11:45 PM – The Final Gathering
A cold wind swept through the ruins.
The group sat in a tight circle beneath the crumbling highway, the flickering glow of a makeshift fire casting long shadows against the cracked pavement.
Kyung-min wasn't part of it.
Not really.
He sat a few steps away, close enough to hear them, but far enough to feel the weight of exclusion.
It was subtle.
No one told him to leave.
No one looked at him with outright hostility.
But nobody acknowledged him, either.
And somehow, that felt worse.
Min-jun was the first to break the silence.
"We need to make a decision."
The fire crackled.
Seok-hoon adjusted his sword. "About what?"
Min-jun glanced at Kyung-min.
Just for a second.
Then, he looked away.
"We can't ignore it," Min-jun continued. "That relic… whatever it is, it's inside him."
Tae-sik exhaled sharply. "Yeah, and? What the hell do you want us to do about it?"
A pause.
Then—Ji-hye spoke.
"We don't know what it does," she murmured. "And we don't know what it will do to him."
That was it.
The moment Kyung-min knew they had already made up their minds.
11:50 PM – The Weight of the Relic
Kyung-min lowered his gaze to his hands.
The relic was gone, absorbed into his body.
But he could still feel it.
Like a second heartbeat.
Like something waiting.
And they knew it, too.
That was why they weren't including him.
That was why they weren't looking at him.
Because he was no longer one of them.
And soon—
They were going to make sure of it.
11:55 PM – The Last Words
Tae-sik sighed, tossing a small ration bar to Seok-hoon. "Whatever. Let's just get some rest."
Seok-hoon caught it. "Yeah."
Kyung-min opened his mouth to speak.
To say something.
Anything.
But then—
The Silver-Haired Woman shifted.
And for the first time—she smiled.
Not mockingly.
Not cruelly.
Just… expectantly.
Like she had been waiting for this moment all along.
Kyung-min's throat went dry.
He wasn't going to wake up tomorrow.
11:58 PM – The Betrayal
The conversation had died down.
The fire had burned lower.
And for a moment, there was nothing but silence.
Then—
Something cold pressed against his back.
Kyung-min froze.
A blade.
The first cut wasn't deep.
A test.
A hesitation.
But the second was real.
Steel met flesh.
Blood splattered against the cracked pavement.
His vision blurred.
His breath hitched.
And when he looked up—
He met Seok-hoon's gaze.
There was no hatred.
No anger.
Just resolution.
Like Kyung-min was nothing more than a task to complete.
Like he had never been anything else.
Ji-hye stood behind him, expression unreadable.
Min-jun looked away.
Tae-sik didn't even flinch.
And the Silver-Haired Woman?
She finally spoke.
"It's nothing personal," she murmured.
"You just… weren't meant to survive this cycle."
Then—
She pushed the dagger in deeper.
"We just… need to make sure this reward goes to the right person."
🔹 [You have been abandoned.]
🔹 [Your party has removed you.]
🔹 [You have died.]
🔹 [Soul Archivist Ability Activated.]
🔹 [You have recorded your first death.]
🔹 [Initiating Awakening Process.]
11:59 PM – The Last Breath
Kyung-min collapsed.
His body hit the ground, his blood pooling beneath him.
Above him, the sky began to change.
The city trembled.
The ruins shuddered.
And then—
A system message flickered.
🔹 [Final Announcement: The Next Cycle Will Begin in 60 Seconds.]
Kyung-min could barely hear it.
His vision was darkening.
The pain was fading.
And yet—
His mind raced.
Why? Why? WHY?
Was it because he was weak?
Was it because he had never been strong enough?
Was it because they had never trusted him to begin with?
Or—
Had this moment been inevitable from the start?
Seok-hoon's voice was distant.
"It's done."
Tae-sik exhaled. "Now we wait for the reset."
Ji-hye said nothing.
Min-jun didn't even look at him.
And the Silver-Haired Woman?
She simply watched.
Like she was memorizing this moment.
Like she was making sure he would never forget it.
🔹 [Time Remaining: 00:30 Seconds.]
Kyung-min shuddered.
His breath turned shallow.
This was it.
He was going to die here.
And the world—
Would forget him.
12:00 AM – The Reset
The world shattered.
Buildings crumbled into dust.
The sky split apart.
And as the abyss swallowed him whole—
He heard them.
The whispers.
"…he shouldn't be here."
"…not yet… but he's already seen too much."
"…erase him?"
"…no. Let him remember."
🔹 [Unknown System Intervention Detected.]
🔹 [Cycle Reset… ERROR.]
🔹 [Subject Retains Memory.]
🔹 [You Have Seen Beyond the System.]
For a brief moment, he saw something.
A throne, massive and ancient.
A shrouded figure, waiting.
And then—
Darkness.