He didn't expect the blood to vanish like that.
The monster had barely hit the ground before its body pixelated — breaking apart into scattered motes of crimson light, like a program closing itself out. Nothing remained but fragments of bone, a few melted scraps of armor, and the stench of ozone.
Kael stood in the aftermath, breathing hard, heart still pounding from the fight.
> [Zone Cleared: Sector 9 Outskirts]
[Experience Gained: +230]
[Level Up: Lv. 2 → Lv. 3]
[Skill Gained: Reflex Trace Lv. 1]
He blinked.
"Level three already?"
The first time he'd reached this point — in another loop, another timeline — it had taken him four days, two near-deaths, and a party of three others who didn't make it past Sector 11. Now, he'd done it alone.
He opened the system interface. The UI flickered — as it always did. Like the entire world was being rendered just slightly out of sync.
> [Passive Skill: Reflex Trace]
+5% reaction speed. +0.2s bonus evasion window after dodging a lethal blow.
He accepted it without hesitation. He didn't understand how the system worked, or why it acted like a game, but he knew one thing: it wanted him to play smarter.
And if he didn't…
He died.
---
He scanned the plaza.
Nothing else moved — no more monsters, no sound but the wind whispering through the ruins. The streets were broken. Power poles leaned like drunk skeletons. Windows in the old buildings were either shattered or melted from the blast. Some cars were fused together, warped by something far hotter than fire.
The world didn't fall apart slowly.
It collapsed in an instant.
And now it was quiet. Dead. Glitched.
Kael moved toward the edge of the zone. A faint, shimmering barrier pulsed just past the arch of a collapsed highway ramp — marking the boundary between this combat sector and the next.
> [Proceed to Zone 10?]
Warning: monsters in next sector exceed your current level. Continue anyway?
He paused. Then turned south, toward a narrow alley half-hidden behind a chain-link fence. Debris cluttered the path. Dead vines crawled over cracked pavement. Spray-painted warnings scrawled across the wall:
"NOT SAFE — DO NOT ENTER."
Exactly why he was going there.
---
The path led to an old metro tunnel — long sealed, now split open like something had clawed through it from beneath. He ducked through the breach, stepping into shadow.
The air here was colder. And wrong.
He tightened his grip on the bent steel rod he still used as a weapon. It was warped. Barely sharp. But it had saved his life. Until he found something better, it would do.
His footsteps echoed softly as he moved deeper into the tunnel.
After about twenty meters, the system chimed again.
> [Hidden Zone Discovered: Abandoned Subway Checkpoint]
[Checkpoint Beacon Located — Claiming…]
Would you like to save progress?
"Yes," he whispered. "Please."
A flickering blue flame rose from the center of a broken terminal — the checkpoint's core. As Kael touched it, warmth surged into his hand. Pain faded. Blood dried. His body reset to clean condition.
> [Checkpoint Saved]
Respawns will now begin here.
Kael sat down beside the beacon and exhaled.
Every loop started the same: panic, confusion, death.
But this time, something had changed. This time, he had a plan — faint, unfinished, but forming. He wouldn't waste this loop.
He unwrapped a bland ration and chewed it in silence.
Then—
Scraping.
Kael froze.
From behind a cracked column, a small figure crawled out. Pale skin. No eyes. Claws twitched as it sniffed the air. Its head tilted.
A Feral Goblin. Weak, but fast. Dangerous in groups.
> [Feral Goblin – Lv. 2]
Caution: enhanced scent tracking detected.
Kael crouched low. Eyes locked.
Then—
He moved.
In one breath, he rolled low, swung wide, and struck the goblin's side. The jagged rod slammed into its shoulder with a crunch. The goblin shrieked — high-pitched and broken — and staggered back.
Too late.
Kael swept its legs, drove the rod into its chest, and pinned it to the cement. The creature convulsed once. Then pixelated into red particles.
> [EXP +30]
[Loot Acquired: Clawed Bone (Uncommon), 3 Copper Shards]
Kael pulled the bone from the pile.
Long. Curved. Dense.
He turned it in his hand.
> [Crafting Option: Combine Materials?]
Fuse Clawed Bone + Rusted Rod to create: Primitive Bone Saber?
"Yes."
A flash of light.
The new weapon formed — cleaner, smoother, wicked. Still rough, but the edge was real.
Kael gave a faint smile.
It wasn't much.
But it was progress.
---
Back in the checkpoint's glow, the system pinged again.
> [Level Up: Lv. 4]
[New Title Unlocked: "First Kill Survivor"]
Kael ignored the title. He wasn't in this for labels.
He gripped the bone saber tighter.
Outside, beyond the tunnel walls, something roared. Far away, but moving closer.
Kael stood.
And walked toward it — not to win.
But to survive.
---
📊 Kael Draven — Status (After Chapter 2)
> Name: Kael Draven
Level: 4
Class: [Unassigned]
EXP: 540 / 800
HP: 170 / 170
Stamina: 92 / 100
Checkpoint: Abandoned Subway (Sector 9)
Weapon: Primitive Bone Saber
Armor: Tattered Cloak (no bonus)
Skills:
🌀 Reflex Trace Lv. 1
— +5% reaction speed
— +0.2s evasion buffer after dodging lethal hit
Traits:
Respawn (System-bound): Retains memory and growth. Returns to last checkpoint on death.
Awareness Boost: Gains subtle intuition with repeated deaths (passive).