---
### **A Construction Site Near the City**
"Hey, Jake, when are they going to be here?" Ethan called out, impatience creeping into his voice.
"They should be here any minute!" Jake shouted back. As if on cue, a semi-truck pulled in, loaded with pipes and construction supplies.
"They're here—come help us unload this stuff!" Jake yelled.
"On it!" Ethan replied, jogging toward the truck. As the group began unloading, Jake muttered under his breath, "I'll be right back."
No one questioned him.
The work was nearly finished when Ethan wiped his brow and decided to check on Jake. As he wandered deeper into the site, muffled voices caught his ear. He stepped behind a stack of pallets, listening intently.
"…fifteen years, boss," the masked man muttered.
Ethan's blood ran cold.
"I know," Jake sighed. "But I told you back then—if we were gonna kill his parents, we couldn't leave loose ends."
Ethan's stomach dropped.
The masked man chuckled darkly. "And now it's time to get rid of him too."
Ethan staggered backward. A nauseating rush of memories flooded his mind—his parents dying in an "accident," Jake taking him in, becoming his mentor, his friend. Every ounce of kindness… had been a lie.
Betrayal twisted his gut, but fury soon followed.
Straightening, Ethan stormed into the clearing. "You planned this all along," he spat, voice shaking with rage.
Jake's face paled. "Ethan—"
"Don't bother lying! I heard everything! You killed my parents, and now you're going to kill me, too?"
The masked man smirked. "Boss, want me to handle this?"
Jake hesitated—just for a second. Then his voice hardened. "Go ahead."
Ethan barely had time to react before gunfire erupted.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Leg. Chest. Head.
Everything went dark.
---
### **A Dark, Fog-Filled Room**
Ethan woke to suffocating shadows, an eerie red glow pulsing in the distance.
He staggered to his feet, shaking, his mind replaying everything.
Jake had never been his savior. He had been his executioner.
A voice slithered through the darkness. "Welcome to hell."
Ethan barely heard it. His thoughts swirled in chaos. "They planned it from the beginning… every smile, every helping hand… all fake."
The devilish figure stepped forward. "Silence, earthly being."
"No!" Ethan snapped, wiping his tears, forcing himself to breathe.
The devil grinned. "Good. You have fire in you."
Ethan narrowed his eyes. "What do you want?"
"You have been chosen for an important task."
"And if I refuse?"
The devil's smile widened. "If you fail, chains will drag you into eternal torment."
Ethan clenched his fists. "And if I succeed?"
Everything turned black.
---
### **A New Reality**
Ethan came to—only to realize he wasn't standing. Wasn't breathing. Wasn't human.
He was… an atom.
Out of all the things he could have reincarnated into. An atom.
"What the hell?!" he screamed.
Nearby atoms turned toward him, their energy crackling in the void. One of them scoffed, "Fresh meat, huh?"
Ethan narrowed his gaze. "What do you mean?"
"What do you think? We were all reincarnated—just like you. And if you want to level up, you've got to kill."
Ethan's pulse—if he had one—would have raced. This was only the beginning.