The path sloped downward as Lister Merrick pressed deeper into the cave.
The walls grew damp, the air stagnant. Shadows seemed to creep in from every corner, swallowing the fading light behind him.
But Lister didn't panic.
In his past life, he had scoured this cave a dozen times.
The map, the layout, the monsters-it was all etched into his bones.
Though his sight dulled, he knew which steps to take, which corners to lean into.
In this world, your body was your weapon. All five senses mattered. Instinct mattered more.
"You've slain a Cerberus Rider.
Experience gained: 712."
"Experience gained: 498."
One after another, the Cerberus Riders fell, their bodies twitching in their final moments.
Blood painted the rocky floor, and Lister's blade gleamed wet in the dark.
By the time he had cut down over twenty of them, his accumulated experience was nearing twenty thousand.
Then-
The cave opened up.
The cramped walls gave way to a wide, eerie chamber.
And at its center, a colossal beast slouched, so tall that its three doglike heads brushed the stone ceiling.
Each breath it exhaled carried heat and rot.
[Target identified: Cerberus Rider]
[Analyzing enemy strength... Analysis complete.]
[Level: 21]
[HP: 3519 / 3556]
[Strength: 19, Intelligence: 6, Agility: 11, Other data: ???]
[Skill: Ram (Grade D) LV ???, Others: ???]
[Evaluation: Grade E – High-tier monster]
[Warning: Enemy significantly stronger. Evasion recommended.]
Even Lister's face stiffened.
In his previous life, this thing would've barely qualified as a mid-boss.
But right now, with his current stats, it was death incarnate.
A high-tier third-class monster-more than double his level.
And then, without warning-
Boom!
The monster charged.
It was faster than any Cerberus Rider he'd faced so far. Its form blurred, a streak of black and red, trailing heat and bloodlust.
Lister's mind reacted.
But his body-his real, human body-lagged just behind.
He raised his blade.
He braced.
Crash!
He was launched like a stone, slammed backward into the narrow corridor behind.
The breath was torn from his lungs.
[You have taken a heavy hit.
HP: 417 / 762]
[Status: Bleeding -3 HP/sec]
He staggered.
The taste of iron filled his mouth.
Pain surged through his bones. Not the pixelated flash of damage, not the brief sting from a controller's feedback-this was real pain.
This isn't a game anymore.
If not for the rare Merrick family armor on his body, he would've been torn in half.
But the beast didn't give him time to recover.
It charged again.
This time, Lister moved before thinking.
He pushed off the cave wall, sidestepping the charge by inches, and brought his blade downward in a heavy arc-
Slash!
[Critical hit! Damage: 1643]
[Target HP: 1876 / 3556]
The massive Cerberus stumbled, its heads howling. It staggered, dizzy, vulnerable.
Lister didn't hesitate.
He surged forward, blade raised, eyes locked on its exposed neck-
-the same weak spot all Cerberus Riders shared.
Crack!
[Critical hit! Damage: 1797]
[Additional damage: 79]
[You have slain a Cerberus Rider.
Experience gained: 17019.]
He stood there, panting.
No item drops.
No loot.
Only the silence of a corpse and a message in his mind.
Even after risking everything, there wasn't even a single coin to show for it.
Two more Cerberus Riders burst out of the shadows-
-but didn't charge him.
They ran past.
Fleeing.
Lister didn't chase them.
His body ached. His armor was cracked, and blood still oozed from his side.
He walked deeper into the cavern.
No more growls.
No more movement.
Just a growing stench. The kind that made your stomach twist and your soul recoil.
And then, with a flick of his flint, he lit his torch.
The flame revealed hell.
Piled bodies.
Broken limbs.
Half-eaten corpses and sunken, rotting faces.
This wasn't just a monster nest.
This was a butcher's den.
All illusions shattered.
This world-this "Divine Revelation"-was no game.
Maybe it never had been.
The developers had censored the gore.
Edited the horror.
What players saw was an illusion.
But this…
This was reality.
This was the world he now lived in.
The Cerberus fed on people.
Not NPCs. Not placeholders.
Humans.
For the first time since arriving here, Lister felt cold-not on his skin, but in his bones.
He could no longer view this world as a playground.
He could no longer act like an outsider, like someone just playing a role.
This was his life now.
His name was not Chen Xinhao.
Not anymore.
He was Lister Merrick.
The last heir of the Merrick family.
And this was his world.
Then-
[Main Quest Triggered]
Would you like to accept?
A notification blinked in the corner of his vision.
He opened it, and the title alone made his fingers tighten around the hilt of his sword.
[Main Quest: Reforge the Glory of Merrick]
Phase One Objective: Restore the Merrick family's prestige throughout the Will Principality.
Reward: +5 Attribute Points, 2,000,000 EXP, 10,000 Gold.
Phase Two Objective: Spread the Merrick name across the entire Lucian Kingdom.
Reward: +10 Attribute Points, 5,000,000 EXP, 100,000 Gold, and one resurrection opportunity.
Note: Resurrection Tokens – 0.
He froze.
So that's how it is...
All this time, he thought he had infinite lives like in the game.
But there were no do-overs here.
If he had made a single mistake earlier-he'd be dead.
Gone.
"Accept."
His voice was steady.
The torch crackled beside the sea of corpses.
The flames reflected in his eyes-no longer the eyes of a gamer, but of a man ready to carve his fate with steel.