As Jinwoo was sleeping, he felt a creeping, horrifying sensation — like something was wrapping around him.
He opened his eyes.
"Where am I…?"
All he saw was pitch-black darkness. Far too dark to be a hospital room.
He tried to move his hand.
He couldn't.
He tried to lift his leg.
Nothing.
"What the f*ck… what's happening? Why can't I move? I remember I slept on the bed…"
It felt like he was bound.
As Jinwoo looked around, he realized he couldn't speak either. Dark threads wrapped around his body, binding him tightly. Wherever he looked, there were more and more of those threads, stretching endlessly into the void.
Like he was trapped in a giant spider web.
At first, he thought it was a dream.
But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't wake up.
And it wasn't lucid either.
He had no control.
"Maybe this isn't a dream… f*ck… I'm scared."
He tried to scream, but not a single word left his mouth.
He couldn't move.He couldn't speak.He couldn't see beyond the suffocating darkness.
He panicked — writhing, struggling, desperately trying to break free.
Then—
He heard something.
Footsteps.
Slow.
Deliberate.
A faint light appeared in the distance.
But instead of hope, terror consumed him.
An unsettling spider crawled forward.
Eight long legs.
Multiple glinting eyes.
Its body was divided perfectly in two — one side pitch black, the other glowing with pale light.
"Fck… fck… what's that? Which deity did I offend? Is it going to eat me?"
It crept closer.
His heartbeat pounded violently. His breathing grew erratic. Sweat ran down his face.
Then—
The spider stopped.
Another sound echoed.
Jinwoo turned his gaze.
Two white shapes floated toward him.
No.
Not just eyes.
A pitch-black humanoid figure emerged from the darkness. Its entire body was swallowed in shadow — except for two white eyes.
Then it smiled.
White teeth appeared.
That smile made his fear spike even higher.
"What the f*ck is that thing… and why is it smiling like that?"
The entity spoke.
"Calling me a thing? How rude. Didn't your parents teach you manners? Oh… sorry. One left for milk. The other… hehe. Let's not talk about that."
Jinwoo's mind froze.
"What does that mean? Can it hear my thoughts? And what did it mean about my mother?"
The entity chuckled.
"Again with calling me an 'it.' And yes, I can hear your thoughts. As for your mom… let's just say what happened wasn't 'eternal slumber.' Hehe."
Rage flickered through Jinwoo.
"What the f*ck do you mean it wasn't eternal slumber, you bastard?!"
The entity clicked its tongue.
"Must you keep cursing? Be grateful I haven't fed you to my little spidey here. No one who curses me — or calls me a thing — and sees me ever sees daylight again."
Its voice grew colder.
"And you should be scared. Look at your situation."
Snap.
The darkness constricted.
Something wrapped around his throat.
He couldn't breathe.
Tears streamed down his face. His skin turned purple. But worse than suffocation was the pain — something deeper.
It felt like his soul was being crushed.
Like his mind was splitting apart.
The agony was so overwhelming he couldn't form a coherent thought.
Death crept closer.
Just when he was about to lose consciousness—
Snap.
The pressure vanished.
He could breathe again.
But he didn't feel whole.
He felt drained.
Barely thinking, he asked:
"Why…?"
The entity smiled wider.
"Why? Maybe to show you your place for thinking of me as a thing. Watching you writhe in pain was fun. Maybe I should do it again."
It made exaggerated childlike gestures, raising its hand again.
Fear exploded inside Jinwoo.
"Sys… System… help…"
A blue panel appeared.
Then it turned red.
[ERROR! ERROR!!HOST'S LIFE IN DANGER — EXECUTING EMERGENCY PROTOCOLSINTRUSION DETECTED!!!ACCESS DENIED!!ACCESS DENIED!!ACCESS GRANTED!!PROVIDING ADMINISTRATIVE AUTHORITIES TO ??????????? PROPOSES CHANGES TO THE SYSTEMPROPOSAL ACCEPTEDADDING NEW FEATURES TO THE SYSTEM...… HAS BEEN ADDED...… HAS BEEN ADDED...… HAS BEEN ADDED]
The entity tilted its head.
"Oh? That thing."
It chuckled.
"Hehe… quite interesting. Ashborn really went all out on this, huh?"
Jinwoo breathed heavily.
"What… do you want…?"
"What do I want? Hmm… how do I say it? Let's use a quote from one of your favorite novels — 'There's always a price for what fate bestows,' isn't it?"
Hearing those words, Jinwoo forced himself to ask,
"Price… for what?"
The entity paced slowly.
"You really didn't get it? I thought you were smart enough. Oh wait… I already crippled your thoughts."
It laughed dramatically.
"Let me spell it out for you. The price for reincarnating you, dummy. Hehe. That's right — it was me."
Jinwoo's mind shook.
"Re… reincarnating me?"
"Yeah, that's right. Or did you think you were some chosen one? Reincarnated by a miracle? Or by a goddess who'd obediently sit by your bed? Hehe. Though… maybe you are chosen. Since I chose you."
The entity rambled almost playfully.
Jinwoo realized he couldn't escape.
"What… price do you want?"
The entity smiled mischievously.
"You can't give me what I truly want. But you can work for me. And we'll both be happy."
"What kind of work…?"
"It won't be too hard. It'll even make you stronger. The details will be revealed once your System adapts to the changes I made. Give it about two days."
It leaned closer.
"And you don't have the right to refuse."
Jinwoo forced himself to ask,
"Will it be bad work? Like killing people?"
The entity laughed softly.
"Sometimes it may involve things like that. But is killing always bad? Weren't you a big fan of Fang Yuan in your past life? Doesn't it depend on the situation?"
It grinned wider.
"And I know you'll enjoy it."
Jinwoo swallowed.
"Why… why me?"
"Hehe. I can see your past, present, and future. Out of everyone I've observed… yours was the most interesting."
It looked upward.
"And enough talking. We've wasted too much time. Those bastards are already here."
Its tone shifted — colder.
"Do the quests the System gives you. Repay your debt."
Snap.
"And remember — you don't have a choice."
The world shattered like glass.
Everything broke apart like a mirror.
And the darkness swallowed him whole.
[A/N: i wrote it i really wrote it was it good or bad someone please comment and tell me]