I betrayed my brother's advice and got on the bus.
It wasn't about saving money. Why would I get greedy for cash right after regressing?
I need time to think.
I'd jumped back a full ten years.
I could barely recall where I'd been living at this point in time, let alone my home address.
This is driving me crazy.
And my stomach was churning like mad—my emotions were all over the place.
One more thing.
If things follow the original timeline, my brother meets his end in two days.
Should I call him right now and tell him? Don't go into that B-rank gate two days from now. If the various factions have spies there, maybe I could convince him...
"...No chance."
There'd be too much to explain.
Sure, "I'm a regressor, bro" might cover it in one line, but I couldn't even convince myself, let alone anyone else.
I'll keep quiet about this for now.
The alcohol was hitting me hard, making my head spin. Trying to piece together the situation on top of that was turning my stomach.
I deliberately stared out the window into the distance. Gazing at Namsan Tower standing tall and serene, I thought.
Come to think of it...
Right before I died, I'd heard some kind of voice.
What had it said?
It felt like a crucial clue.
"Maybe I should try."
I took a deep breath and murmured softly.
"Status window."
People were starting to stare.
"...Stats window."
"..."
"..."
My face heated up.
"Guess I've lost it."
"Gates ruin more than just lives, huh."
Damn it!
People were whispering about me when—
BAM!
A deafening crash, followed by impact.
The bus lurched forward, sending everyone—me included—pitching ahead. The sudden stop had passengers tumbling everywhere in chaos.
"Hey, driver! You call that driving...?"
The shouting uncle's face drained of color as he peered out the driver's window and grasped the situation.
"G-Gate!"
"Gate? A gate?!"
Those three words hit like a bomb. Everyone pressed their faces to the windows as if on cue.
I casually joined the other passengers. Maybe because I'd just regressed, but a strange calm settled in my chest.
"It's... it's real."
Fear-fogged breath fogged the bus windows.
Sure enough, an oval maw gaped open ahead.
An Abyss Gate.
Just hold out, and it'll be fine.
Everyone was panicking now, but hunters nearby would arrive soon.
Damn it.
There were problems.
Three of them, in fact.
First, our location—we were isolated.
Of all places, crossing a bridge.
No escaping sideways on a bridge. Perfect spot for a bottleneck.
And to make it worse, twin gates had spawned front and back. That was number two.
But those paled compared to the last one.
"...Mommy, the gate's red..."
Yeah.
The gate, which should have been emerald, was blood-red.
Gate Break.
The name alone reeked of doom. The signs were bad from the start.
I vaguely recalled it. Something I'd skimmed in an online article.
📰 Internet Article Snippet [*August 17th: Gate Break at Hangju Bridge (cont.)*]
Gate Breaks weren't common. Gates were one-way passages. You could only cross from our side.
Usually, hunters were the intruders from the gate's perspective. A Gate Break flipped that—the other side invaded Earth.
Extremely rare.
Maybe two or three a year, if that.
This make any sense...?
Twin Gate Breaks popping up while I'm on a bus.
Hard to complain when my own regression defies logic anyway.
Regress and immediately goblin chow. My head spun.
Get it together.
It's coming.
RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE!
The gates shuddered. The bus rocked. Hanging straps battered people's heads randomly.
"Kyaaah!"
"Out-outside!"
Limbs protruded from the rippling ovals—withered or grotesquely bloated.
Goblins and orcs.
Hangju Bridge's entrances were overrun in seconds. People fled cars near the gates.
Toward our bus.
BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG!
"Let us in! Please!"
Desperate pounding at the doors. The driver trembled in terror. Passengers went pale, collapsing. The green wave swept cars aside like leaves, closing in.
Crunch.
I bit my lower lip.
Staying here means certain death.
Regress just to die like this? No way.
I scanned the bus. My eyes locked on it—the emergency hammer for escapes.
That one.
Shoving through panicked folks, I grabbed it.
The uncle noticed me and looked up, freaking out.
"Wh-what are you doing?!"
"What else? Getting out!"
"Out there?!"
"Listen up, everyone."
I raised my voice.
"Stay here, and we're all dead anyway. Can't use the doors—they're blocked. Damn it."
My tongue was slurring.
Sweaty hands slipped on the hammer. I gripped harder and yelled.
"Anyway! Everyone out, now!"
"But if we..."
"You think we'll survive in here? If no hunters come, we'll have to jump in the water!"
I meant it.
Drown in a car? Death sentence. Bare-handed? Odds skyrocket. Hunters in the area? Unknown. Either way, carve an escape route.
THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD!
Stuff on the floor bounced rhythmically. Goblins and orcs charged, eyes gleaming.
"If you're staying, I'm going alone."
"..."
As I lined up my swing, half the passengers huddled behind me.
"We're with you."
I nodded and swung the hammer with all my might.
Crack!
Spiderweb cracks spread. Not enough for one hit.
I panicked. I'd toughened up from E-skinny to mid-tier through hell.
Right.
Damn it all.
I regressed.
Did my levels regress too?
"This is insane, seriously."
No perks, and they took my strength? As I grumbled inwardly, a rough hand reached into my view.
"Gimme that."
It was the uncle arguing with the driver.
"I slaved away in construction! Hurry!"
His flushed face screamed trustworthy. I handed it over without a word.
SMASH!
Shattered in one blow. Too strong for a normie.
I straight-up asked as he cleared glass shards from the frame.
"Awakener?"
"Yeah."
The uncle replied with trembling lips.
"Then why construction?"
"D-grade."
Made sense.
"You too?"
"Yeah."
"Rank... probably like mine."
Sorry.
E/F-grade. One step down.
"Let's get down first."
"Right."
The uncle hopped out like a squirrel. I followed more clumsily. Passengers helped each other behind us.
THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD!
My neck stiffened. Glancing back, the green tsunami surged.
HISS! HIIIISSS!
Their ultrasonic roars cramped our limbs indiscriminately.
"Grk!"
A lead goblin kicked off the road. D-grade uncle swung the hammer.
CLANG!
Green blood squirted from its caved temple like a squirt gun.
But even skull-smashed, it hurled a dagger. Insane vitality.
Whoosh!
The arcing blade flew straight at me.
The uncle, wiping crud from his eyes, blurted.
"Huh? Watch ou—"
SCHUK!
"...Huh?"
A familiar, chilling sensation.
I looked down. A slash on my thigh.
Dagger...
Another damn blade.
Strength drained from my body.
Drip. Drip.
Red dots hit the asphalt. My fingertip to my philtrum stuck with viscous goo.
"N-nose... blood..."
I collapsed, vision blurring.
This is weird.
One stab and all strength gone...?
Looking closer, green sap coated the blade.
Poison.
Goblin blood, specifically.
Their blood paralyzed.
Who'd think they'd smear their own blood on weapons? Sly bastards, true to their rep.
"Hey, hey!"
The uncle supported my back.
"Stay with me!"
"Gh, ughhh."
Some luck, huh.
Regress and straight to death.
"Hah, hah."
I lay on the road. Asphalt's grit and chill seeped into my back.
"On three, I'll pull it!"
"F-fuck."
"Three!"
SCHUK!
"Gaaaaah!"
Blood gushed nonstop from the wound. Uncle tore his collar for a compress.
"Those green shits! What the hell did they do to their blades...?"
Barely effective.
Meanwhile, lime monsters closed in. Blades flashed, blood sprayed.
Nearby folks flailed, then climbed the railing—ready to jump below.
Pure hell.
Our daily life since gates appeared.
Ah. So pointless.
Just self-mockery left.
Then—
SWOOOOOSH!
A beam sliced the night sky. People traced its arc like a shooting star.
It descended to earth.
"Whoa."
Worth a gasp.
As light faded, a human silhouette emerged. Almost divine.
A hunter.
Likely beyond B-rank. Cheers erupted.
"Hunter!"
The hunter scanned us and clicked his tongue.
"What a waste. Could've skipped this."
"...Pardon?"
"Whatever. Hide somewhere."
"Here! Over here!"
Uncle waved frantically. Cold eyes turned our way.
"Injured here! Potion first!"
"Old man, know how much potions cost?"
"Not the time! Person's dying!"
The hunter sneered.
"If luck's with him, he'll live. No potions for randos anyway. Builds immunity, whatever."
"You bastard!"
He drew his blade without retort. I watched his draw with hollow eyes. Curved sword, wavy blade.
It's him.
The bastard who killed me and my brother.
Rotten from the start, ten years ago.
"You... fucker..."
As my fingers reached, he shot forward like lightning. No catching him. I clenched futilely.
He butchered monsters with cocky flair. Skill real, despite his dogshit personality.
But then—
Something wondrous. Red thread from my index finger. Blood-spun thread.
"What are you doing?! Stay still!"
Uncle's voice smeared softly. Time slowed, then froze. Jagged red waves straightened.
⚡ BLOODLINE AWAKENED ⚡
True Blessing: Bloodline
The thread linked me to him.
Why?
Memory flashed before I could wonder—the moment I'd bitten his carotid like a beast.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
Han Biyeol begins monster hunting.
Han Biyeol.
The enemy's name, living up to its rep.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
However, 'Blood Exchange' is still nascent, so output is reduced to 12.9%.
What?
My blurring focus sharpened. Uncle flinched, sensing the anomaly.
"Wh-what the hell."
Blood from Han Biyeol's goblin corpses flowed. Streams snaked asphalt cracks toward me.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
Han Biyeol acquires 937 EXP.
Thump!
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
Han Biyeol acquires 821 EXP.
Thump!
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
Han Biyeol acquires 764 EXP.
Thump!
The blood surged into me all at once.
"Gh, ughh...!"
My back arched like a bow. Red particles raced through my veins, crystal clear.
"Hey! Hey! Snap out of it!"
Uncle shook my shoulders. Amid the shaking vision, text formed.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
Subordinate Han Biyeol donates a portion of acquired EXP.
Coincidence?
"...!!"
The monster-slayer whipped his head around.
Just like the face from my past life's final moment.
✨ LEVEL UP! ✨ Seo Wonseok
Gone pale as a ghost.