You don't expect to die in a beginner dungeon. Not at twenty-five. Not like this.
Kael's hands trembled as he pressed them against the blood-soaked stone. A green slime—of all things, a slime—jiggled toward him, its gelatinous body pulsing with acidic heat. His vision blurred. The edges of the world darkened.
[WARNING: HP CRITICAL.]
[SYSTEM FINAL NOTICE: DEATH IMMINENT.]
So this is how I go… Not with a boss fight. Not even a blade to the back. Just—slimed to death?
Kael Vaerin.
Level 3.
Rank E.
Partyless. Broke. Forgotten.
No titles. No legacy. Just another loser adventurer tossed to the bottom of the food chain.
His sword lay shattered beside him. His health potion had shattered when he tripped. His party had ditched him after the first fight. Said he was dead weight.
The beginner dungeon was supposed to be safe. Just a warm-up.
What a joke.
A wet squelch echoed as the slime lunged.
Kael didn't scream. He laughed.
Everything went black.
. . .
[REBOOTING SYSTEM…]
[NEW WORLD DETECTED.]
[SYNCHRONIZING PHYSICAL PARAMETERS…]
[SYSTEM RETENTION: SUCCESSFUL.]
[WELCOME BACK, KAEL.]
[EARTH 2047 — Undisclosed Location]
Kael gasped. His eyes flew open—and were blinded by sterile white light.
Alarms shrieked. A heart monitor blipped in double time. Someone shouted nearby.
He tried to sit up, but his limbs felt heavy. Wrong. Weak. He looked down.
Tubes. A hospital gown. Smooth white skin with no scars. No training calluses. Not even the old burn mark on his left wrist.
What the hell…?
A nurse stumbled back, hand over her mouth. "H-he's awake! Code blue reversal!"
People rushed in—scrubs, shouting, confusion—but Kael tuned them out.
Because in the corner of his vision… something flickered.
[SYSTEM ONLINE.]
[STATUS: REINCARNATED (EARTH REALM)]
[LEVEL: 3]
[RANK: E]
[CLASS: ADVENTURER]
[TITLES: NONE]
[STATS:]
Strength: 8
Agility: 10
Endurance: 9
Intelligence: 12
Charisma: 6
Luck: 4
System Synchronization: 100%
[SKILLS RETAINED:]
Appraisal (Lv. 2) – Allows user to scan objects and living beings for basic information.
System Recall (Lv. 1) – Passive. Retains partial system functions when reincarnated across realms.
Inventory (Lv. 1) – A small personal dimensional space (locked).
Mana Affinity (Lv. 1) – Allows sensing and minor manipulation of mana particles (inactive in this realm).
Kael blinked.
I kept it… I actually kept my system.
Even across worlds?
The doctor tried speaking to him, but Kael barely heard a word. His mind raced.
So I'm back on Earth… or some version of it. But I have magic. The system works. And no one else here knows what it is.
That meant one thing.
He wasn't just back.
He was ahead.
He closed his eyes and took a slow breath.
The machines screamed. The nurses panicked. A security guard rushed in. None of it mattered.
This time… I'm not here to play by their rules.
He looked out the window beside his hospital bed, taking in the skyline — corporate towers, drones humming in the distance, screens flashing with propaganda he didn't understand yet.
But he would.
He always did.
Let them have their governments, their secrets, their little kingdoms.
I'll build something else.