The world didn't end with a whimper; it ended with the sound of glass shattering and the smell of ozone.

  John Avakin sat in his cramped apartment, the remnants of a lukewarm bowl of ramyun cooling in front of him. On the news, Seoul was screaming. In the streets of Kingston, shadows were rising. His parents—first-generation survivors who had moved across oceans to give him a "stable life"—were already gone, lost in the initial wave of the Manifestation.

  John didn't cry. He watched the notifications blink into existence in the air, glowing with a sickly violet light.

  [System Initialization Complete.]

  [Unique Ability Awakened: Eternal Recursion (Rank: ???)]

  [Description: Upon death, your consciousness and 10% of your accumulated power will regress to the "Save Point."]

  "A time loop," John whispered, his voice devoid of the wonder one might expect from an avid fantasy reader. He knew the tropes. He knew the cost. "So, I’m the guy who has to die until he gets it right."

  He looked at the handgun on the table—a black market 9mm he’d spent his savings on when the first monsters crawled out of the subway. In a world now obsessed with "Mana Circuits" and "Holy Blades," gunpowder felt like an insult. To John, it was the only thing that made sense.

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  The Encounter

  Outside, the sky was a bruised purple. John stepped over a mangled corpse, his grip firm on his pistol. He wasn't looking for survivors; he was looking for a path.

  "Hey! Over here!"

  A young man with golden hair and an aura that practically glowed with "Main Character" energy waved him down. This was Leo Thorne. Leo looked like he’d stepped straight out of a shonen manga—broad shoulders, a massive claymore strapped to his back, and eyes filled with a nauseating amount of hope.

  "You have a gun?" Leo asked, landing beside John after leaping from a second-story balcony. "Bold. But you won't need that once we reach the Sanctuary. I’m gathering a team to push back the Rift. Join us. Together, we can save what’s left of this city!"

  John looked at Leo. He saw a man who would eventually be betrayed by his own kindness. He saw a man who believed the world had a "correct" ending.

  "I'm just trying to get to the grocery store," John lied smoothly, his face a mask of timid desperation. "I'm not a fighter. I'm just... scared."

  "Don't be," Leo beamed, patting John on the shoulder with enough force to bruise. "I'll protect you. That's what heroes do."

  Hero, John thought, feeling a flicker of something dark and cold in his chest. I wonder how many times I’ll have to watch you die before I find a use for you.

  The First Death

  It happened three hours later. A High-Rank Demon, a "Crucible Knight," dropped from the sky. Leo charged forward, shouting about justice and friendship.

  John didn't charge. He aimed his 9mm, but the demon was a blur of steel and shadow. A single sweep of a clawed hand, and John’s vision tilted. He felt the cold pavement against his cheek before he even realized his head was no longer attached to his neck.

  The last thing he saw was Leo screaming his name.

  [Status: Dead.]

  [Executing Eternal Recursion...]

  John blinked. He was back in his apartment. The bowl of ramyun was lukewarm. The news was still screaming.

  He didn't scream. He didn't gasp for air. He simply picked up his gun, checked the magazine, and felt the faint, ghostly weight of 10% more "Presence" in his veins.

  "Attempt number two," John said, a small, jagged smile forming on his lips. "Let's see if Leo is any more useful this time."