Doom Breaker Episode 2
Chapter 1: Reset
[In the 20th century, humanity faced ruin through nuclear war and resource crises. Their salvation came from an alien race who proclaimed themselves gods and ruled over mankind.]
[Dungeons – humanity’s final nuisance after wars and conflicts ended. These tumor-like structures suddenly emerge to corrupt the land and spawn monsters. The ones who handle them are "Awakened" – Raiders – humans granted nanomachines by the gods. Even in the 21st century, dungeons continue to collapse and reappear.]
[Shin Ja-geon: Either the most arrogant trash in Raider history or its most exceptional member. Consensus suggests both might hold truth. Or perhaps... an outstanding piece of trash?]
—Excerpt from magazine Raiding Today, Changwol Edition
Ja-geon awoke on the damp dungeon floor.
He was naked.
“Damn it.”
He cursed as he pressed his palm against the ground. The oppressive air felt like being inside a giant worm’s intestines – the unmistakable stench and humidity of a dungeon.
Sssk.
His pupils darted rapidly.
‘Unknown dungeon. No nearby monsters. I’m naked. Priority one: escape.’
Out of habit, Ja-geon reached toward the magic circle on his left palm to retrieve equipment.
His dimensional storage should have held countless treasures.
“Huh? What the... fuck?”
His palm lay smooth – no magic circle, no calluses that should’ve marked years of combat.
—Shin Ja-geon, my servant. I congratulate your new beginning.
The voice of Isaac, God of Chaos, reverberated through his skull.
A dark void split the air, dropping a mirror, clothing, and a sword.
Clang!
Ja-geon lifted the mirror to see his reflection – then trembled with rage.
“...What kind of fucking joke is this? You alien shitstain!”
—Blasphemy!
Zap!
Electricity surged from the mirror. Ja-geon convulsed, foaming at the mouth. The pain paled against his shock.
‘My body’s changed.’
He now possessed the untrained physique of a youth barely in his early twenties. Compared to his original earth-shaking form, this flesh was like a firefly beside moonlight.
‘My dimensional storage...!’
His lifetime’s accumulated wealth – gone. Revival seemed impossible without it.
“So I’m restarting from zero.”
He clumsily dressed in the provided jeans and T-shirt printed with I ♥ Isaac front and back.
‘This bastard’s a real piece of work.’
Ja-geon now grasped why this "Chaos God" lived up to his title. To escape the abyss, he’d partnered with Isaac – some minor deity he’d never heard of.
Shing!
He drew the bestowed iron sword. Though lacking muscle, swinging it felt effortless.
‘At least it’s an Awakened body. They kept that basic logic.’
Awakened were humans who shattered their limits via divine nanomachines. Their growth potential was boundless. Even at Level 1, they surpassed ordinary humans.
Ja-geon activated Observe, a fundamental Awakened skill:
[Ordinary Iron Sword]
Status text floated in his vision. Truly just a common blade.
“This is a god’s gift? Pathetic.”
He grumbled while sheathing it, then glared at the electrocuting mirror:
[Isaac’s Mirror]
May punish blasphemous speech.
Ja-geon hurled it away with a scowl. The mirror boomeranged back.
Smack!
It struck his face. His nose bone creaked.
“Guh... Damned soulbound curse. On this trash item?!”
The mirror couldn’t be discarded unless its curse was lifted – the more one tried, the harder it retaliated.
Sitting cross-legged (his original class had been Warrior, a qi-wielding close combatant), Ja-geon organized his thoughts:
‘Isaac performed soul transference. My consciousness in a new body. Currently inside a dungeon – likely a midway safe room. He gave me clothes, a sword, this cursed mirror. With these, I must clear the dungeon.’
Creak.
He opened the protective door. A three-meter ogre stood in the corridor.
“Grrrlk...”
Ja-geon slammed the door shut before impact.
Boom! Boom!
The ogre pounded the sealed entrance. Safe rooms held protective buffs – monsters couldn’t enter.
‘In my original body, this trash wouldn’t last one strike...’
His status flickered in his vision:
[Shin Ja-geon (Raider)/Level 1]
Raiders were Awakened who broke their limits. Even at Level 1, their physical abilities dwarfed normal humans’. Yet dungeon monsters crushed such "superhumans" like insects.
‘Facing an ogre at Level 1?’
Known as “Dragon Storm,” Ja-geon was brutal but never rash. He objectively compared his limits to the threat. Raiding wasn’t a game – it was life or death.
The ogre ceased pounding. Ja-geon checked another door.
Creak.
“SCREEEECH!”
A pitch-black giant bat lunged with bared fangs. He calmly closed the door.
“Giant Bat or Ogre... Ogre’s preferable.”
Though weaker, flying enemies were tricky with a single sword. One poisoned claw scratch meant game over.
His iron sword seemed laughable compared to past gear worth kingdoms. Steeling himself, he faced the ogre’s door:
‘Level 1. One iron sword. Versus an ogre requiring Level 15... But I’m Shin Ja-geon.’
Creeeak.
The ogre rose from shadows, crimson eyes locking onto him. No ordinary Raider would survive this.
Ja-geon pushed the door open, muttering:
“...But I’m Shin Ja-geon.”
Clang!
He struck the floor with his sword. The ogre charged madly.
‘Ogre patterns... forgotten.’
Long ago, such foes became irrelevant – one-slash kills. Now? S-rank boss difficulty. Each strike could end him.
“RAAARGH!”
The club smashed where he’d stood.
Tak!
Ja-geon rolled awkwardly, eyes tracking every motion. Already breathless, sweat pooling beneath him.
‘Stamina’s garbage. One wasted move means death.’
Another swing came. Ja-geon focused utterly, dodging at the final millisecond. Patterns crystallized in his mind.
‘Trajectories visible now.’
He counterattacked – the sword barely scratched the ogre’s hide.
‘Expected. This is war of attrition.’
Exploiting every opening, he accumulated damage. No room for error. This new life flickered like a candle in wind.
‘I won’t die until revenge is complete.’
Hatred burned in Ja-geon’s eyes. Body? Starting point? Irrelevant.
‘I remain Shin Ja-geon. My supremacy unchanged.’
Schlick!
Another slash joined countless wounds on the ogre’s legs. The beast drooled in agony. Ja-geon dripped sweat, stamina nearly depleted. HP practically at 1.
‘Now.’
Thwack!
