บท 2: Treat it like a game.

I opened my eyes and saw a blinding light from high above. The intensity was like staring at the sun with your eyes squeezed shut. Shielding my eyes with my hand, I only now noticed that my body not only felt light, but all my injuries were gone as well.

'Did someone heal me? How? When? Didn't I die?'

As my eyes adjusted to the light, the surroundings troubled me more. The craggy walls and ground indicated I was inside an enormous cave. I took a look around. A platform stood at the center of the giant cave.

The platform looked like a concert stage and was quite high. Maybe around seven feet? Even taller floodlights littered its periphery. As I continued scanning my environment, I saw that there was nothing else except for people—loads of them.

Men, women, young and old. Everyone was reeling from the bright lights in the same way. There was little commonality in race, gender, or even age. The ones around me all wore simple brown breastplates, arm guards, and greaves. They all were made of hard-looking leather.

The leather armor set was on top of a white shirt and black pants. I was curious about how everyone appeared to be wearing the same thing, including me. Some looked puzzled. In a short time, people began to group up. Others isolated themselves on the side.

Before I could guess what was happening, I checked the platform. I saw a row of men and women in white military-style uniforms. They stood in perfect order. In front of them was a gigantic old man in a black trench coat. He looked familiar!

'Fuck! It him! The same old man who watched me die.'

Seeing the old bastard, I immediately remembered his words.

"Boy, you know about Norse Valkyries, right? The ones who bring souls to Valhalla and all that. I am the same. But I will send you to the gates of hell. So, instead of dying pathetically on the ground, join our version of Ragnarök. You will fight demons until the end of the world. Exciting, right? You interested?"

Grampa scanned the crowds with a cold expression, his search for someone evident. When his eyes locked on me, I felt chills creep up my spine. A disgusting smile full of madness and bloodlust appeared on his face. But it disappeared in the next moment. His face turned stoic while checking out the other people.

"That's because you're already dead, boy. Anyway, for your heroism, you have gained an invitation to join the Reapers. You have a lot of regrets, don't you? I am offering you a second chance to live again and fulfill them all."

I recalled him picking me up and biting my neck like a vampire without warning. My fingers grazed the spot he bit, and I then encountered something jutting out. My body started to tremble from fear. My breaths started getting shorter as my lungs tightened from stress. I could hear my heart hammering in my chest.

'Calm down. Fuck! What the fuck is going on? Get a fucking grip, John!'

To stop myself from going over the edge, I punched my face while I closed my eyes.

"Ouch, that hurt," I groaned in a faint voice.

But the pain allowed me to come back to reality. Deep breaths. Breathe in. Breathe out. There. Good. Focus. I returned from the dead, and now I was alive in an unknown place. I needed information. I could panic later. For now.

"Treat it like a game or something."

While I was alive, I spent the majority of my free time gaming or reading novels. Isekai, rebirth, reincarnation, and regression novels were the most popular. If I likened my situation to those, it made sense.

Yeah, I didn't need to panic. We just got isekaied. Okay, that worked. I calmed down.

My fingers traced the protrusion on my neck. Hmm. What the hell was this? Without a mirror, I could only try to visualize it by touch. It was like half a marble embedded in my neck. It felt cold, like metal but smooth like a gem.

'See you on the other side, John. Welcome to the Revenant Project.'

Revenant. A person who returned from the dead. It seemed that his words were no joke. I certainly died. But here I was, alive with a marble around my neck. I needed to figure out what was going on right away.

"Mic test! Mic test! Okay! Listen up, everyone: for the next three minutes, pay attention solely to me, okay?"

A female voice rang out, clear and commanding. It cut through the tension like a blade. Her presence radiated authority, drawing every eye in the cavern. As I opened my eyes, I looked toward the source. It came from speakers at the top of the platform.

The old bastard vanished. In his place was a tall, busty woman in a white military uniform with an officer's hat that had an orange chevron.

She had free-flowing long hair, the color of the sky. A dazzling figure and the prettiest face I had ever seen. Even at this distance, her excellent, supermodel-like shape was distinguishable.

'Damn. What a beauty.' I couldn't help but appreciate the view.

I was sure I wasn't the only one who thought so. I could notice even women getting spellbound by her.

"Greetings, everyone. I am Lilly Browning. A Phantom for the North American battlefront. I am the lead organizer for today's Enlistment," said the charming woman.

Phantom? Battlefront? Shit, it sounded like the old man wasn't kidding. Her next words were the last nail in the coffin.

"I am sure your handlers have already explained the matter. Everyone here has been invited to enlist as Wraiths for the North American 2023 Reaper army, July division. As you all have already ascended, your {fates} already exist but still remain in a dormant state."

The longer Lilly talked, the less I understood. But maybe I would get something, so I listened to her patiently.

"Without further ado, we will now begin the Wraith Enlistment. A few reminders for those who have sponsors. While you may use soulgears, you cannot use loaded Reaper vials. Next, for those still unarmed, standard weapons will appear at your feet."

At the Phantom's words, I looked towards my feet, and I saw an assortment of weapons appear from the ground. Bladed and blunt weapons ranging from swords to hammers were lying there. There was even a spear and a bow.

Many of the applicants began arming themselves with their weapons of choice.

"Lastly, the goal is to be among the first 2,000 people to dispatch 10 zombies. The ones who get to survive till the end will join the reapers. For those who don't, my condolences."

Lilly began the festivities by raising her right hand to the sky. She smiled, looking gorgeous.

"OPEN COMBAT!" she shouted.

The spotlights that had blinded us earlier shut down at the same moment, every last one of them. The sudden loss of light plunged the cavern into utter darkness.

Crap. I should have already picked up a weapon when I could still see. Panic surged as I scrambled in the dark. My fingers brushed the cold ground, desperate to find the spear I saw earlier. While a sword looked cooler, spears and bows won most medieval wars.

Untrained, I would hardly hit anything with a bow. So, a spear was my best choice. Using it was simple, too; just driving the pointy end toward an enemy. Still clawing at the ground, I heard voices from all directions.

"Alphabet Unit. Flare in 10. Move below it immediately!"

"Meta Squad. Night-vision goggles on. On me, MOVE!"

"Tesla Group. Flame on!"

Surprisingly for a group this large, there were hardly any screams when the lights went out. Instead, military-like instructions rang out. A sudden explosion in the sky gave birth to a bright light. How tall was this cavern for a flare to float that high?

This had to be from the Alphabet earlier. Clanking metal and footsteps echoed as figures charged at the artificial star.

Due to my distance from the flare, my surroundings could be somewhat visible. I noticed a large group dressed in blue moving toward the left. They all had black goggles on their faces while marching in formation.

Before I could even comment, a large column of fire rose up like a dragon about thirty yards behind me. Around it, I could see a large group of heavily armored knights forming a defensive circle.

Holy shit! These guys were not only coordinated, but they even had high-end gear and tactics. I needed a weapon fast! With the flare and the flame column, the ground in front of me finally became barely visible. I then understood why I couldn't find the spear. Nor anything else for that matter.

There was nothing there. I looked around in panic and saw something else by my side. A black pistol and two magazines. I quickly grabbed it and turned off the safety. The weight of the gun felt comforting in my hand. At least I had a weapon now.

Just as I was thinking about what to do, I suddenly heard screams.

"THE ZOMBIES ARE HERE!" cried one of them.

A low, guttural groan rose from the depths of the cave, sending a chill down my spine. Footsteps by the thousands shook the ground. After a few seconds, a cacophony of death, steel, and flesh began.

I couldn't help but curse aloud.

"Well, shit. Now what?"