Kade lay there for a while, the weight of exhaustion and pain settling into his bones.
His breath was shallow, his mind swirling as he stared up at the cracked stone ceiling. For a moment, everything was still, just the distant hum of the ruins filling the air.
Then it hit him.
"MythOnline…"
His eyes widened. The undead, the sword, the strange way his body moved — it all clicked. He forgot this wasn't just some random hellscape. This was MythBreaker, the real deal.
He'd heard about it before, during his countless hours of binge-playing MythOnline. There was a class tied to the undead — a rare one, but a powerful one.
The Undead class.
Kade cursed under his breath. He wasn't sure if he was excited or terrified.
In MythOnline, there were two ways to get the Undead class. The first was to find a Necromancer NPC who wasn't hostile and convince them to grant you the class.
Easy, right? Except, in MythBreaker, NPCs weren't exactly the friendly, approachable types. And the odds of finding one who'd even talk to you were slim to none.
The second method, though, was far more... interesting. And dangerous.
Infection.
There were six stages of infection, each one pushing a player closer to the Undead class, granting them stronger perks as they advanced. The catch? Players rarely survived long enough to reach the third stage.
Kade's heart raced.
To level up the infection, a player had to be repeatedly damaged by the undead.
The more you were hurt, the more your infection progressed.
But there was a deadly catch. The infection was brutal. The undead attacks weren't just physical damage — they changed you, twisted your body and mind.
And if you didn't survive long enough to reach the final stage? You'd die. Simple as that.
But if you did make it?
You'd gain the perks of the Undead class, and that was no small thing. Superhuman strength. Faster healing. Resistance to physical damage.
Kade clenched his fists, thinking of all the perks that could make him more powerful — but at what cost? The infection was a dangerous gamble.
He wiped the sweat from his brow, glancing at the still form of the undead on the floor beside him. The thought of pushing through and leveling the infection crossed his mind, but he wasn't sure if he was ready for that.
"You know, if I die... and I likely will…" Kade muttered to himself, "Maybe I should just try it."
He stood slowly, the weight of his battered body making each movement feel like a fight. As much as he hated it, he realized he was now part of this world.
There was no going back. He had no choice but to push forward, even if it meant putting himself at risk of becoming something… else.
"Alright, undead," Kade muttered, eyes narrowing as he glanced down at the corpse. "Let's see what you've got for me."
Kade took a deep breath and slowly stepped over the fallen creature, moving deeper into the darkness of the ruins, towards whatever challenge awaited him next.
Kade shivered, his body trembling as the chill of the ruins seeped into his bones. The cold cut through him like a knife, his thin pajama fabric offering no protection against the damp, biting air.
He glanced down at his ripped sleeves and the bloodstained pants, realizing just how vulnerable he was.
His teeth started to chatter, and he hugged his arms tighter, trying to conserve what little body heat he had left.
The eerie quiet of the ruins only made the cold feel worse, the silence pressing in around him like a suffocating weight.
"Great," he muttered, rubbing his arms, "I've got cuts, bruises, and now I'm freezing my ass off. Perfect."
He looked around, the dim light from his phone's flashlight flickering in the darkness. There had to be something he could use to keep warm, right? Maybe some discarded scraps, or even a fire somewhere in the ruins?
But as his eyes scanned the surrounding area, all he saw were the same cracked stone walls and the twisted, broken architecture.
The air was still, untouched by any sign of life—except for the undead, of course.
Kade cursed again, pushing forward despite the discomfort.
The cold made his limbs feel heavier, but he couldn't afford to slow down now.
With a frustrated groan, he started moving deeper into the ruins, knowing he had to find shelter or warmth before he became too weak to keep going.
The floor was wet. Kade hated it.
His boots squelched with every step, making him feel like he was walking through a swamp. "Great, now my feet are freezing," he muttered.
He slipped once, then twice, catching himself both times with a graceless flail. "This is ridiculous. Who designed this place?"
The wet stone sucked at his boots like it was trying to keep him there. "Can't catch a break," he groaned, wishing he could just burn the whole ruin down—if only it weren't so damp.
"At least I'm not dead again yet," he added, wincing as his sock squelched in his slippers.
Kade's steps froze as his light flicked across more skeletons. His heart skipped. The sight hit him like a bad memory, one he wasn't ready to relive.
He froze, panic creeping in. Dead or undead? His mind raced. He couldn't tell—was he about to fight, or could he just sneak by?
He instinctively ducked into a corner, trying to stay out of sight. "Please don't wake up. Please don't wake up," he whispered to himself, eyes wide, muscles tense.
This was not the kind of party he signed up for.
Kade shakily raised his phone, trying again with the flashlight. Most of the skeletons were lying still, and he let out a breath of relief.
That was until the light flicked across one foot. Wait— The foot was standing, not lying.
His heart slammed in his chest as he slowly moved the light up, inch by inch. The beam climbed the bony figure, revealing a skeletal face with empty eye sockets.
It was staring at him. No eyes. Just darkness. And the unmistakable sense that it knew he was there.
Kade froze.
"...Great. is this is how I die again?."
As Kade stared at the skeleton, the empty eye sockets seemed to flicker to life, a dim red glow sparking within them. The eerie light pulsed, like tiny embers in the dark. Then, with a loud, creaking sound, the skeleton's jaw cracked open, bone scraping against bone.
The noise echoed through the ruins, rousing the other skeletons. One by one, they stirred, their joints creaking and groaning as if waking from a long slumber.
Kade sighed dramatically, glancing around.
"Of course," he muttered," isn't this just the worst alarm clock ever," he muttered, rubbing his eyes. "No snooze button either. Great.You know, if this is a game, I demand a refund."