Darkness.
Endless and silent.
Then—
Breath.
A newborn cried beneath the flickering glow of an oil lamp.
Outside the wooden house, rain poured across the mountain village.
Inside, a woman smiled weakly while holding the baby in her arms.
"It's a boy…"
The second life was not glorious in the beginning.
Not at all.
For the first ten years, life was miserable.
No power.
No knowledge of martial arts.
No influence.
Just another starving child trying to survive.
He worked everywhere he could.
Carrying water.
Cleaning stables.
Hauling stones for construction.
Sometimes he even fought stray dogs over scraps of food.
It was humiliating.
But he endured it.
Because he understood one thing better than anyone else.
Knowledge was power.
And this world ran on martial power.
So he waited.
Observed.
Learned.
Until one day…
Luck finally appeared.
He found it in an abandoned cave in the mountains.
A dusty, half-rotted book.
A martial manual.
"Foundation of Qi Circulation."
To ordinary people, it was a worthless beginner manual.
To him…
It was a key.
He spent months inside that cave studying the technique.
Day and night.
Circulating Qi.
Strengthening his body.
Rebuilding himself from nothing.
Slowly…
Power began to grow inside him.
And when he finally stepped out of that cave—
The weak child had disappeared.
Something else had taken his place.
But fate was cruel.
Because that same night…
A shadow descended from the sky.
Before he could react—
A hand grabbed his neck.
The man was floating in the air.
Actually floating.
The boy blinked.
"…Void walking?"
Interesting.
Then everything went black.
When he woke up again—
He was underground.
A massive underground arena.
At least the size of a football field.
Hundreds of children were gathered there.
Some crying.
Some shaking in fear.
Some already fighting.
Above them stood a massive iron gate.
Chains hung from the ceiling.
Torches burned across the walls.
And written on a giant stone tablet were three words.
Blood Demon Cult.
Ah.
So that was it.
A demonic sect.
They were famous for one thing.
Creating monsters.
The boy slowly looked around.
There were many strange children here.
One boy had a long scar running from his forehead down to his neck.
His eyes were cold and murderous.
A girl with a blindfold sat silently in the corner.
Her presence was strangely calm.
A fiery-haired girl with an athletic body stretched her arms like she was preparing for battle.
There was also a white-haired, blue-eyed boy sitting quietly with perfect composure.
Then there was…
A narrow-eyed boy whose smile looked absolutely terrifying.
He looked half asleep.
But somehow everyone stayed away from him.
Interesting.
Nearby, a golden-haired girl was crying while a golden-haired boy comforted her.
Probably siblings.
Then there was a massive red-haired barbarian looking boy who seemed ready to fight anyone.
And many more.
Different continents.
Different races.
Different talents.
All kidnapped.
All thrown here.
All waiting to become monsters.
The black-haired boy watched them quietly.
"…How fascinating."
Children whispered to each other.
"I was taken while sleeping…"
"They grabbed me while I was traveling…"
"They kidnapped me when I went outside…"
One boy whispered in embarrassment.
"I was… uh… using the toilet."
The black-haired boy almost burst out laughing.
Seriously?
Kidnapped while taking a dump?
That was hilarious.
He wanted to laugh.
But suddenly—
A terrifying pressure filled the entire arena.
The air became heavy.
Everyone froze.
Then…
Three figures slowly descended from the sky.
They weren't walking.
They were walking on air.
The boy's eyes widened slightly.
"Void walking…"
Not true void walking.
But something similar.
The first person was an old man.
His body was massive like a barbarian warlord.
A huge scar ran from his forehead all the way down his chest.
Behind him stood a woman and a man around thirty years old.
The pressure intensified.
One by one—
The children collapsed.
Knees hitting the ground.
Faces pressed into the dirt.
The pressure forced them down.
Even the black-haired boy fell.
His face slammed into the ground.
Dust filled his mouth.
"…What the hell."
He spat.
Then froze.
"…Is that… shit?"
For a moment he stared at the ground in disbelief.
Me?
The man who destroyed a universe…
Is eating dirt mixed with shit?
He nearly burst into laughter.
But something else caught his attention.
Not everyone had fallen.
Three people were still standing.
The barbarian red-haired boy.
The white-haired blue-eyed boy.
And the golden-haired boy.
Two others were struggling on their knees.
The blindfold girl.
And the fiery-haired girl.
The black-haired boy blinked.
"…What the hell."
Those bastards didn't even taste dirt.
Unfair.
Completely unfair.
And then—
Without thinking—
He shouted.
"HEY YOU OLD BASTARD!"
The entire arena froze.
"You ugly barbarian looking idiot!"
The old man stopped walking.
The boy kept going.
"If you're such a big man why are you bullying a bunch of kids?!"
"Got the guts to fight someone your own level?!"
"Go challenge the Sword Emperor or something!"
The arena went silent.
Everyone stared at him like he was insane.
The black-haired boy suddenly realized something.
"…Ah."
He slowly looked up at the terrifying old man.
"Oh."
"…I'm dead."
He sighed.
"Tsk."
"My second life is really ending early."
Then he grinned.
"At least this was fun."
The children stared at him in horror.
Who in their right mind would insult a Blood Demon Cult elder like that?
But the old man didn't look angry.
Instead…
He started laughing.
A deep, terrifying laugh.
"HAHAHAHA!"
The pressure disappeared instantly.
The old man looked at the black-haired boy with interest.
"What is your name, brat?"
The boy shrugged.
"…Does it matter?"
The old man grinned.
"Yes."
"Because you might become my favorite monster."