The Crown stared at Amadeus, eyes gleaming with cruel amusement. "It's funny," he chuckled, "seeing creatures like you struggle so desperately."
Then, looking down on Amadeus with mock pity, he sneered, "You seem to have found a bit of hope. Let's see how long that lasts after this."
Suspicious, Amadeus narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about?"
With a surprised laugh, the Crown replied, "Don't worry—you'll love it."
A system screen appeared in front of Amadeus.
[User Profile]
Name: Amadeus DreadBorn
Rank: E
Level: 0
Age: 18
Race: Aurelian
Heir: ERROR
Title: None
Eighteen? Amadeus thought. That must refer to this body's age—not my soul's.
Aurelian? I thought I was human. What the hell is an Aurelian?
But what really caught his eye was the line that read: Heir – ERROR.
"That's… not normal," he murmured.
The only one I could possibly be heir to is Omega. But if that's true… why is the system showing an error?
Just who is Omega?
As the memory of creating the Crown and the body he inhabited resurfaced, along with his vendetta against the strongest—SOVEREIGN Alpha—Amadeus's mind whirled.
Suddenly, the Crown's voice shattered his thoughts.
"Come on now. You haven't even gotten to the part you'll really love."
No point thinking about Omega now.
As Amadeus finished reading the profile, he froze.
The Crown burst into laughter.
"What's wrong? Do you love it?"
Amadeus didn't respond. His expression went blank—too unreadable to show fear, rage, or despair.
Everything made sense now.
The one-in-a-billion deaths… The fleeting moments of happiness… The cruel end that always followed… It was never chance.
A new section appeared on the screen.
[User Profile]
Blessings: None
Curses: Desperate Death
Description… Amadeus thought.
[Curse: Desperate Death]
A curse that allows the bearer to experience happiness, hope, love, and peace—only to have it all torn away in a moment.
The victim is then cast into utter despair, hatred, and sorrow, until they would rather die than live. They will beg for death with every ounce of their soul.
Rank: Limitless
As I expected… This is Alpha's way of toying with me through every life.
The Crown grinned as Amadeus stood frozen.
"Do you get it now, you unworthy creature? Not only are you Level 0, but you're cursed to die in agony. Again and again."
But instead of breaking, Amadeus began to laugh.
Quietly at first. Then louder.
The Crown blinked, confused. Did he go mad?
Amadeus rose to his feet. His eyes lit up—not with madness, but with a confidence that hadn't been there before. A calm, terrifying confidence.
"We don't have time to waste," he said with a smile.
The Crown blinked again. "Wait… you're still going? Why not just die here and save yourself the pain?"
Amadeus's gaze turned cold.
"You claim to be unlike any advisor—full of information. But you're just an idiot."
The Crown snarled. "What did you say, you unworthy creature?! You won't even survive the tutorial! Too dumb to admit it!"
Amadeus grinned. "Wanna bet on it?"
"…What?"
"If I beat the tutorial, you stop calling me 'unworthy creature.'"
The Crown hesitated.
Where is he getting this confidence from? That curse should've broken him.
"…Fine," the Crown said with a sneer. "But let's make it more interesting. You have to become number one in the tutorial."
Amadeus smirked. "I planned to from the start."
He stretched, preparing to enter the Deep Forest.
"You still have three hours to rest," the Crown said.
"I don't have that luxury," Amadeus replied, tearing off the Nr plant wrapped around his body, leaving only the bindings on his back and shoulder.
"I'm stable enough to move. Besides… if I don't leave now, I won't live to see the morning."
A system screen flickered.
[WARNING]
2 hours until nightfall.
Please reach a safe zone before then.
Amadeus narrowed his eyes and closed the window.
Jax wasn't joking about nighttime. I need to move.
But the safe zone's not an option. Not with those five waiting to kill me.
"Should we get going?" he muttered.
The Crown, smirking, chimed in. "Well, Mister Smart Guy, didn't you forget something important?"
Amadeus gave him a flat look. "What now?"
The Crown sighed. "Your Power Menu."
A screen opened as the Crown explained.
[Power Menu]
Starting power integration…
10%... 20%...
"Integrating my power..."
The Crown answered, "Yep. Just like with your stats, the system is integrating your experiences—and you've already seen that happen with your own eyes."
"You mean like how Nienna was able to use spells through the system?" Amadeus asked, recalling the moment.
"Exactly. Using weapon arts and spells through the system is much easier than the traditional way."
If it's based on old experience, Amadeus thought, then I should be loaded thanks to my past lives.
But when the system finished integrating, Amadeus was stunned.
[Power Menu]
ERROR: Integration cannot be completed due to fragmented user memory.
powers will remain locked until memory is recovered.
Amadeus clenched his fists. "That's wrong! I remember everything!"
The screen flickered again.
[Power Menu – Final Integration]
Weapon Familiarity: All weapons – Level 0
Elemental Affinity: All elements – Level 0
Arts: None
Spells: None
Race Special Power: Dormant
"This can't be right!" Amadeus shouted.
Suddenly, the world shifted.
He was in the Memory Domain—a realm of echoing thoughts and ancient lives.
Before him stood the Knight Memory.
"Are you sure?" the knight asked calmly.
"…What do you mean?" Amadeus asked.
The knight stepped forward. "You are a vessel created to hold all of us. But your current form was made by forcibly extracting fragments of memories—used to shape this vessel."
With a grim tone, he added, "Right now, you are completely empty."
Amadeus clenched his fist. "So I have nothing…"
"No," the knight interrupted. "You have us."
Suddenly, more memories appeared—warriors, mages, strategists—all looking at Amadeus with pride and resolve.
"Don't worry," the knight said. " We'll teach you everything we learned. Slowly, together."
He stepped closer and locked eyes with Amadeus.
"You will be the best of us. The one who takes revenge. The one who ends this cursed cycle. You will be our salvation."
Amadeus said nothing. He closed his eyes—and smiled.
The memory domain faded.
No more fear. No more doubt. Because
Amadeus opened his eyes, confidence burning bright within him.
"I'm not alone.".