Rise With Underdog System

02. Ave Had Died

A strange sound appeared out of nowhere, making Ave tried his hardest to look around, but he found nothing except red mist in his bloody eyes and a growing pain in his body.

[Undergo System has been activated]

[The host 'Avery Blythe' has earned 100 points of resilience from facing bullies, and the points will be converted into the special effect 'Extreme Healing Effect']

[The 'Extreme Healing Effect' will begin]

'...huh? What's happening?'

Ave did not know anything about the monotonous voice and gold-colored notifications that kept popping up right in front of him. Those notifications contained the exact words that the strange voice said in Ave's head.

Is Ave going crazy?

Or does everyone who dies falling into this abyss see crazy things like this?

However, Ave pushed aside all his questions when a bright light suddenly appeared from his chest area, spreading throughout his body like vines wrapping around him.

'W-what kind of light is this?'

Ave wanted to move and run away from the place right now, but his whole body was shattered, and he couldn't do anything except surrender to the strange golden light which surprisingly warm and somehow relieving the pain in Avery's body. The young man even felt drowsy because of the comforting warmth of that golden light.

Even though Ave wasn't sure, he felt little by little the bones in his body rearranging, and his muscles coming back together.

"Ssssssh." Ave hissed softly as his torn skin and flesh who were scattered around, merged back into his body and returned to its original state with no scars left.

The young man could feel his fingers moving again, and he could also feel both his legs functioning normally.

'Darn, what is all this? Why is this suddenly happening to me? Does Lady Luck take pity on me and give me a second chance?'

[Ding]

[Attention: 95% of the host's body has been healed to its original state, but the face area has suffered severe damage that cannot be restored perfectly. The host will be given a choice:

Stay repaired with a slight functional flaw on the face.

Duplicate the face of a person who died at the same time as the host's death.

The time to make a choice is 1 minute, starting now.]

[00:59]

[00:58]

[…]

Ave was suddenly shocked to hear the abrupt announcement. What did it mean that he could not get his face back to how it was?

[The Extreme Healing Effect is effective for body damage and can heal up to 99%, but it is less effective for damage to the face and head because it only gathers back flesh and skin particles, unable to compose them correctly.]

Oh no. This meant Ave would stay alive but as a monster with a messed-up face. Ave would be bullied again, even worse – he would not be accepted anywhere with his ugly monstrous face.

'I'm going with the second choice.'

Ave did not want to miss this golden opportunity. If given the chance to start a new life and get a new face, it would be better than continuing to live as the old Ave, who was always bullied and never had any luck.

[The host chose the second option. The system will process the choice.]

[The system sorts duplicate faces with the same time of death as the host.]

[…]

In his heart, Ave silently prayed he would not end up with the face of an old man or a criminal, as he would not be able to go to school with such a face.

'At least, get me a face that's young and matches my age!'

[A duplicate face has been obtained.]

[The duplicate face belongs to Elias Sawyer, gender: male, age: 19 years]

'Elias? He's only 19 years old, and his time of death is the same as mine falling off a cliff? I don't know why, but I feel sorry for him.'

[Installing Elias Sawyer's duplicate face onto the host's face.]

[Installation begins]

[0%]

[… 97%]

[Installation of the duplicate face is complete. The host has fully recovered.]

[100 pts of resilience has been successfully exchanged for the 'Extreme Healing Effect' effect.]

After the last notification popped up, Ave slowly got up from his sleeping position and sat up straight, straightening his back. He had never felt his body so light in his entire life, as if he had been reborn instead of just healed.

Ave bowed his head and stared quite long at his hands. Just a few minutes ago, his hands were twisted in a different direction, and his shinbone poking through and stabbing through his flesh. But now, both of his hands had returned perfectly, without any flaws.

The young man still could not believe what had happened to him.

"Ah... ahhh—"

Ave tried to speak. Fortunately, his voice was not much different from his old one, just sounding heavier and more mature. Maybe his vocal cords got knocked pretty hard when he fell earlier?

Not wanting to dwell on that any longer, Ave now focused on the golden hologram floating right in front of his eyes. He had to figure out what this thing was and why he got it.

Next to the floating notification, Ave could see three small boxes attached, each with different pictures. One had the image of a person, another a treasure chest, and the third one was a basket icon.

Ave had never read a novel before, but Fraser was a true bookworm who loved fantasy genres and novels with unusual themes. Fraser once said he wished to be hit by a truck and transported to a world where magic and powers were common, where he could be an adventurer defeating demon kings. He also mentioned that magic in the fantasy world would be like a game, with levels and quests, and unexpected quest rewards or bonuses.

Considering all of Fraser's ramblings, Ave suspected that he might be experiencing one of those strange things right now.

"Could it be that I've also moved to another world?"

[Answer: Host did not move to another world. The Undergo System only applies on Earth.]

"Urk—!"

Ave instinctively stepped back as another notification appeared, accompanied by a monotonous woman's voice, as if understanding what the young man was saying.

He took a slow breath and opened his mouth again, "W-who are you? Why are you helping me come back from death?"

This time, Ave asked sincerely.

[Answer: The System is forbidden to reveal secrets. The Undergo System was created to accompany the host in achieving goals by providing quests and powers.]

"Q-Quest?" Ave repeated, furrowing his brow. "This is exactly as Fraser mentioned. I need to meet him right away and ask him more about this—"

Ave paused mid-sentence, and his gaze dimmed as he realized Fraser was no longer his friend. He was a traitor who pushed his own friend into the abyss, leading to his death.

"Sigh, but I can't entirely blame him. Claude... that scoundrel... he went too far. He even threatened to harm Larissa … Fraser’s sister, if Fraser didn't agree to betray me," Ave said with a mix of frustration and sadness on his face. Despite this, Ave couldn't forgive Fraser's actions and was determined to make his former friend feel the pain of betray by someone that close with him.

As for Claude, Ave vowed to make him regret his actions for the rest of his life. He had ruined many lives for his own pleasure. Just because he was the child of one of the top executives at Neogen High School did not mean Claude could destroy the lives and futures of other students as if their lives were less valuable than a dog's.

Ave clenched his fists, his anger now enveloping his entire self.

To do that, Ave first had to climb out of this abyss.

However, the young man did not know how to get up there since it was his first time falling into the abyss. Ave could not simply climb the abyss walls because they were too high and steep. He might fall again and end up dying like before.

"Hey, you're the weird notification. Can you help me get out of here? I want to go back home."

[Reply: The system can't send the host back home because the location point is not set, and the host doesn't have teleportation skills. The system will provide a map of this area.]

"Tch—I know that's not possible. How could I become super strong in a few minutes? Whatever, just give me the map. I'll find my way out myself."

[Processing Slyth Abyss area map...]

[Slyth Abyss area map processing complete.]

[Displaying Slyth Abyss area map in two dimensions.]

The earlier notification suddenly transformed into a holographic map of the abyss where Ave currently found himself. He tried to zoom in on the map, focusing on the point where Ave stood. Ave's current location was marked with a red dot, surrounded only by two large, dark walls with no visible exits.

It was a dead-end.

Ave would never escape this place.

"...Huh? Wait a minute, what's this hole?"

As Ave began to succumb to despair, he suddenly noticed a hole in the left wall not far from where he stood.

"Maybe it's a cave and a way to climb up."

Avery did not lose hope. Given a chance to return to life, he would do anything to keep it. He would go and climb upward, fixing all the mess in his life since childhood and created a bright path for his future.

"Let's go," Ave murmured to himself. He stepped forward and walked to the darkness with the holographic map who was following him wherever he went.