Light.
He hadn't seen it in what felt like eternity.
It wasn't the violent, devouring brilliance that had torn him from the void — no, this was different. Softer. Gentle.
The sunlight spilled across his eyelids, warm and fragile, brushing against his skin like a forgotten memory.
He opened his eyes slowly.
For a moment, his vision blurred, his mind blank — as if his soul was struggling to recognize the world again. The light stung, and his pupils contracted sharply. He blinked several times before the shapes around him began to take form.
White walls.
A ceiling bathed in sterile brightness.
The sharp scent of antiseptic and medicine.
He heard the rhythmic beep of a heart monitor beside him — the steady pulse of a machine measuring life.
His life.
He inhaled shakily.
Air filled his lungs, cold and alive.
He felt his chest rise, his heart beating — slow, powerful, steady.
After an eternity of stillness, the sensation of his blood moving through his veins was almost overwhelming.
A soft smile formed on his lips — uncertain, fragile, and yet… real.
He was alive.
He pushed himself up slowly, muscles trembling as though rediscovering motion. The sheets rustled beneath him.
As his senses settled, he looked around, his gaze scanning the room.
A hospital.
That much was clear.
He turned his head toward the small bedside table and noticed a clipboard resting atop it. His eyes drifted over the page until they caught on a single line.
[Patient: Sung Jinwoo]
His body froze.
For a brief moment, his mind went silent — like a storm pausing before it strikes.
Sung Jinwoo.
The name lingered in his thoughts, sharp and familiar. His lips parted slightly as if to whisper it aloud, but no sound came out.
'No… it can't be.'
Yet deep inside, something stirred — a sense of déjà vu that clawed at his consciousness.
He had seen this before.
Lived it, perhaps.
Then —
A sharp pain erupted in his skull.
He gasped, clutching his head with both hands as thousands of invisible needles drove themselves through his mind. His body convulsed; his breath came in ragged bursts.
He clenched his fists until his nails dug into his palms, the pain grounding him.
He'd endured worse — years of hunger, of loneliness, of despair — and he would endure this too.
But this was different.
This pain was 'alive'.
Images began to flash before his eyes — fragments, faces, emotions that weren't his own.
A hospital room.
An old woman lying in a bed, her chest rising faintly with each shallow breath.
A young girl with kind eyes, smiling through tears.
Then — blood.
Monsters.
Screams echoing through endless tunnels.
The metallic scent of death.
A young man — *Sung Jinwoo* — standing amidst it all, frail but unyielding, his hands trembling yet defiant.
He felt everything.
The fear. The sorrow.
The stubborn spark of determination that refused to die, even when the world demanded it.
The desire to live.
To protect.
Not for glory, not for himself — but for those precious few who still mattered.
He saw Jinwoo's memories — his suffering, his ascension, his loneliness masked by strength.
And for a moment, it was as though he himself had lived those moments.
The agony subsided gradually, leaving behind a hollow ache in his chest.
Sweat drenched his body. His breathing was uneven.
When he finally opened his eyes again, the world seemed quieter.
Sharper.
He stared at his trembling hands, then at the pale reflection of his face in the glossy surface of the monitor.
"…It's… how is it possible?" he whispered, voice trembling.
The realization sank in slowly — too heavy to accept, too strange to deny.
Those memories. Those emotions.
They weren't fiction anymore.
They were 'his'.
He lifted his legs off the bed and stood, unsteady. His feet touched the cold floor, grounding him in a reality that still felt unreal.
He walked — no, stumbled — toward the mirror on the wall.
His reflection looked back at him.
Jet-black hair, slightly disheveled.
Deep, dark eyes like the night sky itself.
A pale, almost ethereal face.
Thin, fragile frame — yet beneath it, something vast slumbered.
He reached out, fingertips brushing the glass.
The mirror was cool to the touch.
"It's… Sung Jinwoo," he murmured, voice barely audible.
Then, after a pause, the words escaped him like a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding:
"No… it's 'me'."
As if in response, a sound echoed within him.
--Ding!--
He blinked.
The sound was mechanical, distant yet clear — a resonance that seemed to vibrate in his very soul.
[System upgrade initiated]
[Please wait…]
Lines of glowing text appeared before his eyes, translucent and ethereal.
[1%]
[9%]
[30%]
[47%]
[74%]
[99%]
The final line pulsed.
[System upgrade complete.]
His breath caught in his throat.
The luminous panel floated before him — just like he remembered from the story. Except this time, it wasn't fiction.
He raised his trembling hand, touching the glowing surface — his fingers passed through it like mist.
[System access available.]
He whispered, almost reverently, "Status Window."
The panel shifted instantly.
---
[Name: Sung Jinwoo]
[Level: 1]
[Class: None]
[Title: Bearer of the Codex of Omnipotence]
[HP: 100 / 100]
[MP: 100 / 100]
[Stats]
> Strength: 10
> Stamina: 10
> Agility: 10
> Intelligence: 10
> Perception: 10
[Codex of Omnipotence]
> Locked
> Locked
> Locked
[Domain of Trials]
[Authorities]
> Replicate
> Bestow
> Suppression
---
He stared at the words, his pulse racing.
Excitement. Confusion. Disbelief.
"Authorities…?" he murmured.
As if responding to his thought, new panels flickered into existence.
---
[Name: Replicate]
Rank: Authority
Effects: Every being possesses a unique Power or Ability. You may copy their 'Essence' to unlock the Codex. Limited usage.
[Name: Bestow]
Rank: Authority
Effects: You may grant your Skills or Authorities to chosen beings. Their bodies will adapt to match the threshold of the gift.
[Name: Suppression]
Rank: Authority
Effects: You may suppress the power of those who fully believe in you. You may erase or recreate their essence.
---
He exhaled slowly.
This was far beyond anything the original Sung Jinwoo ever possessed.
He read through the text again, every line burning into his mind.
"Replicate… Bestow… Suppression."
Each word pulsed with something deeper — power that didn't come from shadows or mana, but from something far older.
The 'Codex of Omnipotence'.
He didn't understand it yet. But he could feel it — ancient, immense, watching him from within.
A whisper brushed against his consciousness.
Not the same voice from the void — but something distant, observing.
He pushed the thought aside for now, focusing on the panel.
No active skills. No summons. Just… this.
"It's fascinating," he muttered, eyes narrowing. "But it's not the same as before. The system's… changed."
His expression darkened slightly.
He remembered what the voice had said — 'Bearer of the Codex of Omnipotence.'
"What exactly are you turning me into?" he whispered to himself.
Then —
The sharp click of a door opening snapped him out of his thoughts.
Two men entered the room. Both wore black suits. One was tall, broad-shouldered, his hair a clean blonde; his sharp gaze scanned the room like a professional assessing a threat. The other followed quietly behind him, carrying a metal case.
He recognized this scene instantly.
'The Hunter Association.'
"Sung Jinwoo," the tall man said, stepping closer. "You're awake."
Jinwoo turned his gaze toward them, expression calm.
"…Who are you?" he asked, feigning ignorance.
He already knew the answer. He had read this exact conversation before — had lived it through another's eyes.
The tall man smiled politely, pulling out a business card. "Woo Jinchul, from the Hunter Association." He gestured to the other man. "We just have a few questions, if you don't mind."
"What does the Hunter Association want from me?" Jinwoo asked softly, playing along, his tone matching the uncertainty the 'original' Jinwoo once had.
Woo Jinchul took a seat beside his bed, setting the card on the table. "We're here about the incident at the double dungeon. We want to confirm a few details."
Jinwoo nodded slowly, pretending to think, though his mind was already racing.
This was the same world.
The same timeline.
The same story — but different.
He felt it in the air — faint, unstable, like the reality around him was still adjusting to his existence.
The conversation continued smoothly. Questions and answers exchanged without resistance.
Jinwoo kept his voice steady, detached — just as the original would have.
Woo Jinchul studied him quietly for a moment before speaking again. "We suspect that Hunter Sung… might have reawakened."
At his signal, the other man opened the case, revealing a compact device with a glowing crystal mounted at the top — a mana reader.
Jinchul placed it on the table. "Please, put your hand on the crystal."
Jinwoo hesitated for a brief moment, then nodded. He reached out slowly. His reflection on the crystal's surface wavered slightly as his fingers touched it.
The crystal began to glow faintly.
At the same time —
--Ding!--
A notification appeared in his vision.
[Essence Source Detected]
[Analyzing Essence…]
He eyes narrowed slightly at notifications.