RG 0

The world was entirely red. Dark ashes fluttered through the air, and bodies littered the ground. The thick scent of blood permeating the air made me feel nauseous.

Cold sweat trickled down my cheek and dripped downward. I forced my trembling lips to call out to the figure embraced within my arms.

“Brother…”

But there was no response. The face, with closed eyes, looked as if peacefully asleep, if not for the blood trickling down the abdomen.

I lifted my head and called out to another figure fallen in front of me.

“Guildmaster…”

Again, there was no reply.

All the dear ones I trusted and followed had perished. Everywhere I looked, I saw only their lifeless forms.

I clenched my trembling fingers into a fist. I turned my gaze forward. At a distance so far that a human figure was barely discernible, there stood a man.

Clad in worn clothes, his waist-length hair wildly danced in the wind. Sinister green eyes gleamed amid his unkempt locks. He was the murderer who had killed countless people since his first appearance, now a calamity that had brought an end to humanity.

Despite being so far away, I couldn’t meet his eyes. A dreadful aura emanated from the calamity, filling me with terror. I, a mere B-class individual, couldn’t handle such a being.

“Now!”

At that moment, Hunters swiftly passed by my helplessly seated form.

In their determined rush towards the man, wielding their weapons, I sensed an unparalleled strength possessed only by those risking their lives. I couldn’t take my eyes off the Hunters leaping in without hesitation to prevent the calamity.

Seeing the survivors approaching it, the calamity swung the colossal scythe it held. As it did, a black light burst forth, consuming everything around.

I couldn’t endure the horrific pain enveloping my entire being and closed my eyes.

***

The heavens and earth were shrouded in darkness.

All senses grew faint, and a chilling coldness crept in. I was… slowly dying.

It was a destined fate from the moment I faced the calamity. Yet, that didn’t mean I wasn’t afraid.

Images of countless bodies I had seen just before closing my eyes flashed in my mind. Would it be all right if I ended up like them?

‘No, at least those people died fighting.’

They were far more remarkable than I, who had been protected by my brother and the guildmaster until the end. Compared to them, how pitiful and futile my end seemed.

I felt regret.

Since I was a mere support B-class individual, I couldn’t directly engage in battle… But still, if only I had been more proactive, maybe there could have been a different outcome. Saving everyone might be impossible, but I should have at least tried to protect those dear to me.

In the fading consciousness, I inadvertently thought: I want to live.

If given one more chance, I wouldn’t live so foolishly. So, just one more time, if I can live…

The moment I thought that.

《Would you like to retry? ▷YES ▷NO》

In a completely empty space filled only with darkness, suddenly, words appeared. Amid my confusion at the message in front of my eyes, the content of the message changed.

《Automatically selected due to time lapse. ▶YES》

《All data will be changed to the save point. This process will take time.》

《Loading……》

《An error has been detected.》

《Skipping the error and continuing the process.》

《Loading……》

《The process is complete. The used save will be deleted.》

With that, the words flickered and shattered. Soon after, a new, bright light emerged rapidly from the opposite side.

I felt a chilling sensation akin to plummeting and lost consciousness.