Ryuga was standing with difficulty, struggling to breathe.
Blood was dripping from his arm onto the ground… staining the dark floor.But who cared? The floor was already rotten. Filthy.Like a grave covered with mud, blood, and fear.
"System…""Is this system… my curse or my salvation?"
The screen still hung in the air.Cold, mechanical, emotionless words.
[Unluckiness Points: +47][Rusted Stone Knife (Single Use) – 45 SP]
"Knife…""It can only be used once… But is it enough to finish this creature?"
Without hesitation, Ryuga purchased it.
[Purchased: Rusted Stone Knife][SP: 2]
What appeared in his hand wasn't really a weapon.It looked like a broken piece of razor blade.Its edges were rusty, no handle, sharp enough to cut his hand but unstable.
"This?""This is my… weapon?"
He laughed.But there was neither happiness nor hope in that laugh.Only a madness-tinged acceptance.
The creature moved again.Its eyes still glowed like embers.But there was a difference.
It was afraid.Not of Ryuga…But something inside him.Maybe a dark potential offered by the system.
Ryuga gripped the knife.And ran.
This was not a fight.It was a struggle to survive.Or rather, a cry for existence.
"I am here!""I am alive!""And if this world tries to destroy me… I will tear it apart!"
The knife plunged into the creature's neck.
Blood sprayed.A rotten, sour flesh smell spread.Ryuga stepped back, but the knife stayed in his hand.The knife cracked… and then broke.
The creature staggered.Fell to the ground.Shivered… and remained still.
It was dead.
[Enemy killed.][Extra Unluckiness Points: +18][Description: Weapon broken. Close combat with enemy. Poisoned by enemy's stench.]
[New total: 20 SP]
Ryuga dropped to his knees.He felt like vomiting.His stomach churned.His belly was empty anyway.Only acid… and pain.
Silence.
But not peace.Just… the emptiness before a new disaster.
Then… something rose from the ground.
A door.
Not made of stone… but seemingly woven from flesh and veins.It was alive.Beating.Like a heart.
And glowing letters appeared on it:
[Floor 1 – Basic Gate Opened][Condition to proceed: Kill 1 enemy] – Completed[Do you want to pass?]
Ryuga lifted his head.
"Floor? Is this… a dungeon? What kind of cursed world is this?"
But the answer was already clear.This world was no longer the one he knew.This… was another reality.A hell.
And he had only one choice:To move forward.
"Alright. I'm moving forward.""You hurt me, world…""But I will turn every blow into power.""Every loss… I will make a weapon.""Every misfortune… I will wear like a cursed armor."
The door opened.
A dark passage swallowed him.
When he came out of the passage, the first thing he felt… was fear.But this time, not external… it was internal fear.
There were hundreds of skulls on the ground.Some human, some belonging to… unidentifiable creatures.
Ryuga stepped carefully.Every broken bone made a sound when crushed beneath him, sending chills down his spine.
Then…
The sounds began.
It was not a human voice.It was as if… his own thoughts.But translated into a foreign language.
"You are weak.""You are alone.""This will be your grave."
Ryuga clenched his teeth.
"No.""I… will not be swallowed.""I… will not disappear."
But the system spoke:
[Mental Breakdown Level: 12%][Note: This floor includes mental attacks. Consciousness may blur, hallucinations and past traumas may be triggered.]
Suddenly…His mother appeared.But she had no eyes.Her throat was cut.
"Ryuga… why didn't you save me…?""Why… did you leave me there?"
"No…""No, this isn't real…"
He dropped to his knees. Screamed.Held his head with his hands.
The system spoke again:
[Mental Breakdown Level: 29%][Unluckiness Points +12 (High level of mental breakdown and hallucinations)]
[New Skills Available for Purchase:"Pain Immunity Lv.1" – 25 SP"Temporary Reality Separation" – 20 SP]
Ryuga squeezed his eyes shut.His heart was pounding wildly.
"What is real anyway?""It has never been fair to me.""This world may be fake. But pain… pain is real."
He spent 20 points.
[Purchased: Reality Separation][Hallucinations reduced.]
Suddenly… the fake images collapsed.His mother disappeared.Dark silence enveloped.
But Ryuga… was different now.His face harder.His eyes darker.And his mind lonelier.
"This system cursed me.""But it also… gave me power.""I am now like a sword forged in pain."
A rumble.
A new creature appeared.It was human-sized.But instead of eyes, it had crying mouths.
"Beautiful…""More pain…""More blood…"
"Then… I will become stronger."