NOVEL NEXT Episode 1
[You have received the ‘Awakening Gift’.]
A familiar message appeared shortly after I opened my eyes.
Awakening.
Everything begins here.
[Awakening successful.]
[Mana heart formation complete.]
[Physical enhancement complete.]
[Mana accumulation updated.]
[Regression successful!]
[
[One-time permanent ability card retention available!]
– Choose one ability from those you possessed before regression.
– The chosen ability will permanently remain unaffected by future regressions.
According to Jiraffer, the ‘Awakenings’ happening randomly among humans are truly like drawing lots.
These messages are supposedly some kind of automatic output system.
But when I asked if they were also responsible for the ‘Monster Wave’ phenomenon causing monster outbreaks, the answer was ‘NO’.
[ ∠( ᐛ 」∠)＿ ] [Obviously. I don’t do such barbaric things.]
Hmph.
[ ヽ(`Д´)ﾉ ] [What’s with that expression? What does it mean?]
Well, whatever.
After multiple regressions, the remaining unsolved mysteries are still the cause of the towers’ appearance and why I keep regressing every ten years.
Jiraffer seems to know something but always dodges the question.
[ ( ･᷄ὢ･᷅ ) ] [Kid. You’re too young to know the darkness.]
Between my first life of 27 years and all the time accumulated through regressions, I’ve lived a good 70 years.
If anyone’s a kid here, it’s you.
Maybe I should’ve called you chunibyou instead?
[ ヽ(｀⌒´)ノ ] [Shut up. Just hurry up and claim your regression privilege.]
Yes, yes.
I scrolled through the endless list of ability cards before selecting one.
[Selection complete!]
[Please check your ability slot.]
A+ Rank 「Breath of Life」.
It’s a healing ability that saved my life countless times during my regressions, and it fits the ‘A rank or below’ condition.
Fixed rank cards with a ‘+’ can’t be upgraded, so they qualify for the ‘below’ criteria.
[ (ㆆ_ㆆ) ] [So you chose that one after all.]
An attack ability would’ve been fine too, but almost all the useful ones are S-rank.
By the way, 「Necromancer」 is also S-rank.
「Necromancer」… an ability I discovered too late to properly use in my previous regression.
In the regressions before that, it wasn’t even on my radar.
Yet now.
The reason I’m choosing to become a necromancer is because I see its potential.
That ability will surely help me.
My intuition tells me so.
And my intuition tends to be very accurate.
That’s because I’ve invested in ‘Intuition’ stats, making my intuitive abilities far better than ordinary awakened ones.
To be precise: +17SP in Physical stats, +17SP in Intuition stats, and +15SP in Sensory stats.
After my second regression unlocked the condition, allowing me to interfere with the ‘stat window normally inaccessible to humans.’
With each regression, I put 2 points each into Physical and Intuition. The 15 comes from consuming accumulated mana.
Physical Stats: 8 (+17)
Intuition Stats: 7 (+17)
Sensory Stats: 8 (+15)
Even if there was another awakened one with base stats identical to mine—referring to the Physical stat of 8 excluding parentheses—I would still be ahead by +17.
Total Physical Stats of 25.
It might seem impressive at first glance. But in reality, not so much.
While this level might let me clear a Single Tower, it’s not even enough to properly explore a Double Tower.
So I need to raise my base stats again after the regression reset. Plus achievement points.
This whole situation reeks of being deliberately designed to prevent humans from clearing the towers.
Or maybe humanity is just too weak.
[ (ㆆ_ㆆ) ] [Or perhaps it’s both.]
…A tower manager saying that so brazenly? And to my face?
[ ∠( ᐛ 」∠)＿ ] [I may manage the towers, but I’m not the one who designed them.]
You’re really annoying, you know that?
[ (૭ ᐕ)૭ ] [ (૭ ᐕ)૭ ] [ (૭ ᐕ)૭ ] [ (૭ ᐕ)૭ ] [ (૭ ᐕ)૭ ] [ (૭ ᐕ)૭ ] [ (૭ ᐕ)૭ ]
Stop that, you jerk.
“Song Gi-hyeon! Big bro’s here!”
A voice called from the entrance.
It was my older brother, Song Ju-hyeon.
My only blood relative left after losing our parents early on.
He might be a bit of an idiot, but he’s a good brother who always looked out for me, worried I might go astray growing up without parents.
“Are you still sleeping?!”
“Bro.”
“What? Bro?”
“Everything’s fine, but could you knock before coming in?”
“What the… hearing ‘bro’ from Song Gi-hyeon’s mouth. Is it April Fool’s Day or something?”
“Nope. And I’ve awakened.”
At that moment, I didn’t miss how his face subtly stiffened even as he was making a fuss and secretly enjoying it.
Bro had also received the ‘Awakening Gift’ and become an awakened one.
Long before me.
That’s why he knows as well as I do that once you become an awakened one, it’s hard to live a normal life.
He makes money running hunting grounds created by Monster Waves, but he knows it’s not all fun and games like some people think.
And he was someone who wished I wouldn’t live such a dangerous life.
…Though that wish won’t come true.
“I’m dropping out of school too. Once I meet the minimum requirements, I’m going straight for tower climbing. I’m telling you now because I’ll do it even if you try to stop me.”
“What? Are you still half asleep? What nonsense are you talking about in broad daylight?”
“One more thing. Don’t go to the hunting grounds for a while. Actually, you don’t need to go anymore at all.”
“Hey, we have enough money right now! Is your allowance not enough? Tower climbing? You know how dangerous it is inside the towers. What are you even think—”
His words trailed off.
His eyes kept shifting restlessly as he looked at me.
I waited until he fell completely silent before speaking again.
“If you really hate being unemployed, just take one month off. Don’t go to the hunting grounds, absolutely don’t. Just rest.”
Exactly 15 days from my regression date.
My brother, who goes to the eastern hunting ground that day, returns as a corpse.
It wasn’t even a particularly unlucky day.
Just one of those things that could happen anytime.
A meaningless death.
…Damn.
Remembering that puts me in a bad mood.
I guess if there’s any silver lining to this damn regression, it’s that it at least lets me keep my one remaining family member.
My brother listens to me well.
So when I tell him not to do something, he doesn’t.
After rolling his eyes with an odd expression, my brother gave me the same answer he would in this life too, without exception.
“One month is enough?”
I nodded.
He rolled his eyes again.
“Alright. Um.”
“What?”
“No… um. Never mind. Want to have lunch together?”
“I’m going out, so I’ll eat outside.”
“Oh, is that so.”
After hovering around and watching me for a while, my brother finally disappeared into the kitchen, leaving behind an uneasy feeling.
Just like a dog that needs to poop.
If he has something to say, he should just say it… seriously.
No doubt he’s worried something happened to me, changing so drastically overnight, or maybe suspecting a monster has taken over my body.
It’s a bit embarrassing to say this myself, but… once, I broke down crying when I saw my brother again, thinking I’d never see him anymore.
It was probably the first time I’d ever cried like that in my life.
But what my brother said then was—
-You bastard, where did you hide my brother! Who the hell are you?!
…Yeah.
The mood got really awkward after that, and I never did anything like that again.
[ ( ˘ω˘ ) ] [That was when you first regressed and reunited with your brother who had died.]
Right. It was during my second life.
Looking back now, it’s actually fortunate that potential blackmail material disappeared.
[ ꉂꉂ(ᵔᗜᵔ*) ] [???? ???? ???? ｦ ???? ???? ???? ｦ ????]
Hey. Did you just laugh? Just now?
* * *
After finishing a convenience store meal, I headed to the Awakened Registration Center.
I’d love to go straight to the southeastern hunting ground where I got 「Necromancer」, but all hunting grounds are off-limits to non-hunters.
So getting my awakened registration card is the top priority right now.
This too. Having to do this every time I regress is such a pain.
“Mr. Song Gi-hyeon, your awakened status has been confirmed. Here’s your registration card.”
At least fortunately, getting the registration card doesn’t take long.
It’s just a matter of going through a few simple tests, and this system has been in place for 40 years now.
The world has changed a lot, adapted, and developed since the towers first appeared 50 years ago.
[ (¯ヽ_(ツ)_/¯) ] [Well, what else can you do. If you don’t clear all the towers within 10 years, the world ends. And you’ll keep regressing.]
Isn’t that exactly why I’m doing all this, kid?
[ ∠( ᐛ 」∠)＿ ] [If I’m a kid, then you’re just a speck of dust that hasn’t even been born yet. The bus is here. Hurry up and get on before you miss it, dust.]
What nonsense.
A hunter-exclusive bus that goes directly to the southeastern hunting ground pulls up to the stop.
Pssshhh.
As the doors open, I can almost smell the distinct odor of monster corpses.
I showed my registration card and got on. The rough-looking driver glanced at me and said:
“Welcome aboard, youngster who doesn’t know life is precious. We’ll take you express to hell.”
He must be concerned since I look particularly young among the passengers.
I completely understand how he feels.
There are so many cases of young ones who suddenly awaken, strut around with their newfound power, and end up dead.
Of course, I wasn’t one of them.
About 60 years younger than now, I might have strutted around too, but I was what you’d call a natural talent, with innate adaptability and physical prowess.
I even tried tower climbing from my first life—though I died on the first floor—that’s how good I was.
[ (꒪꒫꒪) ] […..]
What’s wrong?
Acting like you’ve never seen a natural talent before.
[ ( ¯−¯٥) ] [To make such claims with such a shameless face……]
I only spoke the truth.
What? Are you saying I’m wrong?
[ ( ･᷄ὢ･᷅ ) ] […..]
See?
[ ( ･᷄ὢ･᷅ ) ] [As I say every time you regress, don’t get overconfident and always be prepared for unexpected situations….]
Ah. We’re here, we’re here.
[ ∑( ◦д⊙) ] [You insolent one, ignoring me again!]
The bus stopped at the hunting ground entrance.
As I got off following the others, a booming voice suddenly rang out.
“Do you know who I am?!”
The atmosphere isn’t good at all.
Looking over, some huge guy was making a scene at the hunting ground entrance. The guard hunter dealing with him had a troubled expression.
Seems like he’s angry about not being let into the hunting ground… but wait a minute, that back of his head.
Tsk.
Why does it look so familiar?
“It won’t work no matter how much you force it. Weren’t you just banned from activities for three weeks due to assault? Have some shame!”
“Kukku, I already got that waived with money ages ago, what nonsense are you spouting? What are you, some champion of justice?!”
WHAM!
“Eek!”
“Hey! Please stop this!”
“Yeah, come at me if you want to get hit too! Scared, huh?!”
Ah. Right, that guy.
[ ( ˙ㅁ˙ ) ] [Ah.]
That bastard, isn’t he the one who tried to betray and stab our team in the back in the previous regression!
The one who made a fuss about escaping the tower alone, caused nothing but trouble, and then died.
[ ( ¯−¯٥) ] [His quick fists haven’t changed, I see.]
Come to think of it…
He was bragging about how he resolved his activity ban with money after nearly beating someone to death.
Ha.
Just remembering it pisses me off again.
If it weren’t for him… we might have been able to clear the Tower of Wrath.
“Hey. You.”
“What the f*ck, who—”
—THWACK!
“Kuh!”
A thunderous sound that could hardly be believed to come from a human fist striking a human face rang out.
The huge body spun around, blood gushing from both nostrils, and went flying.
Even the people watching with annoyed expressions at the unpleasant commotion opened their eyes wide in surprise.
“Y-you crazy bastard, who are you?!”
The guy who had rolled away like a tire scrambled up, terrified as if he’d seen a ghost.
Hmm.
He’s definitely tough since he’s an awakened one, considering I controlled my strength to not kill him.
That’ll make beating him up more satisfying.
“Today, no matter the reason, you die by my hands. Got it?”
As I cracked my knuckles, his blue face turned pale white. Seems he finally realized his situation.
“P-please spare—”
“Nope. Shut up.”
Of course, he doesn’t have memories of the previous regression… but well, that’s not my problem, is it?