“Ugaaaaaaaa!!!”
The Bugbear loomed before me, letting out a deafening roar.
Wait. I died, didn't I?
I should have been dead, my life snuffed out by the Bugbear’s strike.
So then, why was I still breathing?
“Gau!”
The Bugbear swung its fist again. My body was crushed under the weight of the blow, and I died.
◆
“Ah.”
Again.
I should be dead, yet here I was, alive once more.
“Gau!”
Even though I’d been brought back, there was nothing I could do. The Bugbear swung its massive arm, and my body was pulverized.
I died.
“Ah.”
I was back again.
No, that wasn't right. I wasn't being resurrected; time was rewinding every time I died.
The skill I’d received from the Shadow, <Save & Reset>, was likely the cause of this phenomenon.
“Gau!”
I understood that time was rewinding, but it didn't change the fact that I was trapped in a destiny where the Bugbear swung its arm and I died.
“...Ha.”
There it was again. Time had snapped back to the moment just before my death.
“Gau.”
The Bugbear was right in front of me, its fist already in motion. As I watched it happen, a terrifying realization dawned on me.
At this rate, wasn't I going to be slaughtered by this monster for all eternity?
“Hey, what am I supposed to—”
What am I supposed to do? I tried to ask the Shadow who had given me the skill, but I couldn't finish the sentence.
The Bugbear killed me before I could speak.
“...Haa.”
No. This was wrong.
Being murdered forever... a cycle like that was no different from a living hell.
“Hey! What am I supposed to do?!”
This time, I managed to shout the whole question. If that Shadow had granted me this insane power, they had to know some way to break through this situation.
“………………”
The only response was silence.
“Gau!”
An instant later, I was dead.
“Dammit!”
I turned my back on the Bugbear and bolted. I had to avoid dying—I couldn't take it anymore. Every time that fist connected, an indescribable, agonizing pain and a soul-crushing fatigue washed over me.
Then, the moment I felt my consciousness slip away, the rewinding of time would forcibly jerk me back awake. If this continued, my mind was going to shatter.
Clinging to the faintest hope of survival, I ran straight away from the beast.
“Kugau!!”
“...Ah.”
Running was useless. The Bugbear only had to extend its arm to reach me. I was slammed against the stone wall, my body mangled and crushed beyond recognition.
Naturally, I died.
“...Haah.”
The moment after the agony surged through my entire being, time rewound to the point just before the attack.
“Dammit!”
If running away was no good, I’d try moving to the right.
“Gau!”
Even when I dodged to the right, the Bugbear’s fist still found its mark, smashing me to a pulp.
“...Ha.”
Right was a failure. Then, this time, I’d go left—.
“Gau!”
With a heavy thud, I was slammed into the wall.
“...Ah.”
Time rewound again.
Backward, right, and left were all useless. What else was there?
“Gau.”
While I was busy thinking, I was killed again.
“...Stop messing with me!”
Shouting at the top of my lungs, I jumped as high as I could. I didn't have a plan; I just figured that if left, right, and back didn't work, up was the only thing left.
“Gau!”
“Ah...”
Even in the air, the Bugbear’s fist caught me squarely.
“...Haa.”
Time rewound. I let out a ragged breath and slumped to the ground. I had absolutely no idea what to do anymore.
“Gau!”
Of course, the Bugbear wasn't about to show me any mercy. It beat me to death where I sat.
After that, I was killed helplessly about ten more times.
Again and again and again and again and again—I was struck and slaughtered. Agony and exhaustion racked my body, only for the loop to pull me back into forced wakefulness. It was far more torturous than just continuing to suffer in pain.
“Please... just kill me for good...” I finally screamed.
If I could just die, I would finally have eternal sleep. How wonderful would that be?
“Can’t I just delete the skill...?”
If I could get rid of <Save & Reset>, I should be released from this temporal nightmare. With that thought, I opened my status screen.
▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽
<Kiska>
Skill 1: Save & Reset
Skill 2: None
Skill 3: None
Skill 4: None
Skill 5: None
△△△△△△△△△△△△△△△
The status window was empty save for that one skill. I wondered if I could delete it by fiddling with the display.
But the moment I touched the screen, a flood of memories flashed through my mind.
Namia.
The men who had violated her.
Dalga, the one who murdered her.
And the villagers who had condemned me for a crime I didn't commit.
I hated them. I hated them all. If I could, I’d slaughter every last one of them with my own two hands.
If I could somehow survive this dungeon, I could make that happen.
Was my hatred so pathetic that it would crumble after a few dozen deaths?
No. Absolutely not!
“You piece of shit!!!”
With a guttural roar, I threw myself forward.
Because I charged without thinking, my legs tangled and I stumbled. But by falling, I inadvertently dove straight into the Bugbear’s guard.
Whoosh!
The sound of wind being sliced echoed in my ears. For the first time, I had dodged the Bugbear’s fist.
“Ghuah!”
The first strike missed, but a second was already waiting for me. It hit me full-force, ending my life instantly.
Yet, as the world faded, I felt a spark of genuine satisfaction.