There was nothing. No sound. No feeling. Only a cold, absolute darkness that seemed to stretch into forever. Antash drifted through it, weightless, shapeless, stripped of all that he once was.
Yet… he was moving.
He couldn't see it, couldn't feel it, but something deep within told him: upward. He was rising.
Suddenly, a soft glow pierced the abyss. Light—gentle and warm—like the first rays of dawn brushing across a world long asleep. Antash squinted, shielding nonexistent eyes as he emerged into the radiance.
Standing before him, in the center of a glowing platform of celestial runes, was a woman clad in flowing robes of ivory and gold. Her silver hair shimmered like moonlight, and her eyes glowed with divine purpose.
"I am the Teacher," she said, her voice echoing with layered tones that hinted at knowledge spanning eternity. "Servant of the God of Rebirth, Garien."
Antash said nothing at first. He was still processing the shift—from monster, to nothingness, to this. Then her words hit him.
"Wait… God of Rebirth?" he asked, his voice echoing with slight distortion. "Is this… what the Creator meant?"
She nodded. "Garien has granted you three wishes. I do not know why. Such gifts are rare. Even I, who has guided thousands of souls, have only seen a handful granted such favor."
Antash stared, eyebrows raised. "Three wishes?"
She nodded again, her tone patient. "Anything within the boundaries of divine reason. Think carefully."
He paced, frowning. "I need to understand this world first. What's it like?"
"A world of magic. Of monsters and men. Of systems that quantify growth, power, destiny. But most people begin weak, and few reach greatness."
A thought struck him. "Then I wish for a leveling system."
She sighed. "Denied. Everyone already has one."
Antash blinked. "A system, then."
"I just said—"
"Not a normal one," he interrupted, eyes narrowing. "I want a better system. A custom interface. Something that lets me allocate stat points, access enemy data, track growth. Something… superior."
The Teacher tilted her head, intrigued. "You wish for a Unique System. Personalized. With built-in stat customization, enemy analysis, adaptive growth modules…"
He nodded. "Exactly."
With a smirk, she snapped her fingers. "Granted."
A ring of symbols spun around Antash, burning into his soul.
"Second wish?"
Antash paused. "I want a skill. Something powerful. A cheat skill, if that's what they call it."
The Teacher raised her hand, and a deck of glowing cards floated between them. "Draw your fate."
He reached forward, cards flipping slowly to reveal names and effects:
Assassination: Mark target. Deal bonus damage. Enter stealth for 15 seconds.
QuickLearner: Learn and master all skills at 2x speed.
UltimateSupporter: Boost ally stats by x2.75 for 20 seconds.
ManaFurnace: Convert HP to mana at a 1:1 ratio.
BeastTamer: Instantly bond with wild beasts.
Antash scowled. "These are good, but they're not… me."
Then he saw it.
A card at the bottom of the deck shimmered with black and violet light. He touched it.
Drain: Upon killing a target, absorb their stats and gain access to all of their learned skills permanently.
He grinned. "This one."
The Teacher's eyes sparkled with amusement. "You are clever. That is the most powerful skill here. And for choosing it… your third wish is revoked. Balance must be maintained."
Before he could protest, she raised a hand.
"Farewell, chosen one."
The ground beneath him twisted, forming into a swirling vortex—like a black hole, humming with dimensional energy. With a single step back, he was pulled into it, spiraling into the void.
---
The Soul Chamber: Customization
When Antash opened his eyes again, he was floating in a void filled with glowing panels and icons. A transparent status screen hovered before him:
> Name: Antash (New Name: ???) Race: Dragon(Human) & (???) Level: 1 System: [Unique System Activated]
Three options floated before him:
1. Class Selection
2. SkillSelection
3. PassiveTraits
He moved first to Skills, browsing the basic tier.
Heat Resistance
Cold Resistance
Quick Speed (Passive)
HP Regeneration (Passive)
Minor Mana Boost
Enhanced Vision
He selected Heat Resistance and ColdResistance, which merged into a new passive:
> Temperature Resistance – Immune to environmental heat and cold damage.
He also chose Quick Speed, enhancing movement and reflexes, and HPRegeneration, for survival.
Satisfied, he moved to Classes.
Two stood out:
Mage: Masters of elemental, dark, and summoning magics.
Fighter: Close-combat warriors with resilience and strength.
"I'll take both," he said.
> Primary Class: Mage Secondary Class: Fighter
Finally, the system pinged with two bonus skills:
Appraisal – Inspect objects, people, and items for information.
Item Box – Store and retrieve items from a sub-dimensional space.
"These feel common," he murmured, "but useful."
Suddenly, everything began to dissolve. His body compressed, vision narrowing. The void shrunk into a single point of light…
---
Rebirth
Antash gasped.
Cold air filled his lungs. He blinked rapidly, adjusting to the brightness. His body… felt strange. Smaller.
He sat up—and stared at his hands.
They were tiny.
He scrambled to a nearby puddle and looked into it.
A child's reflection stared back. Black hair. Crimson eyes. A faint mark glowing on his neck—a seal from the Teacher.
"I've… been reborn," he whispered.
His mind was unchanged, his memories intact. But the world around him was unfamiliar.
Trees the size of castles loomed nearby. Strange birds with glowing feathers circled overhead. A distant roar echoed in the mountains.
"This world…" he whispered, standing up. "This world is massive."
He clenched his fists, the Drain card's memory burning in his soul.
"I'll rise again. Stronger than before. Stronger than anyone."
Somewhere beyond these wild forests, fate was waiting.
And this time, Antash—or whatever name he would take—would carve his path through gods, monsters, and everything in between.
The journey had begun.