He sits down on a flat piece of stone, the dim blue glow from the cavern walls reflecting off the skill tree floating in front of him.It looks almost unreal — like a constellation shaped into branching paths.
He rubs his eyes once.
"…These stats are actually higher than C-tier? Seriously?"
There's a small, shaky laugh under his breath.Not mocking — more like someone who's finally catching a break and doesn't quite believe it.
He scrolls through the abilities one by one, muttering to himself.
Enhanced Senses — C+
"Okay, this one actually sounds useful. I could never sense anything back then…"
Camouflage (Serpent Copy) — B
A soft hum in his chest when he opens the description.
"This is way better than I expected… even if it's just a weakened version."
Toxin Gland — C
He hesitates at this one.
"Right… the snake. It makes sense I got something from it but… poison? That's kind of messed up. Also kinda cool."
Ghoul Skills
Slam — C-He squints.
"Telepathic slam? Like… pushing someone with my mind? That sounds fake as hell."
Slice — CHe flexes his fingers just thinking about it.
"So my nails get sharper… yeah, that actually tracks."
He leans back, staring at the points glowing at the top of the screen.
God Points: 3
"Alright… let's not overthink this."
He lifts a hand and taps the first upgrade.
1. Enhanced Senses Upgrade (C+ → B)
A soft click.Then the world tilts for a moment — like someone turned the volume of everything up just slightly.
He winces.
"Ow— okay. That's… a lot. But I guess this means it worked."
Everything feels clearer.The damp smell of the cavern.The faint vibration of dripping water somewhere far off.
He actually smiles.
2. Camouflage Upgrade (B → B+)
He selects it.A light ripple washes across his skin, not painful, just… strange. Like warm static.
He looks down — the edges of his body blur a bit, faintly.
"No way… that's actually me? Damn."
He waves a hand, watching the distortion follow.
3. Slam Upgrade (C- → C)
He hesitates before tapping this one.
"If I'm going to fight things, I need at least one ability that can keep them away from me."
He hits the upgrade.
A short pulse goes through his head — like a pressure change behind his eyes.
He exhales slowly.
"…That felt weird. But stronger. I can tell."
The skill tree dims slightly as the points drop to zero.
God Points: 0
He closes the window, hands resting on his knees, and takes a long breath.
"Alright… I think I'm getting the hang of this.This time… I'm not starting at the bottom again."
Han-Joon freezes.A massive BOOM echoes from above—dust shakes loose from the cavern ceiling.
Then—
"FIELD TRIP! FIELD TRIP!!"
Dozens of voices, loud, chaotic, annoyingly cheerful.
His eye twitches.
"Hunter school…? Seriously?"
He ducks behind a sharp boulder as an entire sector of teenage hunters flood into the dungeon in uniform, laughing and chatting like it's recess.
He crawls low, slipping around them while listening.
"Bro, you heard about that guy yesterday?""Yeah! Almost got killed by a goblin—pffft!""A GOBLIN! What a loser!"
Their laughter echoes.Han-Joon's jaw clenches, but he keeps his head down and slips away.
He finally reaches a narrow cave alcove—barely big enough to hide in.
He exhales in relief.
Safe.
At least for—
"HEY—THERE IT IS!!"
He blinks.One hunter spotted him.Then a second.A third.
And then all three rush in at once.
"No way, that one's MY kill!""Back off, I saw it first!""FREE POINTS, BABY!"
Han-Joon stares at them, bored out of his mind.
He slowly lifts one hand…
Extends a single finger…
And points down.
THUD—THUMP—CRASH
All three hunters suddenly stumble like invisible hands swatted their ankles.They crash into each other in a pile of limbs.
Han-Joon blinks.
"Holy sh—That was cool.I'm actually like a god.I didn't think 'Slam' worked THAT well."
He doesn't waste a second.He bolts.
Behind him:
"WHAT KIND OF GHOUL CAN DO THAT?!""CHASE IT!!"
Their footsteps thunder after him.
Suddenly—
SWISH—CLANG
A sword pierces the ground right next to his face.Way too close.
Han-Joon panics and falls backward.Three hunters surround him instantly.
One lunges—Han-Joon slips to the side.
Another clocks him in the skull, sending him stumbling back to the center.
Adrenaline spikes.
A hunter charges—Han-Joon shoves him, sending the guy tumbling backward like a bowling ball.
Two more come at him with fists raised.
Han-Joon grabs the first by the arm, yanks him forward, and slams a fist into his nose.
He twists, dodging the second punch, grabs that hunter by the collar, and hurls him straight into the guy who just hit the ground.
Bodies collapse.Groans echo.
Han-Joon stands over them, breathing heavily, lifting a stolen sword—
And suddenly freezes.
His hands are trembling.
"I've just been killing people."
The blade hovers mid-air.
"And for what? EXP?I know I've killed before but…I never thought about it.It feels real.Too real."
His breath shakes.
"No… no time for that.This is all for my brother.If I level up…If I evolve…Maybe I can find him."
The hesitation dies.
His resolve hardens.
Han-Joon grips the sword.
And executes every downed hunter—quick, brutal, merciless.
Blood spatters warm against the stone.
Shouts echo in the distance.
More hunters.
A whole class worth of them.
Han-Joon drops the sword, turns, and runs, sprinting through the tunnels with everything he has, praying they don't hear him.
Praying they don't see him.
Praying they don't realize:
A ghoul just murdered their classmates.