’
But Words are incredibly rare, even more so than elixirs. I hadn’t expected much.
‘Yet somehow, I got this one.’
The Word 【Gara】 has exceptional versatility and serves as a starting point for countless combinations. This alone makes me significantly stronger.
“Well, at least it’s out of the way. Now we can hit the jackpot with the Silver Box!” Aden tried to cheer me up.
“Hmm…”
It feels like I’ve already used up my luck, so I shouldn’t expect too much.
“Drumroll, please!”
“Oh, stop it.”
Ignoring Aden’s excitement, I casually opened the next box.
[Opening ‘Silver Box’…]
The effects were much fancier than the Bronze Box. It stirred a bit of anticipation.
Whoosh—
Ding!
[A ‘Skill Level-Up Coupon’ has been granted.]
“Ah, seriously?!”
“Oh…”
It was the same reward as last time.
‘And I haven’t even used the one I got earlier.’
I only have one skill worth leveling up to its Max level…
‘Wait.’
I had thought that Max level was the limit. But now, the system allows upgrades to Max+2.
‘Could it be?’
My heart raced.
[Would you like to use the Skill Level-Up Coupon on <Kyle-Style Magic Swordsmanship>?]
Yes.
My heart is pounding!
Ding!
[This skill cannot be leveled up.]
“Oh, come on!”
“Master, why are you so angry?”
What’s the deal, raising my hopes like that?!
‘If I can’t use it here… there’s only one skill left.’
[Would you like to use the Skill Level-Up Coupon on <Assassination>?]
Yes.
I used both coupons I had.
[Skill <Assassination> has leveled up.]
[Lv.4 → Lv.5]
[Skill <Assassination> has leveled up.]
[Lv.5 → Lv.6]
Level 3 is considered expert-level.
Level 5 is master-level.
Having a Level 5 skill is said to warrant a rank upgrade due to its power.
That’s how significant it is.
Level 7 is peak-level.
Globally, only a few dozen individuals are said to possess a Level 7 skill.
And now, I’m at Level 6—just below that apex.
‘Hmm.’
I didn’t feel any immediate changes.
When <Kyle-Style Magic Swordsmanship> leveled up, I could feel a rush of enlightenment right away, but this…
‘As expected. Skills alone can’t be relied upon.’
I stopped worrying about it.
###
Back at the guild headquarters, I reviewed the progress I had made over the past few days.
First, the stats.
“Congratulations, Master!”
“Wow, four days of training paid off. You must be fully matured as an E-rank by now, huh? That’s incredibly fast!”
Actually, I’ve already hit D-rank.
[Awakened Profile]
Name: Kang Hyun
Rank: D
Traits:
<Reincarnator>
<Dragon Heart>
Skills:
<Kyle-Style Magic Swordsmanship Lv. Max+2>
<Assassination Lv. 6>
Stats:
Strength: E- -> D-
Agility: F- -> D
Endurance: F- -> E
Stamina: E- -> E+
Mana: E+ -> D
This progress was thanks to the elixirs and gravity chamber training.
Now my stats are at a decent level.
‘And then there’s…’
The elixir I received from the Gwangmyeong Guild Master.
I drank it immediately.
[‘Endurance’ has increased. (E → E+)]
‘Nice.’
I’ve grown significantly overall.
Now I can finally rely on my body for real combat.
“Master, I have a mission to attend to. Let’s celebrate later over dinner!”
Mar said her farewells and left.
Next, I reviewed the dungeon rewards.
Considering I got the Word 【Gara】, the results weren’t bad, but…
‘Tsk, how come no proper elixirs appeared?’
Technically, I did get something.
But it was another [Dried Sacred Water Elixir].
That’s not an elixir—it’s just a mana potion.
‘I wanted to increase my magic power one more time before the next battle.’
It made me appreciate Seonghwa’s resources even more.
Four dungeons cleared in four days.
Five reward boxes opened.
The results? Mana potions, a Word of Power, two Skill Level-Up Coupons…
And two intriguing items.
[Black Blade]
[A sword that absorbs darkness. It becomes razor-sharp in the dark but dulls under light.]
The blade was jet-black, lacking even a hint of texture or depth.
‘Perfect.’
The best-case scenario for my current plan is a successful assassination.
This weapon is ideal for that purpose.
“That looks really cool, Master!”
“Right? This is why good items are worth it.”
Still, it’ll be difficult to use outside of specific situations.
It dulls in well-lit environments.
And the other item?
Aden sulked slightly as she commented on it.
“Why in the world is something like that a Perfect Clear reward?”
“Why? It’s great.”
[Clear Voice Candy (20 pieces)]
[Instantly clears any damage accumulated in your throat!]
“The item’s effect sounds like a commercial slogan! Did the system really write this?”
“You don’t understand how precious your throat is. By the time you regret it, it’s too late.”
Why only 20 pieces? They could’ve given more.
I popped one into my mouth and chewed it, just in case there was any lingering damage in my throat.
“But it feels empty without an elixir.”
“Don’t you still have some mana left, Master? How about one more run?”
“Should I?”
I stood up. One last attempt wouldn’t hurt.
“I’ll handle it quickly on my own.”
“Take care, Master~!”
I opened a portal and headed to a dungeon I had scouted earlier—a Gate in a remote area.
It was a familiar dungeon where buffalo-like monsters usually appeared.
Entering right away, I noticed something was off.
“Ugh, so bright.”
What’s this? Was the scenery always like this?
A blindingly powerful light poured down from the sky. It wasn’t the sun.
The landscape was saturated with bright colors.
The trees were barren of leaves, and the ground was pure white.
‘This doesn’t seem like a place for buffalo to live.’
Something felt wrong.
And soon, I felt it—a strong presence.
“…!”
I recognized it immediately.
“Damn it, a dungeon anomaly!”
I hadn’t noticed it when entering.
This wasn’t the work of a legion commander’s interference but a naturally occurring dungeon anomaly.
‘Just my luck.’
I checked my mana reserves—about 40% remaining.
Still, I had grown significantly stronger compared to before. Could I manage this?
‘Wait. This place… could it be?’
It felt strangely familiar. Then it hit me—I knew where this was.
The dungeon was a replica dimension based on Thea.
This place was the hometown of one of my comrades back when I was Kyle, a sacred land.
Even the Black World Tree dared not encroach upon this inviolable mountain range.
‘…Providence.’
F*ck.
Soon, the mountain’s ruler appeared before me.
Thud!
A giant the size of a building.
A pure white body with a faceless head.
Four pairs of wings and three pairs of arms.
‘Hah…’
Providence was Thea’s tallest mountain.
At its peak, closest to the sky, dwelled an entity beyond magical beasts—one bordering on a divine spirit.
‘I never thought I’d face this thing again.’
Avalon.
The being standing before me was an impossible opponent to defeat.
‘Judging by its aura… is it weakened as a replica?’
Even so, 【Die】 wouldn’t work on Avalon.
The fatal limitation of 【Die】 was that the target had to hear and fully understand all ten syllables of the incantation.
Unlike other Words of Power, 【Die】 directly commands the target’s soul.
If they blocked their ears beforehand or didn’t give me time to finish speaking—
“F*ck!”
Whoosh!
A massive blade of light descended toward me.
Instinctively, I shouted.
“Hey, 【Open】!”
As I fell through the spatial hole beneath my feet, I managed to close it just before the massive blade descended.
“Hah…!”
I gasped for air.
Damn, I almost died back there. What the hell was that out of nowhere?
Dusting off the dirt, I got to my feet.
Wait, dirt?
I glanced around.
I was back in Korea, standing in front of a Gate.
‘I escaped the dungeon?’
Once you enter a dungeon, you can’t leave until it’s cleared.
That’s why anomalies and newly formed dungeons are terrifying.
‘So it’s actually possible?’
Well, a dungeon is still just a space.
In theory, it wasn’t impossible, but…
It wasn’t supposed to be achievable at my current level.
But staring death in the face had somehow pushed me to grow.
‘No skill level-ups, though?’
Guess it’s not quite at that point yet.
I came looking for elixirs, but I ended up gaining something unexpected.
‘…Let’s call it a day.’
It doesn’t seem like the right time to push my luck.
If I keep trying, something worse might happen.
I’ll just focus on preparing for tomorrow’s fight.
###
The next day.
The day of the operation arrived.
First, I informed Yoo Chae-young.
“Yes, an anomaly dungeon? I’ll add it to the list.”
“No, don’t just list it. Make sure no one goes near it. Shut it down completely.”
“What?”
“The energy I sensed was overwhelming. It’s probably an S-rank dungeon.”
“…!”
Yoo Chae-young dropped her phone in shock.
“How many times are you going to drop that? It’s sturdy, though. What model is it?”
“W-what? Wait, do you even know what you’re saying right now?”
“I don’t care. Just get me some gear.”
“What?”
“I’ve got some chaos to stir.”
“W-What?”
“Hurry.”
