I Am Dead

---

The System

The last thing he saw was the wide, evil grin that ended his life.

The one person he wouldn't hesitate to kill—if only he had the power. But what could a weakling do except run for his life?

Today was his last day of high school, and all his classmates had already awakened, each gaining their own unique powers.

And ranks.

Even though he participated in the awakening process, he failed to gain a single power, placing him at the lowest rank of the Power Chains.

F Rank.

All newly awakened individuals were expected to rank between E and D, their levels determining the extent of their abilities.

Now, having finished high school, he was supposed to enter an Awakened Academy—even as the weakest one alive.

But none of that mattered anymore.

The hope of becoming someone great was gone.

His end had come.

Rey's eyes fluttered open. At first, his vision was blurred, but slowly, it cleared—revealing his surroundings.

He was lying in the midst of nothingness.

A void of absolute darkness.

What am I doing here?

The thought ran through his mind as he slowly stood up, checking his body before glancing around. Confusion clouded his thoughts, questions rising one after another—each left unanswered.

"Welcome back."

A voice echoed from nowhere in particular. It was deep and powerful, as if it came from every corner of the void.

"Who are you?" Rey asked, turning in circles, hoping to see the speaker.

"Sorry, human. I am a nobody."

The voice responded again.

Rey almost chuckled at the absurdity of the words—if not for his current situation.

"You arrived here three minutes ago. You died in your world five minutes ago."

The words hit him like a brick.

Died?

The thought echoed in his mind. He struggled to process it.

Death meant the end. No coming back. No second chances.

Yet, here he was. Alive. Whole. Standing in an endless void.

"See for yourself."

The voice spoke again as if it had read his thoughts.

A wide, green screen materialized in midair before him. On it, a scene played out—the one he regretted most in his existence.

His chest tightened. His vision blurred.

The dagger pierced his chest. Blood spilled.

His body hit the ground, lifeless.

There was no denying it.

He was dead.

"So… where am I?" Rey asked, his voice hoarse. "Is this heaven?"

The voice chuckled softly, and a cold breeze drifted through the void, pushing back his silvery hair.

A presence.

Behind him.

He turned sharply.

Nothing. Just the empty abyss.

"You died minutes ago, human. But do you believe you can be revived?"

Rey's thoughts raced.

Was this some kind of trick?

A test of faith? A cruel joke?

"You are running out of time, human."

At that moment, a blue, transparent screen appeared before him.

> [ Will you accept to be a Player? ]

[ Yes ] [ No ]

[ 0:05 ]

"What?"

The system offered no explanation.

"Be a Player?"

"A player of what?"

"What kind of game is this?"

The countdown ticked down.

Five seconds.

Four.

Three.

At the very last second, even before he could voice his answer—he made his choice.

YES!

And just like that—everything faded.

The void crumbled.

Darkness swallowed him whole.

The last thing he saw before succumbing to oblivion was:

> [ Host Syncing Successful ]

[ Welcome, Player ]

---

Rey's eyes flung open.

His body felt sluggish, as if waking from a deep slumber.

Slowly, he turned his head, scanning his surroundings. Relief washed over him as he realized—he was no longer in the dark void.

His heartbeat steadied.

He recognized this place.

One of the biggest hospitals in the country.

"Huh?"

His gaze snapped to his chest.

He rubbed his fingers over the spot where the dagger had pierced him.

Nothing.

No wound. No scar. No pain.

It was as if it had never happened.

But he knew better.

Memories of the void, the voice, and the system rushed through his mind, replaying over and over again.

Was it real?

Had he truly died?

Part of him laughed at himself.

I'm alive. And I'm still questioning if it's real?

That's crazy.

A familiar blue screen appeared in front of him.

> [ Welcome to the Player System ]

It's true.

I'm a Player now.

> [ Player Status ]

[ Name: Rey Reed ]

[ Age: 19 ]

[ Country: United Kingdom ]

Rey barely had time to process it before another screen popped up.

> [ Level: 1 ]

[ Ability: None ]

[ Strength: 10 ]

[ Agility: 10 ]

[ Speed: 10 ]

[ Intelligence: 10 ]

[ Special Ability: None ]

[ HP: 10 ]

[ EXP: None ]

His eyes widened.

"Wow."

"I actually have stats now… I was granted powers after awakening as a Player."

A small smile crept onto his face.

But within seconds, it faded.

Even though this system seemed like a gift, something about it bothered him.

Using his mind, he accessed the next box.

> [ Quest ]

[ No quests received. ]

He sighed, resting his back against the bed.

Everything was happening too fast.

Minutes ago, he had been killed—murdered by a group of rich kids because he knew too much.

Now, he was alive.

With a new reality.

A new system.

A new life as a Player—to serve an unknown force.

One thing was certain.

He would never be weak again.

With this system, I can become stronger.

--