Pain. It was always the same.
Ryan gasped as blood pooled beneath him. His fingers twitched, grasping at the empty air as if he could hold onto life itself. The monster's fangs had already torn through his body, the dungeon around him fading into darkness.
This was the end.
His vision blurred. He had died before—too many times to count. But this time felt… different.
A cold, suffocating silence swallowed him whole.
And then—
He opened his eyes.
Ryan wasn't in the dungeon anymore. He wasn't even in the real world.
A vast, empty void stretched endlessly around him, filled with faintly glowing embers that flickered like dying stars. And standing before him was a man dressed in black robes, watching him with an amused smirk.
Ryan's instincts screamed at him—this wasn't a normal place. This wasn't a normal person.
His voice came out hoarse. "Where… am I?"
The man's smirk widened.
『 Welcome to the Afterlife Exchange. 』
Ryan frowned. The what? He had died 99 times, yet this was the first time he had heard of such a thing.
Slowly, he pushed himself up. His body felt strangely whole, as if death hadn't touched him.
『 You shouldn't be here yet, 』 the man continued, tilting his head. 『 This only happens when someone reaches a certain… milestone. 』
Ryan's breath hitched. A milestone?
A chilling thought crept into his mind.
How many times have I died?
The shopkeeper—because that's what he had called himself, right?—chuckled.
『 99 times, Ryan. But this is the first time you made it here. 』
Ryan's fists clenched. 99 deaths. He had fought, struggled, and suffered—each time hoping to survive just a little longer. Each time failing.
Yet, no matter how much he remembered, he had never seen this place before.
His voice was a whisper. "Why now?"
The shopkeeper's expression darkened.
『 Because this is your last chance. 』
A sudden pressure settled over Ryan, heavier than any dungeon he had ever entered. The air crackled with an unseen force, like something beyond human comprehension was watching.
Then, a voice—not the shopkeeper's, but something far more ancient—echoed through the void.
『 "99th Regression Ryan… You can still change the future."』
Ryan's heart pounded.
Regression?
The pieces clicked together.
He wasn't just reliving his life. He had been trapped in a cycle.
And if that was true…
Then who was the shopkeeper standing in front of him?
For the first time since opening his eyes, Ryan truly looked at the man in black robes. The familiarity in his smirk. The way he spoke, like he already knew every choice Ryan was going to make.
No… It couldn't be.
The shopkeeper smiled.
『 Well then, Ryan. Let's see what you'll do this time. 』