Kieeek-

Crack!

Crack!

A gruesome sound of tearing flesh echoed across the desolate earth.

Inside a cave filled with sand and dust.

The center of that place, where monsters’ screams and shredded flesh ran rampant. Ha Gangwoo stood there.

Crack- Kieek-

With a single gesture from Ha Gangwoo, the monster’s limbs were torn off.

No sooner had the final boss’s death rattle faded than a System window blazed across Ha Gangwoo’s retina.

Ding—

[You have defeated the Red Sand Scorpion of the Wilderness.]

[You gain 121,500 EXP!!]

[Perk bonus: 121,500 additional EXP acquired.]

The chime marked the end of a clearing that had taken over an hour.

The DLC-Wilderness Plains wasn’t bad.

The EXP and Gold yields were solid, and more importantly—

Ding—

[You have obtained the Red Sand Scorpion’s Torso Armor.]

—it was a dungeon that actually dropped items.

For a product costing a million Gold, this was generous and efficient.

Yet Ha Gangwoo’s expression was sour.

‘This is taking forever to level up…’

The reason was simple.

[Ru]

Grade: D

Type: Ruin Construct

Level: 11

HP: 100/100

MP: 10/10

Strength: 10

Agility: 10

Vitality: 10

Mana: 10

Sense: 10

Luck: 10

Unallocated: 70

Because the Ruin Construct’s level just wouldn’t budge.

In contrast,

Ding—

[Ha Gangwoo]

Level: 98→99 (1↑)

Ha Gangwoo had gone up a whole level.

And that told him everything.

‘Contribution-based distribution, huh…’

A system where EXP was split according to Contribution in the hunt. Of course the Ruin Construct, which had done nothing, only got scraps.

“Haah…”

Ha Gangwoo let out a deep breath and picked up the item that had floated up from the scorpion’s blasted corpse.

Right then.

[You have cleared the Wilderness Plains.]

A low rumble—the ground heaved as if the earth itself were shaking—

Ding—

[You have entered My Room.]

And before he knew it, Ha Gangwoo stood inside his personal space with his Ruin Construct.

‘Not bad, all things considered.’

Everything except Ru’s level was to his liking.

First, the dropped items:

[Cracked Golden Armor]

[Wilderness Plains Leather Boots]

[Shabby Plate Greaves]

……..

…..

….

.

About ten items in total, most F- and E-Rank.

Considering the DLC cost a million Gold, he’d already recouped his investment and more.

Satisfied enough, but Ha Gangwoo’s brow stayed furrowed as he sank into thought.

‘Is there really no way?’

The problem was leveling his Ruin Construct, Ru.

No matter how many monsters he killed, Ru got only a fraction of the EXP.

Even if he used every last Gate Generator remaining, how many levels could he actually squeeze out?

Hitting level 50 would count as a major gain.

At this rate, wouldn’t it be faster to just run dungeons with other Players while controlling the Ruin Construct directly?

‘……’

Ha Gangwoo mulled it over, then an idea struck him like lightning.

‘What if I just hunt as the Ruin Construct?’

Direct hunting through Login. If he managed that method well, he could funnel a massive amount of EXP to the Ruin Construct.

But there was a problem.

The Ruin Construct’s level was a paltry 11. Far too low to grind the Wilderness Plains.

‘It might work if I do it right, though.’

Ha Gangwoo opened his palm and stared at the glove shimmering with an alien pulse.

From Barzel’s Appetite to Lucifel’s Ring to Asrul’s Lust u2014 if he used them well, it wasn’t an impossible challenge.

‘Let’s do it.’

Ha Gangwoo clenched his fist hard, his expression hardening. He’d decided to go hunting directly in the Ruin Construct’s body.

He acted at once.

‘First, Barzel’s Appetite is enough for a weapon… but the armor is lacking.’

The items from this hunt were all F- and E-rank u2014 completely unsuitable.

That left only one option: scour the Auction House.

Ha Gangwoo immediately opened the Auction House and began rifling through the items one by one.

About ten minutes passed.

“Total trash.”

Ha Gangwoo scowled, moving his fingers.

As expected, every item in the Auction House was garbage.

At best, B-rank u2014 and even those had no useful effects, just ordinary gear.

But for the Ruin Construct’s hunt, it was a necessary choice.

Ding-

[You have acquired the Rock Golem’s Torso.]

[You have acquired the Rock Golem’s Leggings.]

[You have acquired the Rock Golem’s Shoes.]

Without hesitation, Ha Gangwoo bought all three items.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Solid armor pieces crashed down in front of Ha Gangwoo.

Their appearance was as if carved from rough stone.

[Rock Golem’s Torso]

Rank: B

Defense: 420

Description: Armor made by melting and processing a Rock Golem’s body. Its defense is excellent, but it is heavy and severely limits mobility.

It was a B-rank item, but the only stat attached was defense. Pathetic.

Still, that defense stat was absurdly high.

However, the downside was clear.

‘Damn heavy.’

Even Gangwoo, whose Strength was pushing 400, felt its weight bearing down on him.

How would Ru experience this armor with her far lower Strength? The sheer weight might crush her body.

But Ha Gangwoo bought it without a second thought.

The reason was simple.

‘All I need is a Costume.’

He intended to use a Costume.

Once the Costume was equipped, the stifling, heavy armor would vanish, replaced by the comfort and freedom of active wear.

And so Ha Gangwoo began feeding the items he’d just obtained into the Costume Vending Machine.

[Costume created.]

One by one, the costumes took shape.

***

Ding—

[Silver Sharp Hair equipped.]

Kitted out in every piece of gear on his Ruin Construct body, Gangwoo faced the mirror.

By all rights, wearing the Rock Golem set should have left him struggling to even stand. Instead, his body felt light enough to float.

A slight frame, barely thirteen. Clean shirt and jeans. A full head of silver hair.

All thanks to the Costume effect.

Gangwoo spun his slender arms, checking his condition.

Barzel’s Appetite in his right hand. Asrul’s Lust around his neck. Lucifel’s Ring on his left index finger. Every piece of gear at peak form.

[Ru]

Grade: D

Type: Ruin Construct

Level: 11

HP: 850/850

MP: 91/91

Strength: 40 (+128)

Agility: 40 (+41)

Vitality: 20 (+65)

Mana: 10 (+81)

Sense: 10

Luck: 10

His stats, too, rivaled those of any Level 70 Player without shame.

“Phew…”

Gangwoo steadied his breath, then activated the DLC — Wilderness Plains.

Ding—

[You have entered the Wilderness Plains.]

For a moment, a blinding light swallowed him whole. Then his blurry vision snapped back.

A vast desert under a blue sky and a blazing sun.

Giant stone pillars rose here and there, with a majestic rock mountain dead ahead.

Ha Gangwoo had entered the Wilderness Plains.

Crunch—

He pressed into the coarse sand, his expression hardening.

‘Still can’t feel a thing.’

His Sense stat was barely 10. Was that why? He couldn’t read anything at all.

Normally, he would have sensed every monster’s location — even their strength.

Any other person would have panicked. But Gangwoo didn’t even flinch.

‘Good thing I already did my homework.’

He’d already memorized every monster and every dungeon’s traits.

On the barren earth, Gangwoo spread his legs wide and dropped into a combat stance.

Sure enough —

*Rumble—*

The ground shuddered.

—Keeeek!

A spider monster, barely a meter long, burst through the sand.

It was the first clearing target he’d picked for raising his Ruin Construct — the same monster that had exploded in death in under a second back then.

Gangwoo was only Level 11. No matter how stacked his stats were, this fight could still kill him.

On top of that, his crippled Sense stat screamed in protest.

*Thump-thump—*

The monster in front of him was dangerous — *run*, it said.

But Gangwoo’s face held nothing but interest.

A smirk curling his lips, he activated Lucifel’s Ring.

Ding—

[Demonization activated.]

[All Status increased by 100%.]

A hiss—black smoke billowed from the shrunken Ruin Construct’s entire body.

A grating, metal-scraping sound rasped from its breath, and its eerie tail slithered across the ground with a whisper.

‘Not bad.’

Ha Gangwoo ran his eyes over the Demonized Ruin Construct, satisfaction settling in his chest.

Its level was still low—no auxiliary effects like Demon Eye or Demon Horns yet—but the boosted Status alone was enough to please him.

Ha Gangwoo exploded off the ground with all his strength—Pat!—and charged.

Crack! The earth burst beneath him from a Strength stat that had just surged close to 200.

The overwhelming speed he’d felt before was gone, replaced by a sluggish drag. Each step felt heavy, leaden.

No Skill. No Trait. Nothing.

The monster before him was at least Level 30 or higher. One mistake, and he could lose his life.

Yet there was no hesitation in Ha Gangwoo’s movements.

‘How many levels will this one give me?’

He was simply curious how much his level would rise after killing the monster.

Kwa-gwa-gwa-gwa—

The Ruin Construct Ru’s new form swept across the ground, barreling into the spider monster’s kill zone.

Kieeek—

The spider monster registered the Ruin Construct and lashed out with a thick leg.

Was it because his Agility stat was low? The spider’s leg was blindingly fast and razor-sharp, hard to track with his eyes alone.

For a moment, the leg seemed to vanish from his sight—but Ha Gangwoo didn’t panic.

‘Predictable.’

The experience he’d built up over time now showed its true worth.

Ha Gangwoo twisted his body, predicting the trajectory of the vanished spider leg.

Whung—a grotesque noise, then Kwa-gwa-gwa-gwa the spider’s leg grazed his shoulder and slammed—Crack!!!—into the ground.

The gap in Agility was too wide; he’d taken the hit.

Burning pain seared along his nerves from his shoulder.

That kind of destructive force would have instantly killed an ordinary Level 11 Player.

Ding—

[You have taken 501 HP of damage.]

But thanks to the items he’d prepared in advance, Ha Gangwoo could still move.

Without a moment’s hesitation, he clenched his fist tight and—Thud!—slammed the ground with his leg.

He drove his body toward the spider’s belly, a mess of open weaknesses.

Unlike the hard carapace, the abdomen was soft and yielding.

-Keeeek!!!

The spider flinched, shrieking in panic, but Ha Gangwoo’s fist was already splitting the air.

Whung—Thwack!!!!

His fist hammered into the spider’s abdomen, and in that instant—

-Kieeek!!!!

The spider’s body seemed to lift off the ground—

Squelch!!!

—and burst apart.

This was the result of dumping most of his Stats into Strength, pushing his attack power to the absolute limit.

Pitter-patter—

The spider’s green entrails spilled out onto the parched earth.

“Haaah… haaah…”

Ha Gangwoo gasped, catching his breath as a fountain of blood sprayed across him.

Then—

Ding—

[You have defeated the Sand Mole Spider.]

[You gain 6,000 EXP!!]

[Perk effect: you gain an additional 6,000 EXP.]

[Level up!!!]

[Level up!!!]

[Level up!!!]

……

….

…

.

The delightful notifications cascaded one after another.

Level: 11 → 18 (↑7)

‘Insane.’

Ha Gangwoo’s lips curled as he stared at the levels he’d gained.

Just one monster, and he’d shot up seven levels.

How high could he go if he cleared every monster in this dungeon?

Thump—thump—

Anticipation surged through him already.

Rolling his shoulders to loosen up, Ha Gangwoo began clearing the sand-choked Wilderness Plains, his steps crunching softly.

***

Kieeek! Crack!

[You have defeated the Red Sand Scorpion.]

[You gain 16,000 EXP!!]

[Perk effect: you gain an additional 16,000 EXP.]

[Level up!!!]

Kieeek! Crack!

[You have defeated the Red Sand Scorpion.]

[You gain 16,000 EXP!!]

[Perk effect: you gain an additional 16,000 EXP.]

[Level up!!!]

In the cave, the joyous chimes of notifications echoed alongside the wet, fleshy sounds of slaughter.

Kieeeeek! Thud! Patter—

With the final boss’s death rattle—

[You have defeated the Red Sand Scorpion of the Wilderness.]

[You gain 121,500 EXP!!]

[Perk effect: you gain an additional 121,500 EXP.]

[Level up!!!]

[Level up!!!]

……

….

The final boss had fallen.

A clear that had taken over six hours.

“Hah… hah…”

Ha Gangwoo gasped for breath as he released his Demonization.

The sudden loss of demonic energy hit him with a wave of dizziness, but he still managed a smirk.

‘Fucking insane.’

[Level: 60]

A single clear, and he’d hit level 60.

The leveling speed was so absurd it made all his grinding through the Tutorial and Scenarios feel almost pointless.

But that wasn’t why Ha Gangwoo was this excited.

[Ruin Construct: Ru has reached level 60.]

[Ruin Construct: Ru’s Trait is now unlocked.]

What the hell was this?

He never imagined Ruin Constructs could have Traits.

Thump—thump—

Ha Gangwoo’s heart pounded wildly at the sudden revelation.

‘Good.’

Just a moment ago, after losing that spar with Mimic, he’d been doubting the Lord of Ruin class.

-Is it even any good? It feels underwhelming.

For a Legend-class job title, the thought kept nagging: *This doesn’t feel that great.*

But that was wrong.

Each Ruin Construct could have its own Trait? That was outright broken.

*Gulp—*

What kind of Trait had she gotten?

Ha Gangwoo swallowed dry spit and checked Ru’s Status Window.

*Ding-*

[Ru]

Grade: D

Type: Ruin Construct

Level: 60

HP: 850/850

MP: 91/91

Strength: 80(+128)

Agility: 80(+41)

Vitality: 58(+65)

Mana: 40(+81)

Sense: 40

Luck: 40

Unallocated: 105

Trait: Orb of Ruin

[Orb of Ruin]

Type: Trait

Grade: D

Form: Passive

Effect: When Ruin’s Darkness is generated, orbs with special abilities are created.

‘Orb of Ruin?’

The moment he saw its grade, Gangwoo understood.

Ru’s D-grade at creation was telling him something about that very fact.

If he maxed the Storage amount first, then summoned a Ruin Construct—an S-Rank one would appear.

What kind of Trait would an S-Rank Ruin Construct get?

He was already itching to find out.

But there was a small problem.

[Core of Ruin]

Grade: ???

Storage amount: 345

Description: A Core of Ruin is generated within your body. It is the Destroyer’s origin and the only power capable of overcoming chaos.

Effect

-Absorbs chaos from Monsters and converts it into ruin power for storage.

When he summoned Ru, the Storage amount had been 3500. He’d thought that was low.

But it wasn’t. The number of Monsters he’d killed so far already exceeded 400.

Yet only 345.

Just how many Monsters would he need to hunt to make an S-Rank Ruin Construct?

The thought of gathering the Core of Ruin felt daunting, but Monsters were something he’d have to kill until he was sick of them anyway.

‘Let’s check it first.’

Gangwoo decided to test the Trait right away.

*Thump—thump—*

Orb of Ruin.

‘What kind of Trait is it?’

The feeling was like using the DLC-Shop for the first time.

*Fwoosh-*

Gangwoo started condensing Ruin’s Darkness,

*Ding-*

[Orb of Ruin has been generated.]

The moment the Trait activated,

a smile spread across Gangwoo’s lips.

‘It’s broken.’

***

“Haaah— yawn.”

Mimic shuffled out into the My Room’s living room, rubbing her small eyes.

Master’s room—soft and warm. As she stepped in, a sweet scent tickled her nose.

But something was off. Dirt was scattered across the floor.

On top of that—

“Master?”

Ha Gangwoo sat blankly on the bed, staring into empty air.

Like the child who’d been sleeping there.

“Huh?”

Mimic tilted her head, looking at the spot where Ru had stood — the kid who’d been rooted in place just moments ago had vanished without a trace.

Still crusted with sleep, she rubbed her eyes and shuffled toward Ha Gangwoo — and that was the moment.

*Whoooom—*

A blinding light erupted from the Rift on My Room’s wall.

And with a soft *thump*, a child popped out of it.

‘Who’s that?’

Mimic pouted, eyeing the child.

It was a face she’d never seen before — chiseled features like carved sculpture, silver hair that held an uncanny shimmer.

The kid was caked in dirt from head to toe, as if she’d just stumbled out of a war zone, a sticky slime coating every inch of her.

“Who are you?”

Curiosity piqued, Mimic padded closer to the child.

And the child’s sharp eyes curved into a smirk as she parted her lips slowly.

“Perfect timing. Spar with me.”

“Huh?”

And just like that, Mimic found herself in a sudden PVP with the mysterious little girl.