"But," one of the men continued, stepping slightly closer, "we would like to ask you something."
Zachary looked at him, still confused. "Yeah…?"
The man's voice lowered, more serious now.
"How did you survive a level 7 dungeon… while unconscious?"
Another stepped in.
"And not just survive," he added, "but remain completely unharmed… despite being left in the open. Monsters were present. Active."
The room felt colder.
Zachary froze for a moment.
His mind drifted back—
To the darkness.
To the overwhelming mana.
To that voice.
"…you might become something even I would regret not choosing."
Kairoth's words echoed clearly in his head, as if they had been carved into his memory. That had been the last thing he heard… before everything went black.
Zachary's fingers twitched slightly against the hospital sheets.
He knew the answer.
Or at least… part of it.
But saying it out loud?
That was a different matter entirely.
So instead, he looked back at the men in black—
And hesitated.
Zachary opened his mouth, finally ready to answer.
But before a single word could leave his lips—
SLAM!
The door burst open, crashing against the wall with a sharp squeak that echoed through the room. A man in a black suit stood at the entrance, slightly hunched over, catching his breath.
"The others are awake, sir!" he shouted urgently.
In an instant, the atmosphere shifted.
The men beside Zachary didn't hesitate. Without another glance at him, they turned and rushed out of the room, their footsteps fading quickly down the hall.
The door swung slightly before settling half-open.
And just like that—
Zachary was alone.
The silence returned, heavier than before.
"…What?" he muttered under his breath, still trying to process everything.
One moment he was being interrogated, the next—abandoned mid-answer.
Then—
Something appeared.
Right in front of him.
Floating.
Clear.
Unmistakable.
Zachary's eyes widened.
"Wh—what the…!?" he stammered, instinctively pulling himself back against the bed.
A translucent screen hovered before him, its presence undeniable. The words on it were sharp, glowing faintly as if etched into reality itself.
-[Congratulations! Kairoth Umbren has passed down his system to you]-
Zachary's breath hitched.
'Passed down, System…?'
Then, The text shifted.
-[Previous level: 1]-
-[Level passed down by Kairoth Umbren: Non-available, read below for more]-
His eyes scanned faster now, his mind racing to keep up.
-[To see the level passed down, you must complete a quest]-
A pause.
Then—
-[Quest: Increase all stats twentyfold]-
-[Reward: Unlock the level passed down by Kairoth Umbren]-
"…Twentyfold?" Zachary whispered, disbelief creeping into his voice. His fingers clenched slightly against the sheets.
Then more information appeared.
His stats.
His eyes moved rapidly across them.
-[Stats]-
-[Strength: 29 points]-
-[Agility: 16 points]-
-[Recovery: 23 points]-
-[Durability: 10 points]-
-[Class → Hidden Class: Necromancer/Mage, freely change title anytime, anywhere]-
Zachary froze.
Hidden… Class?
His heartbeat quickened.
-[Mana: 29 points]-
-[Casting speed: 35 points]-
The screen hovered silently after that.
No explanation.
No guidance.
Just… there.
Zachary stared at it, his mind spinning faster than ever before. The memory of the dungeon, of Kairoth, of that overwhelming presence—it all crashed together at once.
"…He wasn't lying," Zachary muttered.
Slowly, his expression changed.
From confusion—
To realization.
Then, just slightly—
A smile formed.
Not wide.
Not obvious.
But there.