The Next Day
Damon opened his eyes just as the first light of dawn slipped through the curtains.
The world outside was quiet—still wrapped in that cold, early morning calm.
He rolled onto his side and reached for his phone on the nightstand, squinting at the screen's dim glow.
6:00 AM.
"…Figures."
With a tired sigh, he sat up and stretched out his arms and legs, trying to shake off the lingering haze in his head. Even now, the weight of his new reality pressed down on him.
Just yesterday, he had the power to shape or destroy the world as he pleased.
Now? He was just another fragile, mortal human.
No overpowered titles and stats. No second chances.
One wrong move—and he'd die, just like anyone else.
"…No room for mistakes," he muttered.
He clenched his fists and let the tension slowly fade from his shoulders.
He couldn't afford to lose focus—not now.
Glancing around his small room, Damon's eyes landed on the bow and scattered arrows lying across the floor and desk. He crouched down and carefully gathered them, slinging the familiar weight of the bow into his worn black bag.
His stomach grumbled.
After all, eating hadn't exactly been a priority for him since his return. But his stomachache was a clear reminder—he was still human, not some optimized weapon created by the system.
Damon opened his room door quietly, stepping into the dim hallway. The house was still silent—too early for anyone to be awake.
He made his way to the kitchen area, pulling out some bread, cheese, and a little bit of sliced ham. As he prepared a simple sandwich, his mind drifted.
Today, he had to hunt goblins in a dungeon.
He bit into the sandwich slowly, savoring the mundane comfort of food. It was strange how normal this felt compared to the chaos he had long adapted to.
Finished with his meal, Damon cleaned up and grabbed his bag.
Stepping outside of his house, the morning air was cool and crisp. The streets were empty, save for a few early risers hurrying along.
His footsteps echoed softly as he set off toward the old Saphir Mall.
His walk was quiet. The city looked peaceful—but Damon knew better.
In a few years, this place would become a battlefield.
He passed by shuttered shops and empty cafés, his eyes sharp for anything unusual.
After about thirty minutes of walking, the mall finally came into view. It was old and worn down, with faded signs and boarded-up windows showing just how long it had been abandoned.
Damon stopped for a moment, taking it all in.
"This is where it begins," he thought.
He tightened the straps on his bag and stepped forward into the mall's dim interior. The air was thick with dust, and every step echoed through the empty halls.
He moved cautiously, eyes sharp for anything unusual. Broken glass and scattered debris crunched underfoot. The silence felt heavy—too heavy.
Deeper inside, the air grew charged, and a faint humming filled the space.
Then, in the mall's central atrium, a huge red portal hovered, about two meters tall. Its edges shimmered like living fire.
Damon froze, a sudden realization sinking in—he had no one to rely on. No system, no powers. Just himself.
He gripped his bow tighter.
"No turning back now," he muttered.
Taking a steady breath, he stepped forward and walked into the portal.
---
Damon's vision blurred as the world around him shifted. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself standing in the middle of a vast jungle. Towering trees stretched toward the sky, their leaves blocking out most of the sunlight.
A thick fog curled around the trunks and snaked along the ground, its strange, swirling colors making the air feel heavy and unreal.
The scent of the fog was sweet and unfamiliar—like flowers mixed with something bitter.
[Congratulations! You are the first player to discover this dungeon. As a reward, all your experience gains and item drops in this dungeon will be doubled until you leave.]
Hearing the familiar notification of the system in his head, Damon chuckled quietly to himself.
"The system always tries to tempt you with good rewards..."
"But everyone who rushed into a dungeon first, just for the glory of getting those rewards, never made it out alive—not necessarily because of the monsters, but because their greed blinded them."
"Of course, it's different for me..."
He wasn't some reckless fool chasing easy rewards. If anyone could survive this place, it was him.
After all, killing goblins was the same to him as going out for a walk—tiring, but manageable.
[You are under the effect of hallucinogenic fog.
Your spirit is being tested...
You possess spirit above 15 points.
You are immune to the hallucinogenic fog effects.]
Damon blinked, his vision steady despite the swirling colors around him.
"Honestly, it's because of my 20 Spirit stat that I chose this dungeon."
Damon glanced around the dense jungle, his senses sharp. The thick fog still curled between the trees, but it no longer affected him.
"Time to find those goblins."
He moved quickly yet cautiously, stepping over tangled roots and brushing aside heavy leaves. The forest's air was thick and humid, filled with unfamiliar sounds—chirps, rustling, distant growls.
His bow hung ready at his side, arrows nocked and waiting.
After a few minutes, Damon spotted movement—a small group of three goblins skulking near a broken-down ruin. Their greenish skin and sharp yellow eyes marked them clearly.
He crouched low and drew his bow.
"One shot, one kill."
He aimed carefully, steadying his breath as the jungle seemed to hold its breath with him.
Damon's fingers tightened on the bowstring, muscles taut and ready. He focused on the nearest goblin, its sharp yellow eyes flicking nervously as it sniffed the air.
"Steady..."
He released the arrow. It whistled through the humid air and struck the goblin square in the chest. The creature let out a guttural scream before collapsing to the ground.
The other two goblins instantly snapped to alert, snarling and drawing crude daggers.
Damon didn't hesitate. He nocked another arrow, firing swiftly. The second goblin went down with a quick, precise shot to the head.
The last goblin, however, charged at him, growling viciously.
Damon didn't flinch.
He calmly drew another arrow, his movements sharp and efficient. The goblin closed the distance fast, its dagger raised high—but Damon was faster.
Thwip.
The arrow pierced clean through the goblin's forehead.
Its momentum carried it forward for half a step before it crumpled lifelessly at his feet.
He lowered his bow, exhaling slowly.
"Charging straight at me with a blade… that's cute," he muttered.
Keeping his eyes sharp, Damon scanned the surroundings again, and upon seeing no signs of more enemies, he muttered,
"Three down. Nice and clean."
As he moved in and quickly began inspecting the goblins' bodies, a faint orange glow caught Damon's eye. It shimmered beneath the corpse of the first goblin he killed—subtle, but unmistakable.
He approached the glow eagerly and nudged the goblin aside with his foot.
Lying beneath it was a jagged steel dagger, its blade tinted a sickly green hue and pulsing faintly with poison.
An artifact.
The orange glow surrounding it was soft—indicating it was probably a low-tier drop.
After all, the brighter the orange glow, the more valuable the artifact.
Even so, Damon was lucky. Artifact drops weren't guaranteed.
He picked up the dagger, examining its weight and description.
---
『Venomfang Dagger』
◆ Artifact Grade: Uncommon
◆ Artifact Description: An old, jagged dagger with a faint green sheen, laced with crude forest toxins and forged by goblins deep within the jungle. It's designed to infect rather than kill.
◆ Embedded Skill: Poisonous Edge
◆ Imbued Strength: +1 Dexterity
---
Damon turned the dagger over in his hand, feeling the weight of the crude craftsmanship. It was rough around the edges, the hilt was uneven, but the faint green shimmer running along the blade gave it a sinister charm.
"Hah... Goblins may be dumb, but they sure know how to make nasty toys," he muttered, twirling it once before tightening his grip.
His eyes narrowed slightly as the system projected the skill details before him.
---
『Embedded Skill: Poisonous Edge』
◆ Skill Description: Attacks with this weapon apply a minor poison status, dealing continuous damage over time. The effect stacks up to three times.
◆ Skill Duration: 10 seconds per stack
◆ Skill Cooldown: None
---
Damon grinned.
"Continuous damage and stackable poison... not bad for a first drop."
He slipped the dagger into a makeshift sheath on his belt, already thinking about how best to use it in the next encounter. A silent weapon with a bite—that was more his style anyway.
"Now let's see what the system has to say about my hunt," Damon muttered, his fingers swiping through the air as he pulled up his player notifications.
A soft chime echoed in his head as the translucent interface flickered to life before his eyes.
---
[Dungeon Log - Hunt Summary]
• Goblin Scout defeated — +40 XP
• Goblin Scout defeated — +40 XP
• Goblin Scout defeated — +40 XP
• First Kill Bonus — +20 XP
• Double EXP Bonus Applied
→ Total Gained: 280 XP
[Loot Summary]
• Goblin Scout (x2) — No drops
• Goblin Scout (x1) — Artifact Drop: 『Venomfang Dagger』
• Obtained Title: 『First Blood』
---
Damon raised a brow, mildly impressed.
"280 XP for three low-tier mobs, a clean artifact drop, and a title..." he chuckled. "Not bad for a warm-up."
"Let's see what the title does."
He tapped the blinking icon in the corner of his interface, and a new window unfolded before his eyes.
---
『First Blood』
◆ Title Grade: Rare
◆ Title Description: You are the first player to slay a monster on this server. As a result, your achievement has earned you this rare title.
◆ Title Effect: Increases the chance of artifact drops by 15%.
---
"This is a seriously overpowered reward—especially since it boosts a flat percentage. Combined with the dungeon's double drop rate, I should be swimming in artifacts from now on."
"Anyway, I should get back to hunting."