The sll of disinfectant brushed past the tip of my nose. As my awareness slowly returned, I felt a hard pressure weighing down on my shoulder.
When I opened my eyes slowly, a dirty cent ceiling and a dimly glowing incandescent light ca into view. I stared blankly at the bulb swaying on a single wire, then slowly raised my upper body.
“Urgh...”
Because I’d been lying on the cold, hard floor for a long ti, even that simple movent sent a dull pain shooting through my body. I lifted my head and looked around.
Like the ceiling, the walls were made of rough, dirty concrete, and the door was solid tal. I scanned the room several tis, trying to stay calm, but ended up biting my lip in confusion.
“This place...”
It was all too familiar. If my mory was correct, this was the solitary cell in the Awakener research facility where I’d been dragged against my will two years ago.
That made no sense. This place had been blown to pieces two years ago—the building itself had collapsed. So then... what the hell is this place? And why am I here?
As I sat there blinking, unable to accept what was happening—
《All data has been successfully modified, except for the error sections.》
《Please enter your na to access the system.》
“...!”
The sa red letters I saw in my dream floated in the air.
I stared at them blankly for a while, struggling to believe they were real. The letters began to blink, urging for a response.
《Please enter your na.》
My na? It’s asking for my na?
After hesitating for a mont, I opened my mouth.
“Cha Seohu.”
《Logging in as Cha Seohu.》
《Please wait. This process may take so ti.》
《Loading......》
Just like in the dream, the familiar string of ssages continued. I cautiously reached my hand toward the letters. But my hand passed right through them—they were still clearly visible, just not tangible.
Am I still dreaming? While I sat confused, the ssage began to change.
《Login complete. You may now use the system.》
“System...?”
That was the last of the text before it disappeared.
Even in my confusion, the word “system” lingered in my mind. Honestly, the contents of the ssage weren’t all that foreign to .
I’d spent plenty of ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ ti reading web novels, webtoons, and playing a fair share of gas. Seeing system ssages floating in midair wasn’t as strange as you might think.
I swallowed dryly and stared into the air. I’d co this far—there was no reason not to try. After so hesitation, I cautiously spoke.
“Status window.”
Ding!
User Info: Cha Seohu
Age: 26 (28)
Main Skill: Guardian’s Bond (B-rank)
Attack Power: F-rank
Attack Speed: F-rank
Movent Speed: F-rank
Agility: F-rank
Trait ▼
└ Soaked Cat (F-rank)
With a cheerful chi, the status window really did pop up in the air.
I cursed under my breath and instinctively flinched backward, but new letters suddenly appeared, blocking the view of my status window.
《System first-ti use complete! You have received a reward.》
《Trait Acquired: Just Lie There (F-rank)》
《Hidden Quest unlocked!》
《Hidden Quest: I Can’t Let It End Like This (L-rank)》
《Hidden Quest: I Can’t Let It End Like This (L-rank) – Cleared!》
《Reward for clearing the Hidden Quest has been granted.》
《Hidden Skill Acquired: Silver Blessing (S-rank)》
“What... the hell.”
ssages flooded my vision, piling up so fast it was overwhelming.
Frowning, I slowly read through them one by one. One ssage in particular stood out, gnawing at the back of my mind.
“Hidden Quest... I Can’t Let It End Like This? What the...”
It was ridiculous that such a thing as a hidden quest even existed—but even more absurd that I’d cleared it already? A wave of indescribable unease crashed over .
If what I was thinking was right... No, but... that’s impossible, isn’t it? Could sothing like that really happen? Just as I was questioning it—
Hidden Quest: I Can’t Let It End Like This (L-rank)
You turned back ti at the mont of death.
Reward: Hidden Skill acquired
I hadn’t even said anything—just thought it—and the system brought up a new window with a detailed explanation.
“...It even explains things?”
I let out a short, hollow laugh.
Well, it wasn’t a bad thing. There were still a ton of questions left unanswered anyway. If everything cos with explanations like this, then I’ll be able to figure out what all the other ssages an, too.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
First, I focused on the hidden quest. I repeated the first sentence to myself:
“You turned back ti at the mont of death.”
So all of this isn’t a dream. It’s real.
Given where I was, the ti I’d gone back must be about two years and six months.
“I... actually beca a regressor.”
I bowed my head, stunned.
I’d returned to two years ago—and yet, everything I’d experienced before dying was so vivid, so real.
The Catastrophe.
Just thinking of that being made grit my teeth. The entity that devoured the world. Even S-rank Hunters couldn’t stop it. They died, one after another.
The Catastrophe wasn’t just a person. Like the na implied, it was a natural disaster in human skin—sothing that killed every living thing in its path.
When I recalled the excruciating pain that had wracked my body before I blacked out, my fists trembled violently. That fear, the raw terror I’d felt just rembering it, was proof of the Catastrophe’s power.
The people I cherished like family were wiped out in an instant by a single gesture from that thing. They were amazing people who led the fight to the very end—for the sake of the world. They never should’ve died that way.
I can’t... let them die like that again.
I rembered just how much I’d regretted it as I lay dying.
If I were given another chance—I swore I would do everything in my power to make sure those precious people didn’t die like that.
“...Yeah. I don’t know how or why this happened, but it’s an incredible opportunity.”
I have to stop the Catastrophe and save everyone. Whether it’s possible or not doesn’t matter. At the very least, this ti, I want to die without regrets.
With new resolve, I calmly examined the system ssages. The system was strikingly similar to the interfaces used in the gas I usually played.
Words like “rank” and “skill” were common among Awakeners these days, but terms like “trait” and “quest” were things you only saw in gas.
Given that I received a reward for clearing a hidden quest, it stood to reason that completing quests like this could give even greater power.
And if I beco stronger, I’ll have a better chance of stopping the Catastrophe.
In other words, if I make full use of this system and the status window, it’ll lead straight to the path of protecting everyone. No, not a shortcut—more like... a guidebook.
I wasn’t about to blindly trust and follow it, but there was no reason to ignore sothing this valuable either. I decided to start by checking the rewards I’d just received.
《Trait Acquired: Just Lie There (F-rank)》
《Hidden Skill Acquired: Silver Blessing (S-rank)》
The first was for using the system for the first ti. The second ca from clearing the hidden quest.
“A hidden skill, huh?”
After the monsters appeared, people began Awakening into Hunters through special abilities.
I was one of them, too. The reason I’d even been kidnapped and locked up in this illegal lab in the first place was because of my Awakening skill.
My skill allowed to replenish others’ stamina through physical contact. It consud my own energy and strength, which were tied directly to my life force. In that sense, it wasn’t a bad skill.
But beyond that, I had nothing. That’s why I was always stuck at the very back—forced to just stand there and watch others fight.
But now...
“I actually got a new skill?”
My heart began to race. And again, just thinking that I wanted to know more brought up a system ssage.
Hidden Skill: Silver Blessing (S-rank)
You grow stronger under the moonlight.
The effect activates at night or in dark indoor areas.
└ Strength: Increased to S-rank
└ Attack Power: Increased to S-rank
└ Attack Speed: Increased to S-rank
└ Movent Speed: Increased to S-rank
└ Agility: Increased to S-rank
Reading the cascading description, I muttered blankly.
“All stats... boosted.”
I instinctively looked down at my hands. I clenched and unclenched my fists several tis, but didn’t notice anything different.
Since the skill strengthened under moonlight, maybe it didn’t work unless it was nightti?
This was a solitary cell for test subjects. Surrounded by walls—I had no way to check what ti it was.
Should I try punching a wall or sothing? Just as I bit my lip, trying to co up with a plan, I heard a cheerful chi.
Ding!
《Main Quest has arrived!》
《Main Quest: et the villain implanted with the ‘Seed of Catastrophe.’ (Ti remaining: 1 hour 59 minutes)》
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