Trait Hoarder

Exoskeleton Factory — Part 1

A night without even the moon.

A world where gray mana clouds obscured both the moon and stars.

I sat atop a towering chimney, overlooking the land below.

‘This is serious.’

In my original world, this area was home to Seoul Forest.

Before Seoul Forest, there had been a racetrack, a sports complex, and a golf course.

And in this world?

Even dreaming of greenery was a luxury.

Each factory spewed thick, acrid mana smoke into the air.

Even with my [Indomitable] trait, my head felt light and dizzy.

It was filled with pollutants and dimensionally warped mana.

Anyone sensitive to mana could mutate just from being exposed to this smog.

Environmental protection?

Purification filters?

Expecting that in this wretched world was foolish.

[Manager Choi. This time, it’s here.]

Tap! Tatak!

After sending a message, I kicked off the chimney and leaped down.

Even at this hour, the factories were running at full capacity.

In a world overflowing with resources—and even more so with people—labor was cheap.

They didn’t even need a three-shift system; with just two shifts, there were still plenty of workers to exploit.

‘This is the place.’

The innermost part of the Seongsu-dong industrial zone.

A particularly large factory stood there.

It spewed out the thickest mana smoke, its surrounding roads blackened by mana toxins.

The factory had towering walls and coiled razor wire fences, but they meant nothing to me.

I lightly vaulted over them.

[Bright Eyes] [Sixth Sense] [Stealth]

Suppressing my footsteps, I blended into the building’s shadows.

Right then, a few guards approached.

“Hey, did you hear?”

“Hear what?”

“There was another strike this morning.”

“Idiots. Where else would they find a boss like ours?”

“That’s what I’m saying. He gives them food, clothes, a place to sleep. If they don’t like it, they can just commute.”

“They’ll only realize how good they have it once they start paying fifty grand a month for a one-pyeong goshiwon, switching subways three times, and spending two or three hundred thousand won a month on transportation.”

“And that’s not even all. Think about food expenses. I spend a million won a month just on that.”

“That’s because you’re a pig.”

“You little—”

The guards walked off.

A strike?

They were lucky to still be alive.

This world claimed to be democratic, but in reality, it was an aristocracy. A single protest gone wrong could get you killed.

It was bitter, but there was a reason people called me a lunatic when I redeveloped Guro Stronghold.

I followed the guards, eavesdropping on their conversation.

Only I knew that this factory would become a dungeon later.

No matter how strong I was as a Level 7 superhuman, I couldn’t just storm in and destroy everything.

I needed justification.

To do that, catching them in a crime and activating my enforcement privileges was the best approach.

And these bastards were bound to be up to no good…

Thud!

The guards entered a massive warehouse-like building.

Inside, rows of five-tier bunk beds were lined up like apartment blocks.

Not two-tier beds—five-tier.

Roughly built from wood, covered in mold.

Some had already collapsed, leaving only the bottom two or three tiers.

‘What the hell is this?’

Workers lay on each bed, snoring under thin green blankets.

There was no separation between men and women.

Teenagers barely older than high school students, elderly people close to sixty—each of them struggling to breathe in their sleep.

“Ugh, so hot…”

“Hhhn… hhhng…”

They tossed and turned, groaning as if trapped in sleep paralysis.

Sweat poured from their bodies.

It was inevitable.

Summer was approaching fast.

And in this world, thanks to pollution, the heat waves arrived even sooner.

Air conditioning?

Forget about it.

The only ventilation came from a few small, open windows.

With no airflow, the stench of stale sweat filled the air.

The humidity was suffocating.

It felt like stepping into a trash-filled sauna.

I shuddered instinctively.

A middle-aged man lying near the entrance noticed the door open and looked at the guards.

Scrambling to his feet, he forced a servile smile.

“Superhumans, sir. Could we please have just ten minutes with the fan?”

A warehouse-style dormitory.

A few giant fans hung from the ceiling.

But with hundreds of people crammed in here, those were useless.

They would need dozens of industrial air conditioners just to cool the place down.

“What? A fan?”

One of the guards scowled.

“It’s only June, and you’re already whining about a fan? Are you kidding me? Didn’t you hear the boss? Fans won’t be turned on until late July!”

“But… but it’s too hot!”

“This bastard really let himself get comfortable, huh? If you worked hard enough during the day, you’d be too tired to care about the heat! You want me to put you to sleep?”

The guard raised his massive fist.

[Strength]

That was his only trait.

Level 1.

Against a gun, he was just another weakling.

But to a Level 0 laborer, he was the Grim Reaper.

The man bowed his head.

“No, sir. I’ll just sleep…”

“Damn right you will. Remember, there are plenty of people who’d kill to take your spot!”

“Yes, sir…”

The guards glared at him before moving on.

The brief commotion had woken a few others.

But no one dared to complain.

They simply blinked with hollow eyes like dead fish before turning over and forcing themselves back to sleep.

“Damn it.”

The man who had been scolded was no different.

After cursing under his breath, he buried his face in his blanket and forced himself to sleep.

Twelve-hour shifts, working in just two rotations.

Maybe that’s why he passed out so quickly, as if kidnapped by sleep itself.

‘Tch.’

I stood there for a long time, unable to move.

It reminded me too much of my old life, back when I worked in a factory.

Compared to this, Hell Joseon wasn’t so bad.

At least before I got scammed out of my deposit, I had a fifteen-pyeong studio apartment all to myself, with the air conditioner blasting at full power.

The occasional takeout chicken and beer, or samgyeopsal with soju, were the small joys in life.

‘Let’s just focus on my task.’

Even a king can’t save the poor.

I wasn’t some knight in shining armor who could overhaul this unjust world and bring happiness and prosperity to everyone.

I had my own problems to worry about.

I had to survive first.

I would help those within my reach, but that was my limit.

‘Here it is.’

A section of the warehouse-style dormitory.

Partitions had been set up to create a makeshift cafeteria.

The kitchen and food storage were connected.

I scanned my surroundings before approaching the food storage.

The locked door was easily bypassed with a [Unlock] magic chip.

Just like in the game, the moment it unlocked, a mountain of utensils and supplies came crashing down.

‘Hup!’

I held my breath and reached out.

Pans, pots, cans, tins, plates, spoons, forks—I caught them all.

Just like a certain superhuman with spider-like reflexes in the movies.

Using [Bright Eyes] and [Sixth Sense], I traced their trajectories.

With acceleration and precise movement, I snatched each falling object.

Maintaining [Stealth] to erase my presence, I focused completely on the task.

In the end, I managed to catch everything without a single piece hitting the floor.

‘Phew!’

A neat stack of utensils rested in my hands.

Carefully, I placed them all back in their original positions.

The precarious pile looked ready to collapse at any moment, so I handled everything with extreme caution.

Normally, this would have been difficult, but oddly enough, it felt easy.

As if my mere touch made the pile stabilize itself.

‘Ah, it’s the [Dexterity] trait.’

I hadn’t deliberately trained for it, but the reason I acquired it was obvious.

I had swapped weapons countless times—switching from a sword to throwing Mjölnir, drawing dual pistols to unload rounds, deploying Aegis, then switching to a shotgun.

[Stealth] and [Dexterity].

If I added [Ambush], [Assassination], [Critical Strike], and [Lethal Blow], I could unlock a powerful trait.

And it paired well with [Bright Eyes].

I’d start collecting them one by one.

Creak.

I shut the food storage door.

Using my [Keen Ears] trait, I listened carefully, but there was nothing unusual outside.

Satisfied, I turned my gaze back to the pile of supplies.

‘It should be here…’

In the game, this factory was known as the Exoskeleton Zombie Dungeon.

The standard strategy was to enter through the factory itself.

Fighting through exoskeleton zombies, zombie overseers, skeletal amalgamations, and possessed wraiths would eventually lead to the reinforced skeletal corpse golem.

With the factory’s massive scale, clearing it took a long time.

That’s why there was a backdoor.

Right here.

Instead of facing Level 5 exoskeleton zombies, this place was only filled with weak Level 1 zombies.

After clearing them out, players could either use a magic chip or find a key to enter the food storage and access a secret passage.

‘Found it.’

Beneath the pile of supplies, a small iron door revealed itself.

In the game’s lore, it was an employee passage.

It had been abandoned for so long that even the factory owner had forgotten about it.

[Phasing]

I activated the trait.

My body turned transparent.

I swam through the pile of supplies like a ghost.

Then, I passed right through the iron door.

A narrow vertical shaft stretched downward into the abyss.

“Ugh, filthy.”

The metal ladder was completely rusted.

Cobwebs, mold, contaminated fungi, and mutant moss clung to the walls, writhing grotesquely.

Suppressing my disgust, I climbed down.

I was tempted to use lightning magic to burn everything away, but I held back.

I was too close to my target.

Getting detected here was not an option.

Once I was past the vertical shaft, things improved slightly.

A tight concrete passage, barely wide enough for two people, stretched in the direction of the factory.

Not a single speck of light.

But at least the security systems were all broken.

I advanced cautiously, using [Bright Eyes] and [Sixth Sense] to scan the path ahead.

Nothing blocked my way.

Except for the corrupted creatures.

Normally, corrupted beings were artificially created in government-controlled mana dungeons.

But if the environment was extreme enough, they could occur naturally.

Just like the ones in front of me now.

“Grghhh.”

“Keuk… grrgh, keuk.”

Dark, writhing masses.

Contaminated slimes.

The very first corrupted creatures I had fought in this world were now slithering toward me.

“Tsk. You just had to show up.”

Snap!

I didn’t need my [Treasure Hunter] trait.

I didn’t need my [Contamination Resistance] trait.

I simply snapped my fingers.

A golden [Sacred Flame] surged forth, piercing through the corrupted slimes.

In a jagged, lightning-like trajectory.

Like a divine Lightningbolt striking the earth.

Was it overkill?

The slimes struck by [Sacred Flame] instantly combusted.

Even their solid Level 0 mana cores crumbled to dust.

It felt like a waste, but I let it go.

I made billions a day just by breathing.

At Level 7, collecting Level 0 mana cores was just pitiful.

‘I’ve arrived.’

The end of the concrete passage.

A massive circular iron door blocked my path.

It was rusted beyond recognition.

In the game, you had to defeat the dungeon boss to obtain a keycard and unlock this door.

That meant doing a full clear at least once before gaining access.

But me?

I had a broken trait—[Phasing].

Swoosh.

I phased through the door like a ghost.

Unlike the game, where this led to a dark, cavernous underground chamber, what lay before me was a cutting-edge magitech factory.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Heavy presses slammed down on steel plates.

The metal plates were molded into the shape of human torsos.

At the same time, magic circles projected onto them, engraving internal circuits.

Hiss! Chiik!

Next, steel limbs were attached to the torsos.

Mana welding sealed the joints while simultaneously connecting mana circuits.

Workers swarmed around, inspecting the connections.

They drew large circles in the air, signaling for the next stage.

Mana hearts were implanted, electronic systems activated, and functionality tests conducted.

‘Do I need to go deeper?’

This factory’s true core wasn’t mere exoskeletons.

If exoskeletons were all there was, then the game would have only featured enhanced exoskeleton zombies and nothing more.

The real threat was the corpse golem.

Which meant this factory had been producing something meant to become a corpse golem even before the zombie outbreak.

“This is killing me…”

“When’s the shift change?”

“How long have we been at this? It’s only 2 a.m.?”

“Damn it. I thought it was at least 5.”

[Phasing] wasn’t an option here.

[Stealth] could suppress my presence, but that was all.

It didn’t grant invisibility or camouflage—if they saw me, it was over.

I carefully moved past the workers.

At 2 a.m., their focus was starting to slip.

Had it been daytime, the guards or the shift supervisors would have noticed me instantly.

I kept descending, deeper underground.

Passing through multiple floors, the facility grew more elaborate, while the number of workers dwindled.

Finally, I reached the lowest level.

A cutting-edge magitech security door loomed before me.

‘How do I get in?’

Even with [Bright Eyes], I couldn’t see inside.

A security spell on the door blocked all vision.

And that wasn’t the only problem.

The protective magic on it repelled and exorcized all spiritual entities.

Even my [Phasing] wouldn’t work here.

In the game, the door had already been destroyed, so this was never an issue.

But now, I was stuck.

I checked the time.

3:10 a.m.

Should I wait until someone arrives for work?

Or just break through?

If I were a Reinforced, I might have had a third option.

But as a Warrior, my choices were limited.

‘Let’s go in.’

A swift, decisive attack was best.

This corridor was completely exposed—there was nowhere to hide.

Right now, I was in a blind spot for the security cameras, but if anyone walked by, I’d be caught immediately.

Even if I clung to the ceiling, I’d eventually be discovered.

Click.

I pulled a shotgun from my weapon holster.

I activated [One-Man Army] and [Destruction].

The shotgun was also imbued with the [Destruction] attribute.

Then, I ran my hand over the Dragon Monarch’s Crown.

It turned transparent, and a black-gold radiance formed around my face like a helmet.

A magical glow that functioned as goggles, a gas mask, and a headset all in one.

Anyone looking at me now would think I resembled a faceless ghost.

Bang!

I fired immediately.

A Lightningous blast struck the security door.

With the triple-layered [Destruction] trait from [One-Man Army] stacked on top, even the most advanced magitech security couldn’t withstand it.

The door was instantly shredded, and the alarm blared.

Weeeeee-oooooo!

“H-huh?”

“What the hell?”

Red warning lights flashed throughout the factory.

The people inside the security room snapped their heads up in shock.

The dozing superhuman guards reacted as quickly as they could.

They fired their guns and activated their magic thrusters, charging toward me.

“You bastard!”

“Do you have any idea where you are?!”

Too late.

I had already scanned the facility.

People lay restrained, their eyes open but unfocused, heavily sedated.

All of them were superhumans.

Even if they were low-level, I could sense their mana wavelengths.

Their organs were being extracted.

Their souls were being siphoned away through dark magic.

The harvested organs and souls were then grafted onto the enhanced exoskeletons beside them, one by one.

It was undeniable.

The heart of a Warrior.

The nervous system of a Reinforced.

The brain of a Mage.

The soul of a Priest.

A bio-mutated, cybernetic weapon.

A superhuman-fused combat machine inspired by Leviathan.

–TL Notes–

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