My Afterlife System!

Darkness.

It stretched endlessly, swallowing everything. No sound. No warmth. No weight. Just the vast, suffocating void.

Jihwan floated.

No body. No breath. No heartbeat. Only awareness. Only memory.

And he remembered.

The dungeon. The suffocating mist. The pain. The betrayal.

The moment claws tore into his flesh. The agony of dying. The last thing he saw—Lee Hyunwoo walking away, his back disappearing into the haze.

Jihwan had died.

That was undeniable.

Then why—

A sharp pull. Violent. Like invisible chains dragging him from the abyss.

Something snapped into place.

A heartbeat.

A sharp inhale—air searing into his lungs. Cold. Heavy. Real.

His fingers twitched, brushing against something rough. Solid.

Stone. Damp. Cold.

His eyes snapped open.

Crimson mist curled through the cavern, swallowing the dim light. The scent of iron clung to the air. Distant echoes of dripping water filled the silence.

Bloodmist Dungeon.

His chest rose and fell in ragged breaths as his gaze locked onto the figures ahead.

Lee Hyunwoo, his sword resting lazily on his shoulder, posture relaxed.

Kim Jisoo, fingers adjusting the grip on her staff, lips curled into a faint smirk.

Two other hunters, chatting idly, oblivious.

Alive.

Jihwan's pulse pounded in his ears. His nails dug into his palm.

They were supposed to be dead.

No.

He was supposed to be dead.

His breath came shallow, uneven. The weight of realization settled in.

This wasn't a second chance.

This was a curse.

A chime echoed in his mind, cold and mechanical.

> [ 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 1. ]

[ Death Points (DP): 01 ]

[ The System assigns power based on your eligibility. ]

His fingers curled into the dirt.

They had left him behind.

Abandoned him.

Used him as a sacrifice.

And now, he was back.

A flicker of movement in the mist caught his eye.

Shadows shifting.

Bloodmist Wraiths.

Their twisted, translucent bodies flickered like dying embers. Hollow, empty eyes scanned the dungeon for prey. Jagged claws reached hungrily for anything living.

One of them drifted closer.

Jihwan didn't move.

It passed right through him.

His breath slowed. His heartbeat steadied.

Realization struck.

To the dungeon's monsters—he did not exist.

A slow smirk curled at the edge of his lips.

This… was an advantage.

His gaze flicked back to the hunters.

Their relaxed stances. Their quiet conversations. Their complete, unshaken confidence.

They thought they had survived.

They thought they were safe.

Jihwan's fingers uncurled.

He had thirty minutes. Thirty minutes to watch. To move undetected. To learn.

And then?

He wouldn't need to do anything.

The dungeon would take care of them for him.

His lips parted in a slow, quiet exhale.

This time—he wouldn't be the one left to die.

This time—he would watch.

And when the moment came…

He would decide whether they deserved the same mercy they had shown him.

The blood-red mist churned, thick and oppressive, swallowing what little light remained. The scent of iron was suffocating, the damp air clinging to his skin.

Yoo Jihwan stood in silence.

The cold dungeon floor pressed against his boots, yet he felt strangely detached, as if standing on the border between life and death.

Because just moments ago—no, not moments, but a lifetime ago—he had died.

His flesh had been torn. His body had collapsed. His vision had darkened.

And then, nothing.

Nothing but the cold embrace of death.

Yet here he was. Breathing. Moving. Living.

And now, it was their turn.

Jihwan's gaze lifted toward the figures in the distance.

His former allies—no, his betrayers—had ventured deeper into the dungeon, unaware of his presence. They had left him behind, expecting him to die.

A pawn. A disposable decoy to lure the Bloodmist Wraiths while they made their escape.

His fists clenched.

He had been used.

But they had made a mistake.

He was still here.

Not by luck. By something else.

A system message flickered before his eyes, cold and mechanical.

> [ You are bearing the Mark of Death. ]

[ For 30 minutes, dungeon creatures will not perceive you as living. ]

Jihwan's breath remained steady.

The system had given him something after his death.

A twisted sort of mercy.

The monsters ignored him. To them, he was already dead. Nothing more than a discarded corpse, unworthy of attention.

But his betrayers?

They were still very much alive.

And the dungeon did not ignore the living.

Jihwan moved forward.

Silent. Unseen. Waiting.

Then—

Screams.

Jihwan arrived just in time to witness chaos.

Lee Hyunwoo—the arrogant A-rank swordsman—swung his blade wildly, his movements frantic, desperate. Each strike trembled with power, but it didn't matter.

His attacks were meaningless.

The Bloodmist Wraiths twisted through the air like living shadows, slipping between his strikes. Their hollow, empty eyes gleamed with hunger.

Kim Jisoo, the B-rank healer, was backed into a corner. Her hands trembled as she tried to summon light, her mana flickering weakly at her fingertips.

The other two hunters—what were their names again?—they were already gone.

Their bodies lay twisted and broken, torn apart by the wraiths. Blood pooled beneath them, feeding the mist.

The wraiths whispered. Hungry. Unrelenting.

Then—

> [ Quest: Do Not Help the Betrayers. ]

[ Reward: Rune of Exit. ]

[ Penalty: Death. ]

Jihwan barely reacted.

As if the system even needed to tell him.

"Damn it! Jisoo, heal me!" Hyunwoo's voice was sharp, laced with panic. His eyes darted wildly, searching for an escape.

"I—I can't! My mana—!" Jisoo's voice cracked.

Their movements became frantic, their cohesion shattering. Desperation clawed at them.

Jihwan watched.

His breath was calm. His heartbeat steady.

Once, he might have felt something.

Pity. Regret. Even hatred.

But now—

Nothing.

Just a silent observer, watching as the dungeon claimed what it was owed.

Hyunwoo's sword slipped.

Jisoo screamed.

And the wraiths struck.

Silence.

Only the slow drip of blood. The faint whisper of mist. The heavy, suffocating stillness.

Jihwan stepped forward, his boots splashing in the blood-soaked ground.

The once-powerful A-rank swordsman lay lifeless, his blade still clutched in white-knuckled fingers.

Kim Jisoo's empty eyes stared into nothingness, her lips parted in a final, silent plea.

They had looked down on him. Mocked him. Used him.

And now?

They were corpses.

> [ Quest Completed. ]

[ Reward Received: Rune of Exit. ]

A cold system message flickered before him.

Then—

> [ You may now exit the dungeon. ]

Jihwan exhaled slowly.

The Yoo Jihwan who had entered this dungeon—he had died.

The one who walked out?

He would never be a pawn again.

Without hesitation, he turned toward the dungeon gate.

This time, he had survived.

And next time—

He wouldn't leave his survival up to chance.