From the date displayed on his smartphone, Ethan could now clearly confirm it. Five full years had passed since the first time he died. That meant his second resurrection hadn't taken nearly as long as the first. Still, he wasn't entirely sure how much time had gone by since he was killed by that guy named Leon.
That Leon… he had definitely been level 25. A massive gap compared to Ethan's current state. So, yeah… choosing to keep his identity hidden and avoid those two people from earlier was absolutely the right call.
He sat down, leaning back as he scrolled through post after post on social media, most of them from around four days after the meteor strike.
It was wild, people had really been thrown into survival mode, fighting off monsters from the get-go. Some were granted abilities through a system that allowed them to level up. Others began forming their own groups, associations, and alliances.
The government started organizing a response too, rallying awakeners, creating a coordinated front led by those within official ranks. Together, they were fighting back against the monstrous tide sweeping through the cities.
But things had turned grim fast. A staggering number of lives were lost in just those first five days.
Then Ethan noticed something strange, something different about his own system compared to everyone else's.
For most awakeners, the basic stat lineup was straightforward: Strength, Agility, Magic, and Constitution. And a fifth one was Stamina.
But for Ethan, that fifth stat was labeled Animus.
From what he gathered, Stamina dictated how long a human could keep using their powers before needing food or rest. It could be replenished naturally. So if the same principle applied to him as a skeleton... then Animus might be the equivalent.
Did that mean he, too, needed some form of rest to regain it?
He wasn't sure, not yet. But he would figure it out, step by step.
While still reading through every bit of information he could quickly summarize, there was something else Ethan wanted to try. After that, he began to explore the floor of what used to be his office, heading toward one particular room that piqued his interest.
He walked for a short while until he stood before the office of his former boss. He pushed the door. It resisted at first, but with some effort, it creaked open. He paused, scanning the space inside. It wasn't destroyed… just a bit of a mess, likely from the intense tremors back then.
Besides, it had only been five years. Most of the items here should still be in working condition.
Ethan opened cabinets and searched through drawers, looking for any cloth or usable materials. Once he gathered enough, he began stacking them on the desk, preparing for an idea that had just sparked in his mind.
He started wrapping his bony limbs with the fabric, trying to do it as neatly as possible, though it was a bit of a struggle with these skeletal fingers.
Like… he was giving himself layers to mimic the appearance of flesh.
Next, he pulled on a T-shirt. It hung loosely, way too big for his frame. So he tried layering more. Shirt after shirt.
Well… not bad.
He made his way to the bathroom attached to the office. It was quite dark in there, but fortunately, being a Lesser Skeleton meant he didn't need much light to see clearly.
Standing before the mirror, he studied his reflection: a figure dressed in a chaotic pile of clothing, an awkward but oddly clever disguise. At least his skeletal body was hidden, for the most part. The skull, though… still unmistakably bone.
Fuck… how long was he supposed to keep hiding this identity? But forget it, what mattered now was finding something to cover his skull.
Ethan turned the faucet on. A small trickle of leftover water sputtered out, just enough to pool lightly in the basin. He cupped his bony hands beneath the stream, watching it swirl briefly, then brought it to where his mouth once was...
The water flowed straight through, slipping past his teeth and dripping down into the shirts he wore.
He couldn't drink anymore.
Well… so be it.
Ethan resumed his search, rummaging for anything that could do the job. He found a cloth, which he wrapped tightly around his head. Then a cowboy hat. A face mask followed... and even a pair of sunglasses. It was a total mess.
But somehow, he was sure it was enough. He was decently covered now. And honestly? He was pretty satisfied with his handiwork.
Ethan stepped out of the room, now dressed in a way that was far less… skeletal. Or at least, fully concealed. He was ready to explore the world beyond, to gather more information about how to survive in this post-apocalyptic mess while doing his best to stay alive.
Well, not that dying would be the end for him. Clearly, it wouldn't. But still, keeping his identity secret, along with the fact that a system glitch had revived him and granted him a starter pack each time he died, was absolutely essential.
Let's call it what it was: cheating. And if that was the case, then it was only smart to use this cheat to the max. To grow stronger, faster than anyone else.
Ethan began exploring the floor, searching for any trace of the two people he'd encountered earlier.
He soon spotted a discarded gas canister, still looking fresh, probably used by them to light a fire. He crouched down and picked it up. It was still new, maybe recently handled. Which meant… they hadn't been gone long.
Now, staying cautious and alert to every movement or sound around him, Ethan made his way toward the emergency exit. The door was already ajar, swaying slightly with the draft. He stepped through and began descending the stairwell.
Let's see what awaits out there… what kind of monsters roam this new world.
Ethan descended the stairs slowly, his mind spinning with all kinds of scenarios and possibilities.
From what he'd gathered, awakeners gained levels by killing monsters. Each level-up granted them 10 stat points, which they could freely allocate into the five basic stats: Strength, Agility, Magic, Constitution, and Stamina.
Given his current state, Ethan had a total of 38 stat points at level 1. On paper, that probably put him on par with a level 3 awakener, right?
But then again… that man, Leon, was already level 25 after five full years of this new world. Was leveling really that difficult? Or were they still considered newly awakened?
According to their conversation, the monsters in this city were categorized as low-level. So maybe… maybe Ethan needed to focus on reaching level 10 or 20 as fast as possible. If not, maybe he really would be better off just repeatedly dying to boost his overall stats through the glitch.
Finally, he opened the exit door that led to the back of the building.
Outside, the city lay in ruin. Broken buildings, crumbling asphalt, overturned signs. Darkness blanketed everything, there was no trace of light. No signs of electricity. It felt like the city had long since been abandoned.
So then… where were the people now? Where had everyone gone?
Ethan scanned every corner of the area, watching closely for any movement, but there was none. So, why not take a stroll? A midnight walk through the ruins. After all, what was there to be afraid of?
Hah! He was practically a king in the night now.
Thanks to his passive skill, he could move with ease, no longer weighed down by fatigue. He wasn't gasping for breath like he used to when he was still human. Maybe this was one of the perks of being a skeleton.
Ethan continued toward the main road, his eyes catching a faint light in the distance. It was hard to tell how far away the source was. Its glow flickering behind the silhouette of ruined buildings that framed the cityscape.
Maybe he could investigate. See what was out there.
He walked on, pressing forward through the broken streets. Minutes passed… and then…
Suddenly, something leapt out from the rubble ahead of him.
Hell!
The creature let out a piercing shriek. It looked like a giant lizard, easily twice the size of a normal alligator. Definitely not something from the old world.
And then, without hesitation, the monster lunged straight at him!