Global Awakening: Only I Can Respawn

Lucifer's appearance was nothing like YuWon remembered. His once raven-haired

brother

now had hair as white as snow, his frame more muscular and imposing than before. It was only then that the realization struck him.

"An angel..." YuWon mumbled.

The Lucifer YuWon remembered was a fallen angel. YuWon had never seen what he looked like before his fall, but if Lucifer had returned to being an angel, he shouldn't be here. He shouldn't even remember their shared past. Yet, the malicious look in his eyes suggested otherwise.

"The gods and angels are immune to your... time manipulation," Lucifer smirked, unfurling his white wings.

YuWon cursed his luck under his breath. Having the gods eyeing was bad enough, but having an angel for an enemy was worse. The gods couldn't directly harm him, but angels could.

Fighting Lucifer wasn't an option as his strength was incomparable to YuWon's. But he didn't have a choice. If he stepped back, Lucifer would probably kill everyone associated with YuWon.

I hope Yeji's smart enough to escape with the rest.

With that thought, YuWon grabbed the minotaur's torn horns and lunged at Lucifer. Using the horns like two daggers, he didn't hold back. But Lucifer smiled and didn't even move. With a flick of his wrist, he planted YuWon face-first on the ground.

"So... weak," Lucifer snarled. "Why was I even scared of an insect like you?"

YuWon gritted his teeth and kicked off the ground. Lucifer crossed his arms, letting YuWon get comfortable before planting his face back on the ground, this time with his leg.

Frustrated, YuWon unleashed a flurry of strikes on Lucifer. But each time, the latter dodged effortlessly without breaking a sweat. He even yawned in between adding fuel to YuWon's desperation.

Then, with an almost bored expression, Lucifer plucked a feather from his wing. He held it between two fingers, inspecting it as if it were the most fascinating thing in the world.

YuWon threw a punch, expecting to catch him off guard. But Lucifer grabbed the punch without taking his eyes off the feather.

"You've gotten weaker, brother," Lucifer said.

YuWon struggled to get away, but Lucifer pulled him closer. YuWon froze as the feather brushed against his cheek. For a moment, it felt soft, almost gentle. Then a searing pain erupted across his face.

The feather had merely touched him but was enough to form a deep gash in YuWon's face. Blood gushed out of the wound and all strength left YuWon. He collapsed onto the ground, clutching his cheek.

"See?" Lucifer said. "Your pathetic self can't even handle a mere feather of mine."

YuWon could only glare at Lucifer as his body refused to move. Even Hydra's blood wasn't enough to keep him going and the wounds didn't heal. It was the end of this life and probably the rest as well.

No amount of respawns can help him beat this sack of shit.

With a sigh, YuWon resigned to his fate. But just then, someone kicked Lucifer away. The latter didn't budge from his spot, but that didn't matter. YuWon was only wondering who could be so clueless as to jump between them.

"Are you... okay?" Gina asked.

But YuWon didn't have any admiration or love in his eyes, but panic. He could die himself, but he didn't want anything to happen to Gina.

"Gina, no!" he shouted hoarsely.

However, Gina didn't move. She stood defiantly, her arms outstretched as if to shield YuWon.

Lucifer raised an eyebrow, clearly amused by the little creature. She wasn't a threat to him before and wasn't one this time, either.

"Brave. But foolish."

Lucifer raised his hand but before he could attack, more people appeared, forming a shield before YuWon. Lilith, Yeji, Soo-Ah, everyone was there. Fear was etched on their faces, but they stood before YuWon to protect him.

Even Lucifer was surprised by their bravery. But YuWon was terrified.

"No! Stay back!" YuWon shouted. "You can't win against him. None of us can!"

Lilith and Yeji rushed to YuWon's side, but Lilith stopped when she saw Lucifer. YuWon looked at her. Being a fallen angel, she could stand against Lucifer, but the result would remain unchanged.

Lucifer's smile widened as she scanned the group. They were nothing more than ants trying to protect a rat.

"Shall we make this quick?"

Lucifer raised a hand, the light around him intensifying as his wings stretched wide, and the feathers shone like razors. YuWon had faced the brunt of one feather and knew the attack would decimate everyone. YuWon forced himself to stand, ignoring the burning pain on his face.

"Lucifer," he said, grimacing in pain. "I'll surrender. Just leave them alone—"

Lucifer's laugh cut him off.

"Surrender? You?" he chuckled. "You don't have the qualifications to strike a deal with me, imbecile."

YuWon didn't mind the words and stepped closer to Lucifer. Without hesitation used [Soul Grapple]. YuWon's hand glowed faintly as he reached for Lucifer, aiming to force him into submission.

Lucifer backhanded YuWon, his laugh replaced by an icy glare. Wasting no time, Lucifer aimed his wings at the mortals. A bright light suddenly engulfed them, forcing everyone to shield their eyes.

As the light disappeared, everyone noticed a pair of luminous wings shielded them. Someone knew stood between them and Lucifer, someone on equal footing as the former fallen angel.

The angel wore a sparkling armor, with divine patterns etched on its surface. Her silver hair flowed like liquid moonlight, and in her hand was a blade that pulsed with a strange energy.

YuWon recognized her instantly. She was the angel assigned to oversee their section of the gods' game.

"Sofia..." YuWon whispered.

Sofia paid no attention to YuWon. Instead, her fiery eyes were focused on Lucifer. Her presence even surprised the boastful angel.

"Lucifer," Sofia said. "Who do you think you are to interfere in my sector without my permission?"

"Don't forget your rank. A mere third sphere grunt dare to talk back—?"

"Grunt or not, there are lines even you, as a first sphere, cannot cross," Sofia cut him off.

Lucifer's actions were clearly against the rules of the game. Hence, Sofia, despite her small stature, was unwilling to back down. She didn't fear the gods, either.

In the past, she did their dirty work and even tried to get YuWon killed. But in the end, she accepted the blame for their failures, which led to her destruction. But this time, she would pick the right side.

Your journey continues at m v|l-e'-NovelBin.net

Sofia had already decided to shield YuWon, and with Ereshkigal's backing, no one would dare offend her. But her confidence didn't sit right with Lucifer.

"Enjoy your little admin privileges while you can," he sneered, turning toward YuWon. "The game won't protect you always,

brother.

"

The next moment, Lucifer's body dissolved into a wisp of dark smoke floating away with the air.

With Lucifer gone, Sofia lowered her blade and sighed. She put on a brave front, but facing a first-sphere angel was no easy task. Her armor disappeared, turning into a robe as she turned to face YuWon.

"You need to be more careful," she said. "

She

won't be happy if something happens to you."

"You... know?" YuWon asked, raising an eyebrow.

Sofia smiled but didn't answer. Instead, she turned to face the remaining participants.

"I applaud your efforts in clearing the tutorial," she smiled. "but there's no time to rest. Your next trial awaits."

As she said that, a mission prompt appeared before their eyes.

+++

Main Quest 1: Anomaly of the Namsan Seoul Tower.

Scenario: A series of mysterious disappearances have rattled the higher powers. Join with other survivors to investigate the anomaly and cure it.

Difficulty grade: D+

Time limit: 14 days

Rewards: Unknown

Punishment: Depending on the contribution

+++

YuWon's eyes widened. This wasn't the quest he remembered. He couldn't believe things would change from the first quest itself. He looked at Sofia, thinking she could help, but even she shook her head.

YuWon sighed. The gods were hell-bent on not letting him have any advantage based on his memories. Still, he couldn't imagine they would take things so far just to take away any advantage he must have.

Apart from my stats... I have nothing—wait! What the hell?

[The User will lose their abnormal stats.]

[The God seed converted all stat points into unallocated stat points.]

I guess it's better than nothing...

For a moment, YuWon was about to go berserk. But since he regained the stats as points, he could sigh in relief.

"All of you should work towards increasing your stats slowly," Sofia commented, looking at YuWon.

It was a hint, and YuWon didn't miss it. His encounter with the minotaur and Lucifer wouldn't go unnoticed by the gods. They must have complained about it. Hence, his abnormal stats

disappeared

.

But thanks to the goddess Ereshkigal, YuWon didn't lose his stats and merely needed to reassign them... slowly. Rushing the process wasn't an option—if he restored his stats too quickly, it would undoubtedly provoke another tantrum from the gods, and that was a risk YuWon couldn't afford to take.

"That's all for now," Sofia smiled. "May the gods protect you."