A Trash Novel's Only Reader-Chapter 37: Sleep

[Cross-Rank Kill Bonus: Applied]

[Boss Suppression Bonus: Applied]

[Base EXP: +7,800]

[Bonus EXP: +9,600]

[Credits: +18,500]

[Level Up! Lv.12 -> Lv.13]

[Level Up! Lv.13 -> Lv.14]

[Level Up! Lv.14 -> Lv.15]

[Free Stat Points: +12]

[Objective: Clear the Crimson Forest (122/150)]

He stared at the wall of text with blood still dripping off his chin, then laughed once because it sounded fake even to him. His legs were shaking and his ribs felt cracked, yet that reward dump hit harder than the pain for a second.

’Haha, now that is a proper payout,’ he thought, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. ’If this didn’t give levels, I would have cursed the system all day.’

The notifications kept coming before he could calm down.

[Slaughterer has leveled up.]

[Slaughterer Lv.4: Active command skill. Boosts all stats +30% for 45 seconds.]

[Side Effect: Aggression, bloodlust, and risk-taking increase sharply while active.]

[Arms Bond has leveled up.]

[Arms Bond Lv.2: Bond channel efficiency increased.]

[Bonded weapon durability and striking force greatly improved.]

[Bond Effect update: While wielding a bonded weapon, Frame and Core gain a temporary boost.]

[Current Boost: Frame +8, Core +5]

[Unwavering Spirit has leveled up.]

[Unwavering Spirit Lv.2: Fear, panic, and mental disruption resistance increased.]

[Focus recovery under pressure improved.]

[Mutation Resistance (Fragment) is complete.]

[Mutation Resistance Lv.1 acquired.]

[Effect: Reduces mutation corruption and toxic conversion effects.]

[New Skill Acquired: Tyrant Break Lv.1]

[Type: Active]

[Effect: For 8 seconds, attacks against armored or oversized targets gain high penetration and stagger force.]

[Cooldown: 90 seconds]

He blinked twice and reopened the log to make sure he did not imagine the last line. A brand new combat skill, full mutation resistance, and multiple upgrades all at once felt like someone dumped cheat codes into his lap.

"This is the dopamine hit I am talking about," he muttered, gripping the bat tighter. "I almost died, but now I see why people get addicted to this."

The ash at the bottom of the lane suddenly pulled inward and gathered into a dense glowing lump. It hardened in seconds, turning into a dark red crystal core bigger than his fist, with black veins moving under the surface.

He crouched down and picked it up with both hands. The core was hot, heavy, and throbbed in his palm like a slow heartbeat.

[Monster Drop Confirmed.]

[Item Acquired: Crimson Tyrant Core (Mutated)]

[Grade: E-Rank Peak]

[Energy Attribute: Brutal Growth / Corruption]

[Warning: Unsafe for direct use without high resistance or staged integration.]

’Perfect,’ he thought, sliding it into a separate pocket from his other cores. ’One more ridiculous core for my growing collection of bad life choices.’

He opened his status while catching his breath, mostly to enjoy the numbers after that nightmare.

[Status:]

[Name: Shu]

[Rank: E-Rank (Low)]

[Level: 15]

[EXP: 2,900/9,600]

[Credits: 45,200]

[Free Stat Points: 12]

[Frame: 48]

[Core: 23]

[Circuit: 20]

[Authority: 2 (Domain-linked)]

[Body Integrity: 1]

[Sense: 1]

[Resist: 1]

[Skill Set:]

[ - Domain Lv.3 (Unique)]

[ - Slaughterer Lv.4 (Active)]

[ - Unwavering Spirit Lv.2 (Passive)]

[ - Iron Stomach Lv.1 (Passive)]

[ - Core Consumption (Special)]

[ - Arms Bond Lv.2 (Passive)]

[ - Mutation Resistance Lv.1 (Passive)]

[ - Monster Tamer Lv.1 (Passive)]

[ - Tyrant Break Lv.1 (Active)]

He let out a slow breath and stood up straight, though pain still dragged at his side whenever he moved too fast. Relief and hype sat in his chest together, which made him grin even while he looked half dead.

’I can finally feel the gap closing,’ he thought, glancing toward the deeper forest. ’Still not strong enough for the big players, but I am not as helpless anymore.’

The split lane shifted again before he could take a full step.

Dirt crumbled under the roots and opened a narrow glowing path below, with thick red light pulsing from deep underground in slow heavy beats. His expression flattened right away when the system window popped up again.

[Bonus Objective Update]

[Source of corruption detected.]

[Distance: 298m]

[Direction: Below]

He clicked his tongue and rested the bat on his shoulder.

"You really won’t let me rest, huh?" he said, staring into the opening. "Fine, but this time I scout first and don’t pick another suicidal brawl."

He adjusted his grip, checked his footing, and started down toward the red pulse while the forest above him kept groaning like something big was still waking up.

The tunnel dropped steep for the first few meters, then narrowed into a slanted root path barely wide enough for his shoulders. Red fluid dripped from the walls in slow drops, and each one hissed when it hit the dirt.

[Warning: Corruption density increasing.]

[Mutation Resistance Lv.1 active.]

’Good,’ he thought, wiping sweat from his brow as he kept moving. ’At least one of my new skills is earning its keep already.’

He went down another bend and stopped when the path split in two. The left side pulsed brighter, but the right side had fresh claw marks carved into the dirt, and both options didn’t look appealing.

’If I follow the glow, I probably find the source,’ he thought, crouching to check the marks. ’Though, if I follow the marks, I might find the things guarding it.’

He gave a short laugh and stood back up.

"So basically same destination," he muttered, then took the left path.

The tunnel opened into a low chamber lined with thick roots, and something small rushed his legs before he got a full look. He stepped back on reflex, then smashed down with his bat and burst the first creature into black mush.

Two more crawled out right after, each one the size of a dog with bony mouths and root-like tails. Their bodies looked half flesh and half bark, with yellow eyes that never blinked.

"Great," he said, pulling the bat free. "Dungeon cockroaches."

The first one jumped for his throat, so he turned his shoulder and clipped it out of the air with a short swing. The second tried to bite his calf, but he brought his heel down on its neck and crushed it before it got a full grip.

[Kill Registered: Root Gnawer x3] 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

[Objective: Clear the Crimson Forest (125/150)]

[EXP: +540]

[Credits: +330]

More movement came from the roots ahead, and this time he did not wait. He stepped in hard, chained two quick swings, and shattered two gnawers as they crawled out of the wall.

One still made it through, latching onto his sleeve and trying to climb to his face, but he grabbed it by the skull and slammed it into the ground until it stopped moving.

[Kill Registered: Root Gnawer x3]

[Objective: Clear the Crimson Forest (128/150)]

[EXP: +540]

[Credits: +330]

The chamber fell quiet after that, and he finally took a breath in peace. He looked down at the black sludge on his boots and clicked his tongue.

’I fought a giant monster minutes ago and now I am stepping on sewer rats,’ he thought, shaking gore off his bat. ’The dungeon really has no respect.’

He crossed the chamber and found a tunnel opening behind a curtain of hanging roots. The red pulse hit harder from this side, steady and thick, making his skin tighten with each beat.

By the time he reached the end, the space in front of him opened into a cavern so wide he had to stop and stare. Roots covered the ceiling like veins, and in the middle hung a giant red mass that looked like a heart wrapped in black crystal chains.

Each pulse from that thing sent a red wave through the roots, and every wave carried the same energy he felt from the fake demon cores.

[Bonus Objective Confirmed]

[Corruption Source located.]

[Core Type: Artificial Corruption Heart]

[Status: Protected]

’Protected by what?’ he thought, lowering his stance.

He moved one step into the cavern and kept his breathing shallow while scanning the floor for movement. Nothing answered him at first, only the slow heartbeat pulse from the chained mass in the center.

Another step brought him behind a thick root pillar, and from there he saw the ground around the heart was full of carved symbols. Black-red fluid ran through those lines, feeding into the crystal chains every time the thing pulsed.

He shifted for a better angle and felt the air change.

The temperature dropped in one breath, then his neck prickled like something had appeared right behind him. He turned on instinct, but all he caught was darkness between the roots and the edge of a shadow moving out of sight.

"Interesting," a voice said from somewhere in the cavern, calm and almost amused. "A little rat made it this far."

Shu’s grip tightened around the bat while his eyes cut left and right, but no body showed itself between the roots. ’Where are you?’ he thought, forcing his breathing down as the cold in the cavern kept rising.

"Show yourself," he said, shifting his stance. "If you want me dead, stop hiding."

A low laugh echoed from every direction at once, and the chained heart pulsed so hard the ground trembled under him.

The same voice spoke again, closer this time, "Kneel."

Something slammed into his chest before he could react, like an invisible hammer crashing through his ribs. His body flew backward and smashed into the wall with a sick crack, then slid down while his bat bounced out of his hand.

Pain exploded through his head and spine, and warm blood ran into his eye as everything blurred. He tried to stand, but his arms gave out and his vision started closing at the edges.

Footsteps stopped somewhere in front of him, but he still couldn’t see who it was. "Sleep," the unseen voice said.

The red heartbeat in the center of the cavern flashed one last time, then everything went black.