The smell of ozone and blood filled the air. I looked up at the shattered sky of Kathmandu, where a massive black gate pulsated with dark energy. My sword was broken, and my breathing was heavy. Around me, the strongest hunters of the world lay fallen.
"Is this... the end?" I whispered, as the Shadow Monarch's blade pierced my chest.
As my vision faded to black, a cold, mechanical voice echoed in my mind:
[Alert: Secret Requirement 'Unyielding Will' met.]
[Activating Hidden Item: The Hourglass of Fate.]
[System Synchronizing... Rewinding time by 5 years.]
Suddenly, I felt a jolt of electricity through my body. I gasped, sitting upright in a small, dusty bed. This wasn't the battlefield. This was my old apartment from before the Great Awakening.
I grabbed my phone from the nightstand. The date read: March 3, 2021.
A smirk formed on my face. Five years ago, I was a nobody—an E-rank hunter who struggled to survive. But now, I knew every secret, every hidden treasure, and every boss's weakness.
"This time," I muttered, my eyes glowing with a faint blue light, "I won't be the one dying."
[System Notification: Welcome back, Player. Your journey to become the Sovereign begins now.]