Kael pushed the door open and was hit by a wall of sour stench. The air was thick with the smell of stale sweat and old food. His eyes swept across the living room and, sure enough, the place was a disaster. Empty noodle cups, greasy wrappers, and soda cans were scattered everywhere like trophies from a junk food war.
He pinched his nose and muttered, "Figures. If the living room smells this bad, I don't even want to imagine what the bedroom looks like."
His body was reminiscing on the former Kael's memory, which aided this kael to understand and remember everything about the house.
Without bothering to check, he headed straight to the fridge, pulled out a plate of leftover food, and made his way down the hall. The only door he was willing to open was his sister's.
Unlike the rest of the house, her room was spotless. Even in the fragments of memory left behind, the old Kael had always kept this place clean. It was his little way of preparing for the day she might wake up. He used to joke to himself that if she saw her room neat and tidy, maybe she'd feel guilty enough to clean the rest of the apartment.
A faint smile tugged at his lips at the thought. Setting the plate aside, he sat on the edge of her bed and leaned back. The quiet comfort of the room was a relief after the chaos outside.
"Alright," he sighed, patting his stomach after finishing the food. "Let's take another look at those stats. I've read enough novels with this 'system' stuff. The main character always rises or falls depending on how good their stats are."
He cleared his throat. "So… how do I make it show up again?" he asked, half-serious, half-teasing.
As if it had been waiting for the cue, the familiar blue screen blinked into existence before his eyes.
[ STATUS ]
[ Name: Kael Yorkshire ]
[Rank: E]
[ Title: Weakest Hunter ]
[ Class: Pending… ]
[ Level: 10 (47%) ]
[ HP: 100 / 100 ]
[ MP: 100 / 100 ]
[ Fatigue: 60% ]
[ ATTRIBUTES ]
[ Strength: 21% ]
[ Agility: 12% ]
[ Vitality: 10% ]
[ Intelligence: 15% ]
[ Sense: 30% ]
[ SKILLS ]
[ Active Skills: None ]
[ Passive Skill: Echo Dominion (Lv. 2) ]
[ Description: Detects sounds, footsteps, and heartbeats up to 30 meters away. ]
[ Unique Skills: Nil ]
Kael studied the glowing text, his lips twisting into a frown. "Well… my only decent stat is Sense. Strength? Pathetic. I couldn't even protect myself from a mugger today."
His eyes lingered on the passive skill. "Echo Dominion," he muttered, tapping the air as if it would react. "So that's why I heard those voices earlier. But now… it's different. Quieter. More like I can tune in and focus."
He leaned back on the bed, letting the information sink in. "Alright. At least this skill isn't useless. I can work with this. But…" His thoughts soured. "The bigger problem is still the hospital bills."
The numbers came back to him like a punch to the chest. Thirty-five thousand dollars monthly income from Tiger Claw Restaurant. Twenty-five thousand went straight to his sister's hospital fees. Barely enough left to survive. And now… no job. No paycheck. No hope of seeing that last bit of money the manager still owed the former kael.
Kael rubbed his temples and let out a humorless laugh. "If I even dare ask for it, I might end up dying for the third time."
A sudden ding cut through his thoughts. Another screen slid into view.
[ QUEST NOTIFICATION ]
[ You are too weak to be assigned a class. ]
[ Train your body to gain more experience. ]
[ Experience will help you level up. ]
[ Daily Training Regimen ]
– 100 Push-ups
– 50 Squats
– 10 km Run
[ Time Limit: Daily ]
[Penalty: Excruciating electric shock for 30 minutes]
Kael stared at the screen in silence before a tired, mocking smile tugged at his lips. "You don't need to remind me it is already on my to-do list. I can't go on looking like a loser. He snorted and pushed himself up on the bed. "But I doubt if this fragile body can even do thirty push-ups. Talk more of a hundred?"
He let out a long sigh. "I have to do it regardless so save the penalty because it won't be necessary.
Then a thought struck him. He narrowed his eyes and muttered, "Wait a second… don't these things usually come with an inventory?"
The screen shimmered at his words, and another panel unfolded before him.
[ INVENTORY WINDOW ]
[ General Items ]
~ Healing Potion ×2
~ Low-Grade Mana Potion ×1
[ ⚔ Weapons ]
~Iron Dagger (Lv. 2)
{Can cause 5% damage to your enemy}
[ 🛡 Armor & Gear ]
~ None
[ 📜 Special ]
~ Nil ~
[ 💰 Currency ]
~ Copper Coins: 80
~ Silver Coins: 2
~ Gold Coins: 0
(Coins can only be used to purchase items from the system.)
"Healing potions, huh? I'll save those for when it's needed, "Kael muttered, lying back as his eyes drifted down the list. "Iron Dagger…"
The weapon appeared in his hand with a faint shimmer. Cold steel pressed against his palm. He gave it a few swings while still on the bed, the motions stiff but guided by the reflexes of his past life. For a moment, it almost felt natural—until his weak body slowed him down.
"Tch." His lips curled in annoyance. "Feels like a master trapped in a child's body."
With a thought, the dagger vanished, sucked back into the system's invisible storage. Kael let his arm drop back against the sheets, staring at the ceiling. At least that function worked without trouble.
The morning sunlight filtered faintly through the curtains, and his alarm blared from the other room. Even from here, the sound slammed into his ears like it was right beside him.
Kael bolted upright on the bed, rubbing his temple. "What the hell… this Sense stat is going to kill me faster than anything else."
A crisp notification flashed above him.
[ Ding… ]
[ Fatigue: 0% ]
"Well, at least the sleep did its job." He sighed, sinking against the headboard.
Another screen appeared.
[ Daily Quest ]
[ Push-ups: 0 / 100 ]
[ Squats: 0 / 50 ]
[ Distance Run: 0 / 10 km ]
"Oh, perfect. Just what I needed." Kael let out a dry laugh.
He pushed himself up slowly, still seated on the bed. His fingers tapped the sheets as his lips twisted into a tired smirk.
"Alright then. Let's see if this pathetic body can even handle ten push-ups without passing out."
Just then something snapped inside him. The air around him grew heavy, and before he could blink, he was pulled straight into a memory. It did not feel like remembering. It felt like he was standing inside the moment all over again.
He found himself in a wide dungeon chamber. The walls were rough stone, wet with dripping water that echoed in the quiet. A cold mist crawled across the ground. The only light came from a few floating crystals overhead, pale and shaky like they were scared too.
Six hunters stood in front of him.
The one at the front was an A rank assassin. He was tall with a sharp jaw, lean muscles and a presence that screamed trouble. His dark clothes fit him like a second skin. Twin daggers hung at his sides. His aura rolled out in waves, the type that belonged to a born bully who enjoyed seeing others flinch.
Behind him stood two B rank hunters.
One was a woman with warm brown skin and soft features. She wore healer robes that glowed faintly, but her gentle look did nothing to ease the cold knot in Kael's stomach. There was something too calm about her eyes, like she had already accepted his death and was only here for clean-up.
Beside her stood a man carrying a long bow almost as tall as he was. His arms were toned, his eyes sharp, and his smirk carried the annoying confidence of someone who never missed a shot.
The last two were C rank elementors.
One had blue streaks across his arms, and every breath he took released a tiny puff of mist. His eyes shone like frozen glass.
The other had a warm red glow under his skin, as if fire lived in his veins. Sparks danced across his fingers whenever he flexed his hands.
Their combined aura pressed against Kael like a wall. It felt unfair. It felt cruel. It felt like standing in front of a firing squad that was bored and ready to go home.
The A rank leader stepped forward with a tilted grin.
"Wow. I am honestly impressed you are still alive," he said in a voice soaked in mockery. "Maybe you really have nine lives. Shame you wasted another coming here. Now you will die for the second time."
Kael's breath caught. The dungeon faded. The hunters vanished. The cold mist slipped away.
He jerked back into reality with a gasp. His heart hammered so hard it felt like it might punch its way out of his chest. His hands shook as he wiped cold sweat from his face.
"What was that?" he whispered. "That wasn't a memory. That felt like a vision."
He swallowed and let out a shaky laugh that was not funny at all.
"Damn. I hope that thing doesn't happen. If it does, I am really dead this time."
Then he went back to his exercise trying to brush off the vision he just had.