---
"Resurrect in your current position? Y/N?"
Without hesitation, I selected Yes.
A rush of light engulfed my vision.
The dull ache of death faded, replaced by the familiar coldness of the stone floor inside Fin's Labyrinth.
I gasped.
My body reformed in the exact spot where Marquis Fin's greatsword had cleaved me moments ago.
No welcome message.
No fanfare.
Just the Boss Mob… and its endless, crushing pressure.
Marquis Fin still stood across the room, that same cold stare fixed on me as if nothing had happened.
I gripped my upgraded Iron Sword, teeth clenched.
"Let's try again."
I dashed forward.
I knew what would happen next—his Mirage skill activated just as I swung.
A blur.
A sharp twist in the air.
Then—blackness.
"Resurrect in your current position? Y/N?"
Yes.
Again.
Slash.
Dead.
Again.
Stab.
Dead.
Again.
Crushed.
Dead.
And again.
Each time, I chipped away a sliver of his HP.
A tiny scratch—no more than 3%.
And in return?
One resurrection.
One death.
But death had a price.
"Memory Penalty Applied."
"Lost: Memory Fragment – [Summer Festival, Age 16]"
I winced.
I remembered that moment—a night of fireworks and laughter with someone I couldn't name now.
The image faded like smoke.
I had no rare items.
No gold.
Nothing precious to offer the Resurrection System… except my memories.
That was the cost.
My hands shook.
Not from fear—my body had grown numb to it—but from exhaustion.
I'd died over a dozen times already, and I wasn't even halfway there.
But my resolve stayed firm.
"Status."
John Leben [Lvl. 10]
HP: 330/330 (+70)
MP: 0
Class: [None]
Rank: [White]
Title: [None]
Skill: [None]
Str: 1 (+21)
Int: 1
Dex: 0 (+5)
Con: 18 (+7)
Wis: 0
Available Points: 0
Skill Points: 9
Resurrections Remaining: 44
Memory Penalties: 14
I had started with 57.
The System hadn't stopped me… but it didn't hide what I was trading, either.
Each time, the world grew slightly dimmer.
A song I used to hum—forgotten.
The name of a place I used to love—gone.
But Fin was weakening.
Each strike I landed dropped his HP by 3%.
That meant... 34 hits. 34 deaths.
I had the numbers.
I could make this work.
"Resurrect in your current position? Y/N?"
Yes.
I reappeared in a crouch and immediately lunged forward.
My sword connected with his side.
CLANG!
A red number floated above his head.
-3%
A blur of black armor—then silence.
Dead.
Again.
I lost count of how many times I fell.
My rhythm was mechanical now.
Strike.
Die.
Resurrect.
Forget.
Even Marquis Fin seemed confused.
Each time he struck me down, I rose again—like a cursed soul refusing to stay buried.
Somewhere around my 25th resurrection, I saw him falter.
"Marquis Fin is observing you."
The text flashed in red above his head.
I took my chance—another lunge.
Slash.
-3%
Dead.
Again.
There was no triumph, no victory music.
Only silence.
And then—finally—when I struck him down one last time, his HP hit zero.
A burst of violet light swallowed the Boss Room.
I dropped to my knees, gasping, soaked in blood and sweat—not all of it mine.
"You defeated Marquis Fin the Dark Knight."
"Hidden Quest Completed."
"You obtained: Eyes of Fin Ring (Soulbound)."
"You obtained: Title – Dark Knight."
"You obtained: Equipment Chest (Gold)."
"Remaining Resurrections: 13"
"Memory Penalties Applied: 44"
"Caution: Excessive Memory Loss May Affect Identity."
Thirteen left.
I had used 44.
And in return... parts of me were gone.
But I had done it.
I stared at the small, glowing ring now floating in front of me.
The first Sacred Treasure.
It hovered for a moment before dropping into my palm.
It looked like an ordinary accessory.
A dull black band etched with faint red runes.
But when I equipped it—
"Eyes of Fin Ring equipped"
"Passive Skill Unlocked: Soul Vision"
Effect:
Reveals full status of any target within line of sight
I smirked through the exhaustion.
"Now... I see everything."
---
Flashback...
The street was dim, washed in the cold blue of early evening.
I wasn't going anywhere.
Just walking, like I always did after work.
Behind me, the office lights flicked off one by one.
Neon signs buzzed overhead, and the soft glow from a convenience store spilled across the wet sidewalk.
The drizzle still clinging from the afternoon rain.
That's when I saw it.
Not coffee.
Not groceries.
A poster.
Taped crooked on the fogged-up window of a tiny game store I must've passed a hundred times.
"Alfiria Saga – Grand Launch Tonight. A Living World Awaits You."
I stopped.
The art wasn't anything flashy.
Just a quiet scene—a misty forest, a lone figure holding a broken sword, staring out toward a sky painted gold.
No explosions.
No anime girls.
No hype.
Still… I couldn't look away.
Something in it felt... quiet.
Like it understood.
Before I knew it, I stepped inside.
The guy at the counter barely looked up.
"Digital only. QR code's there,"
he muttered, nodding toward a sheet by the door.
I didn't even think.
My hand moved on its own.
Maybe it was boredom.
Maybe just loneliness.
Or maybe... the promise of a world that never ended.
I scanned it.
That night, I microwaved some leftover adobo and rice, pulled on my old hoodie, and sat in front of my aging PC.
The specs is enough to run games
"Install Complete"
The screen flickered to black.
Then the world opened.
"The great black dragon soared through the skies, circling as it laid waste to every land in its path."
"The Tree Beast—bringing drought and decay wherever its roots touched the earth."
"And the sudden emergence of the Demon Lord… a threat unknown to most."
Alfiria Saga...
Wind stirred through the headphones—soft forest breeze.
Birdsong.
NPCs passed by with lanterns in hand.
A campfire crackled nearby.
I didn't move.
I couldn't.
I wasn't playing.
I was there.
By the time the sun came up, my eyes were burning red.
But for the first time in weeks—I smiled.
"This place…" I whispered.
"I want to stay."
End of Flashback...