The room was silent except for the soft hum of the computer fan.

Shidō Kagenori sat alone in the darkness, the glow of the monitor reflecting faintly in his violet eyes. His posture was relaxed, almost lazy, yet his fingers moved across the keyboard with sharp precision. Every keystroke was deliberate. Every movement efficient.

On the screen, a towering structure loomed—a virtual tower stretching endlessly into the sky. Floors stacked upon floors. Enemies waiting behind sealed gates. It was a game designed for endurance, patience, and cruelty.

Perfect.

Shidō had always preferred games like this. No meaningless heroism. No foolish morality systems that punished players for efficiency. Only survival. Only results.

The boss on his screen lunged.

Shidō dodged without hesitation, his character slipping past the attack by a fraction of a second. A clean counter followed. The boss’s health bar dropped sharply.

“Tch.”

Too slow.

Even through a screen, Shidō felt irritation. He despised inefficiency—especially his own.

Just as he prepared the final strike, the ground beneath him trembled.

At first, it was subtle. A low vibration that rattled the desk ever so slightly. Shidō paused, his fingers hovering above the keys.

An earthquake?

The shaking intensified.

The shelves along the wall creaked. A cup slid off the table and shattered on the floor. The ceiling light flickered violently before going out entirely.

The screen went black.

The sudden silence was unsettling.

No hum. No light. No power.

“So it’s a blackout,” Shidō muttered, his voice calm despite the chaos.

Then his computer sparked.

Blue-white lightning crawled across the dark monitor like veins spreading through glass. The screen flickered back to life, but the game was gone.

Instead, distorted text filled the display.

SYSTEM ERROR

The letters glitched violently, stretching and warping as if something was trying to force its way through.

Shidō stood up.

That was when the lightning exploded outward.

Pain struck him like a hammer.

The light swallowed everything.

Darkness.

Endless, suffocating darkness.

Shidō felt no ground beneath his feet. No sense of direction. His body felt weightless, as if suspended in nothingness. For a moment—just a moment—his consciousness wavered.

Then his eyes snapped open.

Cold stone greeted him.

Shidō inhaled sharply and rolled to his feet in one smooth motion, instincts taking over before confusion could settle in. His body was intact. No burns. No wounds. He quickly scanned his surroundings.

A vast circular chamber stretched around him, its walls carved from black stone that absorbed light rather than reflected it. The ceiling was impossibly high, disappearing into shadows. Torches lined the walls, their flames flickering with an unnatural blue glow.

Ahead of him stood a massive door.

It towered at least ten meters tall, forged from dark metal etched with unfamiliar symbols. The surface pulsed faintly, as if alive.

Shidō narrowed his eyes.

“This isn’t a hospital,” he said quietly.

Nor was it a dream.

The air was too cold. Too sharp. The faint metallic scent of blood lingered in the chamber.

A soft chime echoed.

A translucent blue screen materialized before him.

It floated in midair, perfectly aligned with his vision.

Shidō didn’t flinch.

He stared at it, expression unreadable.

[ SYSTEM INITIALIZED ]

Text began to appear line by line.

Name: Shidō Kagenori

Status: Alive

Location: Tower – Floor 1

Clear Condition: Defeat the Floor Boss

A faint crease appeared between his brows.

“…System?”

More text appeared.

Death Condition: Permanent

Escape Condition: Clear all floors

Total Floors: 101

Shidō exhaled slowly.

He had played enough games to recognize the pattern instantly.

“Trapped,” he murmured. “Inside a game.”

The screen shifted again.

[ STATUS WINDOW ]

Level: 1

Class: Assassin (Locked)

HP: 100 / 100

MP: 50 / 50

Strength: 12

Agility: 20

Defense: 8

Perception: 18

Intelligence: 15

Skills:

Silent Step (Passive)

Precision Strike (Locked)

Shidō studied the numbers carefully.

Agility and perception were high. As expected. This system had evaluated him based on something—perhaps his gameplay style, or perhaps something deeper.

“…Interesting.”

Most people, in this situation, would panic.

Scream. Cry. Bang on the walls. Beg for help.

Shidō did none of that.

Instead, a faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

“A death game,” he said softly. “And I’m the player.”

The blue screen flickered one final time.

[ WARNING ]

Boss Door Detected

Proceed When Ready

The screen vanished.

Silence returned to the chamber.

Shidō turned his gaze back to the massive door.

So this was Floor 1.

He flexed his fingers.

No weapons. No armor. No items. The system hadn’t even given him a tutorial.

“Cruel,” he remarked.

But cruelty was familiar.

Shidō approached the door, each step soundless against the stone floor. As he drew closer, faint growls echoed from beyond the metal barrier.

Multiple enemies.

Not a single boss, then.

He placed his hand against the cold surface of the door.

“Let’s establish one thing,” he whispered, eyes gleaming with cold amusement.

“I don’t survive by chance.”

The door began to open.

With a deep, grinding sound, the metal parted, revealing a long corridor drenched in shadow. The torches along the walls flickered as something moved within the darkness.

Red eyes appeared.

Then another.

And another.

Low, guttural growls filled the air as creatures emerged—wolf-like beasts with elongated limbs and jagged fangs. Shadows clung to their bodies, distorting their shapes.

Shadow Wolves.

Shidō counted quickly.

Four.

Too many for a frontal assault.

He stepped back slowly, positioning himself just outside the doorway.

The wolves hesitated, their instincts warning them of something wrong.

Shidō crouched.

“Come,” he whispered.

One wolf lunged.

Shidō moved.

His body twisted aside at the last possible moment, the beast’s claws slicing through empty air. He grabbed its neck mid-leap and slammed it into the stone wall with brutal precision.

The impact snapped its spine.

The body fell limp.

Before the others could react, Shidō rolled backward, putting distance between himself and the remaining wolves. He used the corridor’s narrow width to his advantage.

One at a time.

Another wolf charged.

Shidō ducked beneath its jaws, driving his elbow upward into its throat. The creature choked, collapsing in a heap.

The third hesitated.

That hesitation cost it everything.

Shidō grabbed a fallen stone fragment from the floor and hurled it with lethal accuracy. The shard pierced the wolf’s eye, dropping it instantly.

Only one remained.

It snarled, backing away.

Shidō straightened, blood splattered across his hands.

“Run,” he said calmly.

The wolf turned and fled into the shadows.

A chime echoed.

[ ENEMY DEFEATED ]

EXP GAINED

The system acknowledged him.

Shidō exhaled slowly.

“So the tower rewards efficiency,” he said. “Good.”

He stepped into the corridor fully now, eyes scanning the environment. The shadows receded slightly, revealing another door at the far end—larger than the first.

This one radiated pressure.

Boss door.

Shidō wiped the blood from his hands onto his clothes without hesitation.

No disgust. No hesitation.

Only focus.

As he approached, the blue screen reappeared.

[ FLOOR 1 BOSS ]

Gate Guardian – Iron Fang

A faint grin crossed his face.

“Let’s see what kind of welcome you prepared.”

The door opened.

Steel chains rattled as something massive stirred within.

A towering armored beast stepped forward, its body encased in iron plates fused to flesh. Its jaws opened, revealing serrated metal teeth.

Iron Fang roared.

The sound shook the chamber.

Shidō stood his ground.

His purple eyes reflected the monster’s shape, calm and calculating.

“No weapons,” he murmured. “No armor.”

He tilted his head slightly.

“Good.”

The guardian charged.

Shidō moved—not backward, but forward.

Straight toward death.

The tower had made a mistake.

It hadn’t trapped a hero.

It had trapped an assassin.

And Shidō Kagenori had no intention of dying on the first floor.

The moment Iron Fang charged, the air itself seemed to scream.

Its massive body surged forward like a living siege weapon, iron plates grinding against each other with a deafening screech. Each step cracked the stone floor beneath its feet, leaving spiderweb fractures in its wake.

Shidō moved.

Not back.

Sideways.

The guardian’s iron-clad fist slammed into the ground where Shidō had stood a split second earlier. Stone exploded outward, shards flying like shrapnel. One fragment grazed Shidō’s cheek, drawing a thin line of blood.

He didn’t react.

His eyes stayed locked on the boss.

Too fast for its size, Shidō noted. Too much power.

Iron Fang roared again and swung its arm in a wide arc.

Shidō ducked under the swing, feeling the pressure tear through the air above his head. He slipped past the monster’s flank and drove his fist into a gap between the iron plates at its waist.

Pain exploded through his knuckles.

“—!”

The impact barely staggered the guardian.

Instead, Iron Fang twisted unnaturally fast and backhanded him.

The blow landed.

Shidō felt his body lift off the ground.

The world spun violently as he crashed into the far wall, stone crumbling beneath the impact. His back screamed in agony. The breath was torn from his lungs as he slid down, knees buckling.

He coughed.

Blood splattered onto the floor.

“…Tch.”

His vision blurred for a moment.

Warning messages flashed briefly at the edge of his sight.

HP: 63 / 100

So one hit had taken more than a third of his health.

Shidō pushed himself up before Iron Fang could close the distance.

Standing hurt.

Breathing hurt.

Every nerve in his body screamed that this was wrong—that this was impossible—that a human body should not be fighting something like this with bare hands.

But Shidō ignored it all.

“Direct confrontation is suicide,” he muttered.

Iron Fang charged again, faster this time, its serrated jaws snapping open as if eager to tear him apart.

Shidō ran.

He darted sideways, sprinting along the edge of the chamber, keeping his movements unpredictable. The guardian followed, smashing through stone pillars with raw force. Debris rained down, filling the air with dust.

Shidō leapt onto a fallen pillar, using it as a foothold to change direction abruptly.

Iron Fang miscalculated.

Its claws slammed into the stone where Shidō had been.

Shidō seized the opening and struck again—this time aiming for the joint behind the monster’s knee.

The hit landed.

The iron plates dented slightly.

Iron Fang staggered for half a second.

Not enough.

The guardian twisted and slammed its knee upward, catching Shidō midair.

Crack.

Shidō felt something fracture.

His body flew again, crashing hard against the ground this time. The impact knocked the air from his lungs completely. He rolled across the floor, pain blinding him.

Another cough.

More blood.

HP: 41 / 100

So this was how it ended?

No.

Shidō clenched his teeth and forced himself to stand.

His legs trembled.

His ribs burned.

Every instinct screamed at him to retreat, to hide, to survive another way.

But there was nowhere to run.

No exits.

No allies.

Only the boss.

Iron Fang advanced slowly now, its massive form casting a long shadow over Shidō. It dragged one claw along the floor, sparks flying where metal scraped stone.

It was toying with him.

Analyzing him.

Waiting.

“Arrogant,” Shidō muttered, wiping blood from his lips.

That arrogance would be its death.

Shidō closed his eyes for half a second.

Think.

Brute force won’t work. Speed alone isn’t enough. I don’t have weapons.

So what do I have?

His eyes snapped open.

Environment.

Weak points.

Patience.

Iron Fang lunged again.

Shidō didn’t dodge immediately.

He waited.

At the last possible moment, he threw himself sideways, letting the guardian’s jaws slam shut inches from his head. The shockwave cracked the stone beneath them.

Shidō rolled and grabbed a loose iron shard from the floor—one torn from Iron Fang’s armor during its rampage.

A weapon.

Crude, but sharp.

Iron Fang turned.

Too slow.

Shidō leapt forward and drove the shard into the gap beneath the guardian’s jaw.

The metal pierced flesh.

Iron Fang howled, stumbling back.

Black blood poured from the wound.

Shidō didn’t hesitate.

He yanked the shard free and stabbed again. And again. Each strike precise, targeting the same vulnerable point.

Iron Fang roared in fury and slammed its fist down.

Shidō was too close to escape.

The blow hit him squarely.

The world shattered.

Shidō’s body was smashed into the ground with crushing force. The impact caved the stone beneath him, creating a shallow crater.

Pain overwhelmed everything.

He couldn’t breathe.

He couldn’t move.

HP: 12 / 100

So this was it.

The edge.

Iron Fang loomed above him, raising its foot.

One stomp would end everything.

Shidō’s vision darkened.

His thoughts slowed.

But even now—on the verge of death—his mind refused to surrender.

If I die here, it ends.

If I live…

He smiled faintly.

“…I win.”

The system chimed.

[ CRITICAL CONDITION ]

HP BELOW 15%

Emergency Response Available

Another blue screen appeared.

Activate Skill: Precision Strike?

Status: Locked

Unlock Condition: Intent to Kill

Shidō laughed weakly.

“So that’s it.”

Iron Fang’s foot descended.

Shidō forced every remaining ounce of will into a single thought.

Kill.

The world slowed.

The blue screen shattered like glass.

Something inside him snapped into place.

[ SKILL UNLOCKED ]

Precision Strike (Active)

Effect: All damage focused on a single vital point

Shidō moved.

His body surged upward, ignoring pain, ignoring damage. He slipped beneath Iron Fang’s descending foot and drove the iron shard upward with everything he had.

Straight into the wound beneath its jaw.

The shard pierced deep.

Deeper.

Until it struck something solid.

The guardian froze.

Then it screamed.

Iron Fang staggered violently, claws scraping uselessly against the stone as black blood poured from its neck. Its movements became erratic, uncoordinated.

Shidō didn’t stop.

He climbed.

Using the guardian’s armor as footholds, he forced himself upward, stabbing repeatedly, widening the wound. Blood drenched him, hot and thick.

Iron Fang tried to grab him.

Too slow.

Shidō reached the guardian’s head and plunged the shard directly into its eye.

The scream cut off.

Iron Fang collapsed.

The massive body crashed to the ground, shaking the entire chamber.

Silence followed.

Shidō fell with it, landing hard on the stone floor.

He lay there, chest heaving, vision swimming.

HP: 5 / 100

Barely alive.

But alive.

A chime echoed loudly through the chamber.

[ FLOOR 1 CLEARED ]

Boss Defeated: Gate Guardian – Iron Fang

EXP GAINED

LEVEL UP

Shidō laughed weakly, blood staining his teeth.

“…Almost died,” he whispered.

The blue screen appeared again.

Level: 2

HP: 120 / 120

Skill Acquired: Precision Strike

His wounds began to close slowly, pain fading into dull exhaustion.

Shidō pushed himself up, standing amid the corpse of the fallen guardian.

He looked at his bloodied hands.

No fear.

No regret.

Only clarity.

“This tower,” he said quietly, purple eyes gleaming, “is going to regret underestimating me.”

A new door opened ahead.

Floor 2 awaited.

Shidō stepped forward.

Pain faded slowly.

Not all at once—never gently—but piece by piece, as if the tower itself decided Shidō Kagenori was not allowed to die yet.

He stood alone in the silent chamber, the massive corpse of Iron Fang lying broken at his feet. The guardian’s iron-plated body had already begun to dissolve, black smoke rising from the wounds where Shidō had struck. The stench of blood and metal lingered in the air.

Shidō flexed his fingers.

They trembled faintly.

Not from fear—but from exhaustion.

“So this is leveling,” he muttered.

The blue screen hovered calmly in front of him, indifferent to the carnage.

[ STATUS UPDATED ]

Name: Shidō Kagenori

Level: 2

HP: 120 / 120

MP: 65 / 65

Strength: 14

Agility: 23

Defense: 10

Perception: 20

Intelligence: 16

Skills:

Silent Step (Passive)

Precision Strike (Active)

The increase was modest, but noticeable.

His body felt lighter. Sharper. The lingering ache in his ribs had dulled, replaced by a controlled tension—like a blade kept perpetually ready to strike.

Shidō exhaled slowly.

“So EXP restores the body as well,” he said. “Convenient.”

The system chimed again.

[ FLOOR 2 UNLOCKED ]

Clear Condition: Eliminate all hostile entities

Boss Room Access: Locked

Remaining Enemies: 34

Thirty-four.

Shidō lifted his gaze.

The door ahead creaked open, revealing a wide stone corridor stretching far into darkness. Blue torches flickered along the walls, casting warped shadows that danced like living things.

This floor felt different.

The air was heavier.

More oppressive.

Shidō stepped forward.

The door closed behind him with a deep, final thud.

No retreat.

The first monster appeared less than twenty meters in.

A humanoid shape crawled out from behind a pillar—its body thin, joints twisted at unnatural angles. Its skin was pale gray, stretched tight over bone. Its eyes glowed faintly blue.

A Ghoul.

It hissed when it noticed him.

Shidō didn’t slow.

He approached calmly, footsteps silent.

The ghoul lunged, claws reaching for his throat.

Shidō sidestepped and drove his elbow into its neck.

Crack.

The creature collapsed instantly.

[ ENEMY DEFEATED ]

EXP +15

“Too slow,” Shidō said coldly.

He continued forward.

Two more ghouls emerged—one from the ceiling, another from the floor itself, crawling up from a hidden crevice.

Shidō adjusted instantly.

He ducked beneath the ceiling ghoul’s strike and grabbed its wrist, twisting sharply until bone snapped through flesh. Using its body as a shield, he shoved it into the second ghoul.

Both fell.

Shidō finished them with precise blows to the skull.

[ EXP +30 ]

His movements were smoother now.

Cleaner.

Each kill fed into the system, and the system fed back into him.

It was efficient.

Floor 2 unfolded like a hunting ground.

Stone corridors branched into wider chambers filled with broken statues and fallen pillars. Monsters lurked everywhere—ghouls, shadow hounds, armored crawlers with bladed limbs.

Shidō adapted quickly.

He stopped rushing.

Instead, he observed.

Tracked patrol patterns.

Listened to footsteps.

Waited.

One by one, monsters fell without ever understanding what killed them.

A shadow hound collapsed with its throat crushed.

An armored crawler lost its legs before it could even turn around.

A group of ghouls never made a sound—Shidō eliminated them in a single, fluid sequence.

[ EXP +120 ]

[ LEVEL UP ]

The blue screen flashed.

Level: 3

Strength: +2

Agility: +3

Perception: +2

Shidō paused.

He felt it immediately.

His senses sharpened further—sounds became clearer, distances easier to judge. The subtle vibrations of the tower beneath his feet told him when something was approaching.

“Good,” he murmured.

The system chimed again.

[ NEW SKILL UNLOCKED ]

Shadow Sense (Passive)

Effect: Detect hostile intent within a short radius

A faint pressure spread across his awareness.

Shidō smiled.

“So you’re finally giving me what I need.”

He resumed his hunt.

Hours passed.

Time had no meaning inside the tower, but Shidō’s body felt the strain. Sweat clung to his clothes. His muscles burned. Blood—both his and the monsters’—stained the floor behind him.

Still, he continued.

Monster after monster fell.

[ EXP +300 ]

[ LEVEL UP ]

Level: 4

Shidō leaned against a pillar briefly, catching his breath.

That was when the system chimed again.

[ SYSTEM GIFT ACQUIRED ]

Item Added to Inventory

A new window appeared.

Inventory:

Beginner’s Katana (Rare)

Shidō’s eyes narrowed.

“A weapon,” he said softly.

He opened the inventory.

Light gathered in his hand.

A katana materialized—sleek, elegant, its blade shimmering faintly blue. The hilt was wrapped in dark cloth, perfectly balanced.

Shidō tested its weight.

Perfect.

He swung once.

The air parted cleanly.

“…At last.”

With a weapon in hand, the hunt changed.

The remaining monsters never stood a chance.

Shidō moved like a shadow, katana flashing silently. Heads fell. Limbs separated. Bodies collapsed before they could react.

Precision Strike activated again and again—each use deadly, each strike absolute.

[ EXP +600 ]

[ LEVEL UP ]

Level: 5

The blue screen displayed one final message.

[ FLOOR 2 CLEAR CONDITION NEARLY MET ]

Remaining Enemies: 0

Boss Room Access: Unlocked

A massive door appeared at the far end of the corridor.

Larger than before.

Heavier.

Shidō wiped his blade clean.

His reflection stared back at him from the steel—purple eyes calm, cold, unchanging.

“I’ll clear every floor,” he said quietly.

“No matter what stands in my way.”

He stepped toward the boss room.

Floor 2 was about to end.