The crowd showed little inclination to step forward, even after I spoke.

They all seemed terrified by the grotesque-looking demon beast.

Yet in reality, that demon beast was merely the lowest grade—one even I could dispatch with ease.

[The Special Ability ‘Fate Detection’ is activated!]

═══════════════

[Name] Geojam

[Rank] Third Insect Grade

[Description] A giant silkworm. It primarily eats plants but also devours beasts and humans.

═══════════════

-seogeog!

The Geojam charging at me was cleaved in two midair.

It was an easy opponent, yet the others remained terrified, cowering behind me.

I was perfectly capable of monopolizing the hunt, so it mattered little whether they joined in or not.

At that moment, the sound of the Geojam being crushed echoed out.

-eujijig!

Glancing to the side, I saw Shin Sooa swinging a fire extinguisher at the Geojam.

Shin Sooa said, her eyes wide with astonishment.

“It’s really weaker than I expected.”

Even in my past life, Shin Sooa had been the first to adapt to this situation.

Seeing Shin Sooa—who had effortlessly slain even Dragon Grade demon beasts in the past—marveling at defeating an Insect Grade beast felt somewhat surreal.

She turned to me and asked,

“What should I do now?”

“For now, I think we should just handle the ones swarming in.”

-kkiik!

I stomped on a Geojam attempting to force its way through a gap, then immediately swung my blade.

As bodily fluids and blood splattered in all directions, Shin Sooa was clearing out the opposite flank.

With Shin Sooa joining the fray, the situation on the 7th floor was quickly brought under control.

Once the Geojams vanished, the survivors hurriedly scrambled away.

“Let’s get out of here, hurry!”

“Yes! We need to go right now!”

They urgently began evacuating downstairs.

Even though the path down was by no means safe.

I glanced at them before harvesting a Spirit Jade from the Geojam’s maw and slipping it into my pocket.

Everyone else had fled, but a presence lingered behind me.

“Excuse me… Aren’t you heading down?”

Shin Sooa had stayed behind alone, watching me with a worried expression.

After pocketing all the Spirit Jade, I rose to my feet.

“Aren’t you going to evacuate?”

“I can’t just leave you here by yourself.”

Her voice was steeped in genuine concern for me.

She could have fled with the others, yet she had stayed behind out of worry for a complete stranger.

I noted that some things about her never changed.

I glanced toward the stairwell.

“Alright. Let’s take our time and head down.”

We needed to relocate; if we waited here any longer, that thing was bound to show up.

Relying on the glow of our smartphones, we began our descent.

The floor was slick—whether from blood or viscous mucus, it was hard to tell.

Meanwhile, the floors below were unnervingly silent.

It wouldn’t be an issue if only Geojams appeared, but to prepare for any contingency, I struck up a conversation with Shin Sooa.

“I’m going to say something that might sound a bit crazy, but please trust that I haven’t lost my mind.”

“Yes. Understood.”

“It seems we’ve developed something like superpowers.”

Shin Sooa stared at me as if I were speaking gibberish.

Before she could write me off as a lunatic, I hastily continued my explanation.

“Abilities have been granted to us based on our Fortune. Ms. Shin Sooa, you should have a Special Ability called the Tree Leaf Seed Technique. Your Fortune Window will appear soon as well.”

My ‘Fate Detection’ possessed another application.

If I read someone’s Fortune Window for them, it could trigger their awakening.

I had once tried to make some money off this, but with the rumor spreading that I killed people, there was no way anyone would request my services.

A moment later, Shin Sooa stammered with a flustered expression.

“I really can see that Fortune Window thing! I can see the Tree Leaf Seed Technique ability too…”

“You can use that to protect yourself. Try testing it out for now.”

“Yes, understood!”

[The Special Ability ‘Tree Leaf Seed Technique’ is activated!]

Shin Sooa took a deep breath and activated the ability.

However, nothing happened.

Instead, only a single notification popped up.

[Cannot use the Special Ability ‘Tree Leaf Seed Technique’.]

[There are no trees, plants, or soil in close proximity.]

It seemed there were restrictions due to her current low grade.

Once her grade increased, she would likely be able to use the ability even in a room surrounded by concrete.

Shin Sooa spoke with a slightly bewildered expression.

“It won’t work, what should I do?”

“It’s fine. You just need to fight like you did earlier.”

Shin Sooa nodded and resumed following me downstairs.

Surprisingly, we didn’t encounter any human corpses on the way down.

The Geojams had likely devoured them all.

-huiiing…

Then, suddenly, a draft blew in from somewhere.

It was coming from deep within the 5th floor.

It seemed to be under construction, as the interior was completely hollowed out.

Construction materials were scattered haphazardly throughout the space.

For some reason, it painted a desolate, dreary picture.

“I think someone is over there…”

Shin Sooa said, pointing into the darkness.

Someone was lying in the shadows.

As we drew closer, the metallic stench of blood hung heavy in the air.

“Are they dead?”

Shin Sooa asked in an anxious voice.

I approached the figure slowly.

There was a surefire way to verify whether they were dead or alive.

[The Special Ability ‘Fortune Stealing’ is activated!]

[The number of deceased within the current range is 1.]

Dead. They were out of luck.

Shin Sooa displayed a look of pity for the corpse, but I had no time to mourn.

The older the corpse, the more magic power it required to utilize.

I swiftly activated the ability.

[Stealing the target’s abilities!]

[Due to low proficiency, only 1 item can be stolen.]

[Acquired the Special Ability ‘Ten-Foot Blaze1‘!]

═══════════════

[Special Ability] Ten-Foot Blaze

[Rank] Third Insect Grade

[Description] The ability to freely ignite and control small flames. Long-range attacks are possible as long as the target is within sight.

═══════════════

Since it was a relatively fresh corpse, the ability fortunately activated.

Ten-Foot Blaze was a fire-attribute ability.

Its grade was low, but it was an offensive skill, so it wasn’t bad.

In the meantime, a notification that popped up in succession caught my eye.

[A small amount of Karma accumulates as a penalty for the Special Ability!]

Accumulating Karma wasn’t a good thing, but I needed this ability right now.

I didn’t know exactly how much had accumulated, but since there were no immediate side effects, it would be fine for the time being.

While I was checking the ability’s effects, Shin Sooa tugged at my clothes.

“Um, something is approaching from outside.”

True to her words, a muttering sound echoed from outside.

Was it that guy?

I shielded Shin Sooa behind me and stared at the doorway.

“…If I had to compare it, is this like a tutorial stage?”

A man was stepping through the entrance.

He was a handsome man, covered in blood here and there, but he didn’t appear to be seriously injured.

He held a steel pipe, muttering to himself.

“Well, if it’s a doomed plot, they’d send out an uncatchable bastard right from the start. At least, if it’s a normal novel… No, is this a plot where you die once and regress or reincarnate?”

It was a familiar face.

Right, that bastard Dokgo Jun also started out here.

Shin Sooa whispered softly.

“Is that person okay?”

“He should be fine.”

At that moment, the sound of a bug crawling echoed from outside.

The target was Dokgo Jun, who stood closest to the entrance.

A demon beast was approaching, but Dokgo Jun was lost in thought, completely distracted.

-kiit!

The Geojam spotted its prey and leaped at Dokgo Jun with a metallic screech.

Blood burst forth in an instant.

-kwajik!

“As expected, it’s a tutorial stage, so it’s manageable.”

The Geojam was struck by the steel pipe Dokgo Jun swung, dying instantly as it was crushed to pieces.

Behind it, more Geojams swarmed in a frenzy.

However, Dokgo Jun swung his steel pipe without hesitation, bisecting the Geojams.

Dokgo Jun.

Before his awakening, he was a famous web novel author, and after his awakening, he made a name for himself as one of the Sect Leaders of the Five Great Sects.

He was notorious for his eccentric personality and bizarre behavior, but at the same time, he was incredibly strong.

═══════════════

[Name] Dokgo Jun

[Rank] Third Divine Grade

[Attribute] Metal

▼

[Special Ability] Dreamer

[Rank] First Dragon Grade

[Description] Blurs the boundary between reality and fantasy, reducing the influence of ghastly energy. Mental strength, pain resistance, and fear resistance are boosted to at least First Dragon Grade level.

═══════════════

His grade was on the higher side, but since his Fortune Window hadn’t awakened, his physical abilities would remain the same as usual.

Of course, the Geojam was a demon beast that could be easily killed with the strength of an ordinary person.

Still, striking down a suddenly appearing monster without hesitation wouldn’t be an easy task for a normal person.

Of course, that bastard didn’t fall under the category of a normal person.

At that moment, Dokgo Jun discovered us, and our eyes met.

“Oh? There were survivors.”

There wasn’t much surprise in his voice. There was only a hint that he found it a bit unexpected.

He lowered his head slightly and began muttering to himself.

“Looking at you, you don’t seem like an extra… Are you a supporting character? Or maybe it’s an event where I gain an ally…”

Whether it was 5 years later or now, he was exactly the same.

He used to spout nonsense even back then.

Dokgo Jun, who had been muttering for a while, nodded.

“It’s probably an ally event. I’m Dokgo Jun. Nice to meet you.”

He abruptly held out his right hand. I looked at him for a moment before taking it.

“I’m Seo Kangrim.”

“And the person behind you?”

“I’m… Shin Sooa.”

He nodded as if he understood.

“No more events happened, so I came up here, but I guess the progression starts now. Then, after joining up with these two…”

He was interpreting this situation as if it were a game or a novel.

That must be why he could act so calmly in this situation.

Then suddenly, Dokgo Jun turned his gaze toward the door.

“Ah, I guess it progresses now.”

The sound of someone running up urgently echoed, followed by people bursting into the interior of the 5th floor.

They were the people who had gone down first from the cafe earlier, and they all wore expressions of absolute horror.

One person shouted urgently.

“S-Save me! It’s a monster!”

And as if to prove those words, a bizarre sound was rapidly approaching from behind.

It was supposed to appear on the 7th floor originally, but did it come down because there was no prey?

I quickly took a combat stance.

-sasasasak…!

Along with a grating, ear-piercing sound, a giant bug appeared.

No, to be precise, it wasn’t just one.

Tens, hundreds—no, thousands of silkworms were tangled together into a single, writhing mass of flesh.

-kikit…!

Each individual silkworm was small, but by clustering together, they formed a mass that looked to be nearly 3 meters across.

Dokgo Jun spoke with a rather delighted expression.

“As expected, an impactful boss monster should appear in the prologue!”

“Uwaaaah! Save me!”

Unlike Dokgo Jun, the others began screaming in terror.

The giant bug immediately pounced on the person who had screamed.

-eujik!

An unpleasant sound echoed loudly.

It was the sound of the demon beast biting off the head of the fleeing person.

As Shin Sooa looked on in horror, Dokgo Jun spoke nonchalantly.

“Ah. I guess you weren’t an ally character.”