Chapter 3:Cold Awakening
Cold.
That was the first thing Zane felt.
Not the dull chill of an air-conditioned room, but a biting, bone-deep cold that wrapped around him—heavy, suffocating—dragging him upward from unconsciousness.
"K–Kay!"
Zane jolted awake, breath tearing from his lungs.
Grass.
He froze.
The ground beneath him wasn't carpet. It was rough. Uneven. Damp against his palms.
Slowly, Zane lifted his head.
Endless blue skies stretched overhead, clouds churning like something alive. Wind sliced across his face, carrying the scent of wet earth and leaves. Tall, vibrant grass bent and swayed around his body.
This wasn't his apartment.
"Where… am I?" he muttered.
He pushed himself up, heart pounding.
No buildings.
No roads.
No sign of civilization.
Trees of every kind surrounded him—thick trunks, tangled bushes, scattered stone, wild berries growing freely. Small critters fled at the sound of his voice, though a few lingered, watching him with wary curiosity.
"Am I drea—"
A blue screen snapped into existence before his eyes.
[ Welcome, Zane ]
[ System Unlocks in 24 Hours ]
[ Your Journey to Your Kingdom begins now ]
Before he could react, the screen shattered outward like glass.
The fragments slammed into his chest.
They didn't hurt.
They entered him.
Zane screamed.
His body convulsed as he collapsed to the ground. Bones snapped—then reset. Muscles tore—then rebuilt. Something flooded his mind, overwhelming and violent.
Memories that weren't his.
Battles.
Blood.
Steel clashing.
People dying—again and again.
Pain stretched into something timeless.
When it finally ended, the forest was silent.
"Huff… huff…" Zane gasped, barely managing to push himself upright. "Finally… it stopped…"
Another blue screen appeared.
[ System Unlocks in 20 seconds ]
His stomach dropped.
"I've been out for a full day…then they might already be here" he muttered. "Just my luck."
The countdown began.
[5]
[4]
[3]
[2]
[1]
[ SYSTEM UNLOCK FAILED ]
[ RETRYING… ]
[ SYSTEM FAILURE — FINAL RUN DETECTED ]
[ HIDDEN RACE UNLOCK: CONFIRMED ]
[ RACE NAME: ??? ]
[ INFORMATION LOCKED ]
[ ALL TEN RACIAL BONUSES ACTIVE ]
[ FINAL RUN ACTIVE ]
Death is permanent.
There will be no resets.
There will be no second chances.
[ Good luck. ]
The screen vanished.
"…Status," Zane said instinctively.
Nothing happened.
"Open status window!"
Silence.
No interface. No HUD. No system.
After a long moment, Zane let out a low, hollow chuckle.
"So that's it," he whispered.
The wind shifted.
Something moved between the trees.
Zane straightened.
"…Kay," he said quietly. "I'm here."
His gaze hardened.
"If this world stands between me and you…"
"Then I'll conquer it."
The bushes rustled.
A goblin crawled into view.
Short and lean, dark green skin stretched tight over wiry muscle. A crude stone dagger glinted in its hand. Its eyes locked onto Zane's—intelligent, predatory, empty of fear.
It lunged.
Zane dodged just in time, the blade slicing past where his throat had been. Too fast. Faster than he remembered.
The goblin slammed into him, driving him into the dirt. Pain exploded through his ribs as the creature straddled him, dagger raised high.
Move—!
Zane caught its wrists as the blade plunged downward. The goblin grinned, rotten breath washing over him as it pressed harder.
Then something inside Zane snapped.
Not power.
Experience.
It surged up from deep within him—every ambush survived, every fatal mistake paid for with someone death, every lesson burned into his bones across countless forgotten battles.
He hadn't just played those lives.
He had lived them.
His body moved before thought could form.
Zane drove his knee upward.
Bone cracked.
The goblin shrieked. Zane rolled free, already reaching for the fallen dagger. There was no hesitation, no panic—only cold clarity.
This wasn't a skill.
This was inheritance.
He slashed the goblin's arm, followed with a brutal kick to its stomach, sending it sprawling. Before it could recover, Zane was on it.
Attacking it.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Blood soaked the grass.
The goblin went still.
Zane staggered back, breathing hard.
A familiar sound echoed in his mind.
[-]
No reward.
No confirmation.
Only something settling inside him.
A chill crawled down his spine.
He slowly turned.
The forest was no longer empty.
Eyes glinted from the darkness between the trees—low, high, near, and far. Shapes shifted, circling.
Zane tightened his grip on the dagger and a stone, he pick up nearby.
"No resets. No chances," he murmured. "So they are here already."
A grim smile tugged at his lips.
"Fine."
His gaze hardened.
"Then this world will remember my name."
The shadows surged.
And Zane stepped forward to meet them.