Auren knew he had to do something, but he wasn't sure where to start.
There was too much to figure out as someone who… well, let's just say at least was alive.
Maybe. That's the initial assumption for now.
However, this boy, whoever he was, felt a little bit off.
Maybe it was Auren—Ren now—who needed to get used to the body, but still something didn't sit right for him.
At first, it was the paleness of his skin.
This boy is weird.
What is the matter with him?
Before Ren got the answer, he heard a few footsteps come in.
"You hear the news, right? It's getting out of hand." One male voice chimed in. "The undead are getting wilder."
"Oh, do tell me. They have no brain."
"Well, they're dead in the first place, so…"
Silence filled the conversation.
Ren was still standing in the same spot—more precisely, in the bathroom—listening to their conversation while leaning against the wall, trying his best to hide his presence.
"You know, my neighbor saw one the other day," said the other, the one with the deeper voice. "The undead stole their food, so she called the Holy Order and secured the place while bringing the undead to the Undergate."
The Holy Order again. Ren couldn't help but clench his fists. They were still out there after all.
So this was real.
This place, this body, and even his failure.
It's all real.
But Undergate? What the hell is that?
"But did you hear the issue?"
"That they were currently grouping?"
"How could they do that if they couldn't think?"
Because the undead was also a human, you two fools.
Ren felt like he wanted to speak, but he held back. Getting involved wasn't what he needed right now. So he stayed, listening like he wasn't there.
"But have you ever wondered what Undergate is like?"
"Definitely not a nice place, that's for sure."
Both of them made a sound like a grimace, then the other one said, "I hope the Holy Order moves fast to notice the undead among the living humans. They even made a special school for that, no?"
School? For killing undead?
In a hundred years, they really worked hard, huh? What did they even teach in school? Ren muttered to himself.
"I heard the tests are brutal," the first one continued. "They check your body temperature, skin reaction, breathing patterns… even heartbeat frequency."
"What if someone's just sick?"
"Well, if they're unlucky, they get sent to Undergate anyway. No one wants to take the risk."
"That's messed up."
"Better safe than sorry, right?"
Ren narrowed his eyes.
Right.
Safe from what? You guys and your judgment are the dangerous thing here.
He touched his neck again, slower this time, as if confirming something he already knew. Cold. Still. He could feel a slow beat.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
And then… nothing.
The deeper-voiced guy sighed. "Still. The last case was horrible. Some kid failed the screening and bit a priest. Said the voices told him to do it."
"Voices?"
"Yeah. They think the undead can… connect. Link minds or something. Like they're evolving."
Ren stifled a bitter laugh.
Of course. The undead get a bit smarter, and suddenly they're monsters with hive minds.
What's next? Mind control?
"Ugh, don't say that," the first guy mumbled. "I've got two younger sisters. If one of those things got into our home…"
"They're trying to find ways to detect them earlier," the deep voice went on. "The school's just one piece of it. Catch them young, reeducate them if possible. If not…"
"Off with their heads."
Ren clenched his jaw.
So that's the future now. Execution wrapped in education. Neat.
"But what if someone's, you know, different?"
"Different how?"
"Like… not fully gone. Still thinking. Not attacking anyone. Just… existing."
There was a pause.
The other voice dropped lower, colder. "Doesn't matter. Undead is undead. Law's the law."
Law's the law. Fuck the law.
Ren almost said it aloud.
Funny how those words always came from people with no skin in the game.
"I still think it's harsh," the first one muttered. "If they're not hurting anyone—"
"Then give them a room in your house."
"…Right. Never mind."
Ren could hear them start walking away, their steps softer now, conversation drifting.
"You think the school's really working, though?"
"Who knows? But at least it helps people to know more about the undead, I guess. It's not easy to go in there too."
Now, Ren was curious about the school these two fools were talking about. He learned necromancy by himself back in the days, and no "anti-undead school" either.
Maybe that was a good place to start.
"Sometimes I wonder if they are still among us, you know," the other one said, almost like a murmur. "Like if they were our friend or something."
"At least we knew they were undead by looking at the mark," the reply came.
"You mean curse marks?"
"Yeah. That's what they put on the board, right? To look for people with the mark and report."
Mark? Ren frowned, yet the conversation stopped.
Ren waited until the sound of footsteps faded entirely before moving.
So, this was the world now.
Monitored. Tagged. Controlled.
And they thought he was the monster.
He stared at the nothingness—or perhaps the bathroom door, expression blank. Still unfamiliar with the face that stared back. Still wondering who this boy used to be before Ren ended up here.
Was he already undead when he died? Or did I hijack his body?
No answer. No voice in his head to guide him. No gods whispering. Just silence.
Noticing that no one was there, Ren hurriedly opened his shirt, looking at his own body, searching for the mark that had been keeping him curious.
This boy was too pale. He knew that. But if there was any sign to know…
Damn it.
Then there, he saw it.
The mark he was familiar with, but this time it was darker, like a deep cut unable to heal.
He was one of them.
The undead.
He wanted to go out, quickly putting his shirt on, and yet, there was somehow a glowing green light that appeared in front of him, stopping his steps altogether.
And a sound filled his head.
"Part 1 is completed. The main character has gained information about the current phase. Point added."