The Mutated Rift Rat and I stared at each other for what felt like an eternity, though it probably only lasted a few seconds. The silence of the grove was broken only by the faint humming of the nearby Rift and the frantic pounding of my own heart against my ribs. The dagger, the Shadow Shard, seemed almost to hum with anticipation in my hand. Or maybe it was just me trembling.

  The rat was the first to move. With a piercing shriek that drilled into my eardrums, it lunged. Its movements were surprisingly fast for its size and gangly appearance. It wasn't aiming for my legs, as I might have expected from a rodent, but my throat, its fangs slick with drool, ready to tear.

  Pure panic flooded me for a fraction of a second. My mind screamed. This was it, the reality of the "game." No easy respawn, no instant healing potion just a click away. Just death, swift and brutal, if I didn't react.

  Survival instinct, that primal force that slumbers within each of us, took over. I had no real combat skills, just years of reflexes gained from pounding keyboard keys and frantically clicking a mouse. But it was enough to dodge, barely. I sidestepped, my body twisted into an impossible posture. The rat's claws grazed my hoodie, leaving a trail of torn fabric and a burning sensation on my skin. It had missed slitting my jugular by a hair's breadth.

  It landed heavily, spun around with surprising agility, and charged again. This time, I was a bit more prepared. Instead of just retreating, I raised the dagger, holding it before me like an improvised shield. The creature hit the blade with a dull thud. The impact forced me back a step, my arms vibrating from the shock. The rat let out a cry of pain and frustration, a thin red gash appearing on its snout where it had touched the Shadow Shard's edge.

  A small victory. But it wasn't going to give up that easily.

  It backed away, fixing me with its multiple bloodshot eyes. It seemed... to be thinking. Learning. This wasn't just a stupid animal. There was a gleam of malevolent intelligence in its gaze. The System had chosen its first monster well: weak enough to be theoretically manageable by a Level 1, but vicious enough to be deadly if underestimated.

  I swallowed, trying to calm my ragged breathing. My hands were slick with sweat on the dagger's hilt. "Okay, Min-joon," I murmured to myself. "Think like it's a game. It has patterns. Weaknesses." But that was easier said than done when the monster's "texture" was far too real and its "sound effects" sent a chill down your spine.

  The rat feinted an attack to my left, then lunged to my right. I anticipated the move – thanks to hours spent fighting bosses with twisted mechanics – and pivoted, bringing the dagger down in a sweeping arc. I wasn't aiming for anything specific, just hoping to hit something.

  The blade met resistance, then plunged into flesh with a sickening tearing sound. The rat let out a strident howl, a mix of pain and rage. Greenish blood, almost black, gushed out, splashing my hand and the dagger. The smell was nauseating, a mix of sulfur and rotten meat. I winced in disgust.

  I had hit it. Grievously, it seemed. It was limping now, dragging a hind leg. But far from being defeated, it seemed even more furious. Its red eyes glowed with pure hatred.

  It threw itself at me one last time, desperately. I didn't have time to dodge. I raised the dagger, almost by reflex, to protect my face. Its fangs clamped down on my forearm, just above the wrist.

  A blinding, burning pain exploded in my arm. I screamed, almost dropping the dagger. Its teeth sank in, almost grinding bone. I saw my own HP bar, in the corner of my interface, dropping rapidly: 85/100... 78/100...

  Panic threatened to flood me again. But through the pain, a cold rage rose in me. No way. No way was I dying here, killed by a stinking mutant rat, after getting a second chance.

  With my free hand, I grabbed the rat's head, my fingers digging into its coarse fur. I pulled with all my strength, trying to pry it off my arm. It held fast, its jaws locked.

  Then, I did the only thing I could think of. Driven by desperation and adrenaline, I plunged the tip of the Shadow Shard directly into one of its multiple red eyes.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  There was a repugnant sound, like crushing an overripe fruit. The rat let out a last choked gurgle, its body convulsed violently, and its jaws finally loosened. It fell heavily to the ground, a trickle of black liquid draining from its ruptured eye socket. It was dead.

  I stood there, panting, my arm bloody and aching, the dagger still gripped tightly. The Mutated Rat's body began to glow faintly, then disintegrated into particles of bluish light that were absorbed by the Shadow Shard. The dagger vibrated harder in my hand, a pleasant warmth spreading from the hilt to my arm.

  [You have defeated: Mutated Rift Rat (Level 1)]

  [You have gained 50 XP!]

  [LEVEL UP! You are now Level 2.]

  [You have gained 5 Attribute Points.]

  [You have gained 1 Skill Point.]

  [Urgent Quest: Initial Contamination – COMPLETED!]

  [Reward: Common Item – Small Healing Potion (Minor)]

  [Shadow Shard has absorbed the essence of Mutated Rift Rat.]

  [Shadow Shard Affinity increased: 0.51%]

  [Latent Ability: Essence Absorption (Partially Unlocked)]

  [New Dagger Skill Available: Shadow Strike (Lv. 1)]

  An avalanche of notifications. My brain struggled to take it all in. Level up. Attribute points. A potion. And the dagger... it had absorbed something, unlocking a skill. "Shadow Strike."

  My attention was immediately drawn to the potion that had materialized in my free hand. A small vial filled with a glowing red liquid. Without hesitation, I uncorked it and swallowed the contents. The taste was slightly sweet, metallic. A gentle warmth spread through my injured arm, and the pain began to fade. I looked at my HP bar: it was slowly rising. 90/100... 95/100... Soon, it was back to 110/110 (my Vitality must have increased with the level). The bite was still there, fang marks clearly visible, but the wound seemed to be closing, the bleeding stopping. Magical. Literally.

  I sank heavily onto the bench where the rat had been gnawing moments before, still short of breath. I had succeeded. I had survived my first fight. The feeling was a strange mix of relief, euphoria, and residual terror. My T-shirt was torn, my arm bore the marks of the encounter, and I was covered in dirt and a little monster blood, but I was alive.

  And I was stronger.

  I took a moment to open my "Status" menu. I had 5 attribute points to allocate. After that experience, Vitality seemed crucial, but Agility for dodging and Strength for hitting harder too. And Intelligence for the MP of my future dagger skills... Dilemma. For now, I decided to put 2 points into Vitality, 2 into Agility, and 1 into Strength. A balanced choice to start.

  Next, the dagger skill: "Shadow Strike." I checked its description.

  [Shadow Strike (Lv. 1) (Active)]

  [Cost: 10 MP]

  [Infuses the Shadow Shard with shadowy energy, adding +5 shadow damage to the next attack and having a low chance (10%) to apply [Minor Blindness] to the target for 3 seconds.]

  Not bad for a start. Extra damage and a potential debuff. I couldn't wait to try it.

  The Rift, the distortion in the air, seemed less intense now, the humming fainter. Maybe killing the escaped creature had stabilized it? Or maybe it was just my imagination.

  I stood up, a little shaky. I needed to get out of here before anyone saw me in this state. I put the Shadow Shard away in my dimensional inventory. I needed to clean myself up, change clothes. Professor Kim was probably going to kill me, but that was the least of my worries right now.

  As I was about to leave the grove, my gaze was drawn to a metallic glint on the ground, where the rat's body had disintegrated. It was a small coin, a dull bronze, with strange symbols I didn't recognize.

  [You have found: 1 Rift Crystal (Currency)]

  Money. Even in this new world ruled by game-like rules, money seemed to have its importance.

  I picked up the crystal, sliding it into my pocket. Just one piece. It wasn't much, but it was a start.

  A bloody, terrifying start, but a start nonetheless. I had taken my first steps into this "Game Nexus." And I had learned a crucial lesson: this was definitely not a game where you could afford to let your guard down.