Chapter 1: The Betrayal and the Rebirth
The pain was sharp, unrelenting, like a fire spreading from my chest outward.
I lay there on the cold, damp ground of the raid zone, my vision blurring as blood pooled beneath me. But even through the haze, I had a smile on my face a twisted, bitter one that masked the rage boiling inside.
It wasn't the pain that fueled it; it was the betrayal. The kind that cuts deeper than any blade.
It's not like I am dying for real, I thought bitterly. I am dying in the game. But in Gods' Might, after the Merge, death felt too damn close to the real thing.
The air was thick with the metallic scent of blood and the lingering ozone from the boss's final lightning attack.
The Leviathan's massive corpse loomed in the background, its scales still crackling with residual energy, a testament to the battle we'd just won.
I am Sam, the #1 ranked in Gods' Might—the one who has collected 3, a whole 3 fragments of the Crown. Those fragments weren't just trophies; they were keys to ultimate power, pieces of the divine puzzle that could rewrite the world itself. And today, we were doing the fourth fragment raid. The Leviathan boss, which is lvl 500, was no joke.
Its roars had shaken the virtual earth, its tail sweeps sending waves of players flying into the abyss.
I knew I was just lvl 390. But still, we had the numbers thousands, all top-ranked. Guilds from across Endfall had united for this: mages channeling barriers, tanks holding the line, healers pouring mana into the fray. The boss's health bar had inched down slowly, agonizingly, over hours of coordinated chaos.
Spells lit up the sky like fireworks, swords clashed against armored hide, and the ground trembled with every stomp of the beast's colossal feet.
We finally killed the boss. Cheers erupted from the survivors digital voices echoing in my headset, mixed with the triumphant chime of the System notification.
The Leviathan let out one last guttural bellow before collapsing, its body dissolving into loot particles that glittered in the dim light. The fourth fragment hovered in the air, pulsing with ethereal energy, ready to be claimed.
But then it happened.
He stabbed me.
The #7 ranked my friend. No, my best friend, whom I shared everything. The blade pierced my back, sliding through armor and flesh with a sickening squelch.
I staggered, my health bar plummeting to critical in an instant. The smile on my face faltered for a second, replaced by a flash of shock, before the anger surged back, twisting my lips into a grimace.
I spoke, my voice hoarse over the raid channel. "Why? Why are you doing this, Zero?"
He stood there, his avatar's face a handsome, chiseled model he'd customized years ago contorted into a sarcastic grin.
His eyes, usually sharp and calculating, now gleamed with malicious amusement. "Are you stupid?" he said with a sarcastic tone, that twisted smile widening as if this were all some grand joke. "I want the Crown too, you know. In this world, power is everything since the Merge. And I don't like you." People like you aren't good for being pawns."
As he was speaking, another sword came through my body, piercing my ribs through my heart. The pain exploded anew, a white-hot agony that made my vision swim.
It was Mei my friend, the archer who'd saved my life countless times in previous raids.
Her expression was cold, detached, her bow slung over her shoulder as she drove the blade home without a word.
But then again, 2 more swords and a spear came from the Dumb King and Nicole. We were a team, so why? The Dumb King, our tank with his massive frame and unbreakable shield, grunted as he thrust his spear, his face etched with reluctant determination.
Nicole, the healer with her soft features and gentle demeanor, wielded her sword with trembling hands, her eyes avoiding mine.
Nicole spoke with his soft voice, barely audible over the fading cheers of the raid group. "We have no choice, Sam. You're too strong, and... and..."
"And," the Dumb King continued, his gruff voice heavy with unease, "we fear the strength you possess. And fear your choices after you become the Sovereign."
Haaa, I see. I smiled at them not a genuine one, but a mad, broken grin that bubbled up from the insanity taking hold.
I see. Hahahahaha. I was finally gone insane. These guys they're not fighting for the world or the old Earth. These fuckers are fighting for fame, money, power, and their damned egos.
I spoke, my voice a ragged whisper laced with venom. "I see. I see. And you, Zero I will definitely kill you."
The moment I spoke, my head was already on the ground. Zero's final swing severed it clean, and as my vision tumbled, I saw their smug faces one last time Zero's twisted smile, Mei's blank stare, the Dumb King's averted eyes, Nicole's regretful whisper lost in the wind.
The world chat flooded with notifications of my death, the raid group scattering in confusion as the fragment was claimed by Eternal.
The moment I died, I returned to the real world. My VR pod hissed open, the cool air of my safe house hitting my skin like a slap. But what awaited me was these people being here, prepared to kill me.
The room my fortified bunker in the heart of Endfall's core zone was filled with shadows. Figures in black cloaks, weapons drawn, surrounding my pod. They had breached my defenses. How?
I tried to move, summoning my strength the same instincts that made me Rank 1. But my body didn't respond. No, I couldn't move, like I was paralyzed. My limbs felt heavy, numb, as if chains of ice bound them.
Then, entering the room, Zero spoke. He stepped out of the darkness, his real face mirroring his avatar's sharp, handsome, but now twisted with triumph. "No need to be stunned. It's just that you're poisoned with the poison the one which killed the demons from the 3rd era."
Huh? How did he get it? Now, when did they poison me? Was it when I was in the game? My eyes started blurring, the edges of my vision darkening like ink spreading on paper.
But god, fuck this guy's smug face. Fuck.
I lost consciousness. Or I should say, I died.
The poison burned through my veins, a final, agonizing wave that pulled me under.
But I had something they didn't know: the Rune of Reincarnation. It spoke in my last breath, a faint whisper in the void of my mind. "Please imprint the info about your reincarnation destination."
Huh? I see. It wants to know what kind of body and where I want to reincarnate. Huh.
I spoke, my thoughts fragmented but determined. "I... I want the strongest skill user's body." I was gonna say the destination, but this is it completely dead.
Ahhhh. I opened my eyes to see a room filled with novel books, a gaming PC, and man, this room had a kinda smell.
What's this?
Ramen? No, it was instant noodles. Where am I? I blinked, the dim light from a flickering mana-lamp casting shadows across the cluttered space.
Posters of Gods' Might characters peeled from the walls, stacks of unread light novels towered on the desk, and the air was thick with the stale scent of isolation.
I looked around the room. I knew I was reincarnated.
But where? I don't know. And this body looks like it's a teenager.
Hm. I peeked inside my pants. Thank God, I am still a boy.
And akkkkkkkk. Awww awww. The memories of this body came flooding in like a tidal wave flashes of loneliness, endless gaming sessions, skipped classes. This guy's name is Cain Veronea. A 17-year-old guy, he is still in second year of university.
And it seems he plays Gods' Might. He is still a lvl 9 newbie huh . Without a class at that too . That's better for me Huu.
I spun around to the mirror. The... here it is, the thing I had only seen in manhwa or on mobiles.
Something called Heterochromia, where your eyes' iris have different colors since birth.
Cain has left green and right yellow eyes. Hmm... so this is how it looks
. Hah. It's... it's amazing how the iris look the green one sparkling like a forest gem, the yellow glowing with an inner fire that seemed almost unnatural, reflecting the soul fusion in a way that made my new face both beautiful and eerie.
Now, the thing: the strongest skill.
I opened the system that was available.
System
Name: Cain Veronea
Age: 17
Lvl: 9
Class: None
Title: Reincarnater
Main Rune: God's Might Streamer
Huh? Wait, what's that skill? Streamer. No, wait, streamer what?