Sweet Rewards

After all the strange messages—which left Lucien scratching his head in confusion—he sat down to count his gains.

He had somehow cleared the Dungeon, though it didn't feel like victory. The system claimed he'd earned rewards for becoming a Dungeon Boss, but his level and stats told a different story.

He'd started as a level –1. After defeating several Wolves and even conquering the Dungeon itself, he now stood at level 0. Barely a step forward.

Still, the loot wasn't terrible. He'd gained two short swords, one long level 50 blade that looked like a Katana, and a full set of armor.

The armor caught his attention like a flame in the dark.

"Equip Whitesteel Shroud," Lucien said, his voice tight with excitement.

Light washed over his body, then faded, leaving him wrapped in white armor that seemed forged from winter itself—frost and steel made manifest.

His helm was the face of the hunt. A sleek wolf mask stared back from reflective surfaces, expressionless and cold, with glowing slits where eyes should be. Pale blue light flickered behind them like glacial fire. Twin ears jutted from the top, not for show but for fear—echoing the beast whose spirit now cloaked his soul.

Layered plates rested on his shoulders, each one catching light like polished silver. His gauntlets ended in precise claws at the fingertips—not crude weapons, but tools crafted for a predator who struck with winter's patience.

Lucien studied his reflection and nodded, satisfaction rolling through him like warm honey.

'Now this is what armor should look like.'

The contrast hit him like a slap. He'd been scammed, plain and simple. That bastard who'd sold him the previous garbage for over three hundred thousand dollars had seen him coming from miles away.

They'd spotted his newbie status and pounced. Even if you wanted to cheat someone, wasn't fifty thousand enough?

'This world is cruel. Time to show them I can be cruel too.'

But anger aside, Lucien felt grateful. He now had armor that would actually protect him as he prepared for his first real challenge.

The Black Godzilla.

———

[WHITESTEEL SHROUD]

Type: Mythic Beastbound Armor

Grade: Unique

Slot: Full Set (Helm, Chest, Gauntlets, Leggings, Cloak)

Required Level: 50

Armor Rating: 4,800

Weight: Medium

Durability: 920/920

Elemental Affinity: Ice / Spirit

—

[CORE ATTRIBUTES]

+35% Stealth in Low light/Snowy regions

30% Resistance to Cold/Slow

Brief Invisibility when HP drops below 25%

—

[EVOLUTION]

Evolution Potential: High

Condition: Defeat Black Steel, and claim Blacksteel Shroud

Next Form: ???

—

[INFORMATION]

The Whitesteel Shroud was forged by a lost Wolven tribe, wiped out by a wolf god's wrath. This armor is the last of its kind, once worn by a desperate warrior who journeyed to kill the wolf god but never returned.

———

Even the interface looked clean and professional—nothing like that clown's Shroud he'd wasted three hundred thousand dollars on. The more he thought about it, the hotter his anger burned.

But the armor was perfect. Every detail sang to him, making his heart race like a kid on Christmas morning.

Who knew gaming could feel this good? This moment—counting his rewards, seeing his progress—felt like something he never wanted to end.

He couldn't help but wonder what would happen when he faced the Black Godzilla.

So much waited ahead. The rush of battle. The thrill of victory. The mystery of what rewards might come.

The thought of whether he would die. How many times he would die. Perhaps he might get a clean victory without any defeat.

He widened his grin.

'Over to reward two.'

Two short swords and a long sword. The short swords were a pair, and although nothing particularly entertained Lucien about them, they were not a bad tool of battle.

———

[NIGHTFANG BLADES]

Type: Dual-Wielded Short Blades

Grade: Enhanced

Slot: Main Hand / Off-Hand

Required Level: 45

Attack Rating: 1,200 ×2

Weight: Light

Durability: 670 / 670

Elemental Affinity: Shadow / Spirit

—

[CORE ATTRIBUTES]

+20% Critical Strike Chance from Behind

Passive: [Veilcut] — Attacks deal 15% bonus damage while stealthed

+15% Attack Speed during Night or in Dungeons

—

[EVOLUTION]

Evolution Potential: High

Condition: Slay a Named Phantom-Type enemy while under [No Detection] for 30 seconds

Next Form: Nightfang Requiem

—

[INFORMATION]

Dejisan said, "They whisper in motion, sing in silence, and drink from the throats of ghosts."

———

Lucien removed the helm of the armor as he scrutinized the sword with a smile on his face.

'Apparently, it's not a bad idea. I guess, I will have to learn how to use two swords. Or at max, fuse with it. Let's check out the last one.'

———

[DARKNESS CUTTER]

Type: Single-Edged Katana

Grade: Enhanced (Growth-type)

Slot: Main Hand

Required Level: 45

Attack Rating: 2,750

Weight: Medium-Light

Durability: 590 / 590

Elemental Affinity: Shadow / Hex

—

[CORE ATTRIBUTES]

+40% Damage in Dark Zones or Dungeons

+20% Movement Speed in Combat

Passive: [Umbral Dash] — Teleports the user 5m behind an enemy after a successful backstab (10s cooldown)

Attacks apply [Blind] for 2s on critical strikes

—

[EVOLUTION]

Evolution Potential: Extreme

Condition: (1)Defeat 100 elite enemies in total darkness without taking light-based damage

(2)Witness the death of a Party Member while holding the blade

(3)Survive a solo Dungeon Raid (Min. Difficulty: Black Rank)

Next Form: ???

—

[INFORMATION]

This sword was forged from the first Black Steel's bones, since then it has been a symbol of ruthlessness of the distinct Tribe of Steel Wolves.

———

'Ruthless indeed.'

The conditions for Evolution were brutal. Or was he looking at this wrong? The second condition especially gnawed at him.

'I guess I have to fulfill all three…'

The Darkness Cutter was an incredible sword—perhaps the most incredible Lucien had encountered. And it was a growth-type weapon, which made it even more precious.

Weapons had grades and evolutions. Just because a weapon could evolve didn't mean it could change grade. At the end of the day, the weapon remained bound by its original grade.

A weapon that could grow through its grades? That was like finding buried treasure. Lucien had heard these were extremely rare finds that only surfaced in auction houses.

He had only a rough idea of what auction houses looked like in game worlds—he hadn't dug deep into that research yet.

Lucien stared at the dark katana blade in his hand, struck by the fact that he owned something so rare.

'Should I sell it?'

The thought lingered, but then reality hit him. This was a growth item. His first. Why would he sell it? What if he never found another growth item for months?

Besides, he had plenty of money from selling his phone and other things—his watches and stuff he'd packed from home. He was sure his account was healthy; he just wasn't in the habit of checking his balance.

Lucien tore his gaze from the sword and focused on the final reward. The Dungeon.

An altar stood where the throne should have been, positioned beyond the dais of the hall of columns.

The moment his eyes found the altar, a message flashed before him.

[You have been automatically designated as the Dungeon Master of the Hall of Columns. Would you like to publicize this dungeon?]

[When you publicize a Dungeon, players will be able to anchor their respawn point to this altar. They can also migrate to the region.]

Lucien's eyebrow shot up.

"What? No. Not yet."

[You have declined publication offer]