Chapter 3: SSS Rank Divine Weapon

The First Floor of the Tower was commonly known as the "Rookie Graveyard," not because it was inherently difficult, but because it was packed with thousands of lower-tier hunters fighting over pennies. For Dante however, it was easy game.

He knew every single inch of this place. In his past life, he had mapped out the entire layout for the Hunter Association’s official strategy guide.

The environment was a labyrinth of tunnels lit by flickering mana-crystals. Regular F-Rank newbies usually huddled together in groups of five, shivering with swords, waiting for their vanguard to draw courage.

Dante bypassed them all, walking deeper into the dark, unmonitored eastern auxiliary tunnels where no sane rookie ventured.

Before he could reach the first monster spawning pool, three figures stepped out from the shadows of a broken stone archway. They weren’t monsters. They were human hunters wearing mismatched, dented bronze armor, holding serrated daggers.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" the leader sneered, pointing his dagger at the shiny badge hanging from Dante’s hoodie. "A solo F-Rank rookie entering the dark zone past midnight. You’ve got a death wish, kid?"

"We’re running a toll booth tonight," the second thug said, stepping closer to block Dante path.

"Hand over your credit ring, your boots, and whatever potions you brought. Do it quietly, and we won’t have to break your legs and leave you for the goblins."

Dante didn’t stop walking. He didn’t even take his hands out of his pockets.

"I’m in a bit of a rush," Dante said. "Move."

"Cocky little rat!" The leader come forward, channeling a low-tier Strike skill. His dagger glowed as he drove it straight toward Dante throat with maximum lethal force. Dante stood entirely still. He didn’t block. He didn’t dodge.

The point of the dagger struck the center of Dante neck. A sound like a rifle shot detonated through the narrow tunnel. The thug’s attack didn’t even leave a red mark on Dante’s skin. Instead, the SSS-Rank Vajra Mirror Body instantly processed the kinetic energy, multiplied it by 200%, and fired it straight back into the source.

He didn’t even have time to think what happened before his own dagger shattered into a pieces. The sheer, amplified force traveled up his right arm, instantly snapping his wrist, fracturing his elbow, and completely dislocating his shoulder with a horrific sound.

The man flew backward five meters, collising in the wall before falling into a screaming, bloody heap on the ground

"Ahhhh! My arm! My fucking arm exploded!" he howled, clutching his ruined shoulder.

The other two thugs schoked, their faces turning completely pale. They looked at their screaming leader, then at Dante, who was calmly adjusting his clothes.

"What... what kind of defense skill is that?" the second thug stammered, dropping his weapon entirely. "He didn’t even use mana! He’s a monster!"

"Run! Just run!" the third one screamed. They both grabbed their maimed leader by his collar, dragging his groaning body back into the dark tunnels as fast as their legs could carry them.

Dante didn’t bother chasing them. They were completely beneath his notice.

Then—

Ding!

[Current Server Time: 12:10 AM (Midnight Reset Delayed via Transition).]

[You have received 1x Free Daily Spin from The Daily Gachapon.]

[Initiating spin...]

[Spin Complete!]

[You have received: ’Rusty Iron Gladius’ (F-Rank Weapon).]

[ Description: A standard, mass-produced short sword from the beginner shop. It has a chip in the blade and a loose hilt. Attack Power: +3. ]

A heavy, rusted iron sword materialized in the air, clattering loudly against the stone floor. Dante picked it up by the loose leather grip. It felt completely unbalanced, a piece of literal garbage that a regular hunter would sell to a pawn shop for half a credit.

But then..

[System 2: 100x Sovereign Multiplier Triggered!]

[’Rusty Iron Gladius’ (F-Rank) ---> Multiplied by 100x!]

[Calculating Highest Evolution Path... Evolution Complete!]

[You have unlocked SSS-Rank Divine Weapon: ’The Seven-Sins Asura Blade’ (Bound).]

[ Description: A mythical blade forged from the absolute malice of a fallen war deity. ]

[Attack Power: +3,000]

[ Unique Passive 1: ’Soul Reaper’ - Every strike absorbs 10% of the target’s maximum mana and health, permanently adding 1 point to the user’s base stats.]

[ Unique Passive 2: ’Phantom Form’ - The weapon can turn completely invisible and incorporeal, allowing it to bypass physical shields and armor entirely before striking.]

The junk iron in Dante’s hand suddenly began to warp. replaced by a sleek black liquid metal that solidified into a beautiful, terrifyingly elegant single-edged blade. Red runes pulsed along the flat of the metal like a beating heart, and the hilt wrapped itself perfectly around his palm, balancing the weight down.

Dante held the weapon up, testing its balance with a simple flick of his wrist. With a thought, the black blade completely vanished from sight, leaving his hand looking entirely empty, though he could still feel the solid weight of the hilt.

"Invisible, unblockable, and it steals permanent stats," Dante whispered, his eyes glowing in the darkness. "Perfect."

With his defense completely locked down by the mirror body, and an invisible god-slayer blade in his hand, he was officially a walking natural disaster.

He looked toward the end of the auxiliary tunnel, where a big door marked the entrance to the First Floor’s hidden elite zone—a high-density monster nest that regular F-Ranks were strictly banned from entering.

"Time to clean out the cellar," Dante said, stepping into the tower.