I Am Dead

Rey returned to the hospital after completing his daily quest. His body felt weak from the long session he had endured.

> [ Player can use Full Recovery to return to normal state ]

"Full Recovery?" Rey muttered, staring at the system notification.

As if responding to his words, the system processed the command.

> [ Full Recovery: 10%... 40%... 60%... ]

[ Successful ]

A slight cold rush spread through his body, and in an instant, his fatigue was completely restored. It was as if he had never been tired at all.

"I guess this system is pretty good after all," Rey murmured.

"I just need to level up and become stronger as fast as I can—to stand against any form of threat."

With the Academy's student recruitment just a few days away, Rey knew he had to reach the best level possible.

"I mustn't be weak this time."

---

A sleek black car pulled up in front of the gigantic Rankers Association Building. As soon as the vehicle stopped, the door opened, and a tall, imposing man stepped out.

Foreman was a feared and honorable figure in the world, so it wasn't surprising to see hundreds of reporters already gathered, snapping pictures relentlessly.

The moment he stepped into the bustling building, the air shifted. Conversations halted, footsteps paused, and an overwhelming silence filled the space.

His intimidating aura demanded authority, a presence too powerful to ignore.

Every staff member immediately bowed their heads in respect—this was the Director of one of the ruling Houses in the world.

---

"Welcome back, Brother," a voice called out.

A man dressed in a casual suit approached—his features were strikingly similar to Foreman's. However, the years of experience and adventure between them set them apart.

This was Carlos Foreman—Foreman's second brother and the Acting Representative of the Rankers Association.

Foreman sighed and leaned back into his chair, closing his eyes as he took in a deep breath.

"What's the urgent report you have for me?" he asked, skipping straight to the point.

Carlos turned around, picked up a remote, and pressed a button. Instantly, a holographic screen appeared before them, displaying multiple live feeds.

"Something unusual has been happening," Carlos began. "We've recently detected a significant increase in demon portal breaks."

"The portals keep appearing—at an alarming rate. It's highly unusual. Even the Six Guilds have reported the same phenomenon."

"Portal breaks…" Foreman muttered, his eyes opening slightly. "We haven't seen that happen in decades."

Carlos nodded. "Three days ago, a particular portal opened. Unlike the usual ones, it felt... different. I immediately dispatched the Association's First Team to investigate."

He paused before adding gravely, "But what happened next was beyond anything we could have imagined."

"The entire First Team was wiped out."

Foreman's eyes widened in shock.

"A single demon took them all down—alone."

The First Team was composed of S-Rank, A-Rank, and B-Rank Rankers—the absolute strongest members of the Rankers Association. And yet, they were annihilated.

"What's the status of the demon now?" Foreman's tone shifted—his calm gaze now hardened and serious.

Carlos switched the holographic display to a wide map, showing a single red dot labeled: The Woods.

"We lost all traces of it after that encounter. This is the last known location where it appeared," Carlos explained.

"What's its ability?" Foreman asked, narrowing his brows in suspicion.

Carlos hesitated for a moment before responding. "According to the only survivor, it's a Ghost-type demon with possession abilities."

Foreman exhaled sharply, deep in thought.

"That explains why it was able to defeat the team so easily," he muttered.

"Take all necessary precautions—we need to eliminate this demon before it causes more havoc."

Carlos nodded firmly. "Understood, Boss."

As he turned to leave, Foreman suddenly spoke again.

"One more thing," he said, stopping Carlos in his tracks.

"Do not let a word of this reach any of the Six Guilds."

Carlos glanced back and nodded. "Understood, Sir."

As the door closed behind him, Foreman leaned forward, rubbing his chin.

"This is strange…" he muttered.

"A Ghost-type demon… with that kind of power… to defeat my First Team?"

His fingers absentmindedly ran over the stubble on his jaw.

"It must be a High-Tier Demon," he concluded.

"But what would make a High-Tier Demon appear at a time like this…?"

---

Rey closed his eyes, resting his head against his pillow.

After what felt like a long day, it was finally time to rest.

His body still felt new under the system's influence, and adapting to it wasn't easy.

Just as he began to relax—

Ding! Ding!

"What is it now…" Rey groaned, reluctantly raising his head.

A floating system screen had appeared before him.

> [ New Quest Received ]

[ Transportation in 5 seconds ]

"What!? Is this a joke!?" Rey's eyes widened in shock.

He had just settled in for the night, and now he was receiving a quest?

"Is this system seriously messing with me right now!?"

Before he could even process what was happening—

His body was instantly teleported.

The scenery around him shifted rapidly—so fast that it felt like he hadn't moved at all.

When his vision adjusted, he found himself standing in a vast, unfamiliar landscape.

Towering trees surrounded him, their thick green leaves blocking most of the sunlight.

"Instant teleportation…?" Rey muttered in disbelief.

"How is this even possible…?"

"More importantly—how do I get out of here?"

As if responding to his thoughts, the system screen reappeared.

> [ Player is in the quest area ]

[ Main Quest: Defeat the Green Orcs ]

[ Player is not allowed to leave the quest area without completing the objective ]

[ Player can return after killing the Boss or finding the Teleport Orb ]

Rey exhaled sharply.

"This quest… it seems much harder than my daily quests."

His eyes skimmed over the system's reward details.

> [ Rewards for completing quest ]

+2 Stat Points to each stat

30 EXP

"The reward is decent," he admitted, slightly relieved.

But as reality sank in—his mood quickly darkened.

"This time… I'm not doing push-ups or sit-ups. This time… I have to fight real Orcs."

Rey's eyes scanned the system screen again.

"If this system is throwing me into a fight… then it better provide me with a weapon."

He tapped on the Shop Tab.

> [ Shop ]

[ Available weapons at Lv.1 ]

Normal Sword (Deals 5% damage) – 20 Gold Coins

Spear of Hell (Deals 10% damage) – 35 Gold Coins

Blood Dagger (Deals 10% damage) – 35 Gold Coins

Rey analyzed his options.

"If I'm going against an unknown number of enemies… I should be prepared."

"Alright. I'll take the Blood Dagger," he decided.

> [ Weapon Purchased Successfully ]

[ 55 Gold Coins Remaining ]

A soft humming sound filled the air, followed by a red glow.

In a blink, two refined daggers appeared in Rey's hands—pulsing with raw energy.

"Nice," he smirked, twirling the daggers skillfully.

"Let's see what you two can do."

---