The spider-lion's roar shook the arena, rattling through the cracked tiles like thunder. Its mane writhed like a nest of snakes, fangs dripping with a sickly green venom.
All around me, people broke.
Some screamed until their voices cracked. Some dropped to their knees, sobbing. One guy in a salaryman's suit curled into the fetal position, muttering, "It's just a dream, it's just a dream, it's just a dream…"
It didn't sound like a dream.
It sounded like death.
[Choose Your Class: Warrior / Mage / Rogue / Priest / Archer / Tank]
[You must select within 5 minutes.]
The glowing words popped into the air above every survivor's head. Not just mine.
The shift was instant. Panic became desperation.
"Classes! Like a game!" someone shouted, jabbing at the screen floating in front of him. "Pick something, hurry!"
"Warrior!" a man barked, slamming his finger against the choice. A faint bronze aura wrapped his body. A rusty sword appeared in his grip.
Another girl stammered, "M-Mage." A wooden staff blinked into her hands, shaking worse than she was.
A wave of frantic voices filled the air.
"Archer!"
"Priest!"
"Tank!"
"Rogue!"
The arena became chaos not just from the monster but from the sudden scramble of humanity clawing at glowing menus like drowning rats grabbing for driftwood.
I blinked at my own screen.
And froze.
Where everyone else had a neat list of choices, mine showed one single line in red.
[Class: Bugged / Undefined]
[Error: Class Selection Unavailable]
My stomach sank.
"What the hell…?" I muttered, swiping at it, trying to force something. Nothing worked.
The screen flickered. Another line appeared, just for me.
[Trait Override Active: Respawn]
Respawn. Unlimited tries.
Everyone else was staking their lives on a class that barely gave them a starting weapon. And me? I was trapped outside the system.
A curse or a blessing?
I didn't have time to think.
The spider-lion lunged.
Eight legs slammed into the ground as it bulldozed into a cluster of survivors. Screams filled the air. One man swung his conjured sword at its leg — the blade bounced like plastic against steel. A second later, he was under its paw. Bones crunched.
[Game Over]
The red text hovered above his corpse, cold, absolute.
The Mage girl tried next. She chanted something — or maybe just screamed the word "Fire!" — and a flicker of flame shot from her staff. It splattered against the monster's hide like spit on stone.
The beast turned. Impaled her with a single leg.
[Game Over]
Everywhere I looked, it was slaughter.
And that's when I noticed two people who didn't just run.
The first was a man built like a wall — tall, ragged shirt torn at the seams, face grim. His menu had marked him as Tank, and a battered iron shield blinked into his hands.
He planted his feet, shield raised, and bellowed: "Everyone behind me!"
When the spider-lion slammed into him, the sound rang like a car crash. The shield cracked but held — for a heartbeat. His knees buckled. His arms shook. Then the shield shattered, and he was flung across the arena like a doll.
Blood sprayed from his mouth, but he clawed his way back to his feet. "Damn it… I can't—" He spat red. "I can't hold it…"
The second figure was a girl. Small. Fragile. She stood frozen with her hands clenched together like she was praying.
Her screen flickered different from the rest.
[Special Class Available: Healer → Oracle Path Unlocked]
Her lip trembled. "I… I don't want this. I can't… I can't do this!"
Her name, I'd later learn, was Lena. But now, she was just another terrified human staring at power she didn't want.
Her eyes brimmed with tears. "I don't want responsibility. I don't want to heal anyone!"
And the spider-lion noticed her.
Its massive body pivoted, eyes locking onto her the way a predator locks onto prey.
She froze. Couldn't move.
I sprinted.
The monster's claw came down like a guillotine. I shoved her out of the way.
Pain exploded through me as the claw split me in half.
[You Have Died]
Darkness. Silence.
Then—light.
My lungs sucked in air like I'd been drowning. I was back. Respawned at the edge of the arena.
A notification blinked.
[Death Count: 2]
[Permanent Stat Bonus Applied: +2% All Attributes]
I staggered forward, grinning despite the blood taste in my mouth.
Each death made me stronger.
I ran back in.
This time, I ducked under the claw. Slammed my fist against the monster's leg. Useless. The counterattack skewered me instantly.
[You Have Died]
[Death Count: 3 → +3% All Attributes]
Again.
[You Have Died]
[Death Count: 4 → +4% All Attributes]
Again.
Each time, I lasted longer. Dodged faster. Hit harder.
By the fifth death, I could see the spider-lion's patterns. The way its right claw always came a split-second faster. The twitch of its mane before it lunged.
I was learning. Grinding.
And the others noticed.
Between the chaos, Darius — the Tank — stared at me with wide eyes. Blood dripped from his split lip. "What the hell are you?" he rasped.
I wiped the blood off my mouth and smirked. "I'm the guy who doesn't stay dead."
Lena looked too — pale, trembling, clutching her unused Healer menu like it might burn her. Her eyes locked on me, horror and awe mixing.
The rest of the survivors weren't grateful.
Whispers hissed around me.
"He… he keeps coming back…"
"That's not fair…"
"Is he… is he with the monster?"
Resentment. Fear. The seed of envy, already sprouting.
But none of them mattered.
The spider-lion's roar drowned everything else.
It tore through another cluster of players — crunch, spray, silence.
[Game Over]
[Game Over]
[Game Over]
The red notifications hovered like gravestones above corpses.
This was no game tutorial. This was a massacre.
My fists clenched. My breaths came ragged. I wasn't sure how many more times I could die before even I broke.
But one thing was certain.
If I didn't figure out how to kill this thing, then I'd be the last one left alive. Over and over again.
And that thought terrified me more than death.