The air in the Throne Room of the World-Tree smelled like ozone and wet copper.
Leo coughed, a spray of crimson hitting the white marble floor. He looked up at the man standing over him—Caspian, the "Golden Hero" and Leo's best friend for a decade. Caspian wasn't looking at Leo; he was staring at the glowing, crystalline crown floating in the center of the room.
"Why?" Leo's voice was a jagged rasp. His shield, a legendary artifact that had blocked dragon-fire, lay shattered ten feet away.
Caspian finally looked down, his eyes devoid of the warmth that had defined their brotherhood. "The System only rewards one God, Leo. You were always the shield. You were never meant to wear the crown."
Behind Caspian, the rest of the 'Heaven's Gate' guild stood in a semi-circle. These were the people Leo had bled for. Sarah, the healer whose life he'd saved in the Forbidden Tunnels, wouldn't even meet his eyes.
"Finish it," Sarah whispered.
Caspian raised his sword. The blade hummed with a light so bright it hurt to look at. "Thanks for the carry, old friend."
Squelch.
The blade pierced Leo's chest. The pain was surprisingly cold. As his vision blurred into a tunnel of gray, a mechanical, feminine voice rang out in his mind—the System he had served for five years.
[Warning: Host heartbeat failing...]
[Condition Met: 'The Ultimate Sacrifice of the Protector'.]
[Initiating Hidden Protocol: 'Chronos Paradox'.]
[Rewinding synchronization... 5... 4... 3...]
"You... bastards..." Leo wheezed, his last breath a curse.
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
Leo bolted upright. He wasn't on marble; he was on a stained, twin-sized mattress. The air didn't smell like copper; it smelled like cheap ramen and stale coffee.
He stared at his hands. They were calloused but whole. No scars from the Frost Giant's axe. No burn marks from the Phoenix Raid.
He lunged for his phone on the nightstand.
February 11, 2026. 08:00 AM.
"No way," he breathed.
He walked to the window of his cramped Seoul apartment. Outside, the morning traffic was humming, people rushing to jobs they'd lose in exactly two hours. That's when the Integration would begin. That's when the sky would turn purple and the first Goblins would crawl out of the sewers.
Leo's heart hammered against his ribs—not with fear, but with a terrifying, predatory joy.
In his previous life, he had chosen the Paladin class. He had been the "Good Guy." He had waited for the government to give instructions. He had shared his loot. And it had gotten him a sword through the heart.
This time, he wasn't going to be a shield. He was going to be a storm.
A blue holographic screen flickered in front of his eyes.
[Do you wish to pre-select your Class? (Early Access limited to 0.0001% of population)]
Leo didn't hesitate. He remembered the "Black Tablet" he'd found in the late-game ruins—an artifact that spoke of a class the System had tried to delete because it was too broken.
"System," Leo whispered. "Identify Hidden Class: The Void Sovereign."
[Scanning... Warning! This class requires a 'Corrupted Soul' and 'Regression' status.]
[Conditions met.]
[Class 'Void Sovereign' selected. Level 1.]
[First Skill unlocked: Soul Devour (Rank SSS).]
Leo felt a cold, dark energy surge through his veins, turning his irises a faint, smoky violet. He looked at the clock.
09:45 AM.
Fifteen minutes until the world ended.
"Caspian," Leo smiled, a dark, sharp expression that would have terrified his old self. "I hope you enjoy the view from the top while it lasts. Because I'm coming to burn the mountain down."
To be Continued...