[14th Everdusk, 2103] – CGA Branch, Dyna Crest Country
Before lay the aftermath of the battle—the remnants of the mini-boss and the treasure it left behind. But what t my eyes wasn’t what I expected.
The corpse was mangled beyond recognition. The alpha wolf’s once majestic form had been stripped clean—its skin and fur gone, several ribs exposed and broken, fangs and teeth entirely removed as if soone had harvested it piece by piece. But what truly captured my attention were the items beside it.
Especially... the armor.
My chest mail, once a humble chainmail vest for beginners, now looked transford—embedded with darkened fur and scraps of toughened skin. Most of the tal links were hidden behind this wild new exterior, and just by sight alone, I could tell it had grown durable enough to resist even a powered blade strike, even one imbued with my fla skill.
And then there was the blade.
It shimred faintly with a sinister hue—subtle, but undeniably present. A dark glint danced along its edge, almost as if flickering embers were tucked beneath the steel. I wasn’t exactly surprised. The alpha wolf was part of the Shadow Wolf King bloodline—monsters known for their affinity with the shadow elent. Perhaps the weapon had absorbed traces of that power.
Curious, I opened the screen to check its updated stats—and imdiately froze.
My jaw tightened as my mind struggled to process the details. These weren't just minor improvents. These were complete overhauls. If soone else saw these items now, they wouldn’t hesitate to fight for them. Items like these didn’t exist in the early stages. They were legends.
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Duskfang Vest (Enchanted)
Type: Armor (Chest)
Grade: Tier 0, Vernis (Rank 0)
Description:
A beginner's chain mail chest plate evolved through expert craftsmanship and enhanced with a refined enchantnt turning into a fine piece of art. Its defensive capabilities and durability have been significantly improved, offering protection comparable to higher-quality equipnt while remaining suitable for novice adventurers.
Attributes:
Defence: 20
Durability: 120/120
Weight: Moderate-High
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Ember Fang (Enchanted)
Type: Weapon (One-Handed Sword)
Grade: Tier 0, Vernis (Rank 0)
Description:
Once a simple iron sword, Ember Fang evolved into a weapon of legend after rging with the fiery and shadow-infused essence of an Alpha Wolf (Lv. 10) by an unknown power. This blade flickers with dark embers, embodying the destructive synergy of shadow and fla.
Attributes:
Attack Power: 20
Durability: 100/100
Weight: Light
Special Effects:
Enhanced Fire Strike: 25% chance to deal an additional 70% of the weapon's attack power as shady fire-based magical damage on hit.
Veiled Predator: If the wielder attacks a target unaware of their presence (e.g., from stealth or surprise), the attack deals 50% increased damage.
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The nas alone stunned . Duskfang Vest? Ember Fang? These weren’t just random upgrades. This was a new tier altogether—Vernis , sothing that didn’t even exist in common knowledge.
Normally, items were graded like this: Vernis → Caldo → Erith for Tier 0. But none of them ever carried a suffix like " " or "–". They were standard. Plain. What I had now… this wasn't in any manual or hunter report. Not once had I ever seen this Vernis grade.
Could this be the doing of my talent?
“Oi, Point Looter! Where’s my Caldo-grade weapon and armor, huh? Don’t go mute on now!” I shouted, half-joking, half-serious. “Co on, answer ee!”
But silence. As always. Neither the system nor the talent said a word, treating like so overly dramatic NPC. I grumbled under my breath, finally deciding to check my status one last ti before stepping into the third stage.
That’s when sothing else caught my eye.
In the skill nu—sothing had changed.
Sothing... new?
In my excitent over the upgraded gear, I had completely forgotten to check if the talent had done anything else. As I hovered over the unfamiliar entry, a panel popped open before I could even select it.
{System has detected a skill that is unsuitable for the host and is about to be removed from the host's skills.}
{Process starts... error, talent is restricting the removal process. Talent is attempting to adjust the skill.}
[Talent has detected that the skill is not in a usable form for the host's body. The skill design is being modified to et the host's needs. The process is ongoing, please wait for a mont.]
[Process is complete, skill --> }
{System is generating the skill, , information on the host's screen.}
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Shadow Leap (Lv. 1)
Type: Active Skill
Mana Cost: 25 MP
Cooldown: 12 seconds
Proficiency: 0%
Description:
Harness the agility of shadows to leap up to 10 ters toward a target with a precise strike. This swift movent allows for enhanced power, enabling agile combat maneuvers in both offense and defense.
Effects:
Leap Strike: Instantly closes the distance, dealing 10% of Base Attack damage upon impact.
Shadow Montum: Slightly boosts attack power by 5% for the next attack within 3 seconds of landing.
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A slow grin spread across my face.
This... this was good.
Mobility, burst, and surprise—all in one. Combined with Veiled Predator, this would turn into a true assassin in the shadows. A shadow that strikes before it’s seen.
I gave my new gear and skill one last glance before turning to face the portals that had quietly opened a few minutes ago after the alpha boss's fall. Two shimring gates hovered in the clearing—each frad by a glowing border and a floating screen beside it.
The red one pulsed ominously—clearly the path to the third stage. The green one? The exit portal. A way out. Safety.
I walked up to the green gate, just to test it. A button hovered in front of it.
"Exit the trial?" it asked.
I stared at it for a second.
Then laughed.
“Do you really think I'd press that? Absolutely not.”
I shut the prompt and turned toward the red gate.
“No hesitation. I’ve co this far. I’m not backing down now,” I said aloud, more to myself than anyone else. “There’s sothing at the end of this trial—sothing worth the risk.”
And just as I raised my foot to enter, the system chid again.
{System has detected that the host has yet completed another hidden task of killing all the wolf pack under the alpha boss, achieving the requirent to increase the mutation of the final boss, 30% --> 99.9%.}
{You're to be alerted to be cautious of the mutated boss.}
“Ha... Of course,” I muttered, shaking my head. “Can’t ever get the lucky 0.1%, can I?”
I sighed, accepting my cursed fate.
“If I was born with that kind of luck, maybe I’d be the main character of this story.”
With that, I dismissed the notification and stepped into the portal.
As my body disappeared into the void, the remains of the alpha wolf lay motionless behind . The air turned eerily still. The ground trembled slightly, followed by a low rumble. A crack appeared in the sky above as if the heavens themselves were breaking.
But this wasn’t divine wrath.
It was the system collapsing the current stage—preparing it for the next challenger.
anwhile, I had already arrived.
The scenery changed.
The third stage… was unlike anything I had seen before.
–– To be continued ––
Author’s Note:Thanks for reading, everyone! Hope you enjoyed this chapter.
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