The flickering fluorescent lights of the Dungeon Association's staging area hummed with a low, mocking drone. Han Seo-Jun adjusted the nylon straps of his oversized rucksack, the coarse fabric digging into his collarbones despite his active skill.
[Skill Active: Weightless Pack (F-Rank)]
Current Load: 420kg
Perceived Weight: 42kg
To the world, Seo-Jun was a human forklift. In a society where "Awakeners" were treated like idols or tactical weapons, he was a utility closet.
"Hey, Porter! Stop daydreaming and load the mana-ventilation gear," a voice boomed.
It was Park Chul-Su, a C-Rank Warrior who wore his polished chrome breastplate like it was a holy relic. He was the leader of the 'Iron Vanguard,' a mid-tier guild that specialized in 'sweeping' low-level dungeons for scrap materials.
"I'm on it, Captain," Seo-Jun replied, his voice flat. He had learned years ago that dignity was a luxury he couldn't afford.
"Good. And remember," Park leaned in, the scent of expensive mana-potions on his breath, "don't speak unless a monster is biting your head off. You're here to carry, not to be heard."
The dungeon was a 'Green Zone'—a series of limestone caverns infested with Rock-Gnawers, oversized rats with teeth like drill bits. For a C-Rank team, it was a walk in the park. For an F-Rank Porter, it was a labyrinth of potential fatalities.
As they descended into the damp dark, Seo-Jun did what he always did: he observed.
He watched the way the Mage, a B-Rank hopeful named Min-Ah, wasted 15% of her mana pool on "flair" every time she cast a light spell. He noticed the Archer's shaky grip on his bow. He saw the cracks in their formation. To the others, he was invisible. To Seo-Jun, they were a series of mistakes waiting to happen.
Five years, he thought. Five years of watching people do this wrong.
They reached the heart of the cavern when the air suddenly turned cold—not the chill of a cave, but the biting, unnatural frost of the Abyss.
"Captain," Seo-Jun whispered, his "Porter's Instinct" (an unofficial F-Rank trait) screaming. "The mana density just spiked. We should—"
"Shut up, F-Rank," Park snapped.
Then, the ceiling exploded.
It wasn't a Rock-Gnawer. A Shadow Stalker (B-Rank) dropped from the shadows, its obsidian hide absorbing the light of Min-Ah's spells. It was a predator that belonged in a Red Zone, not here.
"Defensive circle!" Park screamed, but his "Iron Vanguard" was anything but.
The Stalker moved like liquid. In three seconds, the Archer was down. In five, the Mage was screaming as her staff was snapped like a twig. Park Chul-Su, the "brave" leader, didn't hesitate. He used his Shield Bash not to hit the monster, but to shove Seo-Jun directly into the Stalker's path.
"Sorry, kid! I'll tell your family you were a hero!" Park scrambled toward the exit, his heavy boots echoing in the dark.
Seo-Jun hit the cold stone floor. The 420kg of gear in his pack suddenly felt like its true weight as his mana flickered. He was pinned under his own burden, staring into the six crimson eyes of the Shadow Stalker.
The creature hissed, raising a claw that looked like a jagged shard of midnight.
This is it, Seo-Jun thought. The 1,000th time I've been inches from the end.
He had survived a cave-in at eighteen. A poison gas leak at nineteen. A stray fireball at twenty. He had spent his entire life being the victim of "accidents."
As the claw descended, a golden spark ignited in the center of his vision.
[Condition Met: The Infinite Near-Miss.]
[999 Deaths Evaded. 0 Lives Taken.]
[The System has detected a 'Logic Error' in your Rank.]
The world slowed to a crawl. The Shadow Stalker was frozen in mid-air, a drop of acidic saliva hanging from its maw.
[Initiating 'Grand Correction'...]
[Your F-Rank Skill 'Weightless Pack' is being deleted.]
[Searching Akashic Records for a suitable replacement...]
A massive, ancient leather-bound book manifested in Seo-Jun's mind, its pages flipping at light speed. It stopped on a page that was blank, save for a golden quill.
[SS-Tier Ability: 'The Plagiarist' has been upgraded due to User's Insight.]
[Final Rank: SSS-Tier Ability: 'Akashic Record: Plagiarism' Unlocked.]
[Current Target: Shadow Stalker.]
[Analyzing Skill: 'Shadow Flicker'...]
[Warning: The target's execution of this skill is inefficient (34% waste).]
[Plagiarism System: Would you like to 'Edit' and 'Apply' a perfected version?]
Seo-Jun, fueled by five years of suppressed rage and the weight of 420kg of gear, reached out. "Apply."
[Skill Acquired: 'Void Step' (Rank: SSS).]
[Description: Don't just move through shadows. Become the space between atoms.]
The claw struck—and passed through Seo-Jun as if he were made of smoke. He stood up, the heavy pack falling off his shoulders. He didn't feel weak anymore. He felt like the cavern was an open book, and he finally had the red pen.
"My turn to carry the weight," Seo-Jun whispered.
He didn't use a sword. He didn't use a spell. He simply stepped into the Shadow Stalker's space, his hand glowing with a terrifying, corrected light.
The Shadow Stalker didn't understand why its claws met only air. It swung again, a frenzy of obsidian strikes that should have turned the human into ribbons. But Seo-Jun wasn't there. He was a ripple in the atmosphere, a ghost in the machine.
[Skill: 'Void Step' is active.]
[Mana Consumption: 0.1% per second (Efficiency Optimized).]
Seo-Jun watched the monster. For the first time, he didn't see a terrifying predator; he saw a collection of bad habits. The creature overextended its right limb. It left its core exposed during every lunge. It was... sloppy.
"You're wasting so much movement," Seo-Jun said. His voice sounded hollow, echoing from a place that wasn't quite the physical world.
He reached out and grabbed the Stalker's wrist. The creature shrieked, its shadowy flesh sizzling where he touched it.
[New Skill Detected: 'Corrosive Touch' (C-Rank).]
[Analyzing... Flaw Found: Energy leakage through the skin.]
[Correcting... Acquired: 'Ender's Grip' (A-Rank).]
Seo-Jun's hand flared with a cold, white fire. He squeezed. The Stalker's arm didn't just break—it disintegrated into fine black ash. The monster let out a high-pitched trill of agony, trying to retreat into the darkness, but Seo-Jun was already behind it.
"You don't get to leave," he whispered. "I still have to finish the job."
He didn't have a weapon, so he used the one thing he had carried for five years: Weight.
He grabbed the monster by its neck and activated a modified version of his old porter skill.
[Skill Applied: 'Gravitational Burden' (S-Rank Upgrade of Weightless Pack).]
[Effect: Transferring 1,000% of stored inventory mass to target.]
In an instant, the four hundred kilograms of mana-ventilation gear, steel crates, and monster loot Seo-Jun had been lugging around were mentally "dumped" onto the Stalker's physical frame.
CRUNCH.
The creature was flattened instantly, pressed into a two-inch-thick pancake of gore and shadow against the limestone floor. The cavern fell silent.
[Target Neutralized.]
[Experience Leveling... Level 1 → Level 14.]
[Hidden Quest: 'The First Correction' Completed.]
At the dungeon's entrance, Park Chul-Su was panting, his expensive armor scuffed from his frantic sprint. He reached the heavy iron doors that led back to the surface and fumbled with the key-card.
"Damn it... damn it!" he hissed, looking over his shoulder. "That brat... he's a nobody. The Association won't care. One F-Rank porter dies every day. I'll just say he tripped..."
"Tripped on what, Captain?"
Park froze. The blood drained from his face as he slowly turned around.
Standing in the shadows of the tunnel was Han Seo-Jun. He looked the same—dusty jumpsuit, messy hair—but his eyes were different. They weren't the dull, defeated eyes of a porter. They were piercing, glowing with a faint, gold-rimmed light.
And he was empty-handed.
"Seo-Jun? You... how did you get past the Stalker?" Park stuttered, his hand going to the hilt of his sword. "Wait, where is the gear? Where is the loot? That's guild property!"
"The gear is currently being used as a paperweight," Seo-Jun said, walking forward. Each step felt heavy, as if the ground itself were bowing to him. "But we have a bigger problem, Captain. You violated the Hunter Code: Section 4, Article 12. Abandoning a teammate during a combat encounter."
Park Chul-Su laughed, though it sounded forced. "Teammate? You're a pack mule, kid. A tool. Now, get back in there and find my crates, or I'll make sure you never work in this city again."
Park drew his sword—a B-Rank 'Flame Brand.' The blade ignited, casting orange light against the damp walls. "I'm a C-Rank Warrior. You're an F-Rank nothing. Know your place!"
Park lunged, the flaming sword whistling through the air. To a normal person, it was a blur of heat and steel.
To Seo-Jun, it was a joke.
[Target: Park Chul-Su (C-Rank Warrior)]
[Skill Detected: 'Flame Strike']
[Analysis: Amateurish. Heat loss is at 60%. Posture is unbalanced.]
[Would you like to Plagiarize?]
No, Seo-Jun thought. I don't want that trash.
Seo-Jun didn't move until the blade was an inch from his throat. Then, he simply tilted his head. The sword passed by. He stepped into Park's guard and tapped the man's chest with two fingers.
[Skill Used: 'Gravitational Burden' (Output: 10%).]
Park Chul-Su felt like a literal mountain had just hit his sternum. His breastplate buckled inward. He was launched backward, smashing into the iron doors with enough force to dent the metal. He slumped to the ground, coughing up blood, his flaming sword clattering uselessly away.
"You..." Park gasped, looking up in pure terror. "You're an Awakener... You've been hiding your rank..."
"I wasn't hiding anything," Seo-Jun said, standing over him. He picked up the B-Rank sword. It felt light. "The world just decided I was an F. And I think it's time I start editing the world."
Seo-Jun didn't kill him. Killing a human would bring the Association's investigators too quickly. Instead, he looked at Park's 'Flame Strike' skill one more time.
[Plagiarism System: 'Flame Strike' intercepted.]
[Rewriting Skill...]
[Result: Park Chul-Su's Mana Circuits have been 'Edited'. Skill 'Flame Strike' has been deleted from the target.]
"Agh!" Park screamed, clutching his chest. He felt it—the warmth of his mana, the power he had spent years cultivating, simply... vanished. He was now as powerless as the porters he had bullied.
Seo-Jun turned toward the exit, the gold screen flickering in front of him.
[Current Objective: Register as a 'New' Awakener.]
[Warning: Global Powers have detected the 'Akashic Record' activation. Stealth is advised.]
"Let them look," Seo-Jun whispered, stepping out into the sunlight.