All humans possess an innate desire to survive. Park Jin-ho was no exception.
If he hadn’t been, he never would have made it this far.
From level one to level twenty, Park Jin-ho had fought tooth and nail through the perilous survival game, a journey that had cost him ninety-eight lives. Now, on his ninety-ninth attempt, he stood alone before the ultimate challenge: the final boss room.
But fate, it seemed, had one last cruel joke to play.
[To enter the boss room, a minimum of five players are required.]
Park Jin-ho stared at the message, disbelief warring with a rising tide of fury at the sheer, galling absurdity of the game's demand.
At least five players?
He had clawed his way through twenty levels by himself, but now, at the very end, he was supposed to conjure four comrades out of thin air?
He’d already conquered a questline everyone had deemed impossible for a solo player, and this was his reward. A crushing weight settled on his shoulders as he contemplated the impossible task.
"If you needed five players, you should have said so from the start!" he roared at the empty air.
There had been no hints in the quest description, no warnings before the final gate—nothing to indicate such a requirement even existed.
Overwhelmed, Park Jin-ho almost missed the next system message as it flashed before his eyes.
[A single player has been identified in the boss room. Entry condition not met. Player will be eliminated.]
Before he could even process the words, his body began to dissolve, breaking apart into shimmering particles of light. With his last breath, he managed a final, bitter curse.
[Congratulations. You have met the condition for the Sigil of Regression.]
[Rewinding time to the first round.]
[You have used 100/100 lives.]
[All remaining lives have been consumed.]
[The skill Sigil of Regression has automatically disappeared.]
As the shadow of his final death fell over him, Park Jin-ho was born again, finding himself a novice, a mere level one player.
The one-hundredth regression was beginning.
He stood before Busan's Yongdusan Bell Tower, surrounded by a sea of citizens and reporters. They had all gathered for the annual tolling of the bell that marked the end of one year and the beginning of the next.
“…and as you can see, the crowd is electric, eagerly awaiting the bell-ringing ceremony to welcome in what we all hope will be a wonderful new year.”
“That’s right. This year’s ceremony will feature a number of prominent figures, from Busan’s mayor to celebrated individuals from all walks of life.”
As a broadcast camera swept across the crowd, Park Jin-ho finally came to his senses.
I’m back. Back to the exact moment before this damn game dragged him in.
He looked around, seeing countless faces alight with excitement, all eagerly anticipating the stroke of midnight. They had no idea their celebration was a prelude to despair.
If only he could stop time.
But time waits for no one. It marches relentlessly onward through happiness and pain alike, a current that can never be reversed. And while he had been able to turn back the clock before, that was no longer an option.
There was no going backward anymore.
He had died, and in doing so, had used up every last one of his extra lives.
This was his final chance. He would kill the boss on the twentieth floor and survive this insane game. He had to.
It was his last chance, but it wasn't a hopeless one.
Knowing the entrance condition was five players changed everything. He could plan for it.
His old strategies would have to be completely scrapped.
Before, he had only cared about his own survival, ignoring his fellow players and leaving them to their fates.
It was a survival game, after all. Those who fell behind were destined to perish.
He had become powerful enough to reach the twentieth floor completely alone, only to be blindsided by the revelation that the final battle required a party of five.
If he hadn't possessed all those extra lives, it would have been over for good right then and there.
It was a game he could not win alone. To Park Jin-ho, it felt like a deliberate trap laid by whatever cruel gods were running this show.
I have to succeed this time.
Before, he had never spared a glance for the people around him. Now, he couldn't afford to ignore anyone.
He had to find four other players and personally ensure they reached the final floor alongside him.
Of course, he had no intention of giving them a free ride. It would be hard enough clawing his own way back to the top. The plan was simple: use them to get through the final door.
So, who would be the best choice? For a boss battle, I’ll need capable allies.
He recalled the names of several promising players who had died back on the eighteenth floor in his previous timelines.
A dozen different plans began to form in his mind. As this was his final attempt, he needed to be more careful, more thorough than ever before.
While he was lost in thought, committing his new strategy to memory, the moment arrived.
“It’s almost time! Let’s count down together!”
The host’s amplified voice rang out, and the countdown to annihilation began. The crowd joined in, their faces filled with hope as their voices echoed from twenty.
The mayor of Busan and several other celebrities stood before the great bell, mallets in hand, ready to ring in the new year.
“Happy New Year 2022! May you all have a blessed year ahead!”
A massive cheer erupted from the crowd, their faces glowing with happiness.
But their joy was short-lived.
[Kik, kik, kik. How amusing, you humans. Celebrating the new year without the slightest inkling of your predicament.]
A voice boomed, not through speakers, but directly inside their minds. The cheers faltered and died.
“What was that? Did you hear something?”
“I didn’t say anything!”
People looked around in confusion, turning to their neighbors, trying to find the source of the voice.
Only one person remained calm amid the rising chaos: Park Jin-ho.
He had lived through this exact moment ninety-nine times. He knew precisely what was coming.
Don’t panic. Everything is proceeding as it should.
After a tense silence, the unpleasant, grating laughter echoed in their minds again.
[Hehe, hehehe… You all look like monkeys in a cage when you scurry about like that. But don’t worry. You’ll get used to it. Humans are adaptable creatures, after all.]
“What? Where is that voice coming from?”
“Is this a prank from the broadcast station?”
“A hidden camera? At the bell-ringing ceremony? Seriously?”
The confusion was rapidly escalating into panic. The disembodied voice was enough to send the crowd into a frenzy. Even the celebrities forgot their duty, standing frozen before the silent bell.
“It’s gotta be a stunt. Any second now, some cosplayer in an angel costume is going to pop out, right?”