Distributing His Stats
Leon rolled his shoulders, feeling the dull ache of exhaustion finally settle in. The battle inside the dungeon had been brutal, forcing him to push his summons—and himself—to the limit.
But instead of collapsing in fatigue, he felt something else entirely.
Power.
His body felt denser, stronger, like every fiber of his being had been reforged in the fires of battle.
And then there was the system.
He pulled up his newly unlocked Status Screen, scanning through the interface.
The system had been granting him abilities, summons, and upgrades, but for the first time, it had given him something directly for himself.
[You Have 7 Free Stat Points to Distribute]
Leon's eyes flicked across the categories, instinctively breaking them down.
Strength: 5 → 7 (+2)
Stamina: 6 → 9 (+3)
Mana: 10 → 12 (+2)
A surge of raw energy pulsed through his body, subtle but unmistakable.
His muscles tensed, his breath steadied, and a faint warmth spread through his core.
Strength would allow him to handle close-range combat better—his mana gun wasn't always going to be enough. Stamina would ensure he could fight longer without wearing down. And Mana?
Mana was his lifeblood. The fuel that kept his undead moving, that allowed him to command the battlefield.
As soon as the points settled into place, a soft notification flashed before him.
[Stats Updated Successfully]
Leon flexed his fingers, rolling his wrists. Everything felt sharper, smoother.
He smirked.
This was real progress.
Upgrading His Gun – A True Necromancer's Weapon
Just as Leon closed his status window, another System Notification flickered across his vision.
[System Notification: Weapon Augmentation Available – Apply Upgrade?]
He had almost forgotten about the materials he had earned from the dungeon.
Without hesitation, he accessed the upgrade menu. His mana gun, still clutched in his right hand, pulsed slightly—as if responding to the system's influence.
[Select Enhancement Type:]
Piercing Shot – Bullets ignore light armor.Explosive Round – Bullets deal minor area-of-effect damage.Cursed Shot – Bullets drain minor energy from the target.
Leon analyzed the options carefully.
Explosive Rounds would be devastating in group fights, useful for clearing out weak enemies quickly.
Cursed Shot had potential—stealing energy from his enemies could extend his battle endurance.
But Piercing Shot was what he needed the most.
His fight with the Dungeon Guardian had exposed a critical weakness in his arsenal—he lacked a way to bypass armored opponents.
Leon selected Piercing Shot.
His gun shuddered, dark tendrils of mana wrapping around the barrel. The old silver engravings along the frame morphed, twisting into jagged, necrotic patterns. A faint crimson glow pulsed from the core, flickering like a heartbeat.
Leon took a few steps forward, glancing at a large boulder resting at the dungeon's exit. He leveled his gun, exhaled—
And pulled the trigger.
The gun roared, a dark bullet slicing through the air, faster and sharper than before.
The moment it hit, the boulder split apart.
A clean hole ran straight through the stone, a jagged exit wound on the other side where the bullet had torn through.
Leon's smirk widened.
Perfect.
Now, even if he faced heavily armored enemies, he had an answer.
A New Question – Why Are These Dungeons Here?
Leon exhaled, holstering his gun.
The world had shifted too quickly around him.
A few weeks ago, he was nothing—an F-Rank necromancer, barely worth a glance.
Now?
He had power.
But why?
He turned back toward the ruined dungeon entrance, his eyes narrowing slightly.
The dungeon was collapsing, just like all of them did after the boss was slain. The walls crumbled, the once-structured corridors dissolving into dust, as if the very existence of the place was an illusion.
Dungeons had rules—fixed enemies, structured floors, bosses, and loot drops.
But why did they exist at all?
Monsters weren't natural. They didn't reproduce like animals, didn't function as part of an ecosystem.
They simply… existed.
Leon's thoughts drifted back to his own system.
Where did it come from?
Why did it exist?
And more importantly—who created it?
A gust of wind swept through the clearing, rustling his cloak.
No answers came.
For now, it didn't matter.
What mattered was what came next
Choosing His Next Path
Leon stood at the edge of the ruined dungeon, the last remnants of the underground structure collapsing into dust behind him. The faint tremors beneath his feet faded, leaving behind only silence and the eerie glow of the city in the distance.
The battle had given him strength. The system had unlocked new abilities. His summons had evolved.
But he knew the truth.
Dungeons alone wouldn't be enough.
Killing monsters, clearing floors, and collecting loot could only take him so far. His undead were growing, but the system had hinted at something more—something beyond basic necromancy.
He needed to understand the true potential of his summons.
And for that, he needed knowledge.
Leon turned his gaze toward the sprawling city beyond the hills, its golden lights flickering beneath the night sky. Even from this distance, he could see the towering silhouettes of guild headquarters, merchant districts, and the vast slums that sprawled beneath the pristine surface of the noble sectors.
But he wasn't heading for any of those places.
He was searching for something hidden.
The underground black market.
A place spoken of only in whispers. A gathering ground for those rejected by society—rogue mages, warlocks, alchemists dabbling in forbidden arts, exiled necromancers who had long abandoned the laws of the world.
It was said to be a place where anything could be bought—for a price.
Spells that defied the natural order.
Cursed relics with untold power.
Ancient tomes filled with forbidden knowledge.
And most importantly—secrets about the evolution of the undead.
The system had shown him the first step, but Leon could feel it—there was more to necromancy than what he had been given. His summons were already different from what the world considered "normal" undead.
But if there was a way to push them beyond even the system's limits…
He would find it.
Leon adjusted his cloak, tightening it around his shoulders. The air was cool, a crisp wind rustling the trees as he took a step forward.
This wasn't just about getting stronger.
This was about understanding the power he had been given—and how far it could go.
The night stretched before him, dark and endless.
And somewhere beneath the city's surface, buried beneath the shadows of civilization—
His answers were waiting.
With one last glance at the ruins of the dungeon, Leon turned on his heel and walked away.
He had bigger prey to hunt.