John looked in front of him. What once was a terrifying monster was reduced to a complete mess. He had killed it using a conventional rocket launcher and in one hit.
Not to mention, it was level 50. Just how overpowered his abilities are? He’d bet that those Japanese students would be able to accomplish what he did if they encountered it.
Okay, now to look at his stats.
[You can now access the Military System!]
[Host: John Smith
Level: 24
Experience Points: 150,000/166,000
Mission: N/A
Troops: N/A
Soul: 50
Infantry: 0/300
Special Forces: 0/100
Non-Combat Personnel: 0/600
Military Hardware Limit Composition
Weapons:
Land: 100
Air: 85
Navy: 30
System Points: 52,500
Inventory:
System Shop
]
A satisfied smile spread across his lips.
"Not bad," John muttered under his breath, his eyes tracing the glowing blue numbers. "Not fucking bad at all."
His stats had skyrocketed. Level 24 off a single shot. Fifty thousand system points sitting in his balance, fifty souls collected, and a troop capacity limit that could literally form a small army battalion.
He tapped on the [System Shop] option hovering at the edge of his vision.
[System Shop:
Skills:
Increase Troop Capacity: 50,000
Increase Land Capacity: 10,000
Increase Air Capacity: 20,000
Increase Navy Capacity: 30,000
]
John tapped the Skills tab as his curiosity piqued. A new sub-menu expanded before him, displaying three primary skill paths tailored specifically for combat proficiency.
[Skill List:
Marksmanship / Shooting Mastery (Level 0/5)
Hand-to-Hand Combat / CQC (Level 0/5)
Tactical Awareness & Command (Level 0/5)
System Note: Skills unlock automatically as host reaches required level thresholds. Upgrading skill levels requires System Points (SP). Upgrading skills enhances physical reaction speed, recoil control, combat instincts, and overall weapon efficiency beyond basic System Blessings.]
John raised an eyebrow, scanning the details. The passive system blessing he received earlier allowed him to operate weapons smoothly without prior experience, but it was just baseline operational knowledge—like reading an instruction manual in a split second. Actual skill upgrades, on the other hand, honed his physical reflexes, muscle memory, and weapon handling to lethal, elite-tier efficiency.
He checked the requirements for the first two skills.
[Marksmanship Mastery (Level 0/5) - Unlocked at Level 5]
[Effect: Reduces weapon recoil by 20% per level. Increases reload speed, target acquisition time, and shot grouping accuracy.]
[Upgrade Cost: Level 1 (1,000 SP) | Level 2 (2,000 SP) | Level 3 (3,000 SP) | Level 4 (4,000 SP) | Level 5 (5,000 SP)]
[Hand-to-Hand Combat / CQC (Level 0/5) - Unlocked at Level 10]
[Effect: Grants mastery over military Close Quarters Combat (MCMAP / SPEAR system). Increases physical striking force, grapple escapes, edge-weapon defense, and joint manipulation by 20% per level.]
[Upgrade Cost: Level 1 (1,000 SP) | Level 2 (2,000 SP) | Level 3 (3,000 SP) | Level 4 (4,000 SP) | Level 5 (5,000 SP)]
[Tactical Awareness & Command (Level 0/5) - Unlocked at Level 15]
[Effect: Enhances spatial awareness, threat detection radius, battle planning, and bolsters morale/stat effectiveness of summoned troops by 10% per level.]
[Upgrade Cost: Level 1 (1,000 SP) | Level 2 (2,000 SP) | Level 3 (3,000 SP) | Level 4 (4,000 SP) | Level 5 (5,000 SP)]
Since he was already Level 24, all three skill trees were fully unlocked and ready to be maxed out. And with 52,500 System Points sitting in his bank, dumping points into his personal combat effectiveness was a no-brainer.
Relying solely on heavy ordnance in tight quarters was suicide; if a monster snuck up on him or jammed his weapon, he needed his hands and reflexes to back it up.
"System," John said, tapping directly on Marksmanship and Hand-to-Hand Combat. "Max out Shooting and CQC immediately."
[Upgrading Marksmanship Mastery: Level 0 -> Level 5]
[Deducting 15,000 SP...]
[Upgrading Hand-to-Hand Combat / CQC: Level 0 -> Level 5]
[Deducting 15,000 SP...]
[Total Deducted: 30,000 SP | Remaining Balance: 22,500 SP]
The moment the transaction finalized, a sharp surge of heat flooded John’s brain and central nervous system.
It wasn’t painful, but intense. Thousands of hours of high-level military marksmanship drills, rapid-reload mechanics, trigger control, stance adjustments, and brutal hand-to-hand combat drills dumped straight into his nervous system.
He raised his hands and flexed his fingers. He could feel the difference instantly. His eyesight felt sharper, tracking movement in the dim cavern with terrifying speed. His body felt lighter, more responsive, as if every joint was pre-wired for combat.
"Now we’re talking," John smirked, cracking his knuckles as he closed the skill window.
He explored the other system, specifically the weapons tab.
The [Weapons Catalog] opened in front of him, glowing in crisp blue neon. Sub-categories expanded into neat, militarized sections: Pistols, Submachine Guns, Assault Rifles, Battle Rifles, Designated Marksman Rifles, Machine Guns, Anti-Material Rifles, and Explosives.
John scrolled through the catalog, his eyes narrowing as he analyzed his current situation.
"Standard 5.56x45mm NATO isn’t gonna cut it as a main primary," John muttered, tapping his chin as he recalled how thick the Corpse-Feeder’s outer layer of fat and bone had been.
Lighter carbines like an M4A1 were great for human combatants or low-tier infantry, but deep inside the Abyssian Dungeon, he was facing thick chitin, dense muscle fibers, and supernatural bone density. He needed serious stopping power, barrier penetration, and high terminal ballistics. He needed battle rifle calibers—7.62x51mm NATO at minimum—and heavy anti-material punch for anything larger.
He tapped on the Battle Rifles tab first.
[FN SCAR-H (MK 17 Mod 0) - Battle Rifle]
[Caliber: 7.62x51mm NATO (.308 Winchester)]
[Barrel Length: 16 inches (Standard)]
[Action: Short-stroke gas piston, rotating bolt]
[Capacity: 20-round box magazine]
[Effective Range: 600 meters]
[Requirement: Level 10 (Met) | Cost: 0 SP]
"That’s the baseline," John nodded. The 7.62x51mm round delivered over 2,500 foot-pounds of muzzle energy—more than double the hard-hitting punch of a standard 5.56 round. It would punch clean through heavy hide, thick bone, and dense muscle mass without deflecting off angled chitin.
Next, he navigated to Secondary Sidearms. If a beast closed the gap in close quarters, he needed a high-caliber sidearm that could stop a charging threat dead in its tracks.
[FN Five-seveN MK2]
[Caliber: 5.7x28mm SS190 AP]
[Capacity: 20-round magazine]
[Requirement: Level 5 (Met) | Cost: 0 SP]
No, too light for monstrous armor, John thought, swiping past it. He scrolled down until his eyes landed on a heavy-duty hand-cannon.
[FN FNX-45 Tactical]
[Caliber: .45 ACP (+P AP rounds)]
[Capacity: 15-round double-stack magazine]
[Barrel: Threaded barrel with Suppressor mount]
[Optic: Trijicon RMR Red Dot Sight integrated]
[Requirement: Level 10 (Met) | Cost: 0 SP]
"15 rounds of .45 ACP +P in a double-stack mag with a red dot... perfect sidearm," John noted.
Finally, he clicked on the Anti-Material & Heavy Ordnance tab. If another Class-A or higher boss monster showed up, he couldn’t rely solely on one-shot shoulder launchers like the SMAW. He needed a dedicated, precision anti-material rifle for long-range target elimination before monsters could even smell him.
[Barrett M107A1 Anti-Material Sniper Rifle]
[Caliber: .50 BMG (12.7x99mm NATO - MK 211 Mod 0 HEIAP)]
[Action: Recoil-operated, semi-automatic]
[Effective Range: 1,800 meters]
[Munition Specialization: High Explosive Armor Piercing Incendiary]
[Requirement: Level 20 (Met) | Cost: 0 SP]
John’s eyes gleamed as he read the specs for the .50 BMG MK 211 Mod 0 round. It wasn’t just a heavy lead bullet; it contained a tungsten penetrator core, zirconium incendiary powder, and a high-explosive charge. Upon impact, it punched through hard armor, exploded inside the target’s body cavity, and ignited the interior with high-temperature thermite fire.
He didn’t stop there. He selected full tactical gear from the inventory customization menu.
[Crye Precision Jumpable Plate Carrier (JPC 2.0) + Level IV Boron Carbide Ceramic Armor Plates]
[Protection Rating: Multi-hit capable against 7.62x51mm AP and 7.62x54mmR Armor Piercing rounds]
[Accessories: FAST High-Cut Ballistic Helmet + AN/PVS-31A Dual-Tube White Phosphor Night Vision Goggles + Peltor ComTac VI Headset]
[Requirement: Level 15 (Met) | Cost: 0 SP]
John checked the selected loadout summary floating in front of him. Because weapon and equipment summoning was entirely free once unlock level requirements were met, his 22,500 System Points remained completely untouched.
[Selected Loadout:]
FN SCAR-H (MK 17 Mod 0) + EOTECH EXPS3 Holographic Sight & G33 Magnifier
FN FNX-45 Tactical Sidearm + Trijicon RMR
Barrett M107A1 .50 BMG Anti-Material Rifle
JPC 2.0 Level IV Plate Carrier + FAST Ballistic Helmet + AN/PVS-31A NVGs
Combat Loadout Munitions Pack (7.62x51mm AP, .45 ACP +P, .50 BMG HEIAP, M67 Frag Grenades).
"System," John declared, his voice ringing with cold confidence across the cavern. "Summon the entire loadout directly to my position."
FLASH!
The air in the ruined passageway warped as thousands of points of blue light materialized on the ground before him.
John looked down at the pile of heavy hardware, a cold, predatory smirk carving across his face.
"Alright," John muttered, unbuttoning his torn t-shirt and grabbing the plate carrier. "Let’s see what else this dungeon’s got."