Adaptation - (2)

[Chapter 2]

As soon as I entered the dungeon, the battle with the orcs began, and I deliberately held back my strength. 

I gradually increased my sword's efficiency to gauge how much strain my current body could handle. 

The conclusion came quickly. 

'I'm still way too weak.' 

With my current stamina and strength, a prolonged fight lasting over a minute seemed impossible. 

Even though my swordsmanship skills and potential were high, my body was utterly lacking. 

Overall, my stats weren't much different from the basic values assigned to a Level 1 player. 

'Of course, both the monsters and players here are pathetically weak.' 

The highest-level player in our seven-person team was Yoon Daekyung, who was at Level 50. 

In this orc dungeon, that was enough to make him strut around confidently, but in my eyes, he was like a child. 

Considering I had reached Level 850 right before returning, Level 50? That wasn't even a frog in its tadpole stage—it was more like an embryo yet to be formed. 

"Hey, Shin Sanghyun! If you're going to fight that half-heartedly, why the hell did you bring a greatsword that doesn't even suit you?" 

One teammate frowned and scolded me, and the others nodded in agreement. 

They didn't like my seemingly passive attacks. 

Their prejudice from the beginning—that I wasn't someone worth welcoming—played a big role too. 

"Can I take the front?" 

"Are you just going to talk big? Stop running your mouth and show us with your skills!" 

Their sharp response made me realize this warm-up had dragged on too long. 

I nodded and moved immediately. 

Just in time, a group of seven orcs was charging toward us, radiating fierce energy. 

To increase the success rate of Demon Bash, I had to aim for the orc's vital spots or weaknesses. 

I was someone who had hunted tens of thousands of orcs in my past life. My experience was more than sufficient. 

Targeting their weaknesses again wasn't even something to worry about. 

『Demon Bash』

『Consumes 1 Mana.』

I instantly activated the skill. 

Shiiik! Slash! 

The first strike cut deep into the orc's left shoulder, slicing downward in a sharp motion! 

Chwek? 

Though the orc was exposed to a preemptive attack, it didn't seem to care as it raised its axe in its right hand for a counterattack—but then, it froze. 

It was stunned. 

As if time had stopped, its body didn't respond at all. 

Shwaaak! 

Chwik...! 

The beheading happened in an instant. 

Caught in the stun from Demon Bash, the orc couldn't even react before losing its head on the spot. 

And from that moment on— 

Chwek! Kieeek! Kreeee! 

A one-sided massacre began. 

Each time my sword passed by indifferently, an orc's movements froze, as if stuck on a paused screen. 

"Is that a stun? That's a high-level status effect—how the hell is he pulling that off?" 

Yoon Daekyung, sharp-eyed, muttered in disbelief. Something impossible was happening. 

The other teammates, including his younger comrades, quickly echoed his shock. 

"Hyung, it's not just that! The duration is insanely long! It's not just 0.1 or 0.2 seconds like the short-term stuns we know!" 

"Two seconds! The orcs are stuck for two whole seconds! This is insane! Is that skill for real?" 

Cries of astonishment erupted everywhere. 

The man before them couldn't possibly be the Level 1 rookie who had awakened just three days ago. 

"A monster..." 

One of the teammates murmured in awe, unable to hold back their admiration for my dazzling ability to induce stuns. 

A true monster had appeared—someone completely beyond the level of players struggling in their low 20s or 30s. 

'What kind of skill is that?' 

Yoon Daekyung tilted his head in confusion. 

He had seen monsters fall into stunned or frozen states before. 

But this was far too long. 

Typically, status effects were so brief that one could barely perceive them. 

Even players considered "named" or noteworthy could only induce effects lasting 1 to 1.5 seconds at best. 

And even that much would earn them praise and admiration. 

But I stunned them for two seconds. 

A whole two seconds of freedom to attack without worrying about any counter. 

If I were a high-level player around Level 400 or 500, they might have brushed it off. 

'Not even Level 100 or Level 10—a Level 1 player who awakened just three days ago?' 

But in Yoon Daekyung's eyes, I was still just a newborn at Level 1. Even having a skill at all was absurd. 

It was like a child who had just started learning baseball suddenly mastering advanced batting techniques. 

Grrr... 

The orcs caught in my attacks were frozen like statues, unable to move, only letting out faint groans. 

Naturally, the result was disastrous for them. I didn't hesitate to decapitate them. 

Before my crude but razor-sharp greatsword, the orc's neck was no tougher than a well-cooked steak. 

'Even an Armor Orc…' 

Yoon Daekyung's expression turned pale as I crushed an Armor Orc, a monster specialized in defense. 

Armor Orcs had three to four times the defense of regular orcs and usually required at least a duo to take down. 

But I stunned them just the same and cleanly took their heads. 

Thud. Thunk. Thud. 

Like chestnuts falling in an autumn breeze, orc heads rolled across the floor. 

Despair was etched onto the faces of the dead orcs, unable to accept the reality of their deaths. 

For orcs, infamous for their aggression, such a one-sided slaughter was a direct insult to their pride. 

"He's insane..." 

"How the hell is that guy a Level 1 player? Did he burn all his money on artifacts or something?" 

"Bullshit! He was barely surviving as a porter—where would he even get the money? Probably spent everything on that greatsword." 

Their reactions were pure shock. Honestly, it bordered on fear. 

With skills like that, they knew they wouldn't stand a chance even in a one-on-one fight. That's how overwhelming my power was. 

They had looked down on me when I was just a porter, treating me like dirt. Now, burdened by guilt, none of them could meet my eyes. 

Hoo... 

I exhaled a hot breath, surveying the battlefield after the fight ended. 

I was satisfied. 

Even with this pitiful Level 1 body, I had finished a complete massacre without taking a single hit. 

My body felt heavy from the sudden strain, but my mind was light and clear. It was refreshing. 

[Your level has increased.]

[You have been granted the F-rank title, [Fearless Newborn Pup].]

'Leveling up was expected, but... this title is a surprise.' 

Sanghyun checked the title he had received with a pleased look. 

It was an unexpected reward. 

Normally, titles were only granted to players who achieved special accomplishments. 

Of course, not every player could acquire the same title indefinitely. 

There was a limit on the quantity. 

For example, if a title called "A" had a cap of 3,000, and 3,000 players worldwide had already obtained it? 

Then it would be impossible to acquire that title again. 

That was why titles held significant value as a clear indicator of distinction from other players. 

It meant you had achieved something exceptional enough to deserve a title. 

[Fearless Newborn Pup]

■ Title Rank: F-Rank 

■ Title Effect: Evasion +5

A smile crept onto Sanghyun's lips. 

The evasion stat increased the chance of dodging an opponent's attack. 

It subconsciously activated the body's natural reflexes to evade—moving without even realizing it. 

Considering that leveling up granted just one bonus point each time, this title was effectively equivalent to the value of reaching Level 5. 

Sanghyun immediately invested his newly earned level-up point into Luck. 

He added 1 point to the base stat, which was originally 10. 

[Luck 11]

The Luck stat increased the probability of critical damage and boosted artifact drop rates. 

Moreover, when consuming an artifact, it significantly raised the chances of inheriting hidden stats or skills. 

Just like Demon Bash, many powerful skills could be obtained this way, making investment in Luck not just an option but a necessity. 

Other stats could be sufficiently raised by consuming artifacts anyway. 

But since it was rare for Luck to appear as an option attached to artifacts, directly raising it was the best course of action—it was a stat with very limited growth paths. 

'Now that I have a clear plan for growth, the burden feels much lighter.' 

Sanghyun showed a satisfied expression. 

Although he didn't know the reason behind his regression, it seemed to be an opportunity to correct the shortcomings of his past life. 

The version of himself that once trembled at the mere sight of a goblin was long gone. 

There was no one in this dungeon who could bring him to his knees—not even the team leader, Yoon Daekyung. 

* * *

"I've never seen such a long stun effect before! It seems linked to a skill—how did you get it?" 

"I just received it after awakening as a player." 

"Do you seriously expect me to believe that?" 

"Why not? I'm clearly using the skill right now, aren't I?" 

Throughout the raid, Sanghyun had to deal with Yoon Daekyung's persistent questions about the origin of his skill. 

Of course, he had no intention of explaining it in detail. Not that they'd believe him anyway. 

"You didn't just get lucky and stumble upon a diamond-tier artifact or something?" 

"Even if I got lucky, how could I afford an artifact worth over 5 billion won? Want to check my greatsword? You can see the details in the item window." 

Sanghyun handed over the greatsword to Yoon Daekyung with an indifferent expression. 

Aside from repeated training, one way to acquire skills was through artifacts that contained 'embedded skills.' 

But that came with conditions. 

If you lost the artifact or stopped wearing it, the embedded skill would be deactivated. 

Yoon Daekyung initially suspected Sanghyun was using an artifact's embedded skill, but upon checking, that wasn't the case. 

"So, you're saying you really developed this skill on your own?" 

"Yes, that's correct." 

Sanghyun nodded. 

"No way… I've been doing this for two years, and even I don't have a skill that incredible…" 

"Hyung, isn't life all about luck anyway? Sanghyun just got incredibly lucky, that's all." 

Hearing his teammates dismiss it as sheer luck made Sanghyun let out a faint chuckle. 

He could understand the sense of deprivation they must have felt. 

In his previous life, he had thought the same way when seeing players far superior to himself—believing it wasn't his fault, but simply that they were lucky enough to get ahead. 

* * *

"Finally, the mid-boss!" 

"Wasn't it called a Demon Orc?" 

The team members shouted in excitement. 

Sanghyun had been waiting for this moment—the mid-boss monster had finally appeared. 

Thanks to steadily hunting orcs during their journey, his level had risen to 3, and his experience bar was halfway full. 

'In my past life, our team failed here.' 

He knew what was about to happen. 

If things went as they had before, Yoon Daekyung's team would fail the raid and walk away empty-handed. 

The next team to enter would succeed in hunting the Demon Orc. 

He clearly remembered the scene of that team's leader boasting about obtaining the Crimson Stone and its delay-inducing abilities. 

If things followed the same pattern, they'd likely give up after just a reconnaissance attempt. Sanghyun decided to speak up first. 

"Captain." 

"What is it?" 

"If I manage to defeat the Demon Orc, could I keep any artifact that drops?"