Chapter 1: A Fresh New Start
Have you ever wished you could start over, hoping to change your life for the better? I often find myself wondering what might happen, if I could journey back in time and reshape everything from the beginning. Would events unfold according to my plans, or will i ended up finding myself consumed by regret?.
"huh?"
"What the...?"
A blinding flash of headlights, a screech of tires tearing through the night, and then—silence.
i woke up gasping, the phantom pain of shattered glass still echoing in my bones.
"Was it a dream? Or just a fractured memory." I muttered to myself.
As i look around, the place seemed strangely familiar. Like I'd been here before.
Someone knocked on the door. I opened it and gasped.
"Who are you?" I asked
He leaned in to hug me, saying, "I'm glad you're finally awake. I thought I'd lost you.."
His voice cracked with emotion, I was confused. Why would he say that?
I didn't even know him. Why would he cry over someone he didn't know?
"I'm still alive, you know," I said.
"But you weren't breathing.. You were alone.. I couldn't protect you. You were cold. I didn't know what to do."
"What?" "Protect me? From what? Hahaha, I wasn't even hurt. What are you talking about?" A nervous laugh escaped my lips.
Silence.
"What? Did i say something wrong?"
He said, "Don't you remember?"
"Remember what? You must've just had a bad dream just like me. You know, in my dream. I was hit by a car, I thought it really happened turns out it was just a nightmare."
"But.. It wasn't a dream. I saw you lying on the ground filled with blood, and you weren't breathing." He said, shaking slightly.
It hit me. What he said... It was exactly like that one side character in the fantasy novel I was very fond of. The poor guy ended up getting offed by the male lead for knowing too much, and it wasn't this guy. It was his friend that died and that was exactly the last words he said to him before burrying him.
"...Wait, don't tell me. Did I just transmigrate into the Stranger Danger novel!?"
My mind raced. If this was true, then did i really get hit by a car and transmigrate into this novel?
"You gotta be kidding me" I whispered to myself.
If I really transmigrate, then this person must be... Donghae.
"Donghae"—He's one of the side characters in the Stranger Danger Novel!. He once loved the main character so much that he swore to to protect her no matter what.
And in the side story of Donghae, he had lost someone important to him after entering the forbidden dungeon.
And while hIs world was turned upside down by the sudden lost. Ji-an arrived like a beacon, breaking through the shadows that had consumed him.
"Ji-an"—the main character in the novel.The male lead was deeply captivated by her because she managed to rise and become the second most powerful in the rankings.
The male lead was the most formidable in the story, holding the top spot in the rankings. Which led the main character gain curiosity about him.
But who am i now? Which character did i transmigrate to?... Don't tell me... Is it his friend that died!?
If Donghae discovered i wasn't the person he knew... he might as well kill me without a second thought.
I looked at Donghae
"Do you know who I am?"
The only way i could escape the questions he might ask... was to pretend i had amnesia. Genius, right?
He asked, "You don't remember?"
acting confused, I said, "I don't remember anything..."
Donghae looked shocked, a flicker of dissapointed crosses his eyes.
"Nothing at all?" He pressed, his gaze searching mine for any sign of recognition.
I shook my head trying to appear lost and bewildered as possible.
"everything in my head... It's all just a blur. I can't even remember my own name"
Donghae sighed, running a hand through his hair. "This is going to be... complicated. Where do I even begin?"
He started introducing himself. After telling me my name and where i was from, he dropped the bomb; I was one of the Awakened.
As I listened to him, every detail he told me wasn't in the novel. The poor sap whose body i was currently squatting in was probably worm food by now.
"So, I'm Han?, and i'm also one of the Awakened?"
"Yes."
"Right. Then... What kind of ability am i packing?"
"Your ability is Memory Vault"
Memory Vault... The name tickled something in the back of my mind, but i couldn't quite grasp it.
"That sounds familiar, what is it?"
"Memory Vault is an ability some people possess. Those with it can perfectly recall everything they see, hear, or rread It's like having a highly organized vault in your mind, where you can access important information at any time. It's not limitless, but close."
"Wait... you speak as if it's a high-ranking ability"
He chuckled and said "It is. You're one of the
A-rankers."
".... No freaking way." I muttered.
I paused. What about Donghae? He's one of the S-rankers, right? "
I asked, "What about you? What's your ability?"
"Ah.. It's... Ice storm"
Ice storm... Ah! I remember now! Donghae is one of the S-rankers, ranked third in Korea.
I was lost in thought, piercing together the details from the novel, when he interrupted. "Basically", he said, "my ability can freeze enemies while creating powerful gusts of wind."
As he spoke, I remember there was a time Donghae unleashed his new power. "The Storm," in the S-rank dungeon. He even managed to slay the "Ramfang" beast in a single strike with his sword, "Stormbringer." Though it was the male lead who created the opening for the final blow.
I stared at Donghae, trying to process everything. The pieces of this strange new world were falling into place, but so many questions still lingered. If i truly had transmigrated into this novel, then I was no longer just an observer. I was now part of the story. And that meant i had to play my part carefully.
Suddenly, a faint imperceptible glow flickered from Donghae wristwatch.
"Why's your watch glowing?" i asked instinctively.
He looked down, clicked his tongue, and muttered "Ah! fuck.A dungeon is foming right now. I've gotta go—stay right there, Han."
Ah, the dungeon.
It was a mysterious space that aappeared without warning in this world. A dungeon was like a tear in reality, a rupture where mana gathered until it twisted the space into a monster-filled realm. No one knew exactly where it came from—only that once it manifested, monsters followed shortly after.
And when the dungeon appeared, so did the System.