The scent of blood was thick in the air. The echoes of roaring monsters and the clashing of steel rang through the vast corridors of the Dungeon, but to Bell Cranel, it all faded into silence. His body ached. His vision blurred. Every breath came with searing pain as he lay motionless on the cold stone floor.
The Minotaur had nearly killed him. He had stood frozen, powerless before its overwhelming strength, unable to do anything but watch as death loomed over him. If not for the adventurer Ainz stepping in, he would have died another nameless failure swallowed by the depths of the Dungeon.
His fingers twitched, curling into weak fists as shame settled in his chest like a heavy weight. Weak. That word repeated in his mind, again and again, a brutal reminder of his own insignificance. He had come to Orario seeking adventure, dreaming of heroism, yet here he was nothing but a coward, barely worth saving.
His vision darkened. His consciousness wavered. But just before the abyss took him, a voice not one of the gods, nor any mortal—whispered in the depths of his mind.
[System Initialization Complete.]
A jolt ran through his body. His blood burned. Something ancient, something beyond mortal comprehension, awakened within him.
[Welcome, Player.]
In his hazy vision, floating before him, were words written in glowing light.
A system. A power that did not belong to the gods. A power that was his alone.
!Notice
[Congratulations! You are now a Player!]
And in that moment, Bell Cranel's journey truly began.