As blood drizzled out of the countless open wounds on his body, Rory couldn’t help remembering the first time he arrived in the strange world, commonly known as the Otherworld amongst the summoned beings.

The place was a lot of fun. He had made many friends, and had even forgotten about the past mishaps of his life. But for what?

Three years later, he was being hunted down by the very friends he cared for.

“It…wasn’t supposed to…be like this...”

Rory panted as he struggled to get away from his assailants.

The dark streets of the town he had spent his life in now looked at him mockingly. His life on Earth had always been a failure, but Rory thought his life in the Otherworld would be different.

“Come...just…a...few…more...steps...”

But taking those few steps seemed a herculean task. The adrenaline that helped him escape from the assassin’s clutches was now working against him as it contributed to increased blood loss. Eventually, his legs would give away, and he would be at the mercy of his friends.

“Those...damned...bastards!”

Rory’s mind wandered back to when the Minister gave him an important task. He was to deliver the information of the next target to his team.

However, as soon as he gave them the information scroll, Rory realized something was wrong. The great friends of his immediately drew their weapons on him.

Only then did Rory see the name of the person marked for death.

It was him.

He was their next target.

He had been stupid not to check the name beforehand. If he did, he would have escaped, but it was too late now.

They had struck him with many weapons. From daggers to swords, arrows to spears. It was a miracle he had rushed out of there.

However, things were looking grim. Within an hour, the entire town had changed their opinion of him. The Heroes chased him, but no one tried to help him. Rory had been a priest, so he had helped hundreds of people, but now no one came to his aid.

“Fuck...Alicia must have...used a tracking spell...”

Rory had hoped the narrow twisting and turning pathways would be enough to buy him some time. But it seemed he had run out of his luck.

Upon hearing those footsteps behind him, his pulse quickened as he felt the cold sweat on his forehead. The Minister’s pets were closer than Rory had expected, but he could do nothing except run.

“Come on...just a bit...more!”

Rory had hoped if he crossed the river and entered enemy territory, he would get some time to breathe, some relief. If things got worse, he could join the demon’s army just for revenge. But for that to happen, he had to leave the town first.

With that goal in mind, Rory pushed forward.

“AARGH!!!”

The border was within his grasp when a sudden searing pain erupted in his right leg, and he stumbled forward, collapsing onto the concrete.

As he looked down, Rory saw an arrow embedded in his calf. Gritting his teeth, he fought through the agony and tried to crawl toward his freedom.

“There he is! Don’t let him escape this time!” a voice echoed in the dark.

Rory turned to see the faces of the ones chasing him. While it might not do him any good, at least he could die holding onto a grudge.

Anger was a strange emotion for Rory. He hadn’t been angry once in his life before. Not even when he was taken away from his home and forced to migrate to some other world.

Back then, he had his friends with him, and Mira, the girl he became a priest for. Now all of them were out for his blood, for a reason he didn’t know.

However, his thoughts were interrupted by the footsteps of his friends turned enemies. They closed in, emerging from the shadows. The leader, clad in dark attire, stood over Rory.

“I’m sorry about this Rory,” a red-haired man murmured. “I know you hate us, but our hands are tied. The minister wants you dead, and dead you shall be.”

The rest of them remained quiet. Some looked remorseful, but most, including Mira, remained indifferent. Their eyes told Rory how little he meant to them.

Rory couldn’t even utter a word before Mira grabbed a sword and pushed it through his chest.

“...I’ll pray for your safe journey to the afterlife,” she mumbled before twisting the blade, killing him.

“You did well, Mira,” the red-haired man wrapped his arms around her. “Now we can live in peace without this deadweight holding us down.”

Gray Samson, the red-haired man, turned to the other associates and continued, “Dump his corpse in the forest. Let him be useful in his death.”

***

In the dead of the night, two men were dragging a corpse in the forest. They looked around, not sensing anyone’s presence. Finally, they stopped, panting, before dropping the ropes.

“Right here should be fine,” one muttered. “Let’s leave it here for the monsters to feast on.”

The other man agreed, and they left, wasting no more time on Rory’s corpse. As their footsteps faded, glowing eyes appeared in the darkness.

Creatures of all shapes and sizes appeared from the shadow surrounding the corpse. But none of the monsters made a move to touch the body.

Suddenly, a figure jumped down from the trees.

It was a woman, wrapped in a dark cloak. As she approached the corpse, the monsters backed away, as if they all knew and feared her.

The woman ignored the beasts and kneeled beside Rory’s lifeless body. She let out a sigh after confirming it was him.

“You were brave… but so foolish,” she murmured, taking a bright red feather from her pocket.

She held the feather close to her chest and mumbled something. The next moment, the feather let out a blinding light as it settled on Rory’s chest.

“I hope you’ll make a wiser choice in your next life, master.”

A moment later, the feather sank into Rory’s body. The glowing feather became one with him as his body shone in the night. The light grew brighter, wrapping Rory’s body in a cocoon.

The woman stepped back as the flash revealed her sad smile.

“Long live the Sovereign.”

***

Darkness... void... emptiness...

It wasn’t much different from how Rory had imagined the afterlife. But he wasn’t at peace. He could get over everyone else’s betrayal, but not Mira’s.

She was his closest friend and...lover. Their bond went back to the orphanage, where he protected and cherished her. That’s why her betrayal hurt him the most.

What’s the point of getting angry now?

Rory sighed. He was already dead. Cursing the people who betrayed him was all he could do. As a former priest, he should have at least that much power. However, he knew his words would not affect them.

Where do I go now?

Rory looked around, hoping for a sign to guide him to heaven or hell, but there was nothing. Until he got frustrated and turned around, there he was met with golden words floating in the air.

[Would you like to reverse time?]

Rory blinked at the strange question. Then, as if he realized something, he began laughing like a maniac before punching the words before him.

“Screwing up my life wasn’t enough for you?” he snarled. “You can’t let me have peace even in death?”

[User seems unable to understand written words.]

[Ding!]

[Achievement Unlocked!]

[Title: Moron in the making.]

[Effect: The user can understand any written language.]

[Repeating the question.]

[Would you like to reverse time?]

“...”

Rory was confused. He wasn’t confused by the system. After all, everyone in the Otherworld knew about it and every outworlder, the people summoned to the Otherworld, had a system. He was confused because he didn’t think dead people could communicate with the system.

“Is this... real?”

[Auto-selecting the correct option because of the user’s lack of awareness.]

[All stats have been reset.]

[Phoenix Feather found.]

[Rebirth in progress...]

[Select a time and place for rebirth.]

Rory scratched his head. He still thought the system was playing a cruel game at his expense. Still, playing along with it was better than being left in the dark. After some quick thinking, he chose the time when everything went wrong.

“Trial zone, before class selection.”

[Confirmed.]

[The User will be teleported in 10 seconds.]

Rory nodded.

Class selection.

Back then, he only wanted to protect Mira, hence he chose a support class. Eventually, he became a priest and helped countless people. But now, he didn’t want to do that anymore.

This time... I’ll live for myself. No one else.

[Teleporting User to the selected destination in 3... 2... 1...]

[May the Goddess be kind to you...]

Everything disappeared from Rory’s eyes as he faded into darkness.