The heavy stone doors shut behind me.
I stood in the vast, dimly lit corridor. The air felt ancient—thick with something unexplainable. My boots echoed on polished marble, red carpet running like blood between massive stone statues lining each side.
"What… is this place?" I muttered, eyes scanning the towering architecture. "Some kind of crypt?"
Suddenly, a faint ding echoed in my head.
[Notification]
You have entered: Domain of the Ancient Forbidden God Rulers.
I stopped cold.
"Wh-what the hell? A notification…?" My voice trembled. "I haven't seen one of these since—"
I froze, eyes wide.
"Twenty-three years. Not since that first damn day…"
The silence returned, save for my footsteps on the red carpet. Each step carried me deeper. More statues. Stone figures of forgotten gods, clad in armor, wings, claws, faces obscured by time and worship.
"This place… it's weird. Not like any dungeon I've ever seen," I whispered, glancing up. "Feels more like a temple. A throne room..."
I looked ahead—and my breath caught.
At the far end of the hall, seated atop a massive obsidian throne, loomed a statue larger than any building I'd ever seen. Its eyes were hollow. Its hand held a crumbling staff. A shattered crown rested atop its head.
"Wh… What the hell is that thing?" I murmured. "A statue that big… Is this whole place just built around it?"
As I stepped closer, another ding rang.
"Notification again? It lo—"
I stopped mid-sentence.
[Notification]
Description: You stand before the remnants of one of the Seven Forbidden Gods. Once worshipped before the first cycle, erased from history by divine war. Now abandoned… waiting.
Requirement Met: Ghost Fragment (1/1)
Reward Unlocked: Class - Ghost Summoner (Unique)
My breath left my lungs.
"Ghost Summoner…" I whispered. "Just like... the game. Back in high school... That's how I got the class back then."
I staggered back, heart pounding.
But before I could process more—heavy footsteps echoed behind me.
CLACK. CLACK. CLACK.
From the corridor I came, a twisted voice slithered through the air.
"You... human…"
"You always taint creation... You take the gifts of gods... and smear them in blood…"
I turned slowly.
It was Velrun.
No—not him anymore. His face was blank, eyes glazed in violet light. A foul aura wrapped around him, and the blade he once carried had transformed into a massive obsidian scythe.
I instinctively reached for a weapon—nothing. Just my old military fatigues.
"Tch. How the hell am I supposed to fight an A-rank adventurer? I'm not even F-rank... I'm a damn soldier with no powers."
Then:
[Velrun – Possessed Form] activates Skill: Soul Bind.
Chains of black light shot toward me.
My limbs froze instantly.
"Aghh—! I… can't move!"
Velrun raised the scythe high. His voice wasn't his own anymore—twisted, guttural.
"You should not see this… You are not worthy…"
"What the hell is that form… That's not something humans should even see," I gasped.
My body refused to move. It felt like ghostly hands were binding every bone.
"Why…? Why can't I move!? Am I paralyzed?!"
Velrun's scythe began to glow.
"You… must... perish."
"F**k you," I spat through clenched teeth. "I'll take my revenge... see you in hell, you son of a b*tch—!"
The blade fell.
Silence.
Silence.
Silence.
Silence.
Silence.
[Notification]
Passive Skill Activated: Revive of the Past Ghost
Description: Revives the user by reverting their state to 20 years ago. One-time use. Cooldown: 200 Years.
BZZT—BZZT—BZZT.
An alarm clock buzzed violently.
I gasped awake.
Sweat drenched my body. My heart pounded like a war drum.
"What… the hell was that?"
I clutched my head. Pain shot through my temple.
"Tch—why does it hurt? I've had worse in the army… This bruise feels like a goddamn hammer…"
A knock at the door.
"What now? No one ever dares knock when I'm pissed…"
The door creaked open.
My jaw dropped.
"You—"
It was him. A friend—dead for fifteen years. Killed during an escort mission.
"Yo, Roy. You okay? Heard you hit your head pretty hard."
I stared.
"What's with that look?" he laughed. "It's like you've seen a ghost."
I didn't answer.
"Yeah… it's like I have seen one," I whispered.
"Anyway," he scratched his head, "don't be down. There's another Awakening Test next month. You might get in this time!"
"…Awakening Test?" I blinked.
"Yeah? You sure your head's okay?"
I froze again.
"No. That's… that's not right."
The last Awakening Test was 20 years ago.
"This can't be real…"
"Alright, man. I'll let you rest. I'll visit tomorrow."
He closed the door behind him.
I sat there, trembling.
"Think, Roy. Think! After Velrun struck me… I died. Right? So why am I here… twenty years in the past?"
I stared at the wall.
"This… is no dream."
Heavily breathing, I stood and left the house.
"The Monster Wave… it's coming. Back then, it wiped out thousands. Even high-rank Awakened were slaughtered."
"And now I'm stuck here. No powers. No class."
"Is this some twisted game by the gods?" I growled. "Going back with nothing? Again?"
I clenched my fists.
"No. I'll use everything I know. My memories are my weapon now."
I set off. Toward the forest—an area no one dared approach. But I remembered.
"This was the safe zone during the wave... no monsters ever approached here."
I navigated through brush, recalling the secret grinding dungeon that was only discovered two years after the invasion.
"D-Rank Dungeon. Dirty Goblins' Huts. Rarity: Secret Dungeon."
There it was—still hidden, still untouched.
"Perfect."
I peeked from the trees. A group of goblins was tearing apart a dead wolf.
"Tchek tchek tchek!"
Loud. Stupid. But dangerous in groups.
Two goblins lay dead nearby. A dead wolf carcass slumped beside them.
"Just what I needed. Monster corpses... I can make a weapon."
A wolf howled in the distance. The goblins ran.
"Now's my chance—"
I rushed forward and touched the wolf's corpse.
DING.
[Notification]
You have touched a Fallen Entity.
Passive Skill (Activated): Ghost Past (Unique)
Description: You may absorb one skill from a fallen entity you've touched.
Cooldown: 1 Day.
"Wait… did I just… awaken!?"
[Notification]
Acquired Skill: Wolf Dash
[Notification]
Passive Skill (Activated): Ghost Grimoire (Unique)
Description: All skills acquired are transformed into
Ghost-type skills.
[Notification]
Skill Transformed: Wolf Dash → Ghost Dash
Ghost Dash:
Dash 10 meters instantly. Immune to all damage for 2 seconds.
Cooldown: 10 minutes.
I stood there—speechless.
"I… I really awakened. But… this isn't normal."
A low growl behind me.
In the shadows, glowing eyes appeared. A wolf pack… watching me.
🕯️To be continued...