The sanctuary had stilled. The dungeon had lost. And yet, the bitter taste of its final, spiteful act still lingered.
Vreshka, the bones, the massacre, the evidence of what happened here…gone. All that remained was the golden chest at the foot of a broken statue, glowing faintly in the dim dungeon light.
It almost felt insulting.
Ray let out a breath, running a hand through her silvery hair. “That’s it, then,” she muttered. “Dungeon’s finished.”
Lexi swallowed hard, eyes darting to the now-empty pit, tail curled tightly against her leg. “It just… erased them.”
Ray’s fingered clenched around the shaft of her broken halberd. “What an asshole.”
Nick silently agreed, but there was no point dwelling on what they couldn’t change.
Instead, he turned his attention to the golden chest.
“Let’s see what we won.”
Ray blinked, conflicted. “That’s it?”
“That’s it,” Nick affirmed. “If we spend hours mourning for every tragic enemy on we meet, we’ll just tire ourselves out faster.”
He knelt, fingers brushing over the cool metal. There was no lock, no trick. Just a simple lid, waiting to be lifted.
He pushed it open.
A faint hum of energy escaped the chest, like a sigh of relief, before the rewards of the dungeon were laid bare before them.
Nick’s eyes scanned the contents, system messages appearing to explain what he was looking at.
=Skill Book: Contact Telekinesis=
=Amulet of the Fallen=
=13x gold coins=
=Enchanted Weapon of Unknown Origin=
Nick froze when his eyes landed on the enchanted weapon.
Nestled at the bottom of the chest, almost mockingly out of place, was a metal baseball bat.
He slowly reached in, fingers wrapping around the grip. The moment he lifted it, a sharp static pulse ran up his arm.
=Enchanted Weapon of Unknown Origin=
->Strikes with this weapon deal 5x damage.
->This is a one-time use weapon as its structure cannot withstand the force.
He stared at the description, then back at the bat, then at the description again.
“…You’re kidding.”
Ray peered over his shoulder, then blinked. “What the hell is that?”
Nick turned the bat in his grip, feeling the smooth, worn metal beneath his fingers. “It’s a baseball bat.”
She titled her head. “Am I supposed to know what that is?”
Lexi cautiously leaned in, sniffing the air, and visibly recoiled. “That things smells like stinky old men.”
Nick frowned. It smelled fine to him…
But this bat shouldn’t exist here. Even the system said it was ‘of unknown origin’. Somehow, something from his word had been magically enchanted and used as loot in the dungeon.
His grip tightened.
‘Why?’
Out of all the things he could have found, why this?”
Lexi’s tail swished uneasily. “Is it some kind of human relic?”
Ray crossed her arms. “If it is, I wonder what it does…”
A weapon with a 5x multiplier on damage, but a one-time use.
That meant it was designed for one thing only:
A last resort. A finishing move.
He set the bat aside and examined the rest of the loot that came from the golden chest.
=Skill Book: Contact Telekinesis=
->Description: Consume mana to freely move an item that is in direct contact with your skin.
Your reach is as limited as your imagination.
=Amulet of the Fallen=
->Grants resistance to mental afflictions.
->Allows the user to resist one fatal blow.
->Faintly connected to those who have passed.
His brow furrowed.
A form of limited telekinesis. It didn’t really fit his or Ray’s fighting style. He glanced at Lexi, recalling how she manipulated her chains in their fights against the goblins.
This skill was perfect for her.
He tossed the skillbook her way.
Lexi barely had time to react before the book smacked lightly against her chest. She flinched, fumbling with the worn leather cover before catching it in both hands.
Her ears flicked up. “What?”
Nick rolled his shoulders, glancing back into the chest. “Take it. Suits you better than either of us.”
She hesitated, staring at the book as if expecting it to bite her. “…I’ve never used a skillbook before.”
Ray snorted, smirking. “What, you think its going to explode?”
Lexi glared at her. “No! I just—” She clenched her jaw, gripping the book tighter. “Monsters don’t use skillbooks. Only humans do.”
Nick raised an eyebrow. “And?”
Lexi’s ears twitched, her tail curling slightly. “And I’m a slave, right? That means I’m not allowed to learn it.”
Ray groaned. “Gods, are you always this dramatic?”
Nick sighed. “Lexi, open the book.”
She stared at them for a moment, something flickering behind her eyes. Then she slowly peeled back the cover. The pages glowed.
A swirl of blue light flowed between her fingers, curling up her arms in thin, delicate threads of energy. Lexi sucked in a sharp breath, her pupils dilating as the mana surged into her.
The book vanished in a soft shimmer.
She stared at an invisible window for a long moment. Then at her hands.
Ray gave a slow, mocking clap. “Wow. Turns out monsters can learn from skillbooks. Or does this mean you’re not a monster?”
Lexi ignored her. Instead, she lifted her hands, palms open, her chains still wrapped loosely around her wrists. A silent pulse of mana shimmered through her fingers.
The chains stirred. They moved.
Lexi’s breath hitched as the metal links curled upward, slithering around her hands like coiled serpents, wrapping and unwinding at her command. She flexed her fingers, and the chains responded instantly.
Nick crossed his arms. “Looks like it worked.
Lexi stared at the shifting chains, mesmerized.
“…Now I can fight…” Her voice was quiet, almost in awe.
Ray’s smirk faded.
“What did you think you were doing before?”
The beastkin didn’t answer immediately. She just flexed her fingers again, the chains twisting and dancing in the air, like they were truly an extension of herself. Her grip on them had almost been instinctual, reactive, but now—
Now she could command them.
“…Not like this.”
Nick nodded. “Then use it well.”
She swallowed, then gave a small, determined nod. “I will.”
Ray rolled her eyes. “Great, can we check the rest of the loot now?”
Nick picked up the Amulet of the Fallen, running his thumb over the cold metal. The gem at its center pulsed faintly, almost like a slow heartbeat.
It reminded him of something.
A memory. Faint. Unclear.
A woman’s voice. A warm laugh. The weight of a small hand gripping his.
His chest tightened.
Ray squinted at him. “You keeping that one?”
Nick exhaled, shoving the amulet into his pocket. “Yeah. You can have the baseball bat.”
No one questioned it.
Ray stretched. “Alright. We done here?”
Nick glanced back at the golden chest, now empty. The dungeon had given them its rewards. The fight was over.
And yet…
The faint echo of laughter still lingered.
Mocking. Watching. Waiting.
He turned away.
“Yeah, we’re done.”
Instead of dwelling on the things he couldn’t change, he focused on something he could—getting stronger.
After accepting Evelyn Raymond’s offer, he’d been granted a new skill and two new traits. The heat beneath his skin hadn’t faded, though it was no longer burning—it was something deeper now, something carved into him.
His fingers flexed at his sides. Magic. Power. The ability to fight.
Back on Earth, he had been nothing in the grand scheme of things. A resistance fighter against a force too large, too unknowable. The enforcers who hunted him, the Director who commanded them, the unseen gods who stood behind it all—he had never had the means to do anything but delay the inevitable.
But here?
He had magic.
He had a system.
He was a god.
If they existed in this world too—whether the same entities or just the same type—then he had a chance. A chance to find out why. A chance to hold them accountable.
A chance to win.
For the past month, he’d been wasting it, languishing on mundane jobs and complaining like a child. He really didn’t want to be a hero, but that didn’t mean he should waste away doing nothing.
He had to change. If there was a chance to win, then he had to take it, no matter what.
Even if it meant becoming a damn hero again.
He glanced at his status, noting his available skill point. Until now, he had been so reactive with his abilities, just using what felt right in the moment. But if he was serious about getting stronger, he needed to start being efficient.
“Hey, Ray,” he said, breaking the silence.
“Hm?” she shot him a sidelong glance, lazily swinging what was left of her broken halberd over her shoulder.
“You killed more goblins than me in here. How many skill points do you have?”
“…Skill points?”
Nick frowned. “Do you call them something different? Every time you kill a monster, you get fractions of a skill point. I earned a full skill point not too long ago, and got another one after the boss fight.”
She shrugged. “I don’t see anything like that.”
“…What?”
“I know why,” Lexi interjected. She stared at Ray. “You’re not a human, are you?”
Ray flinched. “What makes you think that?”
She rolled her eyes. “Only humans can earn skill points.”
Nick paused. “Hang on. What?”
Lexi nodded, her ears twitching. “I don’t know a lot about it since us ‘monsters’ can’t use it, but my grandpa warned me about it. He said that a long time ago, dark gods chose humans as the rulers of this world. They gave humans the ability to come back from the dead, and rewarded them with skill points when they killed monsters.”
Nick’s stomach twisted.
‘Why?’
A system designed to make humans stronger… and only humans. The gods of humanity had structured this world to elevate one race over the others. Worse, they had incentivized slaughter—monsters existed as fuel for humanity’s growth, a resource to be consumed.
And then there were these dungeons…
“Dark gods…”
His hands curled into fists.
The more he learned, the more he felt like these mysterious entities were related to his enemies on Earth.
And then—he realized something.
Nick’s blood ran cold.
He hadn’t visited a cathedral yet.
He had died—but he didn’t resurrect in a cathedral. He had woken up in the middle of a random forest.
Were they the ones who put him there? Was that why he could earn skill points?
And if they were the ones that brought him to this world, then why? Why would they reincarnate someone who was fighting against them on Earth?
“Nick?” Ray’s voice grounded him.
He looked over to find her staring at him, brow furrowed.
“You good?” she asked.
He let out a breath. “Yeah.”
She hummed. “You look pissed.”
Nick scoffed, shaking his head. “Just thinking.”
“Tch. Thinking is dangerous”
“You’re one to talk.”
She grinned in response.
He decided to shift the topic back on track. “And you?”
“What about me?”
“You don’t care that you don’t get skill points?”
Ray shrugged. “Didn’t know they existed, so it’s not like it changes much for me to not have them.”
Nick studied her expression. She was too casual. Either she really didn’t care, or she wasn’t willing to think about what it meant.
Lexi, on the other hand, was tense.
“…It’s unfair,” she muttered.
Nick raised a brow. “Yeah. It is.”
She blinked, caught off guard by how easily he agreed.
“But,” he continued, “knowing that doesn’t change anything.”
Lexi frowned. “So you’re saying I should just accept it?”
“No.” His gaze sharpened. “I’m saying that you just need to use other ways of getting stronger. Like skillbooks.”
Her lips parted slightly like she wanted to argue. But after a moment, she closed her mouth, gripping the chains around her wrists a little tighter.
Ray stretched with a loud pop. “So what’re you gonna do with your skill point, Mr. Ruler of the World?”
Nick considered. His mind was still reeling from all the information he’d been bombarded with during this dungeon exploration, but he needed to keep moving forward.
If he wanted to control his own fate—to stand against gods—he had to be more efficient with his system.
Skill points.
What even were his options?
===Status===
Name: Nicholas Draegan
Age: 26
Race: Overseer (Human*)
Title(s): Custodian of the Eternal Sin
Health: 100%
Mana: 100%
Magic Systems:
Lesser: Echelomancy, ???, ???, ???, ???.
Mind: 20 | Body: 20 | Soul: 20
->Echelomancy
->Unused Skill Points: 2.04
->Skills: Multi-Fireball (12/-), Infinite Wardrobe, Execute (2/100), Sinbound Flames (2/100)
->Bloodline: Avatar Rank 1 (Hidden – Basic), Human (Pure)
->Traits: Faith Empowerment (Basic), Inspiring Presence (Basic), Rapid Growth [Avatar] (Basic), Rapid Growth [Human] (Intermediate), Heir of Twilight, Keeper of the First Flame
He focused on the unused skill points and more system messages popped up.
=Skill Point System=
-> You have accumulated (2.04) skill points.
=A skill point is accumulated latent potential extracted from the souls of fallen targets, condensed into a form that can be directly applied to an existing ability. Through this process, an ability’s potential can be refined, expanded, or evolved. The greater the burden of sin within the slain, the more potent the potential harvested.=
->Skill points cannot be refunded.
->Skill points cannot be applied to abilities you have not yet unlocked.
->Certain abilities require multiple skill points to advance.
->Divine and Mythical-tier abilities may require special conditions beyond skill points to evolve.
=Available Upgrade Targets=
->Multi-Fireball (Rank 12/-):
+1: Enhance the efficiency, quantity, and potency of fireballs.
->Execute (Rank 2/100):
+1: Execute becomes a passive ability. Slightly increase the Execute threshold.
->Infinite Wardrobe:
+1: Gain the ability to bind items to the wardrobe, granting access to the wardrobe’s enchantments.
->Avatar Creation:
+1: Gain an additional charge.
->Sinbound Flames (Rank 2/100)
+100: Upgrade Sinbound Flames -> Sinbound Hellfire
The choices hovered in his vision, neatly arranged, waiting for him to decide.
Multi-Fireball would be an efficient choice. It was the most obvious way to power up his most reliable attack.
Execute was a tempting option, but it was a heavily underutilized part of his skill set right now. It might be worth investing into in the future, but not yet.
Infinite Wardrobe…
He stopped and reread the effect again.
‘The ability to bind items to the wardrobe, granting access to the wardrobe’s enchantments.’
Without hesitation, he immediately selected that one.
=Infinite Wardrobe +1=
->Description: An indestructible wardrobe that can contain an infinite amount of clothing, armor, and miscellaneous items. The wardrobe has the following enhancements:
->Indestructable: All items are impervious to damage.
->Automatic Size Regulation: All items automatically adjust to the user’s size and shape.
->Automatic Cleansing: All items are clean and fresh while stored in the wardrobe.
->Bind: Items can be bound and unbound from the wardrobe, granting or removing the wardrobe’s enchantments.
Then he grabbed the baseball bat and activated the new effect to ‘bind’ it.
=Enchanted Weapon of Unknown Origin=
->Strikes with this weapon deal 5x damage.
->This is a one-time use weapon as its structure cannot withstand the force.
->Bound to Infinite Wardrobe
-Indestructible
-Automatic Size Regulation
-Automatic Cleansing
Nick stared at the updated status window, then at the baseball bat in his grip. A slow, wicked grin stretched across his face.
He couldn’t help it—he started to laugh.
It was just too absurd.
He bound a one-time use item to his wardrobe, and now it was indestructible.
A weapon meant to shatter on impact had just become a permanent bludgeoning tool with an absurd damage multiplier.
He wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. ‘This is so dumb…’
He loved it.
“Here, Ray,” he said, tossing the bat her way.
She caught it with one hand, giving him a skeptical look. “Why do you look like a kid receiving a present?”
Nick smirked. “Try it out.”
She raised an eyebrow, turning the bat over in her hands. She inspected the smooth metal surface, knocking her knuckles against it.
“This thing’s too light to be a good weapon.” She rolled her wrist. “No edge, no weight distribution, no point.”
Nick gestured to the damaged goblin statue.
“Just hit something,” he said.
She shrugged. “Alright.”
Ray turned to the statue, took a lazy step forward, and swung.
She didn’t wind up. She didn’t brace herself.
Just a casual, effortless swing.
The moment the bat connected—-
BOOM.
The entire statue exploded.
It didn’t crack or shatter, it completely disintegrated.
A shockwave burst through the sanctuary as the entire upper half of the stone monument detonated into dust, chunks of rock slamming into the walls. What remained of the statue’s base was a crater, smooth and smoking as if the stone had just given up on existing.
Lexi squeaked and jumped back, her ears flattening against her skull.
Nick barely managed to keep a straight face.
Ray slowly lowered the bat.
She blinked at the crater.
Then at the bat.
Then at Nick.
Her grip tightened. “Uh… what?”
Nick grinned. “It’s a baseball bat.”
She quinted at him, processing, then lifted the bat again, testing its weight more seriously.
“This thing…” she muttered, flexing her fingers over the grip. “A relic of the human race…”
Lexi stared in horror at the statue’s remains. “That thing is cursed.”
Ray ignored her. She took a firm stance, planting her feet, shoulders squared. Then she swung again—this time, at the dungeon floor.
BOOM.
The entire room shook. A fracture line split outward from the impact point, splintering the floor like glass. The stone beneath her feet dipped slightly as if the entire foundation had groaned in protest.
Nick let out a low whistle.
“Alright,” Ray exhaled, finally looking seriously intrigued. “I’ll give, this is fun.”
Lexi backed up further. “That’s ridiculous…!”
Ray smirked, spinning the bat in one hand. “I’m keeping this. My weapon broke anyway.”
Nick’s smirk widened.
It was a skill point well spent.
And he still had another skill point…
He looked at the options again, his eyes landing on one that stood out from the others.
Avatar Creation—‘Gain an additional charge.’
When he pulled up the description of Avatar Creation, it read:
=Avatar Creation=
->Description: The ability to create an Overseer Avatar.
->Number of Active Avatars: 1/1
->Available Forms: Human
If his literal interpretation was correct, then increasing the number of charges meant increasing his total number of active ‘avatars’. His current body was supposedly an avatar.
A second body. Another version of himself, independent yet connected. If he could master it, it would be more than a tool—it would be freedom.
For the past few years, he was always on the battlefield. Always fighting, always burning energy. But if he had another body, a separate self, he could keep moving while one recovered. He could waste less time. He could fight longer, and push further and faster than anyone else.
It wasn’t just another ability. It was a solution.
Without hesitation, he made his choice.
=Avatar Creation +1=
->Description: The ability to create an Overseer Avatar.
->Number of Active Avatars: 1/2
->Available Forms: Human
He activated the skill.
The world around him shifted. The screen rippled, expanding outward, stretching into something larger, something interactive—
A menu screen opened in front of his eyes.
Nick blinked.
It was… a character creation screen.
A perfectly rendered 3D model of himself stood in the center of his vision, floating slightly off the ground, slowly rotating in place. Beneath it, a sleek, glowing interface displayed customization options, along with a handful of sliders and numerical values.
=Avatar Customization=
Modify the appearance of your Overseer Avatar. Changes are permanent upon finalization.
-> Base Form: Human
-> Sex: Male
-> Height: 5’11’’ (Adjustable ±6’’)
-> Facial Features: Adjustable
-> Hair Color: Dark Brown
-> Eye Color: Dark Brown
-> Skin Tone: Fair
-> Physique: Athletic (Adjustable)
->Additional Features: None Selected
Nick ran a hand down his face. “…So I get to design myself.”
Of all the weird shit that had happened since arriving in this world, this was somehow the one that threw him off the most.
Character creation? For his own actual body?
He hadn’t expected this at all.
Ray tilted her head. “What is it?”
The model mimicked his stance, arms relaxed at its sides, expression neutral. It was a perfect replica of his current body—same facial features, same proportions, same tired glare staring back at him.
It looked so real that he almost reached out to poke it.
Lexi furrowed her brows. “Nick?”
“Give me a second,” he muttered. He needed to be smart about this.
If he was going to create a second body, he would have a lot more options if he gave it a unique identity. It needed to be different enough to pass as someone else—but not so different that it felt unnatural to use.
He eyed the height slider.
It was currently set to 5’11’’—his exact height. He narrowed his eyes and adjusted it upward by an inch.
6’0’’ exactly.
‘Psychological effect,’ he reasoned. People respected taller guys.
Physique?
He kept it lean and athletic but toned up the muscle definition slightly. A more imposing silhouette without looking unnatural.
Next was facial features.
This part was tricky.
Nick studied his own face for a long moment.
Did he want to change his jawline? His nose?
If he changed too much, it might feel wrong to inhabit.
Instead, he went for subtlety. He sharpened his jawline slightly, narrowed his eyes just a little bit, reduced the bags under his eyes, and darkened his eyebrows slightly.
It was still him, but… different.
If someone saw both of his bodies standing side-by-side, they would probably think of them as siblings.
So he looked at the next section: hair and eye color.
He scrolled through the options, watching his hair shift colors instantly as he hovered over them.
Black. Too serious.
Platinum. Too flashy.
Ash Brown. Too boring.
Dark Red. …No.
He finally settled on a darker, near-black shade of blue, reminiscent of an Anime protagonist. Under normal lighting, it would look black—but under direct light, it would give off deep blue highlights.
As for his eyes…
He went for grey. He shifted the tone a bit until they looked piercing, more distinct.
Nick stared at his creation.
It was a man who looked familiar, yet strange.
Similar build, similar bone structure—but taller, sharper, different in just the right ways.
A new person. A new identity.
The practicality of it set in. He could go into town without being recognized as himself. If anyone started looking for ‘Nick’, he could use this form to hide in plain sight.
He exhaled slowly.
“This is good.”
A final prompt appeared.
=Confirm Avatar Creation?=
-Yes / No-
Changes cannot be undone.
Nick hovered over it—then pressed ‘Yes’.
The model vanished.
And then—
Pain.
Nick clenched his teeth as a tidal wave of sensation hit him.
It was like something had reached into his soul and split it apart, carving a space for a new existence.
The back of his mind flared with awareness, a second heartbeat thrumming in sync with his own.
His eyes snapped open.
But… not his usual eyes.
From somewhere else—from a different body—he suddenly had a second perspective.
He felt the weight of his own breath, his muscles shifting as he took a step forward—except it wasn’t his usual body moving.
It was the new one.
His second avatar.
Ray and Lexi both whipped around, reacting instinctively to the sudden presence.
Ray’s eyes widened. “What the hell—?”
Nick turned his head—the new him turned his head at the same time. He could feel both perspectives simultaneously, like staring through two screens at once.
His first avatar exhaled.
His second avatar smirked. “Well… this is trippy.”
Ray gawked at him. “You—there’s… two of you?”
Lexi watched both versions of him warily.
Nick just grinned. “I could get used to this.”
Project Knightfall 