Crossing the Line
The stairwell twisted in tight, uneven spirals, each step groaning under Yeon-woo's weight. Cracks spread like spiderwebs along the ancient stone, and the cold was no longer just an annoyance. It gnawed at his skin, a persistent whisper from the labyrinth itself: Leave. Turn back.
He pressed on.
His breathing was steady, controlled, every exhale a misty sigh that hung briefly in the air before vanishing. The second cycle of his regression coiled within him like a second heart, each beat stronger, more grounded than the last. "Bloom" operated silently at the back of his mind, nourishing his body beyond its natural limits.
'Fifth floor… sixth floor…'
He knew what awaited at the bottom.He remembered it vividly from his previous life—the beginning of the true nightmare.
A system notification flickered across his vision.
[Hidden Dungeon 'Grave of the Wight King' Discovered!][You are the first player to enter. Bonus rewards will be applied.][Warning: Dungeon difficulty exceeds your current Rank.]
A grimace tugged at Yeon-woo's lips.
No kidding.
He halted for a moment at a fork where the stairwell splintered into two descending tunnels, each wrapped in shadows so thick they seemed almost solid.His fingers itched toward his dagger, but he restrained the impulse.
Instead, he opened his status window with a silent thought.
[Name: Yeon-woo][Level: 35][Class: None][Title: Regressor, First Explorer][Unique Skills: Greed (Lv.2), Bloom (2nd Cycle)][Normal Skills: Dagger Mastery (Intermediate), Evasion (Advanced), Danger Sense (Intermediate), Swift Footwork (Intermediate)][Stats:]Strength: 78Agility: 91Endurance: 74Intelligence: 55Perception: 88
A small curve of satisfaction crossed his face.
His level-ups had been efficient, almost surgical. "Greed" continued to devour fragments of defeated enemies' abilities, and with each kill, he grew stronger—not just incrementally, but exponentially compared to other players.
Still, the Wight King wasn't something he could take lightly.
Even knowing what was to come, he could feel the margin for error shrinking like a noose around his neck.
Yeon-woo chose the left passage without hesitation.The air grew thicker, heavier, as he advanced. Stagnant and foul, it clung to the back of his throat, and each step deeper demanded more mental discipline to suppress the urge to gag.
Focus.
Up ahead, the corridor widened into a crude antechamber. Mounds of bones lay scattered across the floor, remnants of those who had tried—and failed—to conquer this place. Some of the corpses twitched, animated by residual curses that even time couldn't fully erase.
Yeon-woo adjusted his grip on his dagger, channeling mana into the blade until it shivered with a soft silver glow.
A corpse shuddered and rose with a broken groan, half its skull caved in, dragging a rusted sword behind it. Another staggered up behind it. And another.
It was not a fight he needed to win—it was a gauntlet meant to exhaust.
He moved swiftly, not lingering to finish every foe. Precise strikes severed tendons and shattered joints. The undead fell clumsily behind him, unable to pursue."Greed" latched onto the fragments of their broken spirits as he passed, quietly siphoning strength.
[Skill proficiency increased.][Minor stat gains acquired: +1 Strength, +2 Endurance.]
The notifications blinked by, a comforting rhythm.
But he didn't allow himself to bask in them.
At the far end of the antechamber, a massive door loomed—constructed not of stone, but compressed bones and hardened blood. Carvings lined its surface, depicting battles long forgotten, kings toppled and kingdoms drowned in flame.
Yeon-woo exhaled slowly, steadying his heart.
He knew what was behind that door.
The Wight King awaits.
He activated "Danger Sense" just as his fingers brushed the door's surface. A sharp jolt of warning prickled across his spine, and he leapt back instinctively.
A trap rune activated where he had stood—a spearlike spike of bone erupting from the ground, missing him by inches.
He clenched his jaw.
Even the door was a test.
With careful steps, he mapped a safe path, dismantling minor enchantments as he went. His past life's knowledge guided him—but not perfectly.The second cycle had changed things.The labyrinth itself had adapted.
As he finally laid a hand against the true door, a deep vibration rumbled through the ground.
[You have entered the Throne of the Wight King.][Warning: Death penalties will be severe.]
I know.
The thought was dry, almost bitter.He had suffered worse in his first life. Much worse.
The door swung open with a reluctant groan.
The throne-room stretched out before him, cavernous and dark, lit only by the flickering blue-green flames of soul-lanterns that floated midair.At the far end, seated on a throne of shattered crowns and splintered swords, the Wight King stirred.
His presence was overwhelming—an ancient, heavy thing, older than hatred, colder than death.
And yet Yeon-woo felt only a distant tension, like a blade being sharpened.
It's not the same.
In the first life, Yeon-woo had faced this monster when he was half this strong, half this prepared.And yet he had still survived.
Barely.
This time would be different.
He adjusted his stance, letting "Bloom" flood through his muscles, threading his nerves with liquid fire. Mana thrummed under his skin like a second bloodstream.
The Wight King rose fully, the shadows clinging to its skeletal form like a tattered shroud.
Without a word, it pointed its scepter at him.The battle began.
Yeon-woo darted forward—not to attack yet, but to test.
A black chain of energy lashed out from the scepter, seeking to coil around his body. He ducked under it, rolling to the side, feeling the air crackle as the spell whipped past.
His mind was cold, methodical.
Its opening attack pattern is the same. First two chains, then three spheres of decay.
He activated "Swift Footwork," his body blurring into motion faster than the eye could follow.
The Wight King unleashed the decay spheres next—three, spinning erratically.
Yeon-woo weaved between them with inches to spare.
Each misstep would mean a limb rotting away.
His dagger gleamed in the half-light, a whisper against the darkness.
He wasn't trying to win yet.
He was studying, adapting, surviving.
Waiting for the right moment to unleash everything.
Wait for Bloom's peak… stack Greed… draw him in.
A notification blinked.
[Greed (Lv.2) is analyzing enemy traits.][Potential absorption target: 'Undying Will' detected.]
A ghost of a smile flickered across Yeon-woo's face.
Perfect.
The real battle hadn't even begun.