Infinite Death in the Apocalypse

I'm confused.

What just happened?

My body felt numb.

Where am I?

I tried to speak, but no voice came out of my mouth. There was nothing but darkness. I could feel my eyes blink, yet the darkness made no difference whether they were open or closed.

I felt suffocated, as if the darkness itself was strangling my neck, keeping me from breathing.

Calm down, don't panic.

I took deep breaths over and over again.

Now, recall what happened.

I was walking down the dark streets, intending to go home. The silence bothered me, so I wanted to listen to music with my headphones, but just as I was about to grab them, a monotonous voice echoed in my head.

It spouted nonsensical things—skills, status panels, evolution. It spoke as if I were in a game.

Then, I felt a cold sensation on my neck. Suddenly, I found myself staring up at the night sky, bathed in moonlight.

That's when I saw someone—no, something. It was strange because it didn't have a head. Yet, it wore the same clothes as me and carried the same bag…

And then, I realized.

That something was me.

I-I-I-I w-w-was b-b-beheaded!!!

AAAAAAGGGHHHHHH!!!!!

A splitting headache struck me. It felt as if someone were directly squeezing my brain. I screamed in agony for what felt like an eternity—

Then suddenly, the pain disappeared.

I blinked, staring speechlessly at myself in the mirror.

Frantically, I touched my neck, checking if it was still attached.

Was it a dream? No… it felt too real. I could still feel the sensation of my head being severed.

I turned on the tap, scooped water into my hands, and splashed it on my face—trying to wake myself up, forcing myself to not think about it.

"It was just a nightmare. Forget it," I assured myself.

I continued preparing for class. I wore the same outfit from my supposed dream—a plain gray t-shirt layered with a red jacket, black loose pants, and white shoes.

Since there was still time before breakfast, I cooked for myself—a simple meal of toast and a sunny-side-up egg. After finishing, I left, not before bidding farewell to my mother.

The day went on as usual. Yet, I couldn't shake this feeling.

Something was… off.

I arrived at the university. As always, it was nearly empty, with only a handful of students attending their classes. I made my way to mine.

Upon entering the classroom, I greeted the professor.

"Good morning, Professor Emelyn."

"Ah… yes," she replied with a smile, adjusting her glasses. "Good morning to you too, the student who isn't originally from my class—Mr. Wilson."

"Haha…" I laughed awkwardly.

Again, that nagging feeling. Something was out of place.

Due to the other professors disappearing for some reason, I couldn't continue my original course. So, I requested a transfer. I wasn't even sure if that was allowed, but surprisingly, they let it pass. They must have been desperate due to the rapid decrease in students and staff.

Lucky for me.

The professor's class lasted five hours. Strangely enough, it wasn't boring. To my surprise, I didn't doze off even once.

After class, I stood up and bid farewell.

"See you tomorrow, Professor!" I said with a smile, waving.

She returned the gesture. "Yes, see you tomorrow as well, Mr. Wilson."

Then, I left.

Once again, I walked through the dark streets toward my house.

Something wasn't right. I'd felt it all day. Was it related to my dream? No… that would be impossible. What happened in that dream was just that—a dream.

Maybe it was just the eerie silence.

I reached for my headphones, planning to listen to music—

But then, a voice echoed in my head.

A very familiar, monotonous voice.

[The evolution of world E#0126 has begun.]

This voice—! It wasn't coming from my headphones. I wasn't even wearing them yet.

[Congratulations on entering the evolution stage! As a reward, you will be given a random skill set.]

[Skill set 'Infinite Death' has been gifted to you. Check your Status Panel to…]

"…see more details," I muttered under my breath, my eyes widening in shock.

There was no mistaking it. My dream was real all along. Otherwise, how could I explain this?

Then, how did I foresee it? Did I have some kind of Foresight ability… or—

I didn't have time to process my thoughts because I suddenly remembered what was about to happen next.

I turned my gaze toward the moon shining in the night sky.

And next to me—standing there—was someone.

Someone wearing my exact clothes.

Someone with no head.

I see. It dawned on me.

I had died. Once again.

[Condition has been fulfilled. Skill 'Rewind Through Death' will be activated.]

[Reversing time… Reversing time successfully.]

['Rewind Through Death' will be on a 24-hour cooldown.]

[Death Count: 1 → 2]

---

I gasped.

The familiar darkness surrounded me.

Right. This had happened before—after I died.

Last time, I felt suffocated here—so much so that I almost died again. But then, I woke up in my bathroom.

Wait… does that mean I have to die here to get back?

I laughed.

I couldn't believe how calm I was after everything that had happened.

A normal person would have broken after experiencing death once. Yet here I was, still sane after dying twice.

I must have gone insane.

Well, I might as well take advantage of my current mental state and think things through. Before I'm sent back, let's analyze the situation.

In my first death, my day had gone on as normal. I prepared for university—showered, got dressed, ate breakfast. Nothing out of place. Then, I went to class.

I arrived at the lecture hall, then…

Wait.

Huh?

I… I can't remember anything.

The only things I can recall are walking home, hearing the voice, being decapitated, reviving, and moving on.

Other than that—nothing.

It was as if a giant blank space had been carved into my mind.

Aghh!!

The splitting headache struck again.

It wasn't as bad as before—perhaps because I was getting used to it—but it still hurt like hell. I endured it as long as I could, and then—just like before—the pain was suddenly gone.

I opened my eyes.

And once again, I was staring at myself in the mirror.

Just what the hell is happening?

I saw myself die twice. Was any of this even real? No… it had to be. That cold sensation of a blade slicing through my neck—I could never forget it.

If this is real, then… will I really die?

I have to avoid that thing at all costs. But I don't even know what it is. It's too fast to see with the naked eye.

Right. Why don't I just stay home and not go to class?

That way, I'll be safe.

Yes, that's a good plan.

So, I locked myself inside. I spent the entire day watching TV, scrolling through social media, and playing video games.

Hours passed. Night came.

Then—what I'd been waiting for finally arrived.

The monotonous voice echoed in my head for the third time.

[The evolution of world E#0126 has begun.]

[Congratulations on entering the evolution stage! As a reward, you will be given a random skill set.]

[Skill set 'Infinite Death' has been gifted to you. Check your Status Panel to see more details.]

I waited.

Nothing.

No sudden sensation of falling.

No sight of my headless body.

… I avoided death.

Ha! See that? I avoided my death!

Ahem.

I didn't let my excitement take over.

I survived.

For now.

I meticulously wrote down each word it said on a piece of paper and scanned them one by one. Most of them didn't make sense to me.

What did it mean by 'evolution of the world E#0126'? Was that supposed to refer to this planet—Earth? And what about the skill set and status panel? Those terms were things you'd typically find in a video game, not real life.

In novels, uttering 'Status Panel' would display a character's stats. Did that mean I had to say it out loud?

No… No, that would be ridiculous. It's not like I'm inside a novel… right?

Honestly, all of this felt like an elaborate prank.

Yet, what I had experienced completely denied that possibility.

Well, I didn't have much of a choice—I needed to confirm it.

I glanced around to make sure no one was watching me. Of course, there was no one.

Then, in a barely audible voice, I muttered, "Status Panel."

I couldn't help but feel embarrassed. I must've looked like someone with an eighth-grade syndrome right now.

But the moment I saw what appeared before me, all my embarrassment vanished—replaced by pure shock.

A translucent blue screen floated in the air.

I couldn't believe it.

It was just like in a game.

—

[Name: Noah Wilson]

[Class: (Unclassified)]

[Level: 1]

[Rank: –]

[Title: –]

[Quest]

[Health: 100]

[Stamina: 80]

[Mana: 180]

[Strength: 6]

[Agility: 8]

[Health: 10]

[Stamina: 8]

[Mana: 18]

[Magic Power: 4]

[Death Count: 2]

Skill Sets (1/3):

[Infinite Death] (God-Order Skill Set)

[Click to interact]

—

This was interesting.

It was a numerical representation of my current physical state.

Just like in a game.

Wait… what's that smell?

I sniffed the air. 

Gas?

Spark!

…Are you serious?

BOOOOOOMMMMM!!!

—

[Condition has been fulfilled. Skill 'Rewind Through Death' will be activated.]

[Reversing time… Reversing time successfully.]

['Rewind Through Death' will be on a 24-hour cooldown.]

[Death Count: 2 → 3]