---
Park Ki Ran’s steps felt heavy as his feet touched the cracked, dusty earth.
A cold wind carried the scent of metal and death, as if this world had once been a battlefield that never ended.
In the distance, black, twisted trees loomed like the hands of the dead reaching for a darkened sky.
A sky that was no longer blue, but deep purple, cloaked in thick black clouds.
No birdsong. No signs of life.
This world… was dead.
And yet, this was where everything began.
> [System Active]
[Class: Necromancer Lv.1]
[Starting Skill: Raise Skeleton – Summon 1 skeleton from a dead body. Cooldown: 10 minutes]
[Mode: Survival – Every decision determines life or death. No respawn.]
---
Park Ki Ran stared at the blue panel hovering in the air.
He wasn’t even surprised.
After seventeen years of living in silence, everything just felt… ordinary.
“Raise Skeleton,” he muttered flatly.
But nothing happened.
> A corpse is required. The system cannot summon from thin air.
He sighed.
Even this new power had conditions.
This world might have given him strength… but not mercy.
---
A rustling sound from the dry brush made his body tense.
From the shadows emerged a strange creature: a Lurker Hound—a dog with steel fangs, glowing red eyes, and scaly skin. Its tongue hung out like a jagged blade.
Park Ki Ran didn’t move. He knew running would be pointless.
The creature growled low, ready to pounce.
> “If I die here… it’s over.”
But he also realized—
that monster… could be his source of power.
As the Lurker Hound leapt at him, Ki Ran rolled to the side, hitting the ground hard. The claws narrowly missed his face.
Gritting his teeth, he grabbed a large rock and hurled it at the beast’s head.
Unfortunately, it only made it angrier.
Ki Ran staggered back, until his spine hit a boulder.
His breath was ragged.
The fangs came straight for his throat—
CRAACK!
A crumbling structure above broke loose and crashed down onto the beast.
> [Target Killed. EXP +15]
[Corpse Condition: Suitable. Raise Skeleton – Available.]
He drew a sharp breath.
“Raise Skeleton,” he said coldly.
The ground beneath the Lurker Hound trembled.
Its bones cracked, shifting on their own.
In seconds, the creature’s skeleton rose again—its hollow eyes glowing faint purple.
> [Skeleton Lurker – Active. Duration: Until destroyed.]
Park Ki Ran stood tall.
For the first time, he wasn’t prey.
“From now on… everything that dies belongs to me.”
---
> [EXP Full. Level Up! Lv.2]
[Stats +3 INT, +1 VIT. New Skill: Bone Spikes]
His body felt lighter.
His mind sharper.
This leveling system was real—stronger than anything back on Earth.
---
In this world, there were no teachers.
No friends.
No safe places.
Only this:
You or them. Live or die.
And Park Ki Ran… chose to live.
In his own way.
> “I don’t need anyone. All I need is my own power… and corpses to raise.”
His steps grew firmer as he walked through the grey fog.
This was no longer Earth.
This was the beginning of a new fate.
The world of Moontoon.
---