"Open inventory."
[INVENTORY]
- Greater Healing Potion ×35
- Laphoen's Necklace lv.1
- Blessing of Strength lv.1
- Smaller Fire Tome lv.1
- Elipitis Shard of Defense lv.1
- Night and Day Daggers lv.1
- Sword of the Forsaken lv.100
These were all the items Lucien managed to buy with his leftover money before transferring them to his gaming profile. All he had to do was create an online profile that linked to his gaming account, and the items transferred automatically.
The only problem? They cost a fortune. He'd blown every last cent from selling his custom phone.
Still, he'd seen forum posts claiming these items were cheaper in-game. Just another way for players to scam newcomers.
He gritted his teeth and exhaled slowly.
'I chose this path anyway. There's no way I could've gotten items in Evelaine Hollow, and even here.'
Lucien studied his inventory for a moment. Then—
"Equip Elipitis Shard of Defense..."
Blue light swirled around his body, forming what looked like... a delicate pink pumpkin costume.
The shoulder pauldrons resembled oversized pink pumpkins. The chest plate was dry wood painted bubblegum pink. His lower half was covered by thin silk pants and worn leather sandals that screamed "beggar chic."
Lucien stared down at himself, his face twisting in disgust.
'...I've been scammed.'
The seller had posted images of sleek silver armor with flowing blue fabric. It had looked incredible.
What I ordered versus what I got—classic.
'That bastard... Once I'm done here, I'll hunt you down in this game and squeeze back every drop of my money.'
[ELIPITIS SHARD OF DEFENSE Lv. 1]
Item Type: Armor
Rarity: Common
Binding: Unbound
Durability: 50/50
—
Physical Defense: +10
Special Effect: none
—
Evolution Potential: Dormant
[Add 100 Evolution Point to activate Evolution Path]
"Three hundred thousand dollars for this."
His voice was flat.
Lucien shook his head, forcing himself to move past it. He hated looking like a walking jack-o'-lantern, but this would have to do. He'd bought these items to take down the Black Godzilla, though deep down he knew they probably wouldn't make a dent.
Still, luck had smiled on him today when he'd stumbled across the most ancient dungeon in Cradle World.
[You have equipped Sword of the Forsaken lv.100]
[Your Base Damage is now 847]
[You have equipped Laphoen's Necklace lv.1]
[Your Agility has increased by +3]
[You have equipped Blessing of Strength lv.1]
[Your Strength has increased by +5]
[You have equipped Smaller Fire Tome lv.1]
[You can learn skill Smaller Fireball lv.1 for 100 EP/FP]
Lucien's eyes lingered on the final message.
'Shame I don't have any of those points yet.'
He gripped the sword's handle, its weight solid in his palm. Ahead lay the narrow passage of the dungeon — a challenge meant for teams of three to seven players.
He was going in alone.
It wasn't long before he encountered his first monster. As he walked deeper into the ghostly lit passage, the smell hit him first—rain on swamp mixed with a rank, furry stench.
He naturally began to suspect he was getting closer to the monsters.
Then suddenly, a pair of sharp red eyes ignited in the dark. Lucien paused and stepped back carefully, gripping the sword with both hands.
He hadn't really learned how to fight, but the mechanics were there in his head. If someone knew physics well enough, taking advantage of motion, force, and momentum was bound to give results.
He just needed patience and caution. The only problem was his heart.
His heart pounded with such excitement that he feared he might slip. Having to fight for his life, knowing that one mistake could mean real pain, made him dizzy with adrenaline. He didn't want to get hurt, obviously, and he didn't want to lose. But the thought of battling for survival felt like stepping into an entirely new world.
He was even blushing when the creature suddenly lunged from the darkness.
The Sword of the Forsaken was a blessing. Last time, Lucien had been caught off guard by the Godzilla's terrifying speed despite its massive size.
But what came at him now was a four-legged creature—a black furry wolf with blood-red eyes and three tails.
The wolf was alone, charging toward him with raw ferocity. Above it, blood-red letters read:
[Black Wolf Lv.40]
A level -1 killing a level 40 was impossible. But there were several anomalies here.
Lucien dodged right as the massive Black Wolf shot at him, then immediately shoved left, using his momentum to crash into the wolf. Both of them slammed against the wall.
[You have lost 4 Health Points]
'Ouch.'
Lucien smiled as they crashed. He pulled back immediately, but not fully—stabbing the wolf in its lower leg and yanking the sword free as he stood up.
[You have dealt 877 damage.]
The Black Wolf lunged at him as he staggered back. Clearly, he'd underestimated its speed. Before he could take two steps backward, the creature pounced on him and bit into the wooden armor on his chest, shredding it with madness glinting in its eyes.
[Your Armor has been damaged]
[Your Armor has been damaged]
[You have lost 29 HP]
Lucien seized the opportunity. As he fell, he drove the sword into the creature's neck and hit the ground hard.
[You have dealt 914 damage]
[You have dealt Critical Damage]
[You have dealt 1056 damage]
[You have lost 13 Health Points]
[You have received Critical Head Damage]
[You have lost 47 Health Points]
[You have killed Black Wolf Lv. 40]
[You have gained ×1 Black Wolf Claw]
[You have gained ×1 Black Wolf Fur]
[You have gained 1,200 Fusion Points]
[You have leveled up]
[You have leveled up]
[You have leveled up]
[You have gained a title]
[You have accomplished something no player has ever accomplished.]
[A Worldwide Announcement has been made.]
[A Strange Level -1 Player doused in Pumpkin Armor has achieved the impossible, killing a Level 40 monster in just two hits and therefore gaining the epic title: Sharp-Killer]