The End and the Beginning (01)

In the year 20××, humanity perished.

Because of the suddenly opened Gates?

Because of natural disasters like earthquakes and tsunamis?

Well, neither is entirely wrong.

After Gates suddenly appeared across the world, what people worried about most were the beasts that poured out from inside them.

When a three-headed monster jumps out, rolling its eyes, it’s only sensible to worry about that.

But humanity didn’t fall because of the beasts.

After the Gates appeared, Hunters emerged in response; thanks to them, society regained stability over a long period.

The world… didn’t end because of sharp fangs or claws, but because of a highly contagious toxic substance. No one knows how it happened, but an unidentified toxin originating from the Gates spread at breakneck speed, and there was neither a way to neutralize it nor time to try.

Because of the strong contagion that infected by mere contact, even Hunters were helpless before they could act, and I was probably the last human left. Compared to how hard I struggled in that chaotic world, the end was so futile it almost made me laugh.

‘Well, it looks like I don’t have long either.’

With blurry vision I looked around the desolate surroundings. Next to me was the grave of the friend I had buried first.

A few modest flowers swayed atop the roughly heaped earth.

At least I could choose where I’d die myself… I thought, blinking my wavering eyes.

“Hey, do you know how hard it was to find those flowers.”

Not that talking to a grave would get me an answer.

“Just wait a little. I’m your only friend, remember?”

My malnourished body had no strength left, and I died without even a chance to hold on to my fading consciousness.

It was peace at last.

Hunter 「Kang Yu-ha」 has died.

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* * *

Beeeeep.

How long had I slept like that? A ringing that cut through my sleep made me knit my brows.

What the, wasn’t I dead?

When I cracked my eyes open, a status window was flashing before me. It was a brilliant color I’d never seen before. After reading what was written inside, I was even more stunned.

You have achieved an impossible feat.

Titles: Last Survivor, Regressor

Reward: Time (5 years)

Wait, hold on.

What is this…

I lifted a hand to brush up the bangs stuck to my forehead, then smacked my own cheek.

Smack!

With a crisp sound, my face burned hot.

I cupped my stinging cheek and looked around. A frame hanging on a white wall, a gray blanket on a fluffy bed, a ticking desk clock.

Even the glass of water on the table was just like before. The studio I’d lived in right after graduating college.

Familiar things that no longer felt guaranteed.

Listening to the ticking clock, I tried to regain my sense of reality. The scene was so peaceful it made all the hardship feel like a dream.

After sitting there for a long while trying to get my stiff brain turning, a thought struck me and I rummaged around on the bed.

‘There…!’

I found my phone under the blanket. I tapped the screen; it lit up and still had plenty of battery.

Then I quickly entered the pattern and hit the call button.

Ring, ring.

After a few rings, a voice came through.

—Daughter~! What’s the occasion? You’re actually calling?

“…Mom.”

—What is it, why does your voice sound like that? Did something happen?

“…”

—Something must have happened. Did you fail the interview?

“…No, I just wanted to hear your voice.”

—Oh my, are you sick?

My throat tightened and I couldn’t answer. Tears were already streaming down my face.

—This won’t do, I’ll come up today.

“No, really, I’m fine. I’m not sick.”

—Fine, my foot! My child sounds like she’s dying!

“Really, I’m fine. You’re busy too. I just had a bad dream, that’s all.”

—Even when you were five, you were never like this…

“…”

—If getting a job is too hard, just come back down. Your mom is capable enough for that, okay? How about we open a café here together.

“There you go again. You don’t even like coffee.”

—But my Yu-ha likes it, so Mom can bake cookies!

“Okay, if it gets too hard, I’ll come down. Don’t overdue yourself either, Mom.”

—Mom’s sturdy, I’m fine—my girl’s the one struggling away from home. It hasn’t been long since you graduated, so don’t push yourself and keep your mind at ease.

“Okay.”

—And eat breakfast properly!

“Got it, got it.”

—…Ah, right! Yu-ha, Mom has to head out now.

“Okay. I’ll call you later.”

—Thank you, my girl. I love you~.

The call-end tone sounded and I buried my face in my knees. Words I couldn’t bring myself to say circled in my chest.

‘Mom, I’m sorry. I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you.’

I wanted to write it off as a bad dream and shake it off, but the pain in my face and the status window’s glitter felt like they were shouting at me.

Titles 「Last Survivor」 「Regressor」.

Don’t flail at nothing—get a grip. Everything you went through really happened.

The unidentified toxin from the Gates appeared simultaneously all over the world. I learned of it belatedly on the news and tried to call my mother at once, but never once got through.

I even tried going in person, but I was turned away several times with claims the area was closed.

In the end, without even confirming a body, I found only her three-syllable name on the list of initial victims. I caused a scene saying it couldn’t be true, but there was no way to verify.

After that outburst, I awakened late as a Hunter and gained the Purification ability. I wasn’t happy—I thought I would lose my mind. I couldn’t even protect my own family; what, was I supposed to spend a lifetime looking at this power, stewing in regret and self-reproach?

‘Get it together.’

If I’ve returned to the past, there’s still a chance. What’s more, unlike my previous life, I’m already awakened. The situation was different from before.

‘I can undo it.’

How desperately I’d wished for it. If only I could go back a little, just a little farther…

If only I had done this, if only I had done that—such regrets tormented me every night. But those painful nights are now not belated regret, but an opportunity.

I sprang up from the bed and did what I had to do right now.

“……Status window.”

Name: Kang Yu-ha

Rank: B

Titles: Last Survivor, Regressor

Skills: Physical Enhancement (B), Purification (E)

※ There is a reward that cannot be settled at present.

‘Reward?’

No matter how I looked, it seemed like something was there.

Thinking it might give me some trick to break this situation, I tried hard to control the window, but the text wouldn’t change. I couldn’t check any details.

I even flailed at the air, but it was the same.

‘Ha… I’ll skip it for now.’

My abilities were the same as right after awakening. Purification was still E-Rank. At this level I could probably use it about once a day.

‘And Physical Enhancement is intact too.’

It was a skill I’d used to great effect before regressing, so I was relieved.

I can do this. I could see hope.

I was only a B-Rank Awakened, but there was no one in this world who knew more than I did.

I opened my phone again and checked the date.

May 16.

Good grief, I laughed. At this point the intent behind sending me back seemed almost transparent, whether it was the system or some unknown entity.

May 16, five years ago. The day I most wanted to return to.

Today would be remembered as the most tragic day to come.

“The day the number-one ranked, S-Rank hunter Min Ha-jun died.”

I knew what I had to do.

There was still time. I got up and headed to the bathroom. If I’m going out, I should wash first.

* * *

The me in the mirror felt unfamiliar. Fresh and clean after washing, I had short black bobbed hair. When I awkwardly touched the hair that swayed around my shoulders, it finally felt real that I’d come back.

The last time I’d checked my reflection, my hair had been white, roughly cut with shards of broken glass.

‘The more I used Purification, the more my hair color changed.’

Later, that E-Rank skill evolved on its own up to B-Rank. The fact that I survived to the end was thanks to this skill too.

Putting the sentimentality aside, I stepped into the living room, pulled on a black cap, and opened my inventory.

I’d checked during my shower—one very welcome item had come along with me.

Sharp Dagger (S).

Before regression, I’d been lucky enough to fall in with a group that had an S-Rank crafting-type hunter; I saved his life then and had this weapon reinforced.

I didn’t know whether to congratulate it for coming back to the past with me or pity it for all the work ahead.

—A Gate has opened in ○○-dong, and citizens are evacuating. As it is a weekend morning…

The news leaking from the TV pierced my ears.

It was time to get moving.

* * *

From atop a tall building I looked down. The wind tousled the ends of my hair. Below, those controlling the area around the Gate and those fleeing were all jumbled together in chaos.

It seemed Min Ha-jun hadn’t arrived yet.

I turned on my phone and went online.

Live ○○-dong situation

WTF almost got wrecked while shopping. people are running and it’s chaos right now.

└use the time you’re typing to run

└facts.

But like isn’t it been a while since Gates popped with zero notice? what’s the Hunter Association even doing lol

└oh so they don’t care about lowly B-Rank now~

└association’s out of its mind lately. look at their ‘work’

└rotten punks. they take all that tax and do nothing right… no wonder the country’s falling over.

wait think I saw MHJ

└Yeah no way~ Min Ha-jun went to tackle a gate in the provinces today~

└lol heard this Gate’s just B-Rank why would Min Ha-jun come?

Finally, I found the post I was looking for.

Exactly. Why didn’t he go where he was scheduled and stayed here…

I pulled my cap down lower and lightly dropped into a deserted alley. I immediately felt my body plummeting fast.

「Physical Enhancement」.

At the right moment I reinforced my legs with the skill, stepped off the wall to bleed speed, and landed. 「Physical Enhancement」 is crude, but once you get the hang of it, it’s incredibly useful.

Fortunately, the experience I’d built up remained, so though my body lagged a bit, I could move with some ease.

I dampened my presence and blended into the crowd.

* * *

“Don’t push!”

“Please follow the hunters’ instructions!”

Choi Min-sik, an official of the Hunter Association, sighed. Of all times, something had blown up on his day off and he’d been dragged out in a rush.

‘What rotten luck.’

He’d planned to spend a killer day off at home; now it was shot. Thinking about the beer freezing in his freezer sent his annoyance through the roof.

‘It’s just B-Rank and everyone’s making a fuss. And doesn’t the Gate detection team do their job?’

From what he knew, the Detection Team’s salaries were on another level—were they working or not? They were probably getting chewed out hard right now.

“Huh? You there!”

Grumbling inwardly while dutifully herding civilians, Minsik spotted a woman walking against the evacuation route. Some people in panic can’t see their surroundings; she must be one of those.

“Excuse me! You can’t go that way!”

He shouted to her and hurried over. If another civilian got caught up in the Gate, he wouldn’t just be writing an incident report—he’d get an immediate pay cut.

“Ma’am!”

He yelled his lungs out, but the woman didn’t even look back. It seemed no one else had even noticed her; nobody tried to stop her.

On top of that, even as he ran, buffeted by the crowd, the distance kept widening.

‘Wait, why is she so fast?’

When he was just within reach, Minsik even used a skill and grabbed her.

“Excuse me. It’s dangerous that way. Please evacuate as instructed.”

The woman whose arm he caught turned back. But there was no panic or fear on her face.

‘…Strange?’

Her cap was pulled low so he couldn’t see well, but from her steady eyes Minsik felt an inexplicable pressure and unconsciously loosened his grip.

“Not bad.”

“Pardon?”

Leaving that brief comment, the woman vanished from the spot in an instant.

It was a speed he couldn’t believe.

‘W-what the. A ghost?’

He worked at the Association and knew all the top rankers by face, but he didn’t recall a face like that.

If anything, it was a face you couldn’t forget after a single look…

‘Should I… report this?’

If you can avoid things where responsibility might be pinned on you, you should. Should he report this or not.

Minsik stood blankly in the street for a moment, trapped in a salaryman’s dilemma.