As Luke opened his eyes, they were pitch black.
For a brief moment, those eyes seemed to distort the surrounding space—darkening everything around him as if light itself was being swallowed.
Then, just as quickly, the darkness faded.
His eyes returned to their calm blue color.
I blinked.
It felt like I had just awakened from a trance.
At first, I looked confused. Slowly, I turned my head, scanning my surroundings as if trying to understand where I was.
*Why am I here?*
Then memories came flooding back.
Pain.
So much pain.
*Yeah... I was ranking up using monster cores. Then my body started cracking... and the pain overwhelmed me completely.*
*I thought I died.*
I exhaled slowly.
"I really don’t want to feel that again..."
A faint shiver ran through my body as I recalled it.
That pain... it was beyond anything I had ever experienced.
Then I noticed something else.
All ten of my undead were still standing.
Guarding him like eternal guardians who would never fail their duty.
I sighed in relief.
At least they were fine.
I slowly pushed himself up.
The moment I stood—
CRACK!
The ground beneath me fractured, and my body sank nearly one foot into the earth.
"...Huh?"
I froze.
What just happened?
I felt it immediately.
It is my body.
Something had changed.
*So much strength... so much mana... and my thoughts... they’re clearer. Sharper. Faster than before.*
My eyes widened slightly.
"What... happened?"
"System," I called out. "Tell me what’s going on."
[I suggest the host check his status first.]
The system replied calmly.
I frowned but nodded.
I followed the instruction.
"Status."
A blue screen appeared in front of me.
## [STATUS]
**NAME:** Luke
**CLASS:** God of Death [Divine Rank]
### **TITLES:**
**"The One Born from Death"**
**Effect:**
* Grants absolute immunity to instant death skills.
* Nullifies all death-aligned energy within a higher conceptual hierarchy, up to 1 Major Rank above the user.
* Reduces incoming death skills attack by 50%, even from entities two Major Ranks above the user, as long as they exist within the laws of death.
**RANK:** F
### **STATS:**
Strength: F+
Endurance: F+
Agility: F+
Intelligence: F+
Mana: F+
### **CLASS ABILITIES:**
**Active:** Resurrect [F]
**Passive:** Death Realm [F]
### **SKILLS:**
* Sixth Sense [F]
* Necro Bolt [F]
* Bone Shield [F]
* Far Vision [F]
* Smell Sense [F]
### **UNDEAD SLOTS:**
10 / 100
### **TALENT:**
Eternal Void Ruler Shop
### **INVENTORY:**
9 / 10 Slots
* 100 filled water bottles
* 100 packed food rations
* 10 bandages
* 2 minor healing potions
* 2 minor mana potions
* 20 F+ monster cores
* 16.3 silver
* 500 copper coins
* 7 wolf corpses
### **BALANCE:**
121P
When I opened my status, I got completely stunned.
My rank had increased to F Rank—which was normal, since I had used monster cores to rank up.
But something was wrong.
His stats.
Every single one of them showed **F+**.
I frowned deeply.
"I was supposed to become stronger... but this?"
Then my eyes shifted to my titles.
They had changed.
I expanded the details.
"What... the... hell."
I grabbed my head.
This is insane.
**Immunity to instant death attacks from anyone.**
Crazy.
Then the next effect—
**Nullification of death-related energy attacks from beings one Major Rank above him.**
That alone is already broken.
But the final effect—
My expression stiffened.
**50% reduction of death-related damage from all higher-ranked beings.**
"...This is definitely broken."
I exhaled slowly.
It felt less like a skill... and more like a law of existence.
*The One Born from Death...*
I stared at the title in silence.
"Well... I really did die and come back."
He didn’t know the full truth yet.
That his death wasn’t normal.
That something had rebuilt him completely from death itself.
That why this title existed.
LukIe took a deep breath and calmed myself.
Then I continued checking my status.
Undead Slots: 100.
"...That’s something."
My eyes narrowed slightly.
"So every rank up gives me 100 slots?"
"Then another 100 at the next rank..."
I thought excitedly.
[Host, congratulations on your rank up and becoming a True Born.]
The system interrupted me.
I blinked.
"Huh? What do you mean by ’True Born’?"
[All species in Origin are either born or created outside with a False Core. That is why they are called False Born.]
[Except higher species such as Phoenixes, Dragons, Titans, Gods, and other Mythical beings.]
The system’s tone is calm—almost indifferent, as if those beings were beneath notice.
I frowned.
"What is a False Core?"
[False Core: a core that can be sensed, but does not physically exist within the body.]
[True Core: a core that exists naturally within the body from birth.]
"...Then what’s the benefit?"
[Both can reach high levels.]
[However, False Cores have growth limitations. Their ranking becomes increasingly difficult with each Major Rank.]
[Only upon reaching S Rank does a False Core begin converting into a True Core.]
I narrowed his eyes.
"So True Core users rank up faster... and False Core users can get stuck?"
[Correct.]
[True Born individuals naturally possess higher physical stats. With each rank, their potential becomes clearer and more stable.]
[False Borns start with unstable scaling: F-, F, F+, until S Rank.]
[Even after reaching S Rank and gaining a True Core, they do not obtain all advantages.]
The system paused briefly.
[I will explain the remaining differences later.]
I exhaled.
"...I see."
So that was it.
I wasn’t just lucky.
I had been reborn into something higher.
"I truly died... and reborn."
Then I asked:
"So I’ll directly rank up to E Rank?"
[Yes, Host.]
"Good."
I nodded.
"Time to return. But before that..."
I glanced down at myself.
"...I’m naked."
My armor had been completely destroyed during the evolution.
I sighed.
"Looks like I’ll need new clothes."
I purchased a simple outfit from the system:a black shirt and dark purple pants.
"Now I’m ready."
I left the cave.
Checking the time through my status, I muttered:
"Five hours..."
It is already afternoon.
I summoned seven wolf corpses from my inventory.
"Resurrect."
Dark energy surged.
The wolves rose again.
I gave a command.
"Vargan, lead them. Hunt in the far west and collect every body as well".
The undead moved silently and disappeared into the forest.
I kept Vorak with me.
After traveling for half an hour, Luke reached Westwatch Village safely.
Something felt slightly off.
But no one seemed panicked or terrified, so I ignored it.
"I should check other dishes as well..."
I thought as I walked, searching for a place to eat.
Soon, I spotted a tavern.
**"The Hollow Barrel."**
*What a weird name...*
I muttered to himself as I entered.
The moment I stepped inside, I got hit by a wave of heavy smells—sweat, alcohol, and strong rum.
My expression immediately changed.
Because of my **Smell Sense skill**, everything felt overwhelming.
"...Tch."
It took me nearly five minutes to manually lower my smell sensitivity.
Finally, I exhaled in relief.
I found an empty seat and ordered a main dish.
While waiting, I casually listened to nearby conversations.
"Did you see it? Those twelve huge thrones... and that massive skeleton?"
"I was terrified. I thought the world was ending."
I froze slightly.
My brows furrowed.
*Thrones... skeleton...?*
*Is this related to my rebirth?*
Before I could think further—
"Sir, your order."
A burly middle-aged man placed the food on the table.
"Our special dish—Braised Boar Chunk Stew."
The man smiled widely.
His teeth gleamed under the light.
I blinked.
"...That almost blinded me."
Still slightly dazed, I picked up the spoon and began eating.
"...Yummy."
A faint smile appeared.
*Fresh, warm food... this is the best.*
"Ten out of ten tavern."
As I ate, more conversations reached my ears.
"Guards have been increased, and more adventurers are arriving in the village today."
"Why?"
"Don’t you notice? There are barely any monsters in the forest anymore. It feels like they’ve all disappeared."
"Huh?"
"I think they’re gathering. I wasn’t sure before, but after seeing all those adventurers... I’m certain now."
"...A monster tide is coming."
"What?!"
One of them suddenly stood up in panic.
The others turned toward him in confusion, trying to understand his sudden reaction.
I ignored the commotion.
My focus is fixed on those words.
**Monster tide.**
I muttered under my breath.
"...This is going to be a problem."