The concrete felt really cold.
That was the first thing I noticed.
Not the fact that my legs were missing, or that my intestines were steaming in the biting Seoul winter air.
The cold seeped through my shredded tactical vest, mocking the Flame-Retardant enchantments I'd spent three months' worth of mana crystals to imbue.
I coughed, and a thick, metallic sludge bubbled up, coating my chin.
It wasn't just my blood.
It was a cocktail of copper, the acidic green ichor of a Twin-Headed Ogre, and the shimmering blue marrow of the Sky-Fracture Drakes.
We had killed so many.
But in the end, it didn't matter.
Gwanghwamun Plaza was gone.
The statue of Admiral Yi Sun-sin had been toppled weeks ago.
The Tower of Trials had finally overflowed.
「Failed to clear the 100th Floor.」
[Penalty: Integration.]
When the gates at the base of the Tower swung outward instead of inward, humanity learned the difference between being a player and being prey.
I tilted my head back, my vision flickering like a dying bulb.
Above the jagged skyline of ruined skyscrapers, the Tower pierced the stratosphere.
It was beautiful in a terrifying way.
Pulsing with purple light, as if it were breathing in the souls of the millions currently being slaughtered in the streets.
"Hey... Mansoo..."
I croaked.
A few meters away, a man in gleaming silver plate armor was crawling toward an overturned bus.
Park Mansoo.
The Shield of Korea.
The man I had given the 『Aegis of the Eternal Sun』 to.
A Divine-rank shield I'd found in a hidden sub-basement on the 48th floor.
I'd given it to him for free because he'd promised to protect the rear guard.
He didn't even look back.
He was clutching a teleportation scroll which was another gift from me trying to find the mana to activate it.
"It's... broken..."
I whispered, though he couldn't hear me.
"I gave you... the one with the... hairline fracture... because you said... you'd fix it."
This fucker didn't even fix it.
He'd spent his gold on wine and Level-Up potions instead.
I looked at my right hand or what was left of it.
My fingers were charred down to the bone from over-channeling mana into the 『Heavenly Sword』 I'd passed to Lee Seol-ah.
She'd been the Genius Mage everyone adored.
I'd funneled every spare Skill Card I earned into her library, thinking a stronger spear would lead us to the 100th floor.
When the Ogre King broke through our line ten minutes ago, she hadn't cast a barrier for me.
She'd used the mana I provided to cast a blink spell, vanishing into the upper floors of a nearby building to buy herself three more minutes of life.
I was a fool.
A high-tier supplier who thought the collective good outweighed personal greed.
I'd played the game of humanity's helper and won the prize of a slow death in a gutter.
A shadow fell over me.
A scavenger-type monster chirped as it landed on a nearby streetlight.
It had multiple joints and eyes that reflected my own pathetic state.
It was waiting for the light in my eyes to fade so it could start on my liver.
"Not yet..."
I hissed, my hand trembling as I reached into my spatial storage.
It was empty.
I'd distributed the last of the High-Potions to the vanguard an hour ago.
They'd drunk them and run.
I didn't even have a bandage left for myself.
『Warning: Vital signs are reaching critical levels.』
The blue holographic window flickered in my blurred vision.
I started to laugh, but it turned into a wet, agonizing wheeze.
If I had kept the 『Aegis』, I wouldn't have been torn in half.
If I had used the 『Heavenly Sword』 myself, I would have decapitated the Ogre King before his club ever swung.
If I had monopolized the Skill Cards, I would be standing on the 100th floor right now.
I had been the best Support in the world.
And I gave it all away.
For...the Future.
For ...Humanity.
"What a joke."
Voices kept surfacing again.
"Jiseok, you cleared it solo? That skill would be wasted on you alone."
"You don't even need it...You're already strong."
"Let me borrow it just for this floor. I swear I'll return the favor."
"Think about everyone depending on us."
"If we combine what we have, we can push faster."
My chest tightened.
---
"You got the hidden reward? That's insane."
"Share the method. People are dying."
"If you keep information to yourself, what's the difference between you and those greedy bastards?"
Greedy bastards.
I laughed weakly. It hurt.
I remembered typing out the strategy.
Posting it and watching the comments flood in filled with gratitude, praise and hope.
---
"Hyung, if I had your artifact, I could protect the frontline."
"Please. Just this once."
"We're all in this together."
Together.
I had believed that word.
---
"We can't afford individualism right now."
"You're strong enough to compensate."
"If you keep stacking everything on yourself, we'll fall behind."
---
"Jiseok… you don't have to carry everything alone."
I remembered that one clearly.
The look in their eyes had trust and expectation.
I felt something twist inside me.
"I'm not carrying it alone..."
I had said back then.
"That's the point."
Idiot.
My teeth clenched and blood ran down my chin.
---
"If we distribute rare skills across teams, our clear rate increases."
"You're not the only hope."
"Stop acting like you need to hoard power."
I had almost snapped at that.
Instead, I smiled.
"I'm not hoarding..."
I gave it away.
I gave away the cooldown reduction passive.
I gave away the mana amplification card.
I gave away the scaling defense artifact.
I gave away the hidden floor bonus method.
Every time, I told myself it was the rational choice.
"Fuck…"
Another memory surfaced.
"Jiseok, you're a good person."
I let out a weak, broken laugh.
"Good person?"
I muttered to myself, voice barely sound.
"Look at this...."
Humanity was gone.
And I was lying in a pool of blood replaying conversations like a damn fool.
"You don't need it as much as we do."
"You're strong enough already."
"Think about the bigger picture."
---
A sudden explosion rocked the street.
A Drake breathed fire into the building where Seol-ah had hidden.
I heard a scream that was high, sharp, and brief follow after.
Good.
At least she died before me.
The monster hopped down, its talons clicking on the asphalt.
It sniffed my exposed ribs.
The pain was gone now, replaced by a heavy, numbing warmth.
That was the most dangerous part.
Once the pain stops, the exit door is open.
I looked up at the Tower one last time.
If there is a God... no... if there is a single loophole in the laws of causality...
『Hidden Condition Met: "The One Who Lost Everything."』
『Calculating Karma...』
『Total Contribution to Humanity: 99.9%』
『Personal Reward Retained: 0.01%』
A strange notification appeared.
[The System acknowledges the extreme imbalance of Gains vs Sacrifice.]
[Would you like to settle the debt?]
My vision was almost entirely black now.
"I want to... take it back.
All of it. Every skill... every item..."
[Request Accepted.]
[Activating Chronos-Synchronization...]
[Error: Soul is too damaged for full restoration.]
[Sacrificing 99.9% of Accumulated Karma to force a Rewind.]
My heart gave one final, violent throb.
The monster lunged, its maw opening to reveal rows of needle-like teeth.
I felt the world stretch.
The sound of the screaming Drakes slowed down...
The snow began to float upward.
「Starting over.」
The cold of Seoul disappeared.
For a brief, blissful second, there was only the sound of a ticking clock.
---
Kim Jiseok, the Saint of the East, the Support of the Century, the Great Fool of Gwanghwamun...
...succumbed to death.