CHAPTER 36: FIRST FIGHT AFTER TRANSMIGRATION

Somewhere in the first floor of the Monster Abyss, there was a corpse lying motionless on the floor.

The body belonged to a young man. Handsome, in a way that drew attention even in death.

His black hair was messy but thick, his lashes long, his brown eyes half-open and dulled.

He wore the kind of clothes anyone might see on a college student back on Earth—faded jeans, a dark hoodie, and sneakers now torn and soaked in blood.

The cause of death was clear: a massive hole gaped in his back, large enough for light to pass through, the wound piercing straight through to his chest.

Suddenly, the blood that had poured from the hole began to move.

It flowed backward, defying gravity, sliding over the ground and re-entering his body. The wound pulsed, the flesh knitting together, muscle and skin sealing at a pace visible to the naked eye.

The young man’s chest rose.

His fingers twitched.

With a faint gasp, he sat upright, eyes snapping open, confusion and disbelief flashing across them.

"I’ve... transmigrated," he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. Then, with a wry half-smile, he added softly, "It happened far more directly than I thought it would."

This young man was now possessed by Raj.

***Pov switch***

I clutched my head in pain.

A torrent of knowledge drilled itself into my mind, crashing through my thoughts like a storm. Faces, places, and memories that weren’t mine flooded in all at once. My vision blurred, my heartbeat thundered in my ears—and then I saw it.

The life of the man whose body I had possessed.

Coincidentally, his name was also Raj.

He had been born into a once-prestigious noble family, a name that still held weight in the Eternal City but no longer the wealth or power to back it. His father was dead, leaving behind mountains of debt and a family on the brink of bankruptcy.

Ten people depended on him. His mother, stepmother, four siblings and four younger cousins—all sheltered women who had known nothing but comfort until poverty began creeping through their door.

Raj had tried. Gods, he had tried.

But he had a flaw that haunted him deeply.

He was painfully shy—so much so that even speaking to the women of his own household left him mentally exhausted.

Their presence flustered him to the point of collapse.

He loved them dearly, but whenever they asked for help or comfort, he would freeze, words caught in his throat. His constant avoidance left them disappointed and lonely, yet still he worked tirelessly behind the scenes to provide for them.

And in that desperation, he had ventured into the Monster Abyss.

The Monsters...

From their bodies, one could harvest monster cores—condensed crystallizations of their life force. These cores were extremely valuable used to run countless appliances. They could be sold for silver and gold.

Since Raj couldn’t bring himself to perform the sacred act of Khushi with his family to generate mana and the women of his family were too filial to seek outsiders to fullfill their needs, his only option was to risk his life here, to gather cores and sell them in the city to keep the family afloat.

But fate had other plans.

While hunting deep in the Abyss, he had been assassinated.

There had been no warning, no sound, no glimpse of the killer’s face.

One strike from behind—and his life ended.

He was killed so sneakily that he didn’t even realize it was over until the darkness swallowed him whole.

"Now I understood whose body I had inherited."

I lowered my head slightly, whispering softly into the silence,

"Since I’ve taken your body, I’ve also taken your responsibility. I’ll take care of your family from now on. And whoever killed you—I’ll find them. I’ll make sure they pay for what they did."

The moment I made that vow, my chest felt strangely light, as if a heavy weight had lifted from within. My thoughts cleared, my breathing steadied. I didn’t understand why, but the feeling of burden shifted into something almost empowering.

I took a deep breath and willed the status screen to appear.

A soft chime echoed inside my head as lines of glowing text appeared before my eyes.

Name: Raj

Potential: ∞ (Infinite)

Soul Rank: Black Gold

Power Level: Level 0 Warrior

Item Required to Level Up: One Level 1 Monster Core

Stats:

Strength: 5

Agility: 5

Stamina: ∞ (Infinite)

Mana Capacity: 100 units

Skills:

Basic Sword Mastery (Evolvable)

Omniscient Eye

Weapon Creation

Inventory

Infinite Stamina

Full Body Control

Bliss Points: 5,000,000

I stared at the glowing screen, blinking slowly as the information sank in.

My lips curved into a faint smile.

"I finally have mana."

I immediately activated Weapon Creation.

A surge of mana left my body, gathering in front of me as faint blue particles spun together, forming a hazy outline of a sword.

The particles solidified in seconds.

[-100 MP]

[You have created the Magic Sword "Weightless"]

[Weightless]

Type: Magic Sword

Rank: Common (Upgradeable)

Description: A perfectly balanced blade forged from pure mana. It weighs nothing to its wielder but retains the cutting power and mass of steel.

Effects:

Negates weight for the user, allowing effortless handling and faster attacks.

Slightly increases attack speed (+10%).

Automatically adjusts balance based on user grip and stance.

The blade shimmered faintly in my hand, its edge thin and sharp. I swung it once, twice—the movement was fluid, natural, almost as if the sword anticipated my will before I even acted.

"Perfect," I murmured.

It didn’t weigh me down in the slightest. Not even a fraction. It was like holding air shaped into steel.

I sheathed it at my side and started walking.

The corridor stretched endlessly before me. The walls were rough, cold stone slick with moisture. Water dripped steadily from cracks in the ceiling, each drop echoing sharply in the quiet. The air was damp and smelled faintly of moss.

After a few minutes, I saw it.

A small, hunched figure crawled into view. Its greenish skin shone faintly under the dungeon’s weak light. It was ugly—narrow shoulders, long arms, thin legs, and a head that seemed too large for its body. Its nose hooked downward, its mouth stretched wide, filled with uneven yellow teeth. Tattered scraps of leather clung to its bony frame.

A goblin.

The most common monster in every fantasy story I had ever read.

It grinned when it saw me, sharp teeth glinting.

I willed the Omniscient Eye skill to activate.

A faint blue shimmer crossed my vision, and lines of text appeared beside the creature.

[Goblin]

Power Level: Rank 9 Monster

Strength: 5

Agility: 5

Stamina: 5

Skills:

1) Wild Instinct – Reacts faster to close-range attacks.

2) Basic Dagger Mastery (F) – Increases precision when using small blades.

3) Pack Mentality – Gains slight boost when fighting with other goblins nearby.

I lowered my gaze, analyzing the information.

Monsters were divided into ten ranks. Rank 9 were the weakest. Rank 0 could rival Goddesses like Agatha and the Three Sisters. A normal human could.handle a rank 9 monster if they were skilled enough. But they would die if they were faced with a rank 8 monster and every rank up resulted in a massive increase in power.

It was as strong as me in raw stats—but its skills were primitive. I had better technique, better control, and most importantly, better tools.

"I can deal with this," I muttered quietly, drawing Weightless from its sheath.

The blade hummed softly as I stepped forward, ready to meet my first opponent in this new world.

The moment it saw me brandishing my sword, its lips curled back into a sneer.

"Gukih!"

It let out a harsh, guttural screech before lunging toward me.

Its sword whistled down in a crude chop aimed at my shoulder.

I raised my sword.

Clang!

Steel clashed with steel, the impact sending a jolt up my arm. The goblin pressed forward, snarling, its strength surprising for something so small. But my Basic Sword Mastery skill was not for show.

I twisted my wrist, sliding its weapon aside.

The goblin staggered forward from its own momentum, its guard wide open. I stepped left, my sword flashing low. The edge cut deep into its thigh.

It screamed, dropping to one knee, blood pouring from the wound.

I didn’t let it recover.

I raised my sword and struck clean through its neck.

Its head flew, and its body fell with a dull thump.

I exhaled, the sound of its death fading into the corridor.

From its corpse, I recovered a monster core. A round glowing orb the size of a pigeon’s egg. Wiping the blood off on my sleeve, I looked at it closely before tossing it into my mouth.

It melted the moment it touched my tongue, turning into liquid warmth that slid down my throat. A torrent of energy spread through my body, flooding my limbs, coiling in my chest, wrapping me in comforting heat.

[You have absorbed a Level 1 Monster Core.]

[You have leveled up]

[You have become a level 1 Warrior.]

[Your strength and agility stats have received a boost of 5 points each!]