Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Apocalypse #5
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I'm back!
"I'm back, fuck!"
Cheers erupt. There's no trace of the daze that hits right after regression. Nothing but pure joy at returning to the past overflows within me.
The memory of being crushed to death alongside Mom is still vivid.
But I've come back...!
Back to a time when I can do something—anything—to stop that from happening!
"I have to fix this...!"
Using my regression ability, I'll uncover the information needed and somehow resolve this crisis. It doesn't matter if it takes dozens of tries. For the sake of the world—no, for my mom and dad—I'll challenge it endlessly.
The power of regression is this infinite.
I'll definitely stop those giant bastards.
"Hoo."
I exhale, reining in my boiling battle spirit.
Right now is the moment just after I got off in Seoul. That's when I wandered the streets looking for a good restaurant and spotted the 'man entering the wall,' realizing it was the trigger for the giant apocalypse.
In the first loop, I died before I could even react.
In the second loop, I tried to stop it but failed and watched the world shatter with my own eyes.
Now, in the third loop?
"I'll do what I can."
I kick off the ground immediately.
No time to hesitate.
Mom and Dad dying never happened. But their voices still ring clear in my ears. Even if it's undone... what happened to Dad then? Did Mom feel pain in her final moments? Damn it, the more I think about it, the more I feel like I'm going insane.
First things first: find that man slipping into the wall.
I know the location, so tracking him down is easy.
"Huh?"
Right then, someone pulls up a car ahead. A guy steps out and lights a cigarette. Parking the car just to smoke?
But.
A car?
The sudden impulse is something even I can't resist. Everyone's fantasized about playing GTA in real life at some point.
The smoking man shifts slightly. He's focused on his phone, and I sprint at full speed to reach the car.
—Clunk!
I hop straight into the driver's seat.
Keys in ignition: check.
Lock the doors immediately.
"H-Hey?!"
I see the guy freaking out.
"Sorry!"
I really am sorry, but I can't help it.
Stealing a car like this isn't normal.
I'd have nothing to say even if I had ten mouths.
But I have to do it.
Once I've decided, I carry it out with a heart of steel.
"Blood is steel, heart is glass."
Don't underestimate a regressor.
A regressor can pull off shit like this without batting an eye!
—Vrooom!
Reckless driving begins.
The guy chases for a bit before stopping.
He must be dumbfounded too.
"I'm out of my mind too!"
I yell that while driving toward where that fucking bastard who slips into walls is. He has to be there.
Arriving nearby, sure enough, I see the guy strolling casually.
"That motherfucker!"
Just seeing him saunter makes my rage boil!
Because of that bastard, I ended up like that!
"Dieeee!"
—Vroooom!
Let me say this upfront: this is sudden acceleration.
I floor the gas pedal cleanly.
—KABOOM!
I slam right into him.
—Thud!
Impact.
The massive shock leaves me dazed for a moment. The airbag deploys, bringing pain. But it's not that bad. I grit my teeth, shove the airbag aside, and somehow force the door open to crawl out.
Last loop, I tried a dropkick, but it was useless.
But what about a car?
With that faint hope, I lift my head.
What I see is.
"Guh."
Despite the car crash, the monster flees unscathed.
"Fuck!"
Untouched even by a car hit!
So physical force won't work at all!
At least, I've confirmed one thing for sure. No matter what brute force I use—whether my strength or ramming with a car—it has zero effect. At least within my capabilities, it's all pointless.
"Guaaaah."
The bastard runs, and in the end, the same thing happens again.
—Whoosh!
He slips into the wall.
"Giant...!"
The giant bursts out from the building like it was scratching an itch. From the circumstances, that guy clearly slipped into the wall to set something in motion.
Hold on.
There were tons of giants.
Does that mean there are that many guys slipping into walls?
I've only seen one... but let's keep that in mind.
"Next plan."
So what exactly happens inside that building?
If I were a normal person, I'd never try to find out. But I'm a regressor. One determined to resolve this incident.
I have to investigate.
I sprint straight to the building entrance.
"..."
The exterior looks unchanged. Through the glass doors, I see a reception desk or something. As expected of a big building in Gangnam—probably guarded up front?
I'll go in.
Thinking that, I open the door and enter.
"Huh!"
Right away, I see someone collapsed!
"Hey! Are you okay?!"
Looks like the desk receptionist—foam at the mouth, eyes rolled back.
Body trembling.
And that's not all.
"Snap out of it!"
There are multiple people down around!
Did that guy slipping into the wall cause this?
—Thump!
Then, some kind of wave hits. Like a massive soundwave washing over my body, slamming my heart and brain.
"Ugh!"
I nearly collapse.
But I endure.
—Drip.
Nosebleed.
Something's definitely happening in this building. These collapsed people must've been hit by it too. Facing it head-on fills me with fear, but I decide: even if I die, I'll learn more.
Saving people? Giving up on that.
That's not my job.
I head up the stairs to the second floor.
And.
"Ah...!"
I witness the true monstrosity.
—Wriggle.
The second floor interior is already warped.
Crimson flesh tissues.
Grotesque things bursting through walls and ceiling. Feels like stepping into a cave made of haphazardly sprouted organic matter.
"Eugh."
People collapsed everywhere, fusing with the building.
—Thump!
The wave intensifies.
"Ughaa...!"
I want to check more, but it's impossible now.
I'll pass out before learning anything else.
Looks like root-like flesh tissues spreading out. Even the stairs I came up are being invaded.
Is the whole building getting devoured to birth a giant? That makes sense. So right now, I'm inside a giant's guts.
"Can't hold out...!"
My head feels like it's splitting. I wipe the streaming nosebleed and bolt down to the first floor, escaping outside.
"Damn it!"
I witnessed the anomaly, but got no useful info.
"No time...!"
The giant apocalypse is about to erupt.
Can't stop this.
It's just an inevitable phenomenon.
Once it starts, no stopping it.
When the giants awaken, military or whatever—everything gets smashed, and not just Korea, the whole world perishes.
After the apocalypse, I roamed as a refugee, but no foreign aid came. Means other countries are fucked too.
"What to do... Management Bureau?"
The Management Bureau suddenly comes to mind.
Truth is, in the last loop while the world fell apart, I never even saw them. Proves they can't handle shit.
Contacting them is pointless, but since I have to do something, let's try.
"Let's see, business card."
I pull out the card I picked up leaving Cheongak Mary Hospital.
Faster than searching and being redirected.
Dial immediately.
-Call connected. What's the issue?
"Escaped from Cheongak Mary Hospital."
-Escaped? Congratulations! Sending agents right away! Location...!
"I'm in Gangnam."
I give the address.
"But I witnessed another anomaly here. Saw some guy slip right into a wall, got curious and checked inside the building—it's turned into a total freakshow space. Everyone collapsed, even saw victims melting and fusing with the building. Hurry over. Seems extremely dangerous."
-What? Hold on!
No need for more talk.
I hang up.
Then immediately call Dad.
"Dad! Feels like war broke out! I'm drafted as a reservist—army got me!"
-W-What?! What bullshit is that!
"It's real! Air raid siren gonna blare soon! I'll be at the base, so you and Mom get as far away as possible! Busan if you can! Love you, Dad! Mom too! Survive and let's meet!"
-You little shit!
Call ends.
No more contact with parents.
It'll just leave sorrow.
Phone down, I head straight to Dr. Kim Seonghan's mansion.
"Came at Dr. Kim Seonghan's request!"
Do I really need to come this far? But my instincts are screaming.
Something's up with the lady of the house.
Why else would she vanish in a flash of light from the limo? Don't know what it means, but better make the connection.
-Who is this?
Secretary's voice.
I explain like last loop, enter, show the ring, and explain.
"Ah, aah...! Him!"
Reward: pendant made of black stone.
Then, like last loop, warn them to flee.
"Got it? Get as far away as possible."
"Understood. But if it's that dangerous, you should come too. Let's head out now."
"I'm good. Got things to do. See you."
"Wait!"
Out of the mansion.
Apocalypse starts soon.
No time to see Management Bureau agents.
"Haha..."
Honestly.
Feels like forcing it this loop.
I learned something, but it doesn't lead to a solution.
So what I need to do is.
"Survive."
Somehow.
Survive near the epicenter.
Learn what the giants are after.
How they move.
At least that much.
"It's already over."
I've accepted the end. This loop ends the same as last. Giants rise, trample the world.
Sacrifice this loop.
As groundwork for resolution.
From now, countless die.
Don't want to imagine, but Mom and Dad die again.
But.
If I just take it lying down, it's infinite bad ends.
I have to act.
Me, with the power.
If I can regress, I should use it.
"Let's go."
I kick off and run.
Survive to the last moment.
Witness this world's end with my own eyes clearly.