CHAPTER 3: The First Hunt
> Darkness swallowed him whole.
For a brief moment—
There was nothing.
No sound.
No light.
No sensation.
Then—
The world returned.
Cold air filled his lungs.
Stone touched his feet.
Lucius opened his eyes.
A dim cavern stretched before him, illuminated only by faint blue crystals embedded in the walls. Water dripped slowly from above, each drop echoing throughout the underground passage like distant footsteps.
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
"…So this is a dungeon."
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
Inside, however, his mind was already working.
Analyzing.
Measuring.
Calculating.
The air was heavy with mana. Much denser than outside the dungeon. Monsters thrived in environments like this.
But more importantly—
He could feel his body clearly now.
Weak.
Fragile.
Unstable.
His muscles trembled slightly just from standing still.
So this is the body I have to work with…
Lucius exhaled slowly.
This wasn't unexpected.
The real Lucius had been sickly his entire life. A body that never trained, never fought, never endured hardship.
Yet now—
It had to survive a dungeon.
His eyes narrowed.
In this world, creatures like Skarnlings were considered among the lowest-ranked monsters found inside E-rank dungeons.
Weak individually.
But dangerous in numbers.
They were known for ambushing lone adventurers, tearing apart travelers, and hunting like scavengers in the dark.
Many beginners died because they underestimated them.
Lucius, however—
Had no intention of dying here.
He began walking deeper into the dungeon.
Each step was slow.
Careful.
Quiet.
The ground was uneven, covered in damp stone and scattered bones. Some of them looked human.
Interesting…
So people really did die here.
Then—
A sound.
A growl.
Low.
Hungry.
Lucius stopped instantly.
His eyes shifted toward the darkness ahead.
Movement.
Something crawled along the cave wall before dropping down.
A creature emerged.
Small.
Twisted.
Grey skin stretched tightly across its skeletal body. Its limbs were long and crooked, and its claws scraped against stone as it walked.
Yellow eyes glowed in the darkness.
A Skarnling.
It stared at him.
Lucius stared back.
For a brief moment—
Neither moved.
Then the creature screeched.
And lunged.
Fast.
Far faster than an ordinary human could react.
But Lucius wasn't ordinary.
—Step.
His body flickered.
[Teleportation ]!!!
He Shouted!
Space distorted slightly.
And he vanished.
A split second later—
He appeared behind the monster.
His breathing hitched.
"…That cost more than expected."
Teleportation.
Even a short displacement drained his mana noticeably.
The Skarnling twisted violently, reacting faster than he expected.
Claws shot backward.
Slash!
Pain flared across Lucius's chest.
He immediately stepped back.
A thin line of blood appeared on his skin.
His breathing grew heavier.
"…This body really is trash."
His mana was already dropping.
Just one use of teleportation had taken a noticeable toll.
The Skarnling screeched again and rushed him.
This time—
Lucius didn't teleport.
Instead, he watched.
Carefully.
Its movement pattern was simple.
Straight-line attack.
No strategy.
Just instinct.
At the final moment—
Lucius sidestepped.
The creature stumbled forward.
That was the opening.
Lucius moved immediately.
His hand shot forward and grabbed the back of the monster's head.
The Skarnling thrashed violently.
Claws slashed wildly through the air.
But Lucius didn't hesitate.
His grip tightened.
CRACK!
The creature went still.
Its body collapsed.
Silence filled the dungeon once again.
Lucius stood there for a moment, breathing slowly.
Sweat formed on his forehead.
"…Pathetic."
He wasn't sure if he meant the monster—
Or himself.
Then—
A voice echoed inside his mind.
[You have slain a Skarnling]
[+10 EXP]
[+1 Stat Point]
Lucius froze.
His eyes widened slightly.
"…So it's real."
Another notification appeared.
[Reward Acquired]
[Blunt Iron Sword Obtained]
A sword materialized beside him and dropped onto the ground with a dull sound.
Lucius bent down and picked it up.
The blade was rough and poorly made.
But it was better than fighting barehanded.
"…This will do."
Then—
A translucent screen appeared in front of him.
---
Status Window
Name: Lucius van Venus
Title: Overlord of the Abyss
Level: 1
Talents: Teleportation (God Tier)
Law of One (God Tier)
Strength: 4
Agility: 6
Mana: 8
Sensitivity: 6
Endurance: 5
Available Stat Points: 1
---
Lucius stared at it in silence.
Low.
Pathetically low.
A normal trained soldier would surpass this easily.
"…So even with god-tier talents…"
He closed his eyes briefly.
"…I'm still at the bottom."
That was fine.
Power wasn't given.
It was built.
His gaze shifted toward the numbers again.
Strength.
Agility.
Mana.
Sensitivity.
Endurance.
Each stat represented survival.
Each choice—
Could decide life or death.
Lucius tapped his finger lightly against the blade of the sword, thinking.
Strength?
No.
Even if increased, it wouldn't change much immediately.
Agility?
Useful… but not enough.
Sensitivity?
Better awareness… but he could compensate with experience.
Endurance?
That would help his weak body—
But it wouldn't solve his biggest issue.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Mana.
"…That's the problem."
Teleportation.
His strongest advantage—
Was also his biggest weakness.
One use already drained him heavily.
In a real fight—
That could get him killed.
If I run out of mana… I die.
Simple.
Clean.
Certain.
Lucius didn't hesitate anymore.
"Mana."
The moment he decided—
The system responded.
[+1 Point Allocated to Mana]
A faint warmth spread through his body.
Subtle.
But noticeable.
His breathing stabilized slightly.
The exhaustion from earlier eased—
Just a little.
"…Better."
Not enough to change everything—
But enough to matter.
Lucius closed the status window.
His grip tightened around the sword.
Then—
He raised his head and looked deep into the dungeon.
A sound.
Not one.
Not two.
Multiple footsteps.
From the shadows—
Three Skarnlings emerged.
Their yellow eyes glowed in the darkness.
They had been watching.
Waiting.
Hunting.
Lucius stared at them.
Then—
A faint smile formed.
"Good."
His stance shifted.
Sword raised.
Mana circulating slowly within him.
His eyes turned cold.
"Let's test it."
The Skarnlings screeched—
And charged.
Lucius stepped forward.
His first hunt had only just begun...
---