The two D-Rank fighters didn't even have time to scream. In the narrow, rusted corridor of the sub-station, there was nowhere to run from an invisible enemy.
Joo-won didn't use flashy spells. He didn't need them. He simply walked forward, his footsteps echoing against the metal floor, while the air around him became a soup of microscopic death.
"Stop! Please—" one fighter gasped, clutching his chest.
[Skill: Cardiac Arrhythmia (Level 1)] [Absolute Infliction: Applied.]
The fighter's heart didn't just skip a beat; it stopped entirely, obeying the "Absolute" command of the system. He slumped against a pipe, dead before he hit the ground. The E-Rank healer was already hyperventilating, her mana exhausted from trying to heal Sang-ho's paralyzed lungs. She watched in horror as her "Heal" spells—weakened by 90% due to the dungeon rule—did nothing against a curse that bypassed the very concept of resistance.
"You're a monster," she whimpered, backing into a corner.
Joo-won paused, looking at her with genuine curiosity. "A monster? No. A monster kills for hunger or instinct. I'm just balancing the books. You were going to use me as bait. That has a cost."
He didn't waste mana on her. He simply watched as the [Lingering Plague] from the rats drifted over to her. In seconds, she too was part of the dungeon's silence.
The Solo Ascent: Floors 2 through 4
With the "dead weight" removed, Joo-won's efficiency skyrocketed.
Floor 2: A maze of steam pipes guarded by Copper-Scale Serpents. Joo-won stood at the entrance of each room and released [Necrotic Mist]. He waited exactly six minutes per room, reading a digital news article on his phone while the "Absolute" decay turned the serpents into puddles of sludge.
Floor 3: The monsters here were Mana-Siphon Bats. For any other mage, this would be a nightmare. For Joo-won, it was a joke. He let them siphon his mana—mana that he had intentionally "infected." The moment the bats tasted his energy, their wings crumbled.
Floor 4: The environment turned into a massive boiler room. The temperature rose to 50°C.
[Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Current Level: 7]
Joo-won ignored the sweat stinging his eyes. He spent his new stat points entirely into Intelligence and Perception. He needed his curses to spread faster, and he needed to see the loot before it melted in the rot.
He spent the next three hours systematically stripping the gear from his former teammates. He wiped the blood off Sang-ho's C-Rank breastplate and tucked the E-Rank healer's mana-battery staff into his bag.
"Estimated resale value: 4,200,000 Won," he muttered. "Not bad for a morning's work."
Floor 5: The Master of the Grid
The final floor was a massive electrical chamber pulsing with blue lightning. In the center stood the Boss: The Overcharged Golem (Rank D+).
It was a creature of galvanized steel and humming capacitors.
[Dungeon Rule: The Law of Equivalent Vitality - Final Phase]
Warning: The Boss gains 1% Attack Speed for every 1% of Health it loses.
"A speed-scaling boss," Joo-won noted. "In a party, the Tank would eventually be overwhelmed by the sheer frequency of hits. But a golem is made of metal."
Metal didn't get "sick" in the biological sense. Most debuffers would be useless here. But Joo-won's skill wasn't just biology; it was a fundamental law of the system.
"[Skill: Structural Leprosy]"
It was a new skill he'd evolved at Level 5. He pressed his hand against the floor's metal grating. The "disease" traveled through the conductor like a virus through a nervous system.
The Golem roared, its massive iron fist glowing with electricity. It charged at Joo-won with terrifying speed.
[Absolute Infliction: Active] [Condition: Molecular Fatigue]
The Golem's right leg didn't just break; the metal "died." The atoms lost their cohesion. Mid-stride, the Golem's leg turned into fine metallic dust. It tumbled forward, crashing into the ground at Joo-won's feet.
Joo-won didn't move. He looked down at the twitching titan. Because of the dungeon rule, the Golem was now moving its remaining limbs at 500% speed, but it didn't matter. It was a Ferrari with no wheels.
"You're fast," Joo-won said, crouching down to look at the glowing core in the Golem's chest. "But even the fastest runner can't move if their legs don't exist anymore."
He placed his hand on the Golem's head.
"[Total Organ Failure: Mechanical Equivalence]."
The humming died. The blue light faded.
[Dungeon Cleared!] [Calculating Rewards...]
The Aftermath
Joo-won stood at the dungeon exit, the rift flickering behind him. He was covered in soot, but his backpack was bulging with high-grade mana stones and the "lost" equipment of Team 4.
He pulled out his phone and dialed the government's emergency reporting line.
"Hello? I'd like to report an accident," Joo-won said, his voice instantly shifting to that of a traumatized, shaky teenager. "Team 4... they were so brave. The Boss... it was too strong. They told me to run while they held it back. I'm the only one who made it out."
He hung up and wiped the fake moisture from his eyes. Now, he just had to get to the black market before the Government's "Investigation Division" started asking where a D-Rank support got the money for a luxury apartment.