Darkness.
No sound.
No light.
No warmth.
No sense of time.
At first, there was nothing. Only the endless void.
Then… a voice.
[Godly System initializing…]
[Biological form incomplete. Synchronization in progress.]
[Estimated time: unknown.]
Zev's consciousness stirred in the void.
'Huh...? Where... am I?'
Thoughts came slowly, like echoes through water.
He remembered something vague and distant—the wheel, the Goddess, the damn cat, and his fall.
'Right... I died. And what now...?'
He tried to move. Nothing.
'Shit. I can't move.'
He tried to speak. No sound.
Time drifted around him, shapeless.
Minutes turned into hours and hours into days.
All the same.
'Fuck… I'm going to lose my mind.'
Then, an idea.
'Alright… if I can't move or talk, I'll count. I'll count every second until I get out.'
And so he did.
'1… 2… 3… 4…'
Days turned to weeks. Weeks into months.
He tried calling the system, desperate for anything.
"Status."
Nothing.
Again.
"Status."
No response.
[Biological form incomplete.]
'Asshole system.'
Time kept flowing.
'… 10 million… 20 million… 100 million…'
Years slipped by. Still counting.
'… 504 million… 576 thousand… 504,576,000…'
Then—sound.
CRACK.
Zev's mind jolted.
'Wait... what was that?'
Another crack.
A thin ray of light pierced the darkness.
His heart pounded.
'Finally… after five hundred and four million fucking seconds... it's happening.'
CRACK. CRACK.
The shell around him began to fracture.
Then the thought struck him.
'16 years.'
A cold shiver ran through him.
'16 years… 16 fucking years of my life stuck in a goddamn egg…'
He clenched his fists, nails digging into his palms.
'What the fuck kind of reincarnation is this?'
Slowly, trembling, he pushed himself up.
His body felt strange—stronger, leaner, unfamiliar.
He wiped the sweat from his brow and looked around.
Dim light flickered through cracks in the stone walls.
Around him lay the shattered remains of the massive egg.
Breath still shaky, he grinned bitterly.
"Well… happy fucking birthday to me."
Zev's breathing slowed as his heart steadied.
Every muscle in his body ached from disuse, but the sensation of movement was intoxicating after so long.
He stood on shaky legs and looked around.
The place was massive.
Dim light filtered through cracks in the high stone ceiling, casting long shadows across the vast chamber.
Ancient columns towered overhead, their surfaces engraved with swirling patterns—dragons twisting through clouds, arcs of lightning, runes he couldn't read.
Scattered across the room were statues.
Dozens of them.
Knights clad in full armor stood frozen mid-strike, swords and shields raised.
Magicians carved from stone chanted in silent poses, hands outstretched as if still weaving ancient spells.
Their faces were twisted—expressions locked in rage, defiance… and fear.
The floor bore the scars of some long-forgotten battle. Cracks spiderwebbed through the stone, debris littered the corners, and dark stains hinted at blood long since dried.
Zev swallowed hard.
'The hell happened here...?'
He took slow steps forward, the sound of his bare feet echoing in the vast emptiness.
'Why was I… born here? In the middle of this place?'
The oppressive silence of the temple weighed on him.
It felt like the whole place was watching. Like the statues might move at any moment.
He forced himself to breathe.
'Get a grip. You're not some helpless kid. You've waited 16 years for this moment. Now… move.'
He took another step.
Then another.
Zev moved carefully through the broken temple, each step echoing in the vast, empty chamber.
His eyes scanned every detail—engraved dragons coiling around pillars, frozen knights mid-charge, stone mages caught in their final spells.
And then… something caught his eye.
A faint glimmer of light reflected off a shattered object leaning against a fallen column.
A mirror.
Or what was left of one.
Its surface was cracked, half-covered in dust, but a large enough shard remained intact.
Zev hesitated.
'...Guess it's time to see what the hell I look like now.'
He approached slowly.
Kneeling in front of the mirror, he wiped away the dust with a trembling hand.
For a moment, he stared in silence.
A stranger looked back at him.
Tall—about 1.78 meters.
Lean, but with a clear, athletic build.
Black hair, slightly tousled.
Amber eyes, sharp and vibrant, with a faint inner glow.
Skin smooth and pale, with faint, almost invisible golden lines tracing subtle patterns along his shoulders and collarbone—marks of his dragon blood.
He blinked.
'No fucking way… is that me?'
He touched his face, still half-expecting it to be a trick.
Strong jawline. High cheekbones.
He looked… good.
Too good.
'Shit... I'm hot.'
A bitter grin tugged at his lips.
'Guess the Goddess wasn't a total bitch after all.'
He leaned back, exhaling slowly.
'Half human, half dragon... huh.'
The thought sent a strange thrill through him.
He still had no idea why he'd been born here, in this place.
Or why this temple seemed locked in the memory of some ancient battle.
But one thing was certain—he wasn't the same Zev who had died sixteen years ago.
Zev sat back from the broken mirror, his breath uneven.
Sixteen years. Alone. Silent. In a fucking egg.
Now… this.
A temple frozen in time. A war long past.
And him—something no longer entirely human.
His fingers flexed slowly, feeling the strange strength humming beneath his skin.
'Let's see if this damn thing finally works.'
He exhaled through his nose, voice rough from disuse.
"Status."
For a moment, nothing.
Then—
Ding.
A soft, melodic chime resonated through the air.
A translucent window flickered into existence before his eyes, shimmering faintly in pale blue light. Thin lines of golden script danced along the edges like living runes.
His breath caught.
'It worked.'
The text settled.
[Welcome to the Godly System]
[Name: Zev]
[Age: 16]
[Race: Semi-Dragon (Half Human, Half Dragon)]
[Soul: Zev + Primordial Dragon]
[Bloodline: Dragonic]
[Abilities: Lightning Affinity, Fated]
[Essence: Mana]
[Item: None]
Zev's eyes swept over each line, heart pounding.
'Primordial Dragon…? What the fuck is that supposed to mean?'
His gaze lingered on [Abilities: Fated]. No further explanation appeared.
He clenched his fists lightly.
'Alright. Whatever it means… I'll figure it out. And lightning affinity? Sounds useful.'
He smirked, starting to relax for the first time.
'No items yet… but with this system, that'll change soon.'
He exhaled slowly, the window still hovering in front of him.
Just as he was about to explore further—
Step.
The faint sound echoed through the temple.
Zev's body went rigid.
'…Shit.'
Another step.
Then another.
The steps grew closer, light and careful, each one echoing faintly through the ancient hall.
'Someone's here?'
His heart kicked into a faster rhythm. Instinct took over. He rose silently to his feet, muscles tense.
The air in the temple seemed to grow heavier.
The steps drew closer—slow but deliberate—each one tapping softly against ancient stone.
Zev's eyes narrowed.
'No way I'm letting someone catch me off guard now.'
He shifted his weight, scanning the dim hall ahead. No movement yet.
But something was coming.
And then—
Ding.
A new line flashed across the System window:
[System recommendation: RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!]