Kuooo―

The dungeon interior suddenly turned dark. Sungshik, caught off guard, momentarily forgot about finishing off the Gnoll Priest and anxiously looked around.

“Could this be… a mutated dungeon?”

A mutated dungeon. Even in the future, mutated dungeons were rare occurrences. It was a phenomenon where the dungeon suddenly transformed, causing the monsters to evolve into higher-tier entities.

In such cases, superhumans who entered the dungeon according to their rank often found themselves coughing up blood. The odds of survival plummeted when faced with monsters far above their level.

“No, I’ve heard dungeon mutations occur immediately after entering the dungeon.”

It was right before dealing with the boss monster. A mutation occurring in this situation was unheard of, even in the future. Momentarily flustered, Sungshik quickly regained his composure and moved to finish off the Gnoll Priest.

“Kraaah!”

A black mist began to pour out of the Gnoll Priest’s collapsed body, enveloping it completely.

“Ugh. What is this?”

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Sungshik swung his sword at the Gnoll Priest, but the black mist acted like a shield, deflecting his attack.

Clang!

The impact from the rebound was unexpectedly powerful, leaving a tingling sensation in his arms.

This is bad. It looks like the boss is mutating.

A bead of sweat trickled down his face.

Even though the Gnoll Priest was only a nominal 2-star monster, it still technically ranked at 2 stars. If it mutated, its grade could rise to at least 1 or 2 stars higher.

“Damn it, I knew my luck was too good to be true.”

If it had been a 1-star monster, it might have been manageable. But since it was 2 stars, the mutated boss monster would now be at least 3 stars—possibly even 4.

As long as it’s only 3 stars, I can manage. Please don’t let it be 4 stars.

As he prayed silently, the boss monster’s mutation seemed to be reaching its climax.

Kuooo―

The Gnoll Priest was now completely obscured by the black mist, its silhouette no longer visible.

Then it happened. A black full moon appeared in the dungeon’s sky.

What is that?

A series of shocking events left Sungshik utterly dumbfounded.

“Awooo―”

With the appearance of the black full moon, a ferocious roar erupted from within the black mist.

Gulp.

The sound of Sungshik swallowing nervously thundered in his ears.

“No way…”

As the black mist dissipated, the boss monster emerged—a werewolf-like creature with a striking black mane.

“You’ve got to be kidding me…”

Identify.

[Boss] Mutated Lycanthrope
Grade: 4 stars (★★★★)
Combat Power: C-
Species: Lycanthrope
Traits: Mutated under an unknown dark energy. Combat power significantly increased.

Lycanthropes were typically 3-star monsters, while their superior counterparts, werewolves, ranked at 4 stars. Yet this boss, bearing the descriptor "mutated," had risen a full grade.

“Combat power C-…”

Sungshik’s eyes filled with despair as he processed the monster’s stats.

His own combat power was F+, a stark contrast to the boss’s 4-star grade. The gap was insurmountable—three full tiers apart. The odds of winning were almost nonexistent.

Even a single rank difference from F to E was already vast, but as the ranks climbed, the disparity became as significant as the difference between heaven and earth.

With F+ combat power, his unique traits, and his combat experience from the future, he could manage up to E or even D-. But against a C-grade opponent, it was a different story entirely.

“Grrr―”

The creature’s powerful physique was revealed as the black mist vanished. It was far stronger than the Gnoll Priest had been.

The beast stood over 2 meters tall, its entire body packed with rippling muscles. Thick black fur covered its frame, and its glowing yellow eyes gleamed with vertical, blood-red pupils.

As soon as it noticed Sungshik, it charged at lightning speed.

“Argh!”

Just as its claws were about to reach him, Sungshik rolled to his left, narrowly avoiding the attack. If not for his heightened senses, he would’ve been gravely injured. The monster’s speed and precision were terrifying.

“Grr?”

Seeing that its attack had missed, the creature stared at Sungshik with a puzzled expression, as if wondering how he had dodged.

Damn it, I can’t keep up with its speed. Think, Heo Sungshik. You’ve survived worse than this.

Having endured six nightmarish calamities, Sungshik had faced more dire situations before. Even in the most hopeless moments, he had survived to the very end of humanity.

“Awooo!”

Frustrated by Sungshik’s defiance, the creature let out an earsplitting roar.

“Ugh.”

The roar carried an aura of fear, momentarily freezing Sungshik’s body against his will.

Flash.

The monster didn’t waste the opportunity and lunged again. On the brink of life and death, Sungshik’s heightened focus allowed him to roll away just in time. Only his keen senses and combat experience from the future allowed him to dodge.

This isn’t working. How can I… huh?

As he steadied himself, Sungshik’s gaze landed on the black full moon hanging in the dungeon’s sky. The moment he saw it, his entire body screamed in recognition.

That’s it. That’s the key to this situation.

The source of the creature’s power had to be the black full moon. The realization struck him like a bolt of lightning.

He immediately retrieved a [Common] Goblin Shaman’s Explosive Orb from his inventory. The orb couldn’t harm monsters but could deal significant damage to environmental objects. If the black full moon were classified as such, it would surely be vulnerable.

But he couldn’t throw it right away. The monster wouldn’t sit idly by and let him attack.

Then, unexpectedly—

“Grrruk.”

The creature made a strange noise and stumbled, unable to steady itself. At the same time, the black full moon, which had been radiating a menacing aura, dimmed slightly.

This was his last chance. Without hesitation, Sungshik hurled the explosive orb at the black full moon.

BOOM!

Sungshik threw the explosive orb, which naturally hit the black full moon. The boss room, where the altar had been, was only about 10 meters to the ceiling, so even with Sungshik's F+ strength, which was on a different level from that of ordinary people, hitting something floating at that height was like taking candy from a baby.

Click―

One side of the black full moon, which Sungshik had hit, began to shatter with a loud noise.

“It’s done… huh?”

The black full moon, which seemed like it was about to fall apart, remained floating in the air despite some damage to its form.

Sungshik no longer had a way to strike the black full moon again, which put him in a tough situation. However, the fact that he had partially destroyed the black full moon had a significant effect.

“Grrrr.”

Suddenly, the Lycanthrope, holding his head with both hands, let out a scream. Black energy began to escape from his body like steam.

“Kugh.”

Eventually, a considerable amount of black energy escaped from him, and his color changed from a dark black to a deep gray.

‘Analyze.’

[Boss] Mutated Lycanthrope (Status: Power Drain, Instability)
Grade: 3-Star (★★★)(↓)
Combat Power: D-(↓)
Species: Lycanthrope
Characteristics: Mutated by unknown dark energy, but much of the energy has escaped. In an unstable state. Combat power has significantly decreased.

‘Got him.’

After observing the Lycanthrope’s state, Sungshik silently rejoiced. The combat power and grade had dropped by one level, now being 3-Star D-. Although this level was still difficult for Sungshik to handle, there was a good chance of victory.

‘I can do this.’

This time, Sungshik made the first move. He seized the opportunity when the Lycanthrope was disoriented and launched a surprise attack.

Wham―

Sungshik rushed in and swung his sword.

‘Target: left thigh. I’ll take away his mobility.’

Swish.

“Graaah.”

The Lycanthrope, who was still mentally disoriented due to the sudden bodily changes, was struck by Sungshik on his left thigh, leaving a deep wound.

The Lycanthrope reflexively swung his hand, but Sungshik easily dodged by leaning to the side and swiftly moved inside his opponent’s range, aiming his sword horizontally at the Lycanthrope’s abdomen.

“Grrk―”

The Lycanthrope screamed and grabbed his abdomen, retreating backward. Usually, when someone is injured like this, the tide of the battle would shift significantly.

However, the Lycanthrope's regeneration ability was impressive. Although not as fast as a werewolf, it was noticeable that he was healing at a rapid rate.

‘If I give him time, it’ll be disadvantageous. I need to press the attack while I have the advantage.’

Sungshik continued to relentlessly press the attack. The Lycanthrope received injuries in several places in a split second, but Sungshik couldn’t deliver a finishing blow.

The Lycanthrope bared his teeth and retaliated against Sungshik.

“Ugh.”

Sungshik used his super-sensory ability to deflect the Lycanthrope's attack and countered. Amid the intense exchanges, the momentum slowly began to swing in Sungshik’s favor.

Although the Lycanthrope’s regeneration ability was outstanding, it wasn’t unlimited. After continuous attacks from Sungshik’s sword, his speed of movement slowed down, and eventually, Sungshik’s sword pierced his heart.

“Grrrr.”

―Ding. D-class Gate Boss Mutated Lycanthrope defeated!

―Unbelievable achievement! You have defeated an opponent of a higher rank solo. You will receive a title as a reward.

―Stats up! Congratulations, your stats have increased!

―Level up! Congratulations, you have reached 2-Star (★★).

With various messages filling his body, Sungshik felt a surge of power. The fact that he had leveled up was something he could feel deeply with his body. Compared to before his regression, it was still a small step, but the feeling of growing stronger was something he enjoyed in any situation.

Moreover, the speed at which he leveled up was much faster than expected. Although he had only advanced from 1-Star to 2-Star, even someone with the talent of the 11 Constellations would struggle to level up by going through gates within just a few days.

This was entirely due to the effect of the SS-class trait, the Pocket Watch (All Experience Gain +100%), and the enhanced physical power that Sungshik possessed, which was different from his previous self.

At this rate, he might be able to catch up to the 11 Constellations before the Gate Break. In fact, by monopolizing the upcoming perks, he could even reach a level of dominance.

But that was a story for the distant future. For now, he decided to revel in his victory.

“Phew, I did it.”

The emotion of overcoming adversity and triumphing over hardship always caused adrenaline to surge through his body. Immersed in the feeling of victory after overcoming difficulties, Sungshik snapped out of his trance at the sound of a notification.

―A Dungeon Core has appeared. Destroy the Dungeon Core.

The object marked as the Dungeon Core was the altar where the Goblin Priest had been praying earlier. Before heading to destroy the altar, Sungshik decided to loot the items dropped by the Lycanthrope just in case.

Fizzle―

The Lycanthrope’s body turned to dust and vanished, leaving behind three items and coins.

“Oh, three items?”

5,480Coin

[Normal] Mid-Level Health Potion x5
[Advanced] Lycanthrope's Claw
[?] Fragment of the Black Moon

The dropped items weren’t particularly useful, but they were decent. The health potions were still rare due to underdeveloped alchemy, so they would be useful for Sungshik.

The Lycanthrope's Claw could be used as a material for crafting accessories or weapons, so it might come in handy later. Alternatively, it could be sold through the ‘Community’ system, which became available at 2-Star.

However, the [?] grade Fragment of the Black Moon was an item Sungshik had never seen before.

‘This must be related to the dungeon mutation and the black full moon.’

Sungshik furrowed his brow as he looked at the Fragment of the Black Moon. It was an item he had never seen in the future.

‘It’s too strange to be caused by the change in causality from my regression.’

It seemed unlikely that this anomalous event was caused by Sungshik's regression.

‘There’s something else at play here. I’ll have to investigate it later.’

Sungshik decided to look into it in the future.

“Inventory, store.”

After storing the items, Sungshik immediately destroyed the altar and left the dungeon. There, he unexpectedly encountered someone.

“How did you get here? Were you looking for me?”