"Humans," I had whispered, sniffing the air. "I smell woodsmoke."

  I took a deep breath, filled with hope and the anticipation of a warm meal. I walked through the bushes, pushing aside a massive fern, expecting to see a campfire.

  Instead, I saw a cave mouth that smelled like wet dog and sulfur.

  "Okay," I muttered, my eye twitching. "Note to self: My nose is a liar. That wasn't woodsmoke. That was the smell of impending violence."

  I sighed, adjusting my grip on my sword. Another day of traveling, another day of fighting, another day of surviving. Though it is hard, I have to admit... using spells is undeniably cool.

  Rumble.

  The earth beneath my boots began to vibrate. Dust fell from the cave ceiling.

  "What’s happening? Earthquake?"

  ZING.

  The air in front of me shimmered. Space itself seemed to fold and distort, pixelating like a glitched monitor. A rectangular, translucent blue panel materialized in mid-air right in front of my face.

  [ WARNING! ]

  [ Dungeon Boss Ahead ]

  I blinked. The text on the screen rippled and changed into a status bar.

  [ Boss: Five-Armed Ape (E-Rank) ]

  [ HP: 2500 / 2500 ]

  "Woah!" I stepped back, examining the floating panel. "It looks like a holographic screen. Just like those manhwas I read in my last world."

  But while a normal person would think, 'Cool, a game system!', my brain went in a different direction.

  I leaned in closer, squinting at the edges of the light construct. This wasn't just magic. This was Reality Manipulation. Space magic mixed with information processing.

  "I wonder..." a twisted grin spread across my face. "Where are the codes written? This interface has to be running on something. A universal script? A divine operating system?"

  If I could find the source code... if I could learn the syntax of this magic... I wouldn't just be a hero. I could rewrite the laws of physics. I could patch reality.

  I could become a God.

  (Okay, calm down, Ragna. First kill the monkey, then hack the universe.)

  "If I'm right," I mused, stepping into the cave, "I unknowingly entered a Dungeon field. And by the rules of every RPG ever made, if I defeat the Boss, I get the loot box. And I really need supplies."

  I stepped into the cavern.

  There it stood. A massive ape, easily ten feet tall, with fur the color of dried blood. And true to its name, it had five muscular arms—two on the left, three on the right. An asymmetrical nightmare.

  It roared, beating its chest with all five fists. BOOM-BOOM-BOOM.

  "Let's go!"

  I didn't wait for an invitation. I launched myself forward.

  "Infernal Slashes!"

  I swung my black-red blade, sending arcs of Phoenix fire screaming toward the beast. The flames collided with the Ape’s chest—

  Sizzle.

  The fire didn't burn it. It vanished, sucked into the Ape's fur like water into a sponge. The beast burped a small puff of smoke and grinned.

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  "Fire immunity?" I cursed, skidding to a halt. "Or Fire Absorption? Great. Just my luck."

  The Ape lunged, all five arms swinging like a windmill of death.

  "Whoa! Too fast!"

  I ducked under a massive haymaker, feeling the wind ruffle my hair. I backflipped away, my mind racing. If Fire feeds it, I need the opposite.

  "Let's test my elemental affinity," I shouted.

  I focused on the Dragon Scale essence in my core. Mizuki isn't just an Earth Dragon; True Dragons command the weather. They command the storm.

  "Water Blades!"

  I slashed the air three times. Moisture from the damp cave condensed instantly, forming three pressurized crescents of water. They shot forward like guillotines.

  Slash. Slash. Slash.

  The Ape screeched. The water cut deep into its shoulder and thigh. Blood sprayed.

  "It works! But it's not enough damage."

  The Ape, enraged, grabbed a massive boulder and hurled it at me. I side-stepped, but the shockwave of the impact threw me off balance.

  I need a finisher. Water conducts electricity. Science time.

  I channeled my mana again. I coated my blade in water, but this time, I agitated the mana particles until they sparked. Friction. Static. Lightning.

  "Hydro-Thunder Strike!"

  I sprinted forward, my sword crackling with blue electricity arcing through the water sheath. The Ape tried to block with three arms.

  Mistake.

  I drove the blade into its guarding arms. The water soaked the fur, and the lightning traveled instantly through the wet path, frying the beast's nerves.

  ZZZRRRT!

  [ -1500 HP ]

  The numbers flashed in my mind's eye. The Ape convulsed, smoke rising from its joints.

  "Yeah!" I cheered. "Science for the w—"

  The Ape didn't fall. It roared, its eyes glowing red. It planted its feet and opened its mouth. A ball of concentrated energy began to form.

  "Oh, crap," I realized. "Phase Two. Long-range attack."

  The Ape opened its mouth, and I braced myself for a beam. But instead of raw energy, a swirling ball of red flame formed between its jaws.

  "Wait a minute," I shouted, side-stepping just as the projectile blasted past me, singing my hair. "That’s a Fireball! That’s my move! You copied me?"

  The Ape grinned, beating its chest. It had learned my elemental affinity instantly.

  "Alright, copycat," I growled. "Let's see you copy this. Wind Walking!"

  I kicked off the ground, but I didn't go straight up this time. I used the air steps to dash erratically—left, right, up, down. I became a blur. The Ape’s five heads (wait, no, one head, five arms—getting dizzy) swiveled frantically, trying to track me.

  It’s confused. Now!

  I landed hard on the cavern floor and slammed my palm into the dirt.

  "Earth Bind!"

  Rock shackles shot up from the ground, clamping tight around the Ape’s thick ankles. It roared, tugging at the stone, but it was stuck.

  "You're grounded," I quipped. I switched my Mana flow to the coldest part of my spectrum. A massive, jagged spear of ice formed above my head.

  "Icicle Crash!"

  I hurled the spear. It whistled through the air and slammed into the Ape’s chest, pinning it back. The beast howled in pain, its HP bar flashing red.

  "And for the finale!"

  I didn't waste a second. I coated my blade in water and cranked up the voltage.

  "Hydro-Thunder Strike!"

  I closed the distance in a heartbeat and drove the electrified blade into the wound the ice spear had made.

  CRACK-BOOM!

  The lightning discharged internally. The Ape stiffened, its skeleton flashing like a cartoon x-ray, before it collapsed.

  [ Victory! ]

  The massive body of the boss didn't rot; it dissolved into golden dust. Floating in its place was a glowing red orb (Essence) and an item.

  [ Item Obtained: Band of Fire ]

  [ Effect: Increases Fire Elemental Damage by 1.25x ]

  "Amazing!" I cheered, snatching the black-and-red armband from the air. "It matches my aesthetic perfectly. Let me just wear it."

  I slid it onto my arm. I could feel the Phoenix fire inside me purring in approval.

  Rumble.

  Suddenly, the ground where the Ape died split open. A heavy, ornate chest rose from the dirt.

  "Loot chest!" I gasped, wiping drool from my mouth. "This is exactly what I wanted!"

  I kicked the lid open. Inside sat a set of dark, metallic armor pieces and a dusty old book.

  "Status Peek," I muttered, grabbing the book first.

  [ Skill Book: Status Peek ]

  [ Rank: D ]

  [ Effect: Analyze the state and information of objects, people, or beasts. ]

  "So I can analyze anything," I grinned. "I can see the code. That is amazing. Let me quickly learn it."

  I focused on the book. The pages glowed and dissolved into light, flowing into my head. Skill Acquired.

  "Now," I turned my eyes to the armor. My vision shifted, text overlaying reality.

  [ Item: Black Knight Armor ]

  [ Rank: E (One of the 5 Named E-Rank Armors) ]

  [ Special Ability: Can transform into a locket on command. ]

  "One of the Named Armors?" I whistled. "That’s rare."

  Then, a thought hit me. I looked at the sword my father had given me—the one I’d been swinging for weeks. I used Status Peek on it.

  [ Item: Black Knight Sword ]

  [ Rank: E ]

  [ Special Ability: Can transform into a ring on command. ]

  "No way," I breathed. "It turns into a ring? Do you know what a huge relief that is? I don't have to carry this thing around on my back like a cosplayer!"

  I tested it immediately. "Transform."

  Click.

  The sword shrank, folding in on itself until it was a sleek black ring on my finger. I did the same with the armor, which morphed into a silver locket around my neck.

  "Inventory management solved," I said, dusting off my hands.

  I walked out of the back of the cave, into the blinding sunlight.

  I shielded my eyes. There, in the distance, rising from the plains, were massive stone walls. Flags waved from the turrets. Smoke rose from chimneys.

  ** The Capital.**

  "Finally!" I shouted, sprinting toward the gates. I stopped on a hill overlooking the city and struck a pose—fist in the air, chest out.

  "Death Forest... Escaped!"