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『SUB SCENARIO: Echoes of a Protagonist Difficulty: S+ Clear Condition: Clear 5 Upper-Tier Disaster Species Reward: Forgotten Memories of Yoo Joonghyuk』
Yoo Joonghyuk stared at the floating system window for longer than necessary.
Echoes of a Protagonist.
The phrasing alone irritated him. Protagonist—what was this, some third-world trashy webnovel trying to imitate reality? He scoffed internally. And forgotten memories? That was even more absurd. Yoo Joonghyuk did not forget. He remembered everything—from the 0th regression to the countless hellish loops that followed. Every death. Every failure. Every victory carved into him like scars.
There was nothing left to recover.
And yet—
Curiosity, that irritating remnant of his humanity, nudged him forward.
He pressed Accept.
The scenario unfolded brutally but efficiently. Upper-tier Disaster Species poured forth one after another—distorted monstrosities that twisted space and scorched the battlefield. It took coordination, precision, and the full extent of his combat instincts, but Yoo Joonghyuk cleared all five within the allotted time.
Not difficult. Just tedious.
When the final enemy collapsed, the system chimed.
Scenario Complete. Processing Rewards…
Yoo Joonghyuk waited.
The screen flickered.
Then—
ERROR We are currently working to resolve this system issue. Your reward will be distributed shortly.
He frowned.
Typical. The Star Stream was never perfect. With no further messages forthcoming, Yoo Joonghyuk dismissed the window and decided to return to base. The scenario exhaustion lingered, but it was manageable.
As he walked, a dull ache bloomed behind his eyes.
Tch. Probably backlash from overusing skills. He ignored it.
By the time he reached the front steps, the ache had sharpened into something unbearable. His vision swam. The world tilted, colors bleeding into one another.
And then—
Darkness.
When Yoo Joonghyuk opened his eyes, he was standing in a white, endless space.
No system windows. No constellations. No Star Stream.
Just silence.
Someone stood in front of him.
Tall. Straight-backed. Imposing in a way that felt painfully familiar.
It was him.
Yoo Joonghyuk from the 0th regression.
For a moment, he couldn’t breathe.
This version of himself had no scars. No exhaustion carved into his posture. His eyes—those eyes—still held something dangerously fragile.
Hope.
The 0th regression, Yoo Joonghyuk said nothing. He merely stared, expression unreadable, before gesturing toward something behind them.
A gateway.
Yoo Joonghyuk hesitated only briefly before stepping through.
He was home.
His old apartment. The one from before everything fell apart. The same gaming setup. The same desk. The same faint smell in the air that reminded him of nights spent playing games and home.
Nostalgia hit him like a blade to the chest.
Before he could linger, the world warped.
Steel screeched.
He was in the accursed subway.
That subway.
The beginning of everything.
A presence stood beside him. He turned—and saw the 0th regression Yoo Joonghyuk watching the scene unfold like a silent observer.
“Hey, I remember thi—”
A sharp gesture cut him off.
Silence.
So he watched.
He watched himself choose sponsors. Make companions. Fight monsters with reckless determination. He watched death approach—and pass him by.
Because this time, he didn’t regress.
The Oldest Dream was always there. Guiding him. Supporting him. Leading him and his companions toward victory after victory.
Yoo Joonghyuk’s fists clenched.
That wasn’t right.
The memories continued.
He saw himself reach the end of the scenarios.
Saw the world survive.
Saw peace.
And then—
He saw himself settle down.
Marry Lee Seolhwa.
Yoo Joonghyuk’s thoughts stuttered.
What?
That never happened. He never reached the end in his 0th regression. Never even came close. Marriage was an impossibility—if he ever married, it would be his most loyal, most capable companion—
He cut the thought off sharply and forced himself to focus.
This life was wrong.
The scene shifted again.
No scenarios. No monsters. No blood.
Just day-to-day life.
People walked without fear. Children laughed. Guards slept through the night instead of keeping watch with hollow eyes. Everyone was fed. Everyone was safe.
Peaceful.
This was the world he had fought for.
This was the life he had wanted—for Mia to return to school, for her to grow up without fear, for the world to finally rest.
Beside him, the 0th regression Yoo Joonghyuk spoke for the first time.
“Hypothetically,” he said quietly, “if you gave all of this up just so you could keep regressing… would you regret it?”
Yoo Joonghyuk didn’t answer right away.
Yes.
Of course, he would.
This was everything.
And yet—
Something was missing.
He searched the crowd. The streets. The quiet rooms.
He couldn’t find him.
Kim Dokja.
He didn’t know if Kim Dokja even existed in this worldline.
No one stood beside him.
He waited.
For a weak cough behind him. For a familiar voice making an unfunny joke about probabilities. For a man who should not exist—but always did.
Nothing happened.
For the first time, Yoo Joonghyuk understood something terrifying.
He won.
The world survived.
And it felt wrong.