The world was supposed to have ended.
I was supposed to be dead.
Ten years after the apocalypse began, the world had been reduced to a broken wasteland. Cities were nothing more than crumbling skeletons, nature had reclaimed the streets, and the sky always seemed to be a dull, lifeless gray. Humanity had learned to live in constant fear—fear of the zombies that roamed endlessly, of the mutated beasts that hunted the night, and of each other.
That day had started like any other: running for my life.
I could still feel the wind slicing against my cheeks as I sprinted down the cracked asphalt road, my lungs burning, my legs screaming for me to stop. Behind me, a pack of zombies screeched and howled, their twisted forms pounding the ground in a nightmare rhythm.
"Go! Keep running!" our leader had shouted just moments before, shoving me forward. I had stumbled, glancing back in horror as he turned to fight. His sacrifice gave the others a chance to escape… but it left me alone.
I knew I was weak. My measly Rank 2 Awakener abilities could barely take on a single zombie, let alone an entire horde. I didn't want to die—not yet. There were still too many regrets weighing on my heart, like anchors pulling me down. Regrets of failing to save my best friend. Regrets of living a life of cowardice. Regrets of never confessing feelings I had long buried.
But fate didn't care about regrets.
The moment my foot caught on a broken piece of debris, I went down hard. The asphalt tore my palms as I tried to push myself up, but the shadows of the zombies loomed over me before I could even move. I remember the stench first—rot, blood, and something so foul it made my stomach twist.
Then came the pain. Sharp, tearing pain as teeth sank into my flesh. My voice cracked into a scream, but I knew no one would come. Hot tears streamed down my face as I waited for the inevitable.
And then—
A light.
A soft blue glow spread before my eyes, replacing the hellish sight of gnashing teeth. My body grew numb. My vision faded, replaced by… words.
---
When I opened my eyes again, I was no longer surrounded by death.
Instead, I was lying on a bed. My bed. The familiar softness of the mattress made my chest tighten. The faint scent of laundry detergent lingered on the blanket. Slowly, I sat up, my gaze sweeping the room I hadn't seen in over a decade. The faded blue curtains. The desk cluttered with old notebooks. The half-dead potted plant by the window.
"This… this is my room," I whispered. My voice trembled.
I turned my head to the side and saw my phone sitting on the nightstand. With shaking hands, I picked it up. The screen lit up to show the date: July 4, 2XXX—three months before the apocalypse began.
"What the hell…" My breath quickened.
The last thing I remembered was dying. The taste of blood in my mouth. The sound of my own screams. And now—
A chime echoed in the air, and suddenly, a translucent blue screen appeared before me.
> "Hello, Host. I am the 'Survive the Apocalypse' System, and you have been chosen to return to the past to survive the apocalypse. (. ❛ ᴗ ❛.)"
I froze, staring at the floating words. "A… system?"
The voice was clear, almost cheerful, and oddly cute. In my past life, there was a system when the outbreak started, but it never spoke—it only sent dull notifications when a zombie was killed or when my rank increased.
The screen flickered again.
> "Host, if you are wondering why I am different from the system you knew before, it is because that one was only a subsystem. I am the main system."
"So… you're stronger? Better?" I asked cautiously.
> "Yes! As a main system, I have far more features than the one you had before. I can help you survive… and maybe even thrive."
I narrowed my eyes. "Features like… what?"
> "Well, the most important one is the System Shop! You can buy items, skills, food, weapons, and much more. You can also sell loot from monsters— not just monster cores, but also monster parts that can enhance your gear or be crafted into weapons. If the monster is edible, you can even harvest its meat!"
I blinked. "That's… actually impressive."
> "There's also the Looting feature. And quests—lots of quests with rewards. There are many more, but those are the important ones for now."
A mix of shock and excitement ran through me. In my previous life, all I had was a weak subsystem. I had been nothing but prey for stronger survivors. But now… maybe I could change my fate.
I closed my eyes for a moment, thinking of everything that happened before my death. My parents' accident. My years of wasting away in my room, drowning in video games and guilt. My best friend's last moments.
Not this time.
This time, I would prepare.
This time, I would survive.
And maybe—just maybe—I would protect the people I couldn't save before.