Chapter 1

Prologue

The world has ended.

But from another perspective, the world hasn't ended.

Yes.

If we think of 'the world' as Earth rather than humanity, it hasn't ended.

From Earth's perspective, it's merely expelled the illegal squatters, viruses, and pests that are humans.

The world of humans is collapsing.

Unheard-of entities have appeared, raping women and hunting humans, eating children in front of their mothers.

In that world, I am,

"Village leader, it's been... 17 years already."

I have survived for 17 years,

"Village leader, thank you for all your hard work."

I trusted people too much and lived like a vegetable for over 9 years,

Now, the end is coming. Yes, I will finally be at ease. As I approach the end of my life, am I hallucinating the voice of Earth's will? But it seems to be really happening. If this voice I'm hearing is real, please grant my earnest wish...

Thank you. Indeed, the hope of this era! A god-like being!

"See you again."

Still, I'm worried. What will happen to the child who has been taking care of me when I die? They are sure to end up in a bad situation, given their good looks.

If only I could transfer my karma points to them. But karma points cannot be traded between individuals unless through a special event. Tsk. Anyway, thank you. I will soon be freed from this intense suffering.

"Shall I greet you first?"

Yes.

"Please remember me."

Yes, I understand, so please be quiet now. I want to go peacefully in the end.

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Hello, readers.

It's been a long time since I've greeted you.

I am Shimhaeng.

I really feel like I haven't been awake at this time for a long time.

I had to live a fairly regular life to recover from my broken body.

After today, I probably won't be awake at this time anymore, but it feels like I'm buried in warm memories as I write this review at 00:00 for the first time in a long time.

Many things happened during my break, but I still have stories I want to tell.

I sincerely hope that my imperfect writing will bring you a pleasant 10 minutes in your day.

Many thoughts are competing in my mind, but I'll cut to the chase.

I greet you again.

Hello, readers.

I am Shimhaeng.

Regression? No, why?

To one person, life can be a brilliant spring day, but to another, it can be the embodiment of hell and the middle of purgatory.

And regression is not something that everyone welcomes.

— Preface to the autobiography of regression expert, Dormammu.

*

My vision is blurry. My eyes are heavy and painful. The nausea rising from my stomach makes my esophagus and chest feel like they're burning. Instinctively, I toss and turn, as my body craves more sleep.

But eventually, I wake up, and what my throat and stomach desperately want is a cool drink of water. I force myself to get up. My mind is still half on the bed, but my body moves on its own, and before I know it, I'm holding a cup of cool water.

And the moment that cool water slides down my throat and into my stomach,

"Huh?"

I come to my senses,

"What?!"

I understand the situation, yet I don't, in a paradoxical way.

"Did I move? My body?"

My arms and legs moving as I will. I remember tossing and turning in my sleep a moment ago. The process of getting up and standing on my feet plays out in my mind like a wave.

Right now, I am not a vegetable, a mere breathing body, at the mercy of those bastards.

"But isn't that not the important part?"

A fairly clean and spacious king-sized bed. The quilt, though rumpled, is clean, having been washed not long ago. The window is clean and transparent, showing the outside clearly, and the floor is almost spotless. My bare feet, standing on it, are not the dirty, unwashed feet from the apocalypse but clean and smooth.

Only then do I finally take a proper look around and realize that the place I just woke up in is not 'my land.'

"Ah? Eh?! Ah!!"

In a second, I go from 'confusion' to 'understanding the situation' and then to 'identifying the cause.'

The place I woke up in is not the land that helped me survive the apocalypse, but the high-rise apartment I lived in before the apocalypse began.

That means,

"I'm back...? Why?!"

The moment I am breathing now is before the world has plunged into destruction.

Despite the absurdity of the situation, I reach out and feel around the bedside table for my smartphone, as my body remembers.

────────────────

7:26

December 02, Monday

────────────────

The date displayed on the brightening screen. My gaze follows the light into the wide living room, where the window shows a busy yet peaceful daily scene. A scene that anyone would describe as 'ordinary.'

"Ah..."

Just looking at that scene, I shed tears filled with deep emotion. The foggy condensation on the transparent and clean window, caused by the temperature difference between the cold outside and the warm inside from the boiler, felt special to me.

This scene, which is so ordinary and even bothersome to some, has been the dream and desire of every person on Earth since that day, and I couldn't help but shed tears.

"Aah."

And I am surprised again. The tears I wiped away, reflexively, are not dirty from a lack of water but clean and transparent.

I stood there for a while, taking in the busy people and cars. I just watched the peaceful and calm morning pass by, endlessly.

"Aah..."

A hoarse voice came from my throat, which had been silent from just looking out the window. But it's okay.

"I'm going to die now."

I won't need my voice anymore.

To someone who desperately wished for it, regression is a blessing and an opportunity.

Even to someone who didn't desperately wish for it, the chance to live life again would be considered luck at the very least.

But what if the person who regressed knew the apocalypse was coming?

What if that apocalypse was not just a few zombies appearing but something so vicious and cruel that it would reduce human life to pre-civilization levels?

Moreover, what if the protagonist, who had been betrayed by a trusted comrade and lived as a human totem for 10 years, suffering from intense human distrust?

"I have to die."

I can say with certainty, without a doubt, absolutely, not at all, that I never wished for regression. Regression was something I had never even considered. What I hoped for until the last moment was the perfect silence and rest that would come after death.

Some might see me as pitiful. They might say, "You've regressed, so you should think about living better, not about dying." In a novel, the protagonist would probably say, "Great! I'll dominate and crush everyone with all the hidden pieces!"

Listen, friend.

The apocalypse coming to Earth, or to humanity, is not a game.

There's no hidden piece in the apocalypse.

The apocalypse is not a game. Do you want a status screen?

Fortunately, there is something similar, but why?

As I said earlier, the apocalypse is not just a few zombies or a meteor hitting. It goes through many stages, viciously trying to eliminate the human 'species.'

If I were to use a metaphor, it's like having to rank in a completely free-to-play, pay-to-win game. No, it's much harder.

So, the only topic I am seriously considering and pondering, having clearly felt the regression, is,

"How am I going to die?"

The method of suicide. A way to die without pain. That's it.

Whirr—!

Should I hang myself?

No. It's said to be more painful and take longer than you think.

Whirr—!

Or stab my heart?

If you don't hit it right, this will really hurt for a long time.

Whirr!!

Burn a charcoal briquette?

The thought of chemical warfare and PTSD is scary. Plus, you have to seal everything with tape.

"A, none of them are good."

But the methods I think of are not good.

Whirr—! Whirr—! Whirr—!

The continuous vibration of my smartphone is seriously interfering with my serious contemplation. It's probably from work. Contrary to my expectation that it would stop if ignored, the vibration doesn't cease.

Naturally, I grab the smartphone with a face showing my irritation at having my once-in-a-lifetime contemplation disturbed.

"Hello..."

A sharp, ear-piercing female voice. It sounds familiar, but it's not welcoming enough to improve my mood. Moreover, I'm not in the mood to listen to her one-sided frustration.

"Who is this?"

Ah, I remember. My girlfriend. Yes, I had a girlfriend around this time. I remember breaking up around this period.

"..."

I realized it. We haven't broken up yet. I thought we had.

"Then let's do it."

"Is your concept of a breakup gone? You say you want to break up and then get mad when I agree?!"

"Who's the girlfriend if you're the one who said you want to break up? And what can I not say when you're the one telling me this over the phone?"

"Ah, forget it!"

"Whyyyyyy!! It hurts my ears, so shut up and get lost. This is my final warning. If you hear any news about me, don't come near me. If you see me on the street, go the other way. If you see me in front of you, I'll give you a good kick, fitting your feminist ideals of gender equality! Hang up! You crazy woman!"

Already on the verge of exploding with frustration, I vented my anger in a one-sided call, changed the heart-embedded name to 'crazy woman,' and blocked her.

I lost my temper, which is unlike me, and used harsh words. Maybe I don't want to die. Maybe that's why I lashed out in frustration when I wanted to cry.

I think that's probably it.

"Whatever."

But what does it matter?

What's the point of a petty self-reflection or self-objectification for someone who's going to commit suicide?

No matter how much I try to activate my happiness circuits now, my future is hopeless.

"Then I have to die."

After venting my frustration like a storm, I feel a bit less stressed. Unconsciously, the events of today, before the regression, come to mind like a sudden summer shower.

"Ah!!"