NOVEL NEXT Episode 0 - Prologue
[BREAKING: Failure to Clear the ‘Tower of Ira’ Now Certain]
[World Plunges into Mourning as Entire
[Global Chaos Erupts Following Death of Legendary Hunter Song Gi-hyeon (27)]
One day, the world was engulfed in shock at the death of Song Gi-hyeon, who had appeared like a comet and led his team to clear three towers in succession.
The salvation humanity had hoped for from Korea’s ‘young hero’ would never come to pass.
[The End Prophesied 10 Years Ago… People Gripped by Anxiety and Fear Over Uncertain Truth]
[Desperate Attempts to Clear ‘Tower of Ira’ Continue. No Good News in Sight]
[BREAKING: Unprecedented Monster Wave Results in Mass Casualties… World in State of Paralysis]
[“If Only Song Gi-hyeon Were Alive…” World Population Prays in Despair Before the Prophesied End]
* * *
Another failure.
The prophesied end—if we fail to clear all seven towers within the given 10 years, I regress.
Going back to age seventeen this time would mark my 6th regression and 7th life.
Though I’m still alive, I assessed my condition objectively.
Soon that damned sixth regression message will be dancing before my eyes.
“Damn it.”
Everyone else who climbed the tower with me is dead.
I managed to crawl up here alone, but it looks like this is it for me too.
Half my body got blown clean off.
If it weren’t for «Breath of Life», I would’ve died and regressed long ago.
“God damn it…”
The more I think about it, the angrier I get.
Through 6 lives so far, my guild has never managed to clear more than 3 towers.
This time we made it halfway through the fourth tower… well, just me.
What a waste.
Such a goddamn waste.
We were so close, just a little further, and yet we have to fail here.
[ ( ˙-˙ ) ] [Hmm. Actually, it wasn’t that close. Even after clearing this tower, there were still three more to go.]
[ ☆-(๑•̀∀- ) ] [Maybe it’s for the best. With a barely human body like that, you’d only be treated like a zombie anyway.]
[ ∠( ᐛ 」∠)＿ ] [The Tower Break has probably already started outside, so it’s too late.]
These frivolous emoticons and irritating messages that appeared before my eyes were like pouring oil on a burning house.
I’d taken to calling this chatty entity ‘Jiraffer(1)’ for convenience, because it was always butting in with unwanted help.
[ ヽ(`Д´)ﾉ ] [Unwanted help? You ungrateful brat.]
[ (ง`0´)ง ] [Not even appreciating my gracious assistance.]
Honestly, I don’t really know what this thing is.
It appeared out of nowhere on the day of my first regression and has been hovering around ever since, offering minor help… well, it did claim to be the ‘Tower Administrator’.
But isn’t that strange?
Why would a Tower Administrator help me? If it really wanted to help, it should just demolish these towers.
Is this some kind of joke?
[ ∑( ◦д⊙) ] [I’ve told you countless times about this. It’s not something I can do as I please.]
Sigh.
I got sidetracked, but anyway, I’ve done well until now.
I’ve made good use of my experience from five previous lives during tower raids and haven’t made a single mistake.
I overcame my lacking stats with experience and made it this far. I thought this time I could finally end this cursed regression.
But why did I fail this time too?
Was it because I tried too hard to keep my dying teammates alive from the first floor?
Was it because I failed to weed out the traitor who tried to abandon his companions to save himself?
Actually, it’s not just this time.
Except for my first life where we all died on the first floor, everyone except me dies every single time.
Even if the tower’s difficulty is hellish, still though…
Bunch of weaklings.
They couldn’t even last one person’s worth?
They get wiped out every time?
[ (ㆆ_ㆆ) ] [Hmm. There’s a saying about frogs forgetting their tadpole days. Remember, without regression, you’d be no different from them.]
[ 〜(꒪꒳꒪)〜 ] [Actually, making it this far was only possible thanks to the regression privileges I granted—]
‘Shut up, you-‘
If you curse someone with regression, that level of compensation should be obvious.
[ (T_T) ] [While I do provide the privileges, I’ve told you before that I’m not directly involved in your regression. That’s a misunderstanding.]
‘Haaa.’
This won’t do.
I’ve met and joined countless guilds during the five times my clock has been rewound.
But not once did I feel the team was perfect.
They didn’t even seem interested in creating a perfect team.
Whether it was because of money, differences in nationality or race, or because their immediate self-interest mattered more than the world’s end.
Well, even I’m only struggling with regression, not out of some grand heroic desire to save the world…
Right.
I expected too much.
At this point, I’ll have to clear the towers alone.
I’ve gauged the level of the triple towers through this run anyway.
Nothing will change if I just wait for someone to grow stronger alongside me.
And I’ve already thought of a way.
The S-rank ability card «Necromancer» I accidentally found in this life.
Though people mock it as ‘S-trash’, if my prediction is right, it shouldn’t be bad.
Hmm.
Spending 10 years with stinking skeletons has to be better than rolling around for another 70 years.
No, it has to be.
[ ( ˙ꇴ˙ ) ] [Just so you know, from this regression on, the maximum ability rank you can take as a privilege is A. «Necromancer» is S-rank, so it’s impossible.]
I know.
You explained that during my fifth regression. The ability I’m taking for this sixth regression is different.
Since «Necromancer» was found in a domestic hunting ground, I can just go find it again after regressing.
[ ∠( ᐛ 」∠)＿ ] [Right. It seems time is up. I hope you succeed in your next life.]
You don’t need to tell me that.
This time, I’m definitely breaking free from this cursed cycle of regression.
[You have failed to achieve the goal given by fate.]
[Returning to 10 years ago.]
T/N:
(1) Jiraffer: The nickname “지라퍼” (Jiraffer) is a wordplay based on “오지랖” (ojinrap), which means “meddlesome” or “nosy.”