NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1: The System of the Death
> [Hunter Yoo Jihwan has died.]
[The System has recorded your death.]
[Death Count: 1]
[You have earned Death Points (DP).]
[Due to your death, your Death Points have increased by 2.]
[Death Points (DP): 2]
[Welcome to the Afterlife System.]
Darkness.
Cold. Heavy. Endless.
Jihwan floated in the abyss, weightless yet fully aware.
No breath. No heartbeat. No body.
Just silence.
An eternal void stretched in all directions, pressing against him like an unseen force. There was no ground beneath him, no sky above—only the suffocating weight of nothingness.
How long had he been here?
Seconds? Hours? Years?
He couldn't tell.
Then—a sound.
A single chime. Sharp. Mechanical.
The silence shattered.
His mind snapped into focus, and memories surged forward like a broken dam.
The dungeon.
The suffocating mist.
The glint of steel.
The unbearable pain.
His body—pierced, torn apart, shredded beyond recognition.
The claws.
Tearing through flesh. Crushing bone.
And just before the darkness swallowed him–
Lee Hyunwoo, walking away.
Jihwan gasped.
Agony slammed into him.
Like being struck by lightning, every nerve in his body screamed. His lungs seized, burning as if he had been drowning. His fingers twitched, brushing against something rough—stone.
His chest heaved.
The suffocating weight lifted, but the world around him was thick with decay. The stale, metallic scent of blood filled his nose.
His eyes snapped open.
A cavern bathed in crimson mist stretched before him, every detail sharp and real. The air was heavy—thick with the iron tang of death. Somewhere in the distance, water dripped—slow, rhythmic, like a heartbeat.
Jihwan's breath came fast and uneven. His muscles trembled as he pushed himself up. The cold stone beneath his palms felt solid.
He knew this place.
The Bloodmist Dungeon.
A place no one left alive.
Slowly, he turned his head.
And froze.
They were there.
Lee Hyunwoo. Their self-proclaimed leader, standing tall, his sword resting lazily on his shoulder.
Kim Jisoo. A smirk playing at her lips, her fingers tapping lightly against her staff.
Two other hunters, chatting idly as if nothing had happened.
Alive.
All of them.
Jihwan's nails dug into his palms, the sharp sting grounding him.
No.
This wasn't right.
They were supposed to be dead.
No—he was supposed to be dead.
He had felt it. The pain, the terror. His body had been ripped apart, every inch of him reduced to nothing but gore.
And yet—
Here he was.
His hands clenched. His breath hitched. The chill in his bones wasn't from fear, but from the heavy weight of realization.
A chime rang in his mind.
> [The System assigns power based on your eligibility.]
Eligibility?
Jihwan exhaled, his pulse steady but cold.
This wasn't a second chance.
This was a curse.
A cruel joke played by something beyond his understanding.
He had died. Truly.
He had suffered, been betrayed, and had his life stripped away.
And now?
He was here, trapped at the moment before everything fell apart.
His fingers curled into fists against the dirt.
The others hadn't even noticed him yet.
Just like before.
They had left him behind.
Abandoned him.
Watched him die.
His heartbeat slowed. His trembling hands stilled.
A cold, sharp clarity settled over him.
This time—
He wouldn't die for them.
This time, he would make them pay.