[SCENARIO #1: THE TUTORIAL COMPLETE]
[SURVIVORS IN YOUR AREA: 847/3,240]
[CALCULATING PERFORMANCE...]
The blue windows appeared simultaneously for everyone in the courtyard. The survivors—those who'd managed to kill at least one monster and live through the hour—stared at the notifications with expressions ranging from relief to horror.
847 survivors out of 3,240 initial participants in this district alone.
Over two thousand people dead in sixty minutes.
In the original timeline, this area had only 623 survivors. I'd already changed things, even if just slightly. Park Ji-hoon and his group were alive. That was four people who'd died before.
Small changes. But they mattered.
"Is it over?" The young woman in the university hoodie—I still didn't know her name—looked around wildly, as if expecting new monsters to spawn at any moment. "Is it really over?"
"For now," I said, leaning against the Ogre's corpse. My ribs were still healing, the System's regeneration working overtime. "There's a twelve-hour grace period before the next scenario. Use it wisely."
Park Ji-hoon studied me with sharp eyes. "You keep saying things like that. Like you know what's coming."
"I'm a quick learner."
"That's not an answer."
Before I could deflect further, new notifications appeared.
[PERFORMANCE EVALUATION COMPLETE]
[DISTRIBUTING CLASS ASSIGNMENTS BASED ON COMBAT DATA]
Here it was. The moment that would define everyone's future in the scenarios.
The System analyzed how each person fought during the Tutorial—their tactics, their kill methods, their instincts. Warriors who fought head-on. Mages who used environmental advantages or showed affinity for elements. Assassins who struck from stealth. Summoners who worked better with allies or showed tactical coordination skills.
Most people would get Common-grade classes. A few would get Uncommon. Rare-grade classes required exceptional performance.
And Unique classes? Those were for the people who'd done something the System deemed extraordinary.
[PLAYER: JIN WOO-SEOK]
[TUTORIAL PERFORMANCE: EXCEPTIONAL]
[KILLS: 50 | ELITE KILLS: 2 | SOLO ELITE KILL: 1]
[ACHIEVEMENTS UNLOCKED: 7]
[COMBAT STYLE: TACTICAL/COORDINATED]
[ANALYZING...]
My heart hammered against my ribs. This was it. Everything depended on this moment.
[CLASS ASSIGNMENT: SUMMONER]
[GRADE: UNIQUE]
[TITLE EARNED: "THE ONE WHO CALLS"]
[SPECIAL ABILITY UNLOCKED: SOUL RESONANCE]
[YOU HAVE RECEIVED: CUSTOMIZABLE SUMMONING CONTRACT (LEGENDARY)]
[YOU HAVE RECEIVED: BASIC SUMMONER'S GRIMOIRE]
[YOU HAVE RECEIVED: SKILL - SUMMON (RANK C)]
[YOU HAVE RECEIVED: SKILL - CONTRACT BOND (RANK B)]
[YOU HAVE RECEIVED: SKILL - SHARED SENSES (RANK C)]
The flood of notifications made me dizzy. A Unique-grade class. I'd hoped for Rare at minimum, but Unique meant the System had recognized something special in my performance.
Soul Resonance, the special ability read. Your bond with summons deepens beyond normal contracts. Summons gain strength from your emotions and will. You gain strength from theirs. Growth potential increased by 300%.
That hadn't existed in my previous timeline. This was new. A butterfly effect from my regression, perhaps, or a reward for achieving something I hadn't managed before.
Around me, others were receiving their assignments.
Park Ji-hoon's eyes widened as he read his notification. "Defender class. Rare-grade." He sounded stunned. "It says I can use shields to protect allies within range..."
The university student whispered, "Elementalist. Fire affinity. Uncommon-grade."
One by one, the survivors discovered what they'd become. What the System had decided they were best suited for.
Then I heard Yuri curse loudly.
"Berserker?! It gave me BERSERKER class?!" She stared at her notification in disbelief. "I hit things with a fire extinguisher ONE TIME and now I'm—what does this even mean, 'combat effectiveness increases as health decreases'?! That's just encouraging me to get hurt!"
Despite everything, I smiled. In the original timeline, Yuri had been a common-grade Scout. Fast, perceptive, good for reconnaissance but fragile in direct combat.
Berserker was a Rare-grade class. She'd performed better this time, probably because I'd kept her alive longer and she'd gotten more kills.
Another change. Another life saved, improved, given better odds.
"It's a good class," I told her. "Berserkers are tough to kill and hit like trucks. Lean into it."
"Easy for you to say! You're probably something cool like Sword Master or—" She glanced at my notification window, which was still visible. Her eyes widened. "Summoner? You got SUMMONER class? That's like, the hardest class to use! You have to manage multiple creatures and contracts and—"
"I know what I'm doing," I said quietly.
The Customizable Summoning Contract appeared in my hand, manifesting from light into physical form. It was a scroll made of material that wasn't quite paper, wasn't quite parchment—something in between, with text written in flowing script that seemed to shift between languages.
[CUSTOMIZABLE SUMMONING CONTRACT]
[GRADE: LEGENDARY]
[USAGE: SINGLE USE]
[EFFECT: SPECIFY PARAMETERS FOR YOUR FIRST SUMMON]
[AVAILABLE PARAMETERS: SPECIES, ELEMENT, GROWTH TYPE, PERSONALITY MATRIX]
[WARNING: PARAMETERS MUST BE WITHIN YOUR CURRENT LEVEL RANGE]
[CURRENT COMPATIBLE LEVEL: 1-15]
My hands trembled as I unrolled the scroll.
Ten years. I'd waited ten years for this moment.
"Ash," I whispered. "I'm bringing you back."
The scroll glowed, responding to my intent. Text appeared, waiting for my input.
*SPECIES:* I wrote carefully, channeling mana into the words. *Fenrir Bloodline - Juvenile Stage*
*ELEMENT:* *Ice/Moon affinity*
*GROWTH TYPE:* *Evolution Path - Mythical Grade Potential*
*PERSONALITY MATRIX:* Here I paused. This was the part that mattered most. Not just bringing back a powerful creature, but bringing back my friend. The companion who'd stood by me until the very end.
*Loyal. Playful. Protective. Strong sense of justice. Pack-minded. Curious about the world. Forms deep bonds.*
The scroll absorbed each word, the text glowing brighter. Then a new line appeared, one I hadn't expected:
[SYSTEM NOTICE: DETECTED SOUL RESONANCE WITH SPECIFIED PARAMETERS]
[COMPATIBILITY: 99.8%]
[THIS SUMMON WILL BE SOUL-BOUND]
[EFFECT: PERMANENT CONTRACT. CANNOT BE BROKEN EXCEPT BY DEATH]
[GROWTH WILL BE TIED TO SUMMONER'S PROGRESSION]
[ACCEPT SOUL-BOUND CONTRACT? Y/N]
Soul-bound. That was far beyond a normal summoning contract. Most summoners could dismiss and resummon their creatures, switch them out for different situations. A soul-bound summon meant permanent commitment.
It also meant we'd grow together. Truly together, not just as master and servant.
Exactly what I wanted.
I selected YES without hesitation.
The scroll erupted into silver flames that didn't burn. The fire spiraled upward, forming a circle in the air—a summoning portal unlike any I'd seen before. Through it, I glimpsed a realm of ice and moonlight, of frozen forests beneath aurora skies.
The Fenrir homeland. The realm I'd only seen once, when Ash had taken me there in my previous life, right before Scenario 456.
A howl echoed through the portal. Young, eager, full of life.
Then he appeared.
A wolf pup, no bigger than a medium-sized dog, tumbled through the portal in a graceless heap of white fur and oversized paws. He landed in the blood-soaked courtyard, looked around with brilliant blue eyes, and immediately sneezed at the smell.
Ash.
He looked exactly as I remembered from our first meeting. White fur with silver highlights that caught the light. Ice-blue eyes that seemed too intelligent for a pup. Paws that he'd grow into eventually, currently making him look hilariously uncoordinated.
The pup's gaze found mine, and something passed between us—the Soul Resonance activating. I felt his emotions like they were my own: curiosity, excitement, a bone-deep sense of *rightness* at being here.
And beneath it all, something else. A feeling like déjà vu, like he almost remembered something important but couldn't quite grasp it.
*Do I... know you?* The thought wasn't words, exactly, but impressions that formed in my mind through our bond.
My throat tightened. "Not yet," I said aloud. "But you will. We're going to be partners, Ash."
*Ash?* The pup's tail wagged uncertainly. *That's... my name? I like it.*
He bounded over, all clumsy puppy enthusiasm, and immediately tried to climb into my lap. Given that I was sitting in a puddle of Ogre blood and my ribs were still partially cracked, this was not the best idea.
I didn't care. I wrapped my arms around him, feeling his warmth, his realness, the steady beat of his heart against my chest.
"Welcome back, partner," I whispered into his fur.
Ash licked my face, his tongue surprisingly cold. *You smell like blood and sadness. Are you okay, Partner?*
Partner. He'd called me that already, without prompting. Soul Resonance meant our bond went deeper than normal contracts—perhaps deep enough that he sensed echoes of the future that hadn't happened yet.
"I am now," I said.
[SUMMON REGISTERED: ASH]
[SPECIES: FENRIR (JUVENILE)]
[LEVEL: 1]
[BOND TYPE: SOUL-BOUND]
[GROWTH POTENTIAL: MYTHICAL]
[SPECIAL TRAIT: SOUL RESONANCE - EMPATHIC LINK ESTABLISHED]
"Okay, that's actually adorable," Yuri said, crouching down to get a better look. "I thought summons were supposed to be scary monster servants, but he's just a puppy!"
"He'll grow," I said. And oh, would he grow. In my previous timeline, Ash had reached the size of a bus by Scenario 300, with enough power to freeze entire armies.
But that Ash had been raised through constant combat, with no time for personality, no room for anything but survival. He'd become a weapon.
This time would be different.
Ash sniffed at Yuri curiously, then sneezed again. *She smells like fire and chaos. I like her.*
"He likes you," I translated.
"How do you know? Did he tell you telepathically or something?"
"Or something."
Park Ji-hoon approached cautiously, his new Defender class apparently giving him instincts about potential threats. "Is it safe?"
"He's a puppy," the university student said, though she kept her distance. "How dangerous can—"
Ash's head whipped toward the far end of the courtyard. His puppy growl was surprisingly deep. The temperature around us dropped several degrees.
"What is it?" I asked, already reaching for my knife.
Through our bond, I felt his alert: *Something coming. Smells wrong. Dangerous.*
A figure emerged from behind the apartment building. Human-shaped, but moving with a fluidity that set off every alarm in my combat-honed instincts.
[ADMINISTRATOR'S PROXY - LEVEL ???]
[WARNING: DO NOT ENGAGE]
The Proxy looked like a young woman in business casual attire, completely clean despite the carnage around her. She smiled, and her teeth were too white, too perfect.
"Well, well," she said, her voice carrying an echo that shouldn't exist. "Jin Woo-seok. The regressor who thinks he can change fate. How interesting."
Every survivor in the courtyard froze. The word "regressor" hung in the air like a bomb.
I stood slowly, positioning myself between Ash and the Proxy. "What do you want?"
"Just to deliver a message from the Administrator of Endings. He's watching your progress with great interest." Her smile widened. "And he wants you to know—the scenarios will be harder this time. After all, you performed so well in the Tutorial. It would be boring if things stayed the same difficulty, wouldn't it?"
My blood ran cold.
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that every scenario you enter will scale to match your knowledge and preparation. You wanted a chance to save everyone?" She laughed, the sound like breaking glass. "Careful what you wish for, Jin Woo-seok. The scenarios will test whether you can save them... or whether you'll just get them all killed faster."
The Proxy dissolved into light, leaving only her laughter echoing in the air.
[SPECIAL NOTICE: DIFFICULTY ADJUSTMENT APPLIED]
[FUTURE SCENARIOS WILL ADAPT TO PLAYER'S REGRESSION ADVANTAGE]
[GOOD LUCK, REGRESSOR]
Silence fell over the courtyard. Everyone stared at me.
"Regressor?" Yuri's voice was carefully neutral. "What did she mean by that?"
I looked down at Ash, who pressed against my leg, sensing my distress through our bond. Then at the survivors—Park Ji-hoon, the university student, Yuri, dozens of others who'd survived because I'd changed things.
They deserved the truth. Or at least part of it.
"It means," I said slowly, "that I've done this before. All of this. And I came back to change the outcome."
"That's impossible," Park Ji-hoon said.
"So are monsters spawning from thin air and status windows that give people superpowers. Yet here we are."
"If you've done this before," the university student asked, her voice shaking, "what happens next? Do we survive?"
I met her eyes. "In my timeline? No. Most people died in Scenario #2. The rest didn't make it past Scenario #50." I took a breath. "But this time will be different. I'll make sure of it."
"And if the scenarios get harder because of you?" Yuri asked quietly. "If we die faster because you tried to save us?"
It was the question I'd been afraid to ask myself.
"Then I'll get stronger faster," I said. "I'll adapt. I'll make sure the knowledge I have outweighs any difficulty increase." I looked around at all of them. "I'm not asking you to trust me. I'm just telling you—if you want to survive, I can help. I know what's coming. I know the patterns. The tricks. The hidden objectives."
"Why should we believe you?" someone called from the back.
"Because I killed a Level 12 Ogre at Level 7," I said flatly. "Because I knew exactly how many kills would earn the special reward. Because I'm telling you right now—Scenario #2 starts in twelve hours, and it's called 'The Culling.' The System will divide us into groups and force us to compete for survival resources. People will betray each other. Friends will kill friends."
The horror on their faces told me they believed me, at least partially.
"So here's my offer," I continued. "Form a party with me. Stick together during the grace period. When Scenario #2 starts, we'll already have a plan."
Park Ji-hoon studied me for a long moment. Then he extended his hand.
"Park Ji-hoon. Defender-class. If you're lying, I'll know."
I shook his hand. "Jin Woo-seok. Summoner-class. And I never lie about scenarios."
One by one, others stepped forward. Yuri. The university student, who introduced herself as Lee Min-ji, Elementalist. More survivors whose names I didn't know yet but whose faces I'd remember.
In my previous timeline, I'd survived alone, too afraid to trust anyone.
This time, I'd build something different.
A party. A team. A force that could face whatever the scenarios threw at us.
Ash yipped happily, his tail wagging. Through our bond, I felt his simple joy: *Pack! We have a pack now!*
Yeah. We did.
And together, we'd survive what came next.
Even if the scenarios adapted. Even if the difficulty increased. Even if the Administrators themselves tried to stop us.
We'd make it through.
All of us.
I looked down at Ash, at my first companion restored to me, and made a silent promise:
This time, none of you will die. Not on my watch.
The countdown to Scenario #2 began.
[TIME UNTIL NEXT SCENARIO: 11:58:42]
And Jin Woo-seok, the Last Summoner turned First Regressor, began preparing for the battle ahead.