Fwoooom!
Light swallowed Jun's body, and when his vision cleared, he found himself standing in a long corridor. Gleaming walls, a straight endless path, and countless closed doors to the sides.
Jun blinked, his face twisting in confusion.
"Huh? Am I… really on the second floor?"
It was exactly the same as the first floor. Not a single difference.
Ding!
[YOU'VE ARRIVED AT THE SECOND FLOOR OF THE TRAINING TOWER.]
Jun glanced at the notification, then frowned. "But it looks exactly like the first floor, though."
His words barely left his mouth when—
Grrrrrr…
From the far end of the corridor, seven wild dogs crept out, baring their fangs. Their eyes gleamed with savage hunger, claws scraping against the smooth floor.
Jun narrowed his eyes. Above their heads, glowing words appeared once more—this time in white.
"…Even the monsters are the same." His lips curled into a half-smile. "And this time their names are written in white."
His mind flashed back to the first floor.
The first time I encountered these wild dogs, their names were written in red. They nearly tore me apart—I barely survived killing one of them. But after leveling up, their names turned yellow, and I could manage them, though it was still tough.
He exhaled slowly, gripping the black sword that had already grown to fit his hand better. Now… their names are white.
A faint laugh escaped him.
"Hehe… which means I don't need to worry anymore."
Grrrrrrr!!!
The seven wild dogs snarled, their muscles tightening.
Jun lowered his stance, eyes sharp. His pulse quickened, not from fear this time—but from thrill.
"Come then."
The wild dogs lunged forward with a chorus of savage roars.
And Jun charged to meet them.
---
The Handle Village market bustled with life.
Merchants shouted over one another, raising their voices to attract customers.
"Fresh meat! Still warm from this morning's hunt!"
"Spices from the western plains—rare and fragrant!"
"Armor polish, cheap but sturdy!"
Children weaved between the stalls, laughing. Women haggled over prices, and hunters carried bags of stones to trade. It was the heart of the village, peaceful and alive.
But then—
Vwooooom.
The air trembled.
A sudden, unnatural wind swept through the marketplace, rattling stalls and sending baskets of goods tumbling to the ground. The cheerful chatter froze into silence.
Crack. Crack-crack.
The ground split. At the center of the plaza, dark energy surged upward, twisting and spiraling into the air. A pulsating gate—swirling black and purple—ripped open in the middle of the market.
Someone screamed. "A… A GATE?!"
"No, no, this can't be—inside the village?!"
"R-Run! Everyone run!"
The peaceful atmosphere shattered instantly into chaos.
ROOOOOAR!!!
From the gate, the sound of monstrous howls erupted, shaking the villagers to their bones.
The barrier trembled violently—
BOOOOOM!
—then shattered completely.
Monsters poured out. Crawling, sprinting, clawing their way into the world. Their glowing eyes burned like fire as they fell upon the defenseless villagers.
"AHHHHHHHHH!" Screams echoed everywhere.
A child dropped her bread and stood frozen in terror as a wolf-like beast lunged at her. Stalls collapsed as panicked villagers trampled over one another, desperately trying to escape.
The Handle Village market turned into a nightmare within seconds.
The dungeon break had begun.
Meanwhile at the training tower
The corpses of seven wild dogs lay scattered around Jun, dissolving into particles of black smoke. His chest heaved as he exhaled deeply.
Then—
[DING!]
[YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY KILLED A WILD DOG.]
[YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY KILLED A WILD DOG.]
[YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY KILLED A WILD DOG.]
[YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY KILLED A WILD DOG.]
[YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY KILLED A WILD DOG.]
[YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY KILLED A WILD DOG.]
[YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY KILLED A WILD DOG.]
[EXP +499.]
[EXP +499.]
[EXP +499.]
[EXP +499.]
[EXP +499.]
[EXP +499.]
[EXP +499.]
[LEVEL UP.]
[BLACK SWORD LEVELED UP.]
Jun looked at the weapon in his hand. The blade shimmered faintly, then stretched—its edge lengthening another inch or two.
[YOU HAVE REACHED LEVEL 5.]
[MANA HAS BEEN INCREASED BY 200.]
[HP HAS BEEN ADDED TO THE STATUS WINDOW.]
[100 COIN HAS BEEN EARNED.]
[SKILL: SHADOW SWORD ART — FIRST FORM HAS BEEN ADDED TO THE SKILL SLOT.]
Jun blinked, stunned. "Damn… so many rewards at once? I need to check all of this. Status window!"
The panel appeared.
[STATUS WINDOW.]
[NAME: LUKAS JUN]
[LEVEL: 5]
[MAIN WEAPON: BLACK SWORD (LEVEL: 4)]
[HP: 400]
[MANA: 210]
[STRENGTH: 20]
[AGILITY: 29]
[STAMINA: 18]
[STAT POINTS AVAILABLE: 30]
[COIN: 100]
[SKILLS]
PASSIVE SKILLS
POISON RESISTANCE (?) LOCKED
PAIN RESISTANCE (?) LOCKED
ACTIVE SKILLS
SHADOW SWORD ART (Unlocked: First Form)
Jun frowned. "Huh? I only have two passive skills and both of them are locked? What's the point of giving them if I can't even use them?" He clicked his tongue.
Still, he couldn't hide a small grin. "Well… I've got other things now. And what's this 'coin' thing? Forget it. I'll check later. For now—I need to keep moving."
He pushed forward through the glowing corridor. After a while, the straight path ended. A staircase rose upward, spiraling slightly.
Jun narrowed his eyes. "So… do I go forward or take the stairs?"
Silence. No notification appeared.
He sighed. "Figures. Alright then… upstairs it is."
Step by step, he climbed. The light dimmed slightly as he reached the next landing—
Skitter… skitter…
A sharp, chittering sound echoed.
Two massive shapes crawled into view from the ceiling and walls, their hairy legs scraping against stone.
[GIANT SPIDER]
Their names burned in red above their heads.
Jun's eyes widened. "Tch… new monsters. And red names, huh?"
The spiders lowered their bodies, ready to pounce.
Skitter… skitter…
The giant spiders hissed, their mandibles clattering as they crept forward. Jun tightened his grip on the black sword, his body tensing.
Just as he bent his knees, ready to strike—
—meanwhile, outside the tower…
Handle Village's marketplace had become a battlefield. The once-busy stalls were now shattered, and screams echoed through the streets. From the gaping gate, monsters surged like a flood.
At that moment—
WHOOSH!
Six hunters clad in armor sprinted into the fray, weapons gleaming in hand. Each bore the insignia of the Hunters Guild.
The hunters immediately spread out, blades flashing and spells igniting as they engaged the creatures spilling from the dungeon break.
And while chaos unfolded in the village—
Jun stood alone on the second floor of the Training Tower. His eyes sharpened, and his lips curved into a thin smile.
"Alright… come at me."
The giant spiders screeched—
—and the clash was about to begin.