Everyone Else is a Returnee - Chapter 281: Why Only Me? – 7

In the Abyss, all beings are imprisoned, struggling bitterly to survive. One day, in the eternally dark lower world, a young boy has a chance encounter and catches a glimpse of the upper worlds. He is fortunate to witness wonders beyond even the most beautiful dreams. Realizing there are worlds beyond his own, he refuses to settle for mediocrity and vows to ascend to the top step by step.

In the year 2220, a radiation source in the Pacific Ocean, tens of thousands of times stronger than a nuclear bomb has begun mutating exposed creatures into horrific monsters thousands of meters long. Mankind’s only hope was nuclear weapons, which only made matters worse. The combination of the natural radiation and nuclear radiation released an incurable and highly infectious virus, turning the 90% of the world’s population into violent zombies in mere weeks.

After his parents died, Alex Roth had a plan: become a wizard. Through hard work, he was accepted into the world’s greatest university of wizardry—but fate had another plan.

On his eighteenth, he is marked as one of his kingdom’s five Heroes, chosen to fight the land’s great enemy. But his brand is 'The Fool', worst of the marks.

Rather than die or serve the other Heroes like Fools in the past, he packs up his little sister, his childhood friend and her cerberus, then flees for the university in hope of refuge, magic and to unravel the truth about his land’s evil.

There’s one small problem: The Mark tries to ruin magic while enhancing skills outside of divinity, combat and spellcraft.…

…that is, unless he can learn to exploit the hell out of it.

Octavius, misled by friends, embarks on a quest to clear his father's name, ultimately facing a tragic end with his sister.Their journey results in devastating loss, leaving him powerless and yearning for revenge against those who harmed his family. Spirits offer him a chance to reincarnate, but he refuses, saying;“What’s the point of a new life if I keep running from my problems”The entities are taken aback by his unwavering decision, having never encountered a spirit who refuses to escape their troubled past. They warn him about the evil being that now resides in his old body, but that only motivates him. He believed In the saying - to defeat a monster, you have to be twice as monstrous.Embracing his fate as The Phantom's Gambit, they traverse the shadowy path of retribution, their identities blur, secrets unravel, and the line between savior and monster fades.This is a tale of darkness and redemption, where justice is a blade, and revenge is the only way forward.