I was Born in the Final Demon Realm of a Dark Fantasy

————————————————————

The tenth trait I recommend is the [Beyond Limits] trait.

This trait is closely related to the training system and greatly helps with long-term growth.

However, stats don’t easily increase just by training alone.

-When receiving a ‘load’ higher than your current stats, there’s a certain probability of stat increase (maximum 5%).

-During the effect, additional training increases stat growth by 1% each time (maximum 10%).

With this trait, even ordinary training has maximized effects.

This will also shine if linked with the [Hidden Bloodline] trait.

However, if you focus all three of your traits on growth just because you’re using a [Hidden Bloodline] build, you might struggle to pass the early gates, so you should think carefully.

Since Grey Dawn is a game that boasts high difficulty from the beginning, you need to maintain a minimum balance to survive in the early stages…

————————————————————

We had to walk for quite a while.

Even though our walking speed must be over 10 times faster than that of ordinary people, the village we originally lived in was so remote that it took a long time to find another village.

And after a month of walking, the village we found was a massive city shining with a gray light.

From a distance, it looked like it was built with similar stones to our village.

But as we got closer, its surface was reflecting light brilliantly.

‘Silver?’

That thought came naturally, but it couldn’t be that since it would be weaker than stone.

It was likely a metal that existed only in this world, one I wasn’t familiar with.

Even before entering the city, the gatekeepers’ gazes were harsh.

When they asked where we were from and I answered honestly, they pinched their noses and frowned.

It was a gesture as if we smelled bad.

“Get lost, we have no intention of letting in vagabonds abandoned even by a trash village.”

“Hey, that’s harsh.”

Ger, who was listening beside me, bristled.

The gatekeeper then raised his fist without hesitation.

This was exactly what I wanted.

I instantly closed the distance and extended my fist to hit the gatekeeper’s chin.

His head rattled and his gaze swayed erratically from side to side. I didn’t miss the opportunity as his body staggered backward.

I struck his stomach with full force.

Thud.

His body floated up and then flew back against the huge closed gate.

Boom!

The sound echoed loudly. Unlike where I lived, the gate didn’t budge at all. Far from breaking, it didn’t even get a scratch.

“Wow.”

Ger seemed more surprised by the fact that the gate was intact than by me sending the gatekeeper flying.

At that moment, another gatekeeper rushed out from inside with a shocked face.

This time, Ger stepped forward.

Fists were exchanged rapidly.

Ger fought fiercely, exchanging several blows with the gatekeeper.

At first, it seemed evenly matched, but eventually Ger won.

“Huff, huff… He’s still incredibly strong. It’s been a while since I’ve faced someone like this.”

We opened the city gate ourselves and entered.

The heavy metal gate opened slowly, revealing the gray cityscape beyond.

Without time to adjust to the unfamiliar air, we immediately searched around for information about warriors.

The most familiar place was the back alleys.

There was no way other places would treat us kindly, coming as we did from an abandoned village.

Of course, the back alleys were no different.

The difference was that the logic of strength was most nakedly apparent there.

Ger and I reached the conclusion to take over the back alleys of this city.

Since we needed a place to stay anyway, we decided to establish our own territory.

And within a week, we took over the back alleys of a city three times larger than our hometown.

Surprisingly, there was someone who gave us trouble when we tried to defeat him.

It was a man named Tol, who had been playing the role of leader here.

He too seemed to have broken through the wall.

But there was an oddly significant difference in skill between him and me.

I viewed that difference as “the result of systematically organizing and refining my experience for a year.”

“Warriors are the hands and feet of the king who rules over our entire clan. It’s difficult to see warriors even here. Maybe once a month? Twice if you’re lucky. Even then, it’s hard to catch their eye. They come for a brief patrol and leave right away.”

Tol, who was about 1.5 times our size, looked very awkward sitting quietly on his knees.

“But boss, how are you so strong even though your body is smaller than mine?”

“You’ve broken through the wall too, haven’t you?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“So do you think bigger bodies are always stronger?”

“Isn’t that obvious? If not, why would I have stupidly built up my body?”

It was then that I realized enlightenment comes differently to each person.

‘Does that difference in enlightenment ultimately lead to the difference in skill?’

Although it seemed like a simple world governed by the logic of strength, there were countless differences in the texture of that strength.

Even within the same strength, there existed depths that were never the same.

A month passed like that. During that time, Ger and Tol had several confrontations, and Ger won by a narrow margin.

Tol’s raw strength was greater, but Ger was ahead in technical finesse. It seemed like Tol might win after a few more encounters.

Ger must have felt that too, as he devoted himself more desperately to training.

Then one day.

“Boss! He’s here! A warrior has appeared!”

Tol came running, gasping for breath. His face was a mix of excitement and tension.

Finally, the moment we had been waiting for had arrived.

I hurriedly went to the place where the warrior was said to have appeared.

From a distance, I could see the figure of a man.

He had tied back his dark, straight hair and wore a neat yet dignified white outfit.

On his chest was a water droplet pattern with a blue tint, which according to Tol, was the emblem signifying a 3rd-class warrior.

The warrior system ranged from 3rd-class to 1st-class, and then the special class who served as the king’s royal guard.

He was a 3rd-class warrior, the lowest rank, but by no means a being to be underestimated.

I intercepted his path.

“What is it?”

“I want to become a warrior.”

“…Get out of my way.”

The warrior passed me with a bored expression, as if he experienced this hundreds of times a day.

Seeing his reaction made me feel a bit sorry, but I had no choice.

Without this method, there was no way to become a warrior.

I stepped ahead of him again and stood in his path.

He furrowed one eyebrow.

“Do you want to die?”

“I don’t think I will.”

The warrior shook his head with a short sigh.

Hmm, is this also a line he’s heard before?

“Please give me a chance to prove my skills.”

“…”

The warrior, who had been staring silently, suddenly disappeared from sight.

A chill ran through my mind.

I instinctively ducked my head.

An eerie energy brushed over my head.

‘If I get hit, I’ll at least pass out…!’

But there was no time even for such brief thoughts.

A knee was surging toward my field of vision.

I twisted my body as much as possible to avoid the knee and rolled on the ground.

‘This won’t work!’

Having been ambushed, the initiative had completely passed to my opponent.

The difference in skill was also clearly felt, so I couldn’t recklessly try to turn the situation around.

‘I need to withstand an attack once.’

Rather than hurrying to get up, I curled my body to prepare for the incoming impact.

As soon as I curled up defensively, a powerful impact transferred to my arms that were protecting my head.

My body was flung back and rolled on the ground. However, since I was prepared, I quickly got up using that momentum.

Then I tried to raise my tingling arm, but no strength would come.

‘What…!’

Before I could even be surprised, a fist rushed toward my face.

I tilted my head to the side and turned my body along with it.

At the same time, I extended my foot using the rotational force.

But my foot sliced through empty air.

In that moment, his fist struck down on my head.

Boom-

A massive crater formed on the ground and dust rose up.

The impact that shook my skull made me dizzy. It was fortunate my head didn’t burst.

As I was about to pass out from the unbearable impact, the warrior caught me.

And slapped my cheek a couple of times.

In the midst of the stinging sensation, I forcibly opened my blurry eyes.

“Where did you learn martial arts?”

“I… didn’t… learn…”

“Don’t lie. Did you figure it out on your own?”

“Ah, I’m dizzy…”

“Hey.”

“Stop… shaking… me…”

Unable to endure any longer, I passed out.

♦♦♦

When I opened my eyes, I was being carried on someone’s back.

The large, hard back felt like the stone bed I used to sleep on in my abandoned hometown.

“Awake?”

“Who are you?”

“Someone who recognized you.”

“What?”

“Didn’t you ask me to help you become a warrior?”

“Ah, right.”

Only then did my hazy memories gradually return.

At the same time, my head throbbed. It was a pain like being hit with a hammer from inside my skull.

“Ugh…”

“Stop exaggerating.”

“Don’t you know about phantom pain?”

“What’s that?”

“…Anyway, what do you mean by recognizing me?”

The warrior couldn’t answer smoothly and kept clearing his throat.

He seemed to be stalling.

“I’ll make you a warrior.”

“Really?”

“Yes, I’ve picked you.”

“Fuck.”

“What did you say?”

“Nothing.”

I got goosebumps and unconsciously cursed in front of someone who could end me with a single punch. That’s how uncomfortable his words were.

Anyway, he’s saying he’ll make me a warrior, right?

“Come to think of it, where are we going?”

“To become a warrior, you need to be trained. You can’t just become one because you want to.”

“I see.”

I nodded obediently, but different thoughts swirled in my mind.

Is it okay to leave Ger and Tol behind like this?

…Well, they’ll come on their own.

Even if Tol doesn’t, Ger will definitely become a warrior. Because we made a promise.

After traveling for over a week with the warrior, Jagan, we arrived at a deep and vast forest.

Breaking through the thick curtain of vegetation, an enormous cave appeared that seemed to be swallowed by darkness.

It wasn’t an ordinary cave.

The entrance was covered with black metal, making it look like a defensive wall rather than a rock.

It didn’t seem to be a simple natural cave.

Faint shouts of fighting spirit were leaking from inside.

Even at a glance, it looked like quite a deep cave.

Jagan took me inside.

After descending the stairs that had appeared for quite some time, the source of the fighting shouts unfolded before my eyes.

A massive underground space. People filling the high-ceilinged and wide floor.

It was a den of bald men repeating the same movements in identical attire.

‘An army?’

I thought briefly.

Jagan left me staring blankly at the scene and approached someone to talk.

Soon, the man who had been conversing with Jagan stood in front of me.

“What are you standing there like an idiot for? Aren’t you alert?”

“Ah, yes. I’m alert.”

“Look at that answer. Is that being alert?”

“I’m alert, sir!”

While I instinctively answered, my gaze was directed toward Jagan standing beside me.

On his stoic face, which hadn’t shown a single smile for a week, a deep smile was carved.

It was a smile full of malice, as if saying, “Now it’s your turn to be screwed.”

♦♦♦

A year passed in that hellish place.

“The top student of this class is Bell! Step forward!”