A black-haired teenager stood in a dark hallway, frozen in fear as he stared into the deep abyss before him.
No matter how long he walked, the darkness never ended.
Then he saw a child.
The figure had the same shape… the same outline… the same face.
The boy stopped, shocked. A faint flicker of light revealed the truth—it was like staring into a mirror, yet it was no mirror at all.
Rotting eyes stared back at him. Fangs sharpened with a sickening sound as the figure stepped closer.
The boy panicked and turned around, but behind him was only more darkness, waiting patiently. When he looked forward again, the figure continued advancing—step by step—like death itself. Never rushing. Never slowing.
His body refused to move.
Closing his eyes, he clung to a fragile hope of escape and stepped backward, again and again, until there was nowhere left to retreat.
He opened his eyes.
The figure was right in front of him.
Its dead eyes locked onto his as its mouth slowly opened.
With a low, screeching voice, it spoke.
"It's time, Seed. You did this to us."
The ground trembled.
Corpses began rising around him, their hollow eyes fixed on Seed as they murmured in broken voices.
"Why did you leave us…?"
Seed screamed for help, but no one answered. His cries twisted into pain as the corpses closed in, tearing into him. His voice failed. Words became impossible.
"It… hurts…" he tried to say.
Then the figure—his reflection—whispered,
"We need you."
Blood poured from Seed's wounds as the darkness swallowed him whole.
But something changed.
His blood began to glow—a faint crimson light piercing the void. The darkness surged toward him, pouring into every part of his body.
Seed gasped.
He opened his eyes.
A white ceiling greeted him. He was lying on a hospital bed, distant shouting echoing outside the room.
"Was it all… a nightmare?" Seed muttered. "And what was that…?"
A translucent screen appeared before his eyes.
HP: 8 / 8
User has regained consciousness
Seed stiffened.
"What… is this?" he whispered. "It's like a monitor… but there's no screen."
"So that thing is referring to me as a User…"
The hospital door burst open.
A tall man in his twenties rushed in.
"Brother! You're okay—I'm so relieved!"
"Pojay?" Seed said. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, nothing much," Pojay replied with a grin. "The hospital called me to pick up my dead, brain-dead brother."
Seed groaned.
"So what actually happened to me?"
"I don't know everything," Pojay said. "Your friend at the construction site said debris fell on your head. You got a concussion."
As Seed thought about it, another screen flickered into view.
HP: 8 / 8
Strength: 5
Seed's expression stiffened.
Pojay noticed immediately. "Hey… is something wrong? Are you hurting anywhere?"
Seed forced a casual smile. "No, it's nothing. Just my weak body acting up. Let's get out of here—I'm hungry."
"Alright, old man. What should we eat?"
"I TOLD YOU NOT TO CALL ME THAT!"
Seed smacked the back of his brother's head and bolted out of the room. Pojay chased after him, laughing.
"I'M GOING TO GET YOU, OLD MAN!"
As Seed ran, another screen appeared, blocking his vision.
HP: 8 / 8
Strength: 5
Stamina: 8 / 10
Agility: 9
Distracted, Seed crashed into the corner of a hospital bed and tumbled awkwardly to the floor.
Pojay laughed so hard he forgot to scold him.
Later, in a small two-star restaurant, the brothers ate mediocre food while Seed stared at the screen only he could see.
Name: Seed
Race: Human
Level: 1
EXP: 0 / 100
HP: 8 / 8
Strength: 6
Stamina: 10 / 10
Agility: 9
"So… he can't see this," Seed thought.
"But why is Race listed? Does that mean there are others? Can it change?"
As if answering his thoughts, a new message appeared.
Quest Received
Defeat one person in a sparring match
Reward: 50 EXP
Seed grinned.
"Now I know how to get stronger."