Zack (thinking to himself):
"Am I seeing some kind of illusion in the middle of all these people? First, Albus had me attacked from behind. Then, I didn't die... I opened my eyes and found myself in a scene from my past. And just when I attacked Albus, a monster behind me said I had been reborn into my past. What nonsense is this? I didn't even get to retire properly, and now this!"
Zack, Zack! Albus calls out to him.
"What are you doing? Have you gone mad? Why did you attack me, you bastard? Have you lost your mind? Go! It's your turn. Get on stage. The instructor has been calling your name for a while!"
Zack is completely confused—everything is happening so suddenly. He ignores the monster and walks toward the stage.
Instructor (angrily):
"Not only are you wasting our time, but you're also attacking someone inside the academy? Place your hand on this stone!"
Zack places his hand on the stone.
"I remember... In my previous life, I awakened swordsmanship powers and skills. Maybe it'll be the same this time. But still, none of this is making any sense."
Just as he speaks, he's suddenly teleported to a strange place. It was darker than the abyss—far more terrifying. There, sitting on a chariot, is a human-like monster.
"That's the one I saw earlier!" Zack says.
Monster:
"Silence!"
Zack:
"What is this place? Who are you?"
Monster:
"Watch your tongue. If I wish, I can burn you alive right here. I am the Kingof the Abyss."
Zack:
"The King of the Abyss?"
Monster:
"Yes. But currently, I'm imprisoned. When the meteor crashed into this world, it opened several portals connecting Earth to the Abyss."
Zack:
"I know all that already."
Monster:
"Then let me tell you what you don't know. When the portal opened, your Earth was nearly destroyed. Over half of the human population died in the impact. But that same meteor gave humans a gift. They began to recover. The first human who awakened their power became a symbol—others followed.
Humans developed rapidly. They gained powers, technology. Some even entered the Abyss. Everything was fine—until greed took over.
Humans started a war between themselves and the monsters. I was always against it, but humans began capturing monsters, experimenting on them. My kind couldn't stand it. They decided to take over humanity. But I stood in their way, so they imprisoned me.
A great war broke out. Both sides suffered. Eventually, monsters returned to the Abyss. But humans kept pushing in. They started claiming the Abyss as their own.
Now, monsters have begun openly attacking humans."
"I'm telling you all this because I need you to do something for me. That's why I brought you back to the past."
Zack:
"Have I really been reborn into my own past? And you're the one responsible for it? But how?
Monster:
"That man, Albus, betrayed you. I will give you the power to get your revenge. In return, you must free me."
"We will meet again—when you come to the Abyss.
For now... farewell."
Zack suddenly returns to his original place.
The stone starts glowing and shines a bright blue light. The instructor, surprised, says:
Instructor:
"Wow... Blue! That means you're a swordsmanship-type! Congratulations! You've awakened your swordsmanship skill!"
But Zack sees something else. A screen appears in front of his eyes:
"Gift from the King of the Abyss"
"Is this screen visible only to me? And why does it say: 'Gift from the King of the Abyss'?"
Wait a minute… the King told me he'd give me power. Could this be what he meant?
As Zack stepped down from the stage, thoughts raced through his mind:
"First of all, I've really been reborn into my past. That means I know everything that's going to happen in the future. And this time, along with swordsmanship, I also have this status window... a gift from the King of the Abyss. I need to understand this power properly."
He returned to his spot and stood silently as Albus's name was called.
"This bastard... I still can't believe it. The one I thought was my friend was the one who betrayed me. I will have my revenge, Albus."
Albus stepped onto the stage and placed his hand on the stone. The stone glowed green.
Instructor:
"Congratulations, you've awakened the Archer skill. With today's technology, you can become an excellent archer."
One by one, more students went up to the stage:
Amber – Healer
Joshua – Magician
Smith – Blacksmith
Jackline – Archer
Sam – Swordsmanship
Jason – Warrior (can wield any weapon)
Like this, each child awakened their unique talent.
Then the instructor took the mic and addressed everyone:
Instructor:
"Congratulations to all of you! Each of you has awakened your special talents. For those who didn't, don't be discouraged—you can try again next year.
Those who have awakened powers will receive full support from the government. Tomorrow morning, please come to the academy to complete your registration, measure your rankings, and receive your IDs.
Each of you will also receive a weapon suited to your awakened talent, gifted by the academy."
Zack stood quietly among the students, still processing everything.
"I still can't believe I'm witnessing all of this again… everything I've already seen once before."
"It's difficult to trust this time, but this is the reality — I have to believe and change my future."
"This time, along with swordsmanship, I also have knowledge of the future… and this status window, which says that I can absorb the power of any monster I kill."
"And my first step will be to choose my sword.
In my previous life, I couldn't get my own sword — I had to buy one illegally for a low price.
But this time, I'll definitely secure a good sword from the academy,
so that I can start my training as soon as possible."
"And Albus, you just wait. I will take my revenge on you.
In my previous life, you were my friend — but this time, I won't fall for that illusion."
To be continue...