Chapter 1 — I Died Before I Was Chosen
Kairo learned the truth about blessings the night he died.
Not from a priest.
Not from a noble.
Not from the academy banners that promised glory to the gifted.
He learned it lying face-down in the mud, lungs filling with blood, listening to the laughter of the man who had just killed him.
"Should've stayed dead in the slums," the voice said.
Boots crunched closer. A shadow loomed over Kairo's fading vision, blocking the moonlight. He tried to turn his head. He failed. His body no longer listened to him.
The pain was distant now. Everything was distant.
So this is how it ends, he thought.
No blessing.
No rank.
No name worth remembering.
Just another disposable body thrown into the borderlands to die.
Kairo had been born without a blessing in a world that worshipped them.
At birth, every child was tested. Most received something — a minor enhancement, a bloodline trait, a simple affinity. Strength, perception, speed, resistance. Even the weakest blessing meant survival.
Kairo received nothing.
The priest had frowned. The crystal had remained dark. His mother had gone pale.
"Unblessed," the priest declared.
That single word decided his life.
Unblessed children weren't useless — just expendable. They were laborers, porters, soldiers thrown into the front lines to buy time for the blessed.
Which was why Kairo was here now.
On a "training mission."
With a squad that had never treated him like one of their own.
The man above him crouched down.
"You lasted longer than I expected," the man said casually. "I thought you'd break earlier."
Kairo recognized him. Of course he did.
Renn Valis.
Blessed.
Rank D.
Son of a minor noble house.
Renn had smiled at him during recruitment. Had spoken kindly. Had even shared food.
All lies.
"Don't look at me like that," Renn continued, almost amused. "Orders were orders. We only needed five survivors. Blessed survivors."
He leaned closer and whispered, "And you weren't one of them."
The dagger twisted.
Darkness swallowed the world.
There was no afterlife.
No judgment.
No peace.
There was only falling.
Kairo felt himself pulled apart, then stitched back together. His thoughts scattered, then snapped into focus with violent clarity.
He gasped.
Air slammed into his lungs as he jolted upright.
Pain exploded through his body — but it wasn't the pain of dying. It was sharp, immediate, alive.
Kairo screamed and rolled onto his side, choking, clawing at the ground.
Mud. Leaves. The smell of damp earth.
Night.
The forest.
"I—" His voice cracked. "I was… dead."
His hands shook as he looked down at himself.
No hole in his chest.
No blood soaking his tunic.
No broken ribs.
His heart was hammering like it wanted to escape his chest.
"Impossible," he whispered.
Then he saw it.
A faint glow hovered in front of his eyes — translucent, unreal, yet sharper than anything he had ever seen.
Words formed in the air.
[RESTART COMPLETE]
Status: Alive
Condition: Stable
Kairo froze.
The glow didn't fade. It didn't flicker. It waited.
"What…" His throat tightened. "What is this?"
As if responding to his voice, the screen shifted.
[UNIQUE CONDITION DETECTED]
Blessing Status: Unregistered
Analyzing…
His breath caught.
Blessing.
He had waited his entire life to hear that word associated with him.
But the screen pulsed once… then twice.
[ERROR]
No inherent blessing detected.
The words hit harder than the blade had.
Kairo laughed — a broken, hysterical sound. "Of course," he said hoarsely. "Of course not."
The screen didn't disappear.
Instead, new text surfaced beneath the error.
[SECONDARY AUTHORITY ACTIVATED]
The forest went silent.
Even the insects seemed to stop.
Kairo's skin prickled as something noticed him.
Not a god.
Not a spirit.
Something colder. Older.
[DEATH-TRIGGERED PROTOCOL INITIALIZED]
Name: Death's Ledger
Rank: Unclassified
Status: Locked
Kairo's mouth went dry.
"Death's… Ledger?"
Memories slammed into him.
The blade.
The laughter.
The darkness.
"I died," he whispered. "That wasn't a dream."
The system — because that was the only word that fit — responded instantly.
[CONFIRMATION]
Cause of Death: Internal hemorrhage
Time Since Death: 17 seconds
Restart Point: Fixed
Seventeen seconds.
Kairo staggered to his feet, legs weak. He turned in a slow circle.
The clearing was exactly the same.
The broken branch.
The moss-covered stone.
The faint trail where the squad had passed.
Which meant—
Footsteps.
Kairo's blood ran cold.
From between the trees, a figure emerged.
Renn Valis.
Alive. Unwounded. Smiling.
"You're up early," Renn said lightly. "I thought you'd still be—"
His words cut off as he noticed Kairo's expression.
Something in Kairo's eyes made Renn pause.
"Is something wrong?" Renn asked.
Kairo didn't answer.
His heart was pounding, but beneath the fear… something else stirred.
Understanding.
This wasn't resurrection.
This was a reset.
Renn stepped closer. "You look pale. Don't tell me you're scared now."
The dagger slid into Renn's hand.
Kairo's vision sharpened.
The system pulsed.
[DEATH EVENT IMMINENT]
Unlock condition detected.
"What happens if I die again?" Kairo whispered.
The system answered.
[DEATH'S LEDGER — UNLOCK CONDITION MET]
On death, user may claim one blessing fragment
from an individual directly involved in the user's death.
Limitations:
— One fragment per death
— Fragments may be merged or evolved
— Ledger growth is irreversible
Kairo stared.
Then he smiled.
A small, fragile smile — the kind that forms right before something breaks.
"So that's how it works," he murmured.
Renn frowned. "What are you talking about?"
Kairo took a step forward.
Renn scoffed. "Don't be stupid. You know your place."
The dagger flashed.
Pain bloomed.
The world tilted.
As Kairo fell, he locked eyes with Renn.
"I do," Kairo said softly. "I finally do."
Darkness rushed in.
[DEATH CONFIRMED]
Silence.
Then—
Breath.
Kairo snapped awake again, gasping, hands clawing at the earth.
Alive.
The system was already waiting.
[BLESSING FRAGMENTS DETECTED]
Source: Renn Valis
Available Fragments:
— Enhanced Reflexes (D)
— Steel Skin (D)
— Minor Vitality Boost (E)
Select one.
Kairo laughed.
This time, there was no hysteria in it.
Only hunger.
"So this," he said, eyes burning, "is how I climb."
His finger hovered over the glowing options.
Above him, unseen, the ledger turned its first page.