L2L - Death Code

The floating red window was still in front of him.

His eyes flickered across the numbers.

What are these even supposed to mean? My physical attributes?

The question banged against the walls of his brain. His stats averaged between 50 and 60, which seemed decent—until he considered what he had just faced.

That serpent that had chased him—it must have had stats averaging around 100 to 200, at least in physical attributes.

A bitter chuckle escaped his lips. And I thought I was strong.

But even that wasn't the worst part. The golden-eyed serpent—the scaled, developed version of the first one—was on an entirely different level.

400+. At the very least.

His gut told him that thing was in a different league altogether. The sheer pressure it exuded, the way it froze him in place—it wasn't just fear. It was a presence that crushed the soul.

And then… there was the King.

The massive one, the ruler of this entire underground sea of serpents. He didn't even want to think about how ridiculous its stats would be.

Reanalyzing his own stats, he could only laugh.

His luck stat.

It was… pitiful.

He wasn't even surprised. It made sense. His whole life, luck had never been on his side. Why would it change now?

With a deep breath, he decided to stop wasting time and focus.

He needed to understand this system.

His fingers moved, tapping through the various options.

[Skill Market] — Locked.

[Item Store] — Locked.

[Quest Page] — No Active Quests.

At the bottom, a small icon caught his attention.

[System Guide]

Finally—something useful.

He clicked on it, and a new window unfolded before him.

[System Guide]

Experience Points (EXP) are needed to level up.

Every living creature has a set amount of EXP that can be gained upon killing them.

Completing special quests also rewards EXP.

Physical attributes can be increased by performing relevant actions.

Skills are obtained by fulfilling certain conditions (only basic forms can be obtained naturally).

System quests provide various rewards. Failure results in penalties.

He read through it carefully, processing every word.

So that's how it works…

It wasn't just about numbers. If he wanted to survive, he needed to actively improve himself.

Closing the guide, he returned to his stats window—ready to analyze it again.

Then, at the corner of the window, something new caught his eye.

[Free Stat Points: 20]

His breath hitched.

I can assign points?

He clicked on them.

A new notification popped up.

[System: Assign Stat Points?]

[Yes] [No]

He selected [Yes].

Immediately, plus signs appeared next to each of his stats—except for Mana and SP and Combat experience

He exhaled sharply, rubbing his chin. He needed to think carefully.

First, his Luck stat.

It was abysmally low. He decided to assign 10 points to it—

Only 3 were applied before a notification appeared.

[System: Luck Stat has reached its maximum limit.]

He blinked.

…I actually can't increase my luck?

A dry chuckle left his lips. Of course. He really was cursed with misfortune.

Fine.

He still had 17 more points. He quickly allocated 7 of them to Vitality, since higher Vitality meant faster stamina recovery.

The instant he confirmed the allocation, he felt a shift in his body. His tired muscles seemed to loosen slightly, and the exhaustion in his chest lightened just a little.

His stamina bar, which had been depleting, ticked up ever so slightly.

It's real.

This system—it really worked.

Before he could process any further, a notification popped up.

His Stealth timer had run out.

He was exposed.

His fingers curled into fists, but this time—he didn't panic.

His heartbeat was steady. His breath was controlled.

Instead of running—

He assessed.

The cavern was vast but uneven, with sharp stalagmites scattered around like jagged spears. There were shadows to use, crevices to slip through.

His stats which he didn't understand the result.

He would put them to the test.

He had to make a move.

There was no other way.

The non-scaled serpent—the one that had originally chased him—was still somewhere in this cavern. He needed to find it before the scaled serpent found him.

Treading carefully, he moved through the pathways, his steps light and deliberate. His Stealth skill was still on cooldown, but it would be available again soon.

The cavern was eerily silent except for the faint echo of water droplets falling from the stalactites above. He barely breathed as he moved, each step calculated.

Then—

A hiss.

His body tensed.

Slowly, he peeked around the corner.

His heart nearly stopped.

It wasn't the smaller snake.

It was death itself.

The scaled serpent.

The same one that had frozen him in fear earlier.

Its golden eyes flickered in the dim light, scanning the area. Its forked tongue flicked out, tasting the air.

If it notices me, it's over.

He didn't move.

Not even an inch.

He held his breath and waited, feeling the oppressive weight of the serpent's presence pressing down on him.

After what felt like an eternity, the monster finally slithered past.

Only when it disappeared into the shadows did he exhale—silently.

His Stealth skill was available again, but he decided to save it. If he used it now, he'd have nothing left in a real emergency.

Instead, he pressed on.

After a few more minutes, he found it.

Or rather—

It found him.

A hiss, followed by rapid movement.

The non-scaled serpent lunged at him, its fangs bared.

But the human who was just standing there—

Vanished.

He had deployed Stealth at the last second.

The snake—confused—paused, its head flicking side to side, scanning the area.

Not very intelligent.

Or maybe…

They were all fools.

He took advantage of that.

With a burst of speed, he reappeared behind it and swung his fist.

A solid impact landed on the serpent's side.

His fist bounced back.

Its elastic, thick skin absorbed most of the force, but he had definitely dealt some damage.

Unfortunately—

Direct physical contact wore off Stealth.

He didn't panic. Instantly, he reactivated it and disappeared again.

The snake, now startled, whipped its head around, searching frantically.

He smirked.

He had a plan now.

Come forward.

Punch.

Go back.

Use Stealth.

Repeat.

For exactly three minutes, he executed this strategy.

Each punch landed slightly harder than the last, and he could see signs of damage beginning to appear on the serpent's body.

But—

His Stealth timer was running out.

With only one minute left, he retreated.

He hid behind a jagged rock formation, heart pounding but mind clear.

This brief encounter had given him valuable insight.

He was strong enough to fight.

Strong enough to damage the snake.

But—

He couldn't kill it barehanded.

He had to change his strategy. But how?

He needed something.

A weapon.

Something that could finish the job.