Chapter Text
The only sound he could perceive was the damp, echoing drip of water, enveloped in suffocating darkness and near-total silence. He couldn’t even tell if his eyes were open or closed.
Something in him insisted he hadn’t fully awakened yet, and that something was wrong, deeply wrong. A strange, suffocating sensation clouded his mind, hindering his ability to process the unsettling feeling. His memory refused to articulate the feeling, slipping through his grasp like mist no matter how hard he reached.
His existence felt weightless, like an untouched canvas—yet somewhere upon that emptiness, there lingered splatters of paint, erratic and out of place, staining the surface with an unsettling kind of beauty. Strangely, he felt as though he could erase those stains.
Yes, cover them over with… white.
A violent throb pulsed through his head, like ceaseless bass vibrating inside his skull, pounding in uneven rhythm, and yet, paradoxically, his senses felt intensified—too sharp, almost painfully so.
His body began to move, though in what form it was unclear to him. Still, he dragged himself forward sluggishly, unsteady, as though crawling through an unseen mire. Oddly, that no longer felt strange, not here while darkness swallowed him. He only wished the cold droplets that occasionally struck his body would stop following him wherever he wandered.
At the edge of his thoughts, something tugged—a fragment of something forgotten. Something important. More important than even his own name… which, disturbingly, he could not recall at all.
Then—light.
Faint at first, then gradually growing clearer as he dragged himself toward it, he found something… peculiar. There was stone, lilac in hue, shimmering with fractured, prismatic reflections—more glowing, like a crystal.
For a fleeting moment, he hoped to glimpse himself within its surface—but to be honest, he wasn’t even sure he cared what he looked like, and yet, he felt he needed to know, needed that certainty, and needed something solid to anchor himself in this disorienting existence.
There was a threat.
Yes, an instinct, or something akin to it, snapped violently through him, forcing him to turn back instantly. There, he saw something grotesque: a writhing, viscous, purple mound. Its surface rippled in a way that made his nonexistent skin crawl. It was slim, disgusting and yet, despite its small size, every fiber of his being screamed that it was dangerous. Its form quivered and then split open into something resembling a mouth before it lunged at him.
Pure instinct, not thought, took over, and he dodged. When it attacked again, he reacted and struck. Or at least, he thought he did. He couldn’t feel hands or perceive any limbs, yet somehow the blow connected. The creature burst apart in an instant, dissolving into an unnatural plume before vanishing entirely.
Suddenly, a floating panel appeared before him, glowing violet and etched with unfamiliar, intricate patterns. Words formed across its surface:
[Congratulations. You have slain a Slime. You have leveled up to Level 2.]
What…?
That thing… was it called a Slime?
Confusion twisted within him, but his attention shifted quickly to the hovering display. Strangely, its presence soothed him. The lingering anxiety that had coiled tightly within him dissipated the moment the creature was destroyed. And now—
Hunger.
A sharp, undeniable sensation.
Wait. What was he? And more importantly, what did he even eat? Whatever the answer was, he needed something edible. Something he could consume. That much was certain.
But as he prepared to move again, something else brushed against his awareness—from the opposite direction. Foreign. Heavy. Powerful.
He turned toward it.
A tall structure loomed ahead, quiet monolithic, and the immense size made everything else seem insignificant, creating a stark shadow against the oppressive, dark stone above. It was a stone door, or perhaps a seal, that dominated its impassive facade, giving it an unyielding appearance; its surface was a chaotic tapestry of dense, incomprehensible engravings and symbols that seemed to writhe and shift with an unsettling energy.
He squinted, desperately seeking a familiar shape or known sequence, but the patterns remained an enigma, his mind a blank slate that offered no clue to their meaning, leaving him unable to decipher them. Even worse, he couldn’t reach them. The immense door was positioned impossibly high, far beyond his grasp. In that stark, humbling moment, as the immensity of the edifice pressed down on him, he became acutely aware of something else—
He was small, tiny. An insignificant speck against the backdrop of something ancient and colossal. Instinctively, he retreated, glancing back the way he came.
No, this path forward was not for him. Not yet. Whatever lay beyond that door radiated something overwhelming. Dangerous. Whether he could overcome it… he didn’t know.
Food came first.
Yes… food.
He dragged his body back, returning to where the strange crystal remained. Drawn by an impulse he didn’t fully understand, he approached it—and reached out.
The panel reappeared, hovering beside the crystal.
[This is a Mana Stone. Would you like to absorb it?]
This felt like a game, and yet, at the same time… it wasn’t. Because if it were, would he truly remember nothing? Or was this something else entirely—reincarnation into another world? An isekai?
The thought felt absurd, and yet, nothing about this situation made sense. Still—if this Mana Stone was edible, then there was no reason to hesitate, so he answered.
“Yes.”
But what emerged wasn’t a voice—just a faint, chirping sound, felt like a thin, incomplete, and barely even sound at all.
…What was he?
He absorbed the Mana Stone. Instantly, energy surged through him—filling every inch of his being and after that, something shifted and expanded. Was he… bigger?
A radiant glow enveloped him briefly before fading, leaving behind a subtle but undeniable strength coursing through him.
[You have reached Level 5 and completed the requirements for Ascension. Would you like to ascend?]
The panel hovered again. Perhaps this truly was some kind of system window, like in a game.
Either way—it was useful. In this suffocating void of darkness and silence, it was the closest thing he had to… company. Wait, could it talk?
…Doesn’t matter.
He accepted.
[Ascension successful. You have automatically advanced to Level 7. New skill unlocked: Projection.]
[ Would you like to activate it?]
“…Sure. Go ahead.”
Again—that same faint, broken chirp.
[Projection activated. You can now perceive your surroundings within a 5-meter radius. Five Slimes detected to the north. Ten Slimes detected to the south. All are approaching your position.]
What? So, combat again?
Could he even handle that many?
[If you absorb two more Mana Stones, you can ascend further. This will grant you greater mass and form.]
“…Alright. I’ll do it.”
He moved quickly, locating and absorbing more Mana Stones before the Slimes could reach him. The results were immediate: Level 10, then Ascension, bringing you to Level 13, and a change began to occurred, his body grew larger, more defined, and he felt limbs extend from him. They weren’t quite arms, but long, slick, and unsettlingly adhesive, like leeches.
…Disgusting. What was he?
[You are a monster-class species. Current form: Starfish Gloo.]
“…What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
No time. The Slimes had arrived.
He lashed out instinctively, his new limbs striking forward. It felt like a punch, and it didn’t matter what it was called. The impact pierced through the first slime, and in an instant, it dissipated into vapor. A notification confirmed the kill. He repeated the action again and again, eliminating all fifteen slimes in moments.
Yet, disappointingly, only one level gained. So the higher he climbed, the slower it became.
[Congratulations. You have defeated Earth Slimes. The dungeon permits you to challenge the Floor 1 Boss to proceed with further ascension.]
Oh, a boss.
…So this really was a dungeon. Yeah. No doubt about it now, he was in another world.
“…Fine. Let’s see what this boss can do.”
He moved forward.
Along the damp, glistening walls, dimly illuminated by the scattered Mana Stones, his own shadow stretched and flickered—a grotesque, shifting silhouette of a small, floating, starfish-like mass dragging itself forward, using its elongated, writhing limbs to propel its unnatural body through the darkness.
•••
After wandering for what felt like an eternity, he finally arrived at the so-called boss chamber—and it was nothing like he had expected. The opponent before him was nothing more than a Slime… just larger than the ones he had faced before, and it was asleep.
Even so, on his way here he had already killed several others, and now he had reached Level 15. All that remained was Ascension—and to meet the requirement, he had to defeat this boss. Perhaps it was time to use the new skill he had acquired earlier. It seemed he could grow leech-like appendages from his body—Black Leeches, as the system had named them.
These… were his arms now.
When he turned, he realized something else—he had no legs, and he wasn’t standing at all. He was… floating, drifting just above the ground. Whatever he was, he needed to find something reflective—something that could show him his true form. A mirror… or perhaps the surface of water.
He moved closer to the Slime boss—and that was when something strange caught his attention. There was a peculiar creature inside it, the creature was translucent, its insides obscured yet faintly visible beneath its gelatinous surface. The sight was grotesque. Could something exist inside it? The thing inside it seemed to be what the slime had devoured earlier—what it had consumed. Twisted. Wrong.
Wait… as the Slime shifted, the thing inside it moved too. No, no—there was no way. That couldn’t be him.
He looked again, forcing himself to move, testing the motion of his own body—and then it hit him.
That was his reflection.
This Slime—this disgusting, oversized creature—had become the mirror he had been searching for. And now he regretted it.
Because what stared back at him was revolting.
Yes, it resembled a starfish, but a warped, nightmarish version. Its jet-black body was unnaturally smooth and devoid of texture, as though it were carved from the void itself. It had six elongated appendages—no, sextets—each one writhing and encircled by rotating crimson rings that pulsed faintly as if they were alive. Even worse, it wasn't touching the ground. It floated, small and weightless, using those grotesque limbs to propel itself forward. And he had no eyes. A hollow breath escaped him—if it could even be called that.
He was going to hate this form.
Forever.
So this was what the system meant when it called him a monster. He had expected something strange—but not something this horrifying. Even without memories, even with his mind a blank slate, he knew—his previous form… had been decent, and acceptable.
Wait. He was human… right?
…Whatever. For now, he needed to kill this boss fast, erase this reflection, this disgusting confirmation of what he had become, what he actually looked like.
Would you like to use the skill Black Leeches?
“Yeah. Use it.”
He attacked.
At that exact moment, the Slime boss stirred—then awakened fully, its mass trembling violently. It radiated anger, despite lacking any discernible face. Unlike the lesser Slimes, this one carried presence—pressure. It retaliated almost instantly, launching a counterattack as he struck.
His blow landed first—precise, sharp—but the boss hit back.
Pain.
Something struck his side. Was he… injured? There was no blood. No visible wound. He couldn’t tell. Doesn’t matter.
Attack.
Keep attacking.
If only he had more skills—then maybe he wouldn’t have to dodge every single strike like this. The battle dragged, each exchange tightening the tension coiled within him. And then, his vision shifted—a red tint flooded his perception.
What—
[You have obtained a new skill: Doom Eye. This skill allows you to perceive blind spots and difficult distances.]
[Would you like to activate it?]
You’ve got to be kidding me.
“Now? You give me this now?! Fine—use it! Just use it!”
[Confirmed. Doom Eye activated.]
Good. Now we’re talking.
The battlefield changed instantly. Movements became clearer. Gaps revealed themselves. The Slime’s attacks—predictable now. He lunged forward again. This time, he didn’t hesitate.
Strike. Strike. Strike!
His Black Leeches pierced, slammed, and tore through the boss’s gelatinous mass in rapid succession. The Slime recoiled violently, its form destabilizing, splattering under the relentless assault.
One final blow… and it burst.
A wet, collapsing splash echoed through the chamber as the boss dissolved completely, leaving behind nothing but dissipating residue and—
A flood of experiences.
[You’ve reached Level 20. Ascension successful. Bonus EXP granted. You can now use Mana. Congratulations!]
[Now you can proceed to the next dungeon floor.]
Something ignited within him. Radiant and blinding light surrounded him completely. Was this it? An evolution? A new form?
Had I finally, become human again?
The light faded, and the world changed. As the darkness that had once suffocated the chamber receded, a soft light began to fill the space. The space was clearer now—almost vibrant and illuminated. Strange energy saturated the air, thick and tangible. Mana. So this… was mana. He could feel it—flowing, weaving through the atmosphere like an unseen current, filling every inch of the cavern.
The space resembled a cave, its damp walls glistening faintly under the ambient glow. He hadn’t noticed it before, hadn’t been able to see clearly, but now it was undeniable.
Wait. This place... it’s an underground dungeon, right?
[Correct.]
"What floor am I on?"
[Floor 1.]
"...How many floors until I can leave?”
[You must clear 100 floors.]
"...What?"
No. No, no, no—hold on. “You’re telling me I have to clear a hundred floors to get out of here?!”
Silence. The system vanished. No response.
"...Seriously?"
Frustration surged through him as he stomped his foot against the ground, and froze.
Foot?
He looked down. Then raised his hand into view. Hands. I have hands. And legs.
His fingers—no, not fingers. Paws. Soft, compact, covered in jet-black fur, marked with distinct crimson stripes that traced along each digit. He flipped his hand over, staring at the back—dense fur, sleek and dark.
“What the hell!”
Had he become some kind of cat? His legs—yeah, definitely feline; fur-covered, digitigrade, and built for movement. So now he was a cat-like monster.
…Great. Still better than before.
He turned away from the boss chamber, realizing he couldn’t waste any more time. He needed to move, to explore the next floor, hoping to find something that properly reflected his current form. But first, he needed Mana Stones.
He gathered them instinctively, only to discover he no longer needed to consume them. His body absorbed them directly, through his chest. Wait… his fur was entirely black, except for a patch of white on his chest. Huh. That’s new.
“Shadow!”
Suddenly, a sharp voice pierced his mind, and pain exploded in his head. He instantly clutched his head and dropped to his knees as the echo of the voice reverberated within him. What was that? A memory? No, it was just a voice—a girl’s voice, soft yet urgent. And it had called him Shadow. It? No, it was a she.
That was his name. That’s right; his name was Shadow. Was she someone he knew? Someone important? It didn’t matter now.
He pushed himself back up, steadying his breath, though he wasn’t sure if that even made sense anymore.
“Alright,” he murmured, deciding it was time to move. “Let’s head to Floor 2.”
Without looking back, Shadow stepped forward, leaving the chamber behind.