Shadow Sovereigns : A New Beginning

Pain. It was the kind of pain that demanded attention. Every nerve in his body screamed, as though he'd been trampled by a stampede. Groaning, he opened his eyes to the dull, sterile brightness of a hospital room. The rhythmic beeping of a heart monitor droned in the background.

"Fantastic," he muttered, his voice dry and raspy. "I've either been reincarnated into a hospital drama, or I'm the protagonist of someone else's bad joke."

The ceiling was unfamiliar, but it didn't feel like the afterlife—not that he'd ever imagined himself deserving a peaceful one. He tried to sit up, but his muscles were weak, trembling with the effort. Something was wrong. His body didn't feel like his own—lighter, smaller, almost frail.

Then he saw his hands. Smaller than they should've been, thinner. A quick glance at the reflective surface of the window across the room confirmed what he feared: the face staring back at him wasn't his. It was younger, sharper, and undeniably not him.

"Oh, fantastic. Identity theft," he deadpanned, leaning back against the pillows. "At least steal someone rich next time, universe."

Before he could spiral further into existential dread, the memories hit him like a freight train.

Images of a boy—a Hunter—flooded his mind. Monsters, gates, dungeons. The name Sung Jin-Woo echoed through his consciousness, alongside a flood of fragmented memories: a timid E-rank Hunter, a near-death experience in a dungeon collapse, and the overwhelming sensation of despair.

"Ah, crap," he groaned, clutching his head. "Not only am I in the wrong body, but I've also inherited someone else's nightmare."

Before he could make sense of anything, the door creaked open, and a nurse walked in. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw him awake.

"Sung Jin-Woo! You're awake!" she exclaimed, hurrying to his side. "You've been unconscious for three days."

Three days? That explained the weakness in his limbs, but it didn't explain why he was here. He forced a weak smile. "Yeah, awake and kicking. Well, metaphorically."

The nurse blinked, momentarily caught off guard by his sarcasm. "You're very lucky to be alive. The doctors said it was a miracle you survived that dungeon raid."

"Miracle? Sure, let's go with that," he replied dryly. "Though I think the term you're looking for is 'horribly unlucky.'"

The nurse gave him a polite but concerned look, clearly unsure how to respond. "I'll let your family know you've woken up," she said after a moment. "Your sister has been worried sick."

The mention of a sister brought a pang of emotion he hadn't expected. "Sister, huh?" he muttered as she left. "Guess this guy has a better family situation than I did."

Before he could stew on that thought, a sharp ding echoed in his ears, and his vision blurred. A glowing blue screen materialized before him, hanging in the air like something out of a game.

Welcome to the System.

Congratulations, Player. You have been chosen to inherit the power of the System. Begin your journey to grow stronger, or face death once more.

He blinked, leaning closer as if the words would make more sense up close. "Okay, this just keeps getting weirder. First, I wake up in someone else's body, and now I'm in a role-playing game?"

Another notification appeared.

Status Window Unlocked.

To view your stats, say or think: Status Window.

"Fine, Status Window," he muttered, half-expecting nothing to happen. Instead, a new screen popped up.

Name: Sung Jin-Woo

Level: 1

Class: None

Title: None

HP: 100

MP: 10

Fatigue: 40

Stats:

• Strength: 10

• Agility: 10

• Stamina: 10

• Intelligence: 10

• Sense: 10

Points Available: 0

Traits:

• Unique Trait: Passive Growth (+1 to all stats upon leveling up).

He stared at the screen, his brow furrowing. "Strength? Agility? Intelligence? Oh, great, I've been turned into a glorified Excel spreadsheet."

Before he could complain further, the door burst open, and a familiar voice called out, "Oppa! You're awake!"

He turned to see a girl rushing toward him, her bright smile lighting up the room. Her name surfaced in his mind—Jin-Ah. His sister. Or rather, Jin-Woo's sister.

"Jin-Ah," he said softly, the name rolling off his tongue with strange familiarity.

She threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. "I was so scared! They said you might not wake up after what happened in the dungeon."

He hesitated for a moment before returning the hug. Her warmth grounded him, chasing away some of the unease in his chest. Whoever this body had belonged to, Jin-Ah was part of it now, and he wasn't about to let anything happen to her.

"Hey, I'm fine," he said, ruffling her hair. "You know me. Too stubborn to die."

"You're too stupid to die, you mean," she shot back, tears brimming in her eyes. "You're always running into danger!"

"Stupid, brave, same thing," he quipped, smirking. "Come on, don't cry. You'll make me look bad in front of the nurses."

She sniffled, wiping her eyes, and glared at him. "You're such an idiot, Oppa."

"And you're too soft on me," he countered, patting her shoulder. "Don't worry. I'll stick around. I'm not done annoying you yet."

Before their banter could continue, the door opened again, and two men in suits stepped inside. One of them, a middle-aged man with sharp eyes and a calm demeanor, spoke first.

"Sung Jin-Woo," he said with a polite nod. "I'm Woo Jin-Chul from the Hunter Association. We wanted to check on you after the incident."

"Oh, good," he said, gesturing to the room. "Come in, make yourselves comfortable. It's not like I just woke up from a coma or anything."

Woo Jin-Chul smiled faintly, though his eyes remained serious. "You're very fortunate to have survived the Double Dungeon. Most Hunters don't make it out of situations like that."

"Fortunate. Right. Because 'almost dying' is definitely how I'd describe my luck."

Jin-Ah shot him a warning look, and he sighed. "Alright, alright, thanks for checking in. I'm fine. Ish."

Woo Jin-Chul nodded. "If you remember anything about what happened in the dungeon, please let us know. Until then, take care."

"Will do," he said, waving them off. As the Hunters left, he leaned back against the bed. "Fantastic. Now I have bureaucrats to deal with too."

That night, after Jin-Ah had left and the hospital had quieted, he stared at the glowing blue screen in his vision.

Quest Alert!

Daily Quest: The Preparation to Become Strong.

• Perform 100 Push-Ups (0/100)

• Perform 100 Sit-Ups (0/100)

• Perform 100 Squats (0/100)

• Run 10 Kilometers (0/10)

Failure Penalty: Penalty Quest.

He groaned, rubbing his temples. "Push-ups? Sit-ups? Running? Is this System trying to kill me or train me for the Olympics?"

Still, he couldn't ignore the threat of a "Failure Penalty." Whatever that was, it didn't sound pleasant. With a sigh, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up, his muscles protesting with every movement.

"Alright, System," he muttered, dropping to the floor. "Let's get this over with."

Quest Progress:

Push-Ups: 1/100

And so, his journey began—not with an epic dungeon or a heroic battle, but with the painfully slow realization that even one push-up could feel like a boss fight.