The climb back up the mansion wall was far worse than the descent.

  Each time Do-Hyun dragged himself higher, pain flared through his ribs. The fracture wasn't fully healed—Level Up had forced the bone back into place, but the bruise ran deep, the muscles around it still tightening in spasms.

  He clenched his jaw and kept moving.

  At last, he hooked an arm over the limestone ledge of his balcony and hauled himself up. The moment his body cleared the edge, he collapsed onto the cold floor, gasping for air.

  [System Warning: Heart Rate Elevated. You are bleeding on the rug. Mother will be displeased.]

  "Shut up," Do-Hyun wheezed.

  He dragged himself inside and locked the window behind him. The digital clock on his nightstand glowed 4:12 AM.

  Less than three hours before the house woke.

  He peeled off his clothes piece by piece. The black hoodie was ruined—torn open where the Rat King's tail had struck, soaked through with foul-smelling ichor. The cargo pants were stiff, crusted with dried sludge.

  Everything went into the trash bag he'd prepared earlier. He'd burn it later.

  In the bathroom, he turned the shower on cold and stepped beneath it.

  The water stabbed into his skin, sharp and merciless, stripping away sweat, grime, and the stink of blood. He watched the runoff spiral down the drain—black at first, then gray, until it finally ran clear.

  Steam fogged the mirror.

  Do-Hyun lifted his head and met his reflection.

  His torso was a mess of fresh scars, a deep purple bruise spreading across his left ribs.

  But his eyes—they were different: The violet irises burned brighter than before, almost luminous in the dim light. The dull lethargy that had weighed on him for years was gone, replaced by something colder. Sharper.

  [Status Update]

  [Name: Kang Do-Hyun]

  [Level: 3]

  [Class: Shadow Monarch (Sealed)]

  [Vitality: 18.5%]

  [Strength: 13]

  [Agility: 16]

  [Mana: 45/120 (Regenerating)]

  "Eighteen point five percent," Do-Hyun murmured, fingers brushing the bruise along his side. "No cane… and I can even run for ten minutes."

  Pathetic compared to his prime… but for the trash of Shin-Hwa, it was nothing short of a miracle.

  He dried off, changed into fresh pajamas, then slid the Headsman's Edge beneath the loose floorboard under his bed. The dagger looked almost alive now—sleek dark steel that swallowed the light around it.

  Only when everything was hidden did he finally let himself fall back onto the mattress.

  The adrenaline ebbed away, and exhaustion came flooding in after it, heavy and unavoidable, dragging him under.

  7:30 AM.

  "Do-Hyun."

  The voice was soft, but it still cut cleanly through sleep.

  His eyes snapped open.

  Kang Seo-Rin stood at the foot of his bed, dressed in her school uniform—pristine navy blazer, plaid skirt, hair tied back with a silk ribbon. She looked like the perfect daughter at first glance… until her hands betrayed her: fingers twisted together, pale and trembling.

  Do-Hyun pushed himself upright slowly. Pain flared along his ribs, sharp and insistent, but he didn't let it show.

  "You should knock," he said, voice rough.

  "I did," Seo-Rin whispered. "You didn't answer."

  She stepped closer, then hesitated. Her nose wrinkled slightly.

  If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  "You smell like…rust."

  Do-Hyun kept his expression blank. No matter how long he scrubbed, the dungeon's stench still clung faintly to his skin—something a normal person might mistake for old pennies...but she noticed.

  [System Analysis: Subject Kang Seo-Rin.]

  [Status: Highly Perceptive. Her mana sensitivity is spiking. She can smell the ozone on you, Host.]

  "I had a nosebleed," Do-Hyun said simply. "Dry air."

  Seo-Rin didn't answer right away. Her gaze drifted to the trash bag in the corner, the one stuffed with ruined clothes. She quickly looked away again, as if afraid of what she might imagine inside.

  "Father is angry," she said instead, voice quieter. "The news… there was a tremor in Insadong last night. A sinkhole opened in an alley."

  Do-Hyun swung his legs off the bed. "And?"

  "And Tae-Soo says you were there yesterday. Near the antique shop."

  Her eyes stayed on him, searching his face.

  "He thinks you caused it," she whispered. "He's telling Father you were doing something… strange."

  Do-Hyun rose and walked toward her.

  Seo-Rin stepped back without thinking, expecting the frail brother she'd pitied for years, but the presence in front of her felt different now—solid, pressing into the room like weight.

  "Tae-Soo talks too much," Do-Hyun murmured.

  He reached out, and she went still.

  Instead of grabbing her, he brushed her shoulder and plucked away a tiny fleck of frost, delicate as a snowflake.

  ""You're cold, Seo-Rin," he said, letting the tiny frost hover on his fingertip.

  Her breath caught. "How… why isn't it melting?"

  Do-Hyun flicked it aside. "Because I'm not as warm as you think."

  His gaze sharpened slightly.

  "Go to school. And tell Tae-Soo that if he keeps talking about me, I might start talking about him."

  Seo-Rin lingered for a moment, fear and something else mixing in her expression.

  "You're not sick anymore," she whispered.

  "I'm getting better," Do-Hyun corrected.

  She nodded slowly, then turned and hurried out, closing the door behind her with careful softness.

  [System Note: She knows. Or at least, she suspects. The 'Ice Witch' is smart. You should recruit her before she accidentally freezes the family cat.]

  "Not yet," Do-Hyun muttered. "She needs to be scared first. Fear is a better teacher than kindness."

  The Living Room. 8:00 AM.

  The television was blaring.

  [BREAKING NEWS: MYSTERIOUS SINKHOLE IN INSADONG]

  [Reporter: "Experts are baffled by the sudden collapse of the alleyway behind the Golden Heron antique shop. Witnesses reported seeing strange purple lights and hearing animalistic shrieks before the ground gave way..."]

  Kang Dae-Ho sat in his armchair, his face thunderous.

  Tae-Soo was standing by the window, looking smug. When Do-Hyun entered the room, Tae-Soo smirked.

  "Look who it is," Tae-Soo sneered. " The demolition expert."

  Do-Hyun ignored him and went to the sideboard to pour himself a glass of water.

  "Do-Hyun," his father barked.

  Do-Hyun turned. "Yes, Father."

  "Did you go back to Insadong last night?"

  The room went silent. Even his mother, Yoo Hana, looked up from her phone.

  Do-Hyun took a sip of water.

  "No," he said calmly. "I was in my room. Sleeping."

  "Liar!" Tae-Soo shouted. "I saw your window! It was open at 1 AM! And Driver Kim said you were obsessed with that alleyway!"

  "I opened the window for fresh air," Do-Hyun said. "And I bought a rusty knife from that shop. Does that make me responsible for a sinkhole?"

  Tae-Soo bristled—

  "Enough." Dae-Ho's voice shut him down. He rubbed his temples, impatience carved into every movement.

  "I don't care about the sinkhole," Dae-Ho said, his voice cold. "I care about the Shin-Hwa name. People are talking. Rumors are spreading that our family is involved in these... disturbances."

  He looked at Do-Hyun with eyes that held zero affection.

  "You will attend the charity banquet tomorrow night."

  Do-Hyun's gaze sharpened. "The banquet?"

  "The one hosted by Han-Sung Group," his mother cut in, irritation dripping from her tone. "Isabella's father is holding it. A performance. To thank the so-called heroes from the hotel incident."

  She looked him over like something distasteful.

  "You will go. You will wear a tuxedo. You will smile."

  Her lip curled.

  "And you will remind everyone that you're just a harmless, boring piece of trash… who couldn't possibly destroy a city block."

  [Quest Triggered: 'The Social Butterfly'.]

  [Objective: Attend the high-society event. Don't kill anyone (optional).]

  [Hidden Objective: The Military has quarantined the Sector 4 Subway Station (D-Rank Dungeon). You need to feed, Host. But you can't get past the blockade without authorization.]

  [Solution: General Bak of the National Defense Command will be there. Steal his Master Keycard.]

  [Reward: A reunion with your 'fiancée'. And probably free champagne.]

  Do-Hyun set the glass down with a soft click.

  Isabella would be there. So would the Han-Sung Group's chairman… and other important individuals like General Bak: the man overseeing the "containment" of the rifts, would be there. That was what mattered.

  If Do-Hyun wanted to enter stronger Dungeons without fighting the entire Korean army, he needed the General's access.

  "Fine," Do-Hyun said, lowering his gaze to hide the sudden flash of violet in his eyes. "I'll go."

  Tae-Soo laughed. "Good luck, brother. Try not to trip over your own feet."

  A faint, polite smile touched Do-Hyun's lips. "I'll try my best."

  That night, back in his room, Do-Hyun sat quietly beneath the dim light.

  The Rat King's Whisker rested between his fingers—a long, stiff bristle, black as midnight and hard as steel.

  [Item: Rat King's Whisker]

  [Rank: D]

  [Use: Crafting material. Highly conductive to Shadow Mana.]

  He set it carefully on the desk beside the Ring of the Solar Heir—Isabella's ring—and closed his eyes.

  "System. Fusion."

  [Warning: Fusion without a Forge is risky. Failure rate: 40%. Do you wish to proceed?]

  "Do it."

  Shadows spiraled from his hands, wrapping around the ring and whisker. Energy pulsed through them, a flash of dark light crackling in the air.

  Crack.

  The whisker shattered.

  The ring endured, but the amber stone at its center had darkened to smoky gray.

  [Fusion Success (Barely).]

  [New Item: Ring of the Shadowed Sun.]

  [Effect: Cold Resistance (Medium). Passive Stealth (Low).]

  [Hidden Effect: The tracking beacon is now two-way. You can see her location too.]

  Do-Hyun slid the ring onto his finger. It fit perfectly.

  A map appeared in his mind's eye: a small golden dot pulsing in the Gangnam district—Isabella.

  "See you tomorrow," he whispered, adjusting his tuxedo in the mirror.