You. Are You a Possessor?
The alleyway was shrouded in darkness.
[Blood Orc / 3 seconds until it lowers its head to feed on the corpse]
Blue text floated in the air. The moment the beast bowed its head, I swiftly dove into its blind spot.
Slash!
"Gah...!"
My bone dagger sank deep into the back of the Orc's neck. With a short, dying gasp, it collapsed.
The combination of the Spoiler trait and my increased stats made this fight significantly easier than before.
[Experience points acquired.]
[Level Up! (Lv.2 -> Lv.3)]
[3 bonus stat points granted.]
As I carved through the third one, the notification I’d been waiting for appeared. I distributed my stats without hesitation.
I put 1 point into Strength to pierce through thick hides, and the rest into Agility. My body felt noticeably lighter. A strange sensation washed over my entire frame.
After confirming there were no more monsters nearby, I leaped lightly onto a nearby truck. "Let's see..." I caught my breath and looked down at my right index finger. Choi Kang-min. The hidden treasure that regressor bastard was willing to risk his life for. The situation had been so chaotic I hadn't even been able to check the details properly.
"How do I check this?" I rubbed the ring, but nothing appeared. "Ah, is it this too?" I stopped and whispered quietly, "Item info."
The soft light wrapping around the ring transformed into a system window.
Grade: Mythic
Effect 1 [Super Regeneration]: Instantly restores fatal wounds or lost limbs. (Cooldown: 24 hours)
Effect 2 [Nebula's Aura]: Continuously restores a small amount of HP and significantly reduces fatigue.
Effect 3 [???]: Unlocked upon meeting specific conditions.
Effect 4 [???]: Unlocked upon meeting specific conditions.
"Mythic-grade..." A dry laugh escaped my lips. There was a reason I’d survived when my stomach was pierced. Even with the cooldown, it was essentially having two lives. Plus, the fatigue reduction and the hidden effects... No wonder he was so desperate to find it.
I was curious about the remaining two effects, but something else was bothering me. What the hell is a 'Possessor'?
The identity of [Anonymous77], the one causing trouble in the chat earlier, was revealed by the Spoiler trait as a 'Possessor.' I could accept the concept of regression, but what on earth was possession? It wasn't like a ghost had taken over...
"Ugh... I have no idea what's going on." I shook my head and pushed the thought aside. It wasn't a problem I could solve by thinking about it now. Once I grew stronger, I’d find out eventually. "Let's go. Just focus on getting stronger."
I wiped the blood off my dagger on my clothes and hopped down from the truck.
Seongsu Station, Exit 3. The acrid smell of gunpowder stung my nose, followed by the thick scent of blood.
—Kuoaaaaa!!
A roar that threatened to tear my eardrums echoed through the street. In the middle of the road, a monster stood atop the wreckage of a collapsed bus stop. It was two heads taller than a normal Orc. Black veins bulged grotesquely all over its body. Around it, five or six corpses were already torn into unrecognizable shreds.
A mutated Orc. Its overwhelming presence made it hard to breathe.
"This is no joke..." I quietly hid behind a nearby building and slowly shifted my gaze toward the shadows near the subway station entrance.
Target: Kim Hyun-seok (Possessor / Anonymous77)
Status: Anxious, bewildered / 'Damn it, why is its defense so high? The original setting guide said it would be exhausted and in a groggy state after 5 minutes!'
Still incomprehensible. It was clear he was a Possessor, and his source of information was different from Choi Kang-min's. But what mattered was this:
Blood Orc (Mutated) / Status: Extreme Rage
In 1 minute, it will succumb to its rage and enter a 'Berserk' state, completely obliterating everything within 30 meters.
The fact that his knowledge and my Spoiler trait were telling me different things. "Groggy versus Berserk... which one is right?" I gripped my bone dagger in a reverse grip. Of course, I trusted my ability. The ring I was wearing was proof enough.
Berserk Activation: 00:52
The blue countdown ticked down second by second. At the same time, the Orc's body began to swell. Its black veins pulsed as if they were about to burst. Saliva dripped from its mouth, sizzling as it hit the asphalt. It wasn't just physically strong; there was a clear difference from a normal Orc.
Even with these visible changes, the Possessor's thoughts remained unchanged.
Status: Anxious, Expectant / 'Just a little more. According to the original settings, once those veins pop out and it starts vomiting blood, its stamina will hit rock bottom within a minute and it'll enter a groggy state. That's when I use my skill to take its head off, and it's over.'
Are you being too optimistic? He was strangely confident in his own thoughts. That was exactly why he wouldn't see it coming. The future the Spoiler showed wasn't a groggy state, but a berserk rampage that would tear everything apart.
Where do you think you're going, trying to hog all the rewards? I picked up a stone from the debris. It felt heavy and solid in my hand.
Berserk Activation: 00:15
The countdown dropped below 15 seconds. The mutated Orc's red eyes dimmed, and its ragged breathing began to subside. The calm before the storm. In that brief moment of silence, Kim Hyun-seok's status window fluctuated wildly.
Status: Joyful, Excited / 'Yes! It stopped moving! It's finally entering the groggy pattern! Now I just dash out and land the final blow, and the C-grade weapon box is mine...!'
He poked his head out half a step from the subway stairs where he was hiding. At that moment, I threw the stone with all my might toward the top of the subway shutter door above his head.
Clang!! Boom!
A sharp metallic sound shattered the silence. Kim Hyun-seok reacted in surprise. "Uh, huh?! What the hell, what was that sound!"
He looked up in panic. But before he could even grasp the situation, the Orc, which had been condensing its energy, snapped its head toward the subway entrance.
Blood Orc (Mutated) has begun 'Berserk'!
—Kuoaaaaaaaagh!!!!
A roar that seemed to tear the atmosphere apart. The black veins binding its entire body burst simultaneously, scattering a mist of blood. Its eyes had long since lost all reason. All its killing intent was directed at the source of the noise that had provoked it—the small bug scurrying about over there.
Boom!
The asphalt cracked like a spiderweb. The mutated giant leaped forward in an instant.
"Uh? Uh-uh?! Wait, damn it! Why is it coming this way!" Kim Hyun-seok's face turned pale. "Damn it! This isn't like the setting guide!! Arghhhhh!!"
He screamed and hurriedly tore an old scroll from his chest. A transparent barrier unfolded around him. It was clearly a hidden treasure he’d snatched up beforehand.
But—
Kuaaaaaang!!
Before the mutated beast, it was nothing more than a flimsy glass window. A massive fist smashed the subway entrance to pieces and engulfed Kim Hyun-seok. Glass shards and concrete debris rained down like a storm.
"Gah...! Cough!"
The barrier shattered in a single blow. At the same time, Kim Hyun-seok's body flew through the air. His status window flickered red as he vomited blood with his limbs twisted.
Status: Extreme Fear, Panic / 'Save me... damn it, this isn't it... there was no development like this in the original! This is a scam!!'
I watched the scene from behind a lamppost. Original? Development? How on earth had this world changed? Contrary to his thoughts, the mutated beast's onslaught didn't stop.
—Kwoooooo!!
The duration of the berserk state. It was exactly as the Spoiler had warned—it would obliterate everything around it. The Orc mercilessly hammered its fists down toward Kim Hyun-seok. The ground shook, and dust clouds obscured my vision. The Possessor clawed at the ground, struggling, but it was only a matter of time before his life was snuffed out.
Hold on a little longer. If you go down already, it'll be hard for me.
I didn't rush. The Spoiler window informed me of the mutated beast's status in real-time.
Blood Orc (Mutated) / Status: Berserk (Remaining time: 10s)
After Berserk ends, muscle fibers will melt, and it will enter an 'Absolute Exhaustion' state where defense converges to 0 for 3 seconds.
Critical Weakness: The gap between the second cervical vertebrae in the neck, exposed by the melting.
The ability to see into the future. Just 3 seconds. That short time was the window given to me.
—9, 8, 7...
As the countdown decreased, my breathing grew calmer. Level 3. Agility 14. Even though I’d surpassed the category of a normal human, I couldn't be sure what would happen. I gripped the dagger in my right hand and stared at my target.
—3, 2, 1...
Berserk has ended.
Target enters 'Absolute Exhaustion' state.
Thud.
The mutated giant, which had been rampaging like a madman, stopped in an instant. The black veins that had been pulsing from its body withered in a flash, leaking disgusting, bloody pus. Its massive chest heaved, inflating and deflating repeatedly. A painful groan leaked from the beast's mouth. The true opening the Possessor had been waiting for was right now.
"Cough... haa, haa... wh-what... is this?!" Kim Hyun-seok looked up and saw it. Despite being covered in blood, greed filled his eyes. His battered body tried to reach for a sword lying on the ground.
But—
Dash!
It was already too late. I kicked off the ground and shot forward. The acceleration of 14 Agility exceeded my imagination. My speed was much faster than before, and the distance between me and the monster closed in an instant.
"Uh, no... who the hell are you, damn it!" As I brushed past him, a scream of astonishment rang out. Of course, that wasn't my concern. My gaze was fixed on only one thing. The exposed back of the mutated beast's neck that the Spoiler had told me about. The narrow gap between the second cervical vertebrae.
Just 3 seconds where defense converged to 0. I stepped on the fallen debris and soared. Then, I put all my weight into the tip of my dagger.
"Die."
There was no hesitation. The plunging blade dug mercilessly into the gap in its neck.
Puck!!!!
Crunch! A horrific tearing sound echoed. It felt like stabbing through soft jelly. The bone dagger completely pierced the cervical spine, cutting off the beast's breath.
—Kuoaaaa... Gack.
Black blood poured from the beast's mouth like a fountain. At the same time, the dagger in my hand shattered into pieces and scattered. It was a shame, but it didn't matter. I’d already finished the job.
Thud!!!!
With a thunderous crash, the mutated giant's massive body collapsed to the floor. A massive amount of system text began to fill my vision.
Critical Hit!
Boss-grade monster 'Blood Orc (Mutated)' defeated!
Massive experience points acquired.
Level Up! (Lv.3 -> Lv.4)
Level Up! (Lv.4 -> Lv.5)
6 bonus stat points granted.
A catharsis washed over my entire body. My level had skyrocketed by two stages at once. My exhausted muscles recovered in an instant. A fullness of power I hadn't felt before flowed through my veins. And that wasn't all.
"A title?"
The reward for the first hunt was sweet. Then, a brilliant blue light condensed over the fallen mutated beast's massive corpse, and something heavy dropped to the ground with a thud.
◈ Upon opening, randomly acquire one C-grade weapon most suitable for the user's disposition and stats.
"This is it." I picked up the box. A smile naturally spread across my lips. F-grade weapons weren't bad, but what would a C-grade one be like? A definite harvest on this hellish first night. "Haa... haa... you son of a bitch...!"
Just then, a boiling voice came from behind me. I turned my head to see Kim Hyun-seok glaring at me as if he wanted to kill me. His eyes were a tangled mess of resentment, anger, and despair.
"That, that's mine... I, I had it all caught... and you took the final hit...! Give it here, damn it!!"
He clawed at the ground, trying to force his body up. A Possessor. There wouldn't be any benefit to keeping him alive. But before that, there was something I needed to verify.
"Yours, you say..." I picked up a sharp piece of rebar lying on the ground and walked quietly toward him. Meeting his eyes, I asked in a low voice, "You. Are you a Possessor?"