After slaughtering the previous chimera and filling his growling stomach, he continued his journey through the endless maze of stone corridors. Several times, he encountered lesser monster wolves—not like that terrifying mutant before. He cut them down one by one without hesitation—his dagger seemed like an extension of his arm, each swing lighter, sharper, deadlier.
Maybe it was because he kept killing.
Maybe his body was absorbing something from the monsters.
He wasn't sure.
What he did know was he felt stronger.
He arrived at a fork in the path. Left or right. Without pause, he chose the left.
But as he stepped forward, something new awaited him. A giant spider—roughly the size of a small child—skittered from the cavern wall. Its compound eyes glistened in the dim light like blood-red jewels. Its mandibles clicked menacingly.
Without thinking, he activated his skill.
[Stealth] Activated
He vanished into the shadows, then reappeared behind the spider in an instant—and—
Craakk!
His dagger pierced the back of its head with ease. The creature writhed, then fell limp.
Before he could catch his breath, a wave of sound surged around him.
From the shadows emerged a swarm of other giant spiders, followed by monster wolves drawn by the scent of blood.
And from the darkness... came a skeleton. But not an ordinary one. This one carried a bow strung with sinew, and arrows made of poisoned bone.
"...Shit," he muttered, breath quickening.
He was surrounded.
Monsters in front. Monsters behind. Arrows rained down from above. He dodged the first, second, third strikes—but then—
Shakk!
A spider sprayed poison, splashing across his arm.
Thokk!
An arrow sank deep into his back, piercing flesh and sending him stumbling.
The world spun. His breathing ragged. Vision blurring.
And then—a voice echoed inside his mind.
"Do you want my help?"
He froze. Eyes wide.
"...Who are you?"
"No time for questions. You'll die like this."
The voice... was deep, heavy. Strangely familiar.
But cold.
"I've just awakened. And I see 'my body' is falling apart. So... let me take over."
His body trembled. He could refuse.
But...
There was no time. He nodded in his mind.
"...Do it."
The voice chuckled—a soft, patient laugh like a devil waiting at the edge of a deal.
"Good."
And instantly—
His blood boiled.
His muscles bulged and tensed. Veins glowed faint red. Flesh hardened into something like living armor—a fusion of sinew and molten metal that moved with him, shielding him.
His wounds closed.
The arrow was pushed out by raw force.
The poison—absorbed and purged.
He stood tall. Breathing deeply. Eyes glowing red like burning coals.
"...I'm not human anymore..."
But he grinned.
"...But I'm still alive."
The monsters hesitated, just for a moment.
And that—was their final mistake.
He lunged forward.
Brak!
One wolf was flung into a wall, skull shattering on impact.
Srakkk!
His dagger—now fused into his arm—slashed through three spiders in one brutal arc.
Arrows fired by the skeleton bounced off him—none could pierce his new armor.
In seconds, the battlefield was a sea of blood and broken limbs.
He moved like a storm.
Laughing amid the screams of dying beasts.
Nothing remained.
Silence returned to the gore-stained cavern. He stood still, steam rising from his body. His breathing was calm.
His eyes—empty... but satisfied.
"I'm still alive."
The mysterious voice returned, softer now.
"And from now on... we share this body."
After slaughtering all the monsters and making sure none were left breathing, he stood still in the middle of the warm, steaming corpses. The mist of blood hung heavy in the air. His breathing was ragged, but his mind was starting to clear.
"…Hey," he muttered softly, speaking inward.
"I know you're still there."
And the voice answered—calm and cold, like someone sitting cross-legged in the dark corners of his mind.
"Of course. I'm not going anywhere. So… how does it feel, being a monster?"
He didn't answer that question. His eyes narrowed.
"You… what are you, really?"
There was a pause. Then the voice responded slowly.
"I am… a remnant. A remnant of the past. Once, I was called many things—'curse,' 'god,' 'demon,' 'the great weapon'… Now, I am merely a parasite, one that happens to dwell in your body."
"Parasite…?" he muttered, surprised.
"Yes. When you devoured that wolf's flesh, I was inside it. Sealed away for ages… waiting for a host strong enough. No human has entered this dungeon in years. But you came. And… you were interesting."
He went silent, absorbing all this.
"So… you don't know much about this dungeon?"
"Unfortunately, no. I awoke deep within it—and I cannot leave. The monsters here were too strong to possess. And… changing hosts takes time and specific conditions."
"So because I'm strong, you get stronger too… like that armor earlier?"
"Correct. Your body is the vessel. Your power is the fuel. You grow—I grow. And vice versa."
He paused to think. "Then… do you know about the monsters in this dungeon? How long until I reach the boss room?"
"...I could tell you. But I'm out of energy. That last battle drained what I had."
He scoffed. "Of course. So now you want… 'payment,' right?"
"Exactly."
"And your food is…?"
"Essence. Monster cores. They sometimes appear after a monster dies. Look for them in the corpses. They look like gems."
He crouched quickly and searched. It didn't take long to find a glowing red shard pulsing faintly from a wolf's chest. It was the size of a small pebble, but it throbbed with a living aura—something far from ordinary.
"That's it. A monster core. Each monster has a different core, depending on its strength. The stronger they are, the purer the essence."
He nodded. "Then… how do I give it to you?"
Before he could finish the question, the skin on his arm twitched. A monstrous mouth burst open from the muscle of his forearm—complete with jagged teeth and a barbed tongue.
GRRAKH!
The mouth devoured the monster core in a single bite and vanished back into his flesh. He stared, shocked. Disgusted. But also… fascinated.
"Thank you," the voice said casually. "Energy stabilized."
"…You're not going to try and take over my body, are you?" he asked warily.
The voice gave a short laugh.
"If I take over and you die like an idiot, I die too. I'm not selfish. I was once a great weapon. Desired by kings and nations. Now, I just want to survive. So rest easy. As long as you stay strong, I'm safe."
He exhaled in relief. "Great weapon…? What do you mean?"
But the voice cut him off quickly.
"Not now. We'll talk after we get out of here. Focus."
"…Focus on what?"
"Gather monster cores. Eat as many as you can. The more essence you feed me, the more chances you'll gain abilities from the monsters you kill. Adaptations… mutations… even skills."
At that, he laughed.
Not a normal laugh. A mad, ecstatic, unhinged laugh full of delirious joy.
"AHAHAHA—FINALLY!!! THIS IS IT!!! THIS IS MY CHEAT!!!"
The parasite fell silent. Then cautiously spoke.
"…Are you… still sane?"
"I'm sane. I'm just really, really happy. This world's a bastard… and I finally have something to fight back with."
"...I don't know what a cheat is… but gather cores quickly. We're not safe yet. More monsters will come."
With a wide grin and eyes burning with manic light, he stood.
"Well then… time to harvest"