A woman, adorned iire of a mage, graced the chamber of a medieval-style office. Her slender form, the embodiment of professionalism and dignity, came to a halt a few meters in front of a rge elm desk.
“Sir,” she began with unwavering posure, “we have successfully tracked down and apprehehe party that infiltrated our Dungeon without the proper permit.”
The man behind the desk responded, his demeanor tinged with amusement. “Excellent. Ehat their punishment is both swift and severe so that none will make the same mistake.”
“I have already made the necessary arras,” she replied with a respectful bow. “I simply sought your firmation.”
A grin stretched the man’s lips, his pearly white teeth rivaling the gleam of his impressive armor. “Always oep ahead as ever. You—”
His words were abruptly interrupted as a notification fshed in his peripheral vision. As the Guildmaster, he frequently received a multitude of notifications, yet this one demanded his immediate and undivided attention.
With a deft movement of his finger, he clicked on the mail i, which brought up the ?Leaderboard? Window by extension. Ign the other categories, he navigated to the test update—the Hidden Dungeon scoreboard.
There, he saw it. A pyer by the name of Haxks had cleared the very first level one Hidden Dungeon in the game.
A mog twist touched the er of the Guildmaster’s mouth. It’s his very first Dungeon, and a level one no less, he mused, dismissing the achievement as a mere fluke. Hardly worth mentioning.
Fuildmasters like him, the pursuit of glory and fame was an ongoing strategy to attract potential members to their guilds. And one among the many grand stages for such dispys was her than the Hidden Dungeons.
Rankings were determined by clear times and the number of dungeons quered, and petitors were known to go to extreme lengths to safeguard their positions—this Guildmaster was no exception.
***
Before Daisuke could fully recover from the shock, he romptly teleported back to the surface, and the outcrop that had cealed the cave had vanished, leaving no trace behind.
Birds sang merrily, their warbles eg from all dires. Sunlight filtered through the lush opy of trees, casting dappled shadows on the vibrant ndscape. The summer breeze, cool and refreshing, washed over him, a stark trast to the humid depths of the cave.
However, Daisuke’s attention was fixated on somethiirely different.
“This… ’t be real, it?” his voice, rough and cracked, barely rose above a whisper. His wide eyes trembled in disbelief as multiple ss materialized before him, like a holographic proje.
DING!
[gratutions! You have sin the Hidden Dungeon Boss ?Globerax, the Elemental King?!]
[You have achieved an unbelievable feat!]
[Upon joining the Adventurers’ Guild and successfully clearing a Hidden Dungeon, the System has reized your desire and itment to bee a pyer.]
[The Status Window has been unlocked.]
[The title ?Lone Wolf? has been acquired.]
[The title ?Pathfinder? has been acquired.]
[The title ?Unwavering Spirit? has been acquired.]
[The title ?genial Denizen? has been acquired.]
[The active skill ?Eye of Verity? has been acquired.]
[The active skill ?§??? @%&?? has been acquired.]
[The active skill ?Alchemy? has been acquired.]
[The passive skill ?Novice Archery Mastery? has been acquired.]
[The passive skill ?Novice Polearm Mastery? has been acquired.]
[The passive skill ?Αφιν?τη’s Blessing? has been acquired.]
[The posure stat has been unlocked.]
[The Indomitable stat has been unlocked.]
[The Dexterity stat has been unlocked.]
[Crude Bonepick has been acquired.]
[Frost Prism x6 has been acquired.]
[Frial Seed x6 has been acquired.]
[Burn Heal x2 has been acquired.]
[Slime Essence x4 has been acquired.]
TEARRR~
“Huh?”
The moment the torrent of notifications finally stopped, Daisuke felt a strange surge of energy c through his body. It was as if a hidden reservoir of strength had been unlocked within him. His muscles, previously unremarkable, now seemed to ripple with newfound power beh his skin.
With a puzzled expression, Daisuke flexed his arms experimentally, notig how his sleeves strained and tore from the increased definition of his biceps. His clothes, already worn and damaged from the grueling trials in the Dungeon, gave way to the growing pressure of his expanding physique, exposing hardened muscles and sweat-slicked skin.
“Did I just rip out of my clothes like the Hulk?” he mused, eyeing the rags now ging to his body. “I guess my Stats directly affect my body. But wait, I’m ually going to look like this, will I?”
He visualized an overly ripped bodybuilder and couldn’t help but ge. Pushing the thought aside, Daisuke eagerly turned his attention to more exg matters. Before he could sider gesturing with his fingers or voig the and, the Status Window popped up with merely a thought.
[Name: Haxks
Species: Human
Level: 1 | EXP: 0/156 (0%)
Css: None
Affiliation: Adventurers’ Guild | Merts’ Guild
Title: Lone Wolf, Pathfinder, Unwavering Spirit, genial Denizen
HP: 54/270 | MP: 15/15
Strength: 3 (+15) | Stamina: 3 (+12) | Agility: 12 (+25) | Intelligence: 1 | Dexterity: 10 (+35) | posure: 5 | Indomitable: 3
Stat Points: 70
Active Skills:
?? Eye of Verity
?? §??? @%&?
?? Alchemy
Passive Skills:
?? Αφιν?τη’s Blessing
?? Novice Archery Mastery
?? Novice Polearm Mastery
Gold: 0]
“…After all these years,” he muttered, his voice crag, “I ’t believe this is actually happening.”
As he pted the possibility of saving both his mother and Sheba, if only he had received this power at a more opportuime, tears welled up in his eyes.
In that moment, he recalled his parents’ words, spoken just before his virtual mother drew her final breath. They had urged him to keep pushing forward, assuring him that he would eventually find peace.
sidering his cursed existehe idea of hoping for happiness definitely seemed like a stretch. However, he couldn’t shake the thought of April and Mia eagerly anticipating their reunion. He felt a sense of duty to ehat they, at least, found happiness.
“…Wait… Haxks?” he frowned in surprise, scrutinizing the name registered on his Status Window as he wiped away his tears. It’s the name Evandria gave to me. I’ve been throwing it around ever since, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that the System decided to identify me as such.
Daisuke sighed.
He could still feel the exhaustion from the battle, and the broiling sun was only sapping his strength even further. “Only 54 HP left? Damn. I was cutting it pretty close back there.”
Finding a nearby oak tree, he cautiously looked around for nearby monsters befingerly sitting against the sturdy trunk.
Clig on his ?HP bar?, otherwise known as ?Hit Points?, brought up a small, intricately designed window. HP was essentially the total health a character or unit possessed—in other words, if Daisuke’s 54 health had hit zero when he was fighting the Elemental King, he would have died.
And he didn’t even want to sider what fate would await a bugged existence such as himself.
Acc to the description of his HP bar, he would gradually regain a bit of health by sitting down aing. However, his recovery would be signifitly enhanced if he chose to sleep.
Sounds abht, he thought inwardly. People heal and recover from fatigue when they rest in real life. It would be stranger if a game desperately striving for realism didn’t follow the same principle.
HP: 72/270 | MP: 15/15
Strength: 3 (+15) | Stamina: 3 (+12) | Agility: 12 (+25) | Intelligence: 1 | Dexterity: 10 (+35) | posure: 5 | Indomitable: 3
Stat Points: 70
Daisuke swallowed, and his heartbeat hastened. I swore the numbers would be different the ime I looked, but nothing’s ged. This is insane!
His eyes quivered.
...Level 1. I mean, seriously, I’m at level 1. So how I have this many Stat Points already? Just to crify, the Base Stats of a level 1 character are supposed to be 1 Strength, 1 Stamina, 1 Agility, and 1 Intelligence. So, the total number of Stats for a level 1 character should be 4.
However, mials a whopping 19—and that’s excluding the 53 points in my Special Stats and the 121 points from Option Buffs. When you add everything together, it’s a mind-blowing 193 points. And that’s not even including the 70 Stat Points I haven’t distributed yet.
Stat Points are supposed to increase by 10 every time a level is gained, giving pyers the ce to allocate them to their Main Stats. But here’s the thing: I have 70 Stat Points at level 1—why is that?
Daisuke sidered that for a while.
There were just a few theories, the most feasible one being: Despite not awakening as a pyer, he was reized as a ?Named NPC? by the System and was steadily growing even without being able to call upoatus Window.
In particur, he spent a very long time exerg and training his body to facilitate his… lifestyle during his time in Dusthaven. And he had killed a host of monsters leading up to the Elemental King.
Whatever the case, simple calcutions stated that Daisuke’s Stats nded him around level 19… 26, if it tallied his 70 Stat Points. In other words, he was essentially a kitten wielding a lion’s power. In theory, when he officially got to the double-digit level, he would already be at an overwhelming advantage o his peers.
“Okay, now let’s try to pinpoily where the Option Buffs are ing from—maybe from the titles I got?”
[Lone Wolf]
[Rank: Rare
An individual who fearlessly charges into the midst of battles, seeking both glory ah. They forsake the fort of panionship, opting io bear the full weight of their quests alone.
Title Effect:
?? Increases defense by 10% outside of parties.]
Daisuke looked down at the tattered and torn state of his clothes. “I could definitely use all the defense I get.”
[Pathfinder]
[Rank: Epic
Lvl: 1
Proficy: iven to those who have glimpsed the elusive Hidden Dungeon. The initial rank is established by your level of involvement in disc, entering, clearing, or failing of the Dungeon.
Title Effect:
?? Increases attack painst Dungeon-based monsters by 15%. The pertage scales with the Title’s rank.]
“Whoa~ that’s pretty cool. I had no idea there were Titles that could grow aronger. It would have been fantastic if the attacrease applied to all monsters, no matter where they are, but this will definitely e in handy the ime I enter a Dungeon. It would’ve been a game-ger before the Elemental King fight though,” he muttered, pokerfaced.
[Unwavering Spirit]
[Rank: Legendary
In the face of powerlessness, you transded limitations and defied the odds, achieving a remarkable feat that even those wielding great power would struggle to replicate.
This astonishing aplishment stands as a testament to your unwaveriermination araordinary resolve.
Title Effect:
?? HP Regen Speed +25%
?? Strength +15
?? Agility +25
?? Dexterity +35
?? Stamina +12
?? 15% Redu in Damage from Physical Attacks
?? Evasion +8%]
“Wow, this is it—the Title that’s on steroids! Legendary Rank?” he excimed, feeling a nervous sweat begin to form. “That’s absolutely insane! But hey... I guess it makes sense. I did put my life on the line, diving into the unknown. They say the greater the risk, the greater the rewards, right?”
[genial Denizen]
[Rank: Unique
Despite being a pyer, you remain an integral part of Sehrei’s heritage, akin to any other NPC. You have shared in the world’s blessings and es many challenges, earning you the reition of a fellow local among the general popuce.
Title Effect:
?? NPCs will likely trust, respect, and fide in you.]
“I’m not really sure what to make of this one, but the fact that it’s a Unique Rank must mean it holds more value than I imagine.”
[Dexterity]
[Enhances agility, hand-eye coordination, and overall finesse, enabling swift movements, precise as, aened accuracy.
?? Higher values increase effectiveness.
?? Stat Points ot be manually allocated.]
[posure]
[Fosters de and grader pressure, lessening the likelihood of succumbing to abnormal mental states and signifitly redug their duration if afflicted.
?? Higher values increase effectiveness.
?? Stat Points ot be manually allocated.]
[Indomitable Spirit]
[Reduces the likelihood of paralysis when losing more than 50% of HP at once.
?? Higher values increase effectiveness.
?? Stat Points ot be manually allocated.]
“The Main Stats are pretty self-expnatory and the Special Stats are pretty impressive, but the skills have me at a plete loss for words.”
[Eye of Verity]
[Rank: Unique
Cssification: Active Skill
Lvl: 1
Proficy: 0%
Your i distrust of people and desire for transparency have culminated in this power bestowed through Alchemy.
Skill Effect:
?? Endows the wielder with the ability to dis truth from falsehood, analyze target Stats, and glimpse beyond the boundaries of reality.
Stamina Cost: 0.7% ? Sed
Skill Cooldown: None]
[Alchemy]
[Rank: Unique
Cssification: Active Skill
Lvl: 1
Proficy: 0%
An a and are fusioween sd magic, carefully hoo perfe over time by the greatest chemists. turies ago, following its pletion, the art was sealed away out of fear that its power would fall into the wrong hands.
Skill Effect:
?? By using mana as a catalyst to tap into the Aether Field, Alchemy allows the user to endlessly harhe secrets of nature to transmute, bine, and manipute matter.
Mana Cost: N/A
Skill Cooldown: N/A]
[Αφιν?τη’s Blessing]
[Rank: N/A
Cssification: Passive Skill
A blessing given in repense by The Goddess of Harmony.
Skill Effect:
?? Bestows loy and total immunity to ive status ditions, including diseases, poisons, curses, and other abnormalities. Given suffit rest, the body will alsee lost limbs and recover from other disabilities.]
[Novice Archery Mastery]
[Rank: Normal
Cssification: Passive Skill
Lvl: 1
Proficy: 0%
Frequent use of the bow and arrow in your hunting experiences has awakened aened your profi archery.
Skill Effect:
?? Increases physical attack power by 5% and accuracy by 10% when using a bow and arrow.
?? Enhances your basic marksmanship, including atmospheric elements, improving vision, focus, and breath trol. As your proficy grows, your mastery of these teiques will also improve.]
[Novice Polearm Mastery]
[Rank: Normal
Cssification: Passive Skill
Lvl: 1
Proficy: 0%
Using a crude on fashioned into a spear during your hunting excursions has begun to hone your skills with a polearm on.
Skill Effect:
?? Increases physical attack power by 5% and amplifies attack speed arifugal force damage by 10% when wielding a polearm-type on.
?? Deepens your uanding of polearm bat teiques. With each adva in proficy, your mastery of these teiques grows.]
??? @%&?]
[Rank: &^@%#
Cssification: %#*&%
Lvl: X?
Proficy: %?
@?ηΨω?Φ???ΩΛυ?μ√???ΨΦ∞Ω??ΣΨΩ∏??ΦΦΩ?Ψ?Ω?ΦΦ?ΨΦΩ?Ψ?⊕∞Σ∏???ΦΦΩ?Ψ?ΩΦΨΦΦ?ΨΦΩ?Ω?Σ∞??Ψ?ΩΩ∏?Ψ?ΦΩ?Ψ?⊕ΩΩΩΩ?ΦΩ
Skill Effect:
%#@*% <>*& %&# #@**&%#^*@ @## &@ +*&%@#@#@%*&% @#%r #@&/ @#%& ?s ‐#@.
Mana Cost: ?o??
Skill Cooldown: # &%#@<%&]
Daisuke was certain the posure Stat had a rge part to py as he calmly ighe st skill and focused his attention on the Eye of Verity.
It’s quite unusual to see a skill that es stamina as a resourstead of mana. While 0.4% per seay not sound like a lot, in the heat of bat, you’d be amazed at how quickly your stamina drains. Well, I have some time to spare right now, so might as well put it to the test.
