Chapter 6: Chapter 6: The Awakening – A New Path Begins
Death was supposed to be the end.
But as Kai Ren's vision faded, his body crushed beneath the Red King's greatsword, something pulled him back.
A voice.
Cold. Ancient. Unnatural.
🔹 [Death is not the end.]
🔹 [The fallen shall rise.]
And then—
He opened his eyes again.
The Space Between Life and Death
There was no pain.
No light. No sound. Nothing.
Kai felt like he was floating—or perhaps falling—in an endless abyss, surrounded by absolute darkness.
His body was weightless, but he could still feel something shifting inside him.
Then—
A whisper.
A voice that felt like it was woven from shadows themselves.
🔹 [You have fallen. But your story is not over.]
🔹 [The choice has been made.]
Kai's chest tightened.
"Who…?"
There was no answer.
Only the feeling of something seeping into him—a force unlike anything he had ever known.
Then—he felt it.
A presence.
A vast, indescribable will, pressing against his very soul, as if it was judging him.
And then—
It spoke.
🔹 [Do you seek power?]
Kai's heart pounded.
He was dead.
There was no getting around that fact. He had been too weak. Too slow. And because of that—
Dae-Ho was dead.
Yoon-Soo was dead.
Hana was left behind.
Min-Jae had abandoned them.
And Kai?
Kai had died without doing a damn thing.
He clenched his fists, his teeth grinding together.
He didn't care what this was.
He didn't care who was speaking.
All he knew was one thing.
"I won't die like this."
"I refuse."
And so—
He answered.
"Yes."
The voice chuckled.
And suddenly—
🔹 [Then rise.]
🔹 [You have been chosen.]
🔹 [A new path has been opened.]
🔹 [Initializing Core Synchronization…]
And then—
He was falling.
Resurrection – The Return to the Red Gate
Pain.
Unbearable, searing pain tore through Kai's body, as if every single nerve was being ripped apart and stitched back together at the same time.
His eyes snapped open.
And the first thing he saw—
The Red King.
Towering over him, its greatsword still embedded in the ground where his body had been seconds ago.
Kai gasped, his lungs desperate for air, his body shaking violently.
He was alive.
But how?
Hana's Perspective – Witnessing the Impossible
Hana's vision blurred as she tried to crawl toward Dae-Ho's lifeless body.
Her mana was running low. Blood stained her hands. Her body felt like it had been drained of all strength.
She knew they were going to die.
And then—
She saw it.
Kai.
His body had been crushed beneath the Red King's greatsword. She had seen him die.
But now—
He was standing.
His eyes glowed with a faint silver light, his body shuddering as he took his first breath back from the dead.
Her heart stopped.
"How…?"
Even the Red King hesitated.
Then—
It turned its gaze back to him.
🔹 [You should not be standing.]
🔹 [Explain yourself, mortal.]
But Kai didn't answer.
Because he was too focused on something else.
His status screen had changed.
[STATUS WINDOW]
Name: Kai Ren
Level: 1
Class: ???
Profession: Unclassified
Title: The One Who Returned
HP: 5 / 250
MP: 10 / ???
Fatigue: 97%
[Stats]
Strength: 5 ➝ 10
Stamina: 5 ➝ 10
Agility: 5 ➝ 10
Intelligence: 20 ➝ 25
Perception: 8 ➝ 15
(Available Points: 0)
[Skills]
Passive Skills:
Eidetic Memory (Lv.1): Remembers everything in perfect detail.??? (Locked)
Active Skills:
Transcribe (Lv.1): Write down battle details with system assistance.??? (Locked)
Kai's heart pounded.
"What the hell just happened?"
He had died.
His class had changed.
And now, the Red King was looking at him with something that almost resembled… curiosity.
Then—
It raised its greatsword again.
🔹 [If you will not answer, then die again.]
🔹 [This time, you will not return.]
And with one brutal swing—
The greatsword came down.
Kai's body refused to move.
His mind screamed at him to dodge.
But he was too slow.
This was the end.
And then—
A new notification appeared.
🔹 [Override detected.]
🔹 [System interference in progress…]
🔹 [Incoming entity detected.]
And from the darkness—
Something else emerged.
A new presence, stronger than the Red King.
A voice echoed in the air, cold and filled with authority.
🔹 [This one is under my domain.]
And then—
The world trembled.