A few days had passed, and Damien was finally ready to sneak out. He had planned everything thoroughly.
"Tomorrow is Sunday. I don't have lab work, so no one will notice my absence. But…" he sighed, "the real problem is getting past all this security. I still don't know exactly how this jacket's ability works."
Another deep breath.
"Guess I'll find out soon enough."
According to academy policy, any student leaving campus must wear the issued wristwatch at all times. The device wasn't just for announcements or cafeteria payments—it also had security functions. Most importantly, it triggered an automatic alert if it came in contact with a high mana concentration. This system was designed to prevent delusional or overconfident students from sneaking into dungeons without proper licenses.
---
Inside his dormitory, Damien changed into his prepared outfit—black pants, black shirt, and a torn piece of dark fabric to cover the lower half of his face. After tossing the academy-issued wristwatch onto his bed, he opened his inventory and summoned his gear.
A grayish-black hoodie materialized onto his torso, fitting snugly, followed by sleek black shoes appearing on his feet.
"Inventory equips work smoothly… good."
Activating Eyes of the Observer, he checked his stats:
---
[Damien - Stats (Gear Equipped)]
Strength: 5
Intelligence: 6 (+1)
Agility: 4 (+2)
Stamina: 4
Endurance: 5
Dexterity: 6
Luck: 3
Buffs:
+10% Movement Speed
10% Attack resistance
---
"So that's how additional stats are shown—clean and to the point."
He stepped out of his dorm quietly, hugging the shadows, then darted behind a large tree. And just like last time… the hazardous stealth struggle began.
The campus was wrapped in silence. Dim street lamps cast long shadows, and surveillance drones buzzed overhead on preset paths.
"I can't believe I'm doing this again," he thought grimly. "Even with one experience under my belt, it's still as terrifying as ever. If not for the stat boosts from my gear, I'd already be caught."
"Stealth skill only lasts ten minutes… No way I'll make it to the main gate in time if I activate it now."
"Damn. Why the hell is this campus so big?!"
Making use of his previous experience and boosted stats he succeeded in avoiding surveiling drones till now.
Now hiding behind a massive tree beside a wide road, he took a deep breath. Relaxing and restoring his stamina and courage for a big step.
He was just steps away from the main gate, Damien scanned his surroundings. Armed guards. Multiple drones. Floodlights.
This was it.
"Alright… do or die. Run or be caught."
He inhaled deeply, then whispered, "Activate Stealth."
A faint glow emitted from his hoodie, and the air around him shimmered like heatwaves over asphalt. Then—his body vanished.
"Wha—?!"
He clamped his hand over his mouth.
"Where the hell is my body?! Don't tell me I can't even see myself!"
The disorientation hit fast.
His steps grew sluggish.
He stumbled.
His head spun.
"Ugh… why is walking become so hard all of a sudden? I can't even see my feet!"
"Ugh.. this is bad.'
Bent slightly, one hand gripping his thigh to stay upright, he pushed through.
Up ahead, the guards near the emergency gate leaned lazily against the wall, chatting casually. No signs of alarm.
Still invisible, Damien walked directly down the road toward them, his footsteps nearly silent.
"This is amazing. I'm literally invisible to drones… haha…"
Too late, he realized he'd loosened his focus—and his legs tangled.
"Woah—!"
He barely caught himself from falling, silently slapping a hand to his lips.
"Nope. No excitement allowed. Walking in this state is seriously hard."
The closer he got to the gate, the paler his face became. Even knowing the stealth skill worked perfectly, he couldn't shake the fear of being caught.
And now came the final challenge: the locked emergency gate.
---
Two guards sat on crates next to the emergency door, relaxed and inattentive.
"If I'd known I wouldn't even be able to see myself, I would've snuck out during the day, right under their noses…"
He slowly approached the gate.
The key was hanging beside it.
"Please… don't make a sound."
He reached out—but missed.
His hand was invisible.
He couldn't afford to fumble.
He carefully touched the edge of the door to orient himself, then slid his hand along the cold metal, slowly—slowly—until he felt the hanging key brush against his palm.
With delicate precision, he grabbed it.
His hands trembled as he found the lock and inserted the key.
Click.
The sound made his heart stop—but the guards were still too deep in their chat to notice.
He cracked the door open.
A soft creak escaped, but their voices drowned it out.
Holding his breath, Damien slipped through with a quick leap to avoid tripping on the raised threshold.
He gently shut the door behind him.
Then—he ran.
Three steps later—
"Ughhh… my leg—damn this is hard…"
---
He continued walking alongside the road, away from the academy.
He had about one minute left before his stealth ability wore off.
The academy was located far from any civilian settlement. A wide road cut between the facility and the dense forest, which stretched endlessly in all directions.
Damien picked up his pace toward his destination—a Stage 1 dungeon located within that forest.
It's not very deep inside the forest were I could encounter any mutated / awaken animal.
After the mana exposer very few species have survived and awaken some abilities like humans.
In the original novel, Ren and his group would stumble upon this dungeon during an expedition.
Stage 1 dungeons posed minimal threat to humanity. Since stage tell the depth of abyss connected to sub space formed due to mana concentration.
Most of the creatures inside were native they just mutated by surviving for long in very first layer of abyss, so they were weak and could be handled by local forces.
Their environments mimicked Earth—lush forests, rocky plains, or abandoned ruins.
Sometimes, when left uncleared, these dungeons were sold to private companies and repurposed as tourist attractions. But many still remained unexplored—quiet, hidden… and dangerous for the unprepared.
---
He dropped to the ground, sweating and trembling.
"I… should not… have used 3x speed boost," he groaned. "Thought it would be good practice. Bad idea. It drained everything out of me."
His stamina was dangerously low, and now he had to face real monsters.
Damien was near the stage 1 dungeon.
The dungeon entrance was a like some giant thick red blood levitating just above the ground.
After a few minutes of rest, he got to his feet.
From his inventory, he equipped the Chef's Knife in one hand, the Santoku Knife in the other, and slipped on his Fire Gloves.
Then checked his stats.
---
[Damien - Combat Loadout]
Strength: 5 (+3)
Intelligence: 6 (+2)
Agility: 4 (+4)
Stamina: 4 (+1)
Endurance: 5 (+1)
Dexterity: 6 (+2)
Luck: 3 (+1)
Buffs:
10% Movement Speed
10% Attack Speed
10% Attack resistance
---
He took a deep breath.
"Is there a way to equip even more gear? If there is, now would be a great time to tell me."
His tone hardened.
"Hey, System. Get ready. You've slept enough."