The stench of rancid blood and burnt ozone saturated the air of the crypt. Kenji lay sprawled across the black stone floor, his body shattered, limbs twisted at unnatural angles. Around him, the walls of the S-Rank dungeon were crumbling under the impact of lingering spells. He could no longer feel his legs. His left arm was nothing more than a bloody memory, still attached to his shoulder by a few strips of charred flesh.
"— Just look at that," murmured a melodious voice, tinged with icy contempt. "Even for a sack of meat, he's remarkably persistent."
Kenji lifted his eyes with great effort. His vision was blurred by a crimson veil. Standing before him was Hanae Akane, the "Sword Saint." Her blade, immaculate white, bore no trace of the slaughter that had just taken place. Beside her stood the man Kenji had served for ten years—the Hero of the "Gold Dawn" Guild—staring at him with absolute indifference.
"— The plan was perfect, Kenji," the Hero said as he adjusted his leather gloves. "The monsters killed the support team, and you, the loyal cleaner, sacrificed yourself so we could defeat the Boss. That's the story the world will remember. A pathetic sacrifice for a noble cause."
"— Why…?" Kenji rasped, blood spilling from his mouth. "I… I did everything for you. I carried your bags, I cleaned up your corpses, I—"
A sharp laugh cut him off. Akane stepped closer and rested the tip of her sword against Kenji's throat.
"— Because you're F-Rank trash, Kenji. An insect that got lucky enough to crawl among giants. But insects always end up being crushed under a boot. That's the natural order of things."
She pressed slightly. The skin tore open. Kenji felt no pain—only an abyssal cold. Behind them, he saw the bodies of his only friends, lowly porters like himself, piled up like firewood. They hadn't been killed by monsters. The wounds were clean. Sword strikes. Blows delivered by those they served.
Rage ignited in his gut—a black, devouring flame. Not the heroic rage that grants strength, but pure hatred, distilled from a decade of humiliation and servitude. If only he could… if only he could tear out their throats one last time.
"— Oh, look at his eyes," Akane sneered, a hint of perverse excitement in her voice. "He hates us. It's almost… charming. Too bad you're nothing."
The Hero turned away.
"— Finish it. We have a banquet waiting for us."
The sword of light rose. Kenji stared at the blade. If I come back… if fate gives me just one more chance… I won't be the dog anymore. I'll be the master. I'll break you. I'll subjugate you. I'll make you regret ever breathing the same air as me.
Steel sliced through the air. The world went black.
September 1st, 2016. Room 402, Tokyo Student Residence.
A silent scream tore from Kenji's throat as he bolted upright in his bed. His lungs sucked in air so violently that he nearly choked. His hand instinctively clutched his neck. Nothing. No wound. No blood.
He stared at his hands. They were slender, slightly calloused from part-time jobs, but whole. Both arms were there. His legs, stretched beneath a cheap blanket, tingled with life.
"— What the…?"
He grabbed his phone from the nightstand. The screen lit up: 01/09/2016.
It was the day. The day of the "Great Awakening." In two hours, at exactly noon, the Gates would open across the world and the Systems would embed themselves into human consciousness. In his previous life, he had received Rank F—the lowest rank—the "Cleaner."
Suddenly, an excruciating pain drilled into his skull. A voice—different from the standard System voice he knew—resounded like a gong inside his mind.
[Warning: Temporal Anomaly Detected.]
[Regressor Soul Synchronization in Progress…]
[Standard "Hero" System Allocation Failed.]
[Subject Will Analysis: Hatred (100%), Desire for Domination (100%), Lust (85%).]
[Unique System Allocation in Progress: SSS-Grade "Sovereign of Desires".]
Kenji collapsed to the floor, gripping the threadbare carpet. A translucent interface—deep black edged with crimson—appeared before his eyes.
[Sovereign Status]
Name: Sato Kenji
Level: 1
Class: Sovereign of Desires (Unique / SSS)
Strength: 10 | Agility: 10 | Intelligence: 15 | Mana: 50
Passive Skills:
Oppressor's Eye (SSS-Rank): Allows the user to see the statistics, weaknesses, and hidden desires of any target.
Heart of Steel: Total immunity to mental manipulation and fear-based debuffs.
Active Skills:
Chains of Subjugation (S-Rank): Subjugates a weakened or consenting target. Increases the user's stats proportionally to the slave's power.
Vital Sharing: Transfers mana or life force through carnal contact.
Kenji remained frozen. The standard System never granted abilities like these. This was a predator's system. A system designed to rule—not through justice, but through possession.
He stood and approached the mirror. His face was the same, but his gaze had changed. His dark eyes, once dull and uncertain, now gleamed with a cold, predatory light.
"— Ten years," he murmured, his voice no longer that of a student. "I have ten years' worth of knowledge over everyone else. I know the dungeons. I know the betrayals. I know the future 'Heroes.'"
He clenched his fist, feeling mana flow through him—dense and dark.
"— Akane… you said I was an insect? Fine. I'll build a nest, and you'll be the first one I lock inside it. But this time, you'll be the one crawling."
Outside, sirens began to wail. The sky split open, revealing a violet tear above Tokyo. The Great Awakening had begun. But for Sato Kenji, this was not the start of a heroic adventure.
It was the beginning of a purge.
He put on his jacket, hid a simple kitchen knife under his sleeve—a remnant of his cleaner's paranoia—and left his room. He knew exactly where the first E-Rank dungeon would appear in the nearby park. And more importantly, he knew exactly who would go there to play at being heroes.
The game of domination had begun.