Leo's eyes fluttered open to the damp, suffocating air of the dungeon.
His head throbbed, his back ached, and his brain immediately gave him the worst possible reminder:
Oh right… I'm still here.
He sat up slowly, groaning.
"Brilliant move, Leo," he muttered. "First day in the Solo Leveling world, and I get myself stuck in a dungeon. Round of applause."
The ceiling above was jagged stone, glowing faintly with bioluminescent moss. The eerie greenish hue cast long shadows on the walls. Somewhere in the distance, water dripped.
And… there was no sound of battle.
That realization hit him like a slap.
The Baek Yoonho raid party — the hunters he thought were just deeper inside — were gone.
"They… didn't go for the boss's room."
His stomach twisted.
"They went for the exit."
It clicked. He remembered the moment before he'd fallen into that pit trap — the team had been backing away, not charging forward. And now the gate was probably sealed behind them.
"…So this is it," he whispered. "I'm in here alone."
A humorless laugh escaped his lips. "Trapped in a dungeon with no powers, no gear, and… what's that smell?"
The stench hit him then — the metallic tang of dried blood.
That's when it appeared.
A semi-transparent window flickered into existence before his eyes.
Not blue. Not red. Just… clean, white text on a faintly glowing golden interface.
──────────────
[Welcome, Player.]
──────────────
Leo froze.
Not shock — more like… a slow grin creeping onto his face.
"Well," he said softly. "Hello there."
The next lines typed themselves out like someone was speaking in his head.
──────────────
You have been chosen.
You will walk a different path.
Complete the Tutorial to live.
──────────────
He exhaled slowly. This was it — the moment. Sung Jinwoo's life had changed the same way, right after he died in that double dungeon.
But unlike Sung, Leo didn't feel disbelief. He already knew the story. The real question was — how far was this system willing to take him?
A chime sounded in his head.
──────────────
Distribute 5 Stat Points
──────────────
"Oh, now we're talking."
Stats
Strength: 10
Agility: 12
Vitality: 13
Intelligence: 10
Sense: 10
"Five points… That's it?"
Leo rubbed his chin. "Alright, think. D-rank baseline is… what, Strength around 20? Agility close behind? Sung started way below me, so… let's fix my weak spots first."
He didn't hesitate.
+3 Strength
+2 Agility
A warm rush flooded through his body instantly — not subtle, not gradual, but instant.
His muscles tightened, his lungs expanded, and his heartbeat steadied.
"…Holy shit."
He clenched his fists. The stone beneath his hand cracked a little.
"I'm… strong. Like… strong."
He stood, testing his balance. His feet felt lighter, like the air itself wanted him to move faster.
A sharp ping sounded again.
──────────────
Current Rank: Low Level D Rank
──────────────
Leo's grin widened.
D-rank. On day one. That wasn't just good — that was insane.
He turned in a slow circle, scanning the cave walls.
That's when the thought hit him.
"This isn't the Baek raid's dungeon," he muttered. "The boss here isn't anything they were hunting. The ruler… the entity… whatever it was — it threw me into a different gate entirely."
The system chimed again.
──────────────
[Quest: Survive the Tutorial]
Objective: Eliminate the threat.
Time Limit: 1 hour.
──────────────
"Great," Leo muttered. "What threat—"
A low, wet growl answered him.
He spun toward the sound, just in time to see something emerge from the dark.
A goblin.
Not the tiny, pathetic kind from E-rank gates.
This one was nearly his height, its body lean with corded muscle, its teeth filed into jagged points.
Its yellow eyes fixed on him.
And it smiled.
Leo's pulse quickened.
Old Leo — the one from his first life — would've frozen. This Leo?
He stepped forward.
"Well… guess we're doing this."
The goblin screeched and lunged fast. But Leo's body moved faster.
He sidestepped, grabbed the creature by the arm, and — without thinking — threw it.
The goblin hit the wall so hard that the crack echoed through the cavern.
Leo stared at his own hands.
"…D-rank, huh?"
A slow, dangerous smile formed on his lips.
"This might be fun."
---
A/N: I always try to give a little bit of info about the surroundings instead of directly continuing from the previous chapter, which also increases the word count for me, but if you guys don't want it, just tell me.