The gate was still shrouded in darkness, bathed in the light of the full moon.
Before I moved, I looked around—my entire party was lying on the ground, some severely injured or unconscious.
Dong-Hyun was still shouting from a distance. "Hey, Ryumin! Get back! You'll die if you continue!"
Ji-Hoon stood tall, a slight bruise on his cheek, and smiled wryly. "Just leave him alone. That kid is seeking his own death."
But I didn't see it that way.
Earlier…
[New Ability Created]
[Lycanbound Overdrive]
[A combination of strength, instinct, regeneration, and defense. The user enters a semi-lycan state, increasing all stats by 60% for 600 seconds. Risks: temporary loss of control and extreme fatigue afterward.]
[Lycanbound Overdrive]
[A combination of strength, cooldown, regeneration, and preservation. The user enters a semi-lycan state, increasing all stats by 60% for 600 seconds. Risks: temporary loss of control and extreme fatigue afterward.]
"What...? I actually fused all the abilities I've imitated so far?" I asked, confused.
The system then displayed a detailed explanation.
[Fusion Function]
[Starfall Greedy embodies a fallen star of hope that has been swallowed by darkness. Its true power will be fully unlocked after the user devours four different abilities. The user can fuse all four devoured abilities and freely choose any combination if more than four abilities are stored in the Ability Subspace. The resulting fusion becomes a permanent and unique ability. The abilities used for the fusion will be removed from the Ability Subspace.]
I froze. "No wonder the abilities I used before can't be used anymore... they were all saved for this."
Back to the present.
I stared at the monster. The Alpha Lupin let out a deafening roar—its blood had fully regenerated after the second phase, with both regeneration abilities active simultaneously.
I steadied my stance, clenched my right fist, and slammed it into my open left palm.
"Alright… round two begins."
I activated my newly created unique ability.
My body began to change slightly—still human, but fur began to grow on my skin. My ears lengthened into a lupine shape, and a tail appeared behind me.
The remaining group froze in shock.
"I know you're an Ability User with the Fighter role, but… is there an ability that changes the user's physique like that?" Min-Jun commented.
Dong-Hyun, still clutching his wound, studied me with a tense gaze. "His aura… is like a tanker. But judging by that attack, the damage he dealt is clearly not tank-type."
I didn't answer. I launched a strike at the Alpha Lupin—we collided with raw muscle power.
Each impact shook the ground. I felt the small wounds healing together.
"Impressive… this wound heals instantly," I muttered.
The fight lasted five minutes—still a draw. The boss's HP had dropped to a quarter.
The third phase began. Alpha Lupin's entire body glowed, his skin changed color, and a crescent moon tattoo appeared on his forehead.
"My time is limited... only five minutes left," I thought.
I dodged attack after attack, but his regeneration caused his HP to rise again.
I summoned Starfall Greedy once more.
[Starfall Greedy]
[List of Devourable Skills]
[1. Iron Pulse (Kang Dong-Hyun)]
[2. Shade Step (Lee Ji-Hoon)]
[3. Sonic Mirage (Jung Soo-Min)]
[4. Ember Rune (Kim Min-Jun)]
[5. Moon Devour (Alpha Lupin)]
[6. Dominion Roar (Alpha Lupin)]
[7. Night Prowl (Alpha Lupin)]
[8. Shadow Healing (Alpha Lupin)]
[9. Berserker Instinct (Alpha Lupin)]
[Choose one to copy]
I chose Min-Jun's ability.
[Ember Rune]
[Summons a glowing sigil that releases a burst of fire upon impact. Increases fire damage output by 30% for 10 seconds.]
[Ember Rune (Copy)]
[Summons a smaller sigil that releases a dense burst of fire. Increases fire damage output by 7.5% for 10 seconds.]
I activated it. Flames exploded around Alpha Lupin as I attacked relentlessly, combining the speed of Lupine Rush and the regeneration of Lunar Devour.
His HP dropped to 10%.
"One minute left."
I gathered all my strength and delivered a final barrage of blows.
The ground shook. In an instant, the boss's HP reached zero—his body collapsed.
The party fell silent. Even Ji-Hoon, who had underestimated me, looked pale and shocked.
"Wh-who are you…? An E-Rank Ability User can't emit an aura like that," he whispered.
Before I could respond, a searing pain ripped through my heart.
"AHHHHHK—AAHHH!" I screamed as my body spun out of control, my vision fading to black.
When I opened my eyes, I was in a hospital room.
The curtain beside me was open—Soo-Min was also being treated in the adjacent bed.
Soon after, Dong-Hyun, Ji-Hoon, and Min-Jun entered, carrying small gifts.
"Are you awake?" Min-Jun asked, relief in his voice.
"Yeah... how long was I unconscious?" "Three whole days," Dong-Hyun replied, handing me the gifts.
"By the way... what happened after I fainted at the gate?" I asked, still dizzy. "You fainted, but the system immediately displayed a notification..." Dong-Hyun said.
A few hours after the gate battle...
"Hey, Ryumin! Wake up!" Dong-Hyun patted my unresponsive face.
"Enough. Let's take him and Soo-Min out now!" said Ji-Hoon.
"We were ready to go, but then the system triggered…"
[Congratulations! You have completed Dimension Gate #0472: Valeum Lupin]
[Contribution Ranking]
[1. Kang Ryumin +3400 Points | Reward: +15 All Stats]
[2. Kim Min-Jun +3000 Points | Reward: +10 All Stats]
[3. Lee Ji-Hoon +2978 Points | Reward: +5 All Stats]
[4. Kang Dong-Hyun +2768 Points | Reward: +3 All Stats]
[5. Jung Soo-Min +2566 Points | Reward: +3 All Stats]
[6. ??? +1987 Points | Reward: +3 All Stats]
[7. ??? +1950 Points | Reward: +3 All Stats]
[Congratulations! Kang Ryumin defeated the Gate Boss alone. Additional reward: Unique Title.]
"We didn't read everything, we just know you received an additional title," Dong-Hyun explained.
Back to the present.
"Check the titles you received," Dong-Hyun said.
I opened the system window.
[Profile Window]
[Name: Kang Ryumin]
[Title: Lonely Howler]
[Unique Ability: Starfall Greedy, Lycanbound Overdrive]
[Strength: 25][Stamina: 25][Agility: 25][Intelligence: 25][Instinct: 1]
[Title: Lonely Howler]
A title bestowed upon one who stands alone under the full moon, defying despair when all allies have fallen. The title holder fearlessly faces the Alpha of the Valeum Gate, channeling the primal power of a beast and the inextricable will of a human. This title is a sign of unwavering instinct—the echo of a lonely howl that pierces the silence of death itself.
Effect: Unlocks the hidden stat [Instinct]. When fighting without allies nearby, all basic stats are temporarily increased by 5%, and the presence of enemies within a 10-meter radius will be automatically detected, even without visual confirmation. The effect grows stronger with prolonged exposure to life-threatening situations. This stat cannot be increased through leveling or gates. Instinct only grows when the user faces death alone—in moments where survival depends solely on the will to survive.
"Crazy, such OP stats? My solo gate ability has gotten even stronger," I thought.
"Oh yeah, there were five of us in, right?" Min-Jun asked. "Yeah, only five of us entered the gate," Dong-Hyun confirmed. "But the ranking list shows seven people," Min-Jun said, confused. "Are you sure you saw it?" Ji-Hoon asked. "I'm sure, but I didn't check all the names because we were busy taking out Ryumin and Soo-Min," Min-Jun replied. "Maybe it's just your imagination," Dong-Hyun laughed. "Haha, maybe I read it wrong," Min-Jun said, still a little anxious.
"Yes, only five of us entered the gate," Dong-Hyun confirmed.
"But the ranking list shows seven people," Min-Jun said, confused.
"Are you sure you saw it?" Ji-Hoon asked.
"I'm sure, but I didn't check all the names because we were busy removing Ryumin and Soo-Min," Min-Jun replied.
"Maybe it's just your imagination," Dong-Hyun laughed.
"Haha, maybe I read it wrong," Min-Jun said, still a little anxious.
Finally, they left it at that and stood beside my bed.
"Congratulations and thank you for giving us the opportunity to pass through the gate together," the group bowed, even Soo-Min smiled from her bed.
"Haha, it's okay. I should be the one thanking you all for not abandoning me when you found out my ability wasn't working," I replied, scratching my head.
"Here's the dungeon reward; we'll split it evenly according to our contributions." Kim Min-Jun placed the envelope containing the money on the table.
"Okay, we'll go now that you're awake," they all said, including Soo-Min.
As they left one by one, I sighed.
"Three days unconscious... I hope Mom isn't worried."
A moment later, the door opened again.
"Ryuuminnn!"
The first to appear was Kang Hyu-ri, running to my bed, followed by Na Jong-jun.
"How dare you enter the gate? You're just recovering from sparring!" Hyu-ri growled, gently hitting me on the head.
"Haven't you learned your lesson after Beom Seok hit you? And now you're acting even more arrogant!" Na Jong-jun teased.
"Okay, I got the money from that," I showed them the envelope.
"WOAH!" They both stared at me in surprise.
"By the way, how did you know I entered the gate?" I asked curiously.
They exchanged glances, scratched their cheeks, and didn't answer.
Then the door opened again, revealing a frightening figure. Yes, it was my mother.
Red eyes, clenched fists, approaching slowly.
"Kaaangg Ryuu!"
"Calm down, Mom. I can explain, I—" I tried to say. "Minnnnnnnnnnn!"
"You said you were going for a leisurely stroll... why did you enter the gate? Aren't you worried about your condition?" she shouted.
From a distance, someone was observing the hospital through binoculars.
"So far, the signs are as predicted. Yoo," said a slightly hunched, tattooed figure, peering toward the hospital.
Beside him stood another person—176 cm tall, fair-skinned, curly-haired, and wearing sunglasses.
"He only went through the lower level gate, not according to the prediction," commented the second.
"Whatever you want," said the hunchback, putting on headphones and playing music on his cell phone.
"WOKE'S UP FRESH, COFFE'S LIT" he sang, dancing happily.
"MAS COOL, JOIN THE DANCE?" he asked his companion.
"ARE YOU SERIOUS, YAPPER?!" his companion snapped.
"SERIOUS, MASTER? WE'RE JUST WATCHING," the first laughed and continued singing.
"We were ordered to keep an eye on Ryumin. If she's a fortune teller, we must prevent her," said the bowing colleague.
"STEP OUTSIDE, THE VIBE'S INSANE" the white-haired man sang, dancing and laughing.
"Shut up, you chatterbox," said the first man, covering his colleague's mouth.
The one with glasses:
[???]
[Code Name: COOL]
The one singing:
[???]
[Code Name: YAPPER]
To be continued...