Chapter 2 – The Regressor's Resolve
Kang Joon-ho sat in stunned silence, his mind racing to process the impossible.
His body was weak. His hands unscarred. The weight of the blade he had wielded for years—gone. He clenched his fists, his breathing steadying. This wasn't a dream. This wasn't an illusion.
He had truly returned to the past.
His eyes snapped to the digital clock on his nightstand. The glowing numbers read:
[11:59 PM | June 30th]
A sharp chill ran down his spine.
In exactly twenty-four hours, the sky would crack open. The Tower would descend, and half a billion people across the world would be dragged into the nightmare.
Joon-ho exhaled slowly, his mind settling into cold calculation. This was an opportunity.
He knew what was coming. He knew what mistakes to avoid, what skills to seek, what threats to eliminate before they could rise.
But first, he needed to prepare.
The Day Before the Tower
Joon-ho tore through his apartment, gathering everything useful. His first life had left him barely prepared when the Tower arrived—this time would be different.
He raided his kitchen, pulling out non-perishable food: protein bars, instant noodles, canned goods. Anything that wouldn't spoil. The early floors had limited supplies. People starved. That wouldn't be him.
Next, weapons.
He didn't own much—just an old utility knife—but he knew where to get better ones.
He threw on a jacket, grabbed his phone, and stepped out onto the quiet streets of Seoul. The pre-Tower world felt suffocatingly normal. Cars passed by, people scrolled through their phones, unaware of the fate that awaited them.
None of them would be the same tomorrow.
Joon-ho's steps were quick and purposeful. He had one destination in mind:
A black-market weapons dealer.
The Hunt for an Edge
Joon-ho arrived at a small, rundown pawn shop in a back alley. To most, it was just another shady business. To those who knew better, it was a front for illegal weapon sales.
He stepped inside, the faint smell of cigarette smoke lingering in the air. Behind the counter, a heavy-set man glanced up, his eyes narrowing.
"What do you want, kid?"
Joon-ho reached into his pocket, pulling out a thick envelope of cash. His past life's regrets included never spending his savings before the Tower rendered money meaningless.
"Blades," Joon-ho said simply. "Survival gear. Whatever you've got."
The man grunted but didn't ask questions. He led Joon-ho to a back room, unlocking a reinforced steel door. Inside, racks of weapons gleamed under dim lighting—knives, machetes, even a few firearms.
Joon-ho's fingers hovered over the weapons, but he quickly dismissed the guns. The Tower nullified modern firearms early on. Melee weapons, however, would be useful.
He selected a carbon steel combat knife and a tactical hatchet. Both reliable, easy to wield, and deadly in the right hands.
As he paid, the shop owner gave him a wary look. "You planning something?"
Joon-ho smirked. "Just making sure I survive tomorrow."
He left without another word.
The Tower Descends
June 31st. 11:59 PM.
Joon-ho stood on his apartment balcony, staring up at the sky.
The city was quiet. Then, the air shuddered.
A deep, resonating chime rang across the world, sending a pulse of energy through everything. People froze. Lights flickered.
The sky split open.
Cracks of golden energy webbed across the heavens like shattered glass. From the fissures, an enormous, impossible structure loomed. A spiraling tower of obsidian and silver, stretching beyond sight.
A voice—cold, mechanical, absolute—boomed across existence.
"The Tower has descended.""All selected challengers will now be transported.""Climb… or die."
A flash of light enveloped Joon-ho, and the world vanished.
The Tutorial Zone
When Joon-ho's vision cleared, he was no longer in his apartment.
Instead, he stood in a massive forest shrouded in fog. A place he remembered all too well.
[Tutorial Zone #872] – The Culling Grounds
A killing field.
He glanced around, spotting hundreds of confused people—new arrivals like himself. Some panicked, some screamed. Others clutched their heads, trying to understand what had just happened.
Above them, glowing text appeared in the air.
[Welcome, Challengers.][Your first trial begins now.][Survive for 24 hours.]
Then, the first screams rang out.
From the mist, the monsters came.
Joon-ho smiled.
This time, he was ready.