"Your reign of glory has come to an end, King. Now the strongest king of the Aster continent is no more. All humans will die, and we demons will rule..." King Altar, leaning on his sword, which was now broken in half, struggled not to fall to the ground. He clutched his chest, which was hurting from being stabbed, while looking back at the demon who had just spoken.
"Marilyn…" King Altar grimaced in pain. For a moment, the girl appeared to be sad, but soon she revealed her sly smile.
"I have been waiting for this day for so long… My King." The woman took the sword from the demon's hand, smiled, then raised it high and stabbed it directly into the Altar King's heart, causing him to scream in pain as blood spurted from his mouth.
I refuse to accept this… If it weren't for being deceived, I would have already killed those demons… If there were a second chance… I won't fall into this woman's trap again, and I swear I will destroy every demon I encounter in the future…
At that moment, his breath began to grow faint. With hatred deeply rooted in his heart, he collapsed to the ground and gazed at the sky in the final moments before he lost his life.
…
A world that seemed so peaceful…
No one would have guessed that this world was about to be destroyed by a demonic attack. Only the strong would survive; the weak would die as food for the demons. Everyone must continue to grow stronger if they do not want to die at the hands of the demons.
Steven sat in the farthest corner, scribbling on a piece of paper, estimating where the demons might begin to appear. A blonde-haired boy came in with two friends, glaring at Steven with disdain.
"I haven't been here for a few days, it seems like your life is very peaceful!" The man rudely put his feet up on the table, stepping on the paper Steven had written on. The man was strange, unlike usual—Steven didn't flinch, his gaze cold as he stared straight at the blonde-haired man.
When that sharp gaze fell on him, the man instinctively lowered his foot. He felt immense pressure from Steven's gaze, which had once been too timid to even meet his own. Now everything was silent; all eyes in the classroom were on them, making the blond-haired man, who didn't want to feel embarrassed, quickly and angrily swing his fist at Steven.
"You bastard!!" The punch was quick, but too slow for Steven. He grabbed the blonde man's hand and slammed his head onto the table, the sound of the impact echoing through the room. The commotion drew the attention of the children who had initially wanted to stay out of it, now turning around with curiosity to watch the scene.
"You bastard! Let go of Mr. Carl!" Two of Carl's followers were furious. They charged forward and simultaneously attacked Steven, thinking he had merely been lucky to avoid Carl's punch earlier. However, these inexperienced attackers were no match for Steven. With just one hand and foot, the two men now lay at his feet.
At that moment, everyone in the classroom felt a chill seeing it. They were deeply shocked by Steven's new persona after the man had attempted suicide by jumping into the river two weeks ago due to bullying. Emely, the brown-haired girl sitting in front, watched him in awe, smiling in admiration at Steven's new persona.
Steven, whose hand was still pressing Carl's head against the table, now threw Carl to the floor. He took a handkerchief from his pocket, wiped his hands as if disgusted, then left the classroom arrogantly, tossing the handkerchief to the floor. Carl, who was sitting weakly on the floor, watched Steven leave, then the man shouted angrily. At that moment, he felt his dignity had been trampled upon, swearing to take revenge on Steven and restore his dignity in front of the entire class.
A week ago...
A man was struggling to breathe after drowning in a bathtub. His hands reached out to the side of the tub, pulling his body up. A handsome man appeared, with jet-black hair and sharp, cold eyes. He wiped his hair back while continuing to gasp for breath.
"Didn't I die because I was betrayed by my subordinate? Then what is this place?!" The man looked around in astonishment, a place that was very foreign and strange to him. It was very different from the kingdom where he had previously lived. The man pulled his body out and his feet touched the floor, but his legs were weak, so he immediately fell to the floor as soon as he stood up.
"Damn it! My legs feel numb. How long has this body been in the water?" The man tried to get up again, but soon fell back down. Now he gave up, leaning his body against the wall and resting.
"CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR RETURN, MY LORD!" A sudden voice emerged alongside a transparent blue sphere with eyebrows, eyes, and a mouth, greeting the man as it floated in front of his face.
This startled the man, and he instinctively punched it with all his strength. The punch did not miss, but strangely, the sphere could not be touched, and his blow seemed to pass through its body as if striking air. The sphere smiled, moved away from the man's hand, and began to introduce itself.
"I apologise for startling you. I am the time-space system known as Z032O4. I will guide your life after this new birth… Your Majesty, King Altar!"
"New birth? Perhaps God is favouring me! After my heart was pierced by a sword, God gave me a new body. But why is it so weak?!" King Altar clenched his fists, feeling no energy in his body. This body is extremely weak!
"Let me explain your new life, sir." The ball bowed in greeting.
"You are currently in another dimension. Your former world was destroyed along with your body. In this world, you are named Steven. A wealthy and handsome young man, but very weak and often bullied by others. Your parents divorced, and you live alone in an apartment. Due to severe and prolonged bullying, a week ago you attempted suicide but failed; this is your second attempt."
"I will first restore your body, then I will slowly explain the purpose of your rebirth into this world." Steven nodded. The system began scanning, then it opened the time shop and gave Steven a healing potion. Without hesitation, the man downed the entire small bottle of potion. Miraculously, Steven felt his body slowly recover and regain strength after drinking the potion. His pale skin, which had been submerged in water for a long time, now looked better. His lips, which had been almost blue, now regained their natural colour.
"This world is the hundredth world targeted by the Demon race for conquest. They are invading each planet one by one, searching for the best place for them to settle. And your task is to kill those demons and save this world! At this basic stage, you must train on your own to become stronger. Though I am your system, I have limitations in assisting you.
The potion earlier was my contribution. From now on, every time you kill a demon, you will earn points that can be used to purchase items at the time shop." Hearing this, Steven stood up and smiled. Killing demons was his favourite job; he had died because of demons before, and now he vowed to exterminate all demons on this earth.
For a week, the man stayed at home, training his muscles intensely. Though he was no longer as strong as before, he was now at least strong enough to fight with his bare hands.
…
Elsewhere, mysterious murder cases were on the rise. Strangely, the victims were found with many missing body parts. The police had been investigating the matter for a year, but they found no clues. Steven looked at the city from the school roof; it seemed very calm. The demons had been arriving one by one, quietly spreading terror while waiting for the Demon King to arrive, after which they could launch a massive attack.
Steven saw the news online and managed to pinpoint the location where the demons had appeared. Tomorrow, he would go there to begin his first demon hunt!