**[Death✓]**
**[Quest 1✓]**
**[Welcome to the Underworld]**
Axel's eyes snapped open, the cold, unyielding text of the notification searing into his brain. 'The underworld? How the hell is that possible?'
He shot to his feet, his heart pounding in his chest as he checked his body for injuries. To his astonishment, every wound from the battle was gone, not even a scar remained. His muscles felt strong, his senses sharp. He was... healed?
'I thought I died. I did die. So why am I still here?' Panic surged through him as he scanned the dark, enclosed space for clues about his location. But there was nothing, no sign of life, no way out. He was trapped in some kind of cave, the faint, eerie light barely illuminating the jagged rocks around him.
And then there were the notifications, hovering in his vision, impossible to ignore.
**[Quest: Kill the Boss of the Entrance]**
**[You have received a weapon. Would you like to view it?]**
Axel's mind raced, trying to make sense of the situation. The words floating before him were alien, yet somehow familiar. It was too much to process, too surreal to accept—but what choice did he have? He had to survive, no matter how bizarre this was.
"Uh... Can you display my weapon?" Axel asked hesitantly, his voice echoing in the dark cavern.
The response was immediate.
**[Weapon: War-Damaged Dagger (User has been proficient with daggers for years according to bio. This is the best weapon that suits you.)]**
'At least the system seems to know me,' Axel thought, though it did little to ease his nerves. But where was the weapon?
His question was answered as the dagger materialized before him, hovering in midair. Axel grabbed it instinctively as it dropped, the cold steel sending a shiver up his spine. The blade was worn and rusted, its edge jagged and scarred from countless battles—but it was still sharp. Deadly sharp.
'A brown hilt and a tough blade... this could fetch some decent cash back on Earth,' Axel mused, weighing the dagger in his hand with a merchant's instinct. But his thoughts were interrupted by a low, guttural growl that sent a chill down his spine.
A few yards away, a beast emerged from the shadows. It was like nothing Axel had ever seen—a monstrous, dog-like creature with enormous fangs dripping with saliva, its bulky frame covered in thick, spiked armor. Its eyes gleamed with a primal hunger, and its breath came in ragged, menacing huffs.
'What the hell is this thing?' Axel's hands trembled as he gripped the dagger tighter, his legs shaking uncontrollably. The beast was unlike any alien or monster he had ever encountered. It was something far worse.
**[Hellish Hound: Easy-Grade Beast]**
**//Stats//**
**Name: Axel Teras**
**EXP: 0/50**
**Level: 1**
**Job Class: None**
**<Attributes>**
**Strength: 2**
**Agility: 2**
**Senses: 2**
**Mana: 2**
**Health: 10**
**No stat points available now. All attributes have been given a bonus of two stat points.**
---
'Just like I thought... It's a system, like in an RPG,' Axel thought, staring at the stats in disbelief. But this wasn't some game. The blood under his shoes, the adrenaline still coursing through his veins—this was real. All too real.
**[Congratulations on healing your traumatic experience of reliance. A gift will be awarded after this quest.]**
Axel's heart skipped a beat at the promise of a reward. But before he could even begin to wonder what it might be, a chorus of growls rose from the darkness.
Dozens of Hellish Hounds emerged from the shadows, their eyes glowing with malice, their fangs bared, and their claws ready to tear him apart.
Axel tightened his grip on the dagger, his heart racing as the beasts closed in on him from all sides. There was no escape. There was no help. This was it.
"From the looks of things," he muttered under his breath, his voice trembling with a mixture of fear and determination, "I've got my hands full."