Pain.
That was the only thing Kael could feel. It wasn't the dull ache of an old wound; it was the searing, tearing sensation of a blade twisting through his gut.
He looked down, his vision blurring with red. A pristine, holy sword was buried in his stomach. He knew this sword. He had polished it every morning for the past five years.
"Why?" Kael rasped, blood bubbling at the corner of his lips.
Standing above him was Lucian, the so-called 'Savior of Humanity.' His golden armor shone flawlessly under the crimson sky of the apocalyptic wasteland. He looked at Kael not with hatred, but with the indifference one might show a crushed insect.
"We need time to escape the Dragon King's breath, Kael," Lucian said, his voice melodious and sickeningly calm. "Your death will buy us... perhaps thirty seconds? Be proud. You are dying for the greater good."
Behind Lucian, the rest of the 'Heroes' Party' didn't even look back. They were already fleeing toward the portal.
Kael had carried their bags. He had cooked their food. He had scouted their paths for ten years. He had survived as a pathetic F-Rank Porter in a world where strength was law.
And this was his reward.
Traitors.
The shadow of a colossal dragon covered the sky. Heat, intense enough to melt bone, descended upon him.
Kael gritted his teeth, his fingernails digging into the dirt until they broke.
If I had one more chance...
I wouldn't save anyone. I would kill you all.
The dragon's breath hit.
[You have died.]
[Condition Met: The Player 'Kael' holds deep resentment towards the 'Hero of Light'.]
[Checking Hidden Achievement...]
[Achievement Unlocked: 'The Bitter End'.]
[Initializing Special Perk: Chronos Rewind.]
The world dissolved into white static.
"Hey, wake up! You're going to drool on your exam paper."
Smack.
A rolled-up magazine hit the back of Kael's head.
Kael gasped, his lungs inflating violently as he shot up from his desk. His hand instinctively flew to his stomach.
No sword. No blood. No dragon fire.
"Whoa, easy there, man. Did you have a nightmare?"
Kael blinked. The red sky was gone. Instead, fluorescent lights buzzed overhead. He smelled cheap coffee and old paper. He looked around.
A lecture hall. Hundreds of students were chatting, packing their bags, or sleeping.
He looked at his hands. They were unscarred. No calluses from gripping heavy cargo straps.
"What... what date is it?" Kael whispered, his voice hoarse.
The student next to him, a guy with glasses named Todd, frowned. "Uh, September 1st, 2024? Dude, are you high?"
September 1st. 2024.
Kael froze. His heart hammered against his ribs like a trapped bird.
This was the day.
He looked at the digital clock on the wall.
11:50 AM.
The 'Grand Game' began at 12:00 PM.
He had ten minutes.
Ten minutes before the sky shattered. Ten minutes before half the people in this room were turned into gore by Goblins and Orcs. Ten minutes before the apocalypse began.
Kael didn't scream. He didn't warn anyone.
Instead, a cold, predatory light flickered in his eyes.
In his past life, Lucian became the strongest because he found a hidden item in the university maintenance basement during the initial chaos. An item that granted him the SSS-Rank class that saved humanity... before damning it.
Kael stood up abruptly, his chair screeching against the floor.
"Hey, where are you going? The professor is about to—"
Kael ignored Todd. He vaulted over the desk, sprinting toward the exit.
"Move!" he roared, shoving a startled quarterback aside.
He didn't run like a student. He ran like a survivor who had spent a decade dodging death. He cut through the hallway, drifted around the corner, and slammed through the "Authorized Personnel Only" doors leading to the basement.
Five minutes left.
He raced down the concrete stairs, skipping three steps at a time. The air grew cooler. The smell of damp mold hit him.
He knew exactly where it was.
In his past life, Lucian had bragged about it during a drunken interview. "I was hiding in the janitor's closet, shivering, when a golden box just appeared on the shelf."
Kael kicked the door to the maintenance room open.
It was empty. Just mops, buckets, and a flickering bulb.
He checked his watch. 11:58 AM.
"Come on," Kael hissed, staring at the rusted metal shelf in the corner. "Spawn."
11:59 AM.
The ground trembled. A low, vibrating hum resonated through the building, shaking the dust from the ceiling.
Upstairs, screams began to erupt. The sound of glass shattering. The roar of something inhuman.
It was starting.
[System Initialization: 99%...]
[Welcome to the Grand Game, Earthlings.]
Right as the clock hit 12:00 PM, the air above the rusted shelf shimmered.
Space warped.
A small, ornate box radiating a terrifying crimson and gold aura materialized.
[Hidden Item Detected!]
[Item: Heart of the Monarch (Sealed)][Rank: ???][Restriction: First human to touch it claims ownership.]
Kael didn't hesitate. He lunged forward, his hand grasping the cold metal of the box just as the system screens began to pop up in front of everyone's eyes.
[System Alert: The Tutorial has begun.]
Kael ripped the box open. inside pulsed a black organ, beating rhythmically.
He didn't think. He bit into it.
[CRITICAL ALERT!]
[You have consumed the 'Heart of the Monarch'!]
[Class Change Initiated...]
[You have awakened the Unique Hidden Class: SSS-Rank Predator.]
Kael wiped the black ichor from his lips. A dark, purple energy began to coil around his arms like hungry serpents.
Upstairs, the slaughter had begun. But down here, in the dark, a monster far worse than any goblin had just been born.
Kael smiled.
"Time to eat."