Death was silent.
Arin Kade stood at the end of everything, surrounded by a battlefield that no longer felt real. Mountains of bones stretched beneath a shattered sky, layered with the remains of monsters, humans, and beings that once called themselves gods.
His undead army lay motionless.
Kings of bone. Lich generals. Dragons forged from death itself.
All gone.
A cracked golden screen hovered weakly before him, its glow flickering as if even the system was exhausted.
[FINAL CONDITION FAILED]
[Requirement: At least one surviving ally]
[Regression Count: 100 / 100]
Arin stared at the message without blinking.
"So this is the end," he murmured.
He had reached absolute power. He had crushed every calamity, every god that ruled the game. And yet, the system demanded something he could never protect forever.
An ally.
His gaze drifted downward.
Half-buried beneath the bones lay a cracked white shield.
Lyra.
The memory stabbed into him without mercy—her standing in front of him, shield raised, smiling despite the blood on her lips.
> "If you live again… don't walk alone."
The golden screen shattered into fragments of light.
Darkness swallowed his vision.
---
Air rushed violently into his lungs.
Arin gasped and fell forward, his palms slamming onto a cold, tiled floor. Noise flooded his ears—screaming, crying, desks scraping violently.
His heart hammered.
He lifted his head.
A classroom.
Sunlight streamed through broken windows. Students panicked around him. His hands were young—unscarred, human.
A familiar blue screen appeared before his eyes.
[Welcome to the Calamity Selection]
[All participants aged 15–25 are eligible]
Arin closed his eyes slowly.
"…Final regression."
---
CHAPTER 2
Calamity Selection
The classroom doors exploded inward.
A monster crawled through the shattered entrance, its body twisted and wrong, red eyes glowing with hunger. Students screamed as panic spread instantly.
Blue screens appeared before everyone.
[Choose Your Class]
Golden light wrapped around several students.
"Swordsman!"
"Wind Mage!"
"Archer!"
Strong classes. Familiar choices.
Arin remained still.
He waited.
At the very bottom of the list, barely visible, was the option he already knew would be there.
[Necromancer – Common Class]
Laughter erupted.
"That's trash!"
"He picked the weakest one!"
Arin selected it without hesitation.
The monster lunged toward a fallen student.
Arin moved.
He grabbed a broken metal rod and drove it straight through the creature's skull. Black blood splashed across the floor as the monster collapsed.
A system message chimed.
[First Kill Achieved]
[Hidden Condition Met]
The corpse twitched.
Students froze.
Slowly—unnaturally—the dead body stood back up.
Its lifeless eyes turned toward Arin.
And it bowed.
Silence consumed the room.
Arin exhaled calmly.
"The world begins now," he whispered.
-----
CHAPTER 3
The Weakest Class
Silence swallowed the classroom.
The corpse stood upright, its neck bent at an unnatural angle, black blood dripping onto the tiles. It did not move. It did not breathe.
It waited.
Students stared in horror.
"T-That thing…" someone whispered. "It's supposed to be dead."
Arin raised his right hand slowly.
"Stay."
The undead froze completely.
A blue screen flickered violently in front of Arin's eyes.
[ERROR DETECTED]
[Unauthorized Command Recognized]
[Hidden Skill Unlocked: Gravebound Authority]
A familiar sensation spread through his body—cold, heavy, and obedient.
Death was answering him.
So the system still remembered.
The floor trembled slightly. From the hallway came distant screams, followed by the sound of something heavy dragging itself across the tiles.
More monsters.
Arin turned toward the stunned students.
"Leave the building," he said calmly. "If you hesitate, you'll die."
"W-What about you?" a boy shouted.
Arin looked back at the undead monster standing beside him.
"I won't."
The windows shattered.
Creatures poured into the classroom.
And Arin smiled.
---
CHAPTER 4
First Night of Death
Night arrived far too quickly.
The city was burning.
From the rooftop of a collapsed building, Arin surveyed the streets below. Fires spread uncontrollably, smoke choking the sky. Screams echoed until they didn't.
Bodies littered the roads.
Just like before.
Arin stepped down among the corpses, the smell of blood thick in the air. His mana pulsed slowly, steadily.
"Rise."
Bones rattled.
One body moved.
Then another.
Skeletons tore themselves free from ruined flesh, eyes glowing dimly with red light. They stood in uneven rows, silent and obedient.
[Undead Created: 11]
They knelt before him without instruction.
Arin clenched his fist.
"In my last life," he murmured, "this city fell before dawn."
His gaze hardened.
"This time, it survives."
Above the city, the sky darkened unnaturally.
The first night of the Calamity had begun.
---
CHAPTER 5
The Girl with the White Shield
Metal clashed against claws.
Arin turned toward the sound.
At the end of the street stood a girl, her stance firm despite the blood running down her arm. A cracked white shield was raised in front of her, glowing faintly with holy light.
A monster lunged.
She slammed her shield forward.
Light erupted, forcing the creature back.
A blue screen hovered beside her.
[Class: Sacred Guardian – Rare]
Arin's breath caught.
Lyra Vale.
She was younger than he remembered. Unbroken. Alive.
Their eyes met across the ruined street.
For a moment, the chaos around them faded.
"…You're injured," Arin said quietly.
Lyra frowned. "You're commanding undead."
"Yes."
She tightened her grip on the shield—but didn't attack.
"…Then why are you saving people?"
Arin looked at the burning city.
"Because I failed to before."
Something unreadable flickered in Lyra's eyes.
"Then," she said, stepping closer, "I'll fight too."
Arin nodded once.
This time—
He would not let her die.
----
CHAPTER 6
Underground of the Dead
The sewer entrance yawned open like a black mouth.
The smell of rot and stagnant water filled the air as Arin stepped down first, skeletal soldiers following silently behind him. Their bones clicked softly, disciplined, controlled.
Lyra hesitated at the entrance.
"You're going underground?" she asked.
"This city will collapse by morning," Arin replied. "Below is safer."
She frowned. "With… them?"
Arin turned back. "You can leave."
Lyra tightened her grip on her shield.
"…I won't."
Something flickered in Arin's eyes. Approval. Or regret.
The underground base was born that night—hidden, forgotten, surrounded by death.
And death obeyed him.
CHAPTER 7
Gravebound Authority
The moment Arin crossed deeper into the tunnels, a system message appeared.
[Hidden Area Discovered: Forgotten Burial Line]
[Grave Attribute +30%]
Mana surged through his body.
So this place still existed.
"Rise."
Dozens of corpses buried in collapsed tunnels responded. Old bones crawled free, forming a silent army.
Lyra stared in disbelief.
"They're not attacking you…"
"They can't," Arin answered. "They're mine."
A new message flashed.
[Class Synchronization Detected]
[Necromancer Growth Accelerated]
Arin smiled faintly.
The system was already losing control.
CHAPTER 8
First Calamity Announcement
The sky screamed.
A red warning banner appeared across the world.
[FIRST CALAMITY INCOMING]
[TIME REMAINING: 24 HOURS]
[FAILURE = REGIONAL ANNIHILATION]
Panic erupted everywhere.
Players killed each other for supplies. Guilds formed overnight. Governments collapsed within hours.
Underground, Arin remained calm.
Lyra looked at him. "You knew this would happen."
"Yes."
"…How?"
Arin didn't answer.
Because the truth was heavier than fear.
CHAPTER 9
Skeleton Knight
The first Calamity monster descended into the city—a towering beast of fused flesh and metal.
Arin stepped forward.
"Bring the elite."
Bones fused.
Armor formed.
A figure rose from the dead—tall, silent, holding a rusted sword.
[Elite Undead Created]
[Name: Skeleton Knight]
The knight knelt.
The monster roared.
And then—
It was decapitated in a single strike.
Lyra's breath caught.
"This is… impossible."
Arin watched calmly.
"This is preparation."
CHAPTER 10
The City That Survived
Dawn broke over Ashfall City.
For the first time since the Calamity began—
The city still stood.
Survivors gathered, whispering rumors.
A necromancer.
A king of the dead.
A monster worse than the Calamity.
A new system message appeared.
[Calamity Cleared: Partial Success]
[Hidden Contribution Recognized]
[Title Acquired: Grave Commander]
Lyra looked at Arin.
"They're afraid of you."
Arin nodded.
"They should be."
Because this time—
He wasn't fighting to survive.
He was fighting to end the game.
CHAPTER 11
Underground Sanctuary
The underground station had been sealed for years.
Rust covered the rails, and the air smelled of damp concrete and decay. Emergency lights flickered weakly as Arin led the survivors deeper inside, skeletal sentries spreading out soundlessly.
Lyra glanced around. "You planned this place."
"Yes," Arin replied. "Before the Calamity even started."
She stopped walking. "That's impossible."
Arin didn't answer.
He placed his hand against the wall. Mana flowed outward, spreading like veins through the ground.
The station responded.
Hidden doors slid open, revealing old supply rooms, water reserves, and reinforced chambers buried beneath layers of earth.
A system window appeared.
[Hidden Safe Zone Discovered]
[Death Attribute Stabilized]
Arin exhaled.
This place had failed in his last life.
This time, it would become a sanctuary.
---
CHAPTER 12
The Holy Mark
As the survivors settled, Lyra stood alone near the entrance, cleaning blood from her shield.
A faint symbol glowed on its surface.
Arin noticed immediately.
"…You've been marked," he said.
Lyra stiffened. "Marked?"
He pointed. "The Holy Order. They're watching you."
Her expression darkened. "They recruited me before the Calamity. Said my class was… important."
Important.
In his previous lives, that word had always meant expendable.
A system message flashed before Arin's eyes.
[Warning: Holy Surveillance Detected]
So they were moving faster this time.
Arin clenched his fist.
"Stay close to me," he said quietly.
Lyra met his gaze. "Are you protecting me—or hiding me?"
Arin didn't look away.
"Both."
---
CHAPTER 13
Evolution Conditions
Arin sat alone in a sealed chamber, surrounded by corpses gathered from the ruins above.
He closed his eyes.
"Status."
Blue light unfolded before him.
[Class: Necromancer – Common]
[Hidden Growth Conditions Detected]
[Requirement: Command 50 undead | Preserve 1 life | Defy system restriction]
Arin's lips curved slightly.
So the system was still testing him.
He raised his hand.
Mana surged violently as dozens of skeletons assembled in perfect formation.
[Undead Count: 53]
Then he remembered Lyra's shield. Her stubborn refusal to retreat. Her survival.
Preserve one life.
He opened his eyes.
"…That's new."
For the first time since regressing, the system demanded something other than death.
---
CHAPTER 14
The Holy Order Arrives
The ground shook.
Arin stood instantly.
Above them, powerful mana descended like a hammer striking the earth.
A voice echoed through the ruined streets.
"By decree of the Sanctum Dominion, surrender the necromancer."
White-armored figures emerged from radiant portals, their expressions cold and righteous.
Paladins. Inquisitors. Priests.
Lyra stepped forward instinctively.
"Wait—!"
A priest's gaze locked onto her shield.
"Sacred Guardian," he said calmly. "Step away from the heretic."
Arin moved before she could respond.
Undead rose from the ground in silence.
The air grew heavy.
"You're early," Arin said.
The priest frowned.
"You shouldn't exist yet."
---
CHAPTER 15
First Betrayal
The Holy Order attacked without warning.
Light tore through the darkness, shattering several skeletons instantly. Survivors screamed as panic spread underground.
Lyra raised her shield.
"Stop! There are civilians here!"
The priest didn't hesitate.
"Sacrifices are acceptable."
Something inside Arin snapped.
He raised both hands.
The fallen skeletons reassembled midair, reforged by pure death mana.
[Class Evolution Triggered]
[Hidden Class Unlocked: Calamity Necromancer]
The underground station went silent.
Arin's eyes burned crimson.
"You came," he said coldly, "to take what I was protecting."
Undead surged forward like a tidal wave.
The Holy Order realized—too late—
They had just declared war on death itself.