* * *
A chill ran down his spine, his scalp throbbed, and his hands trembled uncontrollably.
It was a sense of alienation and unease, as if he were staring at something that should not exist in this world.
A searing hatred and disgust so intense it painted his vision red.
Murderous intent bubbled up violently within him.
He wanted to smash through the bulletproof glass right this instant and wrap his hands around that person’s neck.
He wanted to burn down the entire interrogation room.
He wanted to erase their existence from this world.
Killing that person seemed like the only way to set the world back on its proper course.
The people who had left the hallway earlier had likely done so because they couldn’t bear this overwhelming murderous intent.
Now he finally understood.
And yet…
“……!”
Kang Yigeon staggered, dizzy, and pressed a hand against the wall.
His heart pounded violently in his chest.
He was someone he hated so much he wanted to snap his neck right away.
And yet, he couldn’t look away.
It felt as if, the moment he averted his gaze, he would vanish from this world entirely.
What Kang Yigeon felt toward him right now wasn’t just hatred, anger, or a desire to kill.
A storm of unidentifiable emotions raged within him.
As he suppressed his breath and tried to quell his emotions, the loathsome figure tilted his head slightly.
“Is someone there?”
Their voice was heavy with exhaustion.
“Kang Yigeon?”
The sound of his own name leaving his lips startled him, and it was only then that he realized.
He shouldn’t have been able to see him, yet they had detected his presence.
Despite the shielding walls of the underground fifth floor of the Special Operations Department, he had sensed him.
“Oh, you’re here. Let me know once you’ve calmed down. Just so you know, I can’t give you much time. The world will end in three years from now. To be exact, two years, 364 days, and 23 hours from now. Even if you start scrambling now, there’s barely enough time. I’ll give you exactly five minutes to collect yourself.”
He spoke of the world’s end in a light, almost playful tone.
Kang Yigeon struggled to interpret the situation rationally.
Could someone truly harbor such intense hatred for another human being?
He wasn’t a saint, and he certainly had people he disliked.
But he had never felt such overpowering disgust.
Logically speaking, to feel this kind of surreal hatred toward a stranger was clearly… the result of some mind-control skill or a mental manipulation artifact.
Kang Yigeon summoned his status window.
‘Kang Yigeon’
‘Rank’: S
‘Soul Power’: 9910
‘Mind Power’: 9400
‘Firepower’: 9600
‘Defense’: 9190
‘Traits’: …
The system provided energy for using skills — Soul Power.
Energy tied to natural abilities derived from personal traits — Mind Power and Firepower.
Automatic activation of defense against attacks directed at oneself — Defense.
Kang Yigeon’s maximum defense value was 9190, but it hadn’t activated at all.
This meant the owner of this mental manipulation skill was either of an S-rank or higher… or, contrary to his assumption, hadn’t used any skills or artifacts at all.
He needed to talk to him first.
Even though it was repulsive to face him.
Even though he wanted to crush his face right then and there.
Suppressing the unknown emotions surging alongside his fury—
He had to remain rational.
Rational.
Kang Yigeon mustered every ounce of self-control he had.
As he calmed himself, the people who had fled to the hallway returned.
They couldn’t avoid this confrontation forever, after all.
They sat down, their faces twisted with discomfort.
After regaining his composure, Kang Yigeon pressed the button.
“I am Hunter Kang Yigeon.”
The young man, with a weary face, smiled faintly.
“Ah, Kang Yigeon. It’s my first time meeting you in this timeline. Have you calmed down?”
“…Let me ask you first. You said the world is ending.”
“In three years, the Earth will meet its end.”
“Is it a dungeon?”
Climate crises had already been overcome.
Nuclear weapons could be neutralized by awakened individuals’ skills.
Even incoming asteroids could have their trajectories altered with advanced technology.
If the world were still to end, the only plausible explanation was the emergence of an overwhelming dungeon.
“You’re sharp as always. On April 10th, three years from now, at 4 a.m., a Level 6 dungeon will appear. If it isn’t cleared, the world will end.”
Level 6.
It was something everyone had expected to come eventually.
But not in 30 years, let alone 3 years.
It was too soon.
Moreover, something didn’t add up.
Failing to clear a Level 6 dungeon would cause an explosion in the area, releasing monsters.
The monsters escaping would be of a level higher than the dungeon itself, Level 7.
A Level 7 monster was undoubtedly catastrophic.
Perhaps an entire continent would have to be sacrificed.
However, such devastation would lead to the decline of humanity and civilization, not necessarily the complete annihilation of the world.
The young man seemed to read Kang Yigeon’s expression and continued.
“I know what you’re thinking. The key lies in the fact that this dungeon includes a hidden mission.”
“Hidden mission?”
Using ‘Mind Read’ Skill.
“The hidden mission is to clear the dungeon. The reward for success is a secret. The penalty for failure? The world’s destruction. The mission will automatically activate midway through the dungeon, so you can’t avoid it. In short, if the dungeon isn’t cleared, the world will end.”
‘Truth’ Confirmed.
Kang Yigeon scribbled “truth” on a piece of paper.
Damn it.
The director and deputy director cursed under their breaths.
Kang Yigeon began the interrogation in earnest.
“State your identity.”
“My name is Seohwa. I’m 26 years old, S-rank, with a mage trait. I came from the future. Three years from now, we failed to clear the Level 6 dungeon, and just before the world ended, I used my skill to return to the past.”
“You’re claiming you’ve regressed.”
“Yes.”
“If that’s true, you should have an identity in this timeline.”
“The system of this world rejects me. This isn’t the world I came from. The system protecting this timeline — the invisible force governing it… Let’s call it the timeline. The timeline has erased my past existence here and is now attempting to erase my regressed self as well.”
“……”
“You feel an intense sense of alienation and rejection toward me, don’t you? Hatred, disgust, murderous intent. Those emotions. Every particle that makes up Kang Yigeon is rejecting me. The entire world, from people to animals and plants, all simultaneously despising one existence—it’s an irrational phenomenon, isn’t it? In modern terms, when something inexplicable happens, the system is usually to blame. Think of it as a kind of skill side effect.”
‘Truth’ Confirmed.
“What is your regression skill?”
“I used ‘Flight of Time’, reversed its expansion.”
“Explain that skill.”
“It’s a skill that allows me to stop time or move through space-time. Expanding it forward takes me to the future; reversing it brings me to the past. I reversed it to return here.”
The young man’s explanation was fluent, almost practiced.
As if he had repeated it countless times.
Or…
“How many times have you regressed?”
Kang Yigeon’s question startled the others, but the young man only smiled knowingly.
“This is my fifth time. For the record, I’ve never used the skill for personal reasons. The timeline’s rejection intensifies with each regression. From the first to the fifth regression, I’ve only ever used it to save the Earth from the Level 6 dungeon.”
“So what you’re saying is…”
“Yes. The Earth has already been destroyed five times.”
‘Truth’ Confirmed.
Kang Yigeon clenched his fists. The interrogation had only just begun.
As Kang Yigeon wrote “truth” again on the paper, the people around him let out sighs or groans.
“I know every dungeon and event that will occur from now on. I’ll use my abilities and experience to help awakeners grow, and in three years, I’ll clear the Rank 6 dungeon that will appear. I’ve approached the government first to achieve that goal.”
“And you expect us to believe that?”
“You have no choice but to believe me. ‘Mind Reading’ says it’s the truth.”
Not a single awakener had ever managed to deceive ‘Mind Reading’.
Kang Yigeon was one of only five S-Class awakeners in the world, and he was equipped with numerous mental enhancement items, making it impossible for even other S-Class awakeners to trick his skill.
Every word he uttered now was undeniably true.
With the truth verified, the next step was clear: cooperate fully and draft a three-year plan to save the world together.
Yet, the words refused to leave their lips.
The thought of joining hands with him felt like stepping into a devil’s cunning, inescapable trap.
The minister and the commissioner clutched their heads and lowered them in frustration.
“Damn it… I can’t listen to this any longer.”
“My brain isn’t functioning… It’s as if hatred has replaced every rational thought.”
If what he said was true—and it had been confirmed as such—there were countless questions to ask and answers to seek.
But the only thought that consumed their minds was that this man needed to die.
The intensity of their hatred was so overwhelming that they couldn’t even consider probing for more details.
Kang Yigeon, too, clenched and unclenched his fists repeatedly, as if struggling to find the right words to say.
“You know, I’ve been wondering,” came a voice from beyond the glass.
A young man with a pale face spoke.
“Do I feel like a heinous criminal to you? Or… like something massive and revolting, like a giant centipede or an oversized cockroach?”
“…….”
“I mean, the reactions this time around feel especially extreme. Both criminals and cockroaches are horrifying, sure, but they’re… different types of awful, right? Which one do I come closer to?”
* * *
