Noah woke up with a violent jolt, his body trembling, drenched in sweat.
His heart hammered in his chest like a wild drum, and his breath came in shallow, ragged gasps.
The pain from his death, that brutal, horrifying death—still lingered in his mind, sharp and clear. But this had to be a nightmare, right?
He didn't speak, didn't even move at first. Adam, sleeping in the corner of the room, remained oblivious.
Noah's mind raced, but he couldn't bring himself to disturb his brother.
He had to focus. The nightmare—it had been too real, too vivid, to be anything other than the truth.
He remembered everything: the guards, the pain. But there was something more… something different about this time.
As if on cue, the door creaked open. The girl walked in, her eyes soft yet steady. "You're awake," she said in the same flat tone as before.
Noah blinked. This is real, he thought, his mind struggling to accept it. She left him no time to question or process, only looking at him briefly before stepping out without another word.
He stared at the door for a long moment before his attention shifted back to the system window that flickered into existence, right in front of him. a clean interface that made everything feel some kind of video game.
…
[System Window – Ark]
NAME: Noah Orthar
AGE: 20
PERSONAL ATTRIBUTE:
Innocent (Divine)
PERSONAL SKILLS:
None
STIGMA: Innocent shall receive a second chance (499)
OVERALL STATS:
Stamina : F (5)
Strength : F (4)
Dexterity : F (4)
Vitality : F (8)
…
The words hung there for a long time. He read them again. And again. His thoughts raced.
"Innocent Shall Receive a Second Chance," Noah muttered under his breath as his mind processed the trait.
He quickly interacted with the system, his thoughts working faster than his fingers ever could. The description of the trait came up.
…
Innocent Shall Receive a Second Chance:
Upon death, the user is resurrected at the moment right before the cause of death occurred, effectively reverting the event. The user retains full memory of previous attempts, user can experience 500 chances.
…
A wicked grin slowly crept across Noah's face. Cool shit, he thought, excitement bubbling up inside him. 499 chances. I'm nearly immortal.
But then a cold shiver ran down his spine as the memories of his death slammed into him.
The cold steel, the darkness as his life was ripped away—no, he thought, locking those memories away. That death was inevitable, and the chances… they were only a means to escape it. He couldn't allow himself to make the same mistakes again.
His mind snapped to focus. Solmaris. The gates. The knights. There was no time to waste. He needed to leave before they came for him again.
Noah quickly glanced over at Adam, still fast asleep. His frail, innocent brother. He couldn't let him suffer through this nightmare again. Not when he had the chance to prevent it.
The door opened again, the girl from before stepping in. She gave him a quick glance, then asked, "Did you rest well?"
Noah didn't respond immediately. He was still processing everything—the system, the trait, the overwhelming rush of memories.
Before he could speak, she turned and left without another word, leaving Noah alone with his thoughts.
As the door clicked shut, he set his gaze on the window again. 499 chances, he thought again, his mind whirring. This wasn't the end—no, things just started.
Noah pulled the hood of his cloak tighter, stepping quietly through the inn's creaky wooden door and slipping into the night. His brother, Adam, remained asleep, unaware of what was unfolding. As Noah left, he glanced back, muttering a soft "thank you" to the girl at the front desk. He handed her a couple of copper coins—what little he had left—and then made his way through the alleyways of Solmaris.
His mind raced as he walked, trying to piece everything together. He had a divine Attribute, a second chance. But what did that really mean in the grand scheme of things? Where would he go? What would he do?
Solmaris itself was just one floor of a massive pillar with over a hundred floors—how could he escape? Even if he managed to leave Solmaris, the neutral floors were crawling with assassins sent by the noble families.
Where could he find refuge? And with Adam so young and powerless, there was no way they could survive for long.
Noah scowled at his own thoughts. It didn't matter how far he ran—he would never be free from death. The trait was a crutch, not salvation.
Then again, he thought, I do have 499 chances...
But that was the problem. What good is a second chance in a world where you're still bound to die?
He passed through streets filled with soldiers, patrols, and watchful eyes.
Everywhere he turned, there was danger.
They were on the run now, with no place to hide. Even if they managed to escape the soldiers in Solmaris, they would just be hunted down on another floor. It was a never-ending cycle.
As he walked deeper into the darkened alleyways, Noah's mind kept churning. According to the book "Orvathis", revolutionaries are starting to stir in Lunareth, on the 16th floor. Maybe that's why security's tightened.
The thought sent a small flicker of hope through his chest. If a rebellion was rising, there might be more chaos—more opportunities for escape.
But before he could dwell further on it, a shout broke through his thoughts.
"Hey, you!" a soldier barked from the shadows, pointing a sword at him. "Go home, or get lost!"
Noah instinctively backed away, not wanting trouble. The alley was dark, and the soldier's voice was harsh, but he was in no position to fight. He said nothing, just slowly started retreating.
But as soon as the moonlight hit his face, the soldier's demeanor changed. His eyes widened, and his face contorted in disbelief. "You..."
Before Noah could react, the soldier's eyes began to glow a fierce purple. His hand trembled as he lifted his sword, shouting, "Glory to Solmaris! Glory to the Fennorian Family!"
The soldier lunged forward, stabbing Noah in the gut with a swift, brutal strike.
Noah's world went black, the agony of death engulfing him once again. But as he felt the life leave his body, a cold, eerie notification echoed in his mind:
[You died.]
A moment later, another notification appeared—quicker, more pronounced this time:
[Innocent shall receive a second chance.]
…
Noah woke with a start, his breath uneven as he sat up in bed. The sensation of cold steel piercing his neck still lingered, phantom pain creeping down his spine. He clenched his fists, forcing himself to push the memory aside. Dying wasn't something he could ever get used to.
Before he could fully compose himself, the door creaked open. The girl from the inn stepped inside, but before she could utter a word, Noah spoke.
"I'm awake."
She froze, taken aback by his sudden awareness. Her face remained neutral, but the slight hesitation in her posture betrayed her surprise.
Noah studied her in the dim light. "What's your name?" he asked.
"Silphy," she replied simply.
Silphy, Silphy, Silphy, Silphy, the name is familia—
A small laugh escaped his lips. Then another. Before he knew it, he was laughing hysterically, unable to stop himself. Of course. The realization hit him so hard it was almost absurd.
Adam stirred in the other bed, blinking blearily at him. "Noah...?"
Noah quickly stifled his laughter and offered a weak apology. But in his mind, everything finally made sense. How did Adam slip past the ridiculous security in Solmaris? The answer was standing right in front of him.
Silphy. Or rather, Silvia Volkovich.
She wasn't just an inn worker. She was a member of The Veilbreakers—the revolutionary force that operated in the neutral floors, working to dismantle the rule of the Great Eight noble families.
Noah's lips curled slightly. So that's how it is.
He turned to Adam. "Get some proper sleep. Tomorrow's going to be a long day." Then he glanced at Silphy. "I'll talk to our gracious host to make sure we get a good meal before we leave."
As he passed by her, he casually draped an arm around her shoulder, gently leading her out of the room. He felt her body tense beneath his touch, but she didn't resist.
They descended the stairs, the dim candlelight casting long shadows along the wooden walls. As they reached the bottom, Noah spoke again, his voice calm yet deliberate.
"Silvia Volkovich."
She stopped walking.
Her reaction was subtle—a faint twitch in her fingers, the briefest flicker of something in her expression—but Noah caught it.
"You know who I am, don't you?" he pressed.
Silphy turned her face to him, her expression unreadable. "I think you're mistaken," she said smoothly. "My name is Silphy. I don't have a second name—I'm just a commoner. And you are a customer."
Noah smirked, though inside, he was bluffing just as much as she was.
In Orvathis, there was a passage mentioning Silvia Volkovich—the one person Adam Orthar was most indebted to. She was the first person to ever push him to climb the Pillar. But how?
His knowledge was incomplete, but one thing was certain—she was involved, and Adam had always mocked her name in passing, calling her "Silphy."
He sat down at a table with her, lacing his fingers together. "The Veilbreakers assigned you a mission," he began, his voice steady. "To safely escort the last remaining members of the Orthar family and protect them."
Silphy's expression remained cold, unreadable.
Noah leaned forward slightly, watching for any cracks in her composure. "But it seems like you're trying to play dumb."
He kept talking, pressing her with judgments and critiques, pushing for a reaction. His words danced around the truth, forcing her into a corner where she'd have to slip up.
And then, finally, she did.
Her eyes narrowed as she interrupted his train of thought. "One of the conditions of the mission was secrecy."
Noah's stomach twisted.
She leaned forward slightly, her voice lowering. "So tell me… how is the lethargic, weak Noah of the Orthar family able to know such information?"