The sound of dripping water echoed through the darkness.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
Aric's eyes snapped open. For a moment, he thought he was still dying—that the cold gnawing at his chest was blood loss, that the taste of iron in his mouth was his own life pouring out. But no… this was different.
The air stank of rot. His body ached, not from fresh wounds, but from chains. Heavy iron shackles dug into his wrists and ankles, pinning him against a wall of damp stone.
A dungeon.
So this was his rebirth?
Aric exhaled slowly, letting the memories flood back—the battlefield, Darin's smirk, the sword through his heart. His last vow. His curse.
If fate grants me another chance, I will rise not as savior, but as tyrant.
The words burned brighter now. They weren't just a memory—they were a tether, binding him to this second life.
Then he heard it.
A low chime, resonating not in the air, but inside his skull.
> [Tyrant's Path System initializing…]
Welcome, Aric Veynar.
Designation: The Fallen Savior.
New Path: Tyrant.
Aric's breath caught. The words weren't spoken—they simply existed in his mind, carved there by some unseen hand.
A series of glowing runes flickered across his vision, fading into shapes he instinctively understood.
> First Directive: Break your chains.
Reward: +5 Strength, +10 Tyrant's Influence.
Failure: Permanent debilitation.
Aric laughed bitterly, the sound harsh in the silence. "Break my chains? How fitting."
The dungeon door groaned. Light spilled in, harsh and blinding. A guard stomped inside, sneering at the prisoner chained to the wall. His armor was dented, his face scarred, but his grin was full of malice.
"So, the great Savior lives," the man mocked. "Or at least, a husk that looks like him. Don't worry, you'll rot here. The kingdom has no more use for you."
Aric's fingers flexed against the chains. The system pulsed again.
> Quest Reminder: Break your chains.
The guard leaned closer, jabbing Aric's ribs with a boot. "Look at you now. Broken. Forgotten."
Aric smiled. Slowly. Coldly.
Then he pulled.
The iron groaned, veins bulged along his arms, and his teeth clenched as a surge of unnatural strength coursed through him. The shackles snapped like brittle twigs.
The guard's sneer twisted into horror.
"W–what—"
Aric lunged. His hands wrapped around the man's throat, squeezing until cartilage crunched. The guard gurgled, eyes bulging as his sword clattered to the floor. Aric didn't hesitate—he twisted until the neck snapped.
The body crumpled at his feet.
Another chime.
> Quest Complete.
Strength +5.
Tyrant's Influence +10.
First Kill Bonus: Skill unlocked – Domination Aura (Lv. 1).
Aric stared at his bloodstained hands. They trembled… but not from fear. From hunger. From exhilaration.
The system whispered again, like a lover in the dark.
> This is only the beginning.
Aric stepped over the corpse, chains still dangling from his wrists. His voice was low, hoarse, but steady.
"They betrayed me once. Let them try again. This time, I will not wear shackles. This time, I will forge them for others."
And with that, the Savior walked out of the dungeon—not as a prisoner, but as something far more dangerous.
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