He had seen enough RPGs, enough system-based worlds, to immediately understand what these numbers meant.
And they were garbage.
"Strength: 12? Endurance: 10?! Even my Agility is barely above average!"
He ran a hand through his hair, frustration bubbling inside him like boiling water.
"So what? I wake up in a dungeon, get chased by a monster, and now I find out I'm weaker than a level 1 ?!"
His fingers clenched into fists. If this was supposed to be a fantasy world where he got to be an overpowered protagonist… he got screwed.
But then…
His eyes drifted downward.
[Skills]
The moment he saw the list, his irritation vanished—replaced by sheer disbelief.
[Skills]
[Passive Skill]
Shadow Step (Lv.1) – Increases movement speed and evasion in combat. Allows instinctive repositioning.
Skill Growth Acceleration (EX) – All skills gain proficiency at an increased rate.
Adaptive Combat Instincts (Lv.1) – Enhances reaction time and fighting intuition in real-time. Improves survival capabilities.
Mana Control (Lv.1) – Improves efficiency in using magic, reducing MP consumption.
Language Comprehension (EX) – Instantly understands and can speak any language.
[Active Skill]
Spatial Inventory (EX) – Grants access to a personal storage space outside of physical reality.
Appraisal (EX) – Can analyze and identify items, creatures, and status effects beyond the normal system limit.
Limit Break (Lv.1) – When faced with a life-threatening situation, temporarily surpasses normal physical limits.
[Unique Skill]
Unique Skill - Item Manifestation – Turns all defeated enemies into dropped items.
Lucian’s jaw dropped.
"These… these skills are insane."
Even at Lv.1, Shadow Step had already activated during his escape. That meant his body automatically adjusted his movements to avoid attacks.
Spatial Inventory? Unlimited storage? No weight restrictions? That alone was a cheat ability.
Then there was Adaptive Combat Instincts.
"Enhances reaction time? Fighting intuition? Increases survival capability?"
Lucian sucked in a breath. This… was not normal.
And the "EX" levels confused him.
Did they not have a level cap? Were they beyond the system’s usual growth mechanics?
Then, another section of the menu flickered to life.
[Titles]
Lucian focused on the newly appearing list.
[Titles]
[One Who Walks Between Worlds] – Grants [Skill Growth Acceleration (EX)] and [Unique Skill - Item Manifestation]
[Bearer of the Universe Cube] - ???
Lucian’s gaze locked onto one title in particular.
[Bearer of the Universe Cube]
For a long moment, he simply stared at it.
"The hell is this?"
He tried tapping on it, but unlike the skills, no further description appeared.
That was… unsettling.
Everything else had details, but this doesn’t?
The words themselves felt heavy, like they carried an unknown weight far beyond a simple system title.
He didn’t know why, but an instinct deep in his gut told him that this title was important.
Lucian exhaled slowly, staring at his contradictory stats and abilities.
His attributes were weak.
But his skills and titles were anything but.
"So, I’m weak stat-wise, but my skills are ridiculous?"
He experimentally took a step forward, putting focus into his movement.
The instant he did, his body felt… lighter. Faster.
He took another step, then a quick dash to the side.
His reaction speed was sharper than expected. His footwork felt unnaturally smooth.
[Ding!] Shadow Step Lv.1 Activated.
Lucian froze.
"Did… did that just activate naturally?"
A slow grin crept across his face.
He clenched his fist.
"I get it now."
He wasn’t a stats-based fighter. He wasn’t going to win battles by just punching harder or swinging a bigger weapon.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
He had adaptive combat skills. Natural enhancements.
And if he could use them creatively…
Then he could survive.
Maybe even win.
Lucian smirked, the first flicker of confidence rising in his chest.
"Alright, let's see how broken I can make this."
Growwl
The low growl returned.
Lucian's blood ran cold.
He had already heard it once—the ominous, guttural sound that signaled a predator on the hunt. But this time… it was closer.
Much closer.
His breath hitched. Slowly, instinctively, he turned—
His gaze locked onto crimson eyes.
A massive, jet-black wolf stepped from the shadows, its form almost blending into the darkness itself. The only thing that truly stood out was its eyes—two smoldering orbs of blood-red hunger.
Lucian felt an unspoken pressure, a silent, primal warning that screamed one truth:
He was prey.
The creature's sleek fur bristled, absorbing the faint light of the bioluminescent fungi, as if it were swallowing the dungeon’s glow itself. Its claws, each as long as a dagger, scraped against the stone floor, leaving deep gouges in its wake.
A breath escaped Lucian’s lips, shallow and shaky.
"Oh… shit."
As if in response to his fear, a blue screen flickered into existence.
[Ding!] Monster Identified
Name: Abyssal Direwolf
Rank: A
Level: 448
[Stats:]
Strength: 7,500
Agility: 8,200
Endurance: 7,300
Magic Power: 6,900
Intelligence: 5,600
Dexterity: 7,100
Perception: 8,500
[Skills:]
[Abyssal Fang] – Bites infused with abyssal energy that ignore conventional armor and inflict corruption-based wounds.
[Shadow Step] – Instantly shifts through darkness to ambush prey or evade attacks.
[Lunar Howl] – Emits a fear-inducing howl that weakens enemies below A-rank and boosts allied creatures.
[Void Predator] – Enhanced senses allow it to track prey across vast distances, even through magical concealment.
[Regenerative Hide] – Passively heals minor wounds and reduces damage from physical and magical attacks.
[Phantom Slash] – A claw attack that distorts space, making it nearly impossible to predict or block.
Lucian’s brain short-circuited.
"Level… 448?!"
His eyes snapped back to the beast, who now watched him with an almost amused malice.
His own Strength stat was 12.
Its lowest stat was over 5,000.
Lucian wasn't even an ant in comparison.
His legs refused to move. His mind was screaming at him to run, but his body remained frozen—caught between terror and sheer disbelief.
How is this even fair?!
The wolf lowered itself slightly, its muscles tensing like a coiled spring.
Lucian instinctively tightened his grip on his Rank B sword.
A mistake.
The moment the wolf saw his stance shift, its lips curled back, revealing rows of razor-sharp fangs. A low snarl rumbled from its throat—not in fear, but in challenge.
"No, no, no—bad idea—BAD IDEA!"
Lucian had watched enough fights in games and anime to know exactly what came next.
It was going to lunge.
And if it did, he was dead.
Lucian didn’t think. He moved.
His feet tore away from the ground, his body launching into a full sprint.
[Ding!] Passive Skill Activated – Shadow Step Lv.1 (Increased Evasion in Combat)]
His movements sharpened. His steps became lighter.
The world blurred slightly—his vision narrowing to the tunnel ahead, every minor shift in the ground becoming clearer, as if his body already knew how to react.
The wolf lunged.
Lucian felt the air distort behind him as claws slashed through the space his head had just occupied. A sickening crunch followed—stone shattered as the beast’s attack obliterated part of the dungeon wall.
If that had hit me…
Lucian didn’t finish the thought. He kept running.
The Abyssal Direwolf snarled, its powerful legs kicking off the ground, closing the distance faster than should have been possible.
Lucian forced his body forward, every fiber of his being screaming at him to survive.
The tunnel twisted and turned ahead, its narrow walls his only hope.
If he couldn’t outrun it—he had to outmaneuver it.
And so, with everything he had left in him, Lucian dove into the unknown—
Praying that whatever was ahead… wasn’t worse.