The throne room was silent except for the sound of my ragged breathing.
I couldn't remember the last time I'd heard another human voice. Three months? Six? Time had lost all meaning somewhere around the hundredth scenario. Now, standing in the crystalline chamber at the peak of the Tower of Endings, I realized with bitter clarity that I was alone.
Completely, utterly alone.
[FINAL SCENARIO: THE LAST THRONE]
[REMAINING SURVIVORS: 1]
[CLEAR CONDITION: DEFEAT THE ADMINISTRATOR OF ENDINGS]
[FAILURE PENALTY: EXTINCTION OF HUMANITY]
The blue system window hovered before my eyes, its cheerful font a mockery of everything I'd lost. Ten years. Ten years of hell, blood, and death. Ten years of watching everyone I knew torn apart by scenarios designed by cosmic sadists who called themselves Administrators.
And now, at the end of it all, I was the last one standing.
"Cipher."
My voice cracked from disuse as I called out to the empty air. For a moment, nothing happened. Then shadows peeled away from my own, coalescing into a vaguely humanoid shape. No features, no real form—just darkness given purpose.
My last remaining summon.
Umbra didn't speak. He'd never spoken, not in all the years I'd known him. But I felt his emotions through our bond—a mixture of exhaustion, sorrow, and grim determination that mirrored my own.
"I know," I whispered. "I know you're tired. Just... one more fight. That's all I'm asking."
The shadow rippled, and I felt his wordless response: Until the end.
I'd had dozens of summons once. Powerful creatures from a hundred different realms, each bound to me through contracts written in mana and blood. Ash, the Fenrir who'd been my first companion, grown from a playful pup into a wolf the size of a building. Seraph, the fallen angel whose sarcasm had kept me sane through the darkest scenarios. Cairn, the ancient stone guardian who'd taught me that strength wasn't just about power.
All of them were gone now.
Some had fallen in combat. Others had sacrificed themselves to buy me time. A few had simply reached their limit, their life force consumed by the endless battles until they dissolved into motes of light and returned to wherever summons went when they died.
I'd tried to save them. God, how I'd tried.
But in the end, I'd learned the cruelest truth about being a summoner: you couldn't protect everyone. The stronger I became, the harder the scenarios pushed back. The more companions I gathered, the more targets the Administrators had to exploit.
My hands clenched around the staff in my grip—a legendary weapon I'd earned from clearing Scenario 287. I couldn't even remember what that scenario had been about anymore. They all blurred together after a while.
"Come out," I called to the empty throne. "I know you're watching. You bastards are always watching."
Reality rippled, and a figure materialized on the throne.
He looked human—they always did when they wanted to mock us. Handsome features, silver hair, eyes that gleamed with the light of distant stars. He wore robes that seemed to be woven from the night sky itself, constellations shifting across the fabric.
The Administrator of Endings smiled at me.
"Congratulations, Player Jin Woo-seok," he said, his voice rich with amusement. "You've exceeded all expectations. Honestly, we didn't think any of you would make it past Scenario 400. The fact that you've cleared 499 scenarios is... remarkable."
"Shut up." My voice was flat, dead. I'd run out of anger somewhere around Scenario 300. Now there was only hollow determination. "Just start the scenario. Let's finish this."
The Administrator's smile widened. "So eager to die? I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. You humans do love your futile gestures of defiance."
"If I'm going to die anyway, I'd rather get it over with."
"Oh, but that's where you're wrong." The Administrator leaned forward, his expression shifting to something almost... curious. "You see, Jin Woo-seok, you're not going to die. Not here, not now. Do you know why?"
I didn't answer. Whatever game he was playing, I wouldn't give him the satisfaction.
"Because you're the last one," he continued. "The sole survivor of your species. And the scenarios... well, they require participants. Without players, the game ends. Without the game..." He spread his hands. "We Administrators have no purpose. No entertainment."
Understanding dawned, cold and terrible.
"You're going to keep me alive," I said slowly. "Trap me here. Force me to watch as humanity's extinction becomes permanent."
"Not quite." The Administrator stood, descending from his throne with fluid grace. "We're going to offer you a choice. A final scenario, if you will, though not the one you were expecting."
[SPECIAL SCENARIO TRIGGERED: REGRESSION]
[WOULD YOU LIKE TO RETURN TO THE BEGINNING?]
[YES/NO]
I stared at the window that appeared before me, my mind struggling to process the words.
"A regression," the Administrator explained. "A chance to go back to the very first day. To the Tutorial. You'll retain all your memories, all your knowledge... but none of your power. You'll be level 1 again, Jin Woo-seok. A fresh start."
"Why?" The question tore from my throat. "Why would you offer this?"
His smile was that of a predator who'd just spotted new prey. "Because it will be entertaining, of course. Watching you struggle with the weight of your knowledge, trying to save people you know are doomed, attempting to change fate itself... Oh yes, that will be delicious. And perhaps—just perhaps—you'll provide us with an even better show this time around."
Every instinct screamed that this was a trap. The Administrators never did anything out of kindness. This was just another scenario, another test designed to break me.
But as I stood there, feeling Umbra's fading presence through our bond, I realized something:
I had nothing left to lose.
If there was even a chance—the smallest possibility—that I could go back and save them... save Ash before he sacrificed himself in Scenarios. Save Seraph before she burned out her life force in another Scenario. Save all the people who'd trusted me, followed me, died for me...
How could I refuse?
"There's no time limit on resurrection scenarios," I said quietly, a memory surfacing. "No rules against bringing back the dead if you regress."
The Administrator's grin was sharp enough to cut. "Technically true. Though I wonder if you'll be able to bear the weight of living through it all again. Watching them die, knowing you failed once already. Knowing you might fail again."
"I won't fail." My hand found Umbra's shadowy form, and I felt his support through our bond one last time. "Not this time. This time, I'll save everyone."
"Bold words from a broken summoner." The Administrator waved his hand dismissively. "Well then. Make your choice. Though we both know what you'll pick. You humans are so predictable in your hope."
He was right. I was predictable. Stupid, even.
But I'd rather die trying than live with the knowledge that I'd given up.
My hand reached out, trembling slightly, and pressed [YES].
The world exploded into light.
I felt Umbra dissolve, his final emotion rippling through our bond: See you again, partner.
Then there was nothing but white, white, white—
---
I jerked awake with a gasp, my heart hammering against my ribs.
Familiar ceiling. Familiar room. Familiar smell of cheap instant coffee and cheaper air freshener.
My hands flew to my chest, expecting to find the scars from ten years of combat. Smooth skin. No marks. I looked down at my arms—thin, unmarked by the countless wounds I'd accumulated.
This was my body from ten years ago. Before the scenarios. Before everything.
My phone buzzed on the nightstand. I grabbed it with shaking hands, already knowing what I'd see.
**Date: April 1st, 2025**
**Time: 11:50 AM**
Ten minutes.
In ten minutes, the first scenario would begin. The Tutorial that would introduce humanity to a nightmare that would last a decade.
In ten minutes, the apocalypse would start, and seventy percent of Earth's population would die in the first twenty-four hours alone.
But this time, I knew it was coming.
This time, I could prepare.
This time—
[WELCOME TO THE TUTORIAL]
[THE WORLD HAS BEEN SELECTED FOR INTEGRATION]
[SCENARIO #1 WILL BEGIN IN 00:09:47]
The blue window appeared exactly as I remembered it, down to the cheerful font that had seemed so bizarre the first time around.
I stood on shaking legs, ten years of muscle memory warring with my current weak body. I stumbled, caught myself on the desk, and laughed—a sound somewhere between hysteria and relief.
I was really back.
The Administrator had kept his word. Whether this was mercy or just a new form of torture didn't matter.
I had nine minutes and forty-three seconds to prepare for the Tutorial.
Nine minutes to begin changing fate.
Nine minutes before I could start saving everyone I'd lost.
My hands clenched into fists as I opened my closet, reaching for the baseball bat I knew was in the back. It had been my first weapon in the original timeline, before I'd learned to rely on summons. This time, I'd do things differently.
This time, I wouldn't make the same mistakes.
This time, I'd make sure that when I called for Ash, for Seraph, for Cairn and all the others—they wouldn't have to die.
"I'm coming," I whispered to the empty room, to the companions who didn't know me yet, who existed in realms I'd only reach through summoning contracts. "I'm coming to save all of you."
The countdown continued.
[00:09:12]
And Jin Woo-seok, the Last Summoner, began his second attempt at conquering the apocalypse.
This time, he wouldn't be alone.