Reyan's eyes snapped open.
For a moment, he didn't move. He just stared at the broken table above him, confused. His mind tried to catch up with what happened.
Didn't I die…?
He slowly pushed the table off his body and sat up. His head should have been in pain — Kaisav had slammed it into the metal edge hard enough to kill him — but he felt nothing.
No pain.
His hand went to his forehead, searching for the wound.
But there was no cut. No blood. No bruise.
He blinked.
"What…?"
He pressed his fingers against his neck.
No pulse.
He held his breath and listened closely inside his own chest.
Silence.
No heartbeat.
His breathing stopped too.
There was nothing.
Just… emptiness.
Reyan stood up quickly, panic rising in his throat. His legs felt stable — too stable. His body felt lighter than ever before, but something else felt off.
He waited for fear to come.
He waited for panic.
He waited for anything.
But his chest stayed still. His heart didn't race.
He didn't feel scared.
He didn't feel angry.
He didn't feel sad.
It was like someone had removed all emotions from him and left only… awareness.
"What… is happening to me?" Reyan whispered.
And then—
You have become an Undead. You are no longer a human.
Human emotions and desires have been erased.
The voice echoed in his head again. Calm. Cold. Mechanical.
Reyan froze.
"An Undead…? Those are just old supernatural myths," he muttered. "Undead isn't that like Zombies… right?"
He tried to laugh, but no emotion came with it. The idea of laughing felt pointless.
Then a screen flickered into existence in front of him — floating in the air like a hologram.
Reyan jumped back.
"What the hell—?!"
It stayed there, glowing faintly.
He read it.
Name: Reyan Sen
Race: Undead
Level: 1
Exp: 0 / 100
Health: 5 / 5
Strength: 5
Speed: 5
Agility: 5
Stamina: 5
Ability: None
Reyan stared.
It looked like something out of a video game. Stats. Levels. Health bar.
"This… can't be real," he said. "This has to be a VR prank or… something."
But the memory of Kaisav beating him flashed in his mind.
The pain. The blood.
Death.
No prank.
No game.
Just reality — the kind that destroys your life in one second.
Still, his eyes traveled slowly across the screen again.
Level 1.
Race: Undead.
Undead.
Ability: None.
"Great," Reyan muttered. "Even when I come back to life, I still don't get a power."
He tried to sigh, but it felt strange — like acting out an emotion he couldn't feel anymore.
Then he noticed something in the corner of the screen — a small blinking icon.
"Daily Quest?"
The moment he thought the words, a different window popped open.
Daily Quest
Devour a soul within 24 hours.
Reward: +50 Exp, +1 Stat Point
Failure Penalty: One part of your body will decay.
Reyan's stomach tightened — not from fear, but from instinct.
"Devour… a soul?"
His voice came out flat.
"So if I don't eat a soul… my body will rot away?"
His eyes widened slightly.
"That's disgusting."
He shut the quest window with a shake of his head.
I can't go around killing people.
No matter what I am now.
Reyan looked around the tiny apartment. The dried blood stains on the floor. His broken glasses. The table that killed him.
His death… wasn't a nightmare.
It was real.
He looked at the small clock mounted beside the old TV screen.
5:50 AM.
The sun was barely rising.
That meant… it was a new day.
The last day of school.
"Right…" Reyan whispered. "School."
He didn't feel scared about going. He didn't feel anything.
But he still knew what needed to be done.
He grabbed his bag and stepped outside. He didn't bother to fix his hair. He didn't bother to check the mirror. He didn't care.
The walk to school was quiet.
A few workers passed by, wearing military-style uniforms. They glanced at him like he was filth.
One man stopped and stared openly.
"Hey kid, you look like a zombie. Don't fall over from weakness again," he said, laughing with his friends.
Reyan walked past without reacting. Not a word. Not a frown.
"What's his problem?" the man grumbled.
Reyan didn't even hear the insult. His mind was stuck on one thought:
I'm dead. And yet I'm walking.
What was he supposed to feel?
What should he be thinking?
His footsteps carried him straight to the school gate.
He entered the building.
Students filled the hallways — laughing, running, chatting. Talking about the military. Talking about abilities. Talking about their future.
The moment Reyan stepped inside… everything stopped.
Dozens of eyes turned toward him.
The whispers began instantly.
"Isn't that Reyan?"
"He didn't come home yesterday!"
"He looks like he crawled out of a grave!"
"Wasn't he… dead?"
Reyan ignored them.
He headed to his classroom.
He stepped in—
Silence.
Every single student froze.
The girl who saw him bleed yesterday dropped her pen. It rolled across the floor, making the only sound in the room.
His desk was still stained with blood.
Kaisav stood up slowly from his chair. His eyes wide. His jaw clenched.
He walked toward Reyan.
Each step was slow.
Calm.
Deadly.
He stopped close enough that no one else could hear.
His voice was a whisper.
"You're supposed to be dead."
Reyan didn't reply.
Kaisav leaned in closer.
"You tell anyone…" he hissed, "…about what happened yesterday, and this time I'll make sure you stay dead."
Reyan looked into his eyes.
Kaisav expected fear.
But there was nothing.
No emotion.
Just emptiness.
Reyan turned away and walked to his seat.
Kaisav's face twisted in anger.
"You dare ignore me?" he spat quietly. His hand lifted slightly — psychic energy humming around his fingers.
Before he could attack—
The classroom door slid open.
A tall man in military uniform walked in.
His voice was loud, commanding.
"Alright, class! Today is your last day of school."
He looked around — his eyes sharp and trained like a soldier who had seen many battles.
Then his gaze landed on Kaisav.
"Mr. Kaisav," he said firmly, "sit. Down."
The psychic aura vanished instantly. Kaisav clenched his teeth and backed away.
"You got lucky," he whispered to Reyan.
Reyan didn't react.
He only stared forward.
The teacher walked to the front of the class.
Everyone sat down, still glancing nervously at Reyan from the corners of their eyes.
The teacher began speaking about graduation, military training, their futures.
None of it mattered to Reyan anymore.
He opened his notebook.
He wrote a single line:
I died yesterday.
His hand stopped.
Why wasn't he scared?
Why wasn't he angry at Kaisav?
Why wasn't he… anything?
His pen tapped the paper rhythmically. No thoughts. No emotions.
Just actions.
Until—
Daily quest time remaining: 23 hours 31 minutes
The text flashed before his eyes.
Reyan snapped his head up.
His heart didn't beat.
But for the first time since waking…
He felt something.
A slight emptiness.
A hunger.
Not for food.
For something else.
For a soul.
He swallowed.
I have to find a way to survive.
Suddenly, a tingling sensation ran through his ears. The world around him felt… louder. Sharper. Crisp.
He could hear whispers from the next classroom.
Footsteps in the hallway.
And faintly…
The pulse of everyone sitting around him.
Is this… a Undead sense?
He looked down at his hands. They felt strong. Too strong.
Kaisav was chatting quietly with his friend two seats away.
Reyan could hear every word clearly.
"We have to keep an eye on him," Kaisav whispered. "He can't be alive. Something's wrong."
Reyan closed his eyes.
His hunger pulsed again.
A quiet voice whispered inside his mind.
A nearby soul is suitable for consumption.
Reyan jolted.
"No," he muttered under his breath.
Not him.
Not anyone.
I won't become a monster…
But another voice — maybe his own — answered silently:
You already are.
Reyan's hand tightened into a fist.
His nails dug into his skin but no pain came.
No blood either.
The teacher droned on about honor, duty, serving humanity.
Reyan stared at his desk.
He didn't belong here anymore.
He didn't belong in this world.
One hour passed.
Then two.
Everything felt slower. Colder. The hunger got worse.
Every heartbeat he heard around him made his fingers twitch.
Every breath the others took felt like a temptation he shouldn't have.
Daily quest time remaining: 19 hours 03 minutes
Reyan gritted his teeth.
I have to find a solution.
Suddenly the intercom beeped.
"Attention all students," a voice said, "please gather in the training field."
Chairs scraped the floor. Students stood up. Excitement filled the room.
Final day = Ability Demonstration.
Everyone loved using their powers.
Everyone except Reyan — because he never had any.
Until now.
He joined the group heading out, keeping distance from the others.
Kaisav walked ahead, bragging loudly to friends.
"I'll crush that target dummy in one hit. My psychic pressure is stronger than ever."
Reyan watched quietly.
The hunger pulsed again.
His vision flickered. For a second… every student around him turned into shadow figures with glowing white cores inside them.
Their souls.
Reyan blinked and the sight disappeared.
The teacher gathered them outside, surrounded by metal dummies, targets, and training bots.
"Everyone, line up!" he shouted. "We'll test your abilities one last time before graduation."
Students cheered.
Reyan remained silent.
He didn't want attention.
He didn't want trouble.
He just wanted to understand what he had become.
But fate didn't care what he wanted.
The teacher called names one by one.
Energy blasts. Strength boosts. Shield barriers.
Everyone showed off proudly.
Then—
"Reyan Sen."
The entire field went silent.
All eyes turned to him.
The teacher stared with curiosity.
"I don't believe you have an ability recorded," he said. "But you are still required to attempt."
Reyan stepped forward.
His hunger roared.
His eyes unfocused —
— and suddenly he saw everyone as moving souls again.
Bright. Pure. Delicious.
His throat burned.
Warning: Hunger rising. Quest failure will result in decayed body state.
Reyan clenched his fists tightly.
"No," he whispered to himself. "Not here."
But the system didn't care.
The system wanted a soul.
Kaisav smirked.
"Go on, Fool. Show us your zero ability," he mocked.
Some laughed.
Some waited for him to fall and embarrass himself.
The teacher folded his arms. "Begin when ready."
Reyan took a deep breath — pointless, but habit.
His hand lifted—
And for a split second, Kaisav's soul flickered brighter than the rest.
He felt like he could just reach out…
And tear it out.
Suddenly a jolt shot through his head.
Reyan winced.
His vision blurred.
Daily quest time remaining: 18 hours 44 minutes
Hunger level critical
Consume soul soon
Reyan stumbled back.
"What the—?" the teacher muttered.
The students started whispering again.
"He's acting weird…"
"Is he gonna faint?"
Reyan looked at the crowd.
At Kaisav smirking.
At the souls shining around him.
His voice cracked as he muttered:
"…Help me."
Then darkness rushed toward him again.
His body collapsed to the ground.
The last thing he heard before losing consciousness was Kaisav's cruel whisper:
"You should've stayed dead."