System Notification: Level Up!
Kael sat up in the bed, his body trembling with weakness. His head spun, and his vision blurred. He reached out instinctively for the bedpost, gripping it tightly to steady himself. The cold sweat on his forehead told him he wasn't fully in control yet. He had died. That much was clear. But how was he here, in this strange body, with a new life?
The memories—vivid, painful, and overwhelming—came rushing back. This body was his now. Kael, the son of Ryker, the boss of the Black Tiger Clan, fourth son from the third wife. He had been a warrior—skilled, ruthless, and loyal to his clan. But none of that had mattered. In the end, loyalty meant nothing when the knives came from within.
Kael tried to focus, to untangle the jumbled strands of his memories, but it was difficult. They were slipping through his fingers like smoke, impossible to hold onto. But there was one moment, one memory that burned brighter than the rest. He forced himself to relive it.
---
Flashback:
The battlefield was chaos. Blood-soaked mud churned underfoot, and the clanging of swords rang out in the fading light of the day. Kael was in his element—sword in hand, his body a blur of deadly movement. He had always been quick, efficient, his blade an extension of himself. The Black Tiger Clan, his clan, was in the midst of a battle for dominance against the White Serpent Clan. It had been hours of brutal combat, each side pushing forward with the intensity of a rivalry that had lasted generations.
Kael's breath came in steady gasps, his focus honed on the enemy before him. His mind was clear—until it wasn't.
A sudden chill ran down his spine. The world around him seemed to shift, as though reality itself was warping. It was subtle at first, like a whisper at the back of his mind. Then, something shifted—something wrong. He wasn't sure if it was the weight of the battle or the unsettling presence of something darker, but his instincts screamed a warning he couldn't ignore.
He cut through another White Serpent warrior, his sword biting through flesh, but the unease wouldn't leave him. A flicker of motion at the edge of his vision caught his attention. Figures, cloaked in black, moving with an eerie calm through the chaos. They weren't soldiers—they weren't even fighters. Kael's gut twisted. He recognized them as they closed in on him with unnatural precision.
Assassins. Silent Blades.
The figures moved like shadows, weaving through the battlefield with an unsettling ease, unnoticed by those too wrapped up in their own struggles. But Kael saw them clearly now. He knew what they were—and worse, he knew who had sent them.
His brother, Kaidën, stood at the far edge of the battlefield, observing it all with cold, calculating eyes. Kaidën had never been a warrior. He had no taste for bloodshed. His mind, however, was as sharp as a blade, and his ambition knew no bounds. He had always viewed Kael as a threat—an obstacle to his claim on the leadership of the Black Tiger Clan. Kael had never wanted the title, never desired the power that came with it, but Kaidën would never see it that way. To him, Kael's mere existence was enough of a challenge to his ambition.
Kael's breath hitched. His brother had betrayed him.
The Silent Blades were closing in now, their presence undeniable. Kael fought to remain focused, his mind fighting the shock that threatened to overwhelm him. He needed to stay sharp. He had no choice but to keep fighting. But the assassins were closing in with alarming speed, their movements too quick, too precise for him to react.
Kael whirled to parry a strike aimed at his throat. His sword clashed against the assassin's blade, the force of the impact rattling his arm. But even as he deflected the blow, another assassin appeared from behind him. Kael felt a sharp pain slice across his side. Blood—his own blood—began to seep through his clothes. His vision blurred, and the world tilted.
He stumbled, barely able to stay on his feet. His heart pounded, each beat a reminder of how quickly his body was failing him. He fought back with every ounce of strength he had left, but it wasn't enough. The Silent Blades were relentless. For every strike Kael landed, another assassin took their place.
And then, there was the leader. The figure who had orchestrated this death.
The hooded assassin stepped forward, their face hidden in shadow. The air around them seemed to hum with a sinister energy. With a flick of their wrist, they beckoned to Kael. The other assassins scattered, leaving Kael to face the leader alone.
For a brief moment, their eyes locked. Kael's breath caught in his chest.
Kael turned to look at his brother in the distance. It was his cold smile that flashed before him. There was no remorse in that smile. No hesitation. Just cold, calculated ambition.
Kael's chest tightened. His brother had done this to him. His own flesh and blood.
And then, the world went black.
---
Kael blinked, the memory slipping away like sand through his fingers. His breath came in ragged gasps. His heart beat wildly in his chest, rage and sorrow churning inside him. He had been betrayed—not by a stranger, but by his own brother. The man who had been his rival, his tormentor, had ordered his death. And now Kael was here, trapped in this new body, cursed with memories of his own demise.
System Notification! Quest Completed!!
Reflect on your past life and try to recall a specific memory from before your rebirth.
Reward: 150 EXP, +10 Agility
The ringing of the system notification jolted him from his thoughts. He winced at the flashing words on the screen. He had been thrust into a strange, new world where power came in the form of experience points and levels. It was a game. But there was nothing game-like about the rage burning in his chest.
Rebirth—the concept was not foreign to him, he had read so many books about it. And yet, here he was, living again, trapped in the body of someone who was once weak. His body ached with the unfamiliar sensations of youth. But his mind… his mind was still sharp. And it was filled with rage.
He needed to vent, to take out the rage that burned inside him. The Silent Blades had struck, and Kael had been powerless to stop them. But now he was not the same. He was something more. He would find Kaidën, find the people who had orchestrated his death, and make them pay.
But first, he needed to finish the quest.
The time would come. He would make them all pay.
He just needed to find Dr. Kim first. She was the key to unlocking the second quest.