Prologue
-ROOOOAR-!!
The boss of the S-Rank Dungeon, Mad Dragon Icarus, collapsed with countless swords embedded in its body, letting out a cry of agony.
"D-Did we finally get it?"
As the large man muttered in a clumsy manner of speech, the girl, who looked no older than a middle schooler, glared at him and snapped.
"Jinseok! Don't you know that's taboo in a situation like this?! It's a forbidden spell that gives the enemy strength!"
"Huh? A-a spell......?"
It was then.
As though she had sensed something, a nearby woman cried out urgently.
"Leader, it hasn't fallen yet! Get away, now!"
Before she had even finished speaking, Icarus lifted its head and drew in a breath.
At the same time, an overwhelming aura, powerful enough to make one's breath catch, began seeping out of it.
At this rate, the man closest to the boss would be in danger.
"Leader-!"
"What are you doing? Get away!"
His companions shouted desperately.
However, the expression on the face of the man they called their leader, Lee Hyeon-uk, did not change at all.
'Kill it before I'm hit.'
That was all.
That was how he had lived until now.
Hyeon-uk extended his arm toward Mad Dragon Icarus as it prepared to unleash its Breath.
The trait he had acquired when he awakened as a Hunter: [Sword Mastery].
It was a B-Rank trait related to swordsmanship, and frankly, it was not suited to an age like this.
However, what had made him an S-Rank Hunter was his other ability.
When Hyeon-uk extended his arm and then pulled it back, the dozens of swords embedded deep in the creature's body pulled themselves free.
His other ability was none other than Telekinesis.
Hyeon-uk moved his arm as though he were an orchestra conductor.
In time with his movements, dozens of swords danced through the air and tore the creature apart.
—Grrrrrr!
Mad Dragon Icarus thrashed as though it were in pain.
It was, after all, the boss of an S-Rank Dungeon.
Even while under attack, it opened its mouth to fire its Breath.
'Now!'
This was the moment he had been waiting for.
The instant the creature opened its mouth wide.
Hyeon-uk pointed a finger at its mouth. At once, dozens of swords aimed their blades at a single spot.
Their target was inside the Mad Dragon's mouth.
As his hand moved, dozens of swords flew swiftly toward that spot, as though they had been waiting for it.
THUNK, THUNK, SCHNK—.
Dozens of swords pierced through its mouth and came out through the back of its neck.
—Grrk......
It happened so quickly that the creature could not even let out a cry. Its head simply drooped.
At the same time, messages appeared before Hyeon-uk's eyes.
[Boss Mad Dragon Icarus defeated.]
[Level increased by 1.]
[Received 2 stat points from leveling up.]
[S-Rank Magic Stone acquired.]
[Dragon Scale acquired.]
[Dragon Bone acquired.]
[Skill Book 'Mad Dragon's Intimidation' acquired.]
'Mad Dragon's Intimidation?'
Curious about the skill he had never heard of before, Hyeon-uk checked the skill book.
[Mad Dragon's Intimidation - S-Rank]
- Releases the Mad Dragon's energy into the surroundings, paralyzing opponents below S-Rank for a set period of time.
(Its power and cooldown vary according to proficiency.)
- Current Proficiency: 0
- Mana Cost: 0
- Cooldown: 24 hours
Hyeon-uk's expression briefly showed surprise at the skill's description.
An outrageously overpowered skill that paralyzed enemies had a mana cost of zero.
The cooldown was fairly long, but that was a problem that could be solved by increasing his proficiency.
'S-Rank skills really are different.'
However, that was the end of his thoughts on the S-Rank skill.
After all, the rights to items obtained in a dungeon belonged to the institution.
Hyeon-uk ran his fingers over the necklace hanging around his neck.
The cold feel of the metal passed through his fingertips.
A necklace known as a dog collar.
As long as he wore this necklace, there would be no freedom for Hyeon-uk and his companions, who had been raised by the 'Psychic Ability Research Institute.'
'......How long do I have to live like this?'
Even as he asked himself, he knew the truth.
Until he broke down and was disposed of...... in other words, until he died.
As though she had read Hyeon-uk's thoughts, the long-haired woman clapped her hands, apparently trying to lighten the mood.
"Come on, the important thing is that we made it through today, isn't it? More importantly, let's get out of the dungeon first. Once the boss falls, the dungeon closes within a few dozen minutes."
Hyeon-uk nodded as though agreeing with her and took out a Return Stone to use it.
But then.
[Skills and items cannot be used temporarily due to mana interference.]
At the same time, noise began appearing inside the dungeon, as though a computer's graphics had glitched.
"W-What in the world is going on?"
"This has never happened even once before......"
"What do we do now?"
His companions began to panic.
Though he did not show it, Hyeon-uk could not help but be flustered by a situation he had never experienced before.
"Leader, I'm scared!"
Yuna, the youngest of his companions, approached Hyeon-uk with a frightened expression.
Hyeon-uk patted Yuna on the shoulder to calm her down, then spoke to the thinly built man.
"Yunho, take Yuna and teleport to the entrance first."
The unknown mana interference had said that skills and items could not be used, but there should have been no problem using each of their innate psychic abilities.
"What? But......"
"Hurry!"
At Hyeon-uk's urging, the young man called Yunho nodded and took Yuna's hand.
He did not like leaving his companions behind, but he trusted Hyeon-uk, their leader.
Until now, he had never made a wrong decision even once.
"Sorry, everyone. I can only take one person with my ability...... I'll go on ahead, so let's meet again outside!"
With those words, Yunho and Yuna vanished in an instant.
They had likely reached the dungeon entrance by now.
"We should get out of here quickly too."
Hyeon-uk and his companions began running toward the entrance.
However, the dungeon's abnormal phenomenon spread faster.
CRACKLE—.
With a grating noise loud enough to hurt their ears, a message appeared before them.
[The dungeon will be annihilated due to powerful mana interference.]
At the same time, a dazzling light engulfed Hyeon-uk and his companions.
Chapter 1-
A spacious room lined with furniture that looked both luxurious and antique.
There, a boy who had been asleep with his head wrapped in bandages slowly opened his eyes.
Deep, composed eyes.
A sharp gaze that seemed capable of seeing through anything.
The boy, whose eyes did not look like those of a child at all, formed deep creases in his brow, as though something displeased him.
After looking around for a moment, he stood before the full-length mirror in one corner of the room.
The instant he saw his reflection, the boy's eyes widened.
"!!"
Reddish-brown hair and eyes.
A slight build.
The mirror reflected nothing but an unfamiliar boy!
He had felt that something was strange from the moment he awoke, but he never imagined that he would be a child.
'How did this happen?'
He remembered receiving the message that the dungeon would vanish and being enveloped in a dazzling light.
At the time, he had certainly believed that he would vanish along with the dungeon.
'But to wake up in another body......'
That was right.
The boy was none other than Lee Hyeon-uk.
He did not know how it had happened, but he had awakened in the body of a boy he had never seen before.
Returning to his impassive expression, Hyeon-uk stared at his reflection in the mirror and touched his neck.
A thin, frail neck.
Yet there was nothing around it binding him.
All he could feel was smooth, soft skin.
'Does this mean I'm...... free?'
He could not even laugh.
It was the freedom he had longed for so desperately, yet in the end, he had become free only after taking on another body.
'Still, it's better than dying.'
Although he had taken on another body, he had gained freedom in return, had he not?
With that thought, he searched through the boy's memories.
'Lloyd von Bledra......'
Memories came to him in fragments.
Hyeon-uk's face naturally creased.
A boy born without mana in the Karolos Empire, where even nobles who lacked mana were scorned and ridiculed.
On top of that, he was an illegitimate child, and his family looked down on him.
"Things are different now. I'll make them pay the price."
Having gained a rough understanding of his current situation, it was now time to check his condition.
Hyeon-uk decided to first inspect his Status Window.
But,
[&□□0.3*&@□]
The letters in the Status Window were corrupted beyond recognition.
It seemed that some sort of error had occurred while he crossed over to this world.
'Hmm......'
He did not yet know whether the System could not be used in this world or whether it was merely unavailable for the time being, so he decided to set that problem aside for now......
'Then what about Telekinesis?'
Looking around, Hyeon-uk extended his arm toward the vase on the table.
The vase rattled on its own, then began floating gently into the air.
Fortunately, his other ability, Telekinesis, did not seem to have disappeared.
He seemed a little less capable than before, perhaps because he was not yet used to this body.
'Either way, I can use Telekinesis here too.'
Hyeon-uk looked at the mirror once more.
From now on, he would have to live in the form of this boy.
Of course, living as Lloyd would not be easy.
But the fact that he had freedom was something.
Moreover, even without mana, he still had Telekinesis.
'Then it's worth a try.'
It was the ability that had turned him, once merely a B-Rank Hunter before he gained Telekinesis, into an S-Rank Hunter.
The corners of Hyeon-uk's lips, which had shown almost no change in expression until now, rose ever so slightly.
***
Hyeon-uk...... no, Lloyd, sat at his desk, deep in thought.
The man who had thought he would surely die was alive. In another world, in another body at that.
'Then what happened to my companions? Are they in this world like me? Or......'
Lloyd shook his head as though he did not even want to think about it.
Nothing had been confirmed yet. There was no need to think about such things already.
Each of his companions possessed exceptional abilities as well, so if they had come to this world, he should not have much to worry about.
'I'll look for my companions later. For now, I should solve my own problems first.'
He had gained the freedom he had desired, but the situation of this boy, Lloyd, was not very good either.
In this world, the amount of freedom one could enjoy differed according to one's status and talent.
Yet this boy was an illegitimate child.
Furthermore, he had neither mana nor any other talent, so he was called an incompetent or a fool.
'This won't do.'
He had finally gained freedom. How could he fail to enjoy it fully?
To enjoy freedom, he needed to show abilities worthy of it.
Lloyd rose from his seat.
For now, the highest priority was to deal with this thin, weak body.
'The training ground seems to be quite large. First, I should run there and build up my stamina.'
Just as he was about to leave the room with that thought, a short-haired maid entered carrying food.
"Young Master, please eat. You said you had no appetite, so you did not eat at all yesterday either."
The worried-looking woman was Lloyd's personal maid, Anna.
She was also the only person in the household who took such devoted care of Lloyd.
'I was planning to go out and start by running, but nutrition is important too.'
When Lloyd sat down again, Anna smiled brightly and spoke as though she were delighted.
"That's a good decision! You need to eat even better when you're sick!"
Anna cheerfully set the table.
In an instant, appetizing dishes were arranged before him.
Well-cooked meat, fresh vegetables, hot soup, and even milk.
Lloyd ate slowly, savoring the food.
It had been a long time since he had eaten such delicious food.
At the Institute, unless it was a special day, he had always eaten nothing but tasteless nutrition bars and nutritional supplements.
Then, Anna, who had been watching Lloyd eat with a satisfied expression, suddenly grumbled resentfully.
"This is too much. The younger master and the Madam are one thing—the younger master swung a sword at you under the pretense of training you—but the Count is your biological father......"
No matter how much he was a child who had fallen out of favor, he had been injured after being struck hard on the head with a wooden sword, yet the Count had not visited even once.
Thinking of Lloyd, who would bury his face in his pillow and sob silently again this time, tears naturally welled up in her eyes.
However, Lloyd seemed uninterested in her words. With an expressionless face, he was focused only on eating.
Finding this strange, Anna tilted her head and called to Lloyd.
"Young Master?"
However, Lloyd gave no response.
It was the same no matter how many times she called him.
"Young Master Lloyd!!"
Only then did Lloyd raise his head.
He was still not used to the name Lloyd.
"You haven't said a word for a while now. Are you really all right?"
"Yeah."
After answering briefly, Lloyd focused on eating again. Recovering this thin, weak body was the priority now.
"Young Master Lloyd......"
Anna could no longer continue speaking at the sight of Lloyd, who had changed so much.
An expression and manner of speech that seemed somehow parched.
A sharp atmosphere that was difficult to approach for some reason.
The kind and soft-hearted Lloyd she knew could no longer be found.
'He did cry a lot because of his difficult circumstances, but he smiled often in front of me...... Could it be because he hurt his head?'
Regardless of Anna's worries, Lloyd silently emptied his plate and stood up.
"Where are you going?"
"Exercise after eating."
Again answering briefly, Lloyd left the room.
Anna, who had been clearing the empty dishes, became flustered and hurriedly tried to follow Lloyd.
Lloyd became anxious when she was not around.
But,
"Don't follow me. You'll get in the way."
"Pardon?"
For a moment, she thought she had heard wrong.
Get in the way......
Sadness surged over Anna like a tide, but she could not say anything.
Lloyd's flat, cold tone was simply too unfamiliar. Besides, Lloyd was a child of the Count's household she served.
As a maid, she had to follow his orders.
"Ah, understood. Then please take care."
Lloyd nodded once and headed straight for the training ground.
Thanks to Lloyd's memories remaining, he reached the training ground safely without getting lost.
Perhaps because it was still lunchtime, there were not many knights at the training ground.
The knights, who had each been training freely, showed signs of discomfort at Lloyd's sudden appearance.
Why had the young master, who spent most of his time in his room, come here?
"Surely he does not intend to learn swordsmanship now?"
"If that is the case, then the young master must think swordsmanship is a complete joke."
The knights each voiced a complaint.
Regardless.
Lloyd ignored the knights and began running around the training ground.
The knights, who watched him with displeased expressions, placed bets and snickered about how many laps Lloyd would be able to run.
However, Lloyd had no time to concern himself with such things.
He felt as though he had not even run a few laps, yet he was already gasping for breath.
After barely completing ten laps, Lloyd collapsed onto the ground and drew rough breaths.
"Pant, gasp."
It was difficult to breathe, and his chest hurt.
When he suddenly thought of a stamina recovery potion, Lloyd opened his Inventory.
Without expecting much.
'Inventory, open.'
As expected.
As he had anticipated, only a message filled with corrupted letters appeared before his eyes.
[※#;□□0.7&‘]
'I guess this does not work either?'
But it was then.
The number visible among the corrupted letters changed!
[※#;□□0.8&‘]
'The number changed?'
That meant the number was not listed without any meaning.
'Perhaps when the number reaches 100, I will be able to use the System.'
As he thought that, a familiar window suddenly appeared before his eyes.
It was the Inventory Window Lloyd had hoped for.
Startled, Lloyd forgot how exhausted his body was and sprang to his feet.
'Could it be that only the letters are corrupted, while the System is still intact even now?'
Several questions came to mind, but the Inventory had opened nonetheless.
Setting those questions aside for the moment, he first moved to a place where the knights could not see him.
After checking his surroundings, Lloyd began carefully inspecting the items in his Inventory.
The Institute took all the items obtained from dungeons and treated them like consumables, but it did properly supply the necessities for dungeon raids, such as potions and equipment.
That was the only way to raid dungeons more efficiently.
Moreover, as the leader, he had received privileges, so a considerable number of items were in his Inventory.
'Hmm, I still cannot use the equipment I used before.'
It was likely because his current body was still young and weak.
After all, the equipment he had used was all high-level gear.
In any case, what he needed now was a potion.
As he searched for a stamina recovery potion, a group of unfamiliar items caught his eye.
'This is......!?'
A large stone shining brilliantly in many colors, a Dragon Scale and Bone, and a book-shaped item.
They were the spoils he had obtained after defeating Icarus, the boss of the S-Rank Dungeon.
'Ah, this happened before the Institute took them......'
And now, he was in another world and another body.
That meant these items were effectively his now.
Ordinarily, he should divide them among the companions who had fought alongside him, but he did not know where they were, and he needed to grow stronger quickly.
So, he decided to use the skill book right away.
Mad Dragon's Intimidation was a skill with neither a level requirement nor a mana cost.
It was the perfect skill for him now, when his body was weak and he had no mana.
'My companions will understand.'
Thinking that, Lloyd took out the skill book and said in a low voice.
"Acquire Skill."
Then light shone from the skill book, and a message appeared before his eyes.
[&$□□＠□&□□□.]
The letters were still too corrupted to read, but he could tell that an unfamiliar energy had seeped into his body.
'It feels like I acquired the skill...... But did I really acquire it properly?'
Wanting to check the skill immediately, Lloyd looked around and spotted the knights who had finished their training and were about to leave.
'Those guys would be perfect for testing the skill.'
Lloyd took an ordinary iron sword from his Inventory and approached the knights.