The Epilogue of Earth

A blue holographic window filled my vision. 'What... is this...'

In an instant, the voice I had heard earlier echoed through my mind. 'The Epilogue of Earth.' Epilogue. A word signifying the end of a story. So, this hellish situation meant... '...Does this mean Earth has been destroyed?'

And right before my eyes, floating beyond the closed shutter, was a line of text.

A regressor. A term I had only ever seen in web novels had become reality, branded right before my eyes. 'No way... Is this for real?'

Everything made sense now. Why Choi Kang-min had been so calm. How he could be so confident even in front of the Orcs. The bastard had already lived through all of this once before.

It was all an act. The text floating above his head exposed Choi Kang-min for what he truly was. To him, we were never people to be saved. 'It’s all a lie.' He just needed bait. He needed to ensure his true objective wouldn't be interfered with.

The Nebula Ring of Regeneration. I knew what it was just by the name. It was my only lifeline to repair my shattered body. If Choi Kang-min, in his second life, was coveting that ring, there had to be a damn good reason.

'...I can't believe my luck is this rotten.' I let out a dry laugh while dying. A regressor, of all things. He must have every single strategy memorized in his head. He was a player literally using cheat codes. For someone like me to go up against him was next to impossible.

Yeah...

If things had gone normally. '...I don't know what's real anymore.'

I looked at the man lying in the distance. A horrific sight. A corpse growing cold, its head split open. A hot, burning sensation surged up along with the smell of blood. 'Am I just going to die like this?'

If I closed my eyes here, that bastard would live on as a winner forever. And... 'My sister.' That young girl who lived only for me. The world had turned into hell, but if I were gone, how would she survive? It was bad enough that I’d let her suffer under debt collectors her whole life; I couldn't let her be torn apart by monsters now.

At that thought, my dying nerves screamed and snapped awake. '..I have to live.' I had to survive, no matter what, and get back to my sister. To do that, I had to take what was his.

I couldn't see his name, but I could predict his movements. He would head to the basement ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠via the emergency stairs inside the shutter. But there was one thing he overlooked: I had worked at this supermarket for three years. I had been to every corner of this building.

'Behind the freight elevator... the trash chute.' It was a spot that dropped straight from the first floor to the basement collection area. Using that, I could reach the front of the ventilation shaft the fastest.

I grabbed the floor and dragged my body. The pain was so intense it felt like my insides were spilling out. My vision spun, but I bit my tongue to keep my consciousness anchored. The Orcs were too busy feasting on the corpses to notice me. Turning my back on that horrific sound, I opened the old, rusted chute in the corner wall.

Had he entered through the stairs inside? The text flickered briefly and vanished. I had no time. I threw my blood-soaked body into the narrow, dark chute without hesitation.

—Thud! Crack!

Gaining speed, my whole body slammed into the metal walls. It felt like my broken ribs were piercing my lungs. In this place, where my breath was stolen and the stench was suffocating, I gritted my teeth as hard as I could. How many seconds had passed? My body tumbled onto a pile of trash in the second basement.

"Gah...!" I coughed up blood and lifted my head. I saw the old utility room in front of me. And next to it, in the corner of a shelf layered with dust...

"Crazy..." It was real. A strange golden light was flickering.

My heart was pounding like it would burst. I reached out with a hand covered in blood. I grabbed the brilliant ring that had just materialized in the air.

'Don't ask me stupid questions.' I shoved the ring onto my finger immediately. In that instant, a strange sensation washed over my entire body. The torn flesh of my side began to knit together at an abnormal speed. Vitality surged into my dying body.

"Haa..." I let out a ragged breath and stood up. The pain was completely gone. I felt even lighter than I had before I was injured. "This is insane..."

—Step, step...

My head turned reflexively. Footsteps were approaching from down the hallway. It was Choi Kang-min. He had come to harvest the reward of the script he had written himself. I quickly scanned the warehouse floor. Among the dust, a rusted bottle opener caught my eye. "This is it."

I picked it up and placed it in the center of the empty box where the ring had been. Then, I silently hid myself in the back.

—Creak.

The rusted iron door swung open roughly. I held my breath. Choi Kang-min’s condition as he staggered in was wretched. A sunken shoulder, a torn-up back. He had pretended to be fine earlier, but he wasn't normal either. Now I understood why he had been able to act that way. '...He was aiming for this ring.' Because if he just put on the Nebula Ring of Regeneration, his wounds would heal in an instant.

"Haa, haa..." He approached the shelf and opened the box with trembling hands. And then, he froze like a statue. "...Huh?"

The silence was short-lived. He began frantically rummaging through the box. He started digging through the dust piles around him. —Clatter! Bang! "Where is it? Where is it!! Why ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠is there just a rusted bottle opener...!"

The Spoiler window fluctuated. The ring being missing wasn't just a simple problem. The actions he had taken to deceive us were now acting as fatal wounds.

"Cough! Ack...!" Choi Kang-min spat out black blood and collapsed to the floor.

His eyes, checking the system warning window, shook wildly.

His gaze turned toward the iron door he had entered through. I tilted my head. 'Why is he suddenly looking behind him..?' At that moment, the status window changed.

And I understood immediately. Blood Eater. I didn't know exactly what it was, but if a regressor was talking about it like this, it must have the effect of restoring his body. Choi Kang-min’s hesitation didn't last long.

"Gah...! Haa, damn... it." He spat out blood again. Then he stood up, gripping a fire axe. "If I'm going to die anyway, the 2nd life and all that shit is over." The anxious look in his eyes vanished. Now, only murderous intent glinted there. "Yeah... they were all going to die outside anyway. Since I saved them, what’s there to be unfair about?"

At the same time, the Spoiler window in front of me updated in red.

'As expected... a crazy bastard.'

—Creak.

"Ugh... Let's go, damn it, this is fucked up... what is this..." He muttered curses and turned his back. He opened the door again and stepped outside. '...He's leaving.'

I narrowed my eyes. My gaze landed on a brick in the corner of the warehouse. I could jump out now and smash his head in. He was in a near-death state, and my body was perfectly recovered. But.

'Status window.'

My wounds were healed, but that was it. I didn't know what my stats meant, but I was likely at the level of an average person. On the other hand, that guy was a regressor and had murder experience. If I rushed in recklessly and he had some trick I didn't know about, I’d die for nothing. Most of all, I had something much more urgent.

'Yu-ah.' My younger sister, who would be alone at home. I bit my lip hard. How terrified must that young girl be? I had to run to her immediately. I waited until Choi Kang-min’s presence had completely vanished before standing up. However, I couldn't just leave quietly like this.

'It pisses me off too much to let things go according to that bastard's plan.'

I headed to the old supermarket management office connected to the stairs in the corner of the B2 warehouse. Fortunately, it seemed the upper levels were blocked, so he hadn't entered here. '..Found it.'

I saw an old broadcast microphone. The power was still on. When I flipped the switch, howling feedback echoed throughout the entire supermarket.

—Screeeeeech!!

Every survivor would have no choice but to pay attention. That was the situation. I opened my mouth to the microphone. "Attention, survivors." My voice rang through the entire supermarket. "The trainer who saved you is heading your way with an axe right now."

"Choi Kang-min’s goal is not to rescue survivors. He is going to hunt you down."

"If you don't want to believe it, go ahead and offer your head to his axe. If you want to live, prepare to drive a weapon into his back."

I pulled away from the mic. Naturally, they wouldn't believe it immediately. On the surface, he was on the side of good. But this was enough to plant the seeds of doubt. The moment he swung that axe, everyone would swarm him.

"Let's see if things go your way. You son of a bitch." I pulled the power cord from the microphone.

"AAAAAAAGH!!! WHO THE HELL IS THAT!!!!"

At that moment, a beast-like scream echoed from down the hallway. The desperate cry of a regressor who couldn't understand this situation. I let the sound wash over me and slipped out the back door of the management office.

The loading dock passage connected to the underground parking lot. The world was a mess, but my vision was clearer than ever.

The detection range of the Spoiler trait was a 10-meter radius. The blue window floating in the air informed me of the Orcs' actions and locations in real-time. I held my breath and stepped only through the blind spots. "Whew..." Perhaps thanks to the ring, my footsteps felt as light as feathers.

When I finally reached the back alley of the supermarket, the acrid smoke and smell of blood made me frown involuntarily. "Crazy..."

The world was already hell. Vehicles burning everywhere. Asphalt stained with bloodstains. And red monsters roaming the streets, hunting people. My peaceful daily life had ended completely.

—Kwooooooo!!!

The sound of an Orc nearby. I hid my body in the shadow of a streetlamp. And I quietly looked down at my blood-caked hands. In an instant, one phrase came to mind.

'Someone who works as hard as you... will definitely see the light someday...'

The man who tried to save me until the very last moment. As his gaze flickered in my memory, pain surged in my chest again. 'In the end, I could only receive.'

I clenched my trembling fist. 'Light, huh...' Was he right? I didn't know. I had never thought I could live a life like that. However...

I moved my body to avoid the Orc coming from the front. 'If I use this ability, couldn't I live a better life?' Yeah, I could hope for at least that much, couldn't I?

That was when it happened. Above the blood-red, torn night sky, a massive holographic text appeared.

Tutorial. A survival game that would last for the next 15 days. I had roughly sorted out the situation. I didn't know why, but Earth was destroyed. And I had to survive for 15 days. Then, what was most important to me now was...

'Yu-ah.'

Only my younger sister. The girl who grew up looking only at me, even amidst the mountain of debt our parents left behind. I moved my feet quickly. It was only four stops away from the supermarket. 'At least I don't have to work, that's nice.'

Spoiler. I didn't know why I had this ability, but did that matter? I wasn't a fool. I knew what an EX-grade meant, and I knew how incredible this ability was. '..Just wait a little longer.'

A dry laugh escaped me. The world had ended, but strangely, I felt like I could breathe for the first time. I would never have to return to that horrific daily life where I couldn't even pay the interest no matter how hard I worked from dawn until night. The debt that crushed me, the social ladder—it was all a lawless zone now, shattered to pieces. It was actually the perfect opportunity. A chance to climb from the very bottom to the highest place.