Arthur stood alone in a boundless white room. He had no idea how he got there.
"Where… is this?" he murmured softly.
His feelings were a mess—a storm of confusion, fear, and emptiness—so overwhelming that he couldn't put them into words.
"Is this... the afterlife?" he whispered again, the loneliness beginning to surround him.
Then, a deep, echoing voice filled the room. "This is the final resting place."
Arthur jolted in surprise. He looked around, alert. "What?"
"As I said," the voice replied.
Arthur took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, then asked, "So that means… I'm dead?" He lowered his head slowly. "What a shame…" he muttered, sorrow etched into his expression.
There was no reply. Silence fell over the white room. Arthur began to accept the truth—he was dead.
But suddenly, the voice returned. "Arthur, if you were to live again… what would you want to do?"
The question struck deep. Arthur looked up, thoughtful.
"I want… to restore my family—to the warmth and closeness we once had. I want to see people smile again, to see their happiness. I want to witness the laughter and unity that has always meant so much to me."
Tears flowed down his cheeks. He missed the world. He wasn't ready to go. He wanted to live.
Arthur remembered the faces of his friends. Evelyn. Ababil. And his sister, Artoria. The memories of their laughter, their strength, even their tears… all of it mattered to him.
Several minutes passed. No sound. Arthur's tears slowly ceased. He sat in the silence, trying to calm himself.
Then, the voice returned. "I will return you to life."
Arthur looked up, shocked. "What?"
"I won't repeat myself. This is not my will. But use this borrowed will to fulfill your purpose."
Arthur said nothing. A mix of joy, disbelief, and gratitude filled his chest.
"My name is Anguta. As the God of Death, I proclaim—"
Suddenly, Arthur opened his eyes. He woke up, lying in the middle of a vast snowy field.
===
Outside—where the Red Gate had once appeared—everyone was frozen in place.
Ababil, Evelyn, and Artoria, who had been watching from afar, couldn't hide their shock.
The Red Gate… vanished. Normally, after a Boss was defeated, the Gate would slowly return to normal. But this one… completely disappeared.
"No way…" Evelyn muttered.
The association staff quickly scanned for remaining mana signals. The result: nothing. No signs of life from within the Gate.
"The Gate… just closed," one staff member reported with a pale face.
Artoria, standing far from the main area, said nothing. She stared hard at the spot.
In her heart, there was regret. If only I had gone in… could I have saved him?
Suddenly, her phone rang. She answered the call.
"Hello, Mr. Chairman… Yes, I understand. I'll be there shortly."
After ending the call, Artoria began walking away. But before leaving the area, she paused and looked back at where the Red Gate had been.
"I'm sorry… little brother."
Artoria arrived at a large building—the gathering place for the highest-ranking Hunters.
At the end of the hallway, a pair of grand doors marked the special meeting room. She opened them, revealing nine Rank-S Hunters already waiting inside, including the Chairman of the Association, himself a former Rank-S.
"Alright," the Chairman began, "with everyone present, this emergency meeting is now in session."
Meanwhile, Evelyn and Ababil were lost in grief.
Not a single word was spoken as they parted ways at the intersection. Only silence. Only pain.
Evelyn locked herself away in her apartment. The curtains were drawn, the lights off. The room was dark and still. Her phone buzzed. A message notification. But as she unlocked the screen, the wallpaper that appeared was a photo of the three of them—Arthur, Ababil, and herself—on their high school graduation day.
And at that moment… she cried.
A cry that broke free, raw and unrestrained. The realization that she might never see Arthur again shattered her completely.
On the other side, Ababil simply sat quietly in his room.
He didn't cry. He didn't scream. But his chest felt tight. Heavy. The future that once seemed so bright… now looked bleak.
He felt empty, and every breath was a struggle.
From that day on, for an entire week… nothing changed.
Still broken.
Still hurting.
===
On the thick snowy plains, Arthur stood with a body that looked strong and healthy. He was practicing martial arts, striking a tree trunk repeatedly with his fists. His movements were firm and powerful. Something had clearly changed—his physique was now more athletic, and his demeanor far calmer than before.
"Since that day..."
Arthur had suddenly awakened in the middle of a snow pile. Snow had nearly covered his entire body, yet strangely, he didn't feel any pain. No wounds, no injuries. He wore a long-sleeved black shirt and matching pants, like a combat outfit tailored perfectly for him.
"What exactly happened?" he murmured, staring at his body in disbelief.
Suddenly, a system notification appeared before him, as if from thin air.
"Huh?"
[Name: Arthur Lovegrass | Age: 18 | Height: 176 cm | Weight: 77 kg | Level: 1 | Type: Fighter]
"This… is my information?" he said, confused.
Arthur tried touching the transparent screen with his finger, but it passed through like mist. Oddly, just thinking about closing it made the notification disappear—only to reappear moments later.
[You've acquired "Adaptation" — the ability to adjust to any condition.]
[You've acquired "Ice Resistance" and "Ice Manipulation" — high-level immunity and control over ice, up to -247° Celsius.]
Arthur stared at the screen silently. But the system wasn't done.
[You've acquired "Return Back to Life" — a unique ability to reincarnate after death, retaining all memory, power, and physical form.]
[You've been cursed with the "Icy Curse" — everything you touch will instantly freeze and shatter, as the object's atoms stop moving and lose structure.]
Arthur's expression turned anxious as he read the last line.
"This one… is really detailed…" he muttered.
[You've acquired "Hunger Feast & Thirsty Feast" — you no longer need to eat or drink.]
Arthur's eyes widened. "With all this… I'm like an immortal being…" he said, stunned.
He refocused on his training. His punches tore through the air, landing on tree trunks with precision. He reopened his status panel.
Level: 20 | Skills: Still at Level 1
Though his level had increased rapidly, his skills hadn't shown much progress. With his training done, he now planned to test his new strength—by hunting ice bears.
Arthur ventured through the snowy forest. It was eerily quiet, with nothing noteworthy along the way—until he finally spotted three large ice bears roaming around.
With calm, confident steps, Arthur approached them. He grinned.
"Be my first test subjects."
Meanwhile, in the Hunter Association's main conference room, Sterling Thatcher—a former Rank-S Hunter and now the association's chairman—stood before nine other elite Hunters.
"This meeting was called for a major reason," he said seriously. His gaze was sharp, his face stern.
"You've all heard of the Red Gate incident that suddenly disappeared. After our investigation, we discovered that although nearly undetectable, faint mana waves were still lingering at the site."
The Hunters exchanged glances.
"And… the space around the location appears to be distorted," he continued gravely.
Back to Arthur.
Without realizing it, he had massacred an entire pack of ice bears. Their massive bodies lay scattered and motionless. The wounds were barely visible from the outside, but internally, their organs were crushed by Arthur's deadly blows. He had now reached Level 30.
Arthur followed the trail back to the bears' den. As he checked his status, another ice bear emerged—twice as large as the previous ones.
Without warning, the creature lunged.
WHAM!
Its massive claw slammed into Arthur, sending him flying until he crashed into a large tree.
"GAAAH!!"
Arthur coughed and doubled over in pain.
"Damn… there's still another one…" he groaned. "And this one's… huge."