Saiga Matsushiro stood in the dungeon, victorious over the Hydra, and now equipped with two powerful cursed items: the blade Shichifukujin and the cursed armor Yogasa.
A voice, androgynous in tone, emanated from the sword.
"My wielder..."
The voice was strange, neither fully male nor female, but authoritative.
"What's your name?"
"Saiga Matsushiro," he replied.
"Hmm... Saiga Matsushiro. Are you, by any chance, one of the summoned?"
"Summoned? What's that supposed to mean?"
"It refers to beings brought to this world from another. Throughout history, there have been many such people."
"Then, yes. I was dragged here by some wretched goddess, only to be abandoned."
The memory of that goddess boiled in Saiga's mind—how she had framed him, cast him aside, and left him to die. His hatred for her grew stronger every second.
"Saiga, you find yourself in quite a dangerous situation."
"What do you mean?"
"You're in a high-difficulty dungeon known as the Seventh Fall."
"Seventh Fall...?"
"Yes. It refers to the seven deadliest dungeons in the world. This one is called the Labyrinth of Wrath."
Seven dungeons, each representing a deadly sin. Saiga could easily guess that there were others like Gluttony and Pride.
"So I'm in one of the seven deadliest dungeons?"
"Precisely. It's vital you understand the gravity of your situation."
The reality hit Saiga hard as the Hydra fight replayed in his mind. That battle had been too close. If he hadn't had the skill to negate poison, or if the Hydra had other powerful attacks, he would've been dead.
"The Hydra is merely one of the many dangerous creatures here," the sword continued. "And you are at the very bottom of this dungeon—floor 250."
"Two hundred and fifty floors...?"
The number was dizzying. He was buried deep beneath the earth, trapped in one of the hardest dungeons in existence.
"So, Saiga, now that you know where you are... what will you do?"
"What else can I do?"
"Leaving this dungeon is not an easy task. It is filled with monsters of Hydra-level strength. And as I mentioned, you are on the very last floor. The exit is far above."
The thought of battling his way through two hundred and fifty floors of nightmare creatures was overwhelming. The labyrinth stretched on infinitely, each floor deadlier than the last.
"But you're safe for now," Shichifukujin said. "This room is part of the Hydra's territory. No other monsters will come here."
That explained the eerie stillness. Saiga had been in the Hydra's domain, and now that it was dead, no other creatures dared approach.
"So, what will you do?"
The sword's voice was persistent, pushing Saiga for an answer.
"What do you think I'm going to do?" Saiga spat, his eyes burning with rage. "I'm getting out of here."
"And why take the risk of leaving? Why fight your way through the dungeon?"
Saiga's jaw clenched. His mind returned to her—the goddess who had discarded him. And then to Kisogawa, the bully who tormented him. His classmates, who believed the lie that he was cursed and agreed to throw him away.
"Revenge."
The word left his lips with cold finality.
"I won't rest until I've made them all pay for what they did to me."
"Hahaha! I knew it! I knew I found a worthy wielder! I will gladly help you on your quest for revenge!"
"Help me?" Saiga asked, skeptical.
"Yes. I can offer you knowledge, answer any questions you have about this world, about magic, monsters—whatever you need. As long as you keep me by your side."
"And why should I trust you?"
This sword was a cursed item after all. It had nearly consumed his mind the moment he touched it, and it wasn't exactly forthcoming with its dangers. There was no reason to trust anything it said.
"It's simple. It's a contract."
"A contract?"
"Yes. In the world of curses, contracts are binding. I will aid you in your quest for revenge, answer your questions honestly, and you will keep me by your side."
"And what's in it for you?"
"All I ask is that you wield me. I require no more than that."
Saiga thought carefully. The sword's poison was powerful, and having its knowledge of the world was undeniably useful.
"Fine. We have a deal."
"Hahaha, excellent! You are now my true wielder! Don't bore me, Saiga Matsushiro."
"Don't give me orders," Saiga shot back. Shichifukujin merely chuckled.
"Now that we have a plan, let's review the tools at your disposal."
Saiga nodded. He could recall his status screen, just as the goddess had told him.
――――――
Saiga Matsushiro
Level 142
HP: 1420 / 1420
MP: 420 / 1420 (+500)
Attack: 142 (+1000)
Defense: 142 (+1000)
Intelligence: 142
Speed: 142
――――――
"This feels a lot like a game," Saiga muttered.
"The goddess probably tailored it to be understandable for you and your classmates," the sword replied.
"Level 142...? Wasn't I level 1?" Saiga frowned.
"You leveled up dramatically after defeating and consuming the Hydra. In this world, defeating monsters grants experience, which in turn increases your level."
"Still... going from level 1 to 142 seems extreme."
"The Hydra was an S-Rank monster, the third highest rank in terms of power. In the Seventh Fall, S-Rank creatures roam freely."
Saiga's eyes narrowed. The goddess had intended for him to die here. There was no way she expected him to survive in a dungeon crawling with monsters like the Hydra.
"She never wanted me to live, did she?"
The sword was silent for a moment.
"It seems not. But thanks to your strength and ingenuity, you're still here."
The hatred for the goddess burned hotter in Saiga's chest. She had dragged him into this world, used him, and then discarded him like trash.
"I'm going to kill her. If it's the last thing I do."
"Careful, boy. Gods are powerful. Even at level 142, you'll need much more strength to challenge a deity."
"What about S-Rank monsters?"
"You could stand a chance against them, but it wouldn't be easy. However, with your skill [None] and the cursed items you possess, you've already tipped the scales in your favor."
Saiga scrolled through his skills on the status screen.
――――――
Skills:
[None] Level 1
――――――
"There's a level next to the skill. What does that mean?"
"It indicates how much you've used it. The more you use a skill, the stronger it becomes. Its effects will improve, its cost will decrease, and sometimes, it will evolve into new abilities."
Saiga nodded thoughtfully. So the more he used [None], the more powerful it would become. He continued scrolling.
――――――
Skill: [None] Level 1
Skill Slots: 2
[Poison Immunity]: Passive. MP cost: 120
[Void]: Active. MP cost: 1500
――――――
"What are these skill slots?"
"I believe they are the number of abilities you can evolve from [None] at a given time. You currently have [Poison Immunity] equipped."
"But I've also used [Wound Immunity] and [Void] before."
"You can swap them in and out, but you can only have two equipped at once at your current level."
"I see. So, I can keep two skills equipped but must switch them if I want to use more."
"Precisely."
Saiga considered his options. He definitely needed [Poison Immunity] to wield the cursed items safely. But having [Void] as an attack was tempting, despite its high MP cost.
"Hmm... Void might not be worth it for now. It takes too much MP."
He tested equipping it anyway and saw the results:
――――――
Skill: [None] Level 1
[Poison Immunity]: Passive. MP cost: 120
[Void]: Active. MP cost: 1500
――――――
"I can't even use it once with my current MP." Saiga sighed.
"Power comes with a cost. You'll need to carefully manage your resources."
"What happens if I run out of MP?"
"You'll lose consciousness and be vulnerable to attack. A dangerous situation in this dungeon."
"I'll skip Void for now then."
Saiga scrolled through the list, realizing he could theoretically create almost anything from [None].
"What about Invincibility?"
The sword laughed.
"Go ahead and try."
Saiga created the skill, but when he checked the cost, he frowned.
――――――
[Invincibility]: Passive. MP cost: 9999, plus 1000 per second.
――――――
"Impossible. I'd pass out immediately."
"Becoming invincible requires a steep price, boy. Don't get greedy."
"Fine. What about something more manageable?"
After thinking it over, Saiga equipped his next skill.
――――――
Skill: [None] Level 1
[Poison Immunity]: Passive. MP cost: 120
[Invisibility]: Passive. MP cost: 100, plus 10 per second.
――――――
"Invisibility... I like it."
"Clever. You'll be undetectable by your enemies while using it."
With his skills chosen, Saiga finally stood, ready to face whatever awaited him.
"Let's go."
"Remember, as soon as you leave the Hydra's territory, monsters will come for you."
"I'm ready."
As he stepped into the corridor, a loud shriek filled the air.
"Cock-a-doodle-doooooo!"
The piercing cry echoed through the dungeon, and Saiga noticed the walls around him beginning to turn to stone.
"That's a Cockatrice, boy. Its gaze turns everything to stone."
Saiga spotted the giant chicken-like creature perched on a rock. Its glowing eyes were clearly the source of the petrification.
"I didn't turn to stone," Saiga realized.
"That's thanks to your Poison Immunity. Curses and poisons often overlap, and the Cockatrice's gaze is treated as a curse."
"Huh. Lucky me."
"Now, what will you do?"
"I'll take care of it." Saiga said with a grin.
The Cockatrice continued its stone-gaze attack, but it had no effect on him. It hadn't even noticed his presence yet.
"This will be easy." Saiga raised his blade and crept forward, completely invisible to the beast.
"Die!" he shouted, plunging Shichifukujin into the Cockatrice's skull.
The monster let out a weak cry before collapsing, dead.
"Haha! Well done, Saiga! That was an S-Rank monster, just like the Hydra!" the sword cackled.
Saiga stood over the dead creature, feeling a rush of confidence.
"The skill [None] is truly incredible," he thought. Despite the limitations of MP, the power he could unlock was immense.
And this was just the beginning.