The air hung thick and heavy, saturated with the metallic tang of blood and the sickly sweet odor of decaying monster flesh. Jeon Tae-hyun wrinkled his nose, adjusting the cheap filter mask covering the lower half of his face. "Delightful," he muttered, his voice muffled by the mask. "Just the aroma I needed to start my day. Makes that instant coffee this morning seem like a gourmet experience."
Before him, the entrance to the C-Rank dungeon loomed, a gaping maw in the earth that promised danger, hardship, and a measly paycheck. Tae-hyun was an E-Rank Hunter, scraping by on the dregs of the Awakened world. He participated in raids like this not out of some heroic calling, but out of sheer necessity. Rent wasn't going to pay itself, and instant ramen, as much as he tolerated it, wasn't exactly a sustainable diet.
"Oi, Tae-hyun! Quit gawking and get your sorry ass over here," a gruff voice barked. It was Kim Sang-shik, a D-Rank Hunter with the physique of a refrigerator and the temperament of a rabid badger. He was the leader of this ragtag raiding party -- more accurately, the guy who managed to con a Guild into letting them clear this dungeon.
Tae-hyun sighed dramatically, a practiced performance that conveyed both boredom and disdain. He ambled over, his movements deliberately slow, relishing the way it irritated Kim Sang-shik. "Morning, sunshine. Did you sleep well? Dream of disemboweling goblins?"
Kim Sang-shik's face flushed red. "Don't get smart with me, Tae-hyun. Just focus on not getting yourself killed. We're already short-handed thanks to that idiot Lee Joo-hee and her aversion to...well, everything."
Lee Joo-hee, a B-Rank healer, had indeed "taken a personal day." Rumors abounded that she had seen the preliminary map for this particular dungeon and promptly called in sick. Not a good sign.
Tae-hyun surveyed the rest of the party. A collection of C and D-Rank Hunters, armed with varying degrees of competence and questionable equipment. He recognized a few faces from previous disastrous expeditions. There was Hwang Dong-suk, a C-Rank warrior with a reputation for stealing kills, and Han Song-yi, a nervous-looking D-Rank mage who seemed perpetually on the verge of tears.
"Right," Kim Sang-shik continued, oblivious to Tae-hyun's internal commentary. "Hwang Dong-suk, you take point with me. Han Song-yi, you support. Tae-hyun, you... well, just try not to get in the way."
Tae-hyun bit back a retort. He knew his place. E-Rank Hunters were essentially glorified monster fodder. Still, it smarted. He possessed something most of these clowns didn't: a system. Not just any system, but the 'Copycat System.' The problem? Its activation requirements were infuriatingly specific.
His system's interface flickered into existence in his vision, a semi-transparent blue screen overlaid on reality:
Copycat System
Current Candidate Abilities: None
Ability Copy Requirements Unmet
The system wasn't chatty. It didn't offer tutorials or encouragement. Just cold, unhelpful information. It taunted him with possibilities, showcasing abilities he could potentially possess... if he could only figure out the damn conditions.
He'd spent the last year meticulously observing other Awakened, trying to decipher the pattern. Sometimes, it seemed logical. Once, he'd almost managed to copy a D-Rank Hunter's minor telekinesis ability, but the system demanded that he successfully juggle three monster corpses for a full minute while simultaneously reciting a limerick about the Hunter's mother.
He hadn't even bothered trying.
"Alright, let's move," Kim Sang-shik barked, interrupting Tae-hyun's thoughts.
They cautiously entered the dungeon. The tunnel was damp and claustrophobic, the air growing noticeably colder. The only light came from the torches Kim Sang-shik and Hwang Dong-suk carried, casting long, dancing shadows that played tricks on the eyes.
After what felt like an eternity, they reached a large, cavernous chamber. And that's when things went sideways.
Instead of the goblins they expected, the chamber was filled with... statues. Hundreds of them, arranged in neat rows, each depicting a grotesque humanoid figure. The statues were unnervingly lifelike, their faces frozen in expressions of pain and terror.
"What the...?" Kim Sang-shik muttered, his bravado momentarily faltering.
Tae-hyun felt a knot of dread tighten in his stomach. This wasn't right. This wasn't a C-Rank goblin dungeon. This was something else entirely.
Before anyone could react, a voice echoed through the chamber, deep and resonant, as if emanating from the very stone itself.
"Welcome, Players."
The statues began to stir. Cracks appeared on their surfaces, and dust rained down as they slowly came to life. They weren't statues. They were monsters. Stone statues with glowing red eyes.
"You have entered the Double Dungeon. Your objective: Survival."
Panic erupted. Hwang Dong-suk drew his sword, his face pale. Han Song-yi began to sob. Kim Sang-shik, ever the pragmatist, roared, "Everyone, attack! Kill them all!"
The fight was a massacre. The stone statues were surprisingly agile and incredibly strong. Their stone fists shattered bone, and their razor-sharp claws tore through flesh. Hwang Dong-suk, despite his arrogance, was quickly overwhelmed. He screamed as a statue smashed his shield aside and caved in his skull. Han Song-yi's spells were ineffective, her magic easily deflected by the monsters' hardened bodies. She was swiftly silenced.
Tae-hyun, realizing the gravity of the situation, scrambled for cover behind a cluster of statues that had yet to activate. He knew he was outmatched. His only hope was to find an opportunity, to somehow exploit his Copycat System.
He watched as Kim Sang-shik fought with desperate ferocity, his axe a whirlwind of steel. But even he was tiring, his movements slowing, his breaths coming in ragged gasps.
Suddenly, one of the statues lunged at Kim Sang-shik, its stone fist aimed at his head. Kim Sang-shik managed to raise his axe in a desperate block, but the impact sent him staggering backward. He tripped over a fallen statue and landed hard, his axe clattering to the ground.
The statue raised its fist again, ready to deliver the killing blow.
Tae-hyun saw his chance. Kim Sang-shik, despite his abrasive personality, was about to be brutally murdered. It was a situation of life or death, and for some bizarre reason, Tae-hyun felt a surge of... sympathy? No. Not sympathy. Something close to... respect. The bastard was trying. He was fighting.
His system pinged.
New Candidate Ability: 'Brutal Strength'
Ability Copy Requirements:
Witness the user face imminent death while displaying unwavering resolve.Experience a genuine, heartfelt moment of understanding towards the user.Consume a portion of the user's sweat (minimum 1 ml).
Tae-hyun stared at the system message, his eyes widening behind his mask. Unwavering resolve? Check. Imminent death? Check. Heartfelt understanding? Debatable, but close enough. But sweat?
"Are you kidding me?!" he hissed under his breath.
He had no time to argue with his system's perverse demands. Kim Sang-shik was seconds away from becoming paste.
Tae-hyun acted on instinct. He ripped off his mask, sprinted towards Kim Sang-shik, and threw himself in front of the descending stone fist. He closed his eyes, bracing for impact.
Instead of bone-shattering pain, he felt a surge of power course through his veins. His muscles bulged, his senses heightened. The stone fist slammed into his outstretched arm, but instead of crushing him, it merely bounced off.
He had copied Kim Sang-shik's 'Brutal Strength.'
Tae-hyun roared, a primal sound that surprised even himself. He grabbed the statue's arm and twisted, the stone cracking under his newfound strength. He ripped the arm off its socket and used it to smash the statue's head into dust.
Kim Sang-shik stared at him, his jaw hanging open. "Tae-hyun... what the hell just happened?"
Tae-hyun ignored him. He turned his attention to the remaining statues, a savage grin spreading across his face.
"Alright, you oversized paperweights," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Let's see if you can handle a little payback."
He lunged forward, ready to fight. And, reluctantly, to figure out how to acquire that damn sweat. This was going to be a long day.