Dungeon Replay.
Back in the day, if I wasn't studying, I was logging into that game almost daily.
Auto-hunting might be standard now, but at the time, a game that let you grow stronger even while it was turned off? That was revolutionary.
I was completely obsessed.
So much so, I used to daydream: What if this world became real?
"...I never thought that wish would actually come true."
Dreams do come true.
But that was a dream from ten years ago.
This world becoming reality? That's a bit much, even for someone who once fantasized about it.
Now I'm too grown up to indulge in those childish dreams.
Inside the spider cave glowing red from the luminous stones, the half-dark elf, Razen, stared blankly ahead with his gray eyes.
"...What about my job?"
As the adrenaline wore off, a crushing sense of dread hit him.
He had clawed his way up from the bottom. Born into poverty, harassed by debt collectors, and still—he fought and fought until he landed a job at a major corporation.
All that blood, sweat, and sacrifice...
And now, that hard-earned life had vanished in an instant.
Replaced by a game world.
No one would be happy about this.
The overwhelming sense of loss washed over him like a tidal wave.
Smack!
Razen slapped his cheeks hard.
A sharp sting cleared his mind.
Deep breath in. Deep breath out.
He forcibly expelled all the fear and negativity building up in his chest—and filled the void with positivity instead.
"You're in a game you know inside out. That's a huge advantage."
He spoke to himself like an outsider would.
Was this unlucky?
No.
If anything, he was lucky.
If he'd been dropped into a completely unknown world, he'd be dead already.
But this? This was familiar territory.
Razen raised his hand and forced the corners of his lips into a smile.
Even fake smiles help.
His childhood dream had come true—could there be anything more poetic?
They say fortune favors those who smile.
With that, Razen pulled himself together.
His previously dull eyes now gleamed with a sharp, smoky gray light.
It was time to reset his goals.
Every journey needs a destination.
"Dungeon Replay" is a game with a clearly defined ending.
Razen had always been the obsessive type—once he set his mind to something, he pursued it relentlessly until the end.
That applied to gaming too.
If the goal was to clear the game, he would study every possible strategy to get there.
A lot had become hazy over the last ten years, but he still remembered more than most.
If more time had passed, he might've forgotten everything.
Ten years was just within the limit.
"A round of applause for my memory."
He spoke out loud on purpose, grounding himself further.
Would clearing the game let him return to reality?
No way to know yet.
But he'd find out.
I will return.
Set your goal, and commit to it. That's how he lived his life.
Judging by what I see, this is the Landowner Zone—Spider Nest.
Ten years ago, the last place he left his character auto-hunting was here.
In the Spider Nest, magical arthropod-type monsters periodically spawned on a cooldown.
Magical beasts.
Creatures that exist only in dungeons. They're divided into categories: Beast-type, Dragon-type, Arthropod-type, etc.—collectively known as "phantasmic beasts."
Razen began looking for the exit.
His legs were sore from all the running, and the lingering pain from using the potion earlier still throbbed.
So that's why using potions slows you down for a bit...
He'd never realized that before.
Still, he pushed through.
He had always had a stronger survival instinct than most.
So much so, friends used to ask him:
"Doesn't living like that exhaust you?"
Of course it did.
But he'd learned the hard way that whining won't change anything.
Razen pushed forward with renewed energy.
"Found it."
At last, he located the exit.
The area with the densest red crystals—that was the escape route.
Memorizing efficient routes for faster leveling had finally paid off.
He began making his way down the path.
With each step, memories of Dungeon Replay returned.
A statue of an angel.
The first landmark he saw was a stone angel.
Its wings spread as if in prayer, this statue marked a path that led straight to the Spider Nest's exit.
As a bonus, it randomly removed one negative status effect.
Nothing's afflicting me right now anyway.
The most common debuff in the Spider Nest was poison.
But Razen was immune.
He was a Poison Necromancer, after all—and that came with passive resistance.
Pretty sure I unlocked this class on my 65th cycle.
He had chosen the Poison Necromancer because it was perfect for auto-hunting.
Back then, he had less time to play and more time needed for studying.
The class specialized in AoE mob farming—ideal for hands-off play.
And it's why he chose the half-dark elf race, too.
Dark elves had strong affinity with dark-element magic, which all necromancer skills used.
Naturally, they were the perfect match.
But he hadn't chosen full dark elf.
Full dark elves have such high affinity with darkness that they risk falling into "Corruption."
When corrupted, stats skyrocketed—but the character would automatically enter a "War Against the World" route.
So he'd found a loophole.
Half-dark elves had lower affinity—no corruption.
Plus, they were naturally agile, even more so than humans.
That made them much better at evading threats while mob farming.
"Never thought I'd experience life as a non-human… Guess I'm checking all the boxes."
Razen chuckled to himself.
In-game, he picked the race purely for performance.
But now that it was real, he'd probably have to face racism too.
Something to worry about later.
He looked up at the angel statue.
The area around it was a safe zone.
The perfect spot to check his current condition.
Let's see the setup I left the game on before quitting…
That was his first priority.
"Status window! Stat window! Skill window!"
Razen shouted enthusiastically.
Of course, no floating screens appeared.
This wasn't a game anymore—it was reality.
A convenient UI wasn't going to pop up.
Fine. Forget the system. Let's do this manually.
Better to confirm it now than waste time later.
He retraced the reason he had come this way.
This angel statue path is the shortcut out of the Landowner Zone dungeon.
But there was a catch.
Right before the exit, a random high-tier arthropod monster would spawn.
Usually, it'd be a low-level creature.
But occasionally, a rare elite would appear instead.
Still, Razen had confidence.
This was the same character he left auto-hunting in the Landowner Zone.
Even if a high-rank phantasmic beast appeared—he should be able to handle it.
The only real problem is…
Dungeon Replay isn't a normal leveling game.
Typically, you'd expect to return to see your character with improved stats.
But…
In Dungeon Replay, growth is unlocked by meeting specific conditions, not just XP.
It used an "Ascension System."
You accumulate XP—but you can only grow after completing certain requirements.
So even after 10 years of auto-hunting...
Razen had gained experience, yes.
But stat-wise, he was still stuck where he left off.
Still—not a total loss.
He had optimized this setup for this exact dungeon.
Next step—check gear.
Obviously, no helpful tooltip appeared.
He had to go by memory.
Weapon: [Venom Fang Staff]
Armor: [Felox's Web Armor]
And last but not least…
"Ruler of the Swarm."
Ruler of the Swarm
[World Exclusive] - [Unique Craft] - [Epic]
Crafted by: Archmage Araria
Special Effect
When facing more than 100 enemies: "Ruler" activates.
Ruler
Enemies fall into irrational fear and cannot meet your eyes.
A one-of-a-kind special effect.
Perfect for mob farming.
The reason the spiders had hesitated to swarm him earlier? This gear.
Now for the skills…
Razen took out the ID card he'd checked before.
There were six skill sockets listed.
A Pioneer's License.
Dungeon explorers—Pioneers—carried these.
In-game, it was just a UI overlay.
But here? It was a real, physical item.
He quickly checked the skills:
[Auto-Evolving Undead Creation (EX)]
[Poison Taunt (C)]
[Toxic Cloud (C)]
[Bone Broom (D)]
[Venom Explosion (B)]
[Poison Constitution (C)]
Upon confirming the list, Razen nearly laughed.
Auto-Evolving Undead Creation—an absurdly powerful EX-rank skill.
He'd obtained it as a 65th-cycle bonus.
It allowed him to create intelligent, unique undead minions.
But there was a drawback.
The first version of the undead is even weaker than normal ones.
They had to be raised slowly over time.
How many had I created again? Maybe five...?
None were around now.
Destroyed during auto-hunting? Probably.
Back then, they couldn't keep up with the pace anyway.
Still, with the resources he'd amassed through years of auto-hunting, he could just make new ones.
And as a half-dark elf, he had a long lifespan.
Plenty of time to raise a strong one.
For now, he set that thought aside.
Now, about the other five skills…
All of them were optimized for large-scale mob farming.
This is the build I always used for auto-hunting.
Seeing it again, his memory returned.
Problem is…
This build is terrible for one-on-one combat.
And now, Razen was about to face a single, possibly high-ranking phantasmic beast.
He gripped the Venom Fang tightly.
No point standing still.
He had the gear. He had the skills.
Time to act.
"Let's go."
Razen marched into the depths of the cave.
It was much darker and more oppressive than he remembered from the game.
This darkness… it really messes with your head.
Without the glowing red crystals, he might've had a full-blown panic attack.
Good thing they were scattered around.
He moved cautiously.
Thud!
Suddenly, something heavy landed in front of him.
An event had been triggered—the shortcut's guardian.
A lone arthropod monster in a narrow cave path.
Razen looked up and raised his staff.
He swallowed dryly.
Under the red glow of the crystal...
A creature appeared.
Golden, gleaming fur.
Eight long legs.
And a mouth full of disturbingly human-like teeth.
"..."
Razen said nothing.
It was a Gold Spider—a top-tier arthropod.
Tip: In Dungeon Replay, phantasmic beast tiers are represented by rainbow colors.