Marvel: Shadow Monarch

I focused on the notification that had appeared after Nemesis fell, eager to see what killing a boss monster had earned me.

DUNGEON CLEAR REWARDS:

Nemesis Knuckles

Skill Rune: Dash

2000 Gold

Not bad. Let's see what these actually do.

I mentally selected the knuckles first. The item materialized briefly in my hand—black metal gauntlets that looked like they could punch through steel.

The description appeared in my mind automatically: a weapon that increased attack power by forty points. Impressive, but I was more comfortable with bladed weapons. Still, having options was never a bad thing.

I stored them in my inventory and turned my attention to the skill rune.

The Dash rune appeared in my palm as a smooth stone about the size of a golf ball, pulsing with faint blue energy. According to the description, I needed to crush it to absorb the skill. Simple enough.

I squeezed my fist around it, and the stone crumbled like chalk. Blue light streamed between my fingers, flowing into my body with a warm, tingling sensation that reminded me of drinking hot coffee on a cold morning.

SKILL LEARNED: DASH

Effect: Increase movement speed by 15% for 30 seconds

Cooldown: 60 seconds

Now that's useful. Speed has been my biggest advantage so far.

I pulled up my status screen to see how the level-ups had affected my stats. The system had mentioned I'd gained three levels from the boss fight, which should mean some automatic improvements beyond just the stat points.

Name: Lucien Reynolds

Job: None

Level: 10 Fatigue: 5

HP: 420/420 MP: 60/60

Strength: 57

Health: 42

Agility: 57

Perception: 28

Mana: 6

Stat Points: 15

Gold: 2000

Most of my stats had increased by one or two points each from the level-ups, which was a nice bonus on top of the points I could allocate manually. Fifteen stat points to work with wasn't bad either—five points per level seemed to be the standard.

My strength and agility were solid now, but my perception needed work. During the fight with Nemesis, I'd sensed its attack, but barely in time.

Against faster opponents, that delay could be fatal.

I put nine points into perception, bringing it up to thirty-seven.

The change was immediate—my awareness of the chamber around me sharpened considerably. 

The remaining six points went into health. Survivability was always a good investment.

I looked down at the dagger in my hand. The blade was chipped and dulled from the fight, and I could see hairline cracks running through the metal. It had served me well, but it was clearly on its last legs. Still, it was better than being unarmed.

That's when another notification appeared, this one different from the others.

LEVEL 10 REACHED

JOB SELECTION AVAILABLE

The screen expanded, showing me several options:

Warrior - Increases physical combat effectiveness

Mage - Enhances magical abilities and mana capacity

Assassin - Specializes in speed, stealth, and critical strikes

Archer - Focuses on ranged combat and precision

Paladin - Balances offense and defense with holy abilities

I studied the choices. 

The system's name made it obvious what my destiny is to be: the Shadow Monarch, the Ruler of Death.

These classes won't make much difference in the long run, but still, until I get the necromantic powers, choosing the right class will definitely come in handy.

Speed had been my greatest asset so far.

My ability to move faster than my enemies had saved my life multiple times, and the assassin class seemed designed to enhance that advantage even further.

Plus, I remembered from Solo Leveling that Sung Jin-Woo had chosen a similar path, and look how that had worked out for him.

The warrior class was the only other option worth considering, but still, I had made up my mind already.

Assassin, it is.

I selected the class, and immediately felt another surge of power flow through my body.

JOB SELECTED: ASSASSIN

STAT BONUSES APPLIED:

Agility +10, Perception +8, Strength +2, Health +2, Mana +3

CLASS SKILLS GRANTED:

-Critical Hit

-Stealth

The changes were more dramatic than I'd expected. My body felt lighter, more responsive. My vision seemed sharper, and I could sense the space around me with an almost supernatural clarity. Even my mana reserves, pathetic as they were, had grown slightly.

I pulled up my status again to see the final numbers.

Name: Lucien Reynolds

Job: Assassin

Level: 10 Fatigue: 5

HP: 500/500 MP: 90/90

Strength: 59

Health: 50

Agility: 67

Perception: 45

Mana: 9

Stat Points: 0

Gold: 2000

Now those are respectable numbers.

My agility was approaching superhuman levels, and my perception was sharp enough that I felt like I could sense a pin drop in the next room.

The strength and health boosts were smaller but still welcome—every point of durability mattered when facing enemies that could punch through walls.

The skills were amazing in their own right, but needed mana to be of use.

Guess I finally know where mana will be of use. Plus, now that I remember, I will need tons of mana to be able to build my army, so it would be great to start building the foundation early on.

Right now, I could only use the Critical Hit as the Stealth skill requires a higher amount of mana.

As I was reviewing my improved stats, the air in front of me began to shimmer and distort.

A portal formed, identical to the one that had brought me here, but oriented differently. Through its swirling depths, I could make out the familiar white walls of the research facility.

Time to go back.

The thought should have filled me with dread. After all, I was about to return to the place where I'd been imprisoned, experimented on, and treated like a lab rat. But instead, I felt... confident. Eager, even.

I wasn't the same person who had desperately thrown himself through a portal to escape certain death.

That version of me had been weak, helpless, dependent on luck and desperation to survive.

This version of me was an assassin with stats that put me well beyond human norms.

I had a speed boost skill that could make me even faster when needed. Most importantly, I had just experienced real combat.

The facility's guards might have military training, but they were still baseline humans with baseline human limitations.

Their weapons were dangerous, but only if they could hit a target moving at superhuman speeds.

There was still one thing I needed to do before I went. I put my hands on the suppression collar on my neck and broke it, and threw it on the ground.

With that done, I walked toward the portal, my damaged dagger held casually in my hand. Anna was waiting for me back there, probably terrified about what had happened after my dramatic escape.

I'd been gone for what felt like an hour—though time might work differently in dungeons—and she had no way of knowing if I was alive or dead.

Well, I was alive. And I was coming back stronger than anyone in that facility could possibly imagine.

The portal's energy crackled around me as I stepped through, ready to begin the real mission: getting both of us out of that place permanently.

Let's see how they handle an assassin.

....

.....

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