The bus was alive with chaos. High school students yelled, laughed, and chatted as the vehicle bumped down the road toward their school trip destination. Sunlight streamed through smudged windows, illuminating rows of seats filled with energetic teenagers.
Near the back, away from most of the noise, sat Kai Brooks—16 years old, a self-proclaimed nerd, lover of manga and anime. His thumbs danced across his handheld gaming console, eyes glued to the screen.
"Take that, Sean!" Kai grinned.
"Not happening!" Sean barked, his fingers furiously tapping.
"Watch it, Kai!" Liam, another friend, warned with a laugh. "Sean's got you in a corner."
The noise of chatter, teasing bullies, and virtual battles filled the bus. Kai could hear the popular kids toward the front of the bus.
"This trip's going to be boring…"
"Yeah, who cares about some nature hike?"
One bully muttered, "Those dweebs in the back can't do anything without their toys."
Kai ignored them, losing focus just as—
"YES! I WON!" Sean shouted, throwing his hands up.
Kai groaned. "Ugh, again? Seriously?"
He turned off his console, shoving it into his backpack. He leaned against the window, watching the orange sky blur past. But his moment of peace was shattered when—
The bus jolted violently.
Tires screeched. Students screamed. The bus driver yelled, "HOLD ON!"
The bus veered wildly onto a bridge. Kai's stomach flipped as the guardrails gave way, and the bus plunged downward.
"No, no, no—I don't want to die!" Kai screamed.
The White Room
When Kai opened his eyes, he found himself in an endless glowing void of pure white. Around him, classmates stood bewildered, voices echoing.
"Kai!" Sean and Liam ran up to him.
Before he could respond, a voice resonated through the space.
"Welcome, otherworlders."
A radiant light appeared, and out stepped a beautiful goddess. Her crimson hair and emerald eyes shone like fire.
"I am the Goddess of Rebirth. You are here because your lives have ended."
Gasps and cries erupted.
"Dead?"
"This has to be a nightmare!"
"What's happening?"
The goddess continued. "Do not despair. I offer you a second chance—a new life in a world of magic and swords."
Kai froze, whispering, "M-magic? Swords? Is this… an isekai adventure?"
"Yes." The goddess smiled. "And I will grant you powers beyond your imagination."
Light engulfed everyone. Kai felt a strange power surge through his body. A black screen appeared before his eyes.
[STATUS SCREEN]
Name: Kai Brooks
Age: 16
Species: Human
Gender: Male
Level: 1
Class: Death Mage
Occupation: None
Nickname(s): "The Reborn"
Health Points (HP): 150/150
Magic Points (MP): 500/500
Strength: 12
Agility: 15
Intelligence: 25
Attack: 10
Defense: 8
Skills:
Basic Combat Proficiency: Improved understanding of physical combat.
Auto Step: Automatically dodge minor attacks within a small radius.
Dark Vision: See clearly in complete darkness.
Shadow Burst: Release a shockwave of shadow energy.
Bone Spike: Summon sharp spikes of bone from the ground.
Shadow Bolt: Fire a fast projectile made of concentrated shadows.
Soul Harvest: Absorb the life force of fallen enemies, restoring HP and MP.
Mana Manipulation: Control raw magical energy for spells.
Minor Regeneration: Slowly recover HP over time.
Magic Skills:Dark Magic: Level 1: Cast spells manipulating darkness and shadows.
Summon Undead: Level 1: Summon skeletal warriors to fight for you.
Shadow Bind: Immobilize enemies with shadow tendrils.
Soul Drain: Absorb a portion of an enemy's health through touch.
Bone Wall: Create a wall of bones as a shield.
Shadow Cloak: Become invisible for a short time when in shadows.
Unique Skills:
Death's Grasp: Immobilize a target for 10 seconds, leaving them vulnerable.
Resurrection Mastery: Raise fallen allies or enemies as loyal undead minions.
Soul Reaver: Gain a temporary boost in attack power after defeating an enemy.
Spectral Shift: Become intangible for 5 seconds, allowing attacks to pass through you.
Immortality: You do not age or die of natural causes.
Undying Body: If killed, your body regenerates over time, bringing you back to life.
Eternal Soul: Your consciousness persists, even if your physical body is destroyed.
Necrotic Domain: A unique aura that weakens enemies and strengthens undead allies within range.
Weapons:
Soul Scythe: A massive black scythe that can cut through flesh, spirit, and magical barriers.
Bone Whip: A whip crafted from enchanted bones, flexible and deadly.
Soul Sword: A glowing ethereal sword that grows stronger when fed with souls.
Kai's eyes widened as he scanned the status screen. "Auto Step? Shadow Bolt? Immortality?! I can't die?"
His voice cracked in disbelief. He looked down, and in his hands appeared the Soul Scythe—a massive weapon that radiated dark energy.
"Wha… this is insane," he whispered.
Sean and Liam were nearby, staring at their own status screens. Sean muttered, "What the heck is Summon Lightning Spear? This is awesome!"
Kai's heart pounded in excitement and fear. This wasn't a dream. It wasn't a game.
The goddess spoke once more. "These gifts will prepare you for your new world. Use them wisely. Your journey begins now."
Before Kai could react, the white void shattered. The ground disappeared beneath his feet, and he felt himself falling. Wind whipped around him, the light fading into darkness.
Before Kai could react, the white void shattered. The ground disappeared beneath his feet, and he felt himself falling. Wind whipped around him, the light fading into darkness.
"I don't want to die!" he screamed, his voice lost in the void.
As he plummeted, Kai heard voices—shrieks, screams of terror. He looked around and saw his classmates falling alongside him, their faces twisted with fear.
"What is happening?!" someone cried. "We're going to die!" another yelled.
Sean's voice rang out from nearby. "Kai! What is this place? Why are we falling?!"
"I don't know!" Kai shouted back, his own panic rising. Liam was screaming, too. "Someone do something! We're going to hit the bottom!"
Kai's heart raced, but then, something clicked in his mind. A nervous smile crept across his face.
"Hahaha…" he started to laugh, almost hysterically.
Liam and Sean, still screaming, turned their heads toward him.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU LAUGHING ABOUT, IDIOT?!" Sean roared.
"Yeah!" Liam shouted. "We're falling to our deaths here, and you're LAUGHING?"
Kai, his face breaking into a smug grin mid-fall, shrugged. "Well, I do have two Unique Skills: Immortality and Undying Body."
For a moment, the world went silent except for the sound of rushing wind. Sean and Liam stared at him, frozen in shock.
"What." Sean said flatly, his eyes wide.
"Wait… WHAT?!" Liam screamed. "You can't die?!"
Both of them started yelling in disbelief. "ARE YOU KIDDING ME? WE'RE FREAKING OUT AND YOU'RE IMMORTAL?!"
Before they could yell more, the void around them shattered, replaced suddenly by bright blue sky. Kai's eyes widened as he realized they were now falling through open air.
"Oh, come ON!" he shouted, the wind slamming against his face.
They were plummeting fast, the ground rushing toward them at a terrifying speed. Kai gritted his teeth.
"Even if I'm immortal, this is still going to HURT!" he yelled.
A moment later, Kai hit the ground with a sickening CRACK. Pain exploded through his body as he felt his bones shatter, his limbs twisted awkwardly.
His classmates, meanwhile, had somehow managed to soften their falls, using magic or skills they had instinctively activated. They landed nearby, gasping for breath and trembling, but unharmed.
Sean and Liam ran toward Kai, only to skid to a halt, their faces going pale.
"Oh my god," Sean gagged, covering his mouth. "Kai… your body…"
Liam looked like he was going to be sick. "Kai, you're… you're broken! Are you even alive?!"
Kai couldn't speak, his jaw unable to move. But in his mind, he issued a command: Summon Undead.
Glowing circles of dark energy appeared around him, spreading across the ground. From the circles, skeletal warriors clawed their way up, their empty sockets glowing faintly as they bowed to Kai.
The other students screamed in horror. "WHAT IS THAT?!"
"SKELETONS?!" someone cried.
Sean and Liam stared in shock as the skeletons gathered around Kai.
In his mind, Kai spoke to his new minions. Find me small monsters. Let me feed on their energy. Bring them to me now.
The skeletons turned and began to move, stalking off into the nearby terrain. The other students watched, frozen in shock and fear. A few minutes later, the undead returned, dragging back small, defeated monsters and creatures they had hunted. Some were still barely alive, struggling weakly.
Good job, my minions, Kai thought. He activated his combo:
Mana Manipulation + Shadow Bind + Soul Harvest + Soul Drain.
Black shadowy tendrils erupted from the ground, wrapping around the small monsters. The creatures squealed and writhed as their life force was sucked from their bodies. A faint glow of energy flowed from them into Kai, and his classmates watched in stunned horror as his shattered bones and broken body began to repair itself.
"What the hell is happening?!" one student screamed.
Sean's face was pale. "H-he's healing… he's actually HEALING!"
Liam gulped, his hands shaking. "Is that even human? What is he?"
After ten agonizing minutes, Kai's body was whole again. He stood up slowly, rolling his shoulders as if testing his limbs. He opened his eyes, the faint glow of magic fading.
"I'm glad I have this power," he said, grinning. He looked at his skeletons, nodding. "Thank you, guys."
The undead bowed once more before disintegrating into dust.
Kai turned back to his classmates and friends, tilting his head with a casual, smug expression.
"What?"
The entire group screamed at him.
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!"
Kai winced and covered his ears as their yelling grew louder. "Didn't you guys forget?" he said, his tone calm yet amused. "I am a Death Mage."His classmates froze at his words, their faces still pale and terrified.
"A Death Mage?!" someone whispered in fear.
"That… explains the skeletons," another student stammered.
Sean shivered, his voice shaky. "Kai, you're seriously scaring me right now."
"S-same here," Liam stuttered, his body trembling. "Who even are you anymore?"
Suddenly, a series of dings echoed in Kai's head, interrupting the awkward silence.
Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!
Kai blinked as the notifications stacked up, a total of ten times.
You have leveled up 10 times.Your skills are evolving.
New skills unlocked.
Kai's eyes widened in amazement. "What the…" he whispered.
"Kai? What now?" Sean asked warily, noticing his expression.
Kai grinned, unable to contain his excitement. "Status screen!" he called aloud.
A glowing black screen appeared before him, filled with updated information and new skills. He scanned through the details, his jaw dropping in disbelief.
[STATUS SCREEN]
Name: Kai Brooks
Age: 16
Species: Human
Gender: Male
Level: 11
Class: Death Mage
Occupation: None
Nickname(s): "The Reborn"
Health Points (HP): 1,500/1,500
Magic Points (MP): 5,000/5,000
Strength: 60
Agility: 75
Intelligence: 150
Attack: 120
Defense: 90
Skills:
Basic Combat Proficiency: Improved understanding and mastery of basic weapon combat.
Auto Step: Automatically dodge minor attacks within a small radius.
Dark Vision: See clearly in total darkness.
Shadow Burst: Release a shockwave of shadow energy to knock enemies back.
Bone Spike: Summon sharp spikes of bone from the ground to pierce enemies.
Shadow Bolt: Launch a fast-moving projectile made of condensed shadow energy.
Soul Harvest: Absorb the life force of defeated enemies, restoring HP and MP.
Shadow Bind: Immobilize enemies with shadowy tendrils for a short duration.
Soul Drain: Steal a portion of the target's health and mana through physical or magical contact.
Bone Wall: Summon a durable wall of bones as a shield.
Mana Manipulation: Increase the efficiency and control of magical energy.
Minor Regeneration: Gradually restores HP over time.
Summon Undead (Level 2): Summon stronger skeletal minions with improved combat abilities.
Shadow Cloak: Cloak yourself in shadows to become invisible for a short duration.
Corpse Explosion: Detonate a fallen body, causing area-of-effect damage.
Magic Skills:
Dark Magic: Level 2: Cast advanced spells manipulating darkness and shadows.
Necromantic Aura: Emit a field of dark energy that empowers undead allies and weakens living enemies.
Soul Manipulation: Harness and control soul energy for advanced abilities.
Summon Shadow Beast: Call forth a monstrous shadow creature to fight for you temporarily.
Death Whisper: Inflict fear and paralysis on weaker enemies with a whisper of dark energy.
Shadow Step: Teleport a short distance through shadows.
Unique Skills:
Immortality: You do not age or die from natural causes.
Undying Body: If killed, your body will regenerate over time, restoring you to life.
Eternal Soul: Your consciousness persists even if your physical body is destroyed.
Necrotic Domain: An aura that weakens enemies and enhances undead minions within range.
Death's Grasp: Immobilize a single target for 10 seconds, leaving them vulnerable.
Resurrection Mastery: Raise fallen allies or enemies as stronger, loyal undead warriors.
Soul Reaver: Temporarily boosts attack power and magic after defeating an enemy.
Spectral Shift: Become intangible for 5 seconds, allowing attacks to pass through you.
Mana Overload: Channel excessive mana into devastating spells, increasing damage but consuming large MP.
Abyssal Awakening: Unleash the full extent of dark power for a short time, greatly enhancing all abilities.
Weapons:
Soul Scythe: A massive, black scythe capable of severing physical and spiritual forms. It grows stronger with every soul it reaps.
Bone Whip: A flexible weapon crafted from enchanted bone, capable of extending and wrapping around enemies.
Soul Sword: A glowing ethereal sword formed from pure soul energy. Its power increases with the number of souls consumed.
Additional Notes:
Title Earned: Reaper of Souls: For mastering soul and death-related abilities.
Title Earned: Undying Warden: For achieving functional immortality and leading undead forces.
Title Earned: Abyssal Walker: For accessing powers of darkness beyond mortal comprehension.
"This is insane…" he muttered, his eyes darting across the evolving skills and descriptions.
Sean and Liam exchanged nervous glances.
"What's he looking at now?" Liam whispered.
"I don't know," Sean replied, his voice unsteady. "But whatever it is… it can't be good."
let it be continued...