Chapter 31 – A Predator That Should Have Been Prey
??? AM – Status Before the Hunt
The fire crackled.
Kyung-min exhaled, the warmth barely enough to push back the cold seeping into his bones. His body ached—deep, lingering pain in every joint, every muscle. His stomach twisted as he forced down another bite of the charred rabbit meat.
It still tasted like rot.
Still made his throat tighten in protest.
But it was fuel. And that was all he needed.
Then—
🔹 [Status Window Opened.]
A translucent blue screen flickered into view.
[STATUS WINDOW – HAN KYUNG-MIN]
[General Info]
Level: 8 (1100/1200 EXP to Level 9)
Class: Grave Reaver (D-Rank, Growth)
Title: Harbinger of the Unresting (Undead grow stronger with each resurrection.)
Profession: None
[Attributes]
HP: 88 / 313
MP: 40 / 333
Fatigue: 67/100
Gold: 0G
Strength: 13
Agility: 14
Stamina: 15
Intelligence: 19
Perception: 17
Free Stat Points: 40
[Skills]
🔹 Death's Echo (Unique) – [Records & Steals Last Moments of the Dead]
🔹 Corpse Reclamation (D-Rank) – [Raise a Weakened Undead]
🔹 Shadow Step (D-Rank) – [Briefly Blend into Shadows]
[Stored Death Records: 2]
[Record 1: Han Kyung-min (His Own Death)]
[Record 2: The Lich (Undying Resilience - Weakened)]
[Awakening Progress: 27%]
Kyung-min's grip on the bone knife tightened.
"40 points… where should they go?"
Every stat mattered. Every choice could mean life or death.
[Strength] → More raw power. But it wouldn't matter if he still died in one hit.
[Agility] → Speed could save him, but his summons weren't fast anyway.
[Stamina] → More HP. More endurance. But it wouldn't fix his real issue.
[Intelligence] → More MP. He needed this badly.
[Perception] → Awareness. Reaction speed. Predicting enemy attacks.
His lips pressed into a thin line.
"I need to last longer in battle. I need to summon more."
He made his choice.
🔹 [Free Stat Points Distributed.]
Strength: 13 → 20
Agility: 14 → 20
Stamina: 15 → 20
Intelligence: 19 → 30
Perception: 17 → 20
🔹 [Max HP & MP Increased.]
🔹 [HP: 313 → 257/426]
🔹 [MP: 333 → 265/490]
The surge of power was subtle. No grand awakening. No sudden explosion of strength.
Just… a shift. A sharpening of his senses.
Kyung-min let out a slow breath.
"Time to see if it's enough."
??? AM – Overconfidence Kills
He slipped out of the burrow, pressing his body low to the ground.
The cavern was still. Quiet.
His undead Bloodfang Burrowers followed behind him, their soulless red eyes gleaming.
It had been too easy so far.
The rabbits had been stronger than him—but now, they weren't enough.
He needed something stronger.
Something that would push him further.
And that was his mistake.
Kyung-min moved deeper.
Further into the dungeon.
The air grew heavier. The walls darker. The ground slick with something black and rotting.
Then—
A breath.
Not his.
Not his summons'.
Something massive stirred in the shadows.
A figure twice his size.
No—bigger.
🔹 [Devourer Stalker – Level 32]
It didn't hesitate.
It moved.
And in less than a second, he knew—
He had fucked up.
The world blurred.
A shadow lunged.
His undead barely turned—
And vanished.
🔹 [Your Summon Has Been Instantly Killed.]
Kyung-min's heart stopped.
Something sharp tore through his side.
Blood splattered across the ground.
🔹 [HP: 257 → 143.]
A single attack.
A single hit.
And he was seconds from death.
His legs barely moved. His fingers barely reacted.
But instinct took over.
Shadow Step.
He vanished.
And the next strike missed by inches.
He didn't look back.
Didn't breathe.
Didn't think.
He just ran.
??? AM – A Desperate Retreat
He barely made it.
The burrow entrance came into view.
He dived in headfirst.
His shoulder slammed into rock.
Pain exploded across his ribs—but he didn't care.
The monster outside screeched.
It couldn't follow him.
But it knew he was inside.
And Kyung-min?
He couldn't stop shaking.
🔹 [Fatigue: 89/100.]
He wasn't ready.
Not even close.
And if he wanted to survive Floor 0—
He needed to become something far worse.