Kael Arken died in a hospital bed—alone, without a name, and not even missed.
Not the sort of death that would be expected for a man who was once a prodigy. Not the blaze of glory that people like to tell stories about. But a gradual disappearance under faint lights and the insistent beeping of machines that didn't even take the trouble to pretend to care.
And in the very last second—after the last breath, after the heart monitor went flatline—something shifted.
Something… laughed.
Then the fall.
He fell from a sky that was not sky.
Stars were present, but they pulsed like veins. Clouds that shone like oil slick on water. And below him: a shattered world. Islands of land that floated like broken glass upon a sea of starlight.
Kael did not scream. He did not panic. He simply watched.
And when he hit the ground, it did not hurt.
He opened his eyes.
What he saw first was darkness. Not the darkness of night—but of the sort that tightens on your skin, like a damp cloth. The atmosphere was chilly, damp, and had the stench of aged metal.
He slowly sat up.
Stone walls. A low ceiling. Rusted chains from the corners. A dungeon.
A literal dungeon.
He blinked. "Not hell," he grunted, voice raspy. "Not heaven either."
Next came a screen into his view.
System Initialization Complete.
Welcome, Kael Arken.
Class: [None]
Status: [Rebirth Completed]
Awakening: Pending…
Do you want to initialize the Tutorial?
[Yes] [No]
Kael scowled at it.
A system?
He raised an eyebrow. "Am I dreaming?"
Confirmed: No.
Lucid state verified.
Pain threshold unlocked.
Pain threshold?
Needles of pain shot up his back instantly. He fell to the ground with a gagged cry.
Tutorial initialized.
Kael groaned, holding his side, gasping. "Okay… not a dream."
Objective 1: Survive.
Environment: [Eridria – Outer Layer: Blackhold Depths]
Threat Level: [Moderate to Fatal]
Time Limit: [N/A]
Reward: Skill Unlocked – [Analysis I]
He pushed himself up.
"Right. Survive." He looked around. "Guess I'm starting from zero."
Then he noticed the dried blood on the stones. The claw marks on the door. The silence pressing in.
And the footsteps.
Soft. Wet. Getting closer.
Kael stood, back to the wall, heart pounding.
The door creaked open.
A creature stepped inside. Seven feet tall. Skin like stretched leather, stitched with crude wire. Its head was a lopsided skull with glowing red eyes. Its arms ended in blades. Not swords—actual bone merged with metal.
It stared at him.
New Entity Detected:
[Fleshbound Sentinel – Rank F+]
Danger Rating: [Moderate]
Weaknesses: Joint Seams, Optic Core
Advice: Run.
Kael didn't run.
Instead, he smirked. "You're ugly as hell."
The monster charged.
Kael dodged, the blade barely missing by inches. Instinct took over—pure reaction. He grabbed a chain hanging and yanked with all his might.
It spun. Crashed into the creature's head.
Minimal damage.
Kael rolled aside as the blade descended where he had been.
His heart thudded in his ears. No armor. No weapon. Not even shoes.
But something broke in his mind.
The seams. The optic.
He moved.
The beast's follow-through swing came down. Kael fell for the beast's knee—where a stitch of seam held bone and metal together. He drove the chain in there. Pulled.
The joint gave way.
The beast let out a bellow, staggering clumsily. Kael rolled underneath it and sprang onto its back, grabbing hold of the hanging chain and looping it around its neck.
It swished.
He cinched it.
Then, twisting, he drove the rusty hook into the hot red eye.
Quiet.
The creature twitched. Then collapsed.
Enemy Defeated.
Experience: +70
Skill Acquired – [Improvised Combat I]
Reward: [Analysis I] – Activated
Kael collapsed against the wall, breathing hard.
Blood on his hands. Pain in his chest. But he was alive.
He wiped his face with a trembling hand. "Alright. New world. New rules."
He stood, looking at the System panel still glowing in front of him.
"And I'm not dying again."