Revenant’s Throne: The Rise of the Undead King

2:30 AM – Returning to the Safehouse

The hunt had been a success.

The group had eliminated five Carrion Spiders, securing additional supplies from a nearby wrecked police station. They returned carrying scavenged weapons—knives, batons, even a few firearms.

But more than that, they returned with confidence.

They had survived their first real fight.

Seok-hoon was the first to greet them when they arrived. "How was it?"

Tae-sik stretched, cracking his knuckles. "Good warm-up."

Joon-hyuk scowled as he rubbed his burned arm. "Could've gone better."

Park Do-yoon grunted. "We killed them. That's all that matters."

Kyung-min stayed quiet. He had learned something far more valuable than just combat experience.

Monsters weren't just enemies. They were stepping stones.

His ability—Final Echo—wasn't just a skill. It was a tool for evolution.

The Shrike had given him enhanced reflexes.

What else could he take?

Could he steal stronger skills from higher-ranked monsters? Could he take Boss-level abilities?

Could he take a skill that let him break the system entirely?

A thrill ran through him at the thought.

He was still weak. But if he played this right… he wouldn't be for long.

3:00 AM – The Weight of Rank

Inside the safehouse, Seok-hoon sat next to him. "How was it out there?"

Kyung-min glanced at his friend, then sighed. "Honestly? Terrifying."

Seok-hoon chuckled. "Yeah, I figured."

There was no mockery in his tone—just honesty.

"You really think we're going to make it through this?" Kyung-min asked.

Seok-hoon was quiet for a moment. Then—

"I don't know."

Kyung-min blinked. He hadn't expected that answer.

Seok-hoon sighed. "I want to believe we will. But we don't know what the system really wants. We don't know why this is happening. And we sure as hell don't know if we're just buying time before we all die anyway."

Kyung-min stayed silent.

Because deep down—he agreed.

But unlike Seok-hoon, he wasn't planning on sitting around waiting for answers.

3:30 AM – The Silver-Haired Girl Speaks

She had barely spoken to anyone since they had taken shelter. But now—she finally approached Kyung-min.

"You fought."

Kyung-min met her gaze. "I tried."

"You survived."

"Barely."

She studied him for a long moment. "You don't believe that."

Kyung-min swallowed. "What's your point?"

She crossed her arms. "You're hiding something."

His heart stopped.

But before he could respond, she turned away.

"I don't care what it is," she said. "Just don't slow us down."

Kyung-min exhaled.

She knew he was hiding something.

But for now—she wouldn't push him.

That was fine.

Because soon… it wouldn't matter.

4:00 AM – Uninvited Guests

A distant thud echoed from above.

Everyone froze.

Another thud.

Something was moving on the upper floors of the building.

Then—the sound of metal scraping against concrete.

Tae-sik immediately reached for his weapon. Ji-hye moved into a defensive position.

Min-jun adjusted his glasses. "What the hell was that?"

A notification appeared.

[System Notice: Hostile Presence Detected]

"An unidentified entity has entered your territory."

Then—

A voice.

Not a monster's growl.

Not an automated system message.

A real, human voice.

"…Hello?"

The group tensed.

Another survivor?

Or something worse?

Kyung-min's instincts whispered—

This was the beginning of something dangerous.