The First Death
[ Hunter Yoo Jihwan has died. ]
[ The System has recorded your death. ]
[ Death Count: 1 ]
[ You have earned Death Points (DP). ]
[ Due to your death, your Death Points have increased by 1. ]
[ Death Points (DP): 01 ]
[ Your E-Rank Hunter System is updating due to a curse. ]
[ The curse has taken root in your soul—you cannot escape it. ]
---
Darkness.
Cold, suffocating darkness stretched endlessly in every direction. There was no sound, no warmth—nothing but the sensation of weightlessness, as if his very existence had been erased.
Jihwan didn't know how long he drifted in the void. Seconds? Minutes? An eternity?
Then, like ink bleeding through water, something appeared.
Lines of cold, lifeless text.
A System notification.
His death.
'…I died?'
Memories returned in a flood—blood-soaked stone, the suffocating mist, clawed hands tearing into his flesh. The last thing he had seen before the darkness took him.
Betrayal.
Agony.
A sharp inhale.
Jihwan's lungs burned as if they were tasting air for the first time. His fingers twitched, pressing against something solid—jagged, damp stone. A cold draft brushed against his skin.
His eyes snapped open.
---
Bloodmist Dungeon.
Jihwan's breath came fast and uneven as he sat up. The crimson fog still drifted through the cavern like a living thing, swallowing all light and sound.
His surroundings were painfully familiar.
Because this was where he had died.
His gaze darted forward, and his stomach twisted.
There they were.
Lee Hyunwoo. The A-rank swordsman, their so-called leader, standing at the front with his back turned.
Kim Jisoo. The B-rank healer, adjusting the grip on her staff.
Two other hunters, chatting idly, unaware of his gaze.
Alive.
All of them.
But they had left him behind.
Betrayed him.
Jihwan's fingers curled into the dirt as reality settled in. His body trembled, not with fear—but with something deeper.
'This isn't a dream.'
He had felt death. He had tasted it.
And yet—he was back.
A chill crawled down his spine.
---
[ The System assigns power based on your eligibility. ]
The message hung before him, void of emotion.
Eligibility?
Jihwan exhaled slowly, forcing his heartbeat to steady.
This wasn't just a second chance.
It was something far worse.
His weakness had doomed him once. But now—he knew.
The betrayal. The lies.
He wouldn't be fooled again.
This time, he would survive.
No matter what it took.
No matter who had to die.
---
End of Chapter