Veins of the Sleeping Titan
The Gate spat Yeon-woo out into darkness.Not the kind of darkness that came from a lack of light — this darkness was thick, cloying, almost sentient.
He staggered slightly, adjusting his stance automatically, dagger raised.
The air smelled of rust and wet stone.
System notifications ticked in.
[You have entered the Gate: "Veins of the Sleeping Titan."][Warning: Environmental hazard detected. Oxygen density reduced by 23%.][Recommended Equipment: Breathing Apparatus (Unavailable).][Emergency Compensation: Passive Stamina Drain Reduced by 10%.]
Yeon-woo exhaled carefully.
So it begins.
A world underground, beneath a dead mountain.
If he remembered correctly — and memory was slippery even in regression — this place had destroyed two elite guild squads before.
Not because of direct attacks.
But because of exhaustion.The endless tunnels.The sheer psychological pressure.
Keep moving.
Standing still here was death.
He pulled up his Profile for a quick check.
[Name: Yeon-woo][Level: 44][Unique Skills: Greed (Lv.2), Bloom (2nd Cycle)][Stats:]Strength: 95Agility: 110Endurance: 90Intelligence: 66Perception: 101
Still not enough to brute-force through.
He needed to think.
Yeon-woo tightened the straps on his leather armor, feeling the small cracks spiderwebbing across the worn material.
His supplies were low.
No potions left.
Only basic rations, most of which would spoil faster here.
Prioritize speed. Prioritize stealth.
He moved forward, careful to keep his footsteps light.
The cavern stretched ahead in impossible shapes — massive ribs jutting from the earth, fragments of shattered armor embedded in the walls.
Everywhere, the echoes of a battle long past.
The Sleeping Titan.
Or what was left of it.
He spotted a movement out of the corner of his eye and froze.
A creature scuttled across the ceiling — no bigger than a dog, but its body was a twisting mass of bone and sinew.
Not strong.
But numerous.
And territorial.
Yeon-woo backed slowly into the shadows, activating Bloom in a tight burst around his senses.
His heartbeat slowed.
The creature paused — sensing something — then clicked and scurried away.
He waited another minute before moving again.
The tunnel forked.
Again.
Always choices here.
And no clear answers.
He chose left, calculating based on air flow, subtle vibrations beneath his feet.
Experience from the first life taught him the simple rule:If you can't see an enemy, find a place where you can.
Blind wandering was suicide.
As he moved deeper, the terrain shifted.
Now the walls were smooth, as if something massive had scraped them clean.
Claw marks the size of a man stretched across the stone.
Yeon-woo's fingers brushed one of the grooves absently.
Still fresh.
That meant larger prey.
And larger prey meant—
A roar tore through the tunnels, low and grating, vibrating in his bones.
Far off.
But closing.
He didn't run.
Not yet.
He pulled up the small status window related to Bloom.
[Bloom (2nd Cycle)][Passive: Enhances Perception, Stamina, and Reaction Time.][Active: Pulse — Expends Mana to reveal hidden threats.][Cooldown: 5 seconds.]
He activated Pulse.
Mana flowed outward.
The darkness briefly peeled back.
Revealing—
A massive shape crawling along the wall ahead, six-legged, armored, with a gaping lamprey mouth lined with rotating teeth.
Titanspawn.
One of the elite guardians of this place.
Yeon-woo's jaw tightened.
He couldn't outpace it in the tunnels.
And fighting it head-on... reckless.
Still — no real choice.
He readied himself.
Swift Footwork activated.
His body grew lighter, breath evening out.
He darted sideways, circling, looking for an opening.
The Titanspawn roared again, sensing movement, and launched itself forward with terrifying speed.
Yeon-woo barely evaded, feeling the gust of displaced air scrape against his side.
Weaknesses. Look for them.
He used Greed — the hunger instinct within him flaring — and vulnerabilities flickered into sight.
Thin joints where the armor plates met.Soft tissue lining the mouth interior.
Risky.
But doable.
He needed to bait it.
Yeon-woo threw a broken piece of bone at its head.
The creature lunged blindly at the noise.
In that instant, Yeon-woo sprinted forward, ducking low, rolling beneath its belly.
He lashed out with the dagger, carving deep into a joint seam.
Black ichor sprayed out, hissing where it touched the stone.
The Titanspawn screamed — a grating, metallic sound — and thrashed wildly.
Yeon-woo kept moving, dodging narrowly.
His stamina dropped rapidly.
Notifications blinked in the corner of his eye.
[Stamina Below 30%.][Warning: Prolonged Combat May Result in Collapse.]
I know.
Still, he pressed the attack.
Another strike — into the mouth this time, Bloom empowering the thrust.
The dagger sank deep.
The Titanspawn convulsed.
And finally collapsed.
Yeon-woo staggered back, breathing hard.
Another notification.
[Titanspawn (Elite) Defeated!][You have leveled up!][Level: 44 → 45][Skill: Swift Footwork Proficiency Increased.]
Small gains.
But they mattered.
He pulled out the dagger, wiping it clean mechanically.
Already the air was thickening again, the stench of blood drawing smaller creatures.
He needed to move.
But first — he knelt beside the Titanspawn's corpse, focusing Greed.
A faint shimmer — stolen energy — seeped into him.
[Absorbed Essence: Toughened Carapace (Fragment).][Progress toward Trait: "Titan's Shell" — 6%.]
Slow work.
But every fragment stacked.
Yeon-woo pushed himself upright, ignoring the protests of his body.
Still hours ahead before he could rest safely.
He pulled the battered hood of his cloak tighter over his head and pressed deeper into the labyrinth.
Time passed without clear measure.
He moved through endless corridors, each more claustrophobic than the last.
Sometimes he found the remains of other explorers.
Sometimes he found bones far too large to be human.
No matter.
Everything was dead here.
Or close enough.
Another Pulse revealed a large chamber ahead.
Breathable air.
Maybe.
At least a place to catch his breath.
He slipped inside — and froze.
The chamber wasn't empty.
At the far end, slumped against a wall of stone and flesh, was a corpse.
Enormous.
Twice the size of a man.
Wrapped in rusted, broken armor that seemed to bleed into the floor itself.
One massive hand still clutched a shattered blade.
Titan Remnant.
Yeon-woo approached cautiously.
No movement.
Dead for centuries.
Still—
System notification.
[Quest Triggered: "Oath of the Forgotten Titan."][Optional Objective: Retrieve the Heart Fragment.][Reward: Unknown.]
Yeon-woo stared at the massive corpse for a long moment.
The Heart Fragment was embedded deep in its chest cavity.
Radiating faint mana pulses.
He could almost feel Bloom reacting to it, like a vine straining toward light.
Another choice.
Risk.
Or retreat.
He exhaled, feeling the ache in every muscle.
No progress without risk.
And no second chances.
Yeon-woo stepped forward, dagger flashing.
Toward the dead Titan's chest.
Toward whatever nightmare waited inside.