“...”
Nothingness!
What happens to a person when he/she dies?
No one exactly knows!
Well, many scientists and scholars have suggested the theories and hypothesis about death.
That when a person takes his last breaths, he or she experience’s serenity, warmth, dissolution, or a mixture of all these feelings.
Then blank, complete nothingness!
But from a religious point of view, it’s claimed that when a person die’s, their soul then passes on to the concept of afterlife.
Just take the Hindus! They believe that when a person dies, their soul goes through the process of karmic cycle and after that the soul gets reincarnated into a new life.
Just like that there are countless beliefs and theories explaining about death.
But no one has a concrete answer about it.
The biggest mystery that mankind has never been able to decipher is death.
It’s also said that a person’s life and death are predetermined in the moment they are born.
But right now all I felt was nothingness.
My body felt heavy, as if something abstracted it, but I didn’t care.
I couldn’t see anything around me. Everything around me was pitch black, like the night sky.
But it was different!
I had died once, so I was all to familiar with the taste of death. Not a pleasant feeling but neither a bad one.
I just stood motionlessly in the pitch black void.
But then I heard a sound come from in front of me.
Tap—!
The echo of my foot rang in the pitch black void.
Just as I took a step forward, a bright light enveloped the void and I was able to see my surroundings.
My eyes shot wide open.
What I say in front me had me perplexed.
“Oy brat... let’s go!!!”
“Yeah Mr.***, Let’s go!”
“What are you waiting for ***? Get a move on!”
I recognised them with their voices alone, I didn’t have to see. All of them stood there, alive and healthy.
Tap—! Tap—!
But then they started their march forward, leaving me further behind.
“...”
But no words came out of my mouth.
‘Wait for me...!’
‘Please don’t leave me this time...!’
I wanted to shout these words on the top of my lungs. But my entire body felt foreign, not in my control, but at the same time still mine.
Clank—!
But just as I tried to take a step forward, I heard a loud sound of a chain.
Turing my head backwards I saw chains emerging out from the black void behind me and attaching themselves to me.
First both of my legs then my torso and finally my entire body, only leaving my head exposed.
‘Wait...’
I inwardly shouted.
But they never looked back.
“If you don’t want to see them die again, then... get stronger... stronger than your past self...”
I heard a voice coming from the void behind me.
“... stronger than the demon king... and, stronger than him!”
Each and every word echoed inside my ears like an explosion. That voice... I knew I had heard it some where but I couldn’t tell whose it was?
With the completion of the sentence, the chain around me tightened and I felt desperate for air.
***
“Haaa... Haaa...”
I opened my eyes and saw, I was laid in a bed.
Extending my right hand I closed my hand into a fist.
“A dream, Huh?”
I exclaimed with a tired sigh.
“Aaaa...”
A weak moan escaped me as I lowered my hand and drew the fist back.
I felt it, the crappy pain.
“For a minute there I was happy I wasn’t dead but... this much pain is seriously..."
Well I only jokingly said that.
In my pervious life I had experienced much worse pain than this.
But still pain is still pain, alright!
I felt numbness around my entire body.
My left hand didn’t even move.
I thought I was used to pain but, I guess not!
Leaning back into the bed, I looked around the room.
The room didn’t have much to it. But the interior was still lavish.
A bed in the middle, a table near the bed with two chairs beside it, and an LED light brightening the room.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
“But... where am I?”
The last thing I remember before losing consciousness was defeating the demon, somehow!
‘So, I was able to clear the quest... Haaa!'
‘Oh yeah...’
A sudden thought struck me.
‘System...’
A blue transparent system interface came to life in front of me.
----
----
NAME: SEO JIWOO (???)
HP: 711
LEVEL: 24
STRENGTH: 54
STAMINA: 57
AGILITY: 51
VITALITY: 50
INTELLIGENCE: 41
MP: 311
POINTS: 27
_____________
FATIGUE: 19
PERSEVERANCE lv.1
Profession: ???
_____________
{SKILLS}
[{E} Acausality] (Sealed)
This skill allows the the user to tamper with the flow of time. Allowing the user to stop time for a brief moment.
Note: An equivalent amount of the host’s Mana will be drained as long as the skill is active.
Cool down: 2 weeks
______________
【Returnee’s Privilege】 [Time: ??? ]
–MIND’S EYE (Sealed) (Unlocked: 20%)
–????
–????
–????
–????
______________
【?????】
–????
______________
----
----
“Ho... my stats have increased, but not as much as I thought!”
I questionably looked at the interface.
Suddenly a window popped up in front of me.
[Quest Complete]
----
[Reward]
---> 5-lv increase.
---> 20 all stats increase
---> Additional points
----
“Hell yeah!”
“Aaaa..”
But the numbness and pain coursing through my body made me unable to celebrate.
“Shit!”
I cursed as I clicked at the system window.
A bright light enveloped the room and I felt my body becoming lighter.
The light disappeared as soon as it came.
[Congratulations]
[You have Levelled up]
[You have Levelled up]
[You have Levelled up]
[You have levelled up]
[You have levelled up]
[Additional Level increase]
My vision fell over the window.
My body became lighter and the pain and numbness I felt started to recede.
I once again looked at the system interface. There I saw my stats.
----
----
NAME: SEO JIWOO (???)
HP: 1110
LEVEL: 30
STRENGTH: 74
STAMINA: 77
AGILITY: 71
VITALITY: 70
INTELLIGENCE: 61
MP: 630
POINTS: 527
_____________
FATIGUE: 2
PERSEVERANCE lv.2
PROFESSION: Swordsmanship (Lv.1)
_____________
{SKILLS}
[{E} Acausality] (Sealed)
This skill allows the the user to tamper with the flow of time. Allowing the user to stop time for a brief moment.
Note: An equivalent amount of the host’s Mana will be drained as long as the skill is active.
Cool down: 2 weeks
______________
【Returnee’s Privilege】 [Time: ??? ]
–MIND’S EYE (Sealed) (Unlocked: 20%)
–????
–????
–????
–????
______________
【?????】
–????
______________
----
----
“All of my stats have increased considerably!”
“Perseverance has levelled up too... and, Swordsmanship Lv.1?”
But my eyes quickly caught attention of the cool down over the Acausality skill.
“Two-weeks, isn’t that a long cool down for a—!
But I paused mid sentence. I could still vividly remember the pain, no... the excruciating pain I had felt during the activation of the skill.
It felt like millions and billions of sharp needles were being impaled into my body. I felt my blood flow backwards and my head splitting every second I spent inside that motionless world.
I swear I was no masochist and I would not want to go through that kind of pain even if someone paid me trillions of dollars!
But nonetheless, I was content with the progress I had made inside the dungeon.
I placed my hand over my chin as I grinned happily at the interface.
“All that ass beating was worth it.”
Clank—!
I heard the door opening.
Stepping inside the room was a man. His groggy brown hair which were scattered all over his forehead and his neglected beard which was definitely overgrown. His darks circle’s were just as I had remembered, and the exhausted look over his face made me pity him.
And the person in question was... Glenn!
“Oh you’re finally awake!”
He entered the room with a bright smile. Sitting down on the chair near my bed, he comfortably leaned back into the chair and crossed his legs.
“What’s with that pitying look over your face?”
“Was I that obvious?”
“Yeah!” He nodded as he answered. But seriously, anyone would pity him. He looked as if he could drop dead any minute due to exhaustion.
“So, why are you here Glenn?”
He leaned an inch closer and his expression turned solemn.
“First of all, I would like to sincerely thank you on behalf of the higher ups of the black market, Thank you Mr. Seo Jiwoo!”
But in that exact moment he thanked me in a serious tone. A tangible shiver ran down my spine.
I just blankly looked at him.
“What...?” He asked.
Cough—!
With a fake cough I straightened my posture and once again leaned back into the bed.
“It’s just that... I had a distinctive image about you being a lazy good for nothing, so seeing you like that kinda creeped me out!” I honestly answered. You know kids, you have to respect your elders, so I didn’t lie and speak the truth.
“But I do accept the gratitude.” I said.
“What the hell kind of image do you have of me? I’m an honest and hardworking employee, you hear me!”
There was a hind of doubt in Glenn’s voice as he exclaimed the last few of his words.
“Oh yeah...”
A thought then suddenly struck me.
“Where are the other two people who were there with me inside the dungeon?”
I turned my head and looked Glenn directly in the eye.
“Let me explain what happened and... I also want to ask you a few questions!”
Nodding my head, Glenn began to explain what had happened when I was inside the dungeon.
He told me about how the dungeon's Magic power suddenly changed and it almost caused a dungeon break, afterwards when the dungeon settled down, a rescue team entered the dungeon and rescued the three of us from inside the dungeon.
He asked me a few question here and there and I honestly answered.
“Well the other two were in a considerable good shape but the rescue team reported that you were laying on the floor out cold.” Glenn continued. “Your condition was far worse than the both of them.”
The quest I received from the system caused this entire incident.
But why?
I had still many questions, my mind was filled with multiple thoughts.
How was there a ranked demon inside an
But just then I remembered something important.
Placing my hand over my chest, where I presumed the demon had impaled his hand, but there was nothing.
‘How?’
I was sure there was a gaping hole in my chest before I went unconscious.
Could it be that I was rescued quickly and brought out of the dungeon to receive critical treatment?
No! It would have taken me months or at best years to recover from the injury I received from the demon.
But the wound could have been healed by an advanced level healing potion or higher but, that possibility was also low. Beacuse advanced level healing potions at best cost a few millions to buy.
Could it be that the system healed me? There is a big possibility of it but... why do I feel like I’m missing something?
“What’s wrong?”
Jolting me out of my thoughts was Glenn’s voice.
Snapping my head in his direction, I relaxed myself and spoke.
“It’s nothing, I was just surprised to hear about what had happened!”
“That so.”
“Well either way, I’m glad you are alright.”
Glenn stood up from his chair and walked towards the door. But he stopped when he reached near it.
Turning around he pulled something out of his coat’s pocket and threw it at me like a shuriken.
“Here!”
I effortlessly caught the object he threw.
It was a card! A black titanium card with three stars aligned in the middle. I knew what it was but I still asked.
“What’s this?”
“That’s the VIP card of the black market, only a few have it. To thank you the higher ups decided to give you a VIP card as thanks, and... if you are feeling better then come to the black market any of these days. The higher ups decided to formally reward you for your hardship!”
I was left in a little awe. All I did was stop a dungeon break and they are raining reward after reward over me.
“Isn’t that a little too much? I mean all I did was stop a dungeon break?”
Glenn leaned back on the door as he answered.
“It’s a big deal Jiwoo! Devil’s Whisper isn’t that much of a dungeon but it was considered a safe dungeon for rookies until that fiasco happened.”
He continued.
“And you helped us save a dungeon which made us millions on a daily basic.
Well that was true. Rookies enter the safe dungeons frequently and the fee they took which was relatively low and affordable, they made a lot of money daily.
“Alright!”
“And don’t tell anyone about the things I told you about! Those are supposed to be top secret.”
He had the--you better not snitch on me by telling anyone--look over his face.
With a grin, I nodded my head.
“Your secret is safe with me, Glenn.”
“Thanks, then goodbye!”
“Yeah, goodbye!”
With a short farewell to each other, Glenn opened the door behind him and walked out of the room leaving me alone.
“A lot happened in the last two weeks.” I looked at my open palm as I calmly exclaimed. “There’s only more than a week left until the Tournament starts.”
Getting up from the bed I walked up to door.
“I better get going.”