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[ NOTICE]
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[YOU'VE DEFEATED THE CHIEF ORC]
[ALL OBJECTIVES MET]
Gathering rewards...
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Kuro collapsed backward onto the floor, struggling to breathe as he gazed up at the glowing screen prompt above him. Relief washed over him like a warm wave, though calling it just "relief" didn't even come close to how he felt. He was just inches away from dying, and although he died before, he still wasn't optimistic about it. Was he scared of death? No, he just didn't know what would happen if he died this time around.
Would he end up in heaven if he died? The thought made him wonder, he definitely wasn't saint material, not with all the questionable choices he's made in both lives. He could just transmigrate again, though his odds seemed pretty slim, but then again, he couldn't be completely sure how any of this afterlife stuff actually worked.
One thing he knew for certain, though, was that he had absolutely zero interest in finding out. Whatever waited on the other side, whether it was pearly gates, another life, or just endless darkness, he'd rather keep wondering about it from the safety of being very much alive.
"Maybe I'm just lucky..." he muttered through gritted teeth, talking mostly to himself since there was nobody else around. The words hung in the air for a moment before he shook his head, pushing the thought away like swatting at an annoying fly.
Every muscle in his body ached with a deep, bone-deep exhaustion that made even lifting his arm feel like moving through thick honey.But all he could think about right now was sinking his teeth into a burger or something with dripping with cheese or a bag of crispy fries. After months of forcing down the same bland meals of plain rice and grilled chicken, choking down bite after bite just to meet his protein goals, he figured he'd more than earned himself a proper cheat day.
But he only had to stick to that boring diet because he was pretty damn broke before. Now, with all the Ryo flowing in from these dungeon runs, he could finally afford to buy himself a proper meal without counting every coin. Hell, with the stack of money he'd built up so far, he might even be able to buy a decent house.
But shoving all that real estate bullshit aside for now, what he really craved was a steaming bowl of Ichiraku ramen. He wanted to see what all the hype was about, figure out why Naruto practically lived off the stuff throughout the entire series.
If the ramen didn't blow his mind and make him want to shit his pants from how good it was, then it probably wasn't worth all the legendary status it had earned.
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[ NOTICE]
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[YOU LEVELED UP!]
[YOULEVELED UP!]
[EXOSKELETON SKILL HAS LEVELED UP THRICE.]
[VACUUM BLADE JUTSU HAS LEVELED UP]
[RUNE STONE]
[CHIEFTAIN EARRINGS] - RARE
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Kuro let out a long, tired yawn as he scanned through his rewards, but his expression quickly soured into a disappointed frown. The corners of his mouth turned down as he stared at the pathetic collection of items glowing on his screen.
"For nearly getting my ass killed... this is all I get?" he muttered, shaking his head in disbelief. "Maybe I'm being a bit greedy here, but come on...for an SSS-rank dungeon, this loot is pretty damn shitty if you ask me."
He let out a frustrated groan, running his hand through his hair. Still, he couldn't complain too much when he really thought about it. Those two level-ups put him just four levels away from his job change quest. Which was enough to make him forget about the sorry excuse for rewards he just got.
What really grabbed his attention, though, was the rune stone, along with the fact that his exoskeleton skill had leveled up three whole levels. But mainly his focus was on the rune stone he got.
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[SKILL: BERSERK MODE]
[TYPE: RUNE STONE ]
Breaking this rune stone will grant you a skill…
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The moment the prompt appeared before his eyes, Kuro grinned. Before he crushed the stone in his grip, bursting it into fragments of what felt like crystallized energy slipping between his fingers and dissolving into sparkling dust that seemed to absorb right into his skin.
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[ SKILL GRANTED!]
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[-BERSERK MODE SKILL INFO-] -Lv.1
- (EFFECT), "BERSERKER": This skill put you int a state of pure madness, where nothing exists except the burning need to kill. Your mind becomes consumed by an overwhelming wave of rage, that all rational thought disappears completely.
- (EFFECT), "WAR CRY": You unleash a powerful roar that strikes fear into your enemy's heart. If affected, all their stats drop by 13%.
[10+ STRENGTH]
[18+ SPEED]
COST: 416 CP per usage
TIME: 5 MIN
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Kuro's mouth dropped open in a perfect "O" shape. 'Wait, wasn't this the same skill that chief orc had? Sweet!' he thought, a grin starting to spread across his face.
But what really grabbed his attention was the War Cry skill. If his memory served him right, and he was pretty damn sure it did, then this was the exact skill that had dropped all of his stats by 50.
He would've been completely screwed and probably dead right now if it wasn't for that new title he'd earned. Without it, that 50 stat drop would've been ridiculously unfair, turning what was already an unfair fight into an impossible death sentence.
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[TITLES ]
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[COURAGE OF THE WEAK..]
- (ACTIVE), the "WILL TO RECOVER" :Any damages to the body will be restored, with the exception of fatal wounds.
- (PASSIVE), "LONGEVITY":You will be immune to all diseases, poisonous substances, and any other abnormalities in your status. Regeneration abilities will exponentially increase while sleeping.
. . . .
[ONE MAN ARMY..]
- (PASSIVE), "I WILL NOT FALTER" : When outnumbered by three or more enemies at once, all stats receive a 30% boost for a short duration.
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[AGAINST ALL ODDS..]
- (PASSIVE), "UNBREAKABLE SPIRIT" : You possess an unbreakable spirit that never breaks. When in danger, your mind remains crystal clear and focused. No matter how intense or overwhelming the situation becomes, you keep your cool and think rationally.
- (ACTIVE), "[LOCKED]" : You have yet to meet this requirement..
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He leaned forward close enough that he probably would've planted a big smooch right on the screen if his face hadn't just passed straight through. But hey, he didn't care about looking like an idiot, he was just grateful as hell that he had this skill in the first place.
'Although, my other skill is still locked for some annoying reason,' he thought, scratching his head in frustration. 'I tried doing all sorts of random shit to unlock it somehow, but the damn thing just stays the same way.' Kuro let out a long sigh and decided to shove that problem aside for now. He'd deal with it later when the time came for it.
"Will to Recover..." he muttered under his breath, and instantly his whole body was bathed in a warm golden shower of light. Then suddenly all the small cuts scattered across his body started to close up and fade away, while the bigger, nastier gashes took their sweet time healing but eventually got there too.
After a few minutes of this magical light show, his wounds had completely disappeared, leaving behind only the deeper cuts as barely visible scars that you'd have to squint to notice. Kuro sat up with a satisfied grunt, stretched his arms above his head until his joints popped, then flipped up onto his feet after feeling better.
"Alright... let's see what I can squeeze out of you bastards," Kuro said with a grin, rubbing his hands together like he was about to dig into a feast.
Even though the Ryo from those leather pouches would've been more than enough to make him walk out of this dungeon with a satisfied smile, Kuro just couldn't help himself. He was greedy as hell, and he'd be the first to admit it. Any chance to stuff more Ryo into his pockets, even if it was just a single coin, was an opportunity he couldn't pass up.
It was that classic gambler's mindset running through his veins, always chasing the next score. Speaking of which, he made a mental note to himself...he really needed to find a casino sometime soon.
Kuro crouched down and started rifling through the corpses of the dead orcs. If he didn't find anything worth keeping, he'd just sell whatever junk he could get his hands on. Every bit of loot was another step closer to that comfortable life he was dreaming about.
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[ SELL]
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[ORC TUSK 52x] - $21,000 Ryo
[TUFF HIDE 79x] - $5,000 Ryo
[RUSTED WEAPONS 102x] - $13,000 Ryo
[ORC SKULL 3x] $31,000 Ryo
TOTAL RYO: $789,000
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Kuro licked his lips like a kid staring at candy in a store window as his eyes locked onto the six-digit number glowing on his screen. The amount was so beautiful it almost made him want to cry tears of joy.
"Now what should I do with all this..." he muttered to himself, his mind already racing with possibilities. "I should have more than enough to level up the store a couple of times, maybe even three or four times if I'm lucky."
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, that familiar scheming look creeping across his face as he calculated different ways to spend his newfound fortune. But after a moment, he let out a reluctant sigh and shook his head. As tempting as it was to go on a massive shopping spree right now, he knew he should probably save that sweet money-spending session for later when he had more time to really think it through.
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[ NOTICE!]
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[You achieved all objectives and successfully cleared the firstfloor.]
Do you wish to leave? Or move to next floor?
[LEAVE/CONTINUE]
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Kuro let out a long, bone-deep yawn that seemed to come from his very soul. "Ahh, that's enough for now... I'm tired as hell," he groaned, feeling the weight of exhaustion settling into every muscle.
He'd just spent two straight days of relentless hunting with only brief moments of sleep here and there. His body was running on fumes, and honestly, he smelled like complete shit since he hadn't had a proper shower in what felt like forever. His skin felt all sticky and grimy, covered in a layer of sweat, dirt, blood, and god knows what else from the dungeon.
Which was something he'd gotten used to back in his army days, but that didn't mean it was comfortable by any stretch of the imagination. Right now, all he wanted was a hot shower, clean clothes, a ton of food, and a bed that didn't involve sleeping on hard braches.
With that thought motivating him, he raised his finger and pressed the glowing leave button, ready to get the hell out of this place and back home.
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- - - -
Kuro walked down the quiet streets of Konoha. The late night hour had cleared most people from the streets, leaving him with only the occasional distant sound of a closing shop or one or two people walking by. He swapped his shit smell dungeon gear for a fresh white shirt and comfortable long shorts that felt like heaven against his clean skin.
After finally leaving the dungeon, the first thing he did was make a beeline straight home for the most satisfying hot shower of his life. Now, feeling human again, he was on a mission to satisfy the craving that had been gnawing at him for hours. He licked his lips in anticipation, practically able to taste the rich, savory broth already. He just couldn't wait to finally chow down on some legendary Ichiraku ramen, by the legendary six sage of six paths..tsuchi
As he continued his walk, Kuro glanced up at a flickering street lamp that cast unsteady shadows beside an empty park, the light dancing across the deserted playground equipment in the cool night air.
*CREAK* *CREAK*
The rhythmic sound of metal chains drew Kuro's attention toward one section of the empty playground. One of the swings was moving back and forth in a slow, almost hypnotic motion, occupied by a small figure that stood out against the empty park.
Sitting on the swing was a boy wearing a simple white t-shirt and black shorts, with a distinctive pair of goggles resting on his forehead. But it wasn't the clothes that made Kuro's breath catch in his throat, it was the unmistakable features that every anime fan in the world would recognize instantly.
Kuro's eyes immediately widened as he took in the iconic cat-like whisker marks etched across the boy's cheeks and that unmistakable spiky, bright yellow hair that seemed to glow even in the dim street light. There was no mistaking who this was, even in the shadows of the late-night playground.
'Naruto...?'
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