Rain hammered the rooftop like bullets. Yun Qing crouched in the shadows, his black tactical suit blending perfectly with the night. Below, the target's penthouse glowed softly through bulletproof glass. One shot. One clean kill. Then he could finally walk away from this life.
He had been the best — the Shadow Emperor. Governments and corporations whispered his name in fear. No one ever saw him coming. No one ever survived.
His gloved finger hovered over the trigger. The target laughed inside, oblivious, pouring wine for his mistress. Yun Qing's lips curved in a faint, bitter smile. One more job. Then I disappear.
A soft click behind him shattered the silence.
He spun, but it was too late. Muzzle flashes lit the darkness. Pain exploded across his chest — once, twice, three times. Betrayal burned hotter than the bullets.
"...Sorry, boss. The price was too good."
The voice of his longtime partner faded as Yun Qing collapsed onto the wet concrete. Blood mixed with rainwater, warm and metallic. His vision blurred. The city lights below smeared into streaks of neon.
Not like this...
Regret flickered — not for the lives he'd taken, but for the emptiness of it all. No friends. No one waiting. Just shadows and silence.
Darkness swallowed him whole.
Then, light.
Yun Qing gasped, bolting upright. His body felt... wrong. Too light. Too young. He stared at slender hands that weren't scarred from years of fighting. A cheap mirror on the wall showed a boy — eighteen at most, with sharp fox-like eyes and messy black hair. Pale face. Ordinary clothes. A tiny, cluttered apartment that smelled of instant noodles and damp walls.
"What the hell...?" he muttered, voice hoarse.
A translucent blue screen suddenly materialized in front of him, glowing softly.
[System Activation Complete]
[Welcome to Eclipse Realm, Player Yun Qing.]
[Current Account: Level 1 Noob. Stats: All F-Rank.]
[Hidden Class Unlocked: Void Shadow]
[Your past skills remain. Use them wisely... or die again.]
Yun Qing's lips twitched. A game? He had logged into Eclipse Realm a few times in his previous life — the most realistic VRMMO ever made. He had dominated its leaderboards as the untouchable assassin.
Now he was back. Weak. Mocked by the system as "trash."
But the muscle memory? The cold precision that had kept him alive for years? That was still there, humming under his skin like a loaded gun.
He flexed his fingers. A faint shadow flickered at his fingertips — invisible to anyone else.
A slow, dangerous smile spread across his face.
"Fine. Round two."
He stood, cracking his neck. The weak body would catch up. For now, the hunter was awake again.
And this time, no one would see him coming.