I died at 03:17 AM.
The Tower logged it. The world confirmed it. The system declared it "Expected Casualty #2451 – Unranked."
Except—I didn't stay dead.
I remember the blood first. Warm, sticky, soaking through the threads of my stolen uniform. I wasn't supposed to be there. No ID. No clearance. Just a glitch, sneaking into the First Gate on a dare from rage and desperation.
Then came the silence.
Not peace. Not calm.
Silence. The kind that feels like a breath being held... by the universe.
[SYSTEM ERROR: PROTOCOL BREACH DETECTED]
[REPAIR FAILED]
[INITIATING EMERGENCY BACKUP – HELL_RANKER.EXE]
Pain ripped through me like a reboot through bone. My heart stopped. Then restarted wrong. Fast. Violent. Like it wanted to tear itself out of my chest.
And then—I opened my eyes.
The Tower wasn't gone. It wasn't satisfied.
And neither was I.
A voice that wasn't human whispered directly into my head:
"Welcome, Kael Atrox. Hell Ranker Protocol initialized. Level up requirements... updated."
I coughed blood, smiled, and stood.
If I have to die to grow stronger...
Then I'll learn to live with dying.