Reborn as Sung Jin Woo

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***

Up until a certain point, I was just fulfilling my role in the group.

That is, carrying a bag of stuff and not even really participating in the fights with the monsters. Especially since they were very weak insect-like creatures that I gained almost no experience from killing. Pitiful crumbs that the system did not seem to notice. And this was a C-class dungeon, which was supposed to be a higher level than the lion dungeon I had descended into recently.

Here, I was only warning the group when I felt monsters approaching. My senses were obviously sharper than the C-rank hunters, and my physique was even higher, I guess somewhere around the B-rank level.

Dong-suk, on the other hand...

He was gradually becoming less and less restrained, and an aura of cruelty began to emanate from him. Even just turning my back on him was not something I wanted to do.

And he actually showed his nature when we reached the dungeon boss. In a corner of the room, a giant spider was sleeping peacefully among the shadows of the cobwebs. And all around, blue crystals were growing right out of the walls, with energy pulsing in them.

- With this, we'll be rich....

- But, if we kill the boss now, the dungeon will close.

- Hehehe... we need to pick up the mining equipment, I left it in the car.

- Jin Woo, Jin Ho, wait for us here.....

Of course, Eugene was taken aback by this.

- Wait! You want to... leave us with the boss? - The guy was worried.

- Don't worry, nothing's gonna happen to you. Look, he's already eaten a big meal and now he's sleeping on his own. If you don't invade his territory, he won't pay any attention to you.

And, I was not at all surprised when these guys stepped back to cave the passage to this part of the dungeon. The mage used an explosion spell and collapsed the passage. And from the rumbling came an arachnid that started wiggling its chelicerae in displeasure. And, in fact, I kept silent for now only because I didn't want to fight the boss and the lizards at the same time.

- W-what..." Eugene looked back in a daze. - Wait... Jin Wu? Where did that sword come from?

- Stay behind me. - I said calmly. - You can't take on that monster.

When I looked at the spider, when I felt its pulse of power.

I didn't feel a shadow of fear.

It was clearly stronger than the serpent and the lion, stronger by far. But, I was confident in my strength. This system had pumped me up nicely.

- Ghrrrrrrssaa!

Inhaling sharply, I made a leap to the side.

And on the floor of the cave where I was standing just now, a stream of green acid spilled out, which began to melt the stone. But, I was already in front of the monster and with a swift blow cut off several of his paws at once. The spider sobbed pitifully and, unable to keep its balance, fell to the side. I approached its head and stabbed it, driving the blade of my two-handed sword into its mouth.

- Die...

A jagged dagger materialised in my left hand, which I immediately plunged into one of the spider's eyes.

My hand moved quickly and precisely like a mechanism, executing a series of lightning-fast blows. Thus, before the boss realised, I had knocked out four of its eyes, after which I had to retreat to avoid being wounded by its chelicerae.

One of the spider's paws did get me, though, scratching me with a claw and tearing my clothes, but it wasn't critical. I could feel my health diminishing, but it was crumbs.

And, not wasting time while the acceleration effect is in effect, I went back to attack.

The arachnid tries to pierce me with its claws, hitting me with its paws, but... I saw its movements, felt with my whole body how to avoid the blow and make a counterattack.

- It's... impossible..." Eugene sighed dazedly, his eyes wide.

He watched in disbelief as I traded blows with the boss again. But if I avoided its claws successfully, the spider lost two more paws, and then I launched another attack, aiming for the monster's head.

The one spat acid again, but.....

The body is so light... I soared into the air and deftly landed on the monster's back, delivering a sweeping blow with my two-handed weapon. And then...

Grasping the shell with my fingers, I swung my blade into the creature's head.

And again.

Pulling out my sword, I repeated the blow, the swift jabs of the two-handed blade raining down on the monster's head one after another. And, I expected that I would have to retreat again to repeat the attack. But, no...

The spider flinched from another piercing and...

It just collapsed to the floor with its legs spread out.

The dungeon boss has been killed!

The system immediately reported victory....

Your level has been raised!

Your level has been raised!

If it was a game system, I wouldn't have received two levels for one boss. But it seems that the creator thought that my body was ready for a new enhancement, and I was given more levels for the victory. This whole game system is just an illusion, which enthralls the player and encourages them to take action. But, it's quite effective for development, I must admit.

Hmm...

A new skill has been learnt!

Two-handed Blade Level 1

The effectiveness of two-handed bladed weapons in your hands is increased by 10%.

Yeah, I've moved away from Jin Wu's canonical pumping, if only slightly. He's gone completely into the specialisation of dagger wielding. My main weapon was somehow a two-handed sword, which I could easily hold with one hand, given my level of strength. But I don't think that's a bad thing. Daggers may be the winner in some ways, but I do feel more comfortable with a long sword.

- Mr. Wu..." Eugene said in a stammering voice.

- Hmm?

- Perhaps... would you like a drink?

The boy offered me a flask of water with a trembling hand.

- Oh, thank you. - I didn't refuse.

When he offered it, I suddenly realised I was really thirsty. Anyway, the guy was clearly impressed with the way I dealt with the dungeon boss. But, this story wasn't over yet.

- Before the dungeon closes, take the pickaxe. - I said.

I went to the bag of stuff and took out a tool.

- Huh? Yes! Of course! - Eugene understood immediately.

Although, with the future prospects, it wasn't that important, but I didn't want to miss out on the benefits. And so, before the lizards returned, we started collecting the mana stones that littered the walls of this part of the dungeon. I, on the other hand, could already feel the energy of the cave pulsing with a surge. And I guess those guys felt something too, realising that the dungeon would soon close.

We hadn't collected very many rocks before another explosion went off.

And out of the smoke and dust, the figure of the hunters appeared. Dong-suk didn't look as friendly as before.

- What? Are those two alive? - One of the lizardmen exclaimed in surprise.

- What happened?

- Looks like we overestimated the strength of that spider. The bastard in expensive clothes must have knocked it over.

- Ha ha... then I see.....

Dong Suk came forward, looking at us with a frown.

- Yoo Jin Ho..." he said ominously. - I've done some research on you. You're the son of the chairman of Yoo Jin Construction Company... hah....

- So what? - Eugene frowned.

- That's fine... I'll give you a chance... but only if you kill Jin Wu.

I sighed understandingly.

I decided to tie the guy up in blood so he'd be less inclined to tell the authorities. It's actually a good move. If it had been Eugene who killed the monster. But alas, the lizard misinterpreted the course of events. Jin Ho tensed up even more, glancing at me with fear. In general, he was not the kind of person who would dare to accept such conditions. But even if he agreed, Eugene knew that he couldn't do anything to me. He's a hunter on my level.

- W-what are you--

- Kill him and join us. - Dong-suk cut him off harshly. - It's the only way you can survive.

- No, I'll--

- Or you both die here.

I stretched my neck until it crunched.

A system message appeared in front of my own eyes.

Attention!

Emergency mission to destroy enemies.

There are creatures nearby that want to kill the player. Destroy them or your heart will stop.

Enemies 0\8

And the system leaves no choice, kill or be killed.

But even without that.

When I entered this dungeon, I knew this would happen. But if I had any doubts back then, then now, looking at the people who wanted me dead, I didn't feel any daze at all. Just confidence in my power. And some resentment that someone had decided to kill me so cowardly. A pulse of cold hit my chest, straight from the threads of the system. I'd already felt it a little bit, that as it filled my body, the power of the Overlord was changing me little by little. It's not only making me stronger, it's making me more confident. And it is not a change that is frightening. On the contrary, it's a transformation that I accept calmly.

- Okay... kill him. - Dong-suk said coldly.

And perhaps there were still some crumbs of indecision in me. After all, I hadn't taken the first step towards the fight yet. But when the magician raised his hand that was already glowing with flames. I made a sudden leap.

- А?

The two-handed sword drew a line on the mage's body. He even had time to be surprised by my attack before his body fell apart and collapsed to the floor of the cave.

- Wh-what?

- Your decisions have consequences. - I exhaled.

I was just filled with irritation.

- If you kill others... be prepared to be killed yourself.

Drawing my sword, I make another dash. And, my opponent has no time to do anything, as the horizontal strike simply blows his head off.

- C-ranks, or D-ranks... you're all just my prey. You're no better than monsters.

- Bitch!

- Bastard.

Dandelion choked on his swear word as I got right in front of him. My blade sliced through his mate next to him, and I grabbed the guy's throat with my left hand.

- "Khaa..." he exhaled a strangled breath.

His eyes almost popped out of his head as I squeezed his neck with all my might. The bones crunched, and as I unclenched my fingers, I let the dead body fall to the ground while the other guy fell apart, sliced in two.

- You... what the fuck are you?

- False Ranger...

Another tug, and the experienced hunters fall to the floor.

- N-no, wait... - Don Suk retreats in panic.

- And you, bastard, I left you for dessert.

- S-stop! I'll give you money! And all the mana crystals, take them! Я...

- I know who you are. - I said it. - If I let you live, you'll run to complain to your brother.

- Haa-" The hunter's eyes bulged.

- You lying bastard... even if you promise to keep quiet... how can I trust you?

- You wouldn't dare! - The man shrieked in a natural manner. - My brother! He...

A glint of steel and a splash of blood.

The hunter's head flew away, severed from his body.

Emergency mission accomplished!

All enemies have been destroyed!

Receive your reward:

Recovery

Character Points +10

Suppression Skill

Hmm...

After accepting the reward, in addition to the points, I also got an interesting active skill.

Suppression level 1.

Your aura strikes terror into the hearts of enemies, temporarily reducing their stats.

Not bad, actually.

- Mr Wu..." Eugene spoke up.

I looked around, ignoring the corpses.

- Get the crystals, it's time to go. - I told the boy calmly.

- Huh? Y-yes! Now!

And while he was collecting those crystals, I went around the hunters, collecting their weapons and putting them away in my inventory. And shortly after, the dungeon closed, expelling us back into the human world.

- Ah ha ha... - The boy exhaled with relief. - We're saved!

- Yeah yeah... I saved your life, so... it's best you don't talk about what happened.

- I-I mean! Your secret will go to the grave with me!

- What happens in the dungeon stays in the dungeon.

- Understood!

I placed the sword with the point in the ground and let go, after which the weapon scattered particles of light, going into my inventory. Watching the manifestation of this ability, Eugene only swallowed nervously.

- Take it, Mr Wu! - He handed me a bag of crystals. - ''You... you have fully earned them. And... my gratitude... you did save... after all...

- Hmm, well, I won't say no. I need the money now. - I shrug.

And I let the guy know that I need the money. He'll probably remember that soon enough. In the meantime, we just parted ways. I turned in the loot to the agency, and we also reported to the gate closing with the deaths of eight hunters.

- Yes... sad... - The clerk shook his head.

But he didn't sound worried.

And, that was the end of our adventure together, for now....

I, on the other hand, had time to look into another dungeon that evening, opening it with the key from the gift box. Already higher rank, more powerful monsters. But, they weren't strong enough to make my blood boil from the tension of the fight. I just killed monsters and upgraded.

Your level has been raised!

And then another and another.

Level rolling just took me over, forcing me to lay out and spend all my time on it.

My new acquaintance reminded me about a week later.

- Brother... do you know Yoo Jin Ho's boyfriend? - My sister asked doubtfully.

- Hmm, yes...

- He called you.

- Thank you Jin-Ah, I'll answer it now.

- Hnnn... - The girl snorted, handing me the receiver.

Eugene had managed to find out my contacts through the association and was clearly set on hiring me for his business. And, well, so far we'd only arranged to meet, but the guy assured me it was very important.

But, since the meeting was scheduled for tonight, in the meantime, I got busy pumping. While the Overlords are asleep, I'm pumping. And doing my daily tasks. And today the system had just prepared a gift for me. Only it's just that when I completed the quest, instead of a regular box, I got a cursed box. In which was found.

A stone of the skill "Clothing"

And from a small pebble, on which a violet rune shone brightly with an ominous fire, a familiar power reeked. I realised very clearly that it was not a gift from the creator of the system, but from the Dark Monarch, the one I had seen in a dream when I was reborn.

- Well... what is it...

Squeezing the stone in my hand, I let it crumble, after which the power hidden in it transferred into my body, granting me a new active skill.

Cloak level 1

Allows you to transform the shadow of a creature into a weapon

Although it wasn't quite the power I was expecting, but, some echo of it. And, I don't remember Jin Wu having something like this.

- Hmm...

Also...

This skill was somehow subtly different from my other skill. And it became especially clear when I used it. Going through the system dungeon again, having only defeated the first monster, I reached out my hand towards its body...

- To me!

And the dead man's shadow moved, reaching for my hand. It rose up out of the darkness and took shape, lying in my hand already as the hilt of a long black sword. It wasn't defined by the system as an item of equipment, but I could feel its power. Even though this sword was created from the shadow of a weak monster, it was perceptibly stronger than my sword obtained from the lion boss.

- Hehe...

On the very next monsters, I happily tried out the new weapon.And, the shadow sword was as if it didn't feel the obstacle at all, cutting through the monsters' bodies without much effort. And the shadows of defeated enemies fed it even more power, increasing the power of the weapon. Even if only a little, but after killing a couple of dozen monsters, I could already feel the difference. The shadow of the skill itself was becoming denser and somehow bulkier. Half-and-a-half black sword in my hands increased in size, turning into a huge rail, which could one blow to mow down a dozen mobs.

But, if I wanted to, I could adjust the size of the blade. Quite handy...

In narrow dungeons, sometimes there is not enough space to use long weapons. What is also interesting, this skill did not waste mana at all. I could also let go of the shadow, hiding the weapon already in my own shadow, and then use the skill again and summon it.

- Haa... not bad...

And especially powerful reinforcement to this skill I got by absorbing the shadow of the dungeon boss.

- Hssaaa... - The ogre, even though he was the boss, recoiled fearfully from me.

Maybe he was frightened by the sight of the huge sword that exuded darkness that flowed through my body like a mist. Or maybe it was the suppression skill that affected it so much. But, the monster didn't even resist when I calmly came within striking distance and swept its head off its shoulders with a single swing.

- Yes... this is it...

My own heart was filled with a feeling of elation.

The monster's shadow was also absorbed into my attire. And, it was as if the skill had passed a certain point of critical mass accumulation. The vestment abruptly expanded, covering my body with darkness and, in addition to the sword, forming a dark armour. Such a familiar image, the darkness centred in the threads of the system began to pulse from that.

The same lats that the Monarch of Shadows wore.

And I felt a thrill myself, feeling my strength grow. The sword was about five times stronger than my old two-handed sword. And the armour was definitely excellent protection. Normal monsters couldn't even scratch it. And now, I felt even better when the dungeon closed after the boss died.

- Hmm, time...

It's just about time to meet Eugene.

Let's see what we can agree on.

*** 

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