[You have died. A penalty will be applied: +30 minutes.]
[Survive 24:30:00 in the Dark Continent.]
He gasped—alive.
Again.
No injuries. Clothes untouched. No blood. But the memory of death still echoed in his bones.
CRUNCH.
It returned. The rat.
Its slick, wet feet pinned him as its fangs tore off his arm.
"AAAAARGH!!"
The pain was blinding.
But worse—its crushing weight collapsed his ribs like tin foil.
Its grotesque toes dug into his chest.
It hurts. It hurts. It hurts.
I can't breathe.
I'm going to die again.
It hurts—
CRACK.
[You have died.]
[Penalty: Sensory input doubled.]
[Survive 24 hours in the Dark Continent.]
He woke up. Again.
No questions. No hesitation this time.
Qitian flared his Nen. His fingers formed a familiar conjuration mudra. A black staff materialized—decorated with golden filigree. He slammed it into the earth. With a surge of aura, the staff shot upward—lifting him into the sky, past the wheat-foliage hellscape.
The rodent looked up, curious.
Another surge. The staff grew thicker, wider. A golden platform formed near the top.
The rat shrieked and fled.
Qitian clung to the staff, chest heaving, a bitter, desperate laugh bubbling out of him.
"I survived... I fucking survived..."
He collapsed onto the ledge, staring into the horizon.
Wheat-seas. Rotting wind. Red sun.
"I got dropped here… and the series didn't even get to this place yet! Why me?!"
Tears streamed down his cheeks.
"Was this... my actual Hatsu? Really?"
He scoffed bitterly. "What a shit deal. I'd take any other Specialist ability instead."
He stared out across the landscape, numb. He wasn't a hunter. He was a kid forced to die. Over and over.
His Hatsu wasn't a power.
It was a sentence.
And then—another window appeared.
====================================================================
Name: Shíhou Qitian
Age: 17
Deaths: 2
Stats:
Athleticism: Olympic-level
Intelligence: Average (IQ, EQ, SQ)
Aura: Average
Skills:
Blacksmithing – Advanced
Years of labor have made you a professional craftsman.
MMA – Intermediate
Through training and sparring, your unarmed combat is refined.
Bojutsu – Intermediate
You wield the staff like a seasoned warrior.
====================================================================
He stared, wide-eyed.
"A system? Am I... a video game character?! I died and came back—what is this, some Dark Souls knockoff?!"
[Remaining time: 23:30:59]
He blinked.
"I... I survived an hour."
He chuckled bitterly.
"One hour down... only twenty-three and a half to go."