Tae-min stared at the ceiling of his hospital room, the faint hum of fluorescent lights filling the silence. His body ached with every breath, a harsh reminder of the battle he barely survived. Ju-won's words echoed in his mind:
"A King is stronger than even an SS-rank hunter. In their dimension, even the strongest are just pawns."
He clenched his fists, frustration, and confusion swirling within him. He shouldn't have survived that fight—not as a D-class healer. His memories of the battle were fragmented, but one thing stood out: the surge of power he'd felt in the King's dimension. It wasn't natural.
System notification:
User: Jin Tae Min [alive]
New Title unlocked: Kingslayer
System Integration: 32%
"King Slayer?"
The translucent panel flickered into view above him, its cold, mechanical text sending a chill down his spine.
"What are you?" he whispered, but the panel faded before he could say more.
The door creaked open, and Ju-won peeked in. "Yo, you awake?"
"Barely," Tae-min muttered.
Ju-won plopped down in the chair beside the bed. "Man, you're lucky. Most people wouldn't walk away from a King's dimension alive. You're either the dumbest or the luckiest guy I've ever met."
Tae-min forced a weak smile. "Maybe both."
Ju-won leaned closer, his tone serious. "But seriously, Tae, did anything feel… weird in there? Like, did you notice something off?"
Tae-min hesitated. Should he tell him about the strange power? The Protocol? Instead, he shook his head. "Nothing I can remember. It's all a blur."
Ju-won sighed, leaning back. "Fair. The doctor said that you can be discharged today."
Jun-hee sat in her apartment, the dim light of her desk lamp casting long shadows across the room. Her fingers drummed restlessly against the table, but her mind was far from the cluttered surface in front of her. No matter how hard she tried to distract herself, her thoughts kept circling back to one thing: the battle in the King Dungeon and what the Serpent King said.
Her eyes narrowed as fragments of the fight replayed in her head—the way Tae-min moved, his unnatural precision, the overwhelming power radiating from him.
"How did Tae-min, a supposed D-class healer, manage to kill a dungeon King?" she muttered under her breath. The sheer absurdity of it gnawed at her. "That's impossible even for most S-classes."
Her hands clenched into fists as she voiced the thought aloud, her tone laced with suspicion. "Have you been hiding your true strength all this time? Acting like a harmless D-class healer while you're something else entirely?"
The question hung in the air, heavy and unanswered.
Meanwhile, Ju-won pulled up in front of Tae-min's modest apartment building. The faint glow of streetlights illuminated the car as he stepped out and helped Tae-min, who still looked pale and worn from the ordeal to his door.
"Don't push yourself too hard," Ju-won said, patting Tae-min on the back. "Rest up. I'll check on you later tonight or tomorrow morning, alright?"
Tae-min nodded weakly, his voice a low mumble. "Yeah… thanks, Ju-won."
As Ju-won waved goodbye and drove off, Tae-min fumbled with his keys, unlocking the door and stepping into the silence of his apartment. He let the door shut behind him, leaning against it for a moment to catch his breath.
The moment he exhaled, a familiar, metallic chime echoed in his ears.
Ding!
A translucent blue window appeared before him, the sharp lettering of the system glowing ominously in the dim room.
[System Notification]
User Mana: Critically Low
User Health: Critically Low
User Stamina: Critically Low
Daily Quest: Highly Recommended
The system advises immediate action to restore mana, health, strength, and stamina levels.
Would you like to accept the Daily Quest?
[Yes] / [No]
Tae-min let out a frustrated sigh, staring at the glowing screen in front of him.
"You couldn't even let me rest, could you?" he muttered, his voice dripping with sarcasm. His body screamed for sleep, but the pulsing letters on the system window offered no compromise.
He raised a trembling hand and reluctantly tapped "Yes."
[Daily Quest Initiated]
Objective:
Enter the system's simulated Rift Zone.
Survive and eliminate 50 Rift Beasts.
Defeat the Rift Warden within 15 minutes.
Reward:
+10 Strength
+ 10 Agility
+ 15 Mana Capacity
Bonus Chest (Random Item)
Failure Penalty:
Death
Before Tae-min could react, his surroundings shifted violently. His apartment dissolved into a swirl of black and violet mist, and the air grew cold and heavy. The floor beneath him cracked, revealing a dark expanse as gravity pulled him downward.
He landed in a sprawling wasteland of jagged rocks and violet-hued skies. The Rift Zone stretched endlessly around him, filled with an eerie glow that pulsed like a heartbeat. The faint hum of distant movement prickled his senses, warning him he wasn't alone.
A system notification appeared again.
[Zone Entered: Rift of the Forgotten]
Environment: Harsh. Mana density is high.
Threat Level: C to B.
Monsters: Rift Beasts, Warden of Forgotten Chains.
Tae-min's eyes scanned the terrain as the sound of clawed footsteps echoed in the distance. A low growl followed, and out of the shadows emerged his first challenge—Rift Beasts.
The creatures were wolf-like in appearance but grotesquely twisted, their skeletal frames glowing with ethereal light, and their hollow eyes burning like embers. They moved in a pack, circling him with predatory intent.
Tae-min's heart raced, but he clenched his fists. His system blade materialized in his hand, faintly glowing with the last remnants of his mana.
[Countdown: 14:59]
"Fifty of these things? And a boss?" Tae-min exhaled sharply, his grip on the blade tightening. "Guess I'm not getting much rest today."
The first beast lunged without warning, its claws swiping in a brutal arc.
"Reactive Instincts."
Tae-min's world slowed. He saw the exact trajectory of the claws and sidestepped effortlessly, countering with a precise slash. The Obsidian blade hummed as it tore through the Rift Beast's tough exterior, black blood spraying across the ground.
Before the creature could react, he followed up with Phantom Slash. Shadowy afterimages multiplied around him, delivering a flurry of strikes that overwhelmed the Rift Beast's defenses. The beast crumpled, dissolving into particles of dark energy.
[Rift Beast Eliminated: 1/50]
The ground rumbled. From the shadows emerged a pack of Rift Beasts, their glowing eyes locking onto him like predators closing in on prey.
"Of course, you wouldn't come one at a time," Tae-min muttered, adjusting his stance.
He activated Flash Step, appearing in the center of the pack in a burst of speed. The Rift Beasts turned too late—by the time they registered his presence, he had already launched an attack.
"Phantom Slash!"
A whirlwind of shadowy afterimages erupted around him, each one striking with lethal precision. Beasts howled and collapsed, their forms disintegrating into the same dark particles.
[Rift Beasts Eliminated: 7/50]
Suddenly, the largest of the pack roared and charged. Its claws extended, glowing faintly with dark energy, and its speed far surpassed the others.
"Enhanced ones, huh?" Tae-min smirked. "Let's see what you've got."
The Rift Beast leaped, its claws aiming for his throat.
"Vision Breaker."
Tae-min glimpsed the attack's future. He leaned backward at the perfect angle, the claws missing him by inches, and retaliated with a clean upward slash. The blade didn't just cut—the volatile energy of the Shadow Flux Blade tore through the Rift Beast's chest, scattering its energy like shrapnel.
[Rift Beasts Eliminated: 15/50]
Before he could recover, a second wave surged from all sides. Tae-min's stamina was depleting fast, but there was no time to think about rest.
He activated Flash Step again, his body blurring out of sight. As the Rift Beasts struck at his afterimage, he reappeared behind them.
Pouring the last of his mana into a wide-arcing slash, Tae-min unleashed a devastating wave of dark energy. The attack cut through the horde, leaving only scattered remnants of beasts in its wake.
[Rift Beasts Eliminated: 39/50]
His breathing was ragged now, his stamina dangerously low. The remaining beasts growled, circling him like wolves sensing a vulnerable prey.
A shadow loomed over the battlefield as the Warden emerged—a towering, armored figure wielding a massive chain that glowed with the same violet energy as the Rift.
The system chimed again.
[Warden of Forgotten Chains Detected]
Defeat the Warden within 7 minutes.
Tae-min's grip tightened on his blade. His breathing was ragged, but a faint smirk tugged at his lips.
"System," Tae-min muttered through gritted teeth, "status check."
A glowing notification appeared before his eyes:
[Health: 27%] [Stamina: 19%] [Mana: 8%]
Warning: Overuse of abilities will result in physical collapse. Proceed with caution.
"Like I have a choice."
Tae-min wiped the sweat from his brow, forcing himself to stand. "No time to waste."
The Warden roared, slamming its spear into the ground. A shockwave rippled outward, forcing Tae-min to leap backward to avoid the brunt of the attack.
"Vision Breaker."
The Warden's next move flashed in his mind—a thrust aimed directly at his chest. Tae-min sidestepped at the last second, countering with Phantom Slash. Shadowy afterimages surrounded the Warden, striking from multiple angles.
The Warden bellowed in pain, its armor cracking under the relentless assault. But it wasn't going down easily. It swung its spear in a wide arc, forcing Tae-min to block with the Shadow Flux Blade. The impact sent him skidding backward, his arms trembling from the force.
"I need to finish this now," he muttered, channeling the last of his mana into the blade.
The Warden charged, its spear glowing brighter with destructive energy.
"Flash Step."
Tae-min appeared above the Warden, plunging the Obsidian Blade into its exposed neck.
The blade erupted with shadowy tendrils, tearing through the Warden's core. The creature let out one final roar before collapsing, its massive form disintegrating into dark particles.
As the Rift warden collapses and disintegrates the other Rift battles also disintegrate.
[Rift Warden Defeated. Quest Complete.]
[Rewards: +15 Strength, +12 Agility, +20 Stamina, +100 Mana]
[Bonus Unlocked: Rift Walker Title.]
Tae-min dropped to his knees, gasping for breath. The rift began to collapse around him, signaling his time was up.
As Tae-min slumped onto the floor of his apartment, his breath uneven and his muscles screaming in protest, the familiar system notification flared to life before him.
[Bonus Rewards Unlocked for Exceptional Performance]
A new notification followed, accompanied by a deep chime.
[Skill Unlocked: Abyssal Dominion]
Description: Channel the energy of the void to immobilize enemies within a 15-meter radius for 10 seconds. Deals continuous mana-based damage to targets caught in the zone. Effectiveness scales with Intelligence. Cooldown: 15 minutes.
Tae-min's eyes widened as the skill appeared in his mind, the sheer weight of its power making his pulse quicken.
"That's… not bad," he muttered, wiping the sweat from his brow.
Another notification popped up.
[Item Unlocked: Rift Cloak]
Description: A cloak woven from Rift energies. Enhances stealth, increasing movement speed by 20% and reducing detection by 50% in low-light environments. Grants passive mana regeneration (+10 mana per second).
He blinked, the exhaustion momentarily replaced by curiosity. "Looks like I'm slowly upgrading into something else."
Then, the system's voice resounded again.
[Inventory Function Unlocked.]
[Access Inventory: Open with a mental command or voice prompt.]
Tae-min paused, staring at the space in front of him. Slowly, he thought, Inventory.
A grid-like holographic interface materialized before him, each square pulsing with faint blue light. The Rift Cloak hovered in one of the slots, alongside his Obsidian Blade and the health and mana potions he had previously earned.
He reached out mentally and selected the cloak. Instantly, it materialized in his hands—a sleek, black garment lined with faint, shifting purple veins of energy. He draped it over his shoulders, feeling its weightless texture and the subtle hum of power coursing through it.
"Looks like I've got a few tricks to keep me alive," he muttered, flexing his fingers as his stamina slowly began to recover.
The notifications faded, leaving Tae-min alone in the dim light of his apartment. The blade beside him pulsed faintly, as if in rhythm with his heartbeat. He leaned back against the wall, staring at the ceiling.
"Inventory, cloaks, and immobilizing enemies… What's next, System? World domination?" He chuckled weakly, closing his eyes.
For now, rest was calling him, but deep down, he knew the next challenge would come sooner than he expected.
Knock!
A knock on Tae min door.
Tae-min blinked at the sight of Jun-hee standing at his door, her piercing gaze drilling into him like a spear. Her battle-worn face bore the same intense expression she had in the King's Dungeon, but this time it was laced with something more—unease, suspicion, and frustration.
"Jun-hee?" he asked, his voice still hoarse from the ordeal in the Rift. He quickly shoved aside the notifications still lingering in his vision, the Rift Cloak and Obsidian Blade safely stored in his newly unlocked inventory.
She didn't wait for an invitation, stepping inside with purpose, her boots clicking against the wooden floor.
"Who the hell are you, Tae-min?"