??? AM – A Desperate Escape
His undead clashed with the hound mid-air.
But it wasn't a fight.
Not really.
The reanimated corpse stood no chance.
The Abyss Hound ripped through it instantly, fangs tearing into brittle bones, shattering the summon like dry wood.
Kyung-min didn't wait for the system message confirming his minion's demise.
He was already running.
🔹 [Summon Destroyed.]
The distraction had lasted barely three seconds.
But three seconds was better than nothing.
He bolted into the shadows, heart hammering, lungs burning as he sprinted toward the nearest crevice in the cavern wall.
His bare feet scraped against the jagged stone, pain lancing through his soles, but he didn't stop.
Because behind him—
The monsters were already moving again.
Low growls echoed through the darkness. Claws scraped against stone.
And the hunt had begun.
??? AM – Cornered
Kyung-min threw himself behind a pile of rubble, chest heaving.
His entire body ached.
His muscles screamed.
His stamina was already draining.
🔹 [Fatigue Increased: 80/100.]
He peeked through a crack in the stone.
The Abyss Hounds had stopped at the remains of his shattered summon.
They were sniffing the air, growling lowly, confused.
For a brief moment, he felt hope.
But then—
A Lurking Ghoul's head snapped toward his hiding spot.
And its hollow eyes locked onto him.
Kyung-min's breath hitched.
"Shit."
The ghoul let out a shrill, echoing screech.
The Abyss Hounds turned.
And this time—
They knew exactly where he was.
??? AM – Shadow Step
He had seconds.
Less than that.
Kyung-min's mind raced.
"No weapons. No stamina. No way to fight. No way to run."
But then—his status screen flashed in his mind.
A skill.
🔹 [Shadow Step (D) – Briefly Blend into Shadows.]
Would it work?
He had no choice but to find out.
Kyung-min activated it.
Darkness rippled around him.
And the shadows—
Swallowed him whole.
??? AM – The Moment He Became the Prey
The Abyss Hounds rushed forward—snarling, teeth bared—but they passed straight through him.
Their glowing eyes darted around in confusion.
The Lurking Ghoul hesitated, head twitching unnaturally.
They could sense him.
But they couldn't see him.
"It worked."
Kyung-min's chest ached as he stayed perfectly still, his entire body tense.
🔹 [MP Decreasing: 175/200.]
"Come on… just walk away…"
The seconds dragged.
His breath stayed shallow.
The Abyss Hounds sniffed the air.
Then—
They turned away.
They lost interest.
The moment they vanished into the darkness—
🔹 [Shadow Step Deactivated.]
Kyung-min collapsed.
His hands trembled against the cold stone.
His mind was racing.
He had almost died.
Again.
And this was only the beginning.
🔹 [Grave Reaver Awakening: 3% Completion.]
??? AM – Awakening Progression
Kyung-min's hands shook.
🔹 [Grave Reaver Awakening: 3% Completion.]
"What the hell does that even mean?"
He had barely survived. He hadn't even killed anything.
So why was his awakening progressing?
His mind raced as he crouched in the shadows, blood still dripping from his shoulder wound.
"Think. Think."
He pulled up his status screen again.
🔹 [STATUS WINDOW – HAN KYUNG-MIN]
[General Info]
Level: 1 (EXP: 0%)
Class: Grave Reaver (D-Rank, Growth)
Title: None
Profession: None
[Attributes]
HP: 160/180 (Bleeding)
MP: 140/200
Fatigue: 85/100 (Severe)
Gold: 0G
Strength: 6
Agility: 7
Stamina: 8
Intelligence: 12
Perception: 10
[Skills]
🔹 Death's Echo (Unique) – Records & Steals Last Moments of the Dead
🔹 Corpse Reclamation (D) – Raise a Weakened Undead
🔹 Shadow Step (D) – Briefly Blend into Shadows
[Stored Death Records: 2]
[Record 1: Han Kyung-min (His Own Death)]
[Record 2: The Lich (Undying Resilience - Weakened)]
🔹 [Grave Reaver Awakening: 3% Completion.]
His awakening had progressed just from using his summon.
Not from killing.
Not from surviving.
From summoning.
"So I need my undead to actually fight?"
A sinking feeling crawled up his spine.
"It's not enough to just survive."
"I have to fight."
Even if he didn't want to.
Even if he had no choice.
His body ached. His lungs burned. But he needed to test this theory.
Slowly, he raised his hand.
🔹 [Corpse Reclamation Activated.]
A second undead clawed its way out of the pile of bones beside him.
It was just as weak as the first.
Just as unstable.
But this time, he let it walk forward.
Straight into the monsters waiting in the dark.
??? AM – The Experiment
The Lurking Ghoul's head snapped toward the reanimated corpse.
It didn't hesitate.
With an inhuman shriek, it lunged.
Kyung-min watched.
Not interfering.
Not running.
Just watching.
His undead fought back.
It didn't last long.
The Lurking Ghoul ripped into it, tearing off a brittle limb before shredding its torso apart.
🔹 [Summon Destroyed.]
But then—
🔹 [Grave Reaver Awakening: 5% Completion.]
Kyung-min's fingers tightened into fists.
"So that's it."
"That's how I progress."
Not by winning fights.
Not even by surviving.
By forcing his summons into battle.
By making the dead fight for him.
And suddenly—
It made sense.
Everything made sense.
??? AM – The Silver-Haired Woman
His chest burned.
Not from the wound.
From resentment.
From the moment he had met her, nothing had made sense.
Why had she stuck to him so closely?
Why had she known he could open the Lich's Dungeon?
Why had she pushed them into exploring it so fast?
She knew.
She always knew.
She had set everything up.
Not just the dungeon.
Not just the exploration.
His death.
"She wanted this."
And she had gotten it.
His throat tightened as he clenched his jaw.
The betrayal played in his mind again.
The way they had all stood over him.
The way Seok-hoon's blade had driven into his back.
The way Min-jun had looked away.
And the way she had smiled.
"You just weren't meant to survive this cycle."
His breath turned ragged.
His MP was low.
His body was breaking down.
But he wasn't going to stop.
Not yet.
??? AM – The Next Encounter
Another growl echoed through the ruins.
Kyung-min snapped out of it.
The Abyss Hounds had caught his scent again.
And this time—
There was no more time for experiments.
"Move!"
🔹 [Shadow Step Activated.]
His body melted into the darkness just as the nearest hound lunged.
But it wasn't perfect.
It still scraped his leg—claws ripping through skin.
🔹 [HP: 160 → 135.]
He staggered deeper into the shadows.
His MP was dangerously low.
🔹 [MP: 80/200.]
He couldn't keep running forever.
He needed a plan.
A real one.
And next time—
He was going to be the hunter.