Doom Breaker – The Egoist

Jagun put all his strength into cutting the ogre’s throat. Green blood gushed out. A foul stench wafted up. The ogre’s red eyes turned gray.

“Kaak, gurgle. Ugh.”

Jagun’s legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the ground. He couldn’t hold back the vomit any longer. Bile dripped from his mouth.

Barely managing to calm his breathing, Jagun lifted his upper body.

Thud.

“Damn it, this really sucks.”

Jagun habitually searched his pockets. There were no cigarettes or a lighter to be found.

“Bastards.”

He cursed, thinking of those who had betrayed him. He looked at the battered iron sword. The last battle had ruined it, and he needed a new weapon.

Rattle.

Jagun closed his eyes, then reopened them and activated his exploration skill. Items eligible for acquisition appeared in his vision.

He grabbed the ogre’s club.

『Ogre’s Club』

Slow but painful if it connects.

The description was concise.

The ogre’s club resized to fit Jagun. He slung the club over his shoulder and looked down the corridor.

‘What floor could this be? For a large monster like an ogre to appear in the corridor, it must be a C-rank dungeon or higher…’

Being alone in a C-rank dungeon at Level 1 was a dire situation.

‘Isaac, God of Chaos. That bastard is probably watching me now, laughing.’

Jagun ground his teeth. Though he had no choice, he had essentially succumbed to a god.

He had never relied on the gods’ aid before. Only through the Holy Grail quest did he receive blessings on equal terms. He had never been baptized or prayed.

‘I’ve never heard of a named god called Isaac among the gods I know.’

Gods.

They were an alien race with far-reaching scientific and spiritual abilities, beyond human comprehension. There were at least a few hundred gods.

However, only 40 to 50 significantly influenced human affairs. Among these, seven were deemed absolute. Gods other than these seven hold little sway over the human world.

‘He may act all high and mighty, but in his own realm, he’s insignificant…’

Jagun mentally scolded Isaac. Even gods don’t watch over their worshippers at all times. Lower-tier gods, apart from the Seven Lords, have weaker powers.

Isaac was no exception. Despite managing the grand domain of chaos, isaac is merely a lower-tier god without followers.

‘Thanks to defeating the ogre alone, my level is now 3. It might be fortunate that I leveled up before encountering monsters that are impossible to defeat at Level 1.’

Jagun recalled strategies for dealing with monsters, supposing his current location was a C-rank dungeon. His memory of C-rank dungeons from long ago was hazy.

Step, step.

The sound of his footsteps echoed as he continued. Jagun stopped in his tracks. Luminous stones attached to the wall brightly lit up the dark corridor.

The stronger the light from the stones, the darker the shadows they cast. A monster slithered in that darkness.

Several pairs of red eyes watched Jagun.

Scree!

“I hate spiders.” Jagun muttered, lifting his club. A spider monster, the size of a calf, revealed itself.

Ptui!

The spider monster spat saliva from its mouth. Jagun blocked it with his club.

Squelch.

The spider monster’s saliva was a sticky liquid. If it hit his limbs, it would slow down his movements.

‘This is a trapping spider. It doesn’t kill immediately.’

Without hesitation, Jagun charged forward. Putting all his strength into it, he swung the club wide. The spider monster raised its forelimb, armed with sharp claws.

‘I’ll expose my side.’

Thud!

The spider monster’s claw pierced Jagun’s side. Jagun’s eyes widened. He raised his club high and smashed it down on the spider monster’s head.

Crunch!

Thick, sticky blood splattered all over Jagun’s face. Jagun mechanically continued swinging the club.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The spider monster convulsed, digging its claw deeper into Jagun’s side. Despite the excruciating pain, Jagun’s eyes didn’t even flinch.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t feel the pain. His focus and mental fortitude were so intense that he could ignore the agony.

“Hoo.”

Jagun exhaled and lifted the club. Sticky blood dripped from the club. The spider monster was dead, its head completely smashed.

Drip, drip.

Jagun looked at the blood flowing from his side. If he didn’t stop the bleeding, he would die from excessive blood loss.

“Damn it. Do I really have to do this?”

Jagun cursed under his breath. He reached his hand into the spider’s abdomen.

‘About here.’

Jagun grabbed the spider’s internal organ, the web sac, and tore it out. He unwrapped the sac and extracted the sticky liquid inside.

Smear, smear.

Jagun spread the sticky substance over his wound.

Its elasticity made it better than most bandages.

“Pathetic.”

He checked his level.

Level 4.

Killing dungeon monsters alone made his level rise quickly. Jagun advanced beyond the spider monster’s corpse. Webs set by the dead spider covered the walls.

“Ughhh.”

Something moved within the webs on the wall. A web-bound figure crawled toward Jagun.

Thud!

Without hesitation, Jagun struck the unknown figure with his club. The impact was heavy and dull.

Crack!

The figure flew against the wall and twitched, unable to rise from the strong blow.

“P-please, help me. I don’t know who you are, but please….”

The man, his mouth barely able to move, pleaded. His limbs were immobilized by the web. Jagun approached the man.

“Where’s your sword?”

Jagun asked.

“It’s on my right hip.”

The man responded quickly, terrified that Jagun might leave.

Rip.

Jagun inserted his hand into the web. He pulled out a sword and examined it.

『Light Iron Sword』

It had a weight-reduction enchantment.

Jagun smirked.

“Better than my old one.”

He skillfully cut through the web restraining the man. He knew exactly where to cut to free the man quickly.

“Thank you! I don’t know how I can repay this kindness.”

The freed man bowed his head deeply. Jagun arrogantly sat and looked at the man. The man was plump, his body round enough that he might roll if pushed. Fat raiders were rare.

“Take it off.”

Jagun commanded.

“What?”

The man tilted his head, not immediately understanding the meaning of Jagun’s words.

“If I have to repeat myself, you’re dead.”

Jagun frowned.

He needed armor and equipment.

“N-no way.”

“Yes, the thing you’re thinking.”

The man’s face turned pale.

“You’re not after my body, are you…? I’m not into that…”

Jagun silently lifted his club.

Thud.

The man rolled on the ground after being hit by the club. He seemed to have some resilience.

“Hand over all your gear, you fat bastard.”

Jagun said menacingly. The man, regaining his senses, bled from his nose and bowed.

“I-I’ll, give, give it all to you.”

The man slowly removed his gear and laid it in front of Jagun.

Jagun inspected each piece with a critical eye.

『Light Leather Armor』

『Light Leather Boots』

『Light Leather Helmet』

….

Jagun frowned.

“Are you messing with me, you idiot? Why is everything labeled ‘light’? Are you planning to dodge with that bulk? What kind of moron are you…?”

The man broke into a nervous sweat.

“Uh, I’m a porter… I had to carry as much as possible.”

Porters are hired hands who collect loot. In dungeon raids, besides combatants, there are also raiders called porters responsible for collecting loot and handling meals.

“Porter? So where are the others you came with? And where’s the bag?”

“I got caught by the spider monster while fleeing because I lagged behind. I threw the bag to a teammate…”

Jagun furrowed his brow further. He picked up the light leather armor the man had taken off and donned it. Thanks to the weight-reduction enchantment, it felt like wearing a simple jacket.

“You got thoroughly screwed. You should never give up the bag. If you have the loot, they’d come to save you even if you got caught.”

The man exclaimed as if he had a sudden revelation. “Oh! That’s right.”

Thud.

Jagun kicked the man in the stomach. The man doubled over, groaning in pain.

“Oh, that’s right? Are you kidding me? Do you think this is a game? You nearly died. You were abandoned by your comrades and almost died wrapped in spider webs all alone? ‘Oh, that’s right?’ There’s a limit to how stupid someone can be.”

The man looked at Jagun, who appeared younger than himself. At best, Jagun seemed to be in his early twenties, maybe even high school-aged at a glance.

He was definitely younger than the man. But hearing Jagun’s words didn’t make him angry; it made him feel ashamed.

‘Because it’s true, I am pathetic.’

The man stood there, dejected.

Click.

Jagun finished equipping all the gear. He swung the light iron sword. He didn’t like the pale, boyish arm wielding it.

Jagun was someone who had been through numerous battles. Though he had a young body now, his mind wasn’t immature. An air of seasoned maturity emanated from his eyes.