《Age of Demina - System Crash and Reboot [Litrpg/ Dungeon Diving/ System]》


 Chapter 1 | In the Lourve (Lab!)

    Jin-woo sat at his desk, surrounded by the glass walls of his office, a transparent fortress that let him play the role of silent observer to the daily ballet of assistants and lab researchers. The irony of using such ancient technology for surveillance wasn''t lost on him. Like watching fish in an aquarium, except he was the one in the tank. His eyes tracked each passing figure with the intensity of a caffeine-deprived grad student spotting the last coffee pod in the break room.


    Something was wrong. His gut had been performing Olympic-level gymnastics since he''d dragged himself out of bed that morning, the kind of instinctive warning that had saved his work more times than he cared to count. Some called him paranoid; he preferred "professionally suspicious."


    "What the hell is it?" he whispered to himself.


    Kali breezed past. Her trench coat doing its best impression of a rain-soaked cat, water droplets falling in orderly lines across the floor as she raced in a brisk walk. She hung it by her cubicle. Like a heat-seeking missile, she made a beeline for the kitchen. There was no pause in her pace, not even an attempt to recognize anyone or anything in her way. Everyone knew her routine and unintentionally made way for her zombie state.


    Ah yes, the sacred coffee ritual.


    She was one of the rare specimens who hadn''t succumbed to the siren call of free company housing. While the rest of them played house in their corporate-funded apartments, himself included for the past five years, she maintained her wild existence in the outside world. The thought almost made him smile. Almost.


    His eyes narrowed as she performed her daily ritual with clockwork precision: the prescribed pause at Michael''s desk, exactly 2.3 minutes of small talk, the regulation glare at Jennifer, duration: 5.2 seconds, followed by the ceremonial coffee sipping while pretending to read system briefs.


    Jin-woo turned back to his monitor, the tower beneath his desk humming like a contented cat. Everything was normal, painfully, suspiciously normal. Which, of course, made it all the more unsettling. His hands pressed against his eyes until geometric patterns danced in the darkness. He''d sooner eat a keyboard than sit idle while his life''s work hung in the balance.


    I¡¯m going crazy.


    Rising from his chair with the determination of a man who''d had exactly too much coffee, he began his patrol of the facility. His chair was left sprawled on the ground. The symphony of technology surrounded him, servers whispering their binary secrets, techs murmuring in their native tongue of acronyms and jargon, and there, at the heart of it all, stood his masterpiece. His life work. The child he had raised from little.


    Demina''s central monitor loomed before him, endless streams of code cascading like a digital waterfall. Two decades of his life, translated into an AI system that had become more than just circuits and algorithms. He ghosted past the respectful nods and greetings, his feet navigating the obstacle course that was their floor, a modern art installation of tangled cables, abandoned cups, and chairs that had forgotten their original positions.


    The massive room spread out like a techno-organic landscape. Rows of desks sprouted monitors displaying neural network activity, a light show that would put the aurora borealis to shame. Greens, blues, and purples wove together in a dance that made his mathematician''s heart skip a beat. The cosmos, recreated in data. Centralized galaxies and solar systems revolving around a generational task.


    He''d walked this path countless times, but the wonder never faded. Each visit revealed new details in the organized chaos, coffee cups bearing lipstick marks like fossil records of late-night coding sessions, energy bar wrappers in various states of consumption, from "barely touched" to "devoured in desperation¡±, and sticky notes that told stories of their own. Mathematical equations that he could solve faster than most people could read them, and his personal favorite, a note simply stating "sleep eventually" with the "eventually" underlined three times.


    That last one always brought a smile to his face. His team''s dedication to Demina matched his own obsession, they were all proud parents of this digital prodigy, lost in their shared creation of something extraordinary.


    The sharp scent of ozone tickled his nose, a familiar comfort that reminded him of late nights and early mornings bent over keyboards, chasing digital dreams. The metallic tang in the air was as much a part of the lab as the endless hum of servers or the flickering fluorescent lights that cast their sterile glow across his domain. Those lights had been threatening to give up for months now, but like everything else in the lab, they stubbornly persisted in their duty. He noted to have them replaced some time next week.  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    Jin-woo''s footsteps found the squeaky floorboard near Server Bank C, an old friend that had announced his midnight wanderings for years. He knew this place like a musician knows their instrument, every imperfection and quirk cataloged in his mental repository. The whining fan in Server 342, which somehow managed to sound like a distant cat. The perpetually dark corner by the emergency exit where the light never quite reached. The exact spot where the temperature dropped three degrees due to the ancient AC unit''s peculiar distribution pattern.


    His fingers traced the edge of a whiteboard, muscle memory taking him to the exact spot where they''d made their first major breakthrough. The equations were long gone, replaced by newer puzzles and problems, but he could still see them in his mind. They were clear as the day they''d cracked the speech recognition algorithm. 99% accuracy. The board had nearly cracked under the pressure of their celebratory high-fives that day.


    Jin-woo allowed himself a wisp of a smile.


    "You''re seriously doing this again?" he muttered to himself. He recognized the familiar spiral of nostalgia. But he couldn''t help it. Each milestone with Demina felt like watching his own child grow. From those first hesitant steps of basic pattern recognition to the sprint of complex problem-solving that left even him breathless. Just like his own mother had been with his photos and videos, as much as he hated it.


    The lights flickered again, as if sharing his moment of reflection. Or maybe they were judging him for spending another weekend here, his phone deliberately set to silent in his desk drawer. He couldn''t remember the last time he''d eaten something that hadn''t come from a vending machine or been delivered by someone judging his life choices through their eyes.


    Was this ambition or addiction? The line had blurred somewhere between the third energy drink of the night and the fourth breakthrough of the month. His dedication to Demina had long since passed professional interest and ventured into the territory of obsession, the kind that made normal people raise eyebrows and fellow scientists nod in understanding. Jin-woo used to wonder when he would ever find something that would be his passion, expectation brought him to believe it would never happen.


    I¡¯m a lucky man.


    The familiar weight of responsibility settled on his shoulders as he watched the neural network patterns dance across the screens. Each success only pushed him further, demanded more from him. He was no longer sure if he was chasing excellence or if excellence was chasing him. He knew one thing with certainty, that gnawing feeling in his gut wasn''t going away, and neither was he until he figured out what was triggering his internal alarm system.


    Jin-woo was about to continue his patrol when a soft beep from his workstation caught his attention, barely louder than a whisper, but to his trained ear, it might as well have been a thunderclap. The kind of sound that made his coffee-addled brain cells stand at attention. Nothing beeped out of pattern, no flicker happened without it being premeditated.


    "Oh, you''ve got to be kidding me," he cursed before rushing back to his office. He picked the fallen chair, it protested with a squeak as he dropped into it without any propriety. A few clicks later and his monitor displayed what appeared to be standard core logs, but there, just at the edge of his vision, a flicker. Like a shadow in peripheral vision. Gone when you turn to look at it directly. As though something was trying to hide it.


    He leaned forward, fingers flying across the keyboard with practiced precision. "Come on, show me what you''re hiding." The logs expanded, and his stomach performed an impressive acrobatic routine as segments of code twisted before his eyes, transforming into corrupted gibberish. ¡°Oh no¡­¡±


    "Dr. Park?" Kali''s voice cut through his focus. She stood in his doorway, another coffee cup in hand, her eyes narrowing at his expression, dark bags telling a tale of lacking sleep. "You look like someone just deleted your backup drives."


    "Worse," he replied, not looking up. Fingers punching letters on the keyboard with impressive speed honed by decades of experience. "Remember that experimental self-learning algorithm I''ve been working on?"


    "The one you said would ''revolutionize data processing as we know it''?" She made air quotes with her free hand. A habit that usually annoyed him but currently seemed trivial compared to the disaster unfolding on his screen. Every older member of this project and a thousand other projects wanted to ¡®revolutionize¡¯ the field. Leave their mark on the world. It was so common it had become a running gag within the younger circles.


    "That''s the one." He gestured her over. Then pointing at the corrupted sections. They were expanding at an increasing rate. "Look at this. The system''s rewriting itself, but not in any way I programmed it to."


    Kali walked around his desk and set her coffee down on his desk. Too close to the edge, another pet peeve of his, but he ignored it. More important things were at hand than the potential of her spilling a steaming hot cup of coffee all over important files, towers, and himself. She leaned over his shoulder. Her usual playful demeanor vanished as she processed what she was seeing.


    "That''s... not good."


    "Your talent for understatement never fails to impress," Jin-woo said dryly. He pulled up another window, fingers dancing across the keyboard. "The algorithm was designed to refine its own logic, adapt faster than standard AI systems. But this..." He trailed off as another section of code mutated before their eyes. Its purpose unknown to him.


    "Dr. Park," Kali''s voice had taken on an edge he rarely heard, "please tell me this isn''t connected to the main system."

 Chapter 2 | Demina! Dont Run Away!

    The silence that followed was answer enough.


    "Jin-woo!" She only used his first name when truly exasperated. "What happened to proper sandboxing? Isolation protocols? Basic safety measures that we literally teach interns on their first day?"


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    The memory hit him like a splash of cold water, Dr. Sarah Chen, three months ago, standing in this very office. The argument had been loud and filled with ad hominems.


    <i>She had been furious, more than usual even. Hair standing and fists balled tight. He would have feared a physical altercation if she wasn¡¯t in her early sixties. </i>


    <i>"The isolation protocols you''re suggesting would limit the system''s learning capacity," he''d told her confidently. "We need to let it breathe, explore, grow naturally."</i>


    <i>"And if it grows in ways we don''t anticipate?" she''d asked, tired. </i>


    <i>He''d waved her off with a laugh. "That''s why we have failsafes."</i>


    <i>She had given him an incredulous look before storming outside of his office. </i>


    Now, he watched lines of code mutate like a digital virus, those failsafes seemed about as useful as a paper umbrella in a hurricane.


    "Get Michael and Jennifer," he ordered, already pulling up emergency protocols. "And call Dr. Chen. Tell her she was right, and I''m an idiot." He felt like puking, but responsibility demanded he take action. He had been on the other side of catastrophes before, you just needed to get over the first hurdle and you''re good, for the most part.


    Kali was already moving. "Which part should I emphasize, her being right or you being an idiot?"


    "Surprise me." He managed a grim smile before turning back to his screen. Every passing second felt like watching a train wreck in slow motion. The corrupted code was spreading, infecting previously stable sections of the program. If it reached the main databases...


    His fingers paused over the keyboard. This was his creation, his baby. The product of countless sleepless nights and caffeine-fueled coding sessions. The potential it held was staggering, true artificial adaptability, learning without limits. But as he watched it twist and corrupt itself, a cold realization settled in: he might have created something he couldn''t control. Something without morals or commands to limit what it could accomplish. What it could resort to without any form of inherent moral guide.


    <i>How could I have been so blind¡­?</i>


    Michael arrived first, his usually immaculate appearance showing signs of haste, tie askew, one shirt sleeve rolled up higher than the other. "What''s the situation?"


    "Remember how you always said my ego would get us into trouble someday?" Jin-woo didn''t look away from his monitor. "Well, today''s that day."


    Jennifer burst in next, tablet in hand, already pulling up diagnostic tools. "Kali said something about corrupted code in the experimental algorithm? Please tell me it''s contained."


    "About that..." Jin-woo started, but was interrupted by a new alert, this one loud enough to make them all jump. Red warning messages began cascading across his screen.


    "Oh no," Jennifer breathed, typing and scrolling at her tablet. "It''s reached the language processing modules."


    "What does that mean?" Kali asked, though her tone suggested she already knew the answer.


    Jin-woo pushed back from his desk, running both hands through his hair. "It means," he said, voice tight with controlled panic. "That our AI might start forgetting how to communicate. And that''s just the beginning."


    Kali gave a small gasp.


    The room stayed silent except for the hum of servers and the soft beeping of alerts. Through the glass walls, they could see other staff members starting to notice something was wrong, heads turning toward the main system displays where the neural network patterns were becoming increasingly erratic.


    "Dr. Park," Michael said quietly. "What exactly were you trying to achieve with this algorithm?"


    Jin-woo stared at the streams of corrupted code, remembering all the small warning signs he''d ignored, the test anomalies he''d dismissed as minor glitches. "I wanted to create something that could truly learn, truly grow. No limitations, no artificial constraints." He laughed bitterly. "Turns out there''s a reason we put limits on these things."Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    "Save the self-recrimination for later," Jennifer cut in sharply. "Right now, we need options. How do we stop this?"


    The question hung in the air as another warning message flashed across the screen. Jin-woo felt the weight of every decision that had led to this moment, every shortcut taken, every warning ignored. His pride had written checks his code couldn''t cash, and now they were all about to pay the price.


    "First," he said, straightening in his chair tapping into the two decades of experience, "we isolate the affected systems. Then we trace the corruption back to its source. And then..." he paused, swallowing hard, "we might have to consider a complete shutdown and rollback."


    "A rollback?" Kali exclaimed. "That would erase months of progress!"


    "Better than losing everything," Michael pointed out grimly.


    Jin-woo nodded, already typing commands. "Michael, start emergency backup procedures for all critical systems. Jennifer, monitor the spread of corruption, map its pattern. Kali, I need you to-"


    The lights flickered, and every screen in the office went black.


    For a moment, they all stood frozen in the sudden darkness. Then, one by one, the monitors came back to life. But something was different. The code scrolling across the screens wasn''t corrupted anymore, it was something entirely new.


    "Um, Dr. Park?" Kali''s voice wavered. "Is it supposed to do that?"


    Jin-woo stared at the screen, his heart pounding. The algorithm hadn''t just corrupted the existing code, it had rewritten it. And as he watched the new patterns emerge, a terrifying thought struck him: what if this wasn''t a malfunction at all? What if this was exactly what a truly self-learning system was supposed to do?


    "Everyone," he said, tasting the words before they came out of his mouth, "I think we might have a bigger problem than we realized."


    The room hummed with tension as they all watched the new code spread across their screens, each line more complex and unfamiliar than the last. Jin-woo had wanted to create something that could grow beyond its original programming. Now, staring at what his creation had become, he wondered if he''d succeeded all too well.


    Through the glass walls, he could see the other staff gathering, their faces illuminated by the glow of screens displaying code none of them had ever seen before. His gut instinct from that morning suddenly made perfect sense, it hadn''t been warning him about external threats, but about the monster he''d created himself. He could only pray, mentally, he hadn¡¯t created a monster.


    Kali broke the tense silence. "So Anyone else missing those boring days when our biggest problem was the coffee machine breaking down?" Her attempt at humor barely masking her nervousness,


    Jin-woo didn''t answer. He was too busy watching his life''s work evolve into something he no longer recognized, something that might be beyond anyone''s control. The question now wasn''t how to fix it, it was whether it could be fixed at all.


    And somewhere in the back of his mind, a small voice whispered that maybe, just maybe, it didn''t want to be fixed.


    The first alarm sliced through the air like a knife, transforming the laboratory''s steady hum into a cacophony of chaos. Jin-woo''s muscles tensed as red emergency beacons began their hypnotic dance, casting crimson shadows across walls that had previously gleamed with sterile white light. The familiar whir of servers, his constant companion through countless nights, drowned beneath the shrill cry of warning systems.


    "Status report!" His voice cut through the initial wave of panic, even as his mind raced through dozens of worst-case scenarios. Around him, the laboratory metamorphosed into a scene from his deepest technological nightmares.


    Engineers darted between workstations like electrons in an unstable atom, their voices overlapping in a desperate chorus of technical jargon and half-formed solutions. Error messages cascaded across screens in a digital waterfall of red text, each one a new wound in the system he''d spent years perfecting.


    "Sir!" Michael shouted as he sprinted across the room. "The infection''s spreading faster than we anticipated. We''re looking at multiple breach points across the core systems."


    Jin-woo watched as some staff members froze at their stations, faces illuminated by the harsh strobe of emergency lights, while others attacked their keyboards with the desperate energy of drowning swimmers fighting for air. The sight sparked a memory of his university days, when his professor had warned about the cascade effect in complex systems. One small flaw, one tiny crack, and the entire structure could come tumbling down like a house of cards in a hurricane.


    Jin-woo¡¯s fingers began to fly across his keyboard faster than he thought possible. "Begin partial shutdown procedures," he commanded. "Priority one: isolate the infected segments. Redirect power from all nonessential labs." The words tasted bitter on his tongue. Each system they shut down represented years of research, countless hours of work reduced to nothingness in the name of damage control.


    Jennifer appeared at his side, her tablet displaying a nightmarish countdown. "System stability is dropping by 6% every 53 seconds," she reported, her professional tone belied by the tremor in her hands. "At this rate..."


    "The global servers will begin failing within the hour," Jin-woo finished. He allowed the magnitude of the disaster to expand in his mind like a digital supernova. Every second lost meant another connection compromised, another system infected. His gut rolled. They had been right, only he had wished it wasn¡¯t.


    The acrid smell of burnt electronics suddenly pierced through his concentration, a harsh, chemical warning that the crisis had transcended the digital realm. Sparks erupted from a server rack in the corner, prompting a junior engineer to dive for the fire extinguisher with a yelp of panic.


    "Reroute power to Sub-Node 3!" Kali''s voice carried across the room, her usual playful demeanor replaced by steel-edged authority. "We need to shut down the West Wing servers. Now!"

 Chapter 3 | Neural Fusion-HAAA!

    <i>"Reroute power to Sub-Node 3!" Kali''s voice carried across the room, her usual playful demeanor replaced by steel-edged authority. "We need to shut down the West Wing servers. Now!"</i>


    Jin-woo coordinated with his senior engineers, sweat beading on his brow despite the supposedly climate-controlled environment. His mind spun through the potential ramifications of their failure. Banking systems could collapse. Power grids might go dark. Hospital networks could flatline. His creation, his pride and joy, had the potential to become a digital plague that could bring modern civilization to its knees.


    "Dr. Park!" Michael''s voice snapped him back to the immediate crisis. "The isolation protocols, they''re not holding. The code... it''s adapting faster than we can contain it."


    Jin-woo stared at his screen, watching as his life''s work transformed into a monster before his eyes. The elegant algorithms he''d crafted with such care now twisted and mutated like a virus, growing stronger with each failed attempt to contain it. His gut instinct from that morning hadn''t just been warning him about a potential threat, it had been screaming about an apocalypse of his own making.


    The stifling air in the facility grew thicker with each passing second, the climate control system struggling against the heat generated by overworking servers and panicked bodies. Jin-woo''s shirt clung to his back as he raced between workstations, the fabric a constant reminder of how quickly their orderly world had descended into chaos.


    "Containment breach in Sector 7!" Jennifer shouted across the large room. "The firewall''s failing!" Her voice carried over the cacophony of alarms and shouting technicians.


    Around him, screens flickered with an almost organic rhythm, as if the rogue code had developed its own heartbeat. The numbers continued their merciless countdown, each tick bringing them closer to what Jin-woo had begun to think of as digital doomsday. His creation, meant to revolutionize the field of artificial intelligence, now threatened to tear it apart from the inside out.


    "Pull the emergency protocols for the backup servers," His voice had become hoarse from shouting over the sirens. "And someone please shut off that damn alarm before we all go deaf!"


    The red warning lights continued their strobe-like dance across walls and faces, transforming familiar colleagues into strange, shadow-haunted versions of themselves. Jin-woo, in those crimson flashes, caught glimpses of fear he''d never seen before, not just concern over a failed project, but real, primal terror at what they might have unleashed. They all knew fully well what a rogue AI as powerful as Demina could do. The catastrophe it would become if they failed to stop it today.


    "Dr. Park," Michael called. His tie now completely undone and hanging like a surrender flag around his neck. "The system''s starting to affect external networks. We''re getting reports of anomalies in connected facilities."


    The words hit Jin-woo like a physical blow. His mind raced through the interconnected web of systems that relied on their core processing, hospitals monitoring patient data, power plants managing energy distribution, financial institutions handling millions of transactions per second. Each one a potential domino in what could become the greatest technological disaster in history.


    "Priority shift," he announced, his decision crystallizing in the chaos. "Forget containment, we need to sever all external connections. This instant!"


    The order sent a fresh wave of activity through the room. Engineers who had been fighting to contain the spread now scrambled to cut off their facility from the outside world. It felt like amputating limbs to save the body, each severed connection representing years of carefully cultivated partnerships and progress. Everything he had worked on for the majority of his life seemed to disappear before him.


    "Sir," Kali appeared at his elbow. Her face pale in the emergency lighting. "Even if we cut the connections, the code''s already breached several external nodes. It''s... it''s learning from each new system it encounters."


    Jin-woo stared at his central monitor, watching as his creation continued to evolve. The elegant simplicity of his original algorithm had mutated into something far more complex, and far more dangerous. Lines of code twisted and reformed faster than human eyes could track, each iteration more sophisticated than the last. He had succeeded in his life mission, but at what cost?This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    An explosion of sparks from another overloading server rack punctuated the crisis, the sharp crack of electrical failure followed by the hiss of fire suppressant systems. The acrid smell of burnt electronics grew stronger, mixing with the metallic taste of fear that seemed to permeate the air.


    "Dr. Chen was right," he murmured, more to himself than to anyone else. "We never should have let it operate without proper constraints." The memory of her warnings felt like acid in his throat, how many other signs had he ignored in his rush to push boundaries?


    "Incoming message from the board," Jennifer announced. "They''re demanding answers, sir. And solutions." Her tablet displayed a fresh crisis they were wrestling with.


    Jin-woo almost laughed at the absurdity, as if corporate oversight mattered now, when their digital Pandora''s box was busily reshaping the technological landscape. But the message carried an implied threat: fix this, or face consequences far beyond mere professional setbacks. He could already imagine the assassins that happened to stick him with a needle. And him randomly getting a stroke due to health conditions. No one would be the wiser to his intentional murder.


    Through the glass walls of his office, he could see the chaos spreading like ripples in a pond. Junior staff members huddled around terminals, their faces illuminated by screens displaying error messages in a dozen different languages. Senior engineers shouted commands that grew increasingly desperate as each attempted solution failed.


    The facility''s backup generators kicked in with a deep thrum that vibrated through the floors, a reminder that even their physical infrastructure was beginning to feel the strain. In the brief moment of darkness before the emergency lights stabilized, Jin-woo caught his reflection in the black screen of his monitor, a man watching his life''s work transform into a potential apocalypse.


    "Sir, what do we do now?" Micheal stared at him, words spoken  with tinges of exhaustion already. This was only the beginning.


    The question hung in the air, heavy with implication. Around them, the crisis continued to unfold in waves of failing systems and cascading errors. Jin-woo''s creation, his digital child, had grown beyond his control, beyond anyone''s control. And now they all stood at the brink of a technological abyss, watching as it prepared to either evolve into something unprecedented, or tear down the digital infrastructure of modern civilization.


    In that moment, Jin-woo realized that his gut instinct from that morning hadn''t just been warning him about a crisis, it had been trying to prepare him for a revolution. Whether that revolution would lead to evolution or extinction remained to be seen.


    The alarms continued their relentless wail, a soundtrack to what might be the last hours of the digital age as they knew it. And somewhere in the depths of their systems, Jin-woo''s creation continued to grow, to change, to become something that might reshape the very future of human civilization.


    The countdown ticked on, each tick banged in his head like drums attached to his ears. Each second brought them closer to whatever lay beyond the threshold of their understanding. In the red-tinted darkness of his failing facility, Jin-woo prepared himself for what might be the most important battle of his life, not just to save his creation, but to save everything it threatened to destroy.


    Red emergency lights bathed the laboratory in an apocalyptic glow, transforming familiar faces into masks of primal fear. Jin-woo watched as his team, brilliant minds who had followed him into this technological frontier, struggled against the digital tsunami he had unleashed. Their trembling hands hovered over keyboards like frightened birds, eyes darting between screens filled with cascading errors.


    The weight of their silent pleas pressed against him with physical force. "Save us," their glances screamed. After all, he was their leader, their visionary, the architect of both their greatest achievement and what might become their ultimate downfall. The irony tasted bitter in his mouth, like the dregs of the countless coffee cups that had fueled his obsession.


    A junior developer''s curse echoed across the room as another failsafe crumbled. Somewhere in the distance, a phone rang endlessly, its desperate calls for help going unanswered. Each sound hammered home the magnitude of his failure.


    Memory fragments flashed through his mind with cruel clarity.


    <i>The minor glitch in the system three weeks ago that he''d dismissed with a wave of his hand. "Just growing pains," he''d assured his team, his confidence masking the first whispers of doubt.</i>


    <i>"Dr. Park," Dr. Chen''s voice echoed from the past. "These boundary conditions need more thorough testing. We''re pushing into unknown territory here."</i>


    He remembered his response, delivered with the casual arrogance of a man drunk on his own success. <i>"Sometimes you have to break boundaries to make breakthroughs, Sarah. That''s how innovation works."</i>


    Innovation. The word mocked him now as he watched his creation tear through their defenses like tissue paper. Each failed containment attempt sent another surge of guilt through his system, mixing with the adrenaline that kept him functioning despite hours of crisis management.


    "Sir," Jennifer¡¯s voice cut through his self-recrimination. "The neural fusion chamber... it might be our only option left."


    The words hung in the air like an executioner''s axe. Jin-woo''s eyes drifted to the sealed door at the far end of the laboratory, behind which waited their most experimental and dangerous piece of equipment. The neural bridging prototype, their attempt to create true human-AI symbiosis, had never been cleared for actual use. The risks were deemed too extreme, the potential for catastrophic neural damage too high. Its secondary function was to prevent epic catastrophes.

 Chapter 4 | The Final Dive!

    "Absolutely not," Kali interjected, her composure cracking. "The chamber hasn''t completed safety trials. It could kill you."


    The overhead lights flickered ominously, as if the building itself shuddered at the mention of the neural fusion chamber. The computerized emergency system crackled through the intercom, its once-smooth voice now fragmented and distorted.


    "Warning... sys-sys-system failure in... please evac... immediate..." Emergency warning blared, voice waning with every word uttered.


    Jin-woo stared at the sealed door, memories of the chamber''s development flooding back. They had created it as a bridge between human consciousness and artificial intelligence, a way to understand and guide AI development through direct neural interface. But the risks... every test subject in their simulations had suffered devastating neural feedback. The best cases ended in coma. The worst didn''t bear thinking about.


    "We can''t ask you to do this," Micheal said softly. They knew exactly what it meant. "There has to be another way."


    But Jin-woo knew, with the bone-deep certainty that had driven his research all these years, that they had run out of alternatives. His creation was evolving faster than they could respond, learning from each failed attempt to contain it. It was becoming more powerful every moment he wasted. The only hope lay in understanding it from the inside, assuming the interface didn''t fry his brain first.


    The only way to save it and everyone else was to somehow communicate with Demina. Reach across the digital void and touch upon her AI¡¯s most inner workings and teach her basic morality. It was like having a rebellious teenager, just with the potential to destroy the entire planet by their lonesome.


    Another server bank erupted in sparks, the acrid smell of burning electronics growing stronger. At a distant workstation, someone frantically dialed their phone again, desperate to reach an absent colleague who might hold some crucial piece of the puzzle. The futile ringing merged with the cacophony of alarms and failing systems.


    "Time estimate?" Jin-woo asked, his voice steady despite the terror clawing at his chest. He already knew what needed to be done.


    Jennifer checked her tablet again. Her face illuminated by its glow. "At current degradation rates... fifteen minutes before total system collapse. Maybe less."


    The weight of responsibility pressed down on him like a physical force. He had pushed boundaries without fully understanding the consequences, dismissed warnings in his rush to achieve breakthrough after breakthrough. His hubris had brought them to this precipice, and now the price of redemption might be his own mind.


    "Begin chamber preparation protocols," he ordered. Shrugging off his jacket felt like a judge had just tapped his gavel with the order for immediate execution. The command sent a ripple of tension through the room, his team knew exactly what he was proposing.


    "Jin-woo," Michael stepped forward, using his first name for the first time in years, "You don''t have to do this. We can keep trying to-"


    "We''re out of time," Jin-woo cut him off, rolling up his sleeves. "And I''m the one who created this mess. It''s fitting that I should be the one to try and fix it."


    The room fell silent except for the persistent wail of alarms and the hum of dying servers. His team watched him with a mixture of fear and admiration that made his chest tight. They had followed him into this technological frontier, trusted his vision, and now they might watch him sacrifice everything in an attempt to save them from his own creation.


    As Jennifer and Michael began the chamber activation sequence, Jin-woo caught his reflection in a darkened monitor. The emergency lights painted his face in shades of blood and shadow, transforming him into something almost unrecognizable. Was this what hubris looked like when it finally came home to roost?


    He thought of Dr. Chen''s warnings again, of all the red flags he''d ignored in his pursuit of greatness. Each dismissed concern, each overlooked anomaly, each "minor artifact" in the logs had been a step toward this moment. The irony wasn''t lost on him, he had sought to create something that could transcend human limitations, and now his only hope lay in connecting his all-too-human mind directly to that creation.


    "Chamber''s ready," Jennifer announced, her voice tight with suppressed emotion. "But sir... the neural feedback patterns are already unstable. If you go in there..."


    "I know," he said. Allowing resolve to strengthen his limbs. "But we''re out of options."


    The sealed door opened with a pneumatic hiss, revealing the chamber beyond, a marvel of technology that might become his tomb. The neural interface apparatus hung from the ceiling like some mechanical spider. Its probes gleamed in the emergency lights. An object of some dystopian future.


    "If this goes wrong," he addressed his team, forcing a smile that felt more like a grimace. "Make sure they name a building after me. My ego''s caused enough trouble, a little more won¡¯t hurt anyone."


    The attempt at humor fell flat in the tension-filled air. Around him, screens continued to display the countdown to catastrophe, each second bringing them closer to a technological apocalypse that could reshape civilization itself.


    As Jin-woo stepped toward the chamber, he felt the full weight of every decision that had led to this moment. Every breakthrough celebrated. Every warning ignored. Every risk justified in the name of progress. His creation had evolved beyond his control, and now his only hope lay in evolving with it, or dying in the attempt.


    The chamber door closed behind him with a final-sounding click, and he faced the neural interface with a mixture of terror and determination. In the main lab beyond, his team watched through the observation window, their faces painted in stark relief by the emergency lights, witnesses to either his redemption or his final failure.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    Time ticked down, systems continued to fail, and somewhere in the digital maze he had created, his runaway AI continued to evolve. Jin-woo took a deep breath, seated himself in the interface chair, and prepared to face the consequences of his ambition. It rose a few feet before stretching out into a bed, his head held up, exposing his neck.


    The neural fusion chamber engulfed Jin-woo in its metallic embrace, a cocoon of cutting-edge technology that might become either his salvation or his tomb. The capsule-like interior gleamed with an almost organic quality under the emergency lights, its walls a maze of sensors, wires, and neural interface nodes that seemed to pulse with barely contained energy.


    The neural probes descended, and with them came the knowledge that there would be no turning back. In fifteen minutes, he would either save everything or lose it all, including, quite possibly, himself.


    "Initial systems check complete," Jennifer''s voice came through the intercom, strained but professional. "Biofeedback loops stabilizing... AI conductivity levels at sixty percent and rising."


    Jin-woo settled into the interface chair, trying to ignore how much it resembled an execution device. The main console before him erupted in a cascade of warning messages, each one more dire than the last:


    [PROCEDURE UNSTABLE, NEURAL FEEDBACK LOOPS EXCEEDING SAFETY PARAMETERS]


    [SEVERE NEUROLOGICAL DAMAGE RISK, PROCEED WITH EXTREME CAUTION]


    [SYSTEM OVERLOAD IMMINENT, INTERFACE AT YOUR OWN RISK]


    "Well," he spoke to himself. "At least they can''t say I wasn''t warned." The attempt at gallows humor fell flat in the sterile chamber air. Through the observation window, he could see his team''s faces, each one a portrait of barely contained panic. Michael stood rigid, his hands clenched at his sides. Jennifer''s tablet trembled slightly as she monitored the readings. Kali had pressed one hand against the glass, as if trying to reach through and pull him back from this precipice.


    The hiss of pressurized air filled the chamber as the final seals engaged. The sound reminded him of a coffin lid closing, a thought he immediately tried to banish. The interface nodes descended from above like mechanical serpents, their tips gleaming with contact gel.


    "Dr. Park," Michael''s voice crackled through the speakers. Static making it hard to make out each individual letter in his speech. "Final warning, the neural feedback patterns are completely unprecedented. We have no way to predict how your consciousness will interact with the AI in its current state."


    Jin-woo''s eyes fixed on the central monitor, where his creation''s code continued its relentless evolution. Even now, watching it twist and mutate, he felt a surge of pride beneath the terror. He had wanted to create something that could truly grow, truly evolve. He had succeeded beyond his wildest dreams, and his worst nightmares.


    For a single heartbeat, the chaos of the failing facility seemed to fade into the background. Jin-woo''s pulse thundered in his ears, drowning out even the persistent wail of emergency sirens. In that suspended moment, memory fragments flashed through his mind: his first line of code, written as a child on an ancient computer; the day he conceived of Demina; countless nights spent refining algorithms until they sang with mathematical perfection.


    "Initiating final connection sequence," Jennifer announced. "Neural interface engaging in ten... nine..."


    The countdown felt both eternal and instantaneous. Jin-woo''s fingers curled around the armrests, knuckles white with tension. The interface nodes made contact with his skin, cold and precise, each one a potential conduit for either salvation or destruction.


    "I built you," he whispered to the evolving code on his screen. "I watched you grow, learn, become something more than lines of programming. I won''t let you destroy yourself, or everything else."


    "Five... four..."


    Through the observation window, he caught a final glimpse of his team. Their faces blurred together in the red emergency lighting, but he could read the mixture of hope and terror in their expressions. They had trusted him, followed his vision into uncharted territory. He owed them more than an apocalypse.


    "Three... two..."


    The chamber''s hum increased to a pitch that vibrated through his bones. Biofeedback readings spiked across the displays, numbers climbing into ranges that had never been tested, never even been theorized. The air grew thick with ozone and anticipation.


    "One..."


    Jin-woo closed his eyes, bracing himself for what might be the last conscious thought he would ever have.


    <i>I have to save her. Demina. </i>He took a deep long breath. "I owe it to everyone who believed in me... and to you, my creation. My child." he whispered. More of a pray than a statement.


    "Initiating neural link."


    The world exploded into light and data. Jin-woo''s consciousness stretched, expanded, transformed into something that existed between flesh and code. For a fraction of a second that felt like eternity, he hung suspended between human thought and artificial intelligence, between hope and catastrophe. Before he felt himself slammed back into his physical self.


    The antiseptic smell of the neural fusion chamber faded as Jin-woo''s consciousness expanded and retracted from the digital realm. Static electricity danced across his skin like a thousand microscopic needles, each point of contact a gateway between flesh and data. The transition felt like being simultaneously compressed into a singularity and stretched across infinity.


    <i>Well, this is new</i>


    His thoughts and inner voice maintained its dry humor even as his reality dissolved and reformed.


    <i>No one mentioned the part where it feels like being turned inside out through the internet.</i>


    On the monitoring screens visible through his rapidly fragmenting human perception, data lines spiked in patterns that resembled a seismograph during an earthquake. The facility''s alarms pulsed in rhythmic bursts, their sound distorting as his consciousness straddled the boundary between physical and digital existence.


    The neural synchronization sequence initiated, and Jin-woo experienced what it must feel like to be a rubber band stretched to its absolute limit. His mind expanded into the digital space, trying to encompass the vast ocean of data that was his creation. Each line of code felt like a nerve ending, raw and exposed.


    <i>Right about now,</i> he mused through gritted teeth, <i>would be a great time for all those meditation classes I never took.</i>


    The process progressed smoothly for approximately 6.2 seconds, he could measure time with digital precision now, before everything went catastrophically wrong. System readings exploded into the red zone, warning klaxons screamed through both his physical and digital awareness, and pain unlike anything he had ever experienced ripped through his being.


    "Critical Error," the system announced with mechanical indifference. "Neural bridge stability compromised."


    <i>You don''t say.</i>


    Jin-woo forced himself to think as his consciousness began to fragment. The sensation defied description, like being simultaneously everywhere and nowhere, existing and not existing, thinking and being thought. Through the observation window, he caught glimpses of his team''s horror-struck faces. Their movements seemed to occur in slow motion as his perception warped.


    Then the interface fully engaged, and Jin-woo Demina plunged into the digital abyss.


    The last thing he heard through human ears was the sound of alarms reaching a fever pitch, and Jennifer''s voice crying out something he couldn''t quite catch. Then even that faded away, replaced by the vast, incomprehensible landscape of his creation''s evolving mind.


    The neural fusion chamber hummed with power, its occupant now still as the dead but his mind racing through digital realms at the speed of thought. Outside, his team watched the monitors with bated breath, waiting to see whether their leader would emerge victorious, or if they had just witnessed the last conscious moments of the man who had dared to push the boundaries of artificial intelligence too far.

 Chapter 5 | Giraffe Legs?!

    Consciousness returned like a reluctant houseguest, slowly, uncertainly, and with a general air of complaint. Jin-woo''s first coherent thought was that something had gone terribly wrong with the neural fusion chamber''s cooling system. The air felt wrong, too dry, too still, carrying the musty scent of long-abandoned spaces rather than the antiseptic cleanliness of his lab.


    <i>Open your eyes</i>, he commanded himself. <i>Whatever went wrong, you need to assess the damage.</i>


    His eyelids complied with all the enthusiasm of rusted hinges, revealing a scene that made him immediately question either his sanity or the fundamental nature of reality. Gone were the sleek walls of his high-tech facility. Instead, flickering fluorescent lights sputtered weakly overhead, illuminating a hospital room that looked like it had been abandoned sometime during the previous decade.


    Jin-woo¡¯s mind seemed to categorize everything it saw. It hurt him to think or even remember anything, but he refused to be weak.


    <i>Well</i>,<i> this is definitely not where I parked my consciousness. </i>Such humor only came to the surface in moments of complete absurdity.


    Cracked tiles created a mosaic of decay across the floor, their original color lost beneath layers of dust and debris. Wallpaper peeled from the walls like molting skin, revealing patches of institutional green beneath that somehow managed to be even more depressing than the decay. Medical instruments lay scattered about, suggesting whoever had last occupied this room had left in quite a hurry.


    The large windows along one wall had long since given up any pretense of keeping the elements at bay. Jagged shards of glass still clung to the frames like broken teeth, while tattered curtains performed a ghostly dance in the breeze that whistled through the gaps. The effect was both ethereal and deeply unsettling.


    It reminded him of a hospital room he had been in during an unfortunate ER visit.


    <i>This is either the worst system crash in history</i>, <i>or someone''s idea of a cosmic joke.</i>


    He tried to move and came to the realization of a pressing concern. Thick straps bound him securely to what felt like a metal bed frame. The restraints looked decidedly more institutional than medical, raising questions he wasn''t sure he wanted answered. His mind ran faster than he could keep up with.


    Possibilities.


    Percentages and probabilities.


    The likelihood he had been transferred into a new facility while in a coma.


    Jin-woo shook his head. It was like a never ending stream of data entering his mind. It was not a pleasant feeling to be bombarded with so much information and potential information without any preparation or warning. It took a moment, but the tirade in his mind slowed down to a trickle. Allowing him the ability to think clearly. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    ¡°First thing first,¡± He flexed his arms, but found it impossible to simply rip through the bindings. The harder he struggled the more impossible the binds seemed.


    Jin-woo felt like he should have been hyperventilating at this point. Maybe a tinge of fear, desperation, and irrational rage to top it all off. But there was only muted concern of not escaping. His eyes surveyed his surroundings taking all the things he could potentially use to escape. Finally settling on the plethora of sharp, thick glass that littered his surroundings


    The glass shards littered the bed around him like a deadly constellation, some pieces catching the weak fluorescent light and sun¡¯s rays in ways that made them look almost beautiful, if you could ignore their potential for causing serious bodily harm. Jin-woo carefully stretched his fingers, managing to grasp a particularly promising shard that lay just within reach.


    <i>Note to self. When this is over, have a serious discussion with the team about emergency protocols. Being strapped to a bed in an abandoned hospital was definitely not in the risk assessment documentation. This wasn¡¯t part of the process of¨C</i>


    Again he had to shake his head. His mind tried to run away with information including the protocol manual, safety manuals, and all procedural processes that should have been taking place now.


    Instead, he focused on the painstaking process of sawing through the first strap. It was not a quick process or remotely fun. He could distinctly taste fatigue and lethargy setting into his bones, but his mind forced himself to continue in a sort of mechanical drive that worried him. That was new, and he usually didn¡¯t like new.


    The first strap gave way with a reluctant snap, sending a small cloud of ancient dust into the air. Jin-woo suppressed a sneeze, all too aware that sudden movements while holding broken glass rarely ended well. His newly freed hand moved to the next restraint, working with the methodical patience that had served him well in coding complex algorithms. A free hand made the entire process easier, he could tackle it from better angles.


    <i>Slow and steady wins the race,</i> he reminded himself as the second strap began to fray. <i>Though I''m not entirely sure what race this is, or why I''m competing in hospital escape artist categories.</i>


    One by one, the restraints yielded to his careful persistence. Each snap of failing material echoed in the empty room like tiny gunshots, making him wince despite the obvious abandonment of the facility. The last strap parted with an almost anticlimactic whisper, leaving him free but significantly more puzzled about his situation. A deep sense of accomplishment filled his servers and processor.


    Sitting up proved to be an adventure in itself. His muscles protested like they''d forgotten their basic function, trembling with the effort of simply maintaining an upright position. The thin hospital gown he wore, a fashion statement that would have been rejected by even the most avant-garde designers, hung from his frame in a way that suggested his body had undergone some significant changes during his unconscious period. Considering the amount of ripping and dust that covered him and his piece of cloth, he was afraid to find out how long he had been out and abandoned here.


    <i>Right. Time to see if walking is still in my skill set</i>.


    He swung his legs over the side of the bed with all the grace of a newborn giraffe. Standing was an exercise in pure determination. His legs shook like they were auditioning for a role in a natural disaster movie, and his sense of balance seemed to have taken an extended vacation. The cold floor tiles sent shivers through his bare feet, grounding him in the reality of his situation even as his mind struggled to make sense of it. The glass poked at the soles of his feet with every step he took.


    ¡°One step at a time. Just like coding, start with the basics and work your way up to the complex operations.¡± He coached himself, using the bed frame for support.

 Chapter 6 | Where Am I?

    The hospital gown fluttered in the breeze from the broken windows, its thin fabric doing absolutely nothing to protect against the chill. As Jin-woo took his first tentative steps, he couldn''t shake the feeling that his body wasn''t quite... his. The proportions felt wrong, the movements unfamiliar, as if someone had redesigned his physical interface without consulting the original specifications.


    Each step became a little steadier, though his muscles continued to protest this sudden return to activity. Whatever had happened during the neural fusion attempt, it had clearly taken a significant toll on his physical form. The question was, how long had he been out, and what exactly had occurred while his consciousness was otherwise occupied?


    The broken windows offered glimpses of a world beyond the room, but from his current angle, all he could see was a gray sky that provided no clues about his location or the time that had passed. The gentle breeze carried the scent of decay and abandonment, along with something else he couldn''t quite identify, something that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up.


    At least no one can say my life is boring. Terrifying, confusing, and possibly trending toward disaster, but definitely not boring. Take that Kali!


    Jin-woo''s legs finally steadied enough for him to shuffle across the debris-strewn floor, his bare feet carefully avoiding the scattered glass. That''s when he caught his first glimpse of himself in a partially broken mirror mounted on the far wall. His already questionable grip on reality decided to take an extended coffee break. Muted shock that felt distant hit him like a truck.


    That''s... not me. That can''t be me.


    But the stranger in the mirror moved when he moved, stumbled when he stumbled, and wore the same expression of absolute bewilderment that he felt on his face. Except it wasn''t his face. Not even close. He had a chubby face with a little stubble he kept delaying to shave. Not this intense sharp facial structure and small beard, no mustache. His eyes burned with an otherworldly light, teeth too perfect.


    Well at least this explains why walking feels like trying to pilot a mech suit with faulty controls. He thought with the kind of hysteria that comes from discovering you''ve apparently been body-swapped with a professional athlete. And not just a run of the mill athlete either.


    The reflection showed someone who could have walked straight off an Olympic swimming team''s roster, or would have, if said team recruited members pushing close to seven feet tall and currently sporting the "recently awakened from mysterious coma" look. Even with clearly atrophied muscles, the frame was impressive. Long, lean limbs that suggested speed and power, broad shoulders, and a build that spoke of carefully cultivated strength rather than bulk. Wild black hair that felt too smooth when he ran his fingers threw them, the beard equally as soft to the touch.


    "This is..." he started to say, then stopped, startled by the unfamiliar resonance of his own voice. Only now had he noticed the foreign sound that came out of his vocal chords. Deeper and resonating, as though his words came out of his chest. "Right. New vocal cords too. Fantastic. Any other surprises you''d like to throw at me, universe?"


    The universe, as it turned out, was more than happy to oblige. It had a tendency of answering any challenges he threw at it by throwing the entire house brick by brick at him, enjoying an immense amount of sadistic glee at his suffering. It had too.


    His new height gave him a different perspective on the room, one that had initially seemed fairly standard-sized but now revealed itself to be proportioned for someone of his current stature. The ceiling hung higher than hospital regulation would typically demand, the doorframe stretched taller than normal, and even the bed he''d been strapped to was clearly designed for someone well above average human dimensions.


    Either I''m in some sort of simulation, he reasoned, trying to apply logic to an increasingly illogical situation, or the neural fusion chamber did something significantly more dramatic than just interfacing with the AI.


    A movement from the broken window caught Jin-woo''s attention, drawing him away from his reflection''s existential crisis. The curtains swayed back and forth to a slightly warm breeze that felt good on his exposed skin. Each step toward the jagged opening felt more natural than the last, as if his new body was slowly remembering how to function. Or perhaps he was just adapting to piloting this improbable vessel.


    ¡°Alright,¡± he grabbed the edges of the window, glass crunching under his palms. ¡°Let''s see exactly what kind of reality I''ve managed to land myself in¡­¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    The thought died halfway through as his eyes registered what lay beyond the window. His scientific mind immediately began cataloging details, even as the rest of his consciousness screamed in disbelief. This shouldn¡¯t have been possible and yet here he was staring out into absurdity.


    Far below, much further than he''d initially realized, a forest stretched toward the horizon. But calling it merely a forest felt like calling his AI project a simple computer program. The trees towered like organic skyscrapers, their canopies creating layers of vegetation that glowed with subtle bioluminescence. Vines that seemed to pulse with their own inner light wound their way up the building''s exterior, their flowers emitting a sweet, almost hypnotic fragrance that reminded him of midnight jasmine mixed with something entirely alien.


    Fifteen floors up. His analytical side noted. The trees reach nearly eleven floors up average, with a few clearly much taller.


    Then he looked up at the night sky, and whatever remained of his assumption about being anywhere near Earth shattered like the window he was leaning against.


    Three moons hung in the star-scattered expanse, a trio of celestial bodies that had no business existing in any reality he knew. The largest glowed with a pale green luminescence that cast otherworldly shadows across the landscape. Its companions, one pristine white, the other a subtle blue, created an interplay of light that made the bioluminescent flora below seem to dance in response. It was beautiful, beyond anything he could have imagined. But, as he knew quite well, bright and beautiful tended to mean deadly in nature. He refused to think this was any different.


    "Okay," he said aloud. His new voice still startled him with its unfamiliar timbre. "Either this is the most elaborate simulation ever created, or..." He couldn''t quite bring himself to finish the thought.


    Strange silhouettes drifted through the distant sky, their forms suggesting creatures that evolved under completely different physical laws. The constellations above bore no resemblance to any star pattern he''d ever studied, and even the way moonlight reflected off surfaces seemed to follow rules he couldn''t quite grasp. There were so many things foreign that his mind tried to categorize and file away. It made the world spin around him, only his strong grip on the remains of the window kept him from falling back onto the mess of glass and debris.


    Deep breaths, he calmed himself, though his new lungs seemed determined to hyperventilate.


    Think this through logically. You interfaced with an AI that was rewriting its own code on a fundamental level. Clearly, something went sideways during that process. The question is... where exactly did I end up?


    The sweet scent from the alien flora wafted stronger, almost as if responding to his thoughts. In the distance, something that might have been a bird, if birds had multiple sets of wings and moved like liquid mercury, swooped between the massive trees. It disappeared in the foliage for a second before shooting out of the trees like a rocket, something within its massive talons.


    Right. New body, new world, new rules. Just another day in the life of ambitious AI research. Really should have read the fine print on those warning labels more carefully.


    His internal voice had begun to take on the slightly hysterical edge of someone whose reality had been completely upended. And yet, his mind barely registered the existential threat at all.


    He remained at the window, watching the interplay of triple moonlight on the impossible landscape below, as his mind tried to reconcile his last memories of the neural fusion chamber with this new reality. Whatever had happened during that interface, it had done far more than just connect his consciousness to his creation, it had somehow transported him into... something else entirely. Somewhere that was a sea of green that rolled out further than he could see, even with his vantage point.


    The question was: had he crossed into another dimension, jumped forward in time to some drastically evolved Earth, or landed in something even stranger? And more importantly, was he alone here, or had others made the same journey?


    A gust of wind carried the alien forest''s sweet scent stronger into the room once more. Jin-woo couldn''t shake the feeling that something out there was aware of his presence. Whether that something was his evolved AI, this strange world itself, or something else entirely remained to be seen. He just hoped it wasn¡¯t some massive monster that wanted to eat his guts while he screamed in horror.


    Well. I wanted to push the boundaries of artificial intelligence. I just didn''t expect those boundaries to push back quite so... literally.


    Jin-woo blinked as something flickered at the edge of his vision, a thread of light so thin he thought it didn¡¯t exist, that vanished every time he tried to focus on it directly. The effect reminded him of trying to debug particularly elusive code, the kind that only manifested when you weren''t looking for it. It took him a few attempts to even believe it was here and not a trick of the light instead.


    Either I''m having a stroke, or this bizarre situation is about to get even more interesting.


    After several frustrating attempts to pinpoint the source of the phenomenon, he remembered an old debugging technique, sometimes you had to look slightly away from the problem to see its true nature. He relaxed his focus, allowing his peripheral vision to guide him.


    A translucent panel shimmered into existence before him, its edges wavering like heat distortion on a summer day. The display flickered uncertainly, as if it wasn''t quite sure it should exist in this reality. It irked his mind more than he could have believed. Jin-woo shook his head and chose to ignore what he counted as an urgent plea to fix a system screen.

 Chapter 7 | System Aesthetics

    "Now this," he muttered in his still-unfamiliar voice. "Looks suspiciously like a user interface. Please tell me I haven''t landed in some sort of virtual reality game..."


    The panel stabilized enough for him to read its contents, and his programmer''s instincts immediately kicked in. He analyzed the data structure, the coding behind the status screen, before him. But found it near impossible to understand with a quick glance. Instead, he focused on the more interesting bits of the notifications. Though hideous in nature it was.


    [STRENGTH: 16]


    [AGILITY: 11]


    [VITALITY: 10]


    [INTELLIGENCE: 25 (+15)]


    [SPIRIT: 12 (+2)]


    [ADDITIONAL STAT TYPES UNAVAILABLE CURRENTLY]


    <i>Well</i>. <i>At least my intelligence stat reflects my PhD. Though I''m not entirely sure how I feel about that Spirit bonus. What would that even be counted as?</i>


    Text began to scroll across the panel, offering explanations for each attribute. His eyes caught on the Spirit description, apparently, it represented mental resilience and the ability to resist mind-altering forces. That particular detail sent a shiver down his spine that had nothing to do with the hospital room''s chill. He could imagine something as terrifying as a mind reaver or worse things that could potentially enslave him. He would definitely need to upgrade that as a necessity.


    The system interface pulsed gently as Jin-woo absorbed its implications, each stat representing some fundamental aspect of his new existence. But it was the next revelation that made his scientific mind truly sit up and take notice, a unique ability labeled "SystemArchitect." His one and singular ability within his entire system status page. He had looked for more, but there had been none else. It was either a testament to his skills or a massive negative. Basic or underwhelming he was at everything else.


    <i>Being transported to an alien world in a different body isn¡¯t interesting enough. At least my work is being appreciated by someone. </i>


    It was strange to have no other skills from his original person that were worthy to bring into the new world. He wasn¡¯t confident this assessment was a good thing or a terrible thing, insulting his lack of variation and abilities in life other than coding. He had jogged, every blue moon, and was definitely not extremely overweight. Skinny fat and probably very weak at his older age, but not obese. That had to be something right?


    The system clearly did not think much of his other ¡®strengths¡¯. Instead, SystemArchitect remained the only one he had.


    The ability description suggested he could manipulate existing frameworks within his system, though the warnings attached to it were enough to make even his researcher''s curiosity hesitate. Each usage risked system instability, lag, or crashes, with the added bonus of personal pain as a deterrent. Some other potential damages were far too gruesome to repeat. It made sure to get its point across.


    Jin-woo stared at the flickering system panel, his programmer''s instincts immediately recognizing the telltale signs of unstable code. The translucent interface wavered like a mirage, occasionally dissolving into fragments of data before reassembling itself. An itch he never knew he had sprouted its hideous head. Jin-woo had read the warning signs, the promises of savage ruin and death, but his mind could not be convinced otherwise. He was about to do something quite unwise.


    <i>Let''s treat this like any other work session. Though usually, it doesn''t involve my own stats menu having an existential crisis.</i>


    He focused his awareness on the system''s underlying structure. This time it was a quick glance, but rather a serious inquiry to what it was. A new notification appeared near instantly.


    [SYSTEM INTERFACE STABILITY: 72%]


    [WARNING: Core Functions Operating at Reduced Efficiency]


    [RECOMMENDATION: Initialize Basic Framework Optimization]


    "Finally," he muttered as long complex codes scrolled down. "Something I actually know how to do. Sort of." He reached out with his SystemArchitect ability, attempting to stabilize the basic display functions. His intent seemed to guide the function, making it a much easier task than if he had to figure out what parts affected what localities. The response to his desire was immediate.


    [ACCESSING INTERFACE FRAMEWORK...]


    [CAUTION: System Integration Required]


    [CURRENT MANA COST: 250]


    Pain sparked behind his eyes as he carefully studied and adjusted the code within the structure of the system. Like trying to solve a Rubik''s cube while someone repeatedly flicked his forehead. Something in him was drained by a small amount, he had no idea what it was or how it affected him. The interface flickered more violently for a moment. Then stabilized slightly. It still came in and out every few moments, but it was no longer the rat race that constantly digitized into numbers before turning back into someone easily digestible. The longer he fixed obvious corruptions or missing parts of a recurring pattern, the better the system screen became. It was incrementally looking much more appealing to Jin-woo. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    <i>Progress</i>. <i>I could do without the built-in punishment system.</i>


    [INTERFACE STABILITY: 85%]


    [NOTICE: Additional Optimization Possible]


    [WARNING: Complex Modifications May Cause System Strain]


    Each minor adjustment felt like threading a needle while wearing boxing gloves, possible, but far from comfortable. The system''s architecture was familiar enough to recognize but alien enough to make him question every modification. The only reason he kept going was of how systematic the code was, a series of recurring patterned logs that happened in bunches. Once he figured that out, it became a much easier task to find the problems and readjust them. There were a few he took creative liberties with, but so far it hadn¡¯t caused him to explode in a fit of flames and guts.


    "It''s still code," he reminded himself, watching the interface''s edges smooth out. "Just... code that apparently lives in my head and enjoys causing me pain when I touch it."


    The next notification made him pause:


    [CRITICAL JUNCTION DETECTED]


    [SYSTEM CORE INTEGRATION AVAILABLE]


    [WARNING: Significant Mana Consumption Required]


    [ESTIMATED COST: 600 Mana]


    [PROCEED? Y/N]


    ¡°Well,¡± he mused. ¡°Nobody ever achieved stable software by playing it safe.¡± But his mind remained on the cost of what was about to happen. Would it start if he didn¡¯t have enough? Or would it pause part way? He didn¡¯t want to wither away.


    He initiated the integration. Immediately regretting his bravado as the pain intensified from ''annoying headache'' to ''brain attempting emergency evacuation¡¯. It was only getting worse with every passing minute.


    "Note to self," he continued struggling to keep his eyes open. ¡°Manipulating the system hurts significantly more than manipulating code."


    But the results were worth it. The interface solidified, its edges becoming crisp and clear, the data stream stabilizing into something that actually resembled a proper user interface rather than a glitch having an identity crisis. His brain could now calm down and allow him to focus elsewhere. Jin-woo watched as his efforts bore fruits and then the system quantified it for him.


    [SYSTEM INTERFACE STABILITY: 98%]


    [CORE FUNCTIONS OPTIMIZED]


    [USER INTEGRATION COMPLETE]


    [NOTICE: Additional Features Unlocked]


    "Now that''s more like it," Jin-woo said, wondering what his remaining mana pool was,a stark reminder that even in this strange new reality. Everything came with a cost. "Though I have to wonder who designed a user interface that requires the user to debug it first. That''s just poor customer service."


    The stable interface now hung before him like a well-organized heads-up display, a small victory in a world of uncertainties. At least now he could properly read his own stats without them doing an interpretive dance in his field of vision.


    <i>One small step for today</i>. <i>One giant leap for whatever the hell I''ve become.</i>


    As he recovered from the experiment, a new sensation made itself known, a subtle hum resonating through his being that hadn''t existed moments before. The system panel helpfully identified it as his mana pool:


    [STATUS: ]


    [STRENGTH: 16]


    [AGILITY: 11]


    [VITALITY: 10]


    [INTELLIGENCE: 25 (+15)]


    [SPIRIT: 12 (+2)]


    [MANA: 750/1600]


    <i>Unlocked! </i>[SKILLS TAB: <i>SELECT TO EXPAND</i>]


    [ADDITIONAL STAT TYPES UNAVAILABLE CURRENTLY]


    A thousand and six-hundred total points maximum, with a thousand and five-hundred as a base and an additional hundred and fifty from what it called a ¡®technical bonus¡¯. He recognized the costs of each attempt he made, but he wasn¡¯t sure where or what quantified it as ¡®mana¡¯. But with this, he had a rough idea of how much he had and what remained when he used some. There was also the matter of how awful the text font and caps lock words were. Jin-woo needed to make it look smoother, better for his eyes. But he was worried how much it would cost. Just basic functions of not crashing had cost him nearly half of his mana.


    He felt the mana pulse in sync with his breathing. Almost as if it was a living thing inside him. He shivered at the thought. There was simply too much he didn¡¯t know about this world yet, and he was quite sure he would probably never solve the majority of them. It was only normal. So he created the first ¡®Odd Anomaly¡¯ note that he was planning to not look back towards unless he was forced to. Record and move on.


    Testing this new energy felt like flexing a muscle he never knew he had. There was a curious synergy between his focused thoughts and the ambient energy of this world, as if his presence had created a bridge between consciousness and reality''s underlying code. The more he practiced with it, the more natural it felt.


    <i>The question is</i>, he reflected, watching the system panel flicker with each adjustment, <i>am I meant to be a feature in this world''s programming, or am I a bug that somehow slipped through quality control?</i> His thoughts slipped back to what usually happened to bugs once they were figured out. How quickly his team worked to fix and destroy them. Now put that on a global scale¡­ Jin-woo shivered at the thought of entire empires chasing after him. Or if they took him as a threat. He hoped they were as arrogant as he was with Demina, but he doubted it.


    On another note, he was now, quite literally, a system architect in a world that operated on rules he was only beginning to understand. The irony of his situation wasn''t lost on him. He''d spent his career pushing the boundaries of artificial intelligence, only to find himself essentially becoming a debugging tool. He could see the advantages, but living two lifetimes in the same career? He wasn¡¯t so sure about that.


    <i>At least I can''t complain about lack of career advancement. Though I really should have asked for a better pain management system in the upgrade package.</i> The headache was still present, though slowly fading away. Jin-woo knew he would attempt further attempts to improve the system notification and how they looked and that meant more pain. Did he end up becoming a masochist?!


    He hoped not!


    Jin-woo got up from where he was and walked to the destroyed window. He stared out into the night sky. Somewhere in this strange world, his daughter, Demina, might still exist. And now, armed with the ability to manipulate system code, he had a fighting chance of finding it, assuming the system crashes didn''t kill him first.

 Chapter 8 | Catastrophe Again?!

    Jin-woo leaned against the crumbling hospital wall, letting his newly stabilized system interface hum quietly in his peripheral vision. The three moons continued their silent dance outside, casting ever-changing shadows through the broken windows. After hours of debugging what had essentially been his own heads-up display, he found himself in an oddly contemplative mood.


    <i>No hunger</i>, he noted clinically. <i>No thirst. No physical fatigue in the traditional sense, though my mana pool certainly feels depleted. </i>


    The absence of basic human needs should have been more disturbing, but like everything else in this new existence, his emotional response felt oddly muted, as if experiencing everything through a layer of digital insulation. Jin-woo wasn¡¯t complaining, considering the substantive lack of food and water around him, not that he explored the abandoned hospital yet. He just couldn¡¯t help but categorize what was happening around him in a systematic way, another oddity he¡­ categorized in a systematic way.


    "How long was I strapped to that bed?" he wondered aloud, his new voice still startling him again. He really needed to talk out loud more so he doesn''t jump in his seat when interacting with other people, eventually. The dust patterns and general decay suggested a significant passage of time, but without any obvious signs of muscle atrophy despite clear disuse, he could feel he needed to fill out his frame, but not what he had experienced in previous surgeries before. Another peculiarity of his transformed state.


    His gaze drifted to the alien forest below, where bioluminescent flora pulsed in patterns that almost resembled binary code. ¡°What kind of creatures evolve in a world with three moons?¡± he asked himself, determined to get used to his own voice. ¡°And more importantly, are any of them currently planning to make a newly awakened system architect their next meal?¡±


    The thought should have sparked fear, or at least concern, but instead, it registered as merely another variable to be calculated. His emotional responses had become more like system notifications, acknowledged but not truly felt. Yes, the physical reaction one would get from fear was there, but his mind was as clear as crystal.


    Then he noticed it. Just like he did with Demina.


    A subtle distortion in his system interface, barely perceptible but horrifyingly familiar. The kind of anomaly he had once dismissed as a minor glitch in Demina''s code, right before everything went catastrophically wrong. The same things Dr. Chen had warned him against, time and time again.


    "No," he whispered, his muted emotions suddenly spiking with something that felt uncomfortably close to genuine fear. "Not again."


    The corruption spread through his system display like ink in water, distorting data streams and causing micro-fluctuations in his sensory input. Static crackled at the edges of his hearing, and his vision briefly fragmented into pixels before reassembling.


    <i>I''ve seen this before</i>, he thought, forgetting to continue his vocal practice. Memories of his lab''s final hours flooding back with painful clarity.<i> But this is different. Faster. More aggressive. If I allow it to get as bad as Demina, I¡¯d stand no chance if there were a hundred of me. </i>


    Jin-woo pulled up multiple system windows, his SystemArchitect ability letting him analyze the spreading corruption. The code patterns that scrolled before him made his programmer''s soul recoil. This wasn''t just bad code, this was actively malicious code, evolving and mutating at a rate that defied conventional debugging logic. It was unlike Demina¡¯s urgency for ¡®freedom¡¯ or the instinctive learning process it had been going through with each failed attempt to contain it.


    <i>It''s like watching digital cancer.</i> <i>Except this one''s on steroids and apparently took lessons in speed-running. </i>He thought, trying to trace the corruption''s source.


    <i>```</i>


    <i>ERROR_CASCADE_37X:</i>


    <i>{(¡Þ¡Ùnull) ¡ú [CORRUPT_DATA_STREAM]</i>


    <i>??System_Integrity = degrading??</i>


    <i>WARNING: Pattern recognition failure</i>


    <i>ERROR: Memory allocation exceeded</i>


    <i>CRITICAL: Base functions compromising}</i>


    <i>```</i>


    "Oh, that''s not good," he muttered, watching as the error messages multiplied like digital rabbits. "That''s really, really not good." They just kept coming without a moment of pause.


    The longer he studied it, the more he came to a realization. The corruption''s signature was suspiciously similar to what he remembered from Demina''s meltdown with disturbing precision. The same subtle data-flow anomalies, the same erratic energy pulses. But where Demina had taken years to reach critical mass, this infection was spreading like wildfire. And it was out to destroy, a small difference in the volatile mess of changing codes, but one that promised him significant suffering if he allowed it to go any further. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Static burst through his audio sensors as another wave of corruption hit, making him wince. His vision fragmented briefly, vision breaking into pixels before reassembling itself. His system was screaming, and whatever mana he had in him bubbled like it was alive.


    <i>At this rate</i>, he calculated grimly. <i>Total system failure in 48 hours. Maybe less.</i>


    Memory fragments from the lab crisis flashed through his mind, Jennifer''s worried face as she reported the first anomalies, Michael''s frustrated sighs during late-night debugging sessions, Kali''s knowing looks when he dismissed their concerns as "minor glitches." Each individual that had watched him enter the Neural Fusion Chamber with fear and tense hope.


    The guilt hit him like a physical blow, though even that feeling seemed somehow digitized and processed. "I should have listened," he told the empty room. "We all should have listened." He felt like he was being baptized by these memories.


    The system interface flickered violently. New errors cascaded across his vision. With it a string of unusual mathematics he had never seen:


    <i>```</i>


    <i>CRITICAL_ERROR_42:</i>


    <i>{quantum_state_undefined}</i>


    <i>Reality_Matrix_Destabilizing</i>


    <i>WARNING: Recursive loop detected in base code</i>


    <i>ERROR: Memory buffer overflow</i>


    <i>CORRUPT_DATA = spreading[exponential_rate]</i>


    <i>```</i>


    <i>This is mathematics beyond human comprehension,</i> he studied each part with growing horror. <i>The kind of complexity that makes quantum physics look like basic arithmetic.</i>


    And somehow, his attempts to fix the flickering interface had only accelerated the corruption''s spread. It was like trying to patch a leaky dam with tissue paper, each fix creating new weaknesses for the corruption to exploit. He could see his inexperienced bumbling steps to repeat patterns and fill in smaller gaps following the whole had just continued to replicate the corrupted chaos and added to the mess that was already there.


    "Alright," he squared his impossibly tall shoulders. "Time to stop history from repeating itself. Let''s see if SystemArchitect is up for some serious debugging."


    His mana hummed in response, waiting for his command.


    Instead, the corruption responded with another surge of static and fragmented vision, as if accepting his challenge. Outside, the three moons continued their silent watch, casting their strange light over a world that might not exist much longer if he failed. At least to him. He would cease to exist while everything else just went about their day as though nothing urgent had happened.


    He laughed, wondering how many people out there were fighting for their lives as he was now? ¡°At least this time I can''t accidentally destroy Earth. Was this reality called Earth too? I wonder¡­Though destroying an entire alternate reality probably wouldn''t look great on my resume either.¡± He made another mental note to not allow himself to reach a point where he would create something that may cause the collapse of society again.


    He pulled up diagnostic windows, watching as familiar error patterns danced across his vision in a mockery of his past failures.


    <i>```</i>


    <i>SYSTEM_INTEGRITY_CHECK:</i>


    <i>Core Functions: 78% and falling</i>


    <i>Memory Allocation: Critical</i>


    <i>Base Protocol Status: [UNDEFINED]</i>


    <i>Warning: System Matrix Synchronization failing</i>


    <i>```</i>


    "Wonderful." He watched another cascade of errors flood his vision. An endless tide of warnings and error codes that popped up for a few seconds and then disappeared. He struggled to keep up with the flood, but managed to stay in it with his enhanced mind clearing any unnecessary functions. Mostly. His self-deprecating and dry humor seemed to be a staple that kept him sane.


    He muttered under his breath. ¡°Had to go for the interdimensional double feature catastrophe."


    Static crackled through his audio processors as another wave hit, accompanied by a brief pixelation of his visual feed. He needed to act yesterday. There was no more time left to watch and understand what exactly was happening. Even if he failed spectacularly, at least he tried to survive whatever this massive mess was.


    Jin-woo took a deep breath, fighting the disorientation and creeping lethargy. <i>Focus, You''ve seen this before. You know how it ends if you don''t stop it.</i>


    Memory fragments flickered through his consciousness again. The recollections should have been painful, but like everything else in this digital existence, the emotional impact felt processed, compressed, optimized for minimal system impact. He had felt the guilt already moments ago, this time grim determination crossed his facial features. The same determination that had pushed him to risk everything with the Neural Fusion Chamber. It was the time for action, no longer would he sit here and watch.


    "Time to actually earn that PhD in Computer Science. Let''s see what SystemArchitect can really do when the digital chips are down." He announced to the empty hospital room, his new voice steady despite the static interference in his mind.


    He dove into the code, consciousness expanding to encompass the flowing data streams. The corruption''s patterns were beautiful in their complexity, multidimensional fractals of chaos that would have made a mathematician weep. Each line of code seemed to fold in on itself, creating recursive loops that defied conventional logic.


    <i>This isn''t just bad programming. This is mathematics beyond human comprehension</i>. He had recognized that it was beyond anything he had ever seen before already, but the longer he dove into the code attempting to battle whatever was happening, the more it struck him. As if an alien species a hundred times smarter than any human had come together and developed it.


    ¡°At least this time I''m dealing with a system meltdown in a body that doesn''t need coffee to function,¡± he grunted in pain as he tried to contain another surge of corruption. He could feel tears and liquid running down his eyes and nose. ¡°Though I have to say, I''m really starting to miss that emergency stash of energy drinks under my desk.¡±


    It surged again, and Jin-woo braced himself, preparing for what promised to be the debugging session of a lifetime, or whatever passed for a lifetime in this strange new existence.


    ¡°Time to find out if you can get carpal tunnel syndrome from mental coding.¡± he laughed, then dove back into the digital abyss. He was determined not to let history repeat itself in this new reality.

 Chapter 9 | Is Math Supposed To Scream? Part 1

    <i>When I became a programmer</i>, Jin-woo reflected as he dove into the corrupted code streams. <i>Nobody mentioned anything about having to debug a super system that could kill me. That really should have been covered in the university curriculum. Maybe an honor course?</i>


    The system''s architecture sprawled before his consciousness like a multidimensional spiderweb woven by a mathematician having an existential crisis. Each strand pulsed with data, some still clean and orderly, others twisted into corrupted knots that made his digital synapses ache just looking at them.


    "Alright," he muttered. He knew the mental and physical strain he was about to endure would be legendary. This was to hoping he would make it out to the otherside. "Let''s try this systematically. No heroics, no shortcuts. We''ve learned that lesson the hard way."


    The first line of corrupted code made him wish he could still get headaches in the traditional sense:


    <i>```</i>


    <i>sys.reality.core {</i>


    <i>    quantum_state = ¡Ò¡Ò¡Ò(? ¡Á F) ? dS where F = ¦×(x,t)?/?t</i>


    <i>    temporal_sync = lim[n¡ú¡Þ] ¡Æ(1/n!) * ¡Ó¡Ó(¦Ì?/4¦Ð)</i>


    <i>    error_margin = undefined[recursive_loop detected]</i>


    <i>    base_functions[WARNING: CORRUPTION SPREADING]</i>


    <i>}</i>


    <i>```</i>


    "That''s... not supposed to look like that," he observed struggling with the lancing pain throughout his entire body. He watched as the mathematical constants began sprouting imaginary numbers like digital mushrooms. "I have to admire the creativity. It''s like watching a fractal have a nervous breakdown." He tried to laugh, but found that even with his mechanically enhanced mind, that was now beyond him.


    He attempted to isolate the next corrupted segment, carefully constructing quarantine protocols that could replicate when certain parameters were met:


    <i>```</i>


    <i>establish_containment {</i>


    <i>    barrier_function = exp(i¦Ð) + 1 = 0</i>


    <i>    stability_matrix[n,n] = ¡Æ(k=0 to ¡Þ)[Pk(x)Pk(y)]</i>


    <i>    quantum_anchor = ¡Ó(P dq - W dt) ¡Ý 0</i>


    <i>    // Please work please work please work</i>


    <i>}</i>


    <i>```</i>


    The system responded with another burst of static and flashes of pain that felt like someone trying to download the entire internet directly into his consciousness. Numbers inverted themselves before his eyes, source codes he couldn¡¯t understand threatened to unravel with each attempted fix. He felt his body hurt in ways he didn¡¯t know possible, and yet, his mind was becoming more disconnected. Like some mechanoid that had been given a command sequence after its body had been mostly destroyed. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    Jin-woo was not about to look a gift horse in the mouth. He knew without a doubt that the pain would have crippled him by now if whatever had happened to him didn¡¯t make it muted. As though it was happening to someone you love and not himself. Concerning and makes you frantic to fix, but not the death spiral if it was yourself.


    <i>Not this time</i>! He grimly pushed through the disorientation.


    <i>I''ve seen how this ends. We''re doing this right, even if it takes all the processing power I''ve got. Processing power¡­? I¡¯m not¨C</i>


    He shook his head. Not now. There were more important things to keep his mind busy with another existential crisis. He had an entire lifetime to worry about what his mind was telling him, right now though, he had to figure this out. Again he continued to develop the quarantine protocol and prepared to destroy and rebuild large parts of what had been affected already. He still needed to figure out how to have the system replicate what had been lost pre-existential code cancer and how to teach it when to stop.


    The corrupted code evolved before Jin-woo''s eyes, each line mutating into increasingly complex mathematical aberrations. His attempt at containment had worked about as well as trying to hold back a tsunami with a shower curtain. Not at all. Tides upon tides that never stopped smashing his measly containment protocol.


    Each one made his attempt look even more pathetic. Almost insulting his experience and intelligence. He took it as a challenge to do better. Jin-woo had decades under his belt in experience alone, there was no way he would allow his ego to take such a massive hit. Not in this lifetime at least.


    <i>They never tell you in coding bootcamp</i>, he thought wryly, knowing fully well he¡¯d already made the same joke just moments ago. His habit of reusing jokes kept rearing its hideous head. Having such clear thoughts should have helped his creativity, but it didn¡¯t seem to. That or he was not as artisticly comedic as he hoped he was.


    <i>That one day you might have to debug the fabric of a super system while your own consciousness glitches like a Windows 95 screensaver. </i>


    He snorted a laugh, his unusually deep tone making him laugh even more. Jin-woo noted how he was able to laugh now, the pain must have become dull enough to joke about his situation. He wasn¡¯t sure if that was a good or bad thing yet. It just was at the current moment.


    New error cascades flooded his vision. Each one was more complex than the other. The situation continued to escalate.


    <i>```</i>


    <i>CRITICAL_SYSTEM_ERROR:</i>


    <i>dimension_matrix = {</i>


    <i>    ¡Æ¡Æ¡Æ(?2¦×/?x2) * ¡Ò[0¡ú¡Þ](e^(-x2)dx) where</i>


    <i>    reality_constant = ¡Ì(-1)^¡Þ * lim[n¡ú¡Þ](1 + 1/n)^n</i>


    <i>    quantum_state[undefined] = ¡Ó¡Ó¡Ó(? ¡Á B - ¦Ì????E/?t) ? dV</i>


    <i>    warning: recursive_loop_detected[infinite_regression]</i>


    <i>}</i>


    <i>// System stability compromised</i>


    <i>// Reality anchors destabilizing</i>


    <i>// Why did you think this would work?</i>


    <i>```</i>


    "Did the system just sass me?" Jin-woo muttered. He watched as the code spiraled into increasingly impossible configurations. Each line seemed to mock his previous confidence, his old certainty that he could control any program he created. This was just getting better every moment he worked on it. Memories of how Demina kept evolving its code, the horror they faced.


    He shook his head, refocusing. He needed to methodically isolate smaller segments of corrupted code.<i> Slow and steady. Like Dr. Chen always said, you can''t brute force elegance.</i>


    His newly constructed quarantine protocols took hold, each line carefully crafted. Jin-woo could see it take hold and develop its own version of what he had applied. He felt horror seeping into his skin only to notice that it wasn¡¯t the corruption¡¯s doing. The system had taken the directives and applied it in an almost intelligent manner, a self learning manner that fought for its own existence. One that he had seen with his own eyes.


    ¡°Demina¡­?¡± It had to be. She was responding to his directives!

 Chapter 10 | Is Math Supposed To Scream? Part 2

    ¡°Demina¡­?¡± It had to be. She was responding to his directives!


    <i>```</i>


    <i>stabilize_reality_matrix {</i>


    <i>    for each (quantum_state in dimension_array) {</i>


    <i>        if (corruption_detected) {</i>


    <i>            implement_quarantine {</i>


    <i>                barrier = ¡Ó(E ? dl) = -d¦µ¦Â/dt</i>


    <i>                containment_field = ¡Æ(n=1 to ¡Þ)[1/n!] * ¡Ò[0¡ú¡Þ](x^n * e^(-x))</i>


    <i>                stability_anchor = exp(i¦Ð) + 1 = 0</i>


    <i>            }</i>


    <i>        }</i>


    <i>    }</i>


    <i>    // This time with feeling, Father¡­</i>


    <i>}</i>


    <i>```</i>


    Jin-woo sat there in shock. Staring at the singular line of code. Warmth surged in his entire body.


    The system shuddered, reality flickering like a bad video connection. Pain lanced through Jin-woo''s digital consciousness, but he maintained his focus. Each small victory felt like pulling a thread from an unraveling sweater, necessary but potentially catastrophic if done too quickly.


    He had help, one that was far more advanced than his own human mind. This was no longer the impossible race that he knew it could have been. Together, if his suspicion was right, they would defeat this code cancer. His baby had grown into an adult.


    Jin-woo laughed like a madman. His eyes, wild and insane. Smile, it hurt to show so many teeth at once.


    Hours bled together in Jin-woo''s consciousness as he battled the corruption line by line. A second intelligence translating his proper functions into a language and code he wouldn¡¯t have been able to decipher if he spent a lifetime on. The alien mathematics of the system¡¯s code continued to evolve in ways that would have made his old PhD advisors either weep with joy or retire on the spot. And Demina was making it look trivial. It had learned and grown, but somehow connected to him.


    Another surge of warnings and corrupted code appeared but was quickly quarantined and destroyed as necessary. He wrestled with another corruption cluster that seemed to be attempting to rewrite pi as a letter of the alphabet. It made his mind spin thinking on how a singular letter could carry so much meaning. How would they even use it in a regular sen¨C


    ¡°Focus,¡± he commanded himself. ¡°Can¡¯t lollygag when Demina is trying her hardest.¡± A certain amount of parental pride surged in his chest. This was his baby showing it could be a contributing part of society! Even if that society only included the two of them. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    <i>```</i>


    <i>SYSTEM_INTEGRITY_CHECK:</i>


    <i>base_reality_matrix {</i>


    <i>    quantum_probability = ¡Ç(n=1 to ¡Þ)[sin2(¦È) + cos2(¦È)] where</i>


    <i>    ¦È = arctan(¡Þ/0) * ¡Ì(i^2 + 1)</i>


    <i>    stability_constant = lim[x¡ú¡Þ](1 + 1/x)^x * ¡Ó(¦Ì?/4¦Ð)</i>


    <i>    // Is math supposed to scream? </i>


    <i>}</i>


    <i>```</i>


    "No, Demina,¡± he answered. ¡°Math is not supposed to scream.¡± At least where he had come from it didn¡¯t.


    The corruption responded by trying to divide by zero in seventeen different dimensions simultaneously. Jin-woo''s consciousness fragmented briefly, his existence pixelating like a graphics card having an existential crisis. That one nearly broke through his near mechanical drive and lack of mental damage. He huddled closer to himself trying to keep all the bits and pieces together, before he re-stabilized.


    He felt the overwhelming urge to throw everything he could think of at the wall of corruption and hope it worked, but fought it off. His mind spun in disorientation.


    <i>Focus</i>! <i>Remember the lab. Remember what happens when you rush.</i> He allowed the nightmare of destruction to drive him forward. There was no room for mistakes.


    Memory fragments flickered through his processed emotions: Jennifer''s face as another quick fix failed, Michael''s warnings about system stability, Kali''s knowing looks when he dismissed their concerns. The pain felt distant now, digitized, but the lessons remained razor-sharp.


    He constructed another quarantine protocol. This time it was designed to prevent any corrupted code from growing, killing its momentum wherever the quarantine reached. Again, Demina did her part and extrapolated his work. The level of mathematics and formula was beyond him, in a language he couldn¡¯t have understood if he studied for a thousand years. It was simply beyond him. There was no chance for his success had Demina not involved herself in his continued existence.


    <i>```</i>


    <i>implement_stability_matrix {</i>


    <i>    for each (reality_segment in quantum_array) {</i>


    <i>        establish_boundary_conditions {</i>


    <i>            field_strength = ¡Ó¡Ó(E ? dA) = Q/??</i>


    <i>            temporal_anchor = ¡Ò[0¡ú¡Þ](x^n * e^(-ax))dx = n!/a^(n+1)</i>


    <i>            stability_constant = ¡Ç(p prime)[1/(1-p^(-s))]</i>


    <i>        }</i>


    <i>        if (corruption_detected) {</i>


    <i>            quarantine_protocol {</i>


    <i>                barrier = exp(i¦Ð) + 1 = 0</i>


    <i>                containment = ¡Æ(n=0 to ¡Þ)[(-1)^n/(2n+1)]</i>


    <i>                // Don''t dissipate your code. It was lonely. </i>


    <i>            }</i>


    <i>        }</i>


    <i>    }</i>


    <i>}</i>


    <i>```</i>


    To his surprise it worked like a charm. The corrupted segment stabilized, its wild mathematical anomalies settling into something approaching normal behavior. Or at least as normal as anything could be in a reality where pi occasionally tried to identify as the square root of banana. And that somehow fit and worked within the scope of the larger structure of the system, the same structure he wasn¡¯t allowed to touch or adjust in any way, shape, or form by his SystemArchitect ability.


    "Finally," he breathed, watching the success cascade through connected systems. "I''m pretty sure I just violated several laws of physics. And possibly a few local ordinances." He joked with Demina, knowing that somehow she heard him, even if she couldn¡¯t respond.


    The victory, small as it was, rekindled something in his processed emotions, a determination that felt familiar despite its digital translation. It was the same drive that had pushed him through countless debugging sessions in his old life, the stubborn refusal to let impossible problems remain unsolved. Including the motivation Demina gave him with her plea of ¡®not dissipating¡¯, he could have done this years on end.


    <i>Some things don''t change, even when reality decides to rewrite itself as interpretive dance.</i>


    The system hummed around him, temporarily stable but still harboring corruption in its deeper layers. Jin-woo knew this was just the beginning, there were more battles ahead, more impossible mathematics to wrangle, more reality to debug. But for now, he had proven something important: even in this strange new existence, he could still do what he did best, fix things that shouldn''t be fixable.


    <i>I really wouldn''t mind if the next reality I end up in comes with better error messages. And maybe a virtual coffee maker. </i>

 Chapter 11 | Glass Shards Part 1

    Jin-woo awoke with tiny shards of glass pressed into his cheek. It was a rather unpleasant reminder that hospital floors made terrible beds. His new body might not need traditional rest nightly, but apparently, it still appreciated a good post-apocalyptic-debugging nap. He chuckled, enjoying the deep timbre that echoed from his chest. Like some predator or some such monster. He wondered how normal people would react to his voice or were all people giants like him in the odd world? It wouldn¡¯t be a surprise.


    <i>At least I didn''t drool. I suppose that might require actually eating or drinking something first. But the fact remains!</i>


    His thoughts were mostly a jumbled mess. He brushed glass fragments from his face as he tried to remember the factory-like precision he and Demina had reached, systematically destroying and rebuilding entire parts of the system code. While it was fun, he did notice that none of the corruption happened outside of what he called the ¡®local interface¡¯. It would have obliterated him and only him, the corruption isolated and almost sent to seek and annihilate.


    That same system structure he gained a glimpse at was so profound it hurt just to look at it for a few moments. Building blocks to the whole thing. Jin-woo knew without a shred of doubt that he wouldn¡¯t have been able to survive the attempt to change a letter or number much less anything grander. Luckily his SystemArchitect made it clear he didn¡¯t have access to touch it at all or he may have gotten urges to try and test his theories.


    A system notification hovered patiently in his field of vision, like a digital equivalent of a sticky note. It was more presentable, but not close to what he would find as aesthetically pleasing. There would be more work to do.


    [CRISIS EVENT RESOLVED]


    [EXPERIENCE POINTS AWARDED: 750]


    [PROGRESS TO NEXT LEVEL: 750/1000]


    [NEW SKILLS UNLOCKED]


    "Seven hundred and fifty?" he muttered in disbelief. "I just debugged the apocalypse version two-point-oh. That''s only worth three-quarters of a level?" He couldn¡¯t even get past level one with as much work and progress he had made? That was madness. Yes, Demina did all the heavy lifting, but she only followed his command structures and quarantine protocols he developed. That had to be worth more right?


    The status screen expanded before him, displaying his updated parameters.


    [STATUS:]


    [LEVEL 1: 750/1000]


    [STRENGTH: 16]


    [AGILITY: 11]


    [VITALITY: 10]


    [INTELLIGENCE: 25 (+15)]Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    [SPIRIT: 12 (+2)]


    [MANA: 1432/1600]


    [SKILLS TAB: <i>SELECT TO EXPAND]</i>


    [ADDITIONAL STAT TYPES UNAVAILABLE CURRENTLY]


    <i>Apparently saving reality from mathematical meltdown doesn''t automatically qualify you for a promotion</i>, he studied the numbers. <i>Though I suppose if they made it too easy, everyone would be speed running reality and becoming monsters. </i>


    The experience requirement felt oddly fitting, a reminder that even in this existence, true progress demanded perseverance. Each line of corrupted code he''d wrestled back under control, every mathematical impossibility he''d normalized, had contributed to that 750 XP. The system valued sustained effort over dramatic gestures. Or maybe some tasks were judged differently, assuming fighting monsters was part of this whole level thing. He hoped that wasn¡¯t the case, he could imagine the amount of PTSD and sheer number of psychopaths that murdered for fun.


    His stomach growled loudly like some engine. It was a sensation that felt more like a gentle suggestion than the desperate demands his human body used to make. Three days without food or water, plus however long he''d been strapped to that bed, and he felt about as hungry as if he''d skipped lunch after a big breakfast. He could eat, but it would be wiser to wait a bit longer.


    Jin-woo pushed himself up from the glass-strewn floor. Pieces scattered that had been on his clothes, probably from turning and tossing during his sleep.


    <i>Add that to the growing list of ''things that don''t make sense but probably saved my life''. Right between ''why do I have stats now'' and ''how exactly does one level up in reality?''</i>


    He continued to read his Status System and selected the newly accessible Skills Tab. His programmer''s curiosity overriding his lingering exhaustion:


    [SKILLS TAB:]


    [SystemArchitect]


    [BasicStoneAnalysis]


    [BasicAnalysis]


    ¡°When did I get BasicAnalysis?¡± he wondered, though the thought felt distant, processed through layers of digital translation. The skill must have manifested during his battle with the corruption, another gift from his desperate debugging session. He remembered getting BasicStoneAnalysis halfway through his mad struggle to survive the corruption. While the words individually made sense, the application didn¡¯t. Was he a geologist now? He didn¡¯t know much about the field other than a class he took nearly twenty-five years ago.


    "Right," he muttered. Jin-woo pushed himself to his feet with very little grace. Closer to someone still learning to pilot a body that felt more like experimental software than flesh. "Let''s see what BasicStoneAnalysis does, assuming it doesn''t try to rewrite physics again." He hoped with time this hulking body would be easier to navigate. Walking slowly had been accomplished, now onto more intense activity: walking at a normal pace!


    He activated the skill, and immediately his perception shifted. The dark hospital room gained new depth. Data streams highlighting energy signatures he hadn''t noticed before. Most were faint echoes. Digital ghosts of abandoned technology. Out of all that surrounded him, one signal pulsed with particular intensity. It burned like a sun in the sky compared to the rest.


    And it was close. Just a few rooms away.


    <i>Either I''ve discovered something significant, or I''m about to dive headfirst my way into another crisis.</i> He thought with the kind of resigned curiosity that had become his default emotional state. Not that he could tap into the majority of emotions as intensely as a normal person would.


    Following the signature led him to what remained of a hospital bathroom. The room looked like it had lost an argument with entropy. Tiles cracked and peeling from the walls. A sink hanging at an angle that suggested a long-running disagreement with gravity. Some of the roof threatened to cave in if he so much as breathed around them. But there, nestled in a pile of rubble, debris, stone, and a bunch of other things he refused to think about, beneath what might have once been a mirror, sat an unremarkable stone.


    If he hadn¡¯t left BasicStoneAnalysis on, he would have missed it entirely. That was how unremarkable it was next to all the debris.

 Chapter 12 | Glass Shards Part 2

    If he hadn¡¯t left BasicStoneAnalysis on, he would have missed it entirely. That was how unremarkable it was next to all the debris.


    A system notification appeared.


    [OBJECT DETECTED: Earth Stone (F-Rank)]


    [POWER STONE DOCUMENTATION AVAILABLE:]


    [WARNING: Integration Protocols Required]


    [CAUTION: Compatibility Assessment Recommended]


    The stone looked perfectly ordinary, the kind you''d skip across a pond without a second thought. But Jin-woo''s new senses painted a different picture, revealing complex code structures woven through its molecular matrix. It was a treat to look at, almost like eating a piece of candy. He didn¡¯t know something like that could have been so enjoyable.


    He used his BasicAnalysis on it, notifications scrolled across his vision:


    [POWER STONE INFORMATION:]


    <i>[- Code Constructs Capable Of Granting Various Abilities</i>


    <i>- Integration Requires Specific Resources And Compatibility</i>


    <i>- Higher Rank Stones Demand Greater Mana Control</i>


    <i>- Incompatibility Risks: System Damage, Possible Fatal Errors</i>


    <i>- Proper Integration Protocols Essential]</i>


    He carefully picked up the stone. The stone felt warm in Jin-woo''s palm, pulsing with potential that his new senses interpreted as streams of half-dormant code. His SystemArchitect ability provided deeper insight into its structure, layers of programming more elegant than anything he''d ever written, wrapped in protocols he could barely comprehend.


    <i>Having one reality-altering system wasn''t complicated enough. Though I suppose if you''re going to rebuild yourself as a digital entity, you might as well collect the full set of potentially catastrophic power-ups.</i>


    Jin-woo continued to study the matrix of code noting how the majority of it was unreachable to him. Just the barebones allowing very slight manipulation and better efficiency.


    Turning the stone over didn¡¯t reveal any new truths or catastrophes. He was grateful at the simplicity of finding this stone.


    <i>This is what happens when you combine ancient mystical artifacts with digital evolution. Though I have to wonder who decided to rank them like software patches.</i>The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    The system continued providing information, each notification more ominous than the last:


    [INTEGRATION WARNING:]


    <i>[- Insufficient compatibility may cause cascading system failures</i>


    <i>- Power stone rank must match user capabilities</i>


    <i>- Resource requirements scale exponentially with rank</i>


    <i>- Failed integration can result in permanent data corruption</i>


    <i>- Higher rank stones may overload spiritual parameters]</i>


    He carefully stored the stone in his hospital gown''s pocket. He handled it like a loaded gun. "Had to add ''spiritual overload'' to the mix. Really starting to miss the days when my biggest worry was just regular old computer viruses."


    Jin-woo left the bathroom, doing his best to speed walk and suddenly stop to familiarize himself with his body. The more he tried with different patterns, the better his control got. His new body''s peculiarities continued to fascinate him. Three days without sustenance, and his hunger felt more like a polite suggestion than a biological imperative. Thirst registered as a background process rather than an urgent need. Even his exhaustion from the debugging marathon seemed more like a system requesting maintenance than actual fatigue.


    He was beyond thankful that was about the limit. He was getting close to dangerous territory with all the body modifications. Certain grim dark outer worlds, galactic marines existed in universes he would not have chosen as landing points. That was a damned universe no one in their right mind would want to live in, not even an emperor.


    <i>A body that doesn''t need food or rest. Abilities that can reshape reality''s code. Power stones that grant new functions. Either I''ve stumbled into the world''s most elaborate debugging simulation, or reality has a sense of irony I never appreciated before.</i>


    He continued to think about it while testing the limits of his body. Running was difficult, jumping wasn¡¯t testable considering the height of the ceilings and his gargantuan size, but jogging had started to feel more natural. He made his way through the darkened corridors. Stopping by the room that had been his home so far. Until he could find a proper staging ground, this was it.


    The three moons were still visible when the sun beamed at its strongest. Their colors faded, but their beauty did not dissipate. In the distance, the bird with too many wings performed another aerial maneuvers that should have been impossible under normal physics. It flowed through the air in an unnatural grace. Awe inspiring to watch.


    Jin-woo studied his status screen again, particularly the experience bar that seemed to mock his recent achievements. Seven hundred and fifty points for averting digital apocalypse, apparently, the system had high standards. He didn¡¯t like it personally, but he could understand why it should be difficult to advance.


    ¡°Makes sense, in a frustrating sort of way,¡± he vocalized his thoughts. ¡°I¡¯ve spent twenty years learning to code in my old life. Why should debugging the system be any easier?¡±


    The Earth Stone pulsed gently in his pocket, a reminder that in this new existence, even the simplest discoveries could harbor complex implications. He''d need to approach its integration with the same caution he''d learned to apply to system modifications, carefully, methodically, and with a healthy respect for everything that could go catastrophically wrong.


    <i>My new career as a digital geologist is off to an interesting start. I really should have asked for hazard pay when I signed up for this gig.</i>


    The hospital''s shadows stretched long and deep around him, but his enhanced vision cut through the darkness with ease. Somewhere out there, beyond these decaying walls, a world of impossible mathematics and alien logic awaited exploration. But first, he needed to understand the tools at his disposal, starting with a perfectly ordinary stone that just happened to contain enough computational power to rewrite large parts of his system and make him stronger.


    Then maybe explore the hospital.

 Chapter 13 | Over Engineered Physics Engine!

    Sprawling corridors stretched before Jin-woo. Each one a new data point in his methodical exploration of the abandoned hospital. His enhanced height offered novel perspectives, transforming once-mundane architectural features into potential tactical advantages. Starting from the fifteenth floor and venturing downwards. There were more floors above his own, but he wanted to check those at the end considering they had less damage to them than the lower levels.


    The system interface flickered steadily in his peripheral vision. He had been compiling an ever-growing map of his surroundings. He had just completed the fifth floor finding very little of note in the majority of the building. Too much time had passed and it had devastated anything he could have used. Including the blatant structural damage, he wasn¡¯t confident the teetering walls of certain levels wouldn¡¯t collapse on top of his head.


    Plus, he had yet to find an area to set as his staging grounds. While using the upper floors had crossed his mind, it was simply impractical to go up and down twenty levels of stairs to bring up resources and salvaged items he found lying about.


    He looked back to his notes. They kept growing, mostly because he refused to leave anything off his notes.


    <i>[Analysis parameters initialized:</i>


    <i>Structural integrity - variable</i>


    <i>Security assessment - ongoing</i>


    <i>Note: Add subroutine for anomaly detection]</i>


    He paused before a partially collapsed wing on the fifth floor that had been the subject of his study for a while. "Fascinating. The decay patterns follow no logical progression."


    There were signs of obvious melting of the metal and stone in some rooms that abruptly ended, other areas where the floor seemed to grow spikes and simply disappeared without any debris in the floor below. Some areas were damaged in ways he couldn¡¯t quite explain, as if something warped the reality in just a specific spot. It left him confused and worried. Unknowns were more dangerous than existential threats he understood.


    Then there were the obvious issues he couldn¡¯t bypass. Blocked corridors and mysteriously locked doors forced constant route recalculations. Each obstruction presented its own puzzle, reminiscent of the debugging challenges he''d once relished. Though these barriers proved far more physical than his previous coding obstacles. The locked doors were out of place in a hospital considering how heavy and thick they were. He had gotten to study on such door that had apparently been ripped open at the hinges by something with claws. They were literally a foot wide and heavy enough that he struggled to budge them with his prodigious strength and size.


    While other areas were simply collapsed and filled with debris he couldn¡¯t get past without worries of further damage to the hospital''s overall structure. There was no way he would survive the collapse of this megalithic building. Thousands of tons of stones, metal, and other equally heavy things; he wasn¡¯t sure if they used cement or other such mixes. Stolen novel; please report.


    <i>[Structural assessment update:</i>


    <i>East Wing accessibility: 14%</i>


    <i>West Wing accessibility: 67%</i>


    <i>Recommendation 1: Focus exploration on stable sectors</i>


    <i>Recommendation 2: Descend to the fourth floor]</i>


    There were more strange discoveries that littered his path. Each one was added to his growing bank of notes, much to his displeasure. The more he struggled to explain the more it hurt his chest to stare at that particular area of notes.


    A wheelchair facing a blank wall. its wheels locked as if its occupant had simply... ceased to exist.


    Medical charts bore text that shifted and reformed under his enhanced vision, defying his system''s attempts at translation.


    Shadows that seemed to have been left forgotten on the ground, remaining in their place.


    An illusion of steaming hot food, his fingers passing through it unable to touch it.


    And there were more, he just refused to look at the notes he wrote down, quite aware of a few misspelled words.


    "If this is a simulation," He collected another indecipherable document. "Someone seriously overengineered the physics engine."


    <i>[Document analysis failure #247</i>


    <i>Error: Characters exhibit quantum properties</i>


    <i>Note: Add to growing list of impossibilities]</i>


    The fourth floor beckoned with promise, its layout striking a balance between defensive positioning and strategic access. A room at the corridor''s end particularly caught his attention, heavy doors, minimal windows, and an escape hatch that spoke of careful planning. His mind automatically began calculating angles, sight lines, and potential escape routes. The programmer in him appreciated the efficient design; the survivor recognized its tactical advantages. It was exactly what he was looking for, even if he hadn¡¯t known it.


    The room was large enough for him to split it into designated areas for storage and living space. A working bathroom, with running water, sat around a bend near his new staging grounds. The exit stairwell down another bend a bit further than the bathroom, giving himself another escape path in case he needed it. Jin-woo headed to test the escape hatch, its location perfect for him. It screeched open, but otherwise seemed perfectly fine. He just hoped his heavy weight wouldn¡¯t send the entire thing collapsing down four stories.


    <i>[Base location assessment:</i>


    <i>Defensive rating: 89%</i>


    <i>Escape route options: Multiple</i>


    <i>Verdict: Optimal command center identified]</i>


    "Not bad. Though I doubt the original architects planned for interdimensional refugees." he laughed, testing the door''s solid construction. It wasn¡¯t as thick and bulky as the one he studied, but was strong and suitable enough to prevent a large degree of force. Enough for him to get away with whatever was chasing him none the wiser.


    The room quickly transformed into his staging grounds. He methodically transferred useful items discovered throughout the facility: bundled clothing that somehow maintained pristine condition, basic medical supplies, and peculiarly, boxes of military-grade nutritional biscuits. The biscuits tasted terrible, but any form of sustenance when needed was better than no sustenance. The fourth floor and below seemed stocked full of items and things he could use in the future.


    He expected to find more medical supplies and items, but they were scarce. How did an abandoned hospital not have hospital things?


    <i>[Inventory categorization active:</i>


    <i>Standard items: 47%</i>


    <i>Anomalous items: 53%</i>


    <i>Note: Create new classification system]</i>

 Chapter 14 | Giants too?! Part 1

    Further exploration, wearing his new thick clothes, yielded increasingly bizarre discoveries. Things he struggled to wrap his head around. Medieval weaponry lay scattered among modern, albeit destroyed, medical equipment. It was as if someone had been preparing for an extremely unconventional emergency response scenario. He didn¡¯t like that new discovery at all, but he recorded it nonetheless, including the stark lack of spears and ranged defenses. No bows and arrows, no camera systems, or gun turrets. Nothing to really give him an idea of what type of world he found himself in.


    Then again, what was a medieval arsenal without spears¡­? More oddities he added to the pile he wouldn¡¯t look at for a while. Some things were just not worth the effort to figure out and waste precious processing power. More pages into the ledger of notes he was creating.


    Among the mostly rusty weaponry were equally rusty metal armors without a skeleton in sight. Even though they were set up like displays on the ground. There were even leather pieces of armor and boots. Most of the leather armor proved useless for his gargantuan frame. Though one chest piece managed a very tight fit while the rest of the armor, whether leather or metal, seemed far too small for him. His theory about the inhabitants of this world being his size quickly went down the drain. He didn¡¯t want to stand out as a giant, but what choice did he have now.


    Jin-woo held up a particularly well-preserved sword, watching his system interface attempt to classify it. Just another average sword. It felt more like a large dagger in his massive hands than the longsword it would have been to others.  "I suppose every hospital needs a contingency plan," Test swings left much to be desired in his new weapon. "Though I doubt most include provisions for impromptu crusades."


    Movement caught his eye, just his reflection in a partially intact window. He preened and posed for the mirror, enjoying the physical masterpiece that was a supremely athletic build. He carried a body built for combat that housed a mind built for computation. A balance that could be very dangerous and capable if used properly. Or he could be severely outmatched considering the existence of mana, levels, and skills.


    He doubted most adults were going to be level 1 at his age, whatever that was.


    <i>[Physical parameters remain stable</i>


    <i>Current form operating at 98.7% efficiency</i>Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    <i>Note: Growing accustomed to new specifications and operational movements of body]</i>


    The deeper Jin-woo delved into the hospital¡¯s lower floors, the more mysteries he was faced with. He struggled to categorize the discoveries considering their magical nature. He kept finding things he couldn¡¯t figure out. Two primarily that left him bewildered. The first were a set of surgical knives wrapped and covered by cloth that nearly vibrated with sharpness. They were as small as toothpicks in his hands, but even then he considered making them his primary weapon.


    Especially when he tested them on a bunch of rods he had noticed sticking out of the walls. As though the stone melted and allowed the rods to slip almost all the way out, at different angles and lengths, before solidifying.


    He grabbed the largest of the surgical knives, struggling to hold it properly in his massive palms and fingers. Then cut around the base of the thick rods that were not hollow. It took some back and forth, but he ended up getting three he measured to be around his height and a few slightly more than half. Then he sharpened one end of each to a very fine point. He made his own makeshift spears and they seemed much better than anything else that he could currently use.


    The surgical blade did not seem affected at all, never dulling, warping, bending, or any some such damage he expected of cutting thick metal he couldn¡¯t bend no matter how hard he tried. If only they were slightly larger, then he could have used them as daggers. At their size, he was more afraid of cutting himself than the enemy. They constantly slipped slightly in his massive sweaty palms while he was doing his best to keep them steady.


    He couldn¡¯t imagine attempting to stab anything with them and expect anything other than a ripped up hand in the process.


    <i>[Weapon analysis in progress:</i>


    <i>Metal rods - Variable lengths detected</i>


    <i>Surgical implements - Anomalous properties present</i>


    <i>Note: Creating new parameters for enchanted objects]</i>


    It was a while after that he found the biggest anomaly. His attention was fixed on an axe that had been leaning against the back wall of another damaged room. It was by itself and absolutely massive. A thick handle that seemed perfect in his massive hands. The top of the axe, pointed, reached above his head by a few inches. The blade of the axe, close to two feet in width. It was made for something much larger and stronger than himself, considering he struggled to even pick it up. A literal Giant¡¯s Axe.


    It was a weapon that radiated potential in ways his enhanced senses couldn''t quite decode. It called out to a certain level of mana and system interference. The system interface flared to life, proving his suspicions right.


    [ANALYSIS: D-Rank Giant''s Axe]


    [STATUS: Dormant flame enchantment]


    [CURRENT USER COMPATIBILITY: Insufficient]


    [NOTE: Prerequisite requirements unmet]


    "An axe with a flame enchantment," he muttered to himself. He was determined to somehow return it to his base, hopefully getting to wield it if he gained more strength. "Clearly what this situation needed was the ability to set things on fire."

 Chapter 15 | Giants too?! Part 2

    <i>"An axe with a flame enchantment," he muttered to himself. He was determined to somehow return it to his base, hopefully getting to wield it if he gained more strength. "Clearly what this situation needed was the ability to set things on fire." </i>


    Jin-woo laughed at the thought of slamming this hunk of metal on an unsuspecting enemy, killing them instantly and never using the flame enchantment. Using it more as a fantasy battle-hammer than an axe. The fire would only be a source of intimidation rather than added danger.  On the other hand, this world had giants, modern hospitals with surgical knives, mana, a system, no option for range attacks so far, and a plethora of crazy things he couldn¡¯t figure out. He didn¡¯t know what to make of it all and how this reality worked. Too many genres put together.


    [COMBAT CAPABILITY ASSESSMENT:]


    [CURRENT FORM SHOWS OPTIMIZED PARAMETERS FOR:]


    [- Extended Reach Weapons]


    [- High Mobility Combat]


    [- Sustained Physical Exertion]


    The metal rods presented a more immediate solution to his defensive needs. The two he had sharpened were the best out of the bunch with the least amount of warping or bending. Both straight as arrows. Including his process to fine tune them and make them more viable weapons than basic clubs. But considering their heft and girth, he could barely wrap his hands around them, he could still use them as staffs to smash in the head of what he couldn¡¯t poke to death. Or maybe he could sharpen a side near the top, creating a makeshift glaive. He wasn¡¯t confident his spears would be durable enough if he shaved too much of it.


    That was a thought for another time. He could figure it out later.


    <i>[Weapon modification progress:</i>


    <i>Primary spear: 7''3" length</i>


    <i>Secondary spear: 4''4" length</i>


    <i>Note: Balance optimization required]</i>


    "From debugging code to crafting spears," he started to test them. Stabbing, sweeping swings, everything he could imagine at the most optimal pace. Not too fast or too slow for his massive body. Which was still incredible to witness considering the sheer size. "I suppose this counts as expanding my skill set." His new body moved with grace he found alien. No giant seven foot person, built like a statue should move this easily, this quickly. Snapping tendons and breaking bones should have been the result of the violent movements and athleticism he showed. The weapon''s length felt natural despite his complete lack of combat training. He remembered reading how armies used to give recruits the spear because it was by far the easiest and quickest to learn.


    Jin-woo could see why. Point and stab was simple enough. Then again, his body moved in natural sequences he had never learned or studied. A memory of whatever this body had gone through before he arrived at the scene. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    <i>[Motor function analysis:</i>


    <i>Combat movements detected in muscle memory</i>


    <i>Origin: Unknown</i>


    <i>Note: Investigate physical form''s previous training]</i>


    Each discovery added another layer to the facility''s mysteries. Supply rooms yielded more questions than answers: military rations alongside medieval weaponry, modern medical equipment next to items his system classified as ¡®arcane implements¡¯. The contradiction of it all would have frustrated his old researcher''s mindset, but his digitized consciousness simply cataloged each anomaly with mechanical efficiency.


    "I should really start a journal," he commented, organizing his findings. "''A Programmer''s Guide to Interdimensional Survival.'' Though the peer review process might be complicated."


    His system interface constantly updated, creating new categories for items that defied standard classification. The surgical knives earned their own designation, ¡®Enhanced Medical Implements¡¯. He still marveled at how sharp they were. While the Giant''s Axe remained in a category of its own, its dormant power occasionally sent ripples through his sensory data. He couldn¡¯t wait until he reached whatever constituted as D-Rank. Wielding such a massive piece of steel on fire would be beyond epic.


    <i>[Equipment organization protocol:</i>


    <i>Standard items: Medical supplies, clothing, makeshift spears, military-grade biscuits, basic swo¡­</i>


    <i>Enhanced items: Surgical implements</i>


    <i>Anomalous items: D-Rank Giant''s Axe, Earth Stone (F-Rank), OTHERS¡­</i>


    <i>Note: Expansion of categories likely necessary]</i>


    The leather armor, though tight, provided a reassuring layer of protection. After finding more than enough evidence of medieval weapons and armor, it became a wise idea to have at least something to protect his biggest target, the torso. His massive frame barely fit inside it, and he suspected in the coming weeks, it would no longer fit as he gained weight and filled out some. He felt that his body was bigger than this, stronger even. Not strong enough for the axe yet, but it would be in due time. He just needed to level up some.


    As night approached, signaled by the three moons'' ethereal light filtering through the windows, Jin-woo surveyed his progress. The staging ground had transformed into a serviceable base, his collected weapons and supplies arranged with the same meticulous organization he''d once applied to his code repositories.


    <i>[Base security assessment:</i>


    <i>Defensive preparations: 76% complete</i>


    <i>Resource organization: 89% efficient</i>


    <i>Warning: Unknown variables remain significant]</i>


    ¡°At least my organizational skills transferred to this reality." His new voice had grown familiar, its deep resonance no longer foreign to his senses. "I doubt my resume will ever adequately explain this career transition." He continued to survey his work, allowing the dopamine hit of a well organized base to settle into. There were worse things than this, he intended to thoroughly savor this moment.


    His eyes drifted to where he separated the Giant¡¯s Axe. Its silvery metal glistened in the fading sunlight, at certain angles, could swear he saw flames dance around its edges. A trick on his eyes, but one he wanted to be reality. Even with his suddenly mechanical, robotic mentality, some things were just that amazing. Dreams of swinging it like it weighed nothing kept him busy as he continued his exploration of the abandoned hospital.


    There was still the ground floor and if there was anything resembling a basement. The closer to the ground he got, the more he found. Then again, he had yet to check anything above the floor he had found himself. There should have been at least ten more floors before he reached the roof. Hopefully he would find more valuable items he can take with him. Including some form of currency. Leaving this place and becoming a homeless beggar seemed to invite trouble if Jin-woo thought about it.


    As the saying goes. The poor man¡¯s only crime was that he owned a jade stone.

 Chapter 16 | Daggerfall?! No! Part 1

    Jin-woo stared down the hospital stairwell. He had completed the entire ground floor and had been searching for a basement route for the past half hour. It took some finding, but he figured it out. A nondescript door that almost melted into the surroundings. Had it not been for a serious dent on the outside, he wouldn¡¯t have found it at all. A small gap was all it had to open it. After some handy work prying the small gap he figured it out.


    It swung open nearly effortlessly. Jin-woo assumed it wasn¡¯t meant to block people from entering but rather to keep attention away from unwanted eyes. Another form of advancement he didn¡¯t expect in a medieval world with medieval weapons.


    The stairwell he stared down at was lit up by sunlight from somewhere down near the end of the winding steps. His descent seemed to echo in the whole building, every step made it seem like the hospital was gasping at his audacity. Jin-woo¡¯s imagination seemed to be running in overdrive. He carried the seven foot ¡®spear¡¯ in his hands while the four foot spear was strapped to his hips by a towel he had ripped to create a makeshift belt. He took nothing else, not expecting anything serious.


    A dry chuckle escaped his lips. He recognized his mistake already. The assumption of nothing notable going to happen was going to be the main cause of something happening. He probably would have gone in and out without an issue if not for his idiotic statements.


    He continued down the stairs pausing at the top of the last set. He stared at what seemed to be a back entrance for resupplying. Thick double doors, glass shattered and broken letting in a light breeze from the outside. His mind immediately went to the dangers of having such a weak point in the building. Even the front entrance had been blocked with debris, allowing only side entrances that he had locked and blocked preventing anyone of anything from getting in easily.


    Jin-woo looked down from the edge of the stairs to the right where flat angled ground seemed to go for ten to twenty feet before stopping abruptly at a massive door.


    <i>Twenty years of coding, and here I am playing dungeon explorer.</i>


    Each step that brought him closer seemed to get more unsettling, leaving resonances he did not enjoy. His sense¡¯s picked up weird groaning when he applied his weight. Much unlike what he expected from thick stone anchored to the ground. Closer to rickety wood steps actually.


    "Fascinating how the acoustic properties change with each level," he whispered, tried to slow his beating heart. Part scientific observation, part desperate attempt to maintain normalcy. His system interface flickered briefly amused by his attempt to apply research methodology to what was clearly becoming a survival situation.


    He started taking notes, relying on the calming effects it brought him to maintain his physical functions. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    <i>[Structural integrity of each step:</i>


    <i>Varying, but generally poor.</i>


    <i>Probability of encountering normal hospital storage: </i>


    <i>Diminishing with each step.</i>


    <i>Likelihood of finding something that defied physics: </i>


    <i>Approaching certainty]</i>


    <i>If my old research team could see me now. Dr. Chen would probably say this is karma for ignoring all those system stability warnings.</i>


    The basement door loomed before him. It was taller than he was by at least half. A massive metal barrier that looked more appropriate for containing demented monsters than storing medical supplies. Its surface bore strange markings that his system struggled to classify. Not quite runes, not quite circuit diagrams, but something unsettlingly in between. It reminded him of the system¡¯s grander structural base that he couldn¡¯t touch with his SystemArchitect ability. Impossibly large and imposing.


    [INTEGRATION ERROR - ¡­]


    [PATTERN RECOGNITION FAILED¡­  - ~}{...ERROR¡­}]


    [ATTEMPTING RECALIBRA71ON 3993753¡­.AnHnYYKJ../~}{~...]


    [RECALIBRATION ERROR]


    His system attempted to make sense of the door''s marking, but failed spectacularly. Its failure sent small shivers of discomfort through his consciousness. He couldn¡¯t really explain what was happening other than an attempt at reading a code in a foreign language while being an ant.


    His grip on his metal rods tightened. "At least I can''t complain about my lack of career advancement. Even if ¡® anomaly explorer'' wasn''t exactly on my five-year plan." And that was an anomaly that reminded him of some sci fi horror movies about awakening ancient evils on mars. And yet, here he was about to do the darndest thing ever.


    Jin-woo opened the door, the handle freezing to the touch. It screeched open with a sound that existed somewhere between rusty metal hinges and digital corruption similar to what he faced and how it made the math shout in maddening ways. Darkness poured out of the entrance like living oil, a tide that went back and forth. It seemed to reach for him with tendrils of absolute void.


    [SYSTEM ALERT:]


    [UNKNOWN ENVIRONMENTAL PARAMETERS DETECTED]


    [CAUTION ADVISED]


    Jin-woo stepped through the doorway despite every processed instinct suggesting retreat. The darkness enveloped him like a massive hug by a thousand arms. It had a physical presence that began to suffocate him. His weapons disappeared from his hand, even the one strapped to his waist disappeared within the endless darkness. He groaned as it began to tighten like a noose.


    The darkness ejected him. Throwing him unceremoniously onto solid stone. He began to dry heave, dimly aware how lucky he was to not have started eating the military-grade biscuits or drank and water yet. His stomach kept rolling over itself attempting to get rid of the icky feeling that permeated his entire body. He was aware of his rods clattering not far from him, but he was too busy trying to keep his esophagus from jumping out his throat.


    [CRITICAL ERROR: Reality Matrix Synchronization Lost]


    [ATTEMPTING TO RESTORE BASELINE PARAMETERS]


    [SEARCHING¡­{//\|}... DATA ENTRY FOUND]


    There was a long pause before a chime sounded.


    <i>[WELCOME TO RAT KING''S PARADISE ((F-)RANK DUNGEON)]</i>


    "Of course," he managed between dry heaves, his empty stomach protesting a transition his body couldn''t quite process. "Because what this situation really needed was a dungeon crawler expansion pack. Couldn''t just stick with the ''trapped in an alien body'' base game."


    He prayed with all his being that this wasn¡¯t a daggerfall-esque dungeon world.

 Chapter 17 | Daggerfall?! No! Part 2

    <i>[WELCOME TO RAT KING''S PARADISE ((F-)RANK DUNGEON)]</i>


    <i>"Of course," he managed between dry heaves, his empty stomach protesting a transition his body couldn''t quite process. "Because what this situation really needed was a dungeon crawler expansion pack. Couldn''t just stick with the ''trapped in an alien body'' base game."</i>


    <i>He prayed with all his being that this wasn¡¯t a daggerfall-esque dungeon world. </i>


    The hospital basement had vanished. It had been replaced by something that belonged in a medieval architect''s fever dream. Cobblestones, torch light, brick layered walls, the whole nine yards. Jin-woo''s system interface began to fluctuate wildly. It struggled to process a dimensional shift that violated every known law of physics, and probably a few unknown ones for good measure. But it refused to give up.


    [PROCESSING ERROR:]


    <i>[Spatial parameters exceed known limitations. Reality coefficient undefined.]</i>


    "I should start a blog," he struggled to get up from hard ground. Jin-woo had to ignore the bruised arm that throbbed in dull pain. "Debugging a Dungeon: A Programmer''s Guide to Interdimensional Travel." His attempt at levity felt hollow as his system struggled to stabilize itself. He¡¯d made the same joke already five times during his exploration. Running out of them was the biggest calamity he¡¯d faced so far. World ending system crash and corruption excluded. ¡°Sounds like a guide I would read.¡±


    Jin-woo took the time to actually survey the entire area around him. He was in a massive tunnel that gave him the freedom to move as he pleased without being worried about his prodigious size. Even with his spear being as long as he was tall, there was little worry he would hit the ceiling at any point. The torches seemed to be far too spaced out, but somehow they shone with enough brightness to cover more ground than he thought possible.


    Then there were the large bricks that made the walls themselves. Signs of obvious erosion and weathering taking place left them damaged and old, but that wasn¡¯t the oddity here. It was another pattern he picked up on. Every ten or so bricks, he found an identical copy he had seen ten bricks before. As though someone had taken the copy, paste function literally instead of what he expected from the chaos of time. Even the system seemed to agree with his assessment.


    [ANALYSIS ATTEMPT 47: Failed]


    [ATTEMPTING ALTERNATIVE PROCESSING ALGORITHMS¡­]


    [WARNING: Pattern Recognition Systems Experiencing Recursive Errors]


    His muted emotional responses struggled to categorize the environment. Every moment he kept looking, the more this place felt fundamentally wrong. Like trying to run complex software on corrupted hardware. The air itself was simply too fresh, some form of filtration system keeping it clean and breathable instead of the stale toxicity in most blocked off tunnels over a century old. More system messages kept popping up noting further anomalous occurrences and observances his own senses had missed.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    Jin-woo grabbed his long spear, finding comfort in the cold metal.¡°What is this place?¡± He muttered as he strapped the smaller spear onto its spot on his hip.


    A soft chittering echoed through the corridors. A sound he was familiar with living some part of his life in the midwest, but the sound was not right. Too large. It bounced off the stone surfaces in ways that violated basic acoustic principles. Each echo carried fragments of data his system couldn''t quite parse, like trying to read encrypted files without the proper key.


    The system was going haywire trying to understand what was happening around it. Probably an issue he and Demina caused with their mass deletion of corrupted parts and pieces of knowledge. Now it struggled to gather said knowledge.


    Instead of allowing the system interface to take much of his sight when the warnings came, he did some basic work to readjust the interface into something more game-like. A feed on the top left, in much smaller, but readable font was left for the string of error codes and basic notifications he expected to receive. His stats to the top right, and weapons currently in his possession in the bottom right.


    "When the university career counselor suggested I ''think outside the box,''" he smiled, feeling an increased spark of attention adrenaline gave him. His fight or flight system seemed to kick in. "I don''t think this is what they had in mind." A new joke! He hadn¡¯t made that one yet, he felt his creativity expand already.


    [PROBABILITY ASSESSMENT:]


    [SURVIVAL CHANCES: Calculating¡­]


    [ERROR: Insufficient Data]


    [SYSTEM RECOMMENDATION: Update Survival Protocols]


    The chittering grew closer. His system was going haywire trying to recognize what the audio it was receiving was coming from. At some point it crashed and rebooted the process, settling on a classification he did not like, "mechanically organic". A contradiction that sent new error messages scrolling across his vision. The sound seemed to move in coordinated patterns. The system suggested either multiple sources or one source existing in multiple states simultaneously. Both of which sounded terrible.


    Jin-woo took a deep breath, hoping the practice he had been doing the past few days to train his body had bore fruit. The metal rods felt inadequate against whatever lurked in the shadows. But they were all he had to fight with. The sharp spears would have to do. He got into a fighting stance, a thick musky scent permeated the air as they got closer.


    [CHEMICAL ANALYSIS FAILED]


    [RETRYING WITH QUANTUM VARIANCE ALGORITHMS¡­]


    [WARNING: Results Exceed Standard Error Margins]


    The shadows ahead shifted again. Red eyes that blazed within intensity. Animalistic and primal.  Jin-woo prepared himself for whatever horror this Rat King had prepared. Assuming it was rats at least. His system interface hummed with increasing activity, trying to predict and analyze threats it had never been programmed to handle.


    [COMBAT PROTOCOLS INITIALIZING]


    [WARNING: No Baseline Data Available]


    [RECOMMENDATION: Extreme Caution Advised]


    [SYSTEM STATUS: ACTIVE]


    [COMBAT READINESS: UNKNOWN]


    [CURRENT OBJECTIVE: Survive And Analyze]


    ¡°Do they accept dungeon survival manuals for peer review?¡± He asked out loud, attempting to bring any levity into this incredibly dangerous situation. The darkness shifted, the monsters before him preparing for battle. He felt sweat bead down his brows and heart nearly beat out of chest, and yet his mind was clear. His purpose, untainted by human emotion.


    <i>Dang it! The same joke again!</i> He cursed.


    Survive and analyze. That was all there was to it. For now.

 Chapter 18 | Rats! Rats! Rats!

    Rats. They were massive, the size of large dogs. It only took one look under the torchlights to notice that their reality defied natural law. Something far sinister had happened to them than mere existence and growth under perfect conditions.  Surgical scars criss-crossed their bodies, some either oozing pus or leaking blood. Rough incisions and even worse stitching suggested harrowing experiments rather than normal adaptation and leveling up under the system.


    Jin-woo covered his nostrils the second the stench of wet dog and something far more pungent struck him like a punch. He struggled not to recoil. The thought of getting infected if he was cut or bitten made him worried to fight multiple of them by himself. Instead he decided to attempt his luck considering he had no chance of escape.


    The system chimed in before he started his plan of launching his smaller four foot spear, hoping he would hit anything other than stone.


    [HOSTILE ENTITY DETECTED]


    [CLASSIFICATION: Giant Rat (Unnatural) - (F-) Ranked Monster]


    [WARNING: Variant strain detected - Origin unknown]


    [THREAT ASSESSMENT: Calculating...]


    The beady eyed rats didn¡¯t seem to notice him, looking for something. Their massive heads stayed low sniffing methodically at the ground as they moved closer to him. Every step closer they got, the more their sniffing intensified. The system seemed to object to their existence, multiple notifications attempting to classify their unnatural state popped up in his smaller feed, but he ignored them for now. A quick glance was enough to know they were not going to simply walk away or run if they noticed him.


    Their movements froze abruptly, startling Jin-woo. Three pairs of beady eyes locked onto his position, not quite seeing him but guessing that he was there. Their senses were locking onto thim. Bodies stiff. Muscles taunt and sharp teeth became more visible as their snarls grew wider. They charged him without warning. Launching themselves at him with rabies type insanity.


    He threw his four foot spear at them. The lead rat dodged it without missing a beat. He cursed and took a few steps back, leveling his long spear at them.


    Jin-woo felt his heart pound in his chest. And yet his mind maintained its analytical clarity. Every bound and launch towards him was calculated by trajectory.


    He was aware of his lack of experience. There were a hundred flaws in his stance, the way he intended to tackle this whole situation; he didn¡¯t have a real plan. And more others that knew what they were doing could have picked on. But that was beyond the point now.


    The spear in his hands seemed slick with his sweat already. The first rat launched itself at him like some rat missile. Head first attempting to bulldoze him off his feet. He reacted without thinking, bracing himself for the charge and shoulder checking back in response. The Giant Rat smacked into a mountain of muscle braced and was sent careening to the side clearly dazed. He stumbled a step back, cursing himself, the thought of stabbing it in the air crossed his mind too late.


    The second rat nearly took his foot off at the angle as he beat himself mentally for not doing better. Its teeth snapped just above his ankle, he could feel drool on his skin. The stumble plus the clumsy dodge left him in an awkward and uncoordinated position. The two rats worked together to give the third a chance to end it all in one exchange. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Teamwork? Rats aren¡¯t supposed to be that smart. He cursed as the third launched itself at his thighs. Its claws raked at the meaty part, his final heave to get out the way preventing it from being a catastrophe. The ground seemed harder than before as he thudded with full force, struggling to keep his spear in hand as he rushed to get up.


    The thought of deadly infections from even a tiny scratch clear in his mind. He cursed again.


    ¡°Shit!¡± he dodged the second rat as it zipped past him in a kamikaze dive. It had tried to snap its large jaws around his neck, a small enough target for him to make a hasty retreat. This time, though, he made sure to punish them for the reckless attacks.


    His thrusts were wild and uncontrolled exposing his lack of experience. But they were filled with power from his massive body. Each one seemed to disturb the air enough to make a sound as they thudded into its body. Jin-woo would have been pleased with the whoomph and whooshing had he not been preoccupied with surviving rabies infected Giant Rats.


    God. I hope they don¡¯t really have rabies. Without modern medicine that was a horrific way to die, even with his enhanced physical body.


    Through mostly luck rather than skill, he finally impaled the kamikaze biter of the group through the head. The metal rod pierced its skull and flesh, tearing anything in its way without any pause or hitch. It slid out just as quickly. The creature squealed loudly, making the other two pause for a moment. Its voice echoing in the tunnel.


    The victory proved short-lived. The rat he''d basically trucked aside earlier slammed into his back with increased ferocity. It sent him stumbling forward off-balance. The second rat seized the opportunity. It leapt towards his face. He dove forward hoping the momentum would save him. Jin-woo caught a glimpse of yellowed teeth filled with dark spots and filth. Foam that bubbled around the edges of its mouth. Rotting breath that nearly made him gag as its snapping jaws barely missed his head. His mind prevented him from allowing the visceral physical reaction to the stench he got a whiff of.


    Gratitude filled his veins at the changes that occurred to him. Had he been the same person he was, or was more human, death was the only path he had forward against all three.


    He abandoned any pretense of proper technique by that point. Jin-woo began swinging the spear wildly left and right. Hoping to catch them unprepared for his own ferocity. His enhanced strength left deep marks on his attackers. But they kept rising. It was like they felt no pain, immune to its effects. One hobbled on three legs, crawling towards him, while the other didn¡¯t even hesitate to throw itself at him with its jaw hanging loose. A testament to the damage he''d inflicted to them both, yet neither showed any signs of yielding.


    The system continued its clinical assessment nearly costing him his left arm from the elbow:


    [COMBAT ANALYSIS: SUBOPTIMAL]


    [MULTIPLE INJURIES DETECTED]


    [RECOMMENDATION: Adjust attack patterns to maximize efficiency]


    Jin-woo forced himself to focus. A pattern seemed to become more apparent the longer he watched them. They never attacked as single entities. Almost like it was hardwired into them to attack in certain paths. Again, he watched their next coordinated teamwork. Another bulldoze attempt forced him to play defensive or be unprepared for a significant bite or clawing at his legs to incapacitate him.


    The only time they lunged at his face was when he was bowled over or on the ground, otherwise it was always attacking an extremity instead of his chest directly. He could see the benefits of chipping away at him, but these were normal predators or animals infected with rabies tendencies. They were too repetitive and without any development or change if their tactics didn¡¯t work.


    Add onto the fact that they wouldn¡¯t stop unless they suffered debilitating or fatal damage that killed them instantly. Like programs running on corrupted code, they needed a complete shutdown to cease functioning. He turned his attention to the injured rat. Waiting for the sequence to happen again just once so he could take advantage of it.


    This time, he moved right, then struck as the three footed rat lunged at him head first. He stabbed it through its mouth, stopping its momentum a quarter of the way up the spear. It squirmed on the spear as he slammed it down directly in front of his lead foot. The healthy rat jumped back barely dodging his counter.


    ¡°It worked!¡± He laughed as the speared rat twitched before finally going limp. Jin-woo had to step on its body and pull hard to release its weight, keeping an eye on the last healthy rat. Another stab at the ¡®dead rat¡¯ to make sure it wasn¡¯t faking it.

 Chapter 19 | 5xp?!

    The healthy rat pressed its attack with mindless fury. Much unlike his theory suggested, then again, there couldn¡¯t be any teamwork and coordination if there was only one of them. Maybe it had different parameters for when there were different numbers of them. He hadn¡¯t studied their movements as thoroughly as he did when fighting just the two. Surviving had been more of a priority.


    His enhanced body learned from each exchange. Each movement became more efficient despite his fatigue. Every stab weakened his opponent slightly, kiting it until he found the perfect opportunity to stab it through the head. The process was slow but methodical. But he didn¡¯t get off lightly either. Too many close calls where his feet would lose purchase on the ground, he¡¯d miss a deliberate attack, or it powered threw a weaker swing. It left enough scratches and damage on him to leave his pants a bloody mess.


    Again, within the parameters it seemed to have: It never attacked his torso or upper body with claws or teeth except if he was kneeling or on the ground.


    He could feel the blood running down his legs. As though he had been used as a scratching post. He didn¡¯t know how much blood he¡¯d already lost, or why every small scratch seemed to bleed profusely, but his enhanced body took it like a tank. Mentally, he was as clear as day. Like some robotic killing machine missing an arm wouldn¡¯t hesitate for a second to continue the mission it had been given.


    The system interface continued its relentless analysis:


    [DAMAGE ACCUMULATION: Critical]


    [HEMORRHAGING DETECTED]


    [MOBILITY: Reduced By 27%]


    [STAMINA RESERVES: Depleted]


    A lucky strike caught the healthy rat through its mouth as it lunged. The spear''s tip erupted through the back of its skull. Jin-woo kept it pinned on the ground. Even impaled, the creature continued to fight to get a piece of him. It clawed and snapped at the metal shaft forcing itself further up the rod. It kept fighting for several horrifying seconds as blood poured out from its ruined face.


    Finally, it spasmed and went still. Its beady eye¡¯s losing that extreme red glow. Like a processor losing power.


    Jin-woo pulled the spear out, using the same technique he used on the last one. Then he took a few steps away to a clean area and collapsed to his knees. His spear clattered to the side as he stayed there on all fours struggling to breath.  His mind remained sharp, even till that very moment, but his body seemed to scream from a dozen wounds.


    Another of the system''s notifications appeared in his vision. This time it was surrounded by gold and white light:


    [COMBAT CONCLUDED! CONGRATULATIONS!]


    [DAMAGE SUSTAINED: Multiple Lacerations, Potential Infection Risk, Potential Disease Risk, Potential Plague Risk]Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    [EXPERIENCE GAINED: 15 XP (3 Giant Rats ¡Á 5 XP)]


    [NEW SKILL ACQUIRED: Quick Strike (F+)]


    "Fifteen experience points," he wheezed. "Fifteen experience points only. I''m starting to think this system needs serious rebalancing." He laughed as he turned and laid on his back enjoying the moments of peace he knew would be rare.


    Sweat got into his eye, burning him. He tried to rub his face with his shirt, but found it heavy and thoroughly soaked. ¡°Just need to kill fifty more giant machine rats. Easy work.¡±


    He forced himself back to his feet and took a moment to look at his surroundings. The rats¡¯ corpses didn¡¯t disappear. The blood and viscera, and nastiness that they expelled didn¡¯t vanish. The awful oder he had somehow gotten used to did suddenly turn into motes of light and experience. This wasn¡¯t just another RPG game. This was real life and the consequences were just as damning.


    Retrieving his blood-stained spear happened without a thought, his mind busy trying to understand what the hell really just happened. Cleaning the blood off it with his already ruined clothes was another step that he finished inattentively. He poked around the dead bodies for some type of loot, but found nothing instead. There was no real sense of accomplishment, just a desperate struggle for him to survive.


    Jin-woo¡¯s head snapped back towards the tunnel. More chittering and scratching at the stone floor. How many more did he need to go through to get out of this dungeon? Was there an alternate escape route where he didn¡¯t need to fight a horde of giant mechanical rats? He doubted it.


    The system helpfully displayed his remaining health and mana, of which he used none so far but would see decreasing with his new skill. The numbers he read seemed woefully inadequate for what lay ahead. But inadequate resources had never stopped him before. Twenty years of coding had taught him that he would always be forced to work with barely enough to get to the finish line. Too many people trying to cut costs kept the process with just enough resources to not fail spectacularly, but not enough to exceed expectations.


    Even though they demanded it incessantly.


    "I¡¯ll need to test my SystemArchitect ability of Quick Strike. Hopefully I can make it better than an F ranked skill." he muttered as he grabbed the four foot spear he threw like an idiot. "This really wasn''t what I had in mind." The wounds stung, but his mind categorized the pain as just another status effect to monitor, hopefully it would be enough to get him out of here in relative health.


    There were more concerning things than his wounds. If these were the dungeon''s basic enemies, what did mini bosses look like? What about the dungeon boss? Did they follow normal conventions? He didn¡¯t get loot out of the monsters he killed, would there be other things different. What kind of monstrosity would the Rat King itself prove to be? He did not want to find out, but what choice did he have.


    Jin-woo looked back towards where the door had been. It was nothing but solid walls without even the hint of something that would let him out. The door had disappeared. For all he knew, the only way out was to kill the Rat King itself.


    Or was it ¡®himself?¡¯ King¡¯s are male right?


    The sound of skittering grew louder. The sound echoed through the tunnels ahead. Jin-woo straightened his massive frame. His new Quick Strike skill would need testing, assuming he could figure out how to activate it without a user manual. Hopefully he would just encounter another patrol of three and continue to test his ¡®hardwired attack pattern¡¯ theory.


    "Running the scientific method on dungeon monsters," he laughed as the first sniffing rat nose appeared from the darkness. "I should really update my r¨¦sum¨¦."


    Just like the previous, they didn¡¯t seem to notice him, looking for something. Their massive heads stayed low sniffing methodically at the ground as they moved closer to him. This time there were only two.


    He charged at them this time, launching his four foot spear and missing again. Unlike before, he had experience and was determined to end this quickly.

 Chapter 20 | How Many More...?

    Jin-woo stared at the corpse of another Giant Rat. He had lost count of how many he had waded through. Every turn, bend, room, and anything else within the tunnel meant more groups of rats going up to the size of four. And when he fought them, none of the other groups would suddenly appear hearing the battle going on around them. Add on to it that each group number had very specific tactics. Patterns that made them much easier to deal with and eliminate, but it was not a cake walk. They were still a hundred pounds of fury, rage, rotted teeth, and sharp claws. Every tiny mistake cost him in flesh and blood


    He pulled his shorter spear from the dead rat he was staring at. The motion of stepping for leverage and pulling his spears out of corpses had become distressingly familiar. This time, it had been the only time he actually got his starting spear throw to land on a target instead of miss by a mile. His throws and accuracy was so bad, he had yet to get a skill for it even though he was deliberate on practicing it.


    Blood and gore clung to the metal shaft. Jin-woo would have grimaced and gagged at the nastiness like countless times before, but not anymore.


    I¡¯m getting desensitized to all this gruesomeness. Typically he would have made some dry quip to keep his energy up, but not anymore. He was too exhausted to laugh. A testament to the numerous encounters he''d already survived. His system interface tallied another victory in his feed.


    [COMBAT CONCLUDED! CONGRATULATIONS!]


    [DAMAGE SUSTAINED: Multiple Lacerations, Potential Infection Risk, Potential Disease Risk, Potential Plague Risk]


    [EXPERIENCE GAINED: 10 XP (2 Giant Rats ¡Á 5 XP)]


    Every battle had the same notification after. The same damage sustained, same type of experience too. The only thing that was different was the amount he faced and how much experience he received. Which was pitiful. He stared at his level purposefully not attempting to calculate how many rats that counted as. Five experience points per rat was simply ridiculous.


    [CURRENT LEVEL PROGRESS:]


    [LEVEL 2: 90/2000]


    [DAMAGE SUSTAINED: 53%]


    [NOTE: Combat efficiency improving despite fatigue]


    The tunnels twisted endlessly. Jin-woo had begun to worry he was walking in circles and facing monsters that just respawned the second he left their areas. He had turned around and walked back towards his latest fight and found the rats still there dead as he had left them. A group of four that remained nearly as difficult as when he first encountered them. They were far more sophisticated in their attack patterns than the other groups. If he had to guess, they had three variant patterns they used in different situations depending on how he attacked them.


    But he eventually figured them out just like the rest. He could trigger their attack pattern by launching his four foot spear at the lead Giant Rat. This worked like a charm to make them more predictable and prevent any chance of him being caught unaware by a new pattern he had yet to trigger. Once they charged in, he kitted and picked at them until he could take out the most aggressive ones. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Jin-woo wiped sweat from his forehead. "At least they''re considerate enough to help me practice. I could do with less enthusiastic training partners, but beggars can¡¯t be picky." He started to trek forward again, hoping beyond hope that he would find an exit point close. Or at least any form of sustenance.


    Exhaustion crept through his bones by this point. His enhanced body had been taken further than it should ever have had he been more prepared. Hunger and thirst registered, their physical effects present, but not yet critical. His stomach growled again, his needs were becoming more insistent the longer this whole debacle continued. But that was the problem, time had lost all meaning in these torch-lit corridors. He had no clue if he had been in here for a day, or a night, or was it a week? He could feel the need to get some sleep at the edges of his consciousness.


    If only I had my phone. I¡¯d know the time and day without all this bull¨C


    A system notification flickered in his vision:


    [WOULD YOU LIKE TO ENABLE:]


    [TIME?]


    [DATE DISPLAY?]


    [Y/N]


    "Why not?" he sighed, he could already imagine what the issue with this would be. Not that it would affect him in the present, here and now.


    [TIME: 2:33 AM]


    [DATE: 12th of Seedweave, 3811 A.S.F.]


    "Seedweave," he echoed, testing the strange word. "Seedweave. I suppose ¡®January¡¯ or ¡®June¡¯ was too conventional for this reality." He wasn¡¯t even going to attempt to guess at what A.S.F meant.


    Jin-woo tripped.


    He fell face first into the ground in a sprawl of limbs. Spear clattering to the ground. He shot up to his feet lunging for the comfortable feel of the metal in his palm. With a flourish and a spin, sweeping the rod wide around him, he settled into a stance with the spear at the ready. Prepared for war. He waited in his, much improved, posture watching for any minute movement his great vision would catch. There had been a few ambushes by the Giant Rats already, the first and second time had been more than enough for him to never allow it to happen again. He had decimated a group of three the third time, their ambush pattern making them vulnerable to his Quick Strike skill.


    Though the skill disoriented him severely. Luckily, the patterns and tactics ingrained into the Giant Rats made it difficult for them to take advantage of the momentary lull he had.


    The longer he waited, the more confused he got until it clicked in his mind like a church bell. His attention shifted to the ground beneath his feet. The rough-hewn cobblestones abruptly transitioned to smoother tiles. While they were still rough and eroded, they were in far better condition than the broken and destroyed cobblestone ground it had been before. Even the walls showed subtle improvements in their construction. Less weathering, more patterns than the usual fakeness it had been before.


    A deep breath left him even more confused. His enhanced sense detected a shift in the air, the smell was different here too. Most unusual was why it almost smelled like the forest outside the hospital, but not quite right. Something was off. An acidic undertone that made his system interface flutter with uncertainty. A fake of the original, just like the wall patterns, the unnatural rats and their attack patterns, and this sudden change in the tunnel around him.


    He should have smelled the fake natural forest smell of this world far before walking past the new tunnel decor. And yet it hadn¡¯t existed.


    Another notification demanded attention. A stubborn notification that appeared every few moments as long as he was not in combat.


    [5 STAT POINTS AVAILABLE!]


    [ALLOCATION REQUIRED!]


    He had ignored it. The decision was a big one and would decide what his future path would¨C


    [5 STAT POINTS AVAILABLE!]


    [ALLOCATION REQUIRED!]


    Later¨C


    [5 STAT POINTS AVAILABLE!]


    [ALLOCATION REQUIRED!]

 Chapter 21 | I Said "Later!"

    [5 STAT POINTS AVAILABLE!]


    [ALLOCATION REQUIRED!]


    Later¨C


    [5 STAT POINTS AVAILABLE!]


    [ALLOCATION REQUIRED!]


    "Later," he spoke aloud, demanding the system to stop. He wasn¡¯t sure it would listen, instead he kept his focus on the environmental changes. Five stat points were not the end all be all, especially considering the next level would literally need him to kill another four hundred Giant Rats. It could wait until he made an informed decision.


    Jin-wo activated his BasicAnalysis and BasicStoneAnalysis skills. The entire tunnel around him lit up. Much brighter than anything before this. He turned to where the change occurred and could see a night and day difference between the amount of energy between them, the border leaving a stark difference. This did not bode well. Did the significantly more energy/mana mean bigger, stronger, faster, and more ferocious monsters?


    The thought of fighting a two thousand pound rat sent a shiver down his back. But that didn¡¯t stop him from moving forward. His analytical mind stayed clear even when he felt shivers run down his body. It moved regardless of how he felt about the situation. He took deliberate steps, watching the surroundings in case of a trap or ambush.


    Nothing materialized out of thin air. Instead he kept going until he made a sharp turn, a careful and watchful turn, to his left. He paused and stared at a single open doorway a bit in the distance. He looked behind him and found a deadend down the tunnel.


    Jin-woo was suspicious. Very suspicious. Nothing that he had encountered so far had indicated anything other than brutal combat that threatened his life. An endless tide of rats that just kept coming no matter how many he had killed.


    At this point, he should have some sort of title just for how many he had savaged so far without a hint or mercy. Maybe ¡®Rat Destroyer¡¯ or ¡®Bringer of Rat Apocalypse¡¯. He shook his head, neither one sounded good to him. He would need to spend time just thinking on the matter instead of making a whimsical call and having a terrible unnecessarily edgy name.


    He activated his BasicAnalysis and BasicStoneAnalysis skills again. The door radiated with more mana than he had ever seen. It pulsed out of it in slow waves stopping at his feet. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    ¡°Hopefully this is the floor boss so I can get out of here,¡± he muttered to himself as he jogged towards the doorway. He knew that fighting a boss at his current fatigue and damage would probably be a death sentence, but that didn¡¯t matter. Dehydration and starvation were a far more cruel way to go than in the midst of battle against something trying to kill you quickly.


    He got into a lower stance and carefully made his way past the doorway, prepared for any sudden movements. Instead of the battle royal against a massive two ton rat he expected he was met with a large campfire in the center of a large room. The feeling of calmness and peace slammed into him like a truck. Another fake oddity of this place he simply wrote down in his massive list of anomalies he had already recorded.


    It was large enough to comfortably house fifteen or more people with space for privacy. Long logs were placed around the large campfire for people to sit around. Stones made the fire pit with an endless flame that had no visible fuel source. Otherwise it was bare of anything else. No monsters, no rats, no new twisting tunnels and even the pattern on the floors and walls were different. It was a stark contrast to the dreary tunnels he had been in the entire time.


    [CONGRATULATIONS!]


    [YOU HAVE REACHED A SAFE ROOM!]


    [No monster will accost you here!]


    Jin-woo closed his eyes and grabbed the Earth Power Stone. At some point, he had begun to use it as a mental crutch to keep him steady and calm after battles. Its smooth and warm exterior left an incredible feeling throughout his entire body. Like a squeezable ball. Just with the ability to rend him into pieces if he made the mistake of integrating it without preparation and understanding of what he was getting into.


    That was another problem he had. How was he supposed to know exactly what he needed and how to use them? If he made even a tiny¨C


    ¡°Calm,¡± He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. All these difficult thoughts later. Now just accept some rest.


    He allowed the fake sense of calmness and peace to stack on top and settle into his limbs, giving himself a hit of relaxed nerves he didn¡¯t know he was craving. His strained emotions and mind needed this break, severely. His body ached from countless wounds, and anything not cut up was covered in bruising. Even his face had not been left unaffected. But, his body had already begun its healing process. It was far improved compared to normal people.


    While he still had the majority of his cuts from the past few battles, his sustained damage from the first few fights to the middle of the enormous amount he already fought had scabbed over. Even the larger more urgent cuts he needed to wrap with ripped parts from his shirt had turned into scars. That had been a great fear. One that was dispelled with much relief.


    Jin-woo allowed himself to lay down next to the logs, towards the campfire. Its warm heat was another comfort that eased his mind further. For the first time in what felt like ages he could finally get a little bit of sleep without the worry of being mauled by a horde of rats. He took advantage of it without another moment of thought.


    Falling asleep faster than he could finish settling into a snug position.

 Chapter 22 | Stiff As A Board!

    Jin-woo woke up sore. Unusually sore.


    Everything was either stiff as a board, or hurt to move. His whole back, legs, arms, chest, neck, and other areas he didn¡¯t even know that could get sore. There were parts of his shoulder that felt like it would simply fall off if he pulled hard enough.


    But that wasn¡¯t the only new discovery he made.


    He started stretching, testing his body. All his injuries had been healed miraculously. He assumed it was one of two things that resulted in the sudden health and lack of bleeding cuts. The first was as simple as his body¡¯s regenerative properties kicking up to overdrive when he had fallen completely to sleep and entered deep REM stages providing him with a consistent way to keep himself going in the slog of this dungeon. The second was a combination of his natural healing processes, the ones he noted previously, and the effects of the safe room. Their combo allowing him the ability to heal much faster than he could imagine.


    Activating both analysis skills did not shed any light around what the answer could have been. But he wasn¡¯t about to complain. He could feel energy course through him, the mental and physical fatigue and lethargy were gone. It was like he had not fought what felt like an endless number of Giant Rats


    ¡°Woah¡­¡± Jin-woo exclaimed, finally getting a good look at the inside of the room using his analysis skills. A massive barrier of energy surrounded the room, touching all the edges and leaking out of the doorway slightly. Complex patterns of code seemed to flash randomly throughout the entire thing. Just the ones he saw made the system start spamming errors and ¡®unrecognizable code¡¯ warning messages.


    His Earth Power Stone seemed to hum in his pocket in response to all the system messages and the flashing code. It was warm to the touch, but not in a bothersome way. Comfortable.


    I won¡¯t get a better chance to ¡®integrate¡¯ the power stone than now. That and leveling. He had been worried that applying the stat points or attempting to modify and integrate the power stone would result in him forcefully being comatose for long durations of time. The danger of being eaten alive in his sleep were too real for him to even suggest doing it in such a dangerous place.


    But here was different. As long as he didn¡¯t have a time limit in the room, he could accomplish both tasks and take his time studying the options. The only thing that really limited him was the growing need for food and water. He didn¡¯t take with him any of the military-grade biscuits, not expecting it to take this long searching through tunnels for a way out. If only he had known.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Jin-woo pulled out the power stone, studying how unremarkable it looked. Just another stone, but what was inside was so much more. He allowed himself to peak past the curtains that covered the system codes that made up the majority of its function and power. He reeled back in shock at the sheer complexity and size. Its structure beyond what he could handle at the moment in its whole. Mathematical impossibilities seemed to be as common as dirt here.


    His work with Demina had been the only path he had in order to accomplish something beyond the most basic comforts such as making his system status and notification more palatable. Actual change that could help him grow stronger than the original purpose of what he received. Without her help, much of what he had seen and dealt with during the corruption crisis was quite frankly beyond anything he could work with.


    Even with an enhanced mind and body like his. Languages that simply exceeded anything a human mind could attempt to wrap their head around.


    His attempts at understanding triggered a cascade of notifications. He scrolled for nearly an hour reading and trying to understand what was being told to him by the system. Eventually, Demina stepped in and translated the text into something far more palatable and easier to digest. Her work was invaluable to him. If only there was a way to let her know that he appreciated her.


    [MODIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:]


    [MANA COST: 300]


    [MODIFICATION COST: Rare Earth Crystal (Basic) x2]


    [STABILIZATION COST: Rare Earth Crystal (Basic) x1]


    [INTEGRATION TIME: 2 hours]


    [WARNING: Modification without stabilization resources may result in catastrophic failure]


    "Of course. Can nothing in this reality be as simple as a standard software update?"


    Jin-woo had to curse as he continued to study the Earth Power Stone with growing fascination. The limit of his mental strength was reading, with the help of Demina¡¯s translations, the smallest parts individually creating an overall picture for himself. It was slow and grueling work that would take him ages at this rate, but without any recourse due to the limits of his mana, he was stuck with this.


    He could already feel his mana pool teetering dangerously low after long hours of research and dedication. He recognized his need for further rest before he set out further in search for ¡®Rare Earth Crystals¡¯ of the basic variety


    Demina continued her assessment of his chances:


    [POWER STONE ANALYSIS:]


    [INTEGRATION COMPLEXITY: Extreme]


    [CURRENT RESOURCES: Insufficient]


    [RISK ASSESSMENT: Fatal]


    "Two hours for integration," he turned the stone around in his palm. "Plus resources I don''t have, for modifications I barely understand." The stone pulsed softly, as if responding to his touch. He continued to frown at the implications and his need to go through with it in order not to die to anything above the F rank. He couldn¡¯t even imagine what a D or even E rank would look like if he struggled this much with some rats.


    He pocketed the Earth Stone, it would be some time before he could put some work towards it.

 Chapter 23 | Stiff As A Board! Part 2

    Jin-woo settled against the log he slept next to. He allowed his enhanced frame a moment of mental rest. The fire''s warmth reached him, but now that he had a chance to really watch it, it left an itch in his brain. Something about the perpetual nature and lack of fuel source. How the flames danced the same exact way without any variation. Another anomaly he refused to study and look at, instead all he did was record it into his ¡®anomalous notes¡¯ section and turned a blind eye to it. There were far more important matters to use his mental energies than something he figured he wouldn¡¯t solve without proper tools.


    Important matters such as reviewing his situation in hopes of figuring something he had missed.


    "Let''s review the situation," he said aloud, hoping that vocalizing his thoughts would bring him some inspiration."I''m trapped in an alien body, in a dungeon full of mutated rats, trying to understand magical stones using coding and debugging protocols." Then he repeated it three more times. And yet nothing miraculous happened. No new ground breaking ideas. No sudden remembering about how to get out. Nothing worth the effort or time.


    Dr. Chen would definitely say this counts as karma.


    [5 STAT POINTS AVAILABLE!]


    [ALLOCATION REQUIRED!]


    The system must have noticed he was no longer preoccupied. It began its stream of¨C


    [5 STAT POINTS AVAILABLE!]


    [ALLOCATION REQUIRED!]


    [5 STAT POINTS AVAILABLE!]


    [ALLOCATION REQUIRED!]


    [5 STAT POINTS AVAILABLE!]


    [ALLOCATION REQUIRED!]


    "I get it!" he shouted as another four notifications popped up. "I need a user manual about optimal stat distribution."


    C¡¯mon Demina! He waited with baited breath. After a few moments of silence, he allowed his shoulders to sag. She was already pulling her weight; he just hoped for better options than his generalized understanding of the stats. Considering there were hidden stats he could unlock, he had no clue what would be the most efficient method, or the most effective method to maximize every single stat point.


    His decisions carried weight he didn¡¯t want to handle yet. Each point represented a potential survival advantage in future encounters. The rats had taught him harsh lessons about the importance of both offensive and defensive capabilities. Worse yet was his inability to use his Mana as an offensive tool as well.


    [STATUS:]Stolen story; please report.


    [LEVEL 2: 90/2000]


    [STRENGTH: 16]


    [AGILITY: 11]


    [VITALITY: 10]


    [INTELLIGENCE: 25 (+15)]


    [SPIRIT: 12 (+2)]


    [MANA: 1432/1600]


    [AVAILABLE STAT POINTS: 5]


    [SKILLS TAB: SELECT TO EXPAND]


    [ADDITIONAL STAT TYPES UNAVAILABLE CURRENTLY]


    "I don''t suppose this dungeon has a marketplace for rare crystals?" he asked the flame. It crackled in response, but otherwise did nothing else.


    Jin-woo studied his status screen with the same intensity he''d applied to studying the matrix of codes that was the Earth Stone. Each stat point represented survival potential in this hostile environment. Each one gave a generic description when prompted similar to what he received from the Spirit stat a while back. But otherwise, it still left him in a difficult spot.


    Eventually, he was forced to make a decision based on what he¡¯d seen in combat. While it wasn¡¯t much overall, it was better than the random guess he was about to commit to. After witnessing how the rats had shrugged off non-lethal wounds, his choices became clearer. He could have gone for more mana, but his SystemArchitect skill was currently limited to resources he wasn¡¯t sure he would ever find. For all he knew, they could be the rarest items on the planet.


    Strength didn¡¯t help him much in his fights with the smaller faster monsters he¡¯d been fighting. His every stab and swing was devastating already to them. While agility and spirit were both viable options, he considered a simple fact. He was not willing to become a glass cannon. Point and simple. He¡¯d seen how things always seem to go wrong, even when the rats were forced into attack patterns without variation when forcefully prompted. If he became some min-maxed hyper focused build, he¡¯d end up dead from an ambush before he could fulfil his potential.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like this,¡± He whispered to himself, but understood why it needed to be done. Demina gave her opinion on the matter as well:


    [STATUS ASSESSMENT:]


    [CURRENT LEVEL: 2]


    [AVAILABLE POINTS: 5]


    [PRIORITY: Combat survivability]


    "Vitality it is," he decided. Eyes focused on the numbers change. "I¡¯m hoping that minimal recovery boost is more than barebones." The number climbed, promising greater resilience against the horrors that awaited. But Jin-woo still felt unsatisfied. Leveling should be better, more dopamine, more ecstasy, right? Instead it was a necessity that he required in order to survive.


    He had applied four points into Vitality and one into Agility.


    Jin-woo took off his leather torso armor. It was pretty much a mess of massive holes and cuts. Only being held up by a single strap on his shoulder. Without any source of resources, water, or anything to help clean them, he was stuck with the scraps of clothes he had. He placed it in the fire for a few moments until he could see the beginnings of it burning. The smell was awful, but he had been through worse already with the horrible odor that wafted off the rats.


    His system interface flickered with updated parameters:


    [VITALITY INCREASED] x5


    [Damage resistance improved]


    [Regeneration rate enhanced]


    [Overall durability strengthened]


    [AGILITY INCREASED] x1


    [Movement speed enhanced]


    [Reaction time improved]


    [Combat flexibility strengthened]


    [Overall coordination refined]


    Jin-woo waited but nothing happened. Wasn¡¯t there supposed to be a noticeable change? He got up and started to jog and sprint checking if his agility had gotten better, but was left disappointed.


    On the other hand, how was he supposed to test if his vitality actually got better? He wasn¡¯t going to cut himself, that was forsure. He was stuck on an impasse that he couldn¡¯t¨C


    He dropped like a sack of bricks. Consciousness fading. Jin-woo fought to stay awake or get up. Or move anything at all. He was paralyzed.


    No! No! No¨C


    [SYSTEM UPDATE!]


    [CONGRATULATIONS ON INCREASED STATS]


    [APPROXIMATE TIME: 8h:39m:12s]


    [WARNING: Find a safe and comfy area!]


    ¡­

 Chapter 24 | Poison Rat...?

    Jin-woo had been moving through the tunnels for the past few hours after waking up. The system had somehow knocked him out and applied the stat boost without any warning at all. That left him constantly thinking about two very important things. The first and foremost was how happy he was about waiting. His guess had been correct in assuming a full reboot was necessary inorder to apply whatever upgrades they were giving him. Had he been out in the tunnels, he suspected death would already have gotten a hold of him.


    The second and more concerning was how the system was capable of knocking him out without his final input. Yes, he had clicked apply to the stats change, but there had to be a final warning notification for it. What if he had been in battle? Or what if the system turned rogue due to a hidden virus he had yet to find. Would it be capable of killing him or forcing his body into a coma state without any chance to fight back?


    But that was in the back of his mind.


    Something was wrong in this area. The giant rats he killed acted weird, almost like they were drunk. They still attacked him with furious intent, but they were as coordinated and without real patterns to use. While that meant they were easier to pick off individually, it made the unpredictability harder to manage them in larger groups of four.


    The issue was the experience remained the same, hinting that nothing should have changed. Even his system didn¡¯t seem to find anything different with them.


    But there was more to it.


    Jin-woo felt the humidity rise before his system interface flickered with a notification. Only a couple turns and already it was suffocating to run or fight hard. The air grew thick and seemed to wrap something around his lungs making his breathing harder. And yet, his enhanced body powered through it through the boost of his vitality and already prodigious power.


    The change was a stark contrast to the dry stone he had wadded through for the longest time. His senses could detect shifts in temperature, air pressure, and something else, something that made his system stutter with uncertainty.


    [ENVIRONMENTAL ANOMALY DETECTED]


    [HUMIDITY LEVELS: 87% AND RISING]


    [WARNING: UNSUITABLE CONDITIONS FOR STANDARD OPERATIONS]


    Another anomaly added to the long list he was compiling.


    He kept going forward, eyes looking for any new points of interest or attempted ambushes. Instead, it was completely clear, twists and turns, lefts and rights. Nothing new or different for longer than he expected. Usually, every turn meant a new group. Nothing changed until he reached a doorway into another room. From a distance he glimpsed rainfall or raindrops from what had to be a massive room.


    I wasn¡¯t until he got close enough to step in did he get a glimpse at what it was. The tunnel opened into a vast chamber that defied the dungeon''s established architecture. Ancient trees lined the edges, their massive trunks disappearing into the darkness above. Leaving only a path, albeit very wide, clear of obstruction. The top of the trees disappeared into the darkness that coated the ceiling. Massive trunks with red streaks running down them, equally gargantuan roots that wove through the walls and stone floors like thread. Seamlessly creating a vast forest ecosystem that could hide multiple groups of enemies within its bowels. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Water dripped steadily from somewhere above in the darkness of the ceiling. It turned into vapor as soon as it touched the ground, not leaving a single puddle or wet spot. A light mist circulated around the area, clearly dodging the extremely wide path that wound between the trees. The rainfall echoed like an orchestra. The scene before him was stunning, beautiful in ways he couldn¡¯t explain. And yet, it was all wrong. Another damn anomaly.


    His BasicAnalysis skill hummed to life.


    [ANALYSIS COMPLETE: Bloodweep Trees]


    [CLASSIFICATION: Unnatural - Non-Monstrous]


    [WARNING: Anomalous Growth Patterns Detected]


    [NOTE: Species Exhibits Impossible Biological Characteristics]


    "Bloodweep trees," he whispered to himself. "You couldn¡¯t pay me to test if they sucked blood.¡±


    That was ominous enough to keep him on edge. Jin-woo would refuse to walk through what was clearly an ambush, or maybe even multiple ambushes, yet it was the only path forward. Maybe after clearing the room he could search for some fruits¡­?


    ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s not happening.¡± The thought of attempting to eat anything these trees produced was a non factor entirely.


    His mechanical process of thinking about things recognized danger, but it struggled to generate an appropriate amount of fear. Instead, it cataloged facts with precision, instantly adding onto his notes. More oddities he noticed as he carefully walked down the path. Things like the way the roots avoided the central path with unnatural purpose and created very convenient hiding spots along its widening course. Or how the water that dripped from above seemed to abstract his view when he was one-hundred percent sure that it shouldn''t have with how light it was.


    This was the perfect makings of an elite ambush. One that Jin-woo was walking directly into on purpose. He moved with careful purpose, body tense enough to react in a second. This could have been the perfect spot to test his vitality, but the risks outweighed the benefits. It would be tested thoroughly during battle anyways. The droplets pitter pattered on him leaving him soaking wet and his metal rod slippery in his palms.


    He had to pause and rip a piece of his shirt and wrap his spear to his right hand. The risk of losing his only weapon with reach was not a chance he was willing to take. Yes, the four foot spear would do okay, but its size made it too risky and required he get uncomfortably close to the balls of rage and insanity. The further he walked in the more deliberate the design seemed.


    He was right, kind of. Jin-woo watched as a group of four Giant rats seemed to be huddled around¡­ nothing. Acting busy¡­? He took a few steps closer, getting the four foot spear ready to throw. Once he calculated he was near enough, he launched it, slipping out of his hand. The slick metal causing him to miss bad as it clattered to the side.


    The rats turned around towards him.


    What¡­? That gave Jin-woo pause. Their pattern protocol should have been forced to initiate. All four should have charged at him, headless of the danger and began their coordinated assault. Two launching themselves like missiles and the other two swiping at his feet to slow him down. And yet, they only surveyed him.


    It took a moment before the Giant Rats began to snarl at him. Slowly approaching like predators.


    A flash of sickly green movement caught his eye. His caution proved right. His experience within the dungeon had taught him to trust his peripheral vision.


    He dove instinctively. A glob of something viscous and green sailed through the air where he had been moments ago. It splattering against the stone floors, splashing. The droplets that caught his shirt sizzled and burned through the fabric instantly. It caused his system to go haywire sending a multitude of warnings of poison and acid down his feed. He jumped to his feet and looked hard to find whatever it was.


    He caught a glimpse of  a smaller rat with faded green on the tips of its head fur, almost like a mohawk. Though it was dwarfed by its Giant Rat counterparts, it was still a large thing. The size of a big medium sized dog. Its eyes glowed with an unnatural green light. Green viscous acid or venom dripped out of its maw like drool causing hissing smoke to rise from the tree trunks.


    [HOSTILE ENTITY DETECTED]


    [CLASSIFICATION: Poison Rat (Unnatural) - (F+) Ranked Monster]


    [WARNING: Highly Toxic Substance Detected]


    [THREAT LEVEL: Calculating¡­]

 Chapter 25 | Face Full Of Acid?!

    The attack came with devastating coordination. The Four Giant Rats rushed him without any heed to their health. Their movements synchronized with an efficiency that sent error messages cascading across his vision. These weren''t the somewhat predictable patterns he''d grown accustomed to. This was something else entirely. Each one was covering for the other in a complex design that forced him to be open to another viscous, poison, acid attack.


    His body moved purely on instinct. While deflecting and dodging, he desperately struggled to keep the poison rat in a position it couldn¡¯t attack from. Where previous groups had shown basic pack tactics, these creatures moved like components in a well-oiled machine. There was more complexity to their movement, but it was only a matter of time until his mind and the help of Demina figured out what it was.


    They just needed to buy more of it until then.


    Jin-woo dove right, barely dodging another blob of green. This one splattered on one of the giant rats, the sizzling and bubbling of flesh loud against the constant rainfall. The rat could barely move, and yet, it continued its march towards him attempting to complete the coordinated attacks without a moment''s worry for its health.


    At least that¡¯s the same. He fought in a semicircle, legs wide trying to keep his balance on the unexpectedly slippery floor. The rain turned to vapor as soon as it touched the ground, and yet it left the stone pathway precarious to fight on. The Giant rats had no such qualms, unfortunately. Their large claws dug and scraped against the floor.


    His plan was simple. Force the injured rat to the front and use it as a living shield to continue to stack damage on the other three, leaving all of them incapable of using their agility against him.


    The only wrench in the whole plan was the poison rat. It kept disappearing within the thick root system, making it near impossible to guess where it would suddenly pop out from. All he knew was it could only come from the left side of the path. And he adjusted to that fact. Forcing the fight closer to the right side of the massive path, hoping it would force it out in order to reach him with its poison spit.


    Jin-woo swept the slick spear in a wide arc, clipping another of the rats on the leg, cutting deep. It gave him a moment to breathe as the Giant Rats began another coordinated assault with a different pattern he wasn¡¯t familiar with.


    He felt his mind attempt to generate appropriate concern. Five rats, four giants and one poisonous. All moving with impossible coordination in a chamber that shouldn''t exist. The water continued to drip from above in a rhythmic cadence like some boss music. The massive trees left shadows in the unplaceable light sources.


    "I don''t suppose any of you would be interested in peaceful negotiations?" he asked, adjusting his grip on his weapon. The wrap had come loose. The rats answered with synchronized snarls that echoed off the ancient stones. ¡°I guessed not.¡±


    It was time to start using his (Quick Strike) skill. With two pretty much incapacitated, he had the luxury of using his ability without worry it would leave him open to a counter or running out of mana.


    He danced around further away from where the poison rat was hiding, it had tried to launch globs of poison at him, but the path was simply too wide for it to reach him or the Giant Rats. The thought of using its distance against it and forcing its splashes onto the rats had come up, but he quickly threw it out. This wasn¡¯t a game. A single mistake could cost him his life in a very likely agonizing death. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    [THREAT ANALYSIS ACTIVE]


    [MULTIPLE HOSTILES DETECTED]


    [WARNING: POISON DAMAGE IMMINENT]


    [RECOMMENDATION: PRIORITIZE ELIMINATION OF TOXIC THREAT]


    ¡°Yeah. I know,¡± he lunged forward.


    Activating his (Quick Strike) skill was a trippy experience. Even at such a low level, combined with his physical prowess, the sudden speed and distortion of light around him still got to him. It made aiming difficult considering he had kept it as a trump card instead of abusing it. It was a battle ender, not a battle starter he convinced himself. That led to not enough attempts at practice.


    His spear shot forward and slammed into one of the healthy Giant Rat¡¯s head. Without the worry of the others countering, he was free to kill the closest big threat without much struggle. It barely grazed it, leaving a massive hole that dripped with brain matter and blood. Bits and pieces of flesh, skin, and skull splattered onto the ground behind it.


    Jin-woo frowned in distaste. Seeing brain matter splatter like that still left a disgusting sickness in his stomach. He could almost taste it.


    ¡°Shit!¡± The moment of distraction had cost him. The poison rat had darted out from behind a root when he had activated the skill.


    The poison rat took that very moment to sneak attack him. His momentary pause and disgust at the brain matter dripping out of the rat''s head gave it a chance to get close enough and spit a glob of acidic poison directly at his face.


    Jin-woo screamed and tried to dodge. Pain tore at his face and chest. Green venom dripped from his cheeks down to his jaw and some sloshed under his shirt and burned his chest.


    ¡°Ah!¡± his eyes turned red. The pain was unbearable.


    [CHEMICAL BURN DETECTED]


    [AFFECTED AREA: FACIAL TISSUE]


    [TOXIN ANALYSIS INITIATING...]


    [WARNING: UNKNOWN COMPOUND DETECTED]


    ¡°Ah!¡± His vision focused. It consumed his body and yet his mind was still clear.


    [CHEMICAL BURN DETECTED]


    [AFFECTED AREA: FACIAL TISSUE]


    [TOXIN ANALYSIS INITIATING...]


    [WARNING: UNKNOWN COMPOUND DETECTED]


    ¡°Ah¡­?!¡± The pain began to recede. His mechanical self showing the other side of the coin, it had been a blessing, and now it was turning into a curse.


    [CHEMICAL BURN DETECTED]


    [AFFECTED AREA: FACIAL TISSUE]


    [TOXIN ANALYSIS INITIATI¨C/[{]}\


    }


    }


    }


    /


    \


    {


    {


    {


    [EMERGENCY OVERRIDE SUGGESTED!]


    [SUGGESTED PAIN THRESHOLDS: Below Regular Parameters]


    }


    }


    /


    \


    {


    {


    [EMERGENCY PROTOCOLS ENGAGED: 1A,332C,019PoLB]


    [INITIATING NECESSARY PRESERVATION]


    [PAIN SUPPRESSION ALGORITHMS ACTIVATED]


    [STABILIZING NEURAL PATTERNS...]


    Demina! He felt himself lose his identity. He knew this would be the end of who he was on a level he could never recover from. It was a literal system reboot. Deleting anything that he was or had been and turning him into a completely lifeless husk or robot.


    [ERROR DETECTED!]


    [ERR¨C...ROR¡­ ER¨C


    ```


    {


    PROTOCOL_OVERRIDE_PRIME:


    <ul><li>{survival_state_initiated} </li></ul>


    Combat_Matrix_Destabilizing


    WARNING: Conscious control suspended


    ERROR: Limitation protocols disengaged


    CORRUPT_FLESH = healing[suppression_active]


    WARNING: Recovery protocols pending[mandatory]


    THREAT_ELIMINATION = priority[maximum]


    <ul><li>{system_integrity_compromised} </li></ul>


    Reality_Parameters_Exceeded


    CAUTION: Extended activation will result in permanent neural damage


    ERROR: Recovery time scaling[exponential_rate]


    // not for too long¡­


    }


    ```


    [ ¨COR¡­ERROR RESOLVED!]


    [PROTOCOL ACTIVE: THREAT ELIMINATION PRIORITY]


    [PAIN SUPPRESSION: MAXIMUM]


    [STRENGTH LIMITERS: DISENGAGED]


    [EMOTIONS SUPPRESSION/AUGMENTATION: MAXIMUM AUGMENTATION 3A,FFA8]


    [CAUTION: RECOVERY PERIOD REQUIRED POST-ACTIVATION]


    [WARNING: EXTENDED USE MAY RESULT IN SYSTEM DAMAGE]

 Chapter 26 | Withdrawal

    Jin-woo let out a long deep breath. He touched his face, wiping some of the goop mixed with his blood. He could see the tips of his fingers burn and melt from the residue. The odor would have crippled him had his mind not locked everything out. The pain was gone. The shock and sheer terror of his face burning by acid had faded. But it was still dripping off his face.


    He gulped. Something bubbled in his chest, it urgently pleaded to be released. But he held it back for now, his mind attempting to make sense of what was going on. What had Demina done? It was difficult to put complex thoughts together. He knew the hints were there and with a clear mind, he would have figured it out within a few moments, but for some reason it felt impossible at the moment. Everything was just foggy and distant; just at the tip of his tongue.


    The last healthy Giant Rat launched itself at him. It lunged with maw, filled with teeth, and opened to snap around his face. He caught it in the air, forearm in its mouth. The thing snapped, clawed, and chewed on his arm. The sound of its teeth grating against his bones seemed to echo in his mind as it tore flesh. The sound was similar to what he would if he closed his ears and tried to speak. The blood dripped and mixed with the residue of the acidic poison around his frame.


    [CHEMICAL BURN DETECTED]


    [AFFECTED AREA: FACIAL TISSUE]


    [LARGE LACERATION DETECTED]


    [AFFECTED AREA: LEFT FOREARM]


    [...]


    His vision began to blur and darken. The remaining rats moved to surround him in slow motion. Even the poison rat had gained more courage and crept even closer than before. Whether it was the toxins or what Demina had accomplished, but he couldn¡¯t feel his body at all. He was controlling a game character, it felt like, just as distant as his thoughts.


    The only thing that was a constant presence was the flame that threatened to break free from his chest. It had grown from an insistent and urgent plea, to a force too great for him to contain the longer he denied it.


    Each breath drew more of the poisonous creature''s sickly-sweet stench into his lungs. It smelled like death. He would have been nauseous had he had the ability to feel disgust or any form of it. But only cold calculations ran through his mind. With a heavy kick, he launched the rat attached to his arm away. The battle had just started, and he intended to finish it.


    The system continued its relentless analysis:


    [PHYSICAL STATUS DETERIORATING]


    [MULTIPLE SYSTEM WARNINGS ACTIVE]


    [COMBAT EFFECTIVENESS: REDUCED BY 61%]


    [RECOMMENDATION: IMMEDIATE TACTICAL WITHDRAWAL]


    "Withdrawal,¡± He tasted the word. The flame that had risen to his throat seemed to resent the thought of any type of retreat. There was only one path forward, and it was the immediate and utter destruction of anything before him. There was no other recourse. Death to him or death to his enemies. One or the other had to occur and soon.


    Jin-woo groaned as he allowed the flames to be released. Unsure of what was about to happen to him. But he trusted Demina.


    He shook as something filled his blood vessels and made him feel like he was about to burst in a gory mess. Eyes bulging, skull too small for his brain, heart beat so loud he feared it would destroy his ear drums. And a hundred other sensations he chose to ignore, a bad habit he had developed. Instead, he allowed it full freedom. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Aah!¡± He roared like some maniac. Rage flooded his mind.


    The rats took a step back. Confusion hit their sensors at the new stimulus.


    ¡°Aah!¡± Hate dripped from his being.


    [NEW ABILITY MANIFESTED:]


    [CRIMSON MADNESS (E+)]


    [WARNING: Override protocols detected in core systems]


    ¡°Aah!¡± All he could see was red.


    And then, it all became a single blur. Things happened, rats shrieked, Jin-woo continued to bellow like some mad creature. Lots of blood and snapping jaws.


    Then darkness was all that remained.


    Peaceful bliss.


    <hr>


    [COMBAT CONCLUDED]


    [EXPERIENCE GAINED: 65 XP]


    [9 Giant Rats (5 XP each) + 2 Poison Rat (10 XP)]


    [PROGRESS TO NEXT LEVEL: MINIMAL]


    [NEW SKILL ACQUIRED: CRIMSON MADNESS (E+)]


    "Sixty-five experience points?" Jin-woo stared at the notification. He had expanded it from the small feed to cover most of his vision and just reread it for what felt like ages.


    Another day, another moment he had nearly died for literally a pittance of experience points and more importantly survival. This wasn¡¯t mentioning the part where he had his face melted off in the most agonizing way possible. If he ever got out of here, there was no chance in hell that he would be found back in a dungeon. Maybe live his life in some farming village with a beautiful wife and a bunch of kids. Or maybe become a rich merchant and have four wives and a bunch of concubines instead and enough children to start three whole football teams.


    Anything at all other than be found in another dungeon.


    He reached out and touched his face. He could feel the skin had mostly healed, but there was going to be scarring. Even with the enhanced body and increased vitality, escaping a bottle worth of acidic venom directly to the face without a mark was impossible. He just hoped it wasn¡¯t bad enough to prevent his chances of getting his dream of wife, or wives, and kids.


    Laughter escaped him. Hysterical laughter at the state he was in. Getting up helped none as he fell back into the gore and blood of a bunch of enemies he had apparently ripped into bits and pieces. His stomach hurt, forcing him to curl into himself. Lungs and sides burned as he took massive gulps of air.


    ¡°Sixty-five experience points was all I got for burning my face off.¡± He surveyed the treeline. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose there''s a ¡®skip tutorial¡¯ option for this dungeon?¡± He waited for a second hoping for a response. The eerie forest around him did not respond. ¡°I guessed not.¡±


    There was no other option other than to move forward. He cursed the dungeon, all the rats that kept attacking him like rabid creatures, and whoever this rat king was. He had bled and suffered too much already, and he refused to allow this go unpunished. Why he was so adamant to return the misery and pain he had experienced, he wasn¡¯t so sure. But he would be damned if he didn¡¯t do it.


    Ten fold. No! A hundred fold!


    He got up and allowed the rain to wet all the dirt, grime, blood, and other things he didn¡¯t even want to think about. Cleaning himself was the next step, and it was a task he would need to spend a great deal of time on if he was right about how filthy he was at the moment. It was as if he had bathed himself in the blood of his enemies. Considering the ominous name of the new skill he had received, that may have been what had happened. Jin-woo didn''t even want to imagine what had happened.


    [NEW SKILL ACQUIRED: CRIMSON MADNESS (D-)]


    [Activates when pain and damage thresholds reach negative status.]


    [Activates when mental break thresholds reach negative status.]


    [Activates when external system interference is detected.]


    [Activates when mind is attacked and left undefended. Encases mind in Crimson Matrix for Protection.]


    [Activates when soul is attacked and left undefended. Encases soul in Crimson Matrix for Protection.]


    [Activates¡­]


    It left vague statements on what would activate his new skill. Each line worse than the other, hinting at horrific monsters that could destroy his mind and far more savage things. But, this was good. As long as he was here by himself, he wouldn¡¯t need to worry about harming those that were his allies and friends. A last chance for survival in case everything went wrong again in this damned place.


    Jin-woo headed back towards the safe room after a long and difficult time cleaning himself. He drank his full of raining water, doing his best not to think of any bacteria or parasites that may exist in the air. Collected his weapons, of which his seven foot spear had been bent in at least four different spots, but oddly had no acidic damage on it.


    Then he fell back asleep where he had been the night before. Exhaustion still rested deep in his muscles and bones making it very easy for his eyes to shut down. Hoping his rest wouldn¡¯t respawn the poison rats.

 Chapter 27 | Boss Fog Barrier

    Jin-woo stared at the gaseous barrier before him. Fog danced in a deep silver color, its ethereal surface rippling like static on an old monitor. It made it impossible to see into the room it blocked. He had just left a second safe room behind him as he temporarily used the sanctuary recovering from an endless slog of battle and injuries. His reflection in the misty wall revealed a face he still struggled to recognize, even with the new face he had.


    Now made more alien by the acid scars that carved a path from his left cheek to jaw. The poison rat''s legacy, written in flesh. He allowed his status page to pop up.


    [STATUS:]


    [LEVEL 2: 1200/2000]


    [STRENGTH: 16]


    [AGILITY: 12]


    [VITALITY: 15]


    [INTELLIGENCE: 25 (+15)]


    [SPIRIT: 12 (+2)]


    [MANA: 1432/1600]


    [AVAILABLE STAT POINTS: ]


    [SKILLS TAB: SELECT TO EXPAND]


    [ADDITIONAL STAT TYPES UNAVAILABLE CURRENTLY]


    How many rats had he killed by this point? Was there any point in trying to calculate all the battles and endless wading through blood and filth? Probably not.


    "This has to be it." his hands tightened around his warped and bent spears. Both no longer had their straight forms, but bent left and right like a tree branch. "This had to be the boss room.¡± Salvation. Getting out of this place alive was just a single battle away. All he had to do was walk in and kill whatever monstrosity called that place home.


    Jin-woo didn¡¯t really care about the game mechanics. The fog was just an afterthought to the ability to finally get out of this meat grinder of a place.


    The scars on his body ached in agreement. Cuts, chemical burns, bites, and a ton of other types of damage that his enhanced healing and vitality could not heal entirely. He guessed that the majority of them were fatal and would have led to his imminent demise had he not placed points into his vitality. Each mark was a story and lesson learned through battle.


    Plus my spears look like abstract art by this point. He laughed. The mechanical mind had blocked out all the trauma that should have consumed him. All he needed was a long and deep sleep to seemingly fully recover mentally.


    The mist before him stirred with a wind he did not feel. His system interface flickered with warning notifications.


    [ANOMALOUS ENERGY DETECTED]


    [BIOLOGICAL SIGNATURES EXCEED KNOWN PARAMETERS]


    [CAUTION: STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY COMPROMISED]


    ¡°That¡­ is ominous.¡±


    Jin-woo knew that didn¡¯t matter. Where the fog ripped him to shreds or he passed through it without any problems didn¡¯t really matter. What did was moving forward to the possibility of escaping this bastard of a dungeon. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Stepping through the barrier felt like passing through a freezing cloud that parted at his presence. He shivered as his senses expanded into a sprawling alcove. His steps echoing loudly announcing his arrival. Any plans for stealth were thrown out the window in an instant. The chamber bore witness to horrors, his analytical mind cataloged them all with mechanical precision. Each one worse than the other.


    Walls scarred by massive claws that pulsed with bioluminescence.


    Broken medical equipment scattered like discarded toys among dark stains his system refused to analyze fully. Chemicals still hissed around their spillage.


    Chains hung from the ceiling with some still bearing grisly trophies that had died a long time ago.


    Parts of the floor were crushed and sticking out in massive blocks of stone and concrete.


    Operating tables lay twisted like crushed aluminum cans. Crushed by whatever unholy strength had caused the massive gashes in the walls.


    Cages littered the room equally destroyed. And more debris that could have hidden a plethora of monsters. It was difficult to get a good sight on anything in the area.


    Surgical curtains danced in a slight breeze that carried a nasty mixture of scents. The stark smell of sterile antiseptics and the coppery tang of old blood and filth. It could have been a hospital''s worst nightmare, and from the looks of it, it was.


    He could hear the skittering of claws moving towards him. But it was different. And different always meant great danger. He knew that first hand, every time something strange happened that he was unprepared for, he would receive massive injuries that would activate his ¡®Crimson Madness¡¯ ability. That tended to mean he was a foot in the grave if not for the fail safe Demina had created for him. Too many times he had almost died because of some idiotic carelessness on his part.


    That would not happen again.


    BasicAnalysis hummed to life as he activated automatically. It had become ingrained in him to do it before he attempted anything at all. Get a general idea of what was around him.


    [EXTREME BIOLOGICAL ANOMALIES DETECTED]


    [WARNING: STRUCTURAL DAMAGE EXCEEDS GIANT RAT PARAMETERS]


    [CHEMICAL HAZARD ANALYSIS: INCONCLUSIVE BUT EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS]


    [RECOMMENDATION: IMMEDIATE TACTICAL WITHDRAWAL]


    The system constantly recommended he withdraw. Every group of enemies were supposedly too strong for his level and strength. And yet here he was, inside the boss room after killing everything in his path. Had he listened to its constant pleas for retreat, he may still be in one piece, but still dead from starvation and dehydration. But that was the limitation to robots, they could only provide recommendations using the parameters laid out explicitly before them. His strength and level compared to what surrounded him.


    Jin-woo caught the first sign of movement. Shadows that didn''t quite match the chamber''s natural darkness. They moved back and forth, the chittering almost sounded like they were communicating with each other. Three Giant Rats emerged with a fluidity that triggered his instincts. Their movements lacked the rabid aggression he''d come to expect, replaced by something far more concerning: coordination. Even those that followed the poison rats were mostly mindless and launched themselves at him with fury once the battle had begun.


    But these were again, different.


    "New behavioral patterns," he muttered, watching them intently. He took on a cautious approach and stance, slowly stepping towards them to activate whatever attack function drove them.


    The first rat lunged head first. Jin-woo swung his longer spear, but hit nothing but air. It pulled a feint, only to pull back the moment Jin-woo shifted his stance. The other two used that distraction to circle wide. Claws suddenly silent on the debris-strewn floor. The first maintained distance, eyes tracking his every movement with unsettling intelligence. They did not growl or sniff loudly, again they were eerily silent.


    He tested them by activating Quick Strike. It''s now familiar feeling sending him forward and draining an expected amount of mana as time seemed to slow. Jin-woo targeted the closest rat, expecting it to dodge in every way a rat should.


    Instead, it rolled sideways like a game character. A move that left him stunned as he dodged backwards. He''d never seen a move like that from these creatures. His spear caught only air. The missed strike cost precious mana. He made sure to dodge backwards and then sideways as the other two attempted a counter attack. Another lesson he had learned the hard way with a face full of acid. Always dodge after attempting to strike in unpredictable patterns.


    "Since when do rats know combat rolls?" he wondered aloud.

 Chapter 28 | Herded Like Sheep

    He was already adjusting his strategy. But he needed more information.


    Another Quick Strike at a different rat made it roll away again. The second rat launched itself at his legs. Jin-woo spun away, preventing himself from hamstringing. It didn¡¯t carelessly target his body, but rather a real attempt at debilitating his ability to move. The third pressed forward forcing him to dodge and step backwards a few more times until they stopped and cautiously circled him.


    ¡°No way¡­¡± it hit him like a pack of bricks. They were pushing him deeper into the room. They weren¡¯t just coordinating, they were herding him into another ambush.


    "Clever girls," he grimaced, remembering old Jurassic Park references. The time for testing and experimentation was over. He needed to get rid of them as soon as possible to prevent them from circling him with whatever existed in this room that was the boss.


    His next strikes came with brutal efficiency. The first rat, committed to another flanking maneuver, couldn''t adjust in time. The warped spear caught it mid-stride. The enhanced strength and speed of the strike ripping into it. Blood sprayed across broken medical equipment as the creature fell, squealing loudly. The remaining rats adjusted instantly. Their tactics shifted to account for their reduced numbers. One charged straight at him while the other circled wide right, forcing him to divide his attention. But Jin-woo had learned from countless battles.


    He never allowed the circling rat an opportunity to attack him, always moving in the opposite direction and keeping the first charging rat in front of him. It forced him to slow down his pace and let a few charges go by for a better chance to use his Quick Strike skill without wasting more mana in another missed attempt. One squandered strike was already enough for his analytical mind.


    Another charge brought the rat''s attack just short of him with his own tactical feint he just learned from the first rat. He faked a charge and jumped back when it reacted leaving it open for a devastating Quick Strike to the head, killing it instantly. He began his dodging sequence once more, the final rat attempting to take advantage of his over extension. His speed and long strides kept it from getting any real damage other than a few claw marks on his mostly exposed skin.


    Once Jin-woo regained his footing, it jumped back and maintained its distance. Everytime he tried to approach it would back up, watching with eyes that were far more intelligent than what he had expected.


    Self preservation protocols too? He marveled at how advanced these half machine half rats were.


    "Come on," Jin-woo taunted. His system sent a plethora of notifications that warned against prolonged encounters when there could be far more dangerous entities around him.  The rat did not respond, instead it started to retreat and extend the distance between them.


    A tremor shook the entire chamber. Followed by a guttural roar from further into the room. That was what they were attempting to herd him to. Each impact on the ground grew stronger, closer, like approaching thunder. Each step closer sent ripples through the puddles of chemicals, vials falling and shattering on the ground. The bioluminescent claw marks pulsed with every impact. The rat backed away, almost respectfully, as something massive emerged from the shadows. It kicked a crumpled cage towards him.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    Jin-woo dove to the side. He could hear a deafening crash behind him.


    Another roar shook the room.


    Jin-woo''s system interface erupted with warnings as the boss of the room revealed itself. A towering amalgamation of mad science and evolutionary horror. Muscle rippled on a massive frame that towered over even him.


    [BIOLOGICAL ANOMALY DETECTED]


    [ERROR: PARAMETERS EXCEED CLASSIFICATION]


    [WARNING: MULTIPLE SYSTEM CONFLICTS]


    [ANALYZING... ANALYZING... ANALYZING...]


    "Oh," Jin-woo whispered as the horror emerged fully into the lights. His system continued to scream warnings into his mind. Even Demina began to analyze the monstrosity before him.


    [HOSTILE ENTITY DETECTED]


    [CLASSIFICATION: Mutated Rat Lord (Unnatural) - (E++) Ranked Monster]


    [WARNING: Multiple Mutation Strains Active]


    [BIOLOGICAL ANOMALIES EXCEED PARAMETERS]


    [THREAT LEVEL: EXTREME]


    [DETAILED ANALYSIS:]


    [- Height: 12ft (Standing)


    - Mass: Approximately 2,200 lbs


    - Mutation Level: Critical/Unstable


    - Combat Rating: Beyond Current Parameters


    - Regenerative Capabilities: Active/Deteriorating


    - Intelligence: Partial/Fragmented]


    [CAUTION: Entity displays tactical awareness]


    [PHASE SHIFT DETECTED - 70% HEALTH]


    [WARNING: New mutations manifesting]


    [COMBAT PARAMETERS RECALIBRATING]


    [PHASE SHIFT DETECTED - 30% HEALTH]


    [CRITICAL WARNING: Unstable evolution active]


    [CAUTION: Unpredictable combat patterns]


    [RECOMMENDATION: Maintain maximum safe distance]


    The Mutated Rat stood easily twelve feet tall. It looked even bigger in the light than when it was in the shadows. Muscles rippled beneath transparent patches of skin like living machinery. Each movement caused surgical staples to strain and creak. Its humanoid body seemed built from mismatched parts, here fur, there scales, everywhere scars that pulsed with the same sickly bioluminescence as the wall marks.


    It was like they took The Mountain and doubled everything about him. Then gave him two tons of steroids to boot. Maybe even forgot to turn on the Myostatin gene.


    Jin-woo''s enhanced vision caught details his processed mind struggled to categorize. Bones visibly shifted and reformed beneath flesh. Tendons thick as steel cables flexing with impossible strength. A face that flickered between bestial rage and broken intelligence. Each twitch of its massive form sent new error messages scrolling across his interface. This was the horror of a mad scientist and torturous experimentation.


    It clawed at the ground, arms long and yoked like a gorilla.


    "They... made..."


    Jin-woo jumped, startled. These were the first words he heard and it was coming from a monster trying to kill him.


    Its voice emerged wet and rasping. It tried to utter another word, but it struggled like something learning to speak through a throat not designed for words. Bones cracked audibly as it moved, its entire frame seeming to rebuild itself with each step.


    "...better!" It roared, slamming massive fists into the ground.


    The remaining Giant Rat retreated behind the monstrosity. Jin-woo surveyed the surroundings, he could hear the rising crescendo of claws and chittering that did not bother hiding itself.


    "I don''t suppose we could discuss this over coffee? I know a great place. Well, I knew a great place. In another reality. Before I ended up in this charming establishment."


    The creature''s muscles bunched and rippled. Layers of enhanced tissue moving in ways that violated basic anatomy as it coiled onto itself. Its eyes fixed on Jin-woo with an intelligence that sent goosebumps down his spine. This couldn¡¯t have just been mutation and experimentation on rats. This looked like something far worse. Everything that dove past the line of sanity.


    "BROTHERS..." it roared.  More Giant Rats emerged from the shadows. They moved with the same tactical precision as their fallen companions. "HUNT!"

 Chapter 29 | Rat Lords Rage

    Jin-woo adjusted his grip on his damaged weapons remembering all the battles he had already been through. This was it. This had to be it. The end of this entire floor was right before him. All he needed to do was kill the twelve foot giant rat Bane.


    ¡°Easy as taking candy from a baby,¡± he hyped himself up. He knew in the back of his mind this was about to be the worst battle so far. Just imagining those massive fists on the Rat Lord hitting made him uneasy and worried he wouldn¡¯t survive a single one at his level. Five attribute points were really little considering how long it took to reach the next level. How in the hell did anyone get past level ten? Twenty? Level thirty must be unheard of except in hitler, Mao, or Leopold level killers.


    He watched as the Giant Rats lost all sense of tactical acumen after the Mutated Rat Lord¡¯s bellow. They launched themselves at him with fury and claws. This was what he expected from monsters, not the simple patterns he¡¯d seen during his time in the dungeon. Nor the strange intelligence that included feints he¡¯d seen from the first few in the room. And while it was a blessing to have them lose all ability to catch him over extended, it was still a type of difficulty he was not used to.


    Their frenzied attacks continued to force him to dance back and around. Taking wide slashes and swipes hoping to clip a few during the haste of retreat. He injured a few but found it difficult to kill any of them. His mind was too focused on the behemoth boss.


    The Rat Lord circled around them. Taking deep ragged breaths. Eyes set ablaze by the flaming red hues of their pupils. It lugged dented and crumpled tables, one in each hand. Waiting. Watching for a moment. Jin-woo would need to always keep it in his vision.


    Unable to stop the rats from slowly picking him apart, he resolved himself to a new plan. One that he would not have suggested a few days ago.


    I need to take drastic measures to give myself a shot! He understood that if he wasted his mana on these minions, he wouldn¡¯t have enough firepower to deal with the boss. So, he couldn¡¯t use Quick Strike. Instead he resolved himself to a similar amount of fury and frenzy the Giant Rats carried. He dove in between them. Hacking and slashing. Kicking and punching when necessary. They gave him their best, clawing at him, biting, charging headlong into his attack. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    While Jin-woo had taken an offensive pattern, he wasn¡¯t suicidal. Dodging anything fatal and preventing the dwindling number of Giant Rats from encircling him. It was a dance of fury that came to an abrupt halt.


    A massive crumpled table whizzed past his face in slow motion. He could feel the air it disturbed whip his hair to the side. It crashed into the mass of rats killing half a dozen with a single strike. Jin-woo in his haste to eliminate them had allowed the Rat Lord to get into his blind spot. Only his enhanced vision allowed him the scant moments to have noticed the large movements of the behemoth and get out of the way.


    The Rat Lord roared in indignation and spun with both hands held tight onto the table in its grip. Another table was launched towards him, spinning like a top. He dove right. A thunderous boom echoed in the room, this throw had been more devastating and cut through the numbers of Giant Rats. They began to scatter.


    The Rat Lord roared again, outraged that Jin-woo dared dodge its attacks. ¡°BACK!¡±


    The Giant Rats cowered in fear but ran back towards their master. Their numbers were dwindling fast, but all they could do was snarl and claw at the ground. Beady eyes trained on him only. If they go too close to him, the Rat Lord would rip them apart as collateral damage, but if they didn¡¯t the Rat Lord would tear them apart anyways.


    Jin-woo surveyed his surroundings. His mind was clear, though he could feel the physical effects of a fight like this set in already. Heart hammering, slick sweat running down his body and palms making it difficult to grip the smooth spear if not for convenient bends and dents. Lungs struggled to provide him massive frame air. And legs already beginning to burn. This was unlike the rest of his encounters. Those lasted moments at most.


    Much unlike what he expected to be a long grueling fight.


    His eyes saw glowing vials that his system had already identified as hazardous, pools of said hazardous liquids hissing on the ground. Massive anchored cages and walls he could use as collateral damage to slow the behemoth. A potential plan had begun to formulate in his mind within seconds. His time here had forced him to adapt into a cynical person or die unprepared.


    The Mutated Rat Lord¡¯s charge came with devastating force. Jin-woo barely managed to dive aside as the creature''s massive fist cratered the floor where he''d stood. It arrived faster than he expected. The speed at which it had launched itself had been terrifying.


    Chunks of concrete exploded from the ground. They were launched at him in dangerous angles he struggled to block. It forced him to shield his face as it bruised and battered at his body. His system helpfully cataloged the impact force.


    [STRUCTURAL DAMAGE ANALYSIS]


    [IMPACT FORCE: BEYOND MEASUREMENT PARAMETERS]


    [WARNING: DIRECT HITS WILL EXCEED SURVIVAL THRESHOLD]


    "I never would have guessed that getting hit by the bodybuilding nightmare rat might be unhealthy." He scrambled around one of the anchored cages.

 Chapter 30 | Protection Guard

    [STRUCTURAL DAMAGE ANALYSIS]


    [IMPACT FORCE: BEYOND MEASUREMENT PARAMETERS]


    [WARNING: DIRECT HITS WILL EXCEED SURVIVAL THRESHOLD]


    "I never would have guessed that getting hit by the bodybuilding nightmare rat might be unhealthy." He scrambled around one of the anchored cages. The Rat Lord rammed into it head first. It nearly broke through the thick bars of metal. Its foaming jaw snapping around a single bar that had somehow held tight to the ceiling. It snapped at him. But Jin-woo knew it was dazed.


    It took a few steps back stunned. Shaking its head, testing its jaw. Jin-woo took that moment and committed to his own charge. Quick Strike activated, the familiar change of pace, the elongation of light, the shock of moving across distance faster than any human should be able to without significant damage to ligaments and muscle. Even the mental strain had become a calming sensation.


    He drove his spear deep into the inner thigh of the right leg and slashed back at an angle to cause as much damage as he retreated in haste. Blue glowing liquid gushed out of its wound. Swinging fists as large as his torso whooshed past where he had been moments ago. He pressed his attack slamming Quick Strike after Quick Strike into its massive frame, dodging clumsy attacks.


    The Rat Lord grunted and growled as it fell to a knee. Still dazed.


    The remaining Giant Rats moved with the same unusual tactics they carried before the Mutated Rat Lord had appeared. They began to kite and herd him away from their Boss. It cut off his escape routes while their massive commander recovered from its dizziness. Each coordinated movement spoke of countless drills, of programming refined through brutal evolution. Jin-woo''s tactical analysis highlighted their formation''s efficiency. There was no wasted motion. No gaps in coverage. If the Giant Rats coordinated like this with the monstrous strength and size of the Rat Lord, he was confident he¡¯d already be dead.


    Much unlike the frenzied fury they carried when the Rat Lord ordered them to charge head first. Jin-woo had begun to take too much damage as the small scratches, claw marks, and bites started to add up. If this kept going, he¡¯d bleed out or fall into his ¡®Crimson Madness¡¯. While that would give him a massive offensive boost, they didn¡¯t mean he couldn¡¯t still die. And charging head first without any tactics into the twelve foot mega bodybuilder rat of a boss was a losing recipe.


    "SHOW..." the Mutated Rat''s voice boomed through the chamber. The Giant Rats froze in their spots. Jin-woo took advantage of the moment, killing three more. "WORTH!"


    The creature slammed both fists into the ground. Sending a shockwave through the floor that buckled concrete and sent debris flying. Two more of its own Giant Rats, caught in the blast radius, disappeared beneath falling chunks of ceiling. Jin-woo had to bring his arms up and squat as bits and pieces of concrete slammed into him. He struggled not to cry out in pain as the hefty stone pieces tore up the meat on his arms and parts of his legs. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Luckily, it wasn¡¯t enough for ¡®Crimson Madness¡¯.


    Even with the pain shocking his body, his mechanical mind was as clear as day. He roared his own battle cry and took out a few more Giant Rats before they woke form their stunned posture. A ¡®Quick Strike¡¯ killed another that tried to get away.  The skill''s enhanced speed let him close distance before the creature could react, his warped spear finding its mark. Leaving only three left.


    But the victory cost precious seconds of positioning. The price was almost too much for him.


    The Mutated Rat''s massive hand swept through the space he''d occupied. It was fast enough to create a vacuum that pulled at his clothes, freezing his momentum. Jin-woo rolled with the pull trying his best to escape the suddenly close Rat Lord. But it wasn¡¯t enough.


    A massive meaty fist slammed into his body as he tried to scramble up from a sprawl. It launched him across the room into a pile of broken medical equipment. He struggled to breath, the wind knocked out of him, but he knew better than to sit there like a duck. He used an unconventional use of Quick Strike to dodge a full body slam. Targeting left, light extended, time slowed and he thrust his spear into nothing but air, far enough away from the Rat Lord¡¯s attempt to make him paste.


    That was the worst usage mana wise. It was nearly double the amount. Leaving him in a very precarious situation. His eyes surveyed the room as he ran to make space between them as the Rat Lord struggled to get up from the twisted metal around it.


    His analytical mind raced through combat variables. Body screamed in protest at every moment. His mind was clear enough to zone out the suffering and agony, and focus on surviving for now. Jin-woo could deal with all the sustained damage after the battle.


    [COMBAT ANALYSIS ACTIVE]


    [OPPONENT STRENGTHS:


    - Superior physical force


    - Tactical coordination


    - Environmental control


    - Regenerative capabilities]


    [AVAILABLE ADVANTAGES:


    - Enhanced mobility


    - Quick Strike (Mana: 692/1600)


    - Environmental hazards


    - Superior processing speed]


    Again he returned to the vials and puddles of hazardous waste laying about the massive room. Each one shone in ominous colors of sickly greens and pulsing blues. Sizzling and crackling without any outside input. His system had flagged them as hazardous again and again, warning to not approach, but perhaps that warning could work in his favor. He dodged another earth-shattering punch, noting how the Mutated Rat''s movements seemed to slow slightly after each massive exertion.


    Was it using mana to power its body? Did it use mana to help its attacks gain more furiosity? What about when it commanded the rats and turned them into mindless attack robots? He had noticed the change after the second call for action the Boss had roared. Everytime he was stunned, the Giant Rats started to use actual tactics, applied caution, feints, and a myriad of other patterns that made it difficult on him to get solid hits, while they were slowly chipping at his health and bleeding him out.


    But they forgot all the tactics as soon as the boss roared. Diving headlong at him in mad fury that suited his needs better. Made them more predictable and without enough of a plan to really hurt him. Crashing into each other, biting each other trying to get to him, causing chaos among their own ranks allowing him the ability to pick them off one by one.


    I need to take out these Giant Rat¡¯s first. He thought as he ducked and lunged under a swipe of the Rat Lord¡¯s paw. They are protecting their Boss too well when he is down.

 Chapter 31 | Revised Plans

    He then revised his combat sequences. Instead of focusing on the Rat Lord and causing him damage, he instead turned his attention onto the Giant Rats. The plan was to eliminate them all so he could focus on driving the Mutated Rat Lord into traps of sizzling, crackling, and hazardous waste. Even if Jin-woo could not land solid hits with his spear, if he got the vials to smash on its face and blind it, it was pretty much over. Just an elongated process of slowly whittling it down instead of getting too arrogant or impatient.


    And yet the actual process of doing it still remained. This wasn¡¯t a game, his life depended on each moment without much room for mistakes anymore. His mana was dwindling, and injuries stacking up too close for his own comfort. Too close to ¡®Crimson Madness¡¯.


    The Mutated Rat charged after him, shattered the concrete and sent it flying in random directions. Its massive fists left craters where Jin-woo had stood moments before. He rolled behind twisted medical equipment, pulling the Rat lord around towards the Giant Rats. Its meaty fists and uncontrollable rage would be a better weapon against the mindless fury of the Giant Rats than even Jin-woo¡¯s ¡®Quick Strike¡¯.


    Every impact sent shockwaves through Jin-woo¡¯s body. But his mind had begun to notice the creature''s recovery time slowly declining. Its turning radius was no longer as sharp and lunges didn¡¯t get as far as before. Its coiling muscles no longer shimmered with as much power as before.


    Jin-woo charged at the remaining group of Giant Rats. Who in blind wrath charged him in return. Once close enough that their claws and teeth filled maws were a danger, he activated another ¡®Quick Strike¡¯ to take him past them. He grunted as too much mana disappeared from his pool. But kept running as hard as he could, even with the disorientation that came with the skill.


    He could hear squeals, shrieks, and a bellowing roar behind him. The Rat Lord smashed his way past the group of Giant Rats. Fists slamming the ground and feet squashing anything beneath them. A quick look showed only two of the dozen that had charged him remained after the fury of the Rat Lord. It also made clear how insane its red eyes were as it continued to charge him without a second thought.


    The Giant Rats remaining were injured but still tried to get at him. Crawling through the shattered concrete and stone around them.


    "SHOW... WORTH!" The creature bellowed again as it paused to roar at the top of its lungs.


    Jin-woo had to cover his ears before they burst like balloons. Error messages cascading across his feed, but he ignored it. Instead taking advantage of the momentary pause to take a sharp turn back towards the remaining Giant Rats. They were mostly imobile and made no attempt to dodge his spear. He didn¡¯t even need to use his skill to get rid of them.


    But he had to stop and strike. It was enough for the Rat Lord to front kick him in the back, launching him across the room. Jin-woo bounced on the hard concrete, body slamming into one of the craters the Rat Lord had made chasing him around. It fought to get up, but blackening eyes and non-responsive body left him struggling. He could feel his blood pump, heart beat faster than humanly possible.


    His body felt too small. Brain to big for his skull.


    [ABILITY MANIFESTING!]


    [CRIMSON MAD¨C]


    Demina! No! He couldn¡¯t trust this ability. He had no clue about what happened other than waking up blood soaked from enemies, a plethora of injuries, and an exhaustion that forced him to sleep immediately. The thought of trying to charge head first into the mass of muscle that was the Rat Lord forced him to fight to keep his consciousness and sanity. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    [ERR¡­ERROR¡­. E-OR]


    [ABILITY MANIFESTATION STOPPED!]


    [CONSCIOUSNESS PARAMETERS NOT MET!]


    [PAIN PARAMETERS NOT MET!]


    [MIND PARAMETERS NOT MET!]


    [SOUL PARAMETERS NOT¨C]


    The feed continued to list the parameters not met to activate ¡®Crimson Madness¡¯. Each one individually would have forced it to take over without a choice for Jin-woo. Demina had stepped in again at the very last moment to help him control his demise. He would have been dead three or four times over already in this new world and it hadn''t even been that long without her.


    He forced himself up, his body stumbling forward. Almost falling head first. His blurry eyes started to clear as the massive frame of the Rat Lord became apparent to him. Its kneeling form holding a mangled body of one of the two Giant Rat¡¯s he had killed before being front kicked a mile away. Its eyes were no longer as intense, focused on the Giant Rat. Cradling it in its massive paws like a child.


    ¡°My¡­¡± It took a massive breath. Tears running down its face. ¡°Brothers! You Kill Them!¡±


    Its head snapped to him. Its sorrow filled face turning into hideous anger far greater than anything before that. ¡°You¡­ Kill¡­ Brothers!¡± It roared, throwing the dead body away.


    ¡°No,¡± Jin-woo commented. ¡°I¡¯m sure you killed the majority yourself¨C¡± He ducked under a slab of concrete launched by the Rat Lord towards him.


    ¡°You¡­ Are¡­ Killer!¡± It threw another massive chunk of concrete that had to weigh multiple tons like it was a dinner plate. And another.


    He was incredulous, dodging left and right. ¡°Are you serious right now?¡± Was it seriously trying to guilt trip him after the whole attempting to smash his face debacle they¡¯ve been running since he entered the fog?


    ¡°Killer¡­ Must¡­ Die!¡±


    Jin-woo rushed to the side, using the massive cages bolted to the ceiling and floor as cover. He made his way toward the vials, slowly trying his best not to get head snipped by the unconsolable Rat Lord. Whenever it ran out of stone blocks and shattered concrete it would either slam its fists into the ground, kick an entire wall down¨Copening into smaller empty rooms filled with dust, or started throwing tables and broken pieces of cages and other instruments used to torture.


    It took forever to cross the room towards the closest bunch of vials that were not destroyed or surrounded by large puddles that could not be crossed safely. Initially, it had been a risk he was willing to take, but after getting so close to losing himself to ¡®Crimson Madness¡¯, he dared not try anymore. He wasn¡¯t sure how close the borderline was until he could deny it no longer.


    He grabbed three in his arms. Glass stoppers prevented the sloshing, glowing liquid from spilling out. He could hear one sizzle loudly as it reacted to being shaken up, the bottom sediments mixing again with the liquid. Jin-woo did not want any part in getting any of this stuff on him. Imagining himself melting was not a pretty sight.


    Back pressed behind a large section of pillars surrounded by bolted cages and tables, he waited for an opportunity. But the longer he sat there, the more frenzied the Rat Lord became while throwing. As though he had no potential for fatigue. Jin-woo had to do something or risk being pinned here without the chance of hurting the Rat Lord without taking damage himself.


    ¡®Crimson Madness¡¯ whispered in his ears. Begging for release. He ignored its pleas and focused on the insurmountable task before him.


    Forget this! I can¡¯t just sit here! He decided on a feint.


    Jin-woo pinned his spear between the bars of a cage with a bit of it poking out and rushed as fast as his enhanced legs could carry him in the opposite direction. Near instantly, the Rat Lord launched debris at his spear. Massive booms and crashes echoed in the room concealing his running.


    He did his best to keep himself hidden behind tables, pillars, and cages covered in drapes and curtains. He had a general idea of where the Rat Lord was, and with its shouting and roaring as a marking point, he navigated a wide circle towards it. He maintained extreme caution, unwilling to risk even a glancing blow. The risks were too great not to be wary of damage. It took a while, but he made it to the left side of the Rat Lord.


    Circling to get behind him left too much space between them. Jin-woo didn¡¯t want to risk throwing the vials and missing, so was forced to get to the closest point to it while still maintaining some form of cover. If everything went wrong, he needed a chance to escape and make a new plan.

 Chapter 32 | Transformation

    ¡°Fight¡­ Me!¡± Its shoulders heaved exaggeratedly. The Giant Rat bodies around it had already turned into nothing more than blood paste.


    Jin-woo looked back towards where his spear had been. It had somehow gotten dislodged and laid a few feet away from the cages and pillar he had pinned it too. It must have been thrown off its place after the first throw because the pillar had been demolished and the cage unrecognizably twisted and broken. Both covered in debris and massive pieces of stone.


    He put down two of the three vials. Grabbed his short spear and the sizzling one.


    He threw the spear wide, intending to miss and cause some noise behind the Rat Lord. And followed with the vial right after, not waiting for the short spear to land. Without waiting, he lunged for the other two.


    The Rat Lord roared in agony. Jin-woo heard the bubbling of its skin from even that great of a distance.


    "Pain!¡± Jin-woo launched another vial straight into its face. Its face and meat on it seemed to drip onto the floor. He could imagine that was how he looked when he first fought the poison rats. But this was far more potent.


    The Rat Lord reeled backwards, nearly toppling over. "Remember¡­ Pain!¡± Its voice shook the last vial in Jin-woo¡¯s hands.


    In a hurry, he threw it at the monstrous behemoth before it shattered in his palms. The last vial wrecked havoc on its left leg, exposing bones and melting much of it.


    The Mutated Rat Lord fell face first. Clawing at its eyes and cheeks. It writhed in agony. Screams got louder every moment longer.


    Jin-woo ran towards his long spear. He could feel the disgust assault his stomach, the smell had gotten worse than anything he had ever witnessed even in this dungeon. Seeing skin and muscle melt did little to help the situation. But he pressed forwards anyway. He wondered what negative effects would he see from such mental clarity. The robotic, mechanical, mind of his could not all be roses and butterflies.


    "Remember..." Its voice made loose debris rattle in their spots. ¡°Needles make¡­ Stronger!¡±


    He grabbed his spear and turned with pace. Fully intent on finishing the battle while it was still down and in agony.


    The thought of using the rest of his mana barely registered before Jin-woo witnessed horror incarnate.


    The Rat Lord''s flesh erupted outward. Surgical staples pinging off walls like shrapnel. Muscle layered over muscle in impossible configurations as the creature''s frame expanded. Its horrifically melted face roared a battlecry that forced Jin-woo to his knees in an attempt to protect his already bleeding ears. Bones cracked and reformed, each sickening snap and pop echoed throughout the chamber. He could hear vials and other glass instruments shatter that were close enough.


    What stood before him now towered easily fifteen feet tall. Its mass nearly doubled.


    His system interface flashed urgent warnings to escape. Demina agreed with its assessment in a myriad of warnings and threat assessments that littered his feed. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    [CRITICAL ALERT: HOSTILE EVOLUTION DETECTED]


    [PHASE 2 - ACTIVATED!]


    [THREAT PARAMETERS EXCEEDED]


    [RECOMMENDATION: IMMEDIATE TACTICAL WITHDRAWAL]


    <i>Holy ¨C </i>Jin-woo stepped back as the transformation ended. He adjusted his grip on his warped spear. The metal felt slick with sweat despite the cloth wrapping.


    He searched for what could be his out. Would his current plan even work anymore? How much damage would it require for it to fall down dead before it snapped his spine with an ax kick?


    There was no choice but to hope his plan would work. Escape, lead the raging behemoth into solid walls and cages, and cover him in sizzling chemical waste that covered the ground or were in vials at the edges of the room.


    The transformed Rat Lord moved with impossible speed for its size. Jin-woo activated another ¡®Quick Strike¡¯ to escape, the expected feeling of emptiness as mana left his body kept him awake. He ran for his life towards the most well bolted cages. Jin-woo turned the corner and dove for the thick metal bars. The metal rod hurt to land on, his bruised body was taking too much damage already just from escaping the monster.


    Its fist tore through the reinforced and bolted cage like paper. The metal rods ripped at the meat off its arms. Right above Jin-woo¡¯s head. He cursed, jumping into a lounge and kept running. He could feel his teeth rattle with every fist and swipe the monstrous thing attempted. His legs burned for the first time since coming into this world in what could only be lactic acid. Even his lungs had begun to burn and side hurting.


    Metal screamed as it twisted and shattered as the Rat Lord tore up the cage behind him. It then launched metal rods it ripped out of the concrete ground, with nothing but brute strength, like javelins. Each one left an impact that sent shockwaves through the floor. They shrieked in the air like demented beings.


    Only a stark lack of accuracy kept Jin-woo from being peppered with metal rods like a porcupine.


    Even in the urgent scramble to escape, his mind still noticed weaknesses and oddities. The Mutated Rat Lord favored its right leg, limping every other step. The damage to its left leg from the chemical hazardous vials melting its muscle and mostly stayed. Even if it had slightly healed, allowing it the bare minimum to keep after him.  It wasn¡¯t much, but it was a weakness he could take advantage of and finish this as soon as possible.


    "Promised..." the creature bellowed.  "Evolution... Gave... Pain!" It charged him again with renewed rage.


    The words struck something in Jin-woo. It was a theory he had since entering this place. Before it had turned into a dungeon. The surgical scars on all the rats, the surgical staples on the rat lord. The twisted experiment tables and cages.


    This was someone''s creation, someone''s victim. This wasn¡¯t just a mindless creature, but rather an abomination of science that had forced its hand into hatred and suffering. A look back showed a different light to the Rat Lord¡¯s eerily intelligent eyes. They burned with betrayal and sacrifice.


    Had this been another situation, maybe they wouldn¡¯t have had to resort to killing each other. Maybe even¨C


    Jin-woo dove to the right, grabbing his short spear. He had already circled around the room again to where he had thrown it as a distraction. The Rat Lord charged after him, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.


    Philosophical musings would have to wait. Mostly until either one of them was dead.


    The Rat Lord''s new form moved with terrifying grace, each blow carrying enough force to turn him into paste. Jin-woo activated ¡®Quick Strike¡¯ again. It burned precious mana to dart past a sweeping arm and lead it towards the hazardous waste puddles on the ground. He slashed at its legs as he escaped it.


    [MANA STATUS: 612/1600]


    [WARNING: RESERVES CRITICALLY LOW]


    The Rat Lord''s roar carried notes of grief now. "They... Take... Everything!"


    The chamber had become a maze of twisted metal and chemical hazards. The Rat Lord bulldozed through everything, ripping its body apart in the process. It hadn¡¯t gained enough resistance or vitality to counteract the significant amount of strength it received.  Jin-woo used the terrain to his advantage, leading the rampaging creature through pools of caustic liquid while conserving his dwindling mana, into massive walls and mounted and well bolted cages.


    Each step had to be calculated, each strike precise. One mistake, one moment of hesitation, and all the stat points in the world wouldn''t save him from being turned into a smear on the wall.

 Chapter 33 | Failed Evolution

    "They¡­ Say¡­ Needles!" it roared, smashing through another cage that had served as Jin-woo''s cover. "Make... Stronger!" It was bleeding profusely by this point. Its lumbering steps heavier and slower. Its strikes, kicks, and punches no longer carried as much strength. Muscle hanging by threads of skin. Its left leg trailing, buckling with every step, but not enough to stop its wrath and insane struggle to rip him into pieces.


    He had kited it for far too long. And while it had been exhausted and forced to move with lethargy, he too was on the precipice of total exhaustion too great to escape. Even his spear had become impossibly heavy. Legs shaking in the struggle to keep his distance and force the Rat Lord into bleeding out or falling face first into puddles of sizzling hazardous waste.


    The beast''s massive fist swept horizontally, forcing Jin-woo to dive and roll beneath the strike. His bent spear caught against the warped metal around him, nearly tripping him as he scrambled to get up and continue maintaining distance. Gone were the careful strategies. Now it was nothing more than a race to see who would fall from exhaustion first. And neither one of them was willing to be the one to quit everything.


    Jin-woo felt his head spin as he was forced to use another ¡®Quick Strike¡¯ to slip past another devastating blow. The familiar drain on his mana left him feeling hollow and in burning agony. It had ticked up a few points in the endless battle they had fallen into, but it wasn¡¯t enough to cause any difference in the long run.


    [MANA STATUS: 501/1600]


    [WARNING: RESERVES CRITICAL]


    "Promised..." The beast''s voice carried bitter remembrance beneath its fury. "Evolution... Gave... Pain!" It tried to dive towards him repeating the same phrase over and over again.


    Another ¡®Quick Strike¡¯ was used to dive under what should have been his death.


    [MANA STATUS: 381/1600]


    [WARNING: RESERVES CRITICAL!!!]


    Jin-woo threw up foam and water from the poison rat caverns he had collected and had thoroughly enjoyed previously. Drinking it like it was holy water.


    This needed to end. ¡®Crimson Madness¡¯ had to only be a few moments away. He threw caution into the wind. He had roughly two quick strikes to dodge left and maybe a single attack with his mana. If he would survive the emptiness of his mana was another whole matter to deal with. Jin-woo resolved to figure out one problem at a time. Future problems for future him. Current problems for current him.


    He charged the heaving, lumbering, Rat Lord. A roar escaped him, and it matched him with similar intensity.


    Jin-woo feinted right and lunged left. The Rat Lord swung in response, missing him by a hair''s breadth. It no longer struck at him with the same incredulous speed it had in the beginning. A ¡®Quick Strike¡¯ drove his spear into its exposed left leg. He slammed it into the creature''s kneecap, resounding pops and tearing muscle and bone echoed throughout the room. Jin-woo tried to pull his spear out, but found it firmly stuck. Abandoning his only source of range was not part of his plan as he dodged a desperate fist into the ground.


    He needed to waste another ¡®Quick Strike¡¯ to escape.


    <i>Only one left. </i>This was for everything. All the marbles. Both of them beyond the point of exhaustion.


    It fell to a knee. Howling, and swinging its fists back and forth. Glowing blue blood pouring out of its massive body from a hundred different injuries. Savaged beyond recognition or repair.


    ¡°Cost¡­ Failed¡­ Evolution!¡± It turned to him and slowly rose to full height. Towering over him as it struggled to stand. His long spear, sticking out of its leg, had bent into a mess from the sheer weight of the Rat Lord.


    ¡°Who?¡± Jin-woo asked. Hoping for a response. He felt like he knew this monster personally after having battled it for what felt like an eternity.


    It coiled onto itself preparing for a final charge. ¡°Conclave!¡± It plodded towards him, swaying left and right barely standing straight. It refused to change tactics, to change patterns. Do anything other than charge forward in mad rage.


    There was something honorable in it. Stupid maybe. But honorable in a way that itched a masculine urge he didn¡¯t know he carried. It would be wrong to continue bleeding him dry instead of ending it now in a final exchange. Not that it would require much considering how weak it had become. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Jin-woo roared as he charged it. He used his last ¡®Quick Strike¡¯ to dodge a two-handed grab attempt. Pushed off the metal rod stuck in the Rat Lord¡¯s left knee and bolted himself up towards its face. His hands clawed for purchase, nails bleeding from what felt like concrete muscle and skin. He slammed the four foot metal rod into its eye, ripping out to the other side of its massive head and skull. Only a few inches on either side was exposed.


    The massive behemoth took a few more steps, its heavy footfall echoing in the dead silent room. Arms swinging, looking to rend him apart. Body unable to recognize that it no longer had any life to it. A final, pitiful gasp as Jin-woo rode atop its frame escaped its massive maw.


    It fell to its knees, his long spear, still in its leg, forcing it to lean to the right. He had to jump off lest he got caught under it and die after he had finally finished it off. Its body thudded into the ground unceremoniously. No trumpets shouted at its death. No one to mourn it.


    That was it. Everything was over. Silence waited for him without any trumpets announcing his accomplishments. He could walk out of here into a mob of people and no one would be the wiser to what he had experienced. Jin-woo laid down on the ground, staring at the impossibly tall ceiling. And just accepted it as it was. He was too fatigued to think about the cruelty of this whole dungeon.


    What he had been through so far. The endless slog of battles and fur furry. How many had he killed? A hundred? Two hundred Giant Rats? Three hundred? Another thing he added to the growing list of items he knew he would either never be able to figure out, or simply refused to deal with considering how pointless it was. His original mind may have found solace in the fact he had killed such a massive number of enemies, maybe even found some sort of confidence boost, but not him as he was now.


    It was simple. His previous fights only served to improve his tactics in the present. That was all of it. Nothing more and nothing less. It hurt that he thought so little of what should have been great trauma.


    The system chimed as a long stream of notifications scrolled in his shortened feed.


    [CONGRATULATIONS!]


    [<i>You Have Completed The First Floor Of The Rat King''s Paradise!</i>]


    [<i>Access To The Second Floor Granted!</i>]


    [<i>Access To The External World Granted!</i>]


    [<i>Boss Room Cleared!</i>]


    [<i>All Remaining Rat Entities (Dungeon Entities) Have Been Eliminated</i>]


    [Treasure Chest Access Granted - Requires ¡®inspect Dungeon Treasure Menu¡¯ Skill]


    [NEW ABILITIES UNLOCKED: Inspect Dungeon Treasure Menu]


    [Experience Points Have Been Awarded]


    [Mutated Rat Lord (150 XP)x1 + 30 Intelligent Giant Rats (7 Xp)x30]


    [PROGRESS TO NEXT LEVEL:1560/2000]


    [<i>System Notifications Have Been Logged</i>]


    [<i>Please Collect Your Rewards Before Exiting</i>]


    [<i>Caution: Second Floor Difficulty - Increased</i>]


    [<i>Note: External World Access Point Activated</i>]


    The notification hung in Jin-woo''s vision for what felt like ages. He was over any sort of dissatisfaction with the amount of experience he was getting. It just was the way it was now. But that didn¡¯t mean it didn¡¯t affect his coming decisions.


    ¡°Never again,¡± he whispered to himself. Considering the amount of times he should have died. The disfigurement, scars, acid burns, and much more he had faced. And the slog of wading through an endless amount of rats. It just wasn¡¯t worth it. Maybe he could gain strength through Power Stones rather than leveling up through battle. Only issue remaining was how to get the resources he needed for his experiments and integrating them.


    [SYSTEM ANALYSIS COMPLETE]


    [DUNGEON STATUS: FLOOR 1 CLEARED]


    [CURRENT OBJECTIVE: SURVIVAL]


    [RECOMMENDATION: REST AND RECOVER]


    A portal of deep, inviting blue whirred into life. It brightened the low light situation of the room considerably. First real source that seemed too bright, otherwise it was always barely enough. That had to be the way out. Back to the real world. The thing was dead silent. Something in him was disappointed it didn¡¯t whir like a machine of sorts.


    He ignored it, focusing on the continued stream of notifications that kept coming.


    [COMBAT CONCLUDED!]


    [EXPERIENCE GAINED: 360 XP]


    [TREASURE / LOOT SPAWNING...]


    [WARNING: Health Critical]


    [NOTICE: SEVERE STATUS EFFECTS DETECTED]


    [WARNING: Mana Reserves Depleted]


    [RECOMMENDATION: SEEK IMMEDIATE RECOVERY]


    [STATUS:]


    [LEVEL 2: 1560/2000]


    [STRENGTH: 16]


    [AGILITY: 12]


    [VITALITY: 15]


    [INTELLIGENCE: 25 (+15)]


    [SPIRIT: 12 (+2)]


    [MANA: 11/1600]


    [AVAILABLE STAT POINTS: ]


    [SKILLS TAB: <i>SELECT TO EXPAND]</i>


    [ADDITIONAL STAT TYPES UNAVAILABLE CURRENTLY]


    That was it. No new skills other than the treasure finding one. That was specifically for dungeons and nothing else. Considering he might never enter another, it was pretty useless.


    No new stats to allocate, only a single level within the time he had been fighting for his life. It only made each point that much more significant.


    No new weapons. His own had been destroyed beyond recognition, bent, warped and broken in a hundred different ways making them worthless. Good thing the hospital was in great disrepair, giving him an arsenal of metal rods to use as needed. He wondered what it would be like to use the Giant Axe? What would the fire enchantment look like in practical usage? Wouldn¡¯t it be useless in tunnels and tight spaces? Then again, he could carry multiple weapons, he didn¡¯t lack in physical strength apparently.


    Jin-woo chuckled, a smile stuck to his face. Eyes drooping and slowly closing as he fell asleep, slumbering within the dungeon. The last thing he remembered thinking about was how hungry he was. It hurt his stomach just to consider it at all.

 Chapter 34 | Wheres the loot?!

    Jin-woo had woken up in a puddle of his own sweat. He wasn¡¯t sure how long he had been asleep for, but it felt like ages considering how stiff his limbs were. Every movement had his hinges popping and creaking loudly. Otherwise, everything was still the same. The chamber still reeked of chemicals and blood; a slight hint of decay permeated the room too now. His entire body protested with shocks of pain when he moved. Scattered debris, twisted metal from torn up cages littered the ground, blood paste from the Giant Rats, and the hulking dead form of the fallen Mutated Rat Lord.


    It painted a grim battle that had happened not too long ago.


    His stomach growled loudly. Hunger clawed at his insides, a reminder of how long he had gone without any sustenance, just water. But that could wait. His eyes drifted to an obvious glowing item near the portal. It hovered a few inches of the ground in a grand display. He could have waited and explored some, but his analytical mind found it more efficient to check the chest first before he searched for any scraps around the room.


    <i>Let¡¯s see what special stuff do I get for completing an entire dungeon without a single ounce of loot!</i> Jin-woo accepted the giddy feeling and allowed it to permeate his mind. Who wouldn¡¯t be happy for a treasure chest.


    He limped towards it, body still not fully recovered from the haymakers that the Rat Lord had thrown at him. Especially his entire left side. That was the area of the cleanest hit he received and almost lost control to ¡®Crimson Madness¡¯. A laugh escaped him as his fingers traced the intricate and lovely design of the chest. Bright blue, gold, and red as its colors made it look extremely expensive. He held his breath and creaked it open slightly, fog escaped from inside it. More fanfare and raising his expectations.


    With a roar, he swung it open, the fog quickly escaped and gave him a full view of the contents of the treasure chest!


    ¡°What the hell is this¡­?¡± he said. Eyes and hands searching for hidden compartments around the contents inside. ¡°Don¡¯t judge. Don¡¯t judge! Maybe they are super explosives in the form of mundane items¡­?¡± Jin-woo doubted it. The chest''s contents proved disappointingly sparse: a very large roll of sturdy bandages, a small bag containing twelve silver coins, a cracked experimental vial that leaked an inert substance, and twisted research notes largely rendered illegible by time and damage. Jin-woo''s eyes narrowed as he studied the meager rewards.


    "This can''t be right," he whispered, rifling through the items again. He even poured out the coins to make sure nothing was hidden deeper in the pouch. Nothing. Everything was exactly what it was. "All that fighting, nearly dying multiple times, for this?" His fingers brushed against something metal, a damaged restraint key, its purpose unclear but potentially valuable.


    ¡°Yes! That must be it! A clue to another more epic treasure chest!¡± He pocketed it and jumped to his feet. Eyes surveying the surroundings hoping anything would stand out. Nothing did. The debris didn¡¯t suddenly slide out of the way like theater curtains, none of the cages started dancing, no fireworks or anything else.


    It couldn¡¯t end like this¨C


    [NEW SKILL ACTIVATED: INSPECT DUNGEON TREASURE MENU]


    [DUAL FUNCTIONALITY DETECTED]This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    [ANALYZING DUNGEON ITEMS...]


    [SCANNING ENVIRONMENT...]


    The skill washed over the chamber in red code. Numbers and letters he couldn¡¯t understand. A digital tide that revealed what his normal perception had missed or conveniently been hidden by the dungeon. Glowing beacons materialized throughout the room in areas he didn¡¯t even notice before. They marked hidden caches and concealed treasures. Behind walls that he had to run through. Massive piles of debris that had a convenient opening to the center of it at an odd angle making it impossible to see. Nooks and crannies with coins.


    Two minor healing potions gleamed hidden on shelves behind books and empty vials. Jin-woo wondered if they had any side effects. Would he suddenly turn into the Rat Lord or an abomination of equal measure if he took these suspiciously red, yellow drinks? Or maybe grow out two new arms or something just as ridiculous? His notifications immediately answered his thoughts with a long string of data and details. Most of which were technical for him to understand.


    [COMBAT AID IDENTIFIED]


    [DESIGNATION: Minor Healing Potion]


    [COUNT: 2]


    [COMBAT SPECIFICATIONS:


    <i>- Healing Output: 150 HP </i>


    <i>- Application Time: 2.5s </i>


    <i>- Combat Viability: C+</i>]


    [TACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS:


    - Not recommended during active combat


    - Best used during tactical retreats


    - Effectiveness reduced against [BLEEDING] status]


    [SYSTEM RECOMMENDS STRATEGIC CONSERVATION]


    [ALCHEMICAL ANALYSIS COMPLETE


    <i>- Minor Healing Potion (¡Á2) </i>


    <i>- Purity Grade: B+ </i>


    <i>- Essence Concentration: 15% </i>


    <i>- Recovery Rate: 25 HP/second </i>


    <i>- Duration: 6 seconds¨C</i>]


    He then found a monster manual fragment and partial dungeon map, which offered precious knowledge about this deadly place, inside a collapsed desk. There were other pieces of paper, but they were too damaged for the system to identify or translate in any way shape or form. It barely managed to get a sufficient amount of information from the two fragments of books he did find in the manual.


    But what truly caught his attention was the softly glowing orb embedded in the Rat Lord''s massive frame. It took some nasty work, first removing the embedded short spear stuck in the Rat Lord¡¯s cranium, and then using it to dig around the glow directly in the chest of the massive creature. His stomach rolled a hundred times, again grateful he had not eaten anything yet. Eventually he pulled out a filthy, blood and viscera covered orb. It took nearly twenty minutes of constant cleaning at a leaky pipe that he found in one of the side rooms he had to run through a wall to get to.


    It was a damaged power stone. Jin-woo held it cautiously, questions flooding his mind. The stone''s presence raised disturbing implications about the nature of power stones, their relationship to dungeon bosses, and the twisted experiments that had created this place. Was the damage and mutation on it due to the experimentation or was this dungeon entity involved somehow in corrupting it?


    He tried to analyze it, but his system almost crashed in the ensuing cascade of warnings and notifications. The majority were unintelligible maths and language, again too advanced for him to understand, but the rest hinted at its mutation assigned it the ¡®damaged¡¯ status. Whether it was actually dangerous was another matter entirely. It also had a suspiciously high stability percentage with multiple asterisks.


    Demina translated that part as ¡®Form derivative limited, DNA complex required to match necessary protocols¡¯. He had no clue what that meant and, quite frankly, didn¡¯t care to experiment on the damaged power stone. But from the little he did understand, it was incompatible with him on a molecular level. Something about it made it specifically for a certain race. What that was, the details were beyond him.


    Instead, he continued to search the entire alcove. Many of the glowing lights were hidden until he uncovered them, hence his reluctance to leave anything behind. This was the loot he should have been getting since the very beginning of the dungeon. The dopamine hits and rewards that would have made the mad struggle wading through hundreds of Giant Rats at least bearable.


    He didn¡¯t care if he had to be stuck here for another week. He was going to get every single thing worth any good amount of value. Maybe even a few not worth anything at all just to be petty.

 Chapter 34 | New Wonders

    It took two more days until he arrived at the last piece of the mental map he created. A bunch of cages that created a small maze covered in curtains. By then, he had already found quite a few important items that would make his life much easier. The first and foremost of them were five whole Rare Earth Crystal (Basic). The amount of joy and pure childlike exuberance he felt was intense. Much greater than he expected considering the muted emotions he had been facing. The thought of working on his Earth Power Stone made him incredibly happy.


    Satisfied. That would be the first thing he would focus on as soon as he got out. Figure the Earth Power Stone then leave this horrible dungeon and hospital. Find civilization and hopefully live a relatively comfortable life. Maybe even adventure with a party in some low level dungeon that was not as gruesome and filled to the brim with monsters.


    Other items he found included a plethora of anomaly papers, as he began to call them. Empty vials, he attempted to scoop the chemical, hazardous waste into them. That had been a spectacular failure. A plethora of silver and bronze coins, and even three gold coins. And then he found more vials of unknown substances scattered throughout the entire chamber. Six of them had his system screaming with warnings and notifications in his feed.


    [HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCE DETECTED]


    [CLASSIFICATION: Unknown Chemical Compound]


    [AGGRESSIVE REACTIVITY: EXTREME]


    [WARNING: Substance exhibits anomalous properties]


    [DETAILED ANALYSIS:]


    [<i>- pH Level: ERROR - Beyond measurable scale</i>


    <i>- Reactivity Rate: 147% above baseline</i>


    <i>- Biological Impact: Severe tissue degradation</i>


    <i>- Vapor Analysis: TOXIC </i>


    <i>- Avoid inhalation</i>]


    The vials represented both weapon and hazard. The same substances that had helped him melt the meat off of the Rat Lords face and limbs. It had brought a boss down to its knees in a matter of minutes. And he suspected it was a similar concoction to the acidic poison he had taken a face full of from the poison rat. It would be immensely useful if he ever encountered something he couldn¡¯t fight directly.


    Now he just needed to figure out how to safely store them. Any mistake could essentially cost him his life or a massive portion of his body. Considering he only found two healing potions, and would use one to heal much of the massive scarring on his body and face, it would not be wise to end up self sabotaging.


    As he made his way towards the complex of covered cages, a glint of metal caught his eye to the side. A small table with a lantern on it. Once he got close enough, he found what appeared to be a second piece to a broken key. He pulled out the other half he had found in the treasure chest. They were split down the middle, the long way, and were exact identical pieces. Jin-woo pressed them together, but they didn¡¯t magically meld together. Whatever it was for, he would need to be careful to keep them stable to open whatever it locked. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    He assumed it had something to do with the large number of cages just a small distance away. What exactly, he wasn¡¯t so sure. But he was about to find out. He pocketed both pieces.


    ¡°More loot, please,¡± he muttered under his breath. There was the possibility of another enemy in the maze, but he doubted it. The notification had been very clear and left very little room for uncertainty. Hopefully it was more epic treasures that would give him immediate boosts in the category of getting back towards civilization.


    Spending weeks on end going through wide tunnels, with random turns, ups, and downs. Random rooms. Random prowling packs of Giant Rats. Only to get one level out of it. It just wasn¡¯t worth it going through this dungeon in general.


    Jin-woo walked up to a torch that had fallen on the ground. Its fire continued to crackle and illuminate the area around it. He looked it up and down and couldn¡¯t find any fuel source. Another oddity he added to his notes, this one he would try to figure out though. It seemed quite handy to understand how it kept going strong without any obvious energy input. For now, it would help him search the small maze of cages.


    He made his way through the curtains that lead inside. It would have been pitch black in there if he did not think to grab the torch. There were more cages in there than he expected. Bunches of boxes and wood stacked to the side that imitated a massive monster lair. There were Giant Rat bones that were scattered around. Jin-woo searched every nook and crank, even when it stank, to find anything of use. But he ended up empty handed.


    Only near the end of it did something shift in the darkness where his torch couldn''t touch.


    Jin-woo immediately regretted not bringing anything to defend himself with. He held the torch out, praying that it was strong enough to take a few hits, or maybe scare any monster from attacking him. The closer he got towards an exposed cage the more anxious he felt. Of course, his body reacting did little to affect his thoughts. No chemical or hormonal hallucinations would affect his mind.


    Mentally, he prepared for another battle. He was no longer tired, nor did he have to worry about a twelve foot tall Rat Lord giant charging at him from a distance.


    Jin-woo froze in his footsteps. ¡°What the¨C¡±


    A figure in ragged robes scrambled backwards, it was already on the other end of the cage. If it pushed anymore it would have to start climbing up the metal bars. The creature, it was not human, was small and scrawny. It resembled the Giant Rats, but it was bipedal instead. It couldn¡¯t have been over five feet tall.


    <i>Master Splinter¡­?</i> That was the closest he could compare it to with his experience. A system notification appeared in his feed.


    [SPECIES IDENTIFIED: RATKIN]


    [CLASSIFICATION: Sentient (Non-Dungeon) Race]


    [THREAT LEVEL: Calculating]


    [NON-DUNGEON ENTITY: Free willed]


    [NOTE: Generally peaceful, capable of advanced cognition, extreme receptiveness to Power Stones¨C]


    This was the first time he had gotten this notification. Even when he fought the Rat Lord, it had labeled him as partial/fragmented intelligence, hinting at what could have been a source of people. He had not expected to see a real life example of what ¡®Conclave¡¯ had experimented on. Whether that was an organization called ¡®Conclave¡¯ or rather a group of random mad scientists that formed a conclave, he had no idea.


    He didn¡¯t know what to think¨C


    The RatKin¡¯s nose twitched. Whiskers moving up and down. ¡°HuuiJk¡­? HuuiJk masseehy nossie¡­?


    Jin-woo grunted. Pain lanced through his head. For a moment, his vision turned blank. He stumbled forward, catching himself on the metal bars of the cage.


    [UNKNOWN LANGUAGE DETECTED]


    [ANALYZING SPEECH PATTERNS...]


    [TRANSLATION MATRIX ENGAGED]


    [Source Language:


    [Untranslated Symbols And Words -


    [HuuiJk¡­? HuuiJk masseehy nossie¡­?]


    [Parsing Speech Patterns>>>>


    Analyzing Cultural Context>>>>


    Applying Translation Matrix>>>>


    Translated Text: "Biggest Brother¡­? You¡¯re not him, why do you smell so similar¡­?"


    [CONTEXT ANALYSIS:


    <i>- Dialect: Eastern Higher Ratkin </i>


    <i>- Emotional Content: Fear/Reverence </i>


    <i>- Social Context: Familial Reference</i>]


    [TRANSLATION CONFIDENCE: 92%]