"AGH!!!"
A young man's scream echoed through the ruined city.
The sky had turned completely red, casting an eerie glow over the crumbling skyscrapers.
Corpses of humans and grotesque monsters lay scattered across the ground, all of them covered in parasitic red crystals, spreading like mold.
Amid the wreckage, a young man stood still, hands trembling as he clutched a massive greatsword—its blade pierced through the chest of the girl in front of him.
Tears streamed down his face, eyes filled with despair as he stared at the beautiful face slowly being consumed by the red crystals.
A faint, feminine voice came from the girl. "Rover... why are you crying?"
"I'm crying... because you can't cry anymore." Rover sobbed, his voice cracking from pain.
She smiled gently, even as her life slipped away. "Even if time rewound... I'd still choose to walk this path with you..."
Before she could finish, she coughed up a mouthful of blood. The red crystals surged, devouring her body entirely.
"This journey... has been more than fulfilling," she whispered with a smile—warm, serene.
In that final moment, she pushed Rover away. The strength behind her frail frame was monstrous, sending him flying back over ten meters.
BAM!
Rover crashed to the ground but quickly steadied himself, eyes fixed on the girl.
She was no longer human.
Her body twisted and warped as she transformed into a grotesque creature. Wings formed from countless red tendrils unfurled, and she soared into the blood-red sky.
The air itself thickened, heavy like a sea of sludge.
Rover rose to his feet, laughing madly amid the apocalypse. "Everyone's dead... Then before I go, I'll drag you to hell with me!"
"Hahaha... Hahahaha..." His laughter echoed—manic, monstrous, stripped of reason.
With a roar, he charged at the abomination that was once the woman he loved.
…
"Die! Just die!"
"AGH!!"
"Rover, calm down!"
Inside a shabby little room—barely furnished with a table, two chairs, and two simple beds—cracks and mold marred the worn-out walls.
The place looked so run-down it seemed a single storm might bring the whole thing crashing down.
On one of the beds, a young man thrashed wildly, being held tightly by an elderly woman in her seventies.
"Rover, don't scare me like that." Her voice was hoarse and weak, filled with worry. "Rover, wake up… wake up, please."
"Ah!" The young man's eyes flew open. He blinked at the unfamiliar sight before him, dazed.
When his gaze landed on the old woman, a look of disbelief spread across his face—stunned, as if seeing a ghost.
Then, his eyes grew wet. Tears welled up as he pulled the woman into a tight embrace. His voice trembled. "Grandma… I thought I'd lost you forever."
She gently patted his back. "Silly boy. I'm still right here. Stop going to those underground fight pits—you're getting hit so hard it's turning your brain to mush."
"Okay…" Rover nodded obediently. "I won't go there anymore. I promise—I'll listen to you, Grandma."
"Good!" She let out a tired sigh. "This illness of mine… it's like a bottomless pit. No matter how much money we throw in, it's never enough. But you, Rover…"
"I don't ask for much in this life. I just want to see you get married, have kids… that's enough for me."
Rover nodded again, silently this time.
It was a strange, touching sight—this tall, muscular young man, standing at 187 centimeters, clinging to a frail old woman and crying like a little child.
After a while, Rover calmed down and spoke gently, "Grandma, you should rest. I swear… from now on, I won't step into the underground arena ever again."
Hearing this, a content smile lit up the deep wrinkles on her aged face. "I believe you."
Rover helped her over to the other bed. On it sat several boxes, filled with pills and medicine—so many that just looking at them felt suffocating.
"Grandma, did you take your medicine yet?" Rover asked softly.
Grandma sighed. "Ha! What's the point of taking medicine? It won't cure me anyway. Might as well save the money for you to get married instead."
"Hahaha… Don't worry, Grandma," Rover replied confidently. "I'll definitely bring home a beautiful wife for you to meet."
"Huh!" She snorted and poked him on the forehead like he was still a ten-year-old. "You think I'm that easy to fool? We're dirt poor—what kind of beautiful girl would even look your way?"
"I don't need her to be beautiful. As long as she's a good woman who truly loves me, that's enough."
Rover scratched his head, grinning sheepishly like a bashful kid.
"Then you better take your medicine, Grandma. That way, you'll live long enough to see me get married, right?" he said playfully.
Grandma shook her head with a sigh but eventually gave in. She pulled out the medicine boxes and slowly began taking her pills before drifting off into sleep.
Once he was sure she was asleep, Rover let out a quiet sigh of relief. His eyes scanned the crumbling old apartment, filled with nostalgia, joy, and a hundred tangled emotions.
"I'm back… to this place again…" he muttered. There were no words that could truly describe how he felt at that moment.
He looked at his grandmother sleeping peacefully and whispered, "Don't worry, Grandma. In this life, I won't ever let you leave me again."
"I will protect the ones I love. I swear it."
He clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white—then slowly relaxed them.
Opening the rusted door, he stepped outside and leaned against the railing, staring into the distance.
This place was a run-down apartment complex, so dilapidated that the government had already urged everyone to evacuate, warning of potential danger.
But evacuate where? The government never said. Everyone here was poor. At least here… they still had a place to return to.
Rover gazed toward the faraway city center, where dazzling lights lit up the sky. In contrast, this area was buried in cold darkness.
"In two months… everything begins," he muttered. "I still have time to prepare."
"In my last life, I ignored that game… and missed the golden window. But this time, it'll be different. This time… I won't miss anything."
His voice was calm, but in the darkness, his eyes gleamed with a terrifying mix of determination and bloodlust—like a wolf waiting to strike.
He looked down at his calloused hands. Each rough patch was a silent testament to years of effort and bitter memories.
"He killed his opponent!"
"Stop him… he killed his opponent!"
"That bastard's insane—he's laughing!"
"Get lost! You worthless trash!"
Voices—countless, overlapping—echoed in Rover's mind.
Suddenly, he became aware of his surroundings.
He was standing in the ring, grinning like a madman, both hands soaked in blood.
Beside him, his opponent lay completely still, face covered in blood, eyes wide open and lifeless—no breath, no heartbeat.
"No!" Rover shook his head, muttering again and again, "No! He used performance-enhancing drugs! He… he…"
"Restrain him!"
"Hurry! He's too dangerous! Who the hell let someone like this into the Combat League?!"
"No!" Rover tried to protest, but the crowd swarmed him. They pinned him down, locking his arms, suffocating his voice before he could say another word.
"Ha!" Rover gasped and jolted upright, snapping out of it.
It was just a memory.
He exhaled deeply and stared at the cracked old wall. There, hanging in tatters, was a worn-out poster—an ad for Abyss Online, so shredded it could barely be read.
Back in his previous life, after being expelled from the Combat League, he couldn't find work. No one dared to hire him. Everyone was afraid.
Desperate, he turned to the underground fight pits—a corrupt light in the darkness, the only way he could make enough money to care for his grandmother.
But because he focused solely on earning from those blood-soaked battles, he completely ignored the game.
By the time Abyss Online descended into reality, he finally joined in.
Despite missing the golden window and starting far later than most, Rover still rose to power—a formidable warrior by sheer combat prowess.
And yet… even then, he wasn't strong enough to protect the people he loved.
He had watched with his own eyes as those monsters tore his grandmother to pieces.
He had also seen the woman he loved turned into a plaything by higher-level players.
And he himself… had killed the girl who loved him more than her own life.
He took down an Elite-tier Boss—but the price was his own life.
Rover furrowed his brow, remembering the final moment before his death. It was as if the System had notified him of receiving some kind of strange item.
"Could that item… be what brought me back to the past?" he muttered. But of course, there was no answer.
He sighed and checked the balance on his phone.
"Only 700 credit points left?" Rover stared at the screen, feeling a wave of fatigue wash over him.
To join Abyss Online, he needed to purchase a synchronization device. The price was steep—at least 25,000 credits.
"Looks like… I'll have to head back to the underground arena and play punching bag for a few more days," he muttered, weariness in his voice.
Even though he had promised his grandmother, he needed that device as soon as possible. Otherwise, his rebirth would be meaningless.
Rover shook his head in frustration and turned to go back inside—when suddenly, a chime echoed in his mind.
[Ding! Abyss Key has been successfully activated.]
A flash of light burst forth, and a strange-looking key materialized, floating in front of him.
"Abyss Key… the System… I remember now!" Rover's eyes widened as he recalled the moment before his death—this was the key that had dropped from the Boss he had killed.
"Could this… be what brought me back?" he whispered, reaching out to touch it.
The moment his finger brushed the key, a translucent system window appeared before him.
[Ding! Congratulations. You are now the owner of the Abyss Key. From now on, you can access the Abyss World without a synchronization device.]
"What?!"
As if to confirm it, another prompt immediately appeared.
[Ding! Do you wish to enter Abyss Online now? Yes/No]