《Infinite Death in the Apocalypse》


 Chapter 1: Rewind Through Death

    I wonder if I¡¯m crazy.


    By the way, my name is Noah Wilson, and I¡¯m currently in my senior year at Baruch College in New York City.


    Going back¡ªdo you ever wonder if you¡¯re crazy?


    I mean, what am I doing talking to myself in front of my mirror? Buck naked at that, with only a towel wrapped around my waist to cover the lower half of my body.


    Well, I was already doing it, so I might as well continue.


    As I looked at the mirror, I analyzed my body. It wasn¡¯t too bad but wasn¡¯t too amazing either¡ªnothing like the ripped physiques you often see on bodybuilders. It was just fit¡ªnot too skinny but not too fatty.


    My face was also average. Black hair, black eyes, and a well-defined jawline. Just average. I was also kind of short, being 5¡¯9¡±.


    I wasn¡¯t complaining, though. In fact, I was more thankful. Seeing those handsome guys being flocked by girls looked tiresome to deal with.


    Anyway, I was on my way to university to attend my class. I had just finished taking a shower and was drying myself.


    After that, I put on a simple, casual outfit¡ªa plain grey t-shirt layered with a red jacket, black loose pants, and white shoes.


    Once I finished dressing, I glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. There were still fifteen minutes before my class began.


    Enough time for breakfast.


    I wasn¡¯t worried about being late¡ªmy school was just down the street, after all. It would only take a couple of minutes to walk there.


    One of the perks of living close to your school is that you never have to worry about being late.


    I scrolled through my phone while eating toast with a sunny-side-up egg. While scrolling, I stumbled upon some interesting news.


    ¡°Breaking News! The largest continent, Asia, has reportedly been split apart by an earthquake of immeasurable magnitude. Millions of people have lost their homes, and¡ª¡±


    The news these days was quite worrying. Last week, there was a sudden rise in sea levels, drowning many cities. A month ago, a stampede of animals ran through a city, resulting in countless casualties.


    It was as if the world was ending.


    No. No, that couldn¡¯t be possible, right?


    I shook my head and stopped thinking about it. If the world was really ending, I¡¯d have no choice but to accept it. I couldn¡¯t do anything about it anyway.


    I finished my meal and grabbed my bag. Before leaving, I glanced at a picture frame on the table.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you later, Mom.¡±


    I gave her a sweet smile.


    ***


    I walked down the streets.


    The city was practically abandoned. Each store was closed, layers of dust and dirt accumulating¡ªa sign that they had been left untouched for a long time. The roads were empty, with no vehicles in sight.


    It was eerily silent.


    As for why it was empty? People had fled further inland. Well, I couldn¡¯t blame them¡ªthis place was close to the ocean. Given everything that was happening, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if a massive tsunami hit. I was sure they valued their lives.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    I didn¡¯t evacuate like them.


    What more could I lose anyway?


    Honestly, it wasn¡¯t like this a year ago. The city was bustling with life. Since this place was near the university, a lot of college students would come home drunk, probably after a party¡ªjust enjoying their lives.


    Of course, I was one of them. I still remember my mom scolding me every time I came home reeking of beer.


    Then, one day, a meteor landed on our planet. The event exploded across the internet. People were excited¡ªsome speculated that it was a new metal stronger than diamonds, others believed it was a fertilizer that could grow plants in a single day, and some even thought it could finally cure cancer. I was intrigued as well.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was a coincidence or not, but that was also the day my mother contracted her disease. The doctor said it was incurable¡ªa never-before-seen disease in human history. I despaired at hearing him.


    According to him, she was healthy and conscious but somehow couldn¡¯t wake up.


    Then, he pronounced her dead.


    Naturally, I argued with him.


    ¡°If it¡¯s an incurable disease, then why don¡¯t you study it before saying that?! Please¡­ don¡¯t give up on my mother,¡± I pleaded, almost begging.


    Yet, my words seemed to go through the ears of the doctor. He only smiled and patted my shoulder, his eyes having an unsettling glint.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. This is an unknown disease, after all. We don¡¯t have any medicine that will work on her. But, with your help, we might prevent this disease from causing harm to someone ever again.¡±


    I squinted my eyes at him. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°What I mean is¡­¡± Even as he talked, his smile never left. ¡°...surrender the body of your mother to us. With her help, I¡ª I mean, we might be able to track the origin of this disease and essentially find the cure!¡±


    I stared speechlessly at the doctor. Did he think of my mother as just a specimen?


    I didn¡¯t miss his slip of the tongue¡ªhe wanted to use my mother to gain fame and be recognized for finding a cure to this unidentified disease.


    I clenched my fist tightly. I didn¡¯t realize it in my anger, but I was already punching the doctor, crushing his face. All I could think about was killing this bastard.


    Of course, I wasn¡¯t able to achieve it due to the intervention of other people. The doctor held a lot more power than I thought. Because the next day, we were kicked out of the hospital.


    It was no problem, I could just transfer her to another hospital, or so I naively thought.


    Reality hit hard¡ªall the hospitals I visited rejected us. Each of them stated the same thing: "Pronounce her dead and provide her body."


    I knew that providing her body would definitely be helpful, but just imagining those doctors holding knives in their hands and digging up my mother¡¯s body¡ªI couldn''t do it.


    In the end, all of this was just my own selfishness.


    ***


    As I said earlier, my university was just close to my house. In a couple of minutes, I was already there.


    Normally, at this time, when class was about to start, a surge of students would come running, trying to make it on time. But now, it was just lifeless.


    The hallways were silent, with only the sound of footsteps from a few students who still had an interest in studying.


    The class I was heading to was a Philosophy class. Well, it¡¯s not like I had a choice. My original course was smithing, but the other professors left, leaving only the Philosophy professor.


    You¡¯re asking why I was still taking classes even when they weren¡¯t related to my course?


    Well, one of my mom¡¯s dreams was for me to graduate college. I planned to show her my diploma once I got it.


    I hurried to my classroom. The lesson was boring as always¡ªdiscussing life and whatnot.


    I can¡¯t even believe I managed to endure listening to the professor for five hours, though I was mostly asleep.


    ¡°Hey, you."


    Just as I was about to leave, the professor called out to me.


    ¡°Yes, professor?¡±


    ¡°Watch out above you.¡±


    Huh? Above me? What does he mean? I was about to ask him when I noticed that he was suddenly gone.


    ¡°What the¡ª¡±


    What a weird professor. Anyway, I didn¡¯t mind what happened too much and headed back home.


    I was walking through the streets. I couldn¡¯t see anything because it was dark, and the streetlight was broken. It was already creepy enough because of the darkness, but the silence didn¡¯t help.


    I reached into my pocket for my headphones to listen to some music and ease myself when suddenly a monotonous voice rang in my head.


    [The evolution of world E#0126 has begun.]


    What the heck? I¡¯m sure I haven¡¯t put on my headphones yet. Where did this voice come from?


    The voice didn¡¯t stop.


    [Congratulations on entering the evolution stage! As a reward, you will be given a random skill set.]


    [Skill set ¡®Infinite Death¡¯ has been gifted to you. Check your Status Panel to see more details.]


    ¡°Evolution? Skill set? Status Panel? What the heck am I hearing right now? Did someone put drugs in my drink?¡±


    The moment I uttered "Status Panel," a floating blue screen suddenly appeared in front of me. But I didn¡¯t have time to check it before I felt like I was falling.


    I was staring at the beautiful night sky. Wait¡­ is that my body? Why doesn¡¯t it have a head?


    No way¡ª


    I died?


    [Condition has been fulfilled. Skill ¡®Rewind Through Death¡¯ will be activated.]


    [Reversing time¡­ Reversing time successfully.]


    [¡®Rewind Through Death¡¯ will be on a 24-hour cooldown.]


    [Death Count: 1] [+1]


    What the actual fuck?!

 Chapter 2: A Dream?

    I¡¯m confused.


    What just happened?


    My body felt numb.


    Where am I?


    I tried to speak, but no voice came out of my mouth. There was nothing but darkness. I could feel my eyes blink, yet the darkness made no difference whether they were open or closed.


    I felt suffocated, as if the darkness itself was strangling my neck, keeping me from breathing.


    Calm down, don¡¯t panic.


    I took deep breaths over and over again.


    Now, recall what happened.


    I was walking down the dark streets, intending to go home. The silence bothered me, so I wanted to listen to music with my headphones, but just as I was about to grab them, a monotonous voice echoed in my head.


    It spouted nonsensical things¡ªskills, status panels, evolution. It spoke as if I were in a game.


    Then, I felt a cold sensation on my neck. Suddenly, I found myself staring up at the night sky, bathed in moonlight.


    That¡¯s when I saw someone¡ªno, something. It was strange because it didn¡¯t have a head. Yet, it wore the same clothes as me and carried the same bag¡­


    And then, I realized.


    That something was me.


    I-I-I-I w-w-was b-b-beheaded!!!


    AAAAAAGGGHHHHHH!!!!!


    A splitting headache struck me. It felt as if someone were directly squeezing my brain. I screamed in agony for what felt like an eternity¡ª


    Then suddenly, the pain disappeared.


    I blinked, staring speechlessly at myself in the mirror.


    Frantically, I touched my neck, checking if it was still attached.


    Was it a dream? No¡­ it felt too real. I could still feel the sensation of my head being severed.


    I turned on the tap, scooped water into my hands, and splashed it on my face¡ªtrying to wake myself up, forcing myself to not think about it.


    "It was just a nightmare. Forget it," I assured myself.


    I continued preparing for class. I wore the same outfit from my supposed dream¡ªa plain gray t-shirt layered with a red jacket, black loose pants, and white shoes.


    Since there was still time before breakfast, I cooked for myself¡ªa simple meal of toast and a sunny-side-up egg. After finishing, I left, not before bidding farewell to my mother.


    The day went on as usual. Yet, I couldn¡¯t shake this feeling.


    Something was¡­ off.


    I arrived at the university. As always, it was nearly empty, with only a handful of students attending their classes. I made my way to mine.


    Upon entering the classroom, I greeted the professor.


    ¡°Good morning, Professor Emelyn.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ yes,¡± she replied with a smile, adjusting her glasses. ¡°Good morning to you too, the student who isn¡¯t originally from my class¡ªMr. Wilson.¡±


    ¡°Haha¡­¡± I laughed awkwardly.


    Again, that nagging feeling. Something was out of place.


    Due to the other professors disappearing for some reason, I couldn¡¯t continue my original course. So, I requested a transfer. I wasn¡¯t even sure if that was allowed, but surprisingly, they let it pass. They must have been desperate due to the rapid decrease in students and staff.


    Lucky for me.


    The professor¡¯s class lasted five hours. Strangely enough, it wasn¡¯t boring. To my surprise, I didn¡¯t doze off even once.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    After class, I stood up and bid farewell.


    ¡°See you tomorrow, Professor!¡± I said with a smile, waving.


    She returned the gesture. ¡°Yes, see you tomorrow as well, Mr. Wilson.¡±


    Then, I left.


    Once again, I walked through the dark streets toward my house.


    Something wasn¡¯t right. I¡¯d felt it all day. Was it related to my dream? No¡­ that would be impossible. What happened in that dream was just that¡ªa dream.


    Maybe it was just the eerie silence.


    I reached for my headphones, planning to listen to music¡ª


    But then, a voice echoed in my head.


    A very familiar, monotonous voice.


    [The evolution of world E#0126 has begun.]


    This voice¡ª! It wasn¡¯t coming from my headphones. I wasn¡¯t even wearing them yet.


    [Congratulations on entering the evolution stage! As a reward, you will be given a random skill set.]


    [Skill set ¡®Infinite Death¡¯ has been gifted to you. Check your Status Panel to¡­]


    ¡°¡­see more details,¡± I muttered under my breath, my eyes widening in shock.


    There was no mistaking it. My dream was real all along. Otherwise, how could I explain this?


    Then, how did I foresee it? Did I have some kind of Foresight ability¡­ or¡ª


    I didn¡¯t have time to process my thoughts because I suddenly remembered what was about to happen next.


    I turned my gaze toward the moon shining in the night sky.


    And next to me¡ªstanding there¡ªwas someone.


    Someone wearing my exact clothes.


    Someone with no head.


    I see. It dawned on me.


    I had died. Once again.


    [Condition has been fulfilled. Skill ¡®Rewind Through Death¡¯ will be activated.]


    [Reversing time¡­ Reversing time successfully.]


    [¡®Rewind Through Death¡¯ will be on a 24-hour cooldown.]


    [Death Count: 1 ¡ú 2]


    ---


    I gasped.


    The familiar darkness surrounded me.


    Right. This had happened before¡ªafter I died.


    Last time, I felt suffocated here¡ªso much so that I almost died again. But then, I woke up in my bathroom.


    Wait¡­ does that mean I have to die here to get back?


    I laughed.


    I couldn¡¯t believe how calm I was after everything that had happened.


    A normal person would have broken after experiencing death once. Yet here I was, still sane after dying twice.


    I must have gone insane.


    Well, I might as well take advantage of my current mental state and think things through. Before I¡¯m sent back, let¡¯s analyze the situation.


    In my first death, my day had gone on as normal. I prepared for university¡ªshowered, got dressed, ate breakfast. Nothing out of place. Then, I went to class.


    I arrived at the lecture hall, then¡­


    Wait.


    Huh?


    I¡­ I can¡¯t remember anything.


    The only things I can recall are walking home, hearing the voice, being decapitated, reviving, and moving on.


    Other than that¡ªnothing.


    It was as if a giant blank space had been carved into my mind.


    Aghh!!


    The splitting headache struck again.


    It wasn¡¯t as bad as before¡ªperhaps because I was getting used to it¡ªbut it still hurt like hell. I endured it as long as I could, and then¡ªjust like before¡ªthe pain was suddenly gone.


    I opened my eyes.


    And once again, I was staring at myself in the mirror.


    Just what the hell is happening?


    I saw myself die twice. Was any of this even real? No¡­ it had to be. That cold sensation of a blade slicing through my neck¡ªI could never forget it.


    If this is real, then¡­ will I really die?


    I have to avoid that thing at all costs. But I don¡¯t even know what it is. It¡¯s too fast to see with the naked eye.


    Right. Why don¡¯t I just stay home and not go to class?


    That way, I¡¯ll be safe.


    Yes, that¡¯s a good plan.


    So, I locked myself inside. I spent the entire day watching TV, scrolling through social media, and playing video games.


    Hours passed. Night came.


    Then¡ªwhat I¡¯d been waiting for finally arrived.


    The monotonous voice echoed in my head for the third time.


    [The evolution of world E#0126 has begun.]


    [Congratulations on entering the evolution stage! As a reward, you will be given a random skill set.]


    [Skill set ¡®Infinite Death¡¯ has been gifted to you. Check your Status Panel to see more details.]


    I waited.


    Nothing.


    No sudden sensation of falling.


    No sight of my headless body.


    ¡­ I avoided death.


    Ha! See that? I avoided my death!


    Ahem.


    I didn¡¯t let my excitement take over.


    I survived.


    For now.


    I meticulously wrote down each word it said on a piece of paper and scanned them one by one. Most of them didn¡¯t make sense to me.


    What did it mean by ¡®evolution of the world E#0126¡¯? Was that supposed to refer to this planet¡ªEarth? And what about the skill set and status panel? Those terms were things you¡¯d typically find in a video game, not real life.


    In novels, uttering ¡®Status Panel¡¯ would display a character¡¯s stats. Did that mean I had to say it out loud?


    No¡­ No, that would be ridiculous. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m inside a novel¡­ right?


    Honestly, all of this felt like an elaborate prank.


    Yet, what I had experienced completely denied that possibility.


    Well, I didn¡¯t have much of a choice¡ªI needed to confirm it.


    I glanced around to make sure no one was watching me. Of course, there was no one.


    Then, in a barely audible voice, I muttered, ¡°Status Panel.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but feel embarrassed. I must¡¯ve looked like someone with an eighth-grade syndrome right now.


    But the moment I saw what appeared before me, all my embarrassment vanished¡ªreplaced by pure shock.


    A translucent blue screen floated in the air.


    I couldn¡¯t believe it.


    It was just like in a game.


    ¡ª


    [Name: Noah Wilson]


    [Class: (Unclassified)]


    [Level: 1]


    [Rank: ¨C]


    [Title: ¨C]


    [Quest]


    [Health: 100]


    [Stamina: 80]


    [Mana: 180]


    [Strength: 6]


    [Agility: 8]


    [Health: 10]


    [Stamina: 8]


    [Mana: 18]


    [Magic Power: 4]


    [Blank Stats: 0]


    [Death Count: 2]


    Skill Sets (1/3):


    [Infinite Death] (God-Order Skill Set)


    [Click to interact]


    ¡ª


    This was interesting.


    It was a numerical representation of my current physical state.


    Just like in a game.


    Wait¡­ what¡¯s that smell?


    I sniffed the air.


    Gas?


    Spark!


    ¡­Are you serious?


    BOOOOOOMMMMM!!!


    ¡ª


    [Condition has been fulfilled. Skill ¡®Rewind Through Death¡¯ will be activated.]


    [Reversing time¡­ Reversing time successfully.]


    [¡®Rewind Through Death¡¯ will be on a 24-hour cooldown.]


    [Death Count: 2 ¡ú 3]