Min Jaeho sat at his desk, his apartment illuminated only by the soft glow of his laptop screen. Eclipse and Scrap snoozed nearby, the former curled up on the couch while the latter nested inside an old shoebox. The faint hum of the System Interface floated in the background as Jaeho reviewed the details of his status window.
[Status Window]
Name: Min Jaeho
Level: 4
Skill Points Available: 2
Personal Stats:
Strength: 5Agility: 6Intelligence: 11Endurance: 6Charisma: 4
Shared Skills:
Shadow Step (Eclipse): Briefly teleport within a short range, leaving a shadow behind to confuse enemies.Venomous Bite (Scrap): Inflicts poison on a target, dealing damage over time.
Jaeho rubbed his temples. "This System is incredible, but it's not going to be enough to keep me alive unless I use my brain."
He leaned back, thinking about his past. Before this entire ordeal, he'd been nothing more than a struggling biochemist, stuck in a dead-end job that barely paid the bills. His colleagues mocked his ideas, his boss constantly piled extra work on him, and his dreams of making a breakthrough felt like a cruel joke.
But now, he had tools no one else had. His knowledge of biology and chemistry could give him an edge, especially when combined with his beasts' evolving potential.
The next morning, Jaeho visited a nearby market, filling his backpack with materials: glass vials, herbs, and raw chemicals. He had a plan to boost his efficiency in the dungeons.
Back at his apartment, he turned his tiny kitchen into a makeshift lab. Using Scrap's Venomous Bite as inspiration, he began synthesizing a diluted poison. With careful precision, he extracted a few drops of venom from the baby Sewer Rat and mixed it with a stabilizing agent, creating a substance that could coat his weapons.
He smiled as he inspected the result: a faintly green liquid swirling inside a sealed vial. "Let's see how this works," he said, pocketing it.
Later that day, Jaeho stood outside another dungeon portal. Silverwood Ruins was ranked slightly higher than the Subway Depths, but still considered beginner-friendly. He took a deep breath, his nerves threatening to unravel him, before stepping through.
The dungeon's interior was vastly different from the damp tunnels he'd explored previously. Twisted silver trees stretched toward a misty sky, their leaves glowing faintly in the dim light. The air was eerily silent, broken only by the sound of Jaeho's footsteps and Eclipse's soft growls.
The first wave of enemies—a pack of Silver Hares—emerged from the shadows. The creatures were larger than average rabbits, their sharp claws glinting menacingly.
"Eclipse, distract them!" Jaeho commanded.
Eclipse darted forward, weaving between the hares with agility. The beasts lunged, their claws missing as Eclipse teleported with Shadow Step, leaving confused enemies swiping at empty air.
"Scrap, go for the legs!"
Scrap skittered into action, its tiny form surprisingly nimble. It bit down on one hare's hind leg, its venom taking effect almost immediately. The creature stumbled, its movements sluggish.
Jaeho took the opportunity to engage, swinging his pipe—now coated with the homemade venom. The enhanced weapon struck true, and the hare collapsed.
[You have leveled up.]
[Skill Points +1.]
The remaining hares didn't last long against the combined assault of Jaeho and his beasts.
Deeper into the dungeon, the challenges grew fiercer. Wolves with shimmering silver fur prowled the ruins, their howls echoing ominously. Jaeho's confidence faltered when two of them attacked simultaneously, their coordination far superior to anything he'd faced before.
One wolf lunged at Scrap, forcing the baby rat to retreat. Eclipse leapt in, but its smaller size made it vulnerable to the wolves' brute strength.
Jaeho gritted his teeth. "Think, Jaeho. You're a biochemist, not a brawler."
Scanning the environment, he spotted a patch of glowing moss near the base of a tree. Recognizing its properties from his studies, he had an idea.
"Eclipse, lead them toward the moss!" he shouted.
The Shadowling barked and darted toward the tree, the wolves giving chase. Jaeho followed, pulling out a makeshift vial of explosive powder he'd crafted earlier. When the wolves reached the moss, Jaeho hurled the vial, the glass shattering on impact.
The explosion was small, but it ignited the moss, releasing a blinding flash of light. The wolves yelped, disoriented. Eclipse didn't waste the opportunity, using Shadow Step to strike at one wolf's exposed flank. Scrap joined in, delivering a venomous bite to the other.
With the wolves weakened, Jaeho moved in for the final blow. He swung his pipe with all his strength, the venom-coated weapon proving its worth once again.
[Dungeon Boss unlocked.]
Jaeho let out a shaky breath, exhaustion creeping in. "We're not done yet," he muttered, glancing at his battered team.
The boss room was a clearing bathed in silver light. At its center stood the Silverfang Alpha, a massive wolf with gleaming fur and eyes that glowed like molten steel.
Jaeho's heart pounded. This was leagues beyond anything he'd faced so far.
The alpha moved first, charging with blinding speed. Jaeho barely dodged, the beast's claws raking across a tree instead of his chest.
"Eclipse, keep it busy! Scrap, go for the legs again!"
Eclipse teleported around the alpha, its movements a blur as it landed quick strikes. Scrap darted in and out, biting at the alpha's legs whenever it could.
But the boss wasn't so easily overwhelmed. It howled, releasing a shockwave that knocked Eclipse back and sent Scrap rolling across the ground.
Jaeho gritted his teeth, gripping his pipe. "Come on, think!"
His eyes fell on the vial of poison still in his pocket. It wasn't enough to take the alpha down, but if he could get it directly into the beast's system…
"Eclipse, distract it one more time!"
The Shadowling obeyed, teleporting right under the alpha's jaw and snapping at its throat. The beast snarled and swiped, but Eclipse vanished again, leaving it momentarily confused.
Jaeho seized the opening, sprinting forward and hurling the vial at the alpha's face. The glass shattered, the poison splashing across its eyes and nose. The beast howled in agony, its movements erratic.
"Now!" Jaeho yelled.
Eclipse and Scrap lunged simultaneously, their attacks hitting vital points. Jaeho swung his pipe with all his strength, the combined effort finally bringing the alpha down.
[Dungeon Boss defeated. New creature available for taming.]
As the massive wolf dissolved, a smaller pup with silvery fur emerged, its eyes wide with curiosity.
"Tamed," Jaeho whispered, naming the new companion Luna.
Back in his apartment, Jaeho stared at his updated status window.
[Status Window]
Level: 5
Skill Points Available: 3
Shared Skills:
Shadow Step (Eclipse)Venomous Bite (Scrap)Lunar Howl (Luna): Boosts all allies' stats temporarily during battle.
His team was growing stronger, and so was he. But he knew this was only the beginning.
As Eclipse, Scrap, and Luna rested, Jaeho leaned back in his chair, a determined look in his eyes.
"Let's see just how far we can push this," he said.