L2L - Death Code

As soon as the special quest pop-up appeared, he opened the quest page to check its details.

The moment his eyes landed on the text, his breath hitched.

Then, pure disbelief surged through him.

"The hell… Is this system really for my survival, or is it just trying to kill me in the worst way possible?"

The quest was clear.

[Special Quest – Hunt a Lower Nethrite Serpent

Reward: Nethrite Dagger

Penalty: None]

His fingers twitched.

No penalty. This gave him some relief, he wouldn't be punished for failing the quest and most of all, the quest was optional!

The system had given him an optional quest. The last quest had forced him into a hellish 100-kilometer sprint without any say in the matter. But this one…

This one gave him a choice.He could either accept to complete it or he could let it go.

He let out a dry, almost bitter laugh.

But more than frustration, he felt relief.

At least this time, he had some control.

He could accept the quest… or ignore it and sit here waiting for death.

Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to think logically.

"Alright… let's calm down and think it over objectively."

First—the target.

"The special quest requires me to kill a Lower Nethrite Serpent. It's probably one of those damn snakes which has developed mineral scales, not the type I killed previously , considering the reward is a dagger made from this 'Nethrite.' So the shiny ore that these snakes bear as scales is called Nethrite"

Nethrite.

A completely unfamiliar mineral.

He had never heard of it before, not in his previous life or in any books he'd read. But if the system was offering a weapon forged from it, then it had to be something powerful.

Second—the situation.

"I can pass on this quest and sit here waiting for my death."

That was one option.

"Or I can take up the quest and engage in an unwinnable battle against a deadly monster."

If one option was bad, then the other was even worse.

But the system…

The system had helped him survive so far.

Even if it had thrown insane challenges at him, it had never outright set him up for failure. Every quest had served a purpose.

It seemed completely logical to accept the quest and explore the possibilities it might open for him.

"But I just an impossibly tiring quest that cost me all of my supplies. In return for wha-"

And then it hit him.

His eyes widened slightly.

"Wait… was the last quest a preparation for this one?"

The previous challenge had forced him to run 100 kilometers.

His reward? Dash.

A skill that let him cover more ground per stride.

Not an instant teleport. Not a blink movement. A sudden burst of acceleration that let him cover three meters in a single step.

At first, it had seemed useless.

But now—it made sense.

The previous quest has prepared him for this one. He had obtained a new skill, his stats had improved along with it.

In an instant, a whole plan to take down a lower serpent started to form in his mind.

He couldn't have defeated it with just his stealth and base stats, so the system has provided him with a skill he would need to do it. Ofcourse he has to pay a fair price for it.

Beating the snake was not just about using he raw powers. It was about outmaneuvering it.

About using speed, agility, and strategy.

Everything clicked.

The system had been building him up for this exact challenge.

He started the first phase of his plan - Level up 'Dash'

Without hesitation, he activated Dash to check its effect properly.

His muscles tensed, and in the very next stride—

WHOOSH!

His foot slammed against the ground, and his body lurched forward with explosive acceleration.

His normal stride distance was no more than one meter, but this time—he covered three full meters in a single step.

His breath hitched.

This was different from running.

There was no gradual buildup—no progressive acceleration.

The moment he stepped forward, the burst of speed kicked in immediately.

And the most important thing—his momentum stayed with him even after the skill was used up.

His heart pounded.

"This… this is actually insane."

This wasn't just a speed boost—it was a battlefield mobility enhancer.

He could evade faster, close distances quicker, and even chain movements together.

"Alright… but what happens when I level it up?"

His mind immediately went to Stealth.

His first skill.

When it had reached Lv 5, its cooldown had reduced from 1 min 4 seconds to 44 seconds. 5 second reduction per level.

It was clear—the higher the skill level, the lower the cooldown.

"If Stealth worked that way… then Dash should follow the same pattern."

And that meant—if he leveled Dash up, the cooldown would shorten, letting him use it more frequently.

Which was exactly what he needed.

It was time to grind.

At first, he used both Dash and Stealth together, alternating between them every time the cooldown reset.

But soon, he noticed something.

Stealth wasn't leveling up anymore.

It had been stuck at Lv 5 for a while now, no matter how much he used it.

Meaning—he was wasting valuable stamina on a skill that wasn't progressing.

His brows furrowed.

"No point in spamming Stealth if it's not leveling anymore."

Without hesitation, he stopped using Stealth entirely to conserve energy.

Now—all focus on Dash.

The cooldown was 20 seconds at the beginning.

That meant he could only use it three times per minute.

Too slow.

Way too slow.

He needed to spam it as much as possible before his body gave out.

The moment the cooldown reset—Dash.

Another 20 seconds—Dash.

Again—Dash.

His muscles strained, his breathing grew heavier, but he kept pushing.

And then—

> [System – Dash upgraded to Lv 2.]

Cooldown Reduction: -2 seconds.

18 seconds.

Not bad.

Another five minutes—

> [System – Dash upgraded to Lv 3.]

Cooldown Reduction: -2 seconds.

16 seconds.

Closer.

Another 20 minutes of relentless effort—

> [System – Dash upgraded to Lv 4.]

Cooldown Reduction: -2 seconds.

14 seconds.

His breathing was ragged, his muscles aching, but—

This was enough.

At Lv 4, he could Dash every 14 seconds instead of 20. He didn't level up to lv 5 because he knew it would level up when he would engage with the serpent

That meant in one minute, he would be able to use it 5 times instead of just 3.

"Much better now"

That small difference… could save his life.

He exhaled sharply, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

It was time.

With a sharp breath, he clicked (Yes) on the special quest.

[Quest Accepted.]

The hunt was beginning. The Man who had frozen in his place just by the presence of the predator serpent, was now formulating plans to turn that Monster into his prey.