Denzel stared at the red and black mask in his hands, a huge grin spreading across his face.
The God of Luck had truly blessed him in this second shot at life.
"Appraisal," he whispered.
[Appraisal Activated]
Psycho Mask (??-Rank):
Conceals the identity and presence of the wearer when willed.
[Passive Buffs (Active): +50% AURA, +50% MP, +40% AGI]
[Remaining information: Locked]
Denzel's grin widened.
Denzel (Thinking):
These buffs are insane! Percentages too — meaning the stronger I get, the stronger the mask becomes... This thing's a cheat code!
"I need to get home fast," he said, stuffing the mask into his bag and sprinting for the dungeon exit.
He quickly stored his loot into his system inventory — planning to sell it when dungeon artifacts officially hit the market.
Security would be tight outside; so, with little hesitation, Denzel donned the Psycho Mask for the first time.
The moment the mask touched his face, a surge of raw energy coursed through him, like it was tailor-made just for him.
His presence... vanished. Not even a flicker of aura could be sensed.
When he exited the dungeon, no one even spared him a glance.
Behind him, the portal flickered pale blue — the sign of a cleared dungeon about to collapse.
Denzel hopped on his bike, speeding through back alleys, away from the crowd.
Halfway home, he pulled out his phone, heart thudding.
Four missed calls — all from his parents.
Of course.
In dungeons, time flowed differently — 5 hours inside equaled 24 hours outside.
He had been inside for almost two days real-world time.
Quickly, he texted his parents:
[I'm safe. Will explain everything soon.]
Breathing easier, Denzel checked the news... and froze.
[BREAKING: UNKNOWN PLAYER ENTERS DUNGEON ALONE]
[Over 20 million views]
"Wait... that's me," he muttered, stopping his bike in shock.
A blurry video showed a messy haired figure slipping into the dungeon just before it stabilized.
Denzel (Thinking):
Lucky it's not clear enough. A lot of crazy people out there.
Gripping the handles, he sped the rest of the way home.
At home, the moment Denzel opened the door—
"DENZEL!"
Mr. and Mrs. Rünter rushed him, enveloping him in a crushing bear hug.
"Mom, Dad— I can't— breathe—!"
He flailed helplessly as Mrs. Rünter sobbed into his shoulder.
"We were so worried!" she cried. "Right after you left, all these strange things started happening... Systems, Player Statuses... but you're safe. That's all that matters!"
Mr. Rünter grunted seriously, stepping back.
"You received the 'System' message too, right?"
Denzel nodded. "Yeah. It shows all my stats numerically."
His father frowned in thought.
"I've been doing research. Only people over fifteen received the system message. Some of us didn't get status windows, though. Also..."
He rubbed his chin.
"I have this strange... knowledge about the Tower. As if it was placed directly into my head."
Denzel smiled faintly.
He knew his father would play a key role later — the best weaponsmith humanity ever had.
After sharing some theories, Denzel excused himself.
He reeked of goblin blood.
A quick shower and a hot meal later, Denzel crashed onto his bed, exhaustion finally catching up to him.
Before sleep took him, he mapped out tomorrow's plan: Farm EXP.
To enter the Tower, players needed to reach at least Level 10 to receive their Job Class.
Denzel was Level 8. Two more levels to go.
He closed his eyes, feeling proud — he was moving much faster than in his previous life.
Still... he would need to move even faster.
Sleep claimed him before he could think any further.
[The next morning — March 12th, 2099 | 10:49 AM]
Denzel woke late, blinking at the sunlight.
His parents had already left, but they left him a hearty breakfast and a little cash.
He washed up lazily, scrolling through his favorite novels.
Ping!
A message popped up.
[Chat Message]
Herman (Thwart):
Yo bro! Have you seen what's happening?!
The world is insane!
Also... that video — it was you, right? Soo badass.
Meet at May's Café? 11:30am?
Denzel:
Sure!
Grinning, Denzel threw on a casual outfit: track pants, a white shirt, and a black cap.
He hopped on his bike, heading for May's Café.
[Location: Main Street West Rd.21, May's Café]
He arrived a few minutes late, scanning the crowd.
Finally — a familiar tall, blonde figure, sitting with casual elegance.
Ryan Herman.
Radiant, dripped out in designer brands, Ryan looked like the exact opposite of Denzel's lowkey vibe.
Denzel walked over, smacking him on the back.
"Yo, meathead. How've you been?"
Ryan turned, pulling out his airpods.
One glance — and he burst out laughing.
"A cap? Really? That's the best you could do?"
"Shut up, idiot. You're disturbing the whole café," Denzel muttered, activating a small sound-blocking device.
"Anyway, what did you want to talk about?"
Ryan smirked, flashing his phone.
Onscreen — the dungeon video.
"It was you, wasn't it?"
Denzel sighed. "Yeah. You happy now?"
Ryan beamed. "Knew it! So what level are you?"
"Straight to the point, huh?"
Denzel smiled. "Level 8."
Ryan puffed out his chest. "Well, I'm already Level 10 — a Mage class!"
He snapped his fingers, sending tiny sparks of lightning into the air.
Denzel just stared, unimpressed.
"Nothing?" Ryan pouted.
"C'mon, it's lightning! Cool, right?"
"I've seen it a million times," Denzel said, grinning.
Of course — Ryan was just as crazy in their past life too.
He'd entered dungeons solo even back then.
"Anyway," Ryan leaned forward. "Wanna grind levels? Hit some dungeons together?"
Denzel's smile sharpened.
"You read my mind."
The two left May's Café, packed their gear at Denzel's place, and searched for dungeon sightings.
Destination: Outskirts of St. Mary Avenue 469, Feyenoord.
Multiple E-rank dungeons clustered in the area.
The two nodded to each other, the unspoken excitement thick between them.
"Ready to grind?" Ryan asked, cracking his knuckles.
"Always," Denzel replied.
[Dungeon: Goblin & Orc Domain (E-rank)]
Inside the dungeon, they were immediately swarmed:
[Orc - LVL.12] x5
[Hobgoblin - LVL.8] x10
[High Orc - LVL.16] x2
Ryan's eyes crackled with golden sparks.
"This won't take long."
Tesla Blitz!
A barrage of lightning obliterated the hobgoblins instantly.
The remaining orcs howled, charging.
Denzel tightened his grip on his dagger, aura flaring.
"Today's going to be a very long day," he muttered.
[Hours Later...]
Ping! Ping! Ping!
[Congratulations! You've gained +2000 EXP!]
[High Orc defeated: +1000 EXP!]
Denzel and Ryan farmed non-stop, mowing down monster after monster.
Finally—!
[Congratulations! You have Leveled Up!] x3
Panting, Ryan dropped to the ground.
"Bro... what a workout! I hit Level 12!"
Denzel stretched, feeling the new strength flowing through him.
"I'm Level 11 now."
Ryan gawked. "Huh? But I killed more monsters than you!"
Denzel smirked, holding up his mask.
"Guess you're just not as lucky."
Grinning, he grabbed his stuff and headed home.
Later that night, Denzel texted Ryan:
Denzel:
Tomorrow. Tower climb. You ready?
Ryan:
I was born ready!
Denzel smiled.
For Ryan, tomorrow was an exciting unknown.
But for Denzel... He knew exactly what awaited him.Well — almost. Because fate... had other plans.
End Of Chapter 3
STATUS WINDOW
Name: Denzel
Race: Human (??? — Possibly Mutated)
Class: None
Title(s):
[Newcomer]
[Goblin Slayer]
Level: 11
EXP: 3,450 / 20,000
HP: 1,680 / 1,680
MP: 1450 / 1450
Stamina: 870 / 870
Strength: 40
Agility: 55
Vitality: 38
Intelligence: 98
Luck: 1 (???)
Charm: 30
Skills:
• Basic Swordsmanship (Lv. 5)
• Aura Slash (Lv. 3)
• Throwing Weapons Mastery (Lv. 2)
• Appraisal (Lv. 2 — Still Unreliable)
• Enhanced Reflexes (Passive)
Unique Traits:
• Psycho Mode (EX-Rank, Sealed)
(Warning: Ability currently unstable and extremely dangerous.)
• Psycho Mask Resonance(Passive — Incomplete)
Inventory:
• [Rusty Iron dagger] (Durability: Breaking Soon)
• [Psycho Mask] (??? Unknown Effects)
• [Minor Healing Potion] ×1 (you used two already)
• [Traveler's Cloak] (Torn and bloodstained)
• [Random Junk Items] ×3 (mostly broken goblin trinkets)
Status Effects:
None (for now)
"Congratulations, you are slightly less pathetic than before."
[System Advice: You are now strong enough to die to bigger monsters.]
Name: Ryan Hermann
Race: Human
Class: Mage
Level: 10
EXP: 3,200 / 18,000
HP: 1,120 / 1,120
MP: 1,500 / 1,500
Stamina: 680 / 680
Strength: 22
Agility: 30
Vitality: 28
Intelligence: 55
Luck: 16
Charm: 24
Skills:
Advanced Lightning Magic (Lv. 6)
Mana Manipulation (Lv. 5)
Chain Lightning (Lv. 4)
Thunderstep (Lv. 3)(Short-range lightning-speed movement.)
Arcane Barrier (Lv. 2)
Electromagnetic Field (Lv. 2)(Passive: Slightly distorts enemy attacks.)
Unique Traits:
Thundergod's Descent (EX-Rank Active Ability)(Temporarily become a vessel of the Thunder God. Boosts all stats and releases destructive lightning storms.)
Mana Purity (S-Rank) (Passive)(Mana is nearly flawless — spells are faster, stronger, and harder to resist.)
Inventory:
[You've got nothing here]
Status Effects:
None (Charged with latent lightning energy.)
(System Note: Your power surges like a gathering storm. But beware — even storms can lose control.)