Year: 2030
An old man, who looked surprisingly like a bodybuilder, sat on a rock. His hair was a mix of black and white, his eyes a striking blue. Though his face carried the marks of age, his body told another story—he looked like he could still take on ten men. He sat there, talking to himself in a soft voice.
"Man… today's my birthday, and here I am fighting monsters. What kind of fate is this? No peace even in old age."
Just then, a young man came running up to him, panting.
"Old man Zack, hurry! The portal is about to open!"
"Yeah… they call me Old Man Zack, but my real name is Albert," the old man said with a smirk.
Zack got up, reluctantly, and asked the boy,
"Are you ready?"
The boy smiled. "Yeah, I am. You should worry about yourself."
Zack chuckled, "Kids these days have no respect for their elders."
"Let's go. Today I retire anyway. After all, I'm about to turn 60."
Zack walked off with the boy.
The portal opened. Around 10 people stood nearby, all armed to the teeth.
One of them came up to Zack and said mockingly,
"Uncle, you're too old for this. Go rest. Why are you even here?"
Zack replied with a smirk,
"Not dead yet, am I? Be careful you don't die in the Abyss instead. Hahaha."
The man walked away angrily.
Everyone entered the Abyss through the portal.
The moment they entered, a monster attacked.
But Zack sliced the creature in half in the blink of an eye.
Everyone stood stunned.
One of them muttered, "He's 60? Doesn't look like it…"
Zack frowned. "Something's wrong. We got attacked right after entering. This doesn't feel right."
One young man scoffed, "So what? You kill one monster and suddenly think you're the leader?"
A girl added,
"Looks like uncle still thinks he's young."
Zack, irritated, thought to himself,
"These kids are too eager to die…"
"I'm warning you," he said aloud, "Don't go ahead. Something's off."
But no one listened—except the boy who came with him.
"You're smart, Alex," Zack said.
Alex replied, "I'm not risking my life. You have battle experience. Following your lead makes sense."
"Alright," Zack nodded. "Listen closely. Something's definitely wrong here…"
Suddenly, they heard a scream.
They rushed over and saw the entire team ahead had been slaughtered.
Alex, terrified, said, "What… what happened? Who did this—"
Before he could finish, a bullet hit him from behind, killing him instantly.
Zack, furious, yelled, "Coward! Come out and face me! Who are you!?"
A voice rang out from behind:
"Zack… Zack… Zack."
Zack turned and saw the speaker. "Albus? You?"
Albus grinned, "Why? Shocked? You couldn't save them, Zack. It's your fault they're dead."
"What are you trying to say? Speak clearly!" Zack demanded.
"If you hadn't brought Alex here, maybe he would still be alive. You led him to his death yourself."
Albus said coldly. "You know there's a monster in the Abyss that grants immortality in exchange for ten sacrifices. I made the offering. I was going to leave, but you showed up."
"I didn't want to kill you, Zack. But now that you've seen everything… you have to die."
Zack, burning with rage, charged at Albus with his sword.
You fucking bastard . I will kill you .
Albus drew his gun and fired, but Zack dodged the bullets and reached him.
Just as he was about to strike—
A shot rang out from behind.
Someone else had fired. The bullet hit Zack straight in the back.
"You really thought I killed them all alone?" Albus sneered.
"How foolish of you, Zack."
Zack fell to the ground, barely alive.
"Is this the end?" he thought. "It's okay if I die… but poor Alex. He didn't deserve this. Born today… dying today. What a cursed birthday."
"When I first awakened my power, I thought I'd become a great swordsman… inspire others. But fate doesn't favor everyone. Awakening swordmanship is rare… but I gave my life to master them. Still, everything has limits. I guess I was never the hero of this story."
Zack closed his eyes.
But then, he heard a voice:
"Zack! Zack!
He opened his eyes.
Albus stood in front of him.
Without thinking, Zack lunged at Albus his eyes blazing with fury.
Albus stumbled back in shock, barely dodging the blow.
"What the hell are you doing, Zack?!" he shouted.
"Have you lost your mind?!"
Zack didn't answer. His breathing was heavy,
"You… you traitor!" Zack growled, eyes locked onto Albus.
"You killed them all… Alex… the others! How dare you stand here like nothing happened!"
Albus, completely confused, raised his hands defensively.
"What are you even talking about? What traitor? What death?!"
Zack paused for a moment—his mind spinning.
Something felt different—Albus looked much younger.
Suddenly Zack realized—"Wait… this is when I first awakened my power… This is the past… I'm… I'm dreaming? No… wait… I died. How am I here?"
A deep, booming voice echoed:
"Fool… "You have come back to life, but in your past."
Zack looked toward the voice—and standing there was a creature, a fusion of human and monster.