A sea of black is all there was…it was all I was. I forgot how long I'd been floating in this place, not that I was sure that it was a place or that time could pass wherever I was. 

I had long forgotten the events that led me to my current fate, as if i had traded my memories for a single ounce of strength to keep from disappearing completely. I felt whatever was remaining of my conscious being beginning to slip away, and I knew once it faded so would I. The sliver of consciousness that separated me from that black sea was finally disappearing and as a result so was I.

>Calculating Summary of Entity 194573…

>Status: Deceased

>ERROR: ####### ##### Detected

>Action Required: Reevaluation

A faint glow pierced the black sea like a star trying to shine through a pitch-black sky. The black sea, which had consumed everything I was, began to ripple. It wasn't gentle, like the breeze over water—it was violent, unnatural, as if the sea itself was rebelling against what was to come.

I wasn't sure if I could hear those words or if they were simply imprinted upon what remained of me, but they echoed through the abyss nonetheless. A cold, methodical voice, devoid of any emotion or care, analyzing my entire existence in a way that felt… indifferent.

The ripples in the sea grew stronger, tearing at the fragile sliver of what was left of me. A faint thread tethered me to… something. Something I didn't understand. Then came what I can only describe as the first fracture of my existence.

>Reviewing Akashic Records…

>ERROR.

>ERROR.

>ERROR.

The autonomous voice the echo through what was left of me began to scream through my being. With each error sounding more discordant and unnatural—each one louder, sharper, and more desperate than the last. A moment after the error reverberated through me. The voice regained its once cold and dead echo that I deemed peaceful in comparison to the errors.

>Sacrificing ####### #######...

>Recalibrating Designation. Initiating Entity Alteration Protocol…

>Rewriting of Akashic Record for Entity 194573…

>Reevalution Completed

What was happening

After the last message resonated through the black corridor that seemed to be my head or maybe my soul, I realized that I began to regain more of my being and also began to hasily feel the feeling of having a body again. I slowly opened my eyes drunkenly as my eyes tried and failed to scan my dark surroundings. My vision was returning albeit slowly as I took the time to process what I had heard previously when I was fading away. 

What…happened…?

Wasn't I dying?

Wait? why was I dying?

Maybe it was a dream, yeah people have wacky dreams, so maybe I was dreaming that I died…right?

WRONG

Out of all the things I understand right now, which in reality is very few I know for a fact that I was dead, no no I had died.

This technical stuff is really hurting my head.

All I knew was I was dying or dead and now I'm not. 

Talk about divine intervention, thank you God.

But was it God?

As much as I would like to believe I've been chosen by a higher power, I doubt that's the case.

The only explanation I can think of is probably the system brought me back.

'The Akashic System…'

The thought sent chills down my back.

I didn't know how but I knew it for a fact that it had to be system, it was the only thing that made any sense.

The knowledge of the system felt like it was etched into my being.

The Akashic System was the universal balance, the unseen hand guiding everything that lived. It managed skills, recorded achievements, and dictated the paths of all species. It played the part of overseer and judge, always remaining impartial and absolute. 

The Akashic System didn't make mistakes, and it certainly didn't… bring back the dead?

It wasn't just rare—it was impossible, improbable, unprecedented. At least, it should have been. 

But here I was.

I finally opened my eyes and tried to look around.

My vision was bit blurry and it was hard to see since it was so dark but slowly my vision was adjusting.

I looked down at my hands, The skin was cracked, gray, and thin, clinging to bone and sinew like parchment stretched too tight. My fingers moved sluggishly, as if I had to remind them what they were supposed to do. 

From the moment I saw my hands, I could tell that something was off.

Was i really alive? 

All my senses felt sharper but dull at the same time, how does that make any sense?

Maybe waking up from death takes a minute.

My hands roamed to feel my body like I was trying to recognise myself through touch. 

The skin on my body felt rough and wounded, like a old rag with tears. Like a deep seeded fear that I was refusing to accept that I knew deep down was the truth, I wasn't alive truly. 

How did I know? 

Well taken in the account my ghastly look of my hands which even with poor eyesight could only be described as corpse-like there was a simple fact that I had been overlooking all this time

In the now 5 minutes I had been awake I had yet to begin to breathe.

"… It seems like I forgot how to breathe."

My head started to spin with all my racing thoughts.

Who forgets how to breathe?

Breathing is the basic thing all living things do?

Am I a failure of a living being

I found the strength to stand up, as my poor vision got somewhat acclimated to the dark. Looking back at my remnants I called my hands i began to observe what i could of my body. My clothes looked like bloodied rags that barely hung off of my rotting pale body. 

And my body looked like a rotting body of someone left out for days at the mercy of the elements.

There was only one way to put my worry to rest. I'd just have to call on the Akashic Records for answers.

"Aaaasa Raaa" 

I tried to say Access Records but it seems like speaking is off the table, my voice instead let out a low moan. I steeled my resolve and tried again as more low and unintelligible moans left my mouth. 

After giving up I decided to simply speak it in my mind to view my information.

Akashic Record

Name: [][][][][][]

Race: Demonic Beast

Species: Witherling Zombie

Rank: Spawn

Class: None

Level: 1

Titles: None

Strength: 6 

Intelligence: 8

Endurance: 6 

Vitality: 4 

Agility: 3

Available Stat Points: 0

Skills:

Wither's Claw - Lv. 1

Mana Perception (Passive) - Lv. 1

####### ####### - Lv. Locked (Fragment - Unusable)

Traits:

Undead Body - Lv. 1

Reading the words "Demonic Beast" and "Zombie" in my mind made my already weak body go limp. 

DAMN IT, WHAT THE F*CK IS GOING ON. HOW DID I BECOME A F*CKING ZOMBIE. 

'Its not even like zombies can create other zombies. So how and why would the Akashic System turn me into one' 

I held my head in my hand as I fell back down on the floor of the supposed cave I was in. 

Demonic Beasts are monsters that spread death and destruction wherever they go, majority of them are mindless monsters that only have the desire to kill humans. 

It was almost laughable what happening, If not for the lucidity of the situation right now I could have swore I was in a dream. 

And why am I nameless? I have a name I looked at the name tab to see blocked out text to signifying the lack of information. 

"Obviously my name is—"

"Its…um…

wait...WHO AM I!!!" 

My mind blanked, a void where my identity should have been. No name. No face. Just a swirling mess of nothingness. I clenched my bony hands into fists, my brittle nails digging into the rotted flesh of my palms.

Who am I? 

The question echoed in my mind like a cruel taunt. Every attempt to grasp at a memory felt like trying to hold smoke in my hands. The more I tried, the more it slipped away, leaving only the ache of loss in its wake.

I stared again at the Akashic Record, feeling the blankness of the text burning into my mind. 

I'm nameless. I guess Low rank monsters don't have names right?

I guess when losing everything else about your identity a name isn't so much

Yeah a name isn't so much and compared to everything right now its the least of my worries, right?

No, I can't accept this. 

The Akashic System may have turned me into this... corpse, but it couldn't erase the fact that I existed, that I was someone. Somewhere, deep within this hollow shell, I was still me—even if I couldn't remember who "me" was.

Taking some time to spiral out was good for me and when I was done I was strangely a bit more accepting of my unique situation,

Ok so I am nameless Zombie now, complaining won't change that but like hell am I gonna accept this you shitty system I wont ever forgive you. 

One final look through my records I looked at my stats and skills.

My stats looked decent I guess? Not like I could tell what was good or bad, but agility looked low compared to the rest.

I had 2 skills, [Wither's Claw] and [Mana Perception]. 

And thanks to the Akashic System I could focus on them and get a description on what they do. 

I still wont forgive you.

[Wither's Claw]

Imbues claws with necrotic energy, delivering a strike that causes lingering decay and weakens the target's defenses.

[Mana Perception]

Allows the user to sense and analyze mana flows.

Ok not bad, I had an attack skills and a skill for sensing mana.

Does that mean I could be a cool mage and cast cool spells in the future?

I'll shelf that thought for later.

What about that Undead Body trait 

[Undead Body - Passive] 

The user's undead physiology grants immunity to poison, disease, and most environmental hazards. Regeneration and necrotic energy are enhanced.

Is it just me or is this undead body trait a little too powerful.

I guess every downside has its upside.

The last skill I had I wasn't able to read. It said the skill was locked and unusable anyways so I guess that 1 less thing for me to worry about at the moment.

I stood back up shaking off my shock and disturbance and began to view the cave I was currently in. 

I walked, okay more like limped for 2 hours while trying to examine my dimly lit surroundings and get a feel of where I was.

In all honesty my speed was rather slow but it's not like that was my fault beside slow and steady win the race is what they say

I looked into the distance to what looked like an opening from the cave to a bigger area. 

My vision was adapting more to the dark and I was beginning to be able to make out things from a distance

[Akashic System]

The requirements have been fulfilled. [Skill: Night Vision] acquired

Details: [Enhances the user's vision in darkness, allowing clear sight in dim or pitch-black environments.]

Processing Complete.

I blinked my eyes as I heard the Akashic System in my head and all that was dark before suddenly became easily visible. 

Had I earned a skill for struggling to see in the dark?

Well it definitely helped as I looked out the cave to see a bigger cavern. 

I proceeded into the cavern with no idea of where I was or where I was going. 

The size of this place is massive, I don't think this is a simple cavern 

As I limped forward I bumped into what felt like a hard surface. 

I barely had time to blink before I was falling, my back hitting the cold cavern floor.

I looked up to the skeleton that I bumped into and that was now standing in front of me.

The clatter of shifting bones echoed through the cavern.

I froze.

The skeletal figure before me lurched forward, its empty sockets had a blue glow that stayed fixated on me. Its movements were jerky and unnatural.

I barely had time to process what was happening before it attacked.

Its bony fingers lashed out, swinging toward my chest with surprising speed.

I flinched and twisted my body on instinct but was too late.

CRACK.

Pain.

I staggered back as a sharp force slammed into my ribs, rattling through my entire body. My balance faltered, my knee nearly buckling. I felt the damage, even if my undead body dulled the sensation.

I glanced down.

The area where it had struck was slightly caved in, the rotting flesh giving way to the impact.

I wasn't sure how much damage I could take, but one thing was clear—I wasn't invincible.

The skeleton didn't hesitate.

It came at me again, its movements methodical yet relentless, raising an arm for another strike.

Lunging forward, I swung my arm wildly, my decayed fingers curling into a claw-like shape as I slashed at the skeleton figure—

[Wither's Claw]

My claws scratched the bone of the skeleton's brittle forearm and face leaving dull scratches before the areas turned dark purple.

The skeletal figure staggered as I moved back to compose myself.

I fingers felt numb after going against that hard bone.

A dark, crawling rot crept along the skeleton's bones, weakening the structure around my claw mark. 

Hell, I had just came back to life i wasn't about die so quick

Sorry skeleton I'm going to have to claw you to death.

While the skeleton was still staggered by the effect of my claw I closed in to claw it some more. 

[Wither's Claw]

I aimed for the forearm that i had previously clawed this time tearing away a chunk of the skeleton's forearm. The weakened limb snapped, the lower portion of its arm falling lifelessly to the cavern floor.

But it didn't go down.

The skeleton reeled back, adjusting its posture, now missing part of its limb—but still standing, still moving.

Its hollow sockets stared at me, expressionless.

I shifted my stance, my legs instinctively spreading for better balance. Even with my undead body's sluggishness, I could feel my movements becoming a bit more fluid.

Not because I had experience—but because my body was learning.

The skeleton lunged again, this time aiming lower—going for my legs.

I moved, twisting my torso to avoid the brunt of the attack, but its remaining hand scraped against my thigh.

I felt the pressure.

The dull tearing of rotted flesh.

I bit back an unnatural groan, staggering but remaining upright.

With a wide, sweeping motion, I swung my arm forward, clawing at the exposed gaps in its ribs.

My fingernails harder, sharper than before dug into the brittle bone.

[Wither's Claw].

I followed up by gripping the inside of its ribcage—

And pulled.

A dry snap rang through the cavern as I tore two ribs free, the bones creaking in resistance before breaking apart in my grasp.

The skeleton fell backwards, and struggled to remain upright.

I could feel it now.

It was weakened.

It wouldn't last much longer.

But if this kept dragging on, neither would I.

[Undead Body (Passive)]

I could feel my injuries—but there was no bleeding, no sensation of warmth or loss of vitality.

Just a lingering numbness, a dull awareness of the damage I had sustained.

The skeleton tried to recover, its movements slower, less precise.

I didn't give it the chance.

Lunging forward, I gripped its skull with both hands—my rotted clawed fingers digging into the bone, pressing into the empty sockets.

The area I my claws scratched began to blacken and wither as it twitched, trying to resist—

I squeezed.

CRACK.

The skull fractured beneath my grip, and with one final burst of strength—I crushed it.

The skeleton's body collapsed, the bones scattering into lifeless pieces.

I remained frozen, hands still clutched around the fragments of the skull, my breath coming in shallow, ragged motions.

I had won.

I had survived.

I slowly released the shattered bone, my hands trembling. My fingers were coated in a fine layer of dust—the last remnants of the first enemy I had ever killed.

And I felt… nothing.

No satisfaction.

No horror.

Just acceptance for the events that unfolded.

I looked down at my hands—at my cracked, undead flesh, the slight tremor in my fingers fading as I forced them still.

I had lost my name.

I had lost my identity.

But one thing was clear.

I had not loss my will to live, and to protect that I needed to get stronger.