They took everything from him—his future, his family, his peace
For three years, Kael Veyran honed his body into a weapon, his mind into a blade, and his life into a single purpose: revenge.
But on the night he finally strikes, an unknown enemy's bullet cuts his story short.
Or so he thinks.
Dragged into the mysterious *Rebirth System*, Kael is offered a contract: travel through deadly worlds, complete impossible missions, and claim power beyond imagination… or let the ticking clock run out and die for good.
The rules are simple. The risks are absolute. The hunt has only begun.
Night draped the city in restless neon.
Even in the sweltering summer air, traffic pulsed through the streets, and the glow of bars and clubs lured the young from their cramped apartments into the current of nightlife.
High above it all, Kael Veyran crouched on the rooftop of a two-story villa.
The night breeze offered a meager relief against the oppressive heat trapped beneath his hooded black coat. The attire was suffocating, but comfort had never factored into his life—not since the night three years ago when his future burned away in the fire of vengeance.
At his age, he should have been buried in textbooks at university.
Instead, he had spent those years dissecting anatomy charts, mastering close-quarters combat, and practicing lock-picking until muscle memory replaced thought. Tonight, those skills had only one purpose.
He had already waited two hours. Patience was just another blade in his arsenal.
A black luxury sedan purred through the villa gates, its headlights slicing the darkness.
The engine cut off, and the driver's door opened. A middle-aged man staggered out, his gait loose and swaying under the weight of expensive liquor.
From the rooftop shadow, Kael's gloved hand closed over the hilt of a long, blackened blade. The weapon whispered from its sheath, the sound swallowed by the night. With a single leap, he cleared the six-meter drop, one hand catching a jut of the roof mid-fall to slow his descent.
He landed without a sound—directly before his target.
No words.
Only steel.
The blade cut the air with a low, hungry wail before opening the man's throat in a clean, merciless arc. Blood erupted in a crimson spray. Kael turned his shoulder, but dark flecks still peppered his sleeve and hand. The victim's eyes clouded with confusion before his body crumpled to the stone drive.
It was done. Or so Kael thought.
He moved toward the side of the villa, seeking the shadows between the streetlamps. That was when he saw him—a uniformed security guard. The man's posture was wrong. His hand was already at his waist.
Steel instincts screamed.
The "security guard" drew not a baton, but a matte-black pistol fitted with a silencer.
Kael's mind raced—armed security in a private villa was no coincidence.
The villa's wall stretched wide at his back. Twenty meters between him and the gunman.
To turn and run would expose his spine. That was suicide.
Kael charged.
His path cut in jagged S-patterns, forcing the shooter's aim to track and adjust.
"Pfft. Pfft. Pfft."
The suppressed rounds were no louder than snapping twigs.
A sting in his calf. Another in his chest. The numbness spread like ice water through his veins.
Shot. Twice.
The weakness came quickly, but fear never reached him—only a bitter taste of failure. His revenge was unfinished. To die here, to some faceless trigger-man, would be pathetic.
Kael summoned the last of his strength, arm snapping forward.
The blade spun into the darkness, a glint of black steel tumbling end over end—then burying itself deep in the gunman's chest.
A grim smile touched Kael's lips. That blade had been prepared with a lethal neurotoxin. The man was already dead; he just didn't know it yet.
Darkness closed in. A heavy, unseen blow pressed him down. His thoughts slipped into nothingness—
And then, a voice.
"Hunter… the Rebirth System is opening for you."
---
[Body transmission…]
[10%, 50%, 100% complete. Severe damage detected—stabilizing life signs…]
[Hunter's consciousness not yet active. Repair delayed. Minimum survival window: 10 minutes.]
[Talent detected: growth type. Survival window extended to 2 hours.]
Kael awoke in darkness so complete it felt solid. Rows of faint blue text floated in the void, their glow soft yet unnatural.
Beneath them, he lay broken and bloodied, the phantom ache of bullets still burning in his flesh.
He twitched a finger, then pushed himself upright. The motion tore pain through his body, stealing his breath. His calf wound was a torn mess, deep enough to slide a finger into. His chest injury was worse, yet… no bleeding.
He pressed a hand to his ribs.
A heartbeat. Strong.
"I'm… not dead?"
[Hunter, you are not dead. Are you willing to join the Rebirth System? Here, you can have everything you desire.]
The message floated before him, but he ignored it, scanning the darkness. Then he saw them—blood-red numbers ticking down in midair.
[1:35:10] … [1:35:09]
One hour, thirty-five minutes. His time left to live. The numbers felt like a noose tightening around his neck.
[Please establish communication and sign the contract, or you will die in 1 hour, 35 minutes.]
Kael's voice was flat. "Where's my blade?"
[Most real-world items cannot be brought into the Rebirth System. Please sign the contract.]
That weapon had been his only inheritance—an officer's saber captured by his great-grandfather, passed down like a curse. The thought of it gone burned hotter than the bullets in his flesh.
"A contract," he said slowly. "Tell me what I give, and what I get."
[ Upon signing, you will traverse derivative worlds to complete assigned tasks, gaining World Origin. The more you earn, the greater your rewards. The Rebirth System is… omnipotent.]
Kael's eyes narrowed. "Omnipotent? Then it can bring back the dead?"
The blue text froze, then dissolved into the dark.
[ Given your identity as a Hunter… no.]