Abyssal Ascent

Jinhyeok stared at the glowing ranking screen before him.

> [Current Rankings]

1st – Han Seongmin (Level 5)

2nd – Lee Mirae (Level 4)

…

[Unranked] – Kang Jinhyeok (Level 1)

His fists clenched.

It was obvious. He was at the bottom.

The first wave had already wiped out more than half of the people who had been thrown into this nightmare. He was still alive, but for how long?

Survival meant getting stronger—fast.

And in the Abyss, there was only one way to do that.

He needed to hunt.

---

[First Steps into the Abyss]

Jinhyeok gripped his dagger tightly and moved through the ruined streets. The air was thick with the metallic scent of blood, and the echoes of distant battles still rang in his ears.

The stronger survivors were already ahead, killing monsters and earning experience. If he fell too far behind now, he might never catch up.

His new skills, [Fanged Crawler's Reflexes] and [Minor Swordsmanship], had given him a slight edge. His body felt lighter, and his movements were more precise. But compared to those ranked fighters, he was still a weakling.

He needed more skills.

And he needed a real weapon.

A dagger wasn't going to cut it forever.

---

[The Hunter Becomes the Hunted]

As he crept through the wreckage of a collapsed building, a guttural growl made him freeze.

His eyes darted around.

There!

A figure was perched on top of a destroyed car, its body twitching unnaturally. Unlike the Fanged Crawlers, this one stood on two legs, its dark, sinewy body covered in jagged bone-like protrusions.

> New Enemy Identified: Ravager (D-Rank)

Jinhyeok swallowed hard. D-Rank? The Crawlers were only E-Rank, and they had already been difficult.

Could he take this thing down?

His grip tightened on his dagger. He had to.

He needed skills.

He needed power.

Jinhyeok took a slow step forward, but the moment his foot touched the ground, the Ravager's head snapped toward him.

Its crimson eyes gleamed, and then—

BOOM!

It launched forward with terrifying speed.

Jinhyeok barely managed to dodge-roll to the side as the creature's claw tore through concrete where he had just been standing. His heart pounded. It's fast.

The Ravager let out a shrill screech and lunged again.

Jinhyeok dodged left, but it was too fast—he felt a sharp burn as the monster's claws slashed across his shoulder.

> Warning: Light Injury Sustained!

He gritted his teeth, pain flaring up.

One hit, and I'm already struggling.

This wasn't like the Crawlers. The Ravager wasn't just a wild beast. It was a predator.

And it had already decided that Jinhyeok was prey.

---

[A Desperate Gamble]

Jinhyeok's mind raced. He couldn't overpower it. His dagger wasn't long enough to match its claws, and his speed wasn't high enough to evade forever.

Then I'll have to outthink it.

His eyes flicked toward the environment. The broken street, the wreckage, the sharp steel beams sticking out of the ruins.

A trap. I need to lead it into a trap.

He took a deep breath, then ran.

The Ravager screeched and gave chase, its claws clicking against the pavement as it bounded after him.

Jinhyeok sprinted toward a collapsed section of the road, where a massive steel beam jutted out from the rubble. If he timed this right…

As he approached, he faked a stumble.

The Ravager took the bait.

It lunged—razor-sharp claws aimed straight for his back.

Now!

At the last second, Jinhyeok threw himself forward, rolling beneath the steel beam.

The Ravager couldn't stop in time.

CRACK!

Its body slammed into the steel with a sickening impact, the sharp edge piercing through its torso.

The monster let out a gurgled scream, thrashing wildly.

Jinhyeok didn't hesitate. He lunged forward and drove his dagger straight into its throat.

Twist. Rip. Kill.

> Ravager Defeated!

Skill Recorded: [Ravager's Agility (D-)]

Skill Recorded: [Predator's Instincts (D)]

Jinhyeok collapsed onto the ground, panting. That was too close.

But he had won.

And the rewards were worth it.

---

[Power Surge]

A flood of new instincts filled him. His senses sharpened, his movements became more fluid. His agility had skyrocketed, and Predator's Instincts gave him a heightened awareness of danger.

His status updated.

> Name: Kang Jinhyeok

Level: 2

Strength: F+ → E-

Agility: E- → D

Skills:

Fanged Crawler's Reflexes (E)

Minor Swordsmanship (F+)

Ravager's Agility (D-)

Predator's Instincts (D)

Jinhyeok flexed his fingers. His body felt lighter.

He had gotten stronger.

But it still wasn't enough.

---

[The Reality of the Abyss]

A sudden noise made him turn.

From the shadows of a nearby alley, two figures emerged.

They weren't monsters.

They were people.

One was a skinny man with hollow eyes, holding a jagged knife. The other was a burly man wielding a bloodstained pipe.

Jinhyeok immediately understood.

They had seen his fight.

They had seen his skills.

And now, they wanted to take them.

The burly man smirked. "You got some nice skills, kid. Hand them over."

Jinhyeok exhaled. Of course.

In a world where people could steal power by killing, humans were just as dangerous as monsters.

Maybe even more.

The first wave was over.

But the real fight was only beginning.