Chapter 5
SRAK!
The sound of a sword slicing through flesh echoed through the dark dungeon.
The injured Hunter couldn't dodge in time. The massive blade slashed through his body from shoulder to waist, sending blood spraying in every direction. His eyes widened for a split second before life left them completely.
His body split into two.
SPLAT!
The upper half of his torso crashed onto the ground with a sickening splatter, his insides spilling out.
But Hajin remained still. His eyes showed no emotion as he stared at the corpse.
HE'S DEAD.
"…Guess I was too late to save him."
Hajin's eyes narrowed as he turned his gaze toward the Corrupted Knight standing before him, its massive sword dripping with blood.
The monster stood at least three meters tall, clad in black, rusted armor. Its helmet had a narrow slit, revealing a pair of glowing red eyes.
[Identifying Target...]
[Corrupted Knight]
Level: ???
Rank: Dungeon Boss
HP: ???
Status: Aggressive
Its stats are hidden?
That meant this thing wasn't just some ordinary monster.
And sure enough, the moment its eyes locked onto Hajin, it raised its massive sword into the air and charged with terrifying speed way too fast for something that big.
"Tsk!"
Hajin leaped backward using [Shadow Step], barely dodging in time.
BOOM!!
The giant sword slammed into the dungeon floor, sending cracks spreading in all directions.
But the Corrupted Knight didn't stop.
It swung its blade sideways with insane speed, creating a shockwave that made Hajin's hair whip back.
"Shit! This isn't just some regular-ass Dungeon Boss!"
Hajin knew he had to act fast.
"[Edit Parameter]"
A transparent system window appeared in front of him, displaying his stats.
[Strength: 80 → ???]
[Agility: 70 → ???]
But before he could edit them, the Corrupted Knight was already in front of him, swinging its massive sword down.
BOOM!!
Hajin barely managed to roll away, but the shockwave from the impact blasted him backward several meters.
He gritted his teeth.
"If I had been even a second slower, my head would've been fucking gone."
This thing had insane speed and strength.
Hajin immediately activated [Reinforce], boosting his durability in an instant.
[Vitality: 60 → 120 (Temporary)]
His body instantly felt stronger, and the minor wounds from the shockwave healed almost immediately.
"Alright… now it's my turn."
Hajin quickly adjusted his Strength and Agility to the highest limit his body could handle.
[Strength: 80 → 150]
[Agility: 70 → 140]
DING!
[WARNING! Stats exceeding normal limits!]
[Side effects may occur if the body's tolerance is surpassed!]
Hajin ignored the warning.
With his new speed, he shot forward, disappearing for a split second before reappearing right under the Corrupted Knight.
"Take this, you rusty-ass tin can!"
With full force, Hajin drove his fist into the monster's stomach.
BOOOOM!!
The Corrupted Knight's metal armor dented inward, and the monster was blasted backward several meters, crashing into a stone pillar with a loud THUD.
But even after taking that hit, the monster stood back up without a sound. Its glowing red eyes burned even brighter.
"...You gotta be fucking kidding me. That only pushed it back?"
The monster raised its sword again.
But this time, a pitch-black aura began to gather around its blade, radiating a deadly energy.
"Shit… this has gotta be its ultimate move!"
The dungeon trembled.
Hajin had to make a quick decision.
The black aura around the sword grew even more intense.
"Tch… if this keeps up, I'm dead."
He could feel the sheer pressure coming off that sword. The air around him was vibrating, and the dungeon floor was starting to crack from the energy.
Then…
SWOOSH!
The monster swung its blade downward, unleashing a terrifying black energy wave straight at Hajin at insane speed!
"Fuck!"
Hajin instantly used [Shadow Step], vanishing just in time.
BOOOOOOOM!!!!
The energy wave smashed into the dungeon floor, triggering a massive explosion that shook the entire underground cavern!
Dust and stone fragments filled the air.
When Hajin reappeared on the other side of the room, his eyes widened at the aftermath.
The spot where he had been standing was completely obliterated, leaving behind a massive crater.
If he had been even a second slower, he would've been buried there.
"Shit… so this bastard has long-range attacks too?"
He had assumed it was purely a melee-type monster, but now it was clear it had energy attacks as well.
The Corrupted Knight slowly turned toward him again, raising its sword for another round.
Hajin could tell it was about to fire off that same attack.
"If I take that head-on, I'm done for."
His eyes narrowed, his brain racing for a solution.
Then...
An idea popped into his head.
"If its attack is made of energy… can I just negate it?"
Hajin pulled up his system window.
He quickly accessed [Reality Override], the weirdest but most broken skill he had.
A coding window appeared in front of him.
[Reality Override] - Source Code Execution
if (incoming_damage.type == "energy") {incoming_damage.value = 0;}
DING!
[Override Success!]
[Energy-based attacks will deal 0 damage for the next 5 seconds!]
"It worked!"
Just as the Corrupted Knight fired its second energy wave, Hajin stood his ground.
BOOOOOMMM!!!
The attack hit him head-on… but...
Nothing happened.
No damage. No pain. No effect whatsoever.
The monster seemed… confused. As if it couldn't believe its strongest attack did nothing.
Hajin grinned.
"Alright, tin can, now it's my turn."
He activated [Reinforce] again and pushed his Strength and Agility even higher.
[Strength: 150 → 200]
[Agility: 140 → 180]
His body trembled slightly from the sudden power surge.
Then...
DASH!
In the blink of an eye, Hajin vanished and reappeared right in front of the Corrupted Knight, his fist already swinging forward.
BOOOOOOM!!!!
His punch slammed into the monster's chest, shattering its armor and leaving a massive crack across its body.
The monster was sent flying backward, crashing into the dungeon wall with a deafening THUD!
But Hajin wasn't done yet.
With inhuman speed, he dashed toward the monster before it could recover and delivered a brutal kick straight to its head!
CRACK!!
The sound of metal shattering rang through the dungeon as the Corrupted Knight's helmet split open, revealing a pitch-black face with glowing red eyes that now looked wilder than ever.
Hajin jumped back, preparing for the finishing blow.
A system window popped up in front of him again.
[Edit Parameter]
[Weapon: Fist → Blade]
[Damage: 200%]
[Critical Rate: 100%]
DING!
[Override Success!]
[Next attack will always be a Critical Hit with double damage!]
Hajin took a deep breath, staring at the Corrupted Knight that was starting to rise again.
"This is the end."
He dashed forward, his fist now glowing with an aura that resembled a blade!
The Corrupted Knight tried to swing its sword once more, but Hajin was faster.
With a single motion…
"DIE, YOU BASTARD!!!"
Hajin punched the monster's head with full force.
CRAAACKKKK!!!
The Corrupted Knight's head shattered like glass struck by a hammer, and its entire body crumbled into black fragments.
The monster let out one last shriek before turning into ashes, leaving only a shining piece of armor on the ground.
DING!
[Boss Dungeon "Corrupted Knight" has been defeated!]
[EXP gained: 4500]
[Level Up!]
[Kang Hajin - Level 4 → 6]
Hajin stood still, panting.
He looked down, staring at the black armor fragment left behind by the monster.
"Huh… this must be the Boss's drop item."
A system window immediately displayed the item's information.
[Item Acquired: Corrupted Knight's Armor Fragment]
Rank: A
Effect: ??? (Not Identified Yet)
Hajin smirked.
"Not bad… but first, I need to get the hell out of this dungeon."
He let out a sigh and turned around, heading toward the dungeon exit that had begun to open after the Boss was defeated.
Hajin stepped out of the dungeon, breathing heavily. As soon as the teleportation light engulfed him, the dark cave scenery changed into the bright dungeon exit area.
Fresh air filled his lungs, making him feel relieved after spending so much time in a place filled with the aura of death.
DING!
[Dungeon "Ruins of the Forgotten" has been cleared!]
[Completion Time: 2 hours 37 minutes]
[Achievement: Solo Clear - Bonus EXP granted!]
Hajin barely glanced at the system notifications before closing them.
"Shit… finally done."
He stretched his sore body, feeling a bit drained after the intense fight.
Around him, several other hunters stationed near the dungeon exit turned to look at him with confused expressions.
Everyone knew that this dungeon wasn't supposed to be cleared solo, especially with a Boss inside.
Yet Hajin walked out alone, with no sign of a team.
"Did he… survive alone?" one hunter whispered.
"I bet he ran away and left his team to die inside," another muttered suspiciously.
Hajin didn't give a damn.
Ignoring their judgmental stares, he casually walked toward the Hunter Association, where he could exchange his dungeon loot.
But before that…
His stomach growled.
GRUUUKK...
He stopped for a moment, feeling the hunger creeping in.
"Ah… I haven't eaten all day."
After thinking for a second, Hajin decided to drop by a small restaurant near the association.
A few minutes later, he was already seated inside, staring at a large bowl of spicy ramyeon in front of him.
Steam rose from the broth, and the strong aroma of rich stock and red chili made his stomach growl even louder.
Without hesitation, he picked up his chopsticks and started eating.
SLUUUURPPP!
"Aaaah… now this is real food."
The spicy and savory flavors filled his mouth, making him feel alive again after that long-ass dungeon run.
As he ate, he started thinking about what had just happened.
The fight against the Corrupted Knight was easier than expected, but that was all because of the bug he exploited.
[Reality Override]
That system could literally rewrite the rules of the world.
Hajin glanced at the black armor fragment on the table.
[Item Acquired: Corrupted Knight's Armor Fragment]
Rank: A
Effect: ??? (Not Identified Yet)
"Can I even use this?" he mumbled, tapping the armor piece with his finger.
No reaction.
"Maybe I need someone to analyze it."
After finishing his meal, Hajin leaned back in his chair.
His eyes grew heavy as exhaustion finally caught up with him.
"Just gonna… take a quick nap…"
And before he knew it…
Kang Hajin was asleep in his chair.
[1 hour later]
Hajin woke up to the sound of his phone notification.
BEEP! BEEP!
His eyes squinted as the screen's light stabbed through his drowsiness.
Grumbling, he opened the message.
[Araa]: "Oppa, where are you? Coming home or not?"
Hajin sighed before typing a reply.
[Me]: "Eating. Heading home soon."
After putting his phone down, he glanced at the Corrupted Knight's armor fragment on the table.
"Alright… time to figure out what the hell this thing really is."
With that, he gathered his stuff and left the restaurant, heading toward the Hunter Association to analyze the armor.