Luna always thought jealousy was just an emotion.
Ugly, uncomfortable—but harmless.
She learned the truth too late.
The rain had been falling since afternoon, turning the university pathways into mirrors of blurred lights and shattered reflections. Her sneakers were soaked, her cardigan heavy with cold, but she didn't mind. She'd stayed late in the library, trying to finish an assignment she no longer cared about.
Because her mind kept circling the same painful thought.
Why won't he just choose me openly?
Her phone vibrated in her pocket.
Unknown Number:
"You stole what was mine."
Luna frowned.
Another message came instantly.
"Meet me behind the old auditorium. We need to talk."
Her chest tightened.
She already knew who this was.
Everyone knew about Ishara—her boyfriend's ex. Beautiful. Sharp-tongued. The kind of girl who never accepted losing. The kind who smiled sweetly while plotting quietly.
Luna hesitated.
Then she typed back:
"Okay."
She shouldn't have.
The back of the auditorium was deserted, dark except for one flickering security light. Rain tapped against concrete like quiet applause.
Ishara stood there waiting.
Perfect hair. Perfect coat. Perfect smile.
"You actually came," Ishara said lightly, as if they were meeting for coffee instead of something that felt like a battlefield.
"What do you want?" Luna asked.
Ishara tilted her head. "I want to understand something."
Luna didn't answer.
Ishara took a slow step closer. "Why do people like you always think you deserve what isn't yours?"
Luna's heart began to pound. "I didn't steal anyone."
Ishara laughed softly. "You stole everything."
Before Luna could respond, Ishara reached into her coat.
Luna's breath froze.
A metallic glint caught the light.
"No," Luna whispered.
"I loved him first," Ishara said calmly. "I built him. I supported him. And then you came along with your innocent eyes and your quiet voice, and he forgot me."
"I didn't—"
The blade moved.
Pain bloomed white-hot in Luna's chest.
She staggered backward, staring down at the spreading red blooming through her sweater. The world tilted violently.
"I'm sorry," Ishara said softly.
But her eyes weren't sorry at all.
Luna collapsed.
The rain washed her blood away.
And as her vision blurred, the last thought in her mind was painfully simple:
I didn't even get to fight back.
Darkness claimed her.
Then… light.
Cold light.
Harsh. Artificial.
Luna gasped and sat up abruptly.
Her body felt intact. Her chest—no wound. No pain. No blood.
But she wasn't on wet concrete anymore.
She was lying on cracked asphalt beneath a sky that burned deep red.
Ruined skyscrapers stretched into the distance like broken bones. Cars sat abandoned, rusted, smashed. The air smelled like metal and decay.
Her heart slammed against her ribs.
"Where… am I?"
A translucent blue screen suddenly appeared in the air before her eyes.
Floating. Glowing.
Real.
[SYSTEM INITIALIZING…]
[WELCOME, PLAYER 0817]
[NAME: LUNA CONFIRMED]
[WORLD: NECROEARTH]
[OBJECTIVE: SURVIVE]
[WARNING: DEATH IS PERMANENT]
Her breath hitched.
"This… isn't real."
The screen shifted.
[TUTORIAL BEGINNING]
[KILL TO LEVEL UP]
[LEVEL 1: SURVIVOR]
[SKILL SLOTS: LOCKED]
[WEAPON: NONE]
A low, wet sound echoed behind her.
Slow. Dragging.
Luna turned.
Something stood between the wrecked cars.
Human-shaped.
But wrong.
Its skin was gray, hanging loosely. Its jaw hung at an unnatural angle. Its eyes were milky, lifeless—and locked directly onto her.
The thing opened its mouth.
And screamed.
The sound wasn't human.
It lurched toward her.
Panic ripped through Luna's chest.
"No—no—no—"
Her legs moved on instinct.
She ran.
Bare feet pounding against broken asphalt, lungs burning, terror consuming her thoughts. Behind her, the creature followed with unnatural speed.
This can't be happening.
I already died once.
I can't die again.
She tripped.
Pain shot through her knees as she hit the ground.
The creature loomed over her.
Its breath reeked of rot.
Luna scrambled backward, hands searching desperately for anything—anything—
Her fingers closed around something solid.
A broken metal rod.
Her hands trembled violently.
The creature lunged.
Luna screamed—and swung.
The rod pierced straight through its skull.
The thing froze.
Then collapsed.
Silence.
For one heartbeat. Two.
The blue screen flashed again.
[KILL CONFIRMED]
[+10 KP]
[LEVEL UP: 2]
[SURVIVAL INSTINCT ACTIVATED]
Luna stared at the corpse.
Then at her shaking hands.
Then at the system hovering before her.
Her stomach churned. Her whole body trembled.
She had killed something.
She had survived.
Slowly, painfully, she stood.
Her reflection in a broken car window looked unfamiliar. Pale. Eyes wide. But there was something else there now too.
Something harder.
The system chimed softly.
[WELCOME TO NECROEARTH, PLAYER LUNA]
[RANKING BEGINS NOW]
Luna clenched her fists.
She had died once because she was kind.
She would not die again for the same reason.
And somewhere, deep in her heart, a terrifying thought began to take root.
If this world is built on killing…
Then I will become someone who survives.
No matter what.