The tunnel felt different.
Jin-woo sensed it before he even saw it.
The air was thicker, charged like static electricity. Each step sent a strange vibration through the floor—irregular, unstable, as if the place itself wasn’t sure it wanted to remain intact.
“Okay…” he muttered.
“Either I’m losing it, or someone really messed things up around here.”
He kept moving.
Because he was Jin-woo.
Because he had always moved forward when he probably should’ve turned back.
The light appeared at the bend of a collapsed corridor.
Not a clean light.
A sickly glow, unstable, pulsing slowly above a mound of rubble.
Jin-woo stopped immediately.
“…Oh.”
He recognized it at once.
“An Essence.”
But not like the others.
It was larger. Denser.
Dark veins ran through it, as if something inside refused to dissipate.
The System activated instantly.
[Abnormal Zone Detected.]
[Access Restricted to Beginner Participants.]
Then, almost reluctantly:
[Essence Detected — KINGRAT.]
[? WARNING: Unstable Essence.]
[? WARNING: Absorption NOT RECOMMENDED.]
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
[Risk: Mental and Physical Aftereffects.]
Jin-woo tilted his head.
“Ah… so this is really a bad idea.”
He observed the Essence for a few more seconds.
Then smiled.
“Too bad.”
He stepped forward.
The System reacted immediately.
[FINAL WARNING.]
[This Action Is Not Intended.]
[Probability of Negative Effects: HIGH.]
“Yeah, yeah.”
He reached out.
The moment his fingers touched it, a searing pain shot through his arm and into his skull. A crushing pressure, as if something were trying to force its way inside him.
Then—
Nothing.
The pain vanished as abruptly as it had come.
The Essence dissolved into him.
Without resistance.
The System remained silent.
One second passed.
Then a notification appeared.
[Absorption Successful.]
Another followed—more detailed.
[Essence Effects — KINGRAT]
? Strength: +20%
? Endurance: +20%
? Intelligence: ?10%
? Poisoned Skin — Level 2 (Passive)
[Side Effects: None.]
[Chance Factor: Intervention Confirmed.]
Jin-woo blinked.
“…What?”
He looked at his hands.
They trembled slightly—but no pain. No loss of control. His skin felt… denser. Harder. A strange sensation, as if something circulated just beneath the surface.
He took a deep breath.
“Wow.”
He burst out laughing.
“Okay, that one was free.”
The System added one final line—dry.
[Note: Reduced Intelligence May Affect Decision-Making.]
Jin-woo shrugged.
“Like that’s new.”
But something had changed.
Not violently.
Not visibly.
Just… a different weight inside his thoughts.
Less hesitation.
Less doubt.
Confidence—just a little too easy.
He left the area without looking back.
Behind him, the anomaly slowly stabilized…
Then vanished.
As if it had never existed.
—
Far away.
Rin felt a chill crawl down his spine.
He stopped.
Mi-sun looked at him immediately.
“What?”
“Someone absorbed something they shouldn’t have.”
Ha-joon looked up, anxious.
“The Essence…?”
Rin nodded slowly.
“Yes.”
Mi-sun crossed her arms.
“And he’s dead?”
Rin shook his head.
“No.
And that’s what worries me.”
Mi-sun didn’t answer immediately.
She studied the tunnel ahead, then the group. Ha-joon, despite exhaustion, remained hyper-aware.
“This world doesn’t reward morality,” she said at last.
“It rewards those who take what they can.”
Rin met her gaze.
“And those who don’t measure the cost.”
Mi-sun held his stare, unreadable.
“We’ll see.”
Silence settled between them.
Not hostile.
Not friendly.
But something had shifted.
Mi-sun wasn’t just a cold survivor.
She observed. She memorized.
And she was beginning to understand that Rin was not like the others.
The timer appeared again.
[Time Remaining: 36h 08m]
The Tutorial was accelerating now.
Too fast.
And somewhere, Jin-woo walked on—whistling louder than before, slightly less lucid—
Unaware that one day,
someone might have to pay the price
for his reckless luck.
