Leveling Through Betrayal

CHAPTER 2 — The World After Death

Alex’s breath gasped in ragged bursts. His entire body was wracked with excruciating pain, as though every inch of his bones had been crushed into pieces. For a few seconds, Alex could only lie helplessly on the ice-cold ground, staring blankly up at the dark expanse of the sky above him.

"I..."

His mind was still in utter chaos. Hadn't he just jumped from the campus building's rooftop moments ago? Shouldn't his body have shattered upon hitting the hard asphalt?

Then why... why was he still breathing? Why was he still alive?

Alex forced his body to move, but a wave of agonizing pain instantly shot through his entire nervous system.

"Ghkk..." He gritted his teeth hard, suppressing a groan.

His head felt as heavy as lead, and his vision blurred. With the remnants of his focus, he tried to process his surroundings. A thick fog seemed to envelop everything. Giant trees loomed high, appearing like the silhouettes of monsters watching him from the dark. Even the air in this place reeked heavily of blood.

Auuuuuu—!

A terrifying howl echoed faintly from the distance. At that exact moment, Alex’s body went completely rigid.

Fear.

How ironic. For the very first time, right after he had tried to end his own life... he felt an overwhelming fear of death.

"What is this... the world after death?"

His breathing grew increasingly panicked. If this dreadful place was hell, then why did the pain and cold biting his skin feel so intensely real?

Alex tried to get up. But—

Thud!

His body immediately collapsed back onto the ground.

"Kuh... damn it..." he hissed in frustration.

Both of his legs trembled violently. The body he now occupied was far too weak, even just to support its own weight.

Alex clenched his fists tightly against the dirt. No, he couldn't die here. Not after all this. If God or the universe was truly giving him a second chance at life, then he swore he wouldn't throw it away in such a pathetic manner.

Alex tried to stand up again. And fell once more.

He tried again. And crashed down yet again.

"Stand up..."

Thud!

"Come on, stand up...!"

Thud!

By now, his body was covered in mud and bloodstains. Yet, Alex kept pushing past his limits, fighting his own pain until finally—he managed to stand upright on his own two feet.

"Haah... haah..."

The strength in his body was utterly depleted. Alex anxiously scanned his surroundings. There were no signs of life or any help to be expected in a cursed place like this. The fog was too thick, the ravine too dark, and that unfamiliar howl echoed again, crawling closer.

"Am I really dead...?" he muttered softly while staring at his trembling hands.

The next second, Alex froze.

His gaze locked onto his own hands. "Wait..."

Those hands looked smaller and thinner than his actual size. Furthermore, the surface of the skin was covered in old wounds and dried gashes. The clothes clinging to his body felt foreign too—it wasn't the wet suit he had been wearing when he jumped from the campus roof.

Alex’s heart beat twice as fast. "This... this isn't my body."

A chilling dread instantly rippled down his spine. Alex took a few steps back in pressing panic.

"No... it can't be..."

His throat felt incredibly dry and parched. He needed water to clear his mind, which was beginning to spiral into madness. With staggering steps, Alex forced himself to walk through the dense fog and dark trees, ignoring his body that kept shivering from exhaustion.

Until finally, his ears caught the sound of gurgling flowing water.

Alex immediately quickened his pace. As soon as he reached the edge of a small stream, he dropped his knees to the ground, scooped up the clear water, and drank it greedily.

"Khah..."

His breathing gradually began to stabilize. However, when he accidentally glanced at the surface of the river water reflecting the sky—Alex's body instantly went rigid.

A foreign face was staring right back at him.

The figure in the water's reflection had long, messy black hair, a deathly pale face covered in wounds, and a pair of dark red eyes that radiated deep exhaustion.

"That... isn't me..." Alex touched his own face with trembling fingers. "Who... who is he, exactly?"

And at that very moment, an overwhelmingly agonizing pain suddenly hit his head in rapid successions.

"AAARGHH!"

Alex groaned hysterically while clutching his head, his body falling to his knees on the ground. Forcibly, fragments of foreign memories that did not belong to him began to flood and invade his mind.

"Aldric!" The voice of an old woman echoed, weeping hysterically in his head.

"Aldric... run!"

Flashes of heavily armed men, soldiers, pools of blood, and gripping terror spun rapidly. Until finally, the memory stopped at a cliff edge, and a heavy voice echoed sneeringly: "Make sure that piece of trash is dead!"

Alex’s eyes widened completely, his breathing turning chaotic. "Aldric...?"

His head throbbed violently as if it were ready to explode at any moment from the forced synchronization. But suddenly, a cold and flat mechanical voice echoed clearly inside his head.

[Host has successfully survived.]

[Analyzing body...]

Alex immediately leapt to his feet in panic. "Who's there?!"

There was no answer. Alex looked around in all directions with a wary and frightened gaze. "Who's speaking?! Come out!"

However, the formless voice spoke again, completely ignoring his question.

[Analysis initiated.]

"What on earth is this..." Alex stepped back slowly, trying to process this piling madness.

But before he could think any further—

Auuuuuuuuuu—!

A thunderous monster howl shattered the remaining silence of the forest.

Alex’s body instantly froze stiff. From behind the thick, dense fog, a pair of glowing red eyes slowly appeared, locking onto his movements.

A pitch-black wolf stepped out from the darkness. Its size was completely abnormal, far larger and more terrifying than a regular wolf. Its sharp fangs protruded long, with foul-smelling saliva dripping down to wet the ground.

Monster itu menatap Alex layaknya seonggok daging segar yang siap disantap.

"No way..." Alex stepped back methodically. His body trembled violently; with a physical condition this frail, it was impossible for him to fight that terrifying creature.

The wolf let out a low growl. Then—

Crash!

Without warning, the monster lunged forward at lightning speed, charging straight at him.

"Damn it!"

Reflexively, Alex turned his body and ran with all his might. He stumbled, nearly falling several times due to his weak legs. However, the sound of heavy, rushing footsteps and growls behind him forced Alex to keep pushing himself.

While running in panic, Alex snatched a medium-sized rock from the ground and hurled it backward.

Thud!

The rock struck the wolf's head dead-on, but unfortunately, the attack did not injure it or slow its pace at all.

"Why is that thing so fast?!"

Finding himself increasingly cornered, Alex desperately grabbed a fairly large tree branch and swung it blindly at the monster, which had already leaped forward to maul him.

Crack!

The large branch shattered instantly into pieces upon impacting the wolf's thick hide.

"Crazy..."

The monster landed and lashed out with its deadly claws. Alex threw himself down, rolling to the side at the very last second.

Thud!

The ground where Alex had been standing a moment ago was instantly obliterated, leaving a crater from the wolf's claws.

Alex’s breath grew wilder and more erratic. His new body had truly reached its absolute limit. Yet, amidst the suffocating grip of fear, a sudden flash of thought jolted his brain with immense power.

I don't want to die again.

Not in such a miserable way!

If I am truly fated to die in this place, then at least... I will die fighting it!

The black wolf lowered its body again, preparing for its final, lethal lunge.

And right at that moment—

Ding!

[Body analysis complete.]

[Starter reward successfully obtained.]

A flash of golden light suddenly sliced through the darkness right in front of Alex. Along with the fading light, a long, pitch-black sword fell with a clang, embedding itself directly before him.

Alex’s eyes widened. "What...?"

Seeing the monster in front of him already leaping to attack with bared fangs, Alex had no time to be bewildered. Without a second thought, he reached out and snatched the hilt of the black sword.

Pedang itu terasa luar biasa berat, namun anehnya, genggamannya terasa sangat pas dan kokoh di tangannya.

The wolf was already above his head. With a desperate roar, Alex used every ounce of remaining strength in his body to swing the sword upward.

Slash!

A thick, pitch-black fluid sprayed furiously into the air, drenching Alex’s face.

The monster howled in pain as it crashed back onto the ground, but it wasn't dead yet. The wound on its body only fueled a much more brutal rage. The wolf attacked again blindly.

Alex staggered, his hands shaking violently and his vision beginning to swim. His body had gone past its maximum limit. However, driven by a wild survival instinct, he kept swinging his black sword in a mixture of panic and fury.

"DIE!!!" Alex bellowed.

Slash!

The blade of the black sword finally slid smoothly, piercing the wolf's chest dead-on—tearing right through its heart.

All of the black wolf's brutal movements stopped instantly mid-air.

Thud.

The massive body collapsed heavily onto the ground, lifeless.

Alex’s eyes widened completely, staring blankly at the carcass of the monster before him. He succeeded... he had truly just killed a monster with his own hands.

His breath gasped raggedly, while his hand, stained with black blood, still trembled violently as it held the sword's hilt.

In the midst of that eerie silence, the system's voice echoed inside his head once more.

[Congratulations.]

[Host has successfully killed the first monster.]

[Additional reward obtained: Healing Potion (No Side Effects).]

A small glass bottle filled with a shimmering liquid suddenly materialized and floated right in front of Alex’s face. However, before his fingers could even touch the bottle—

Ding!

[A new main quest has been created.]

[Quest: Survive for 7 days in the Forbidden Forest.]

[Reward: ???]

[Failure Penalty: Death.]

Alex’s entire body froze on the spot.

"Seven... days. What kind of foolish quest is this?"