"For twenty years I've lived like a ghost—hiding in a cramped apartment, waiting for the world to change. But on the day a dungeon appeared right in my room, I was forced to face the fate I feared the most."
The year is 2045. Two decades have passed since the world faced its first destruction, known as the Day of Awakening—the day when interdimensional portals, or Gates, appeared simultaneously across the globe. From those cracks, monsters from other civilizations invaded the earth without warning.
That day, I was in the middle of a job interview. It should've been a small step toward a new life. But fate said otherwise. Without any sign, a Gate opened exactly in the area where I stood—the first recorded red zone. From within it emerged dog-headed creatures, tearing apart anyone near them.
I survived… but not because of courage.
I survived because I did something unforgivable.
Driven by the instinct to live, I used a small child as bait so I could escape. My body moved on its own, and when I came to my senses, I was already hiding while the child's scream was cut off by a sound I never want to remember.
Since that day, every time I slept, the face of that small child appeared in my nightmares—frozen, staring at me with questioning eyes. I lived with the shadow of a sin that would never fade.
When the situation that day was finally brought under control, a group of humans emerged with special powers. The world called them Awakeners—those capable of controlling the foreign energy from the Gate. With their abilities, the first assault was suppressed, and humanity began to rise again.
But the Gates didn't stop appearing. Their numbers even increased. The first generation of Awakeners then formed an association to handle the emergence of Gates. Those who dared to enter and close the Gates were known not as hunters or adventurers… but as Cleaners.
Called so because their job was to clean the Gate before a disaster known as a Stampede occurred—an event where the monsters inside the portal overflowed and invaded the human world.
Trapped in guilt, fear, and endless nightmares, I lived aimlessly for twenty years.
"Urgh… thirsty…"
I groaned softly as I tried to get up, brushing aside a worn-out blanket. In this cramped apartment I had survived since that cursed day. Twenty years had passed, and I still didn't understand how I was still alive—or why I continued to cling to life as a coward unworthy of a second chance.
I grabbed a cup and filled it with tap water before gulping it down in one go. My gaze fixed on the window curtain I always kept tightly closed. From earlier, the noise outside hadn't stopped, making me uneasy even though I tried to ignore it.
Eventually, curiosity outweighed fear. Hesitantly, I opened the curtain.
The moment the fabric lifted, my body froze.
Dozens of kobolds filled the street.
"W–What…?"
The cup in my hand slipped and shattered on the floor. My breathing turned ragged. Memories from twenty years ago—the chaos of the red zone, dog-headed monsters, blood, screams—all rushed back as if it had happened just yesterday.
I stumbled backward, legs trembling. And when I was about to hide under the blanket again—the place I had run to for two decades—something even worse happened.
Right above my bed, a spinning circle of water appeared out of nowhere, vibrating and expanding like a doorway to ruin.
"No… no… no!!"
Before I could scream louder, my body was sucked into that circle.
…
It has been a week since I became trapped inside a kobold nest—humanoid dog-headed monsters whose stench alone could make someone faint. Because their sense of smell is extremely sharp, I was forced to smear mud all over my body, hiding behind rocks and shadows like living trash.
To be honest…
I hate my luck, I hate the fact that I'm still alive.
I ate whatever I could find, even things no one should ever consider food. To drink, I collected drops of water from stone stalactites. Even then, it was never enough. Every night I shivered, every
day I wished I could just die.
Should I give up?
Yes. Give up. I had no one left.
Friends? Family?
All gone twenty years ago.
So… what was I fighting for?
When a kobold passed not far from my hiding place, I stepped out of the shadows and screamed as loudly as I could.
"HEY!!"
The dog-headed creature turned sharply. Its red eyes widened, and it immediately lunged at me, thrusting a rusted sword forward. Its expression was ferocious.
This should've been my end.
It should've…
But—
"DAMN IT!!!"
My body moved on its own.
I ran.
Even though I wanted to die. Even though I was ready. But my cursed survival instinct took over again, like a never-ending plague.
"WHY AM I RUNNING!? WHY!?" I screamed inside my mind.
I ran through the dark corridors of the dungeon, my breath heavy, my feet slipping several times. Until finally I saw a gigantic door at the end of the path—something that could not possibly be mistaken.
Without thinking, I pushed the door with all my strength and then closed it again after entering.
BAAM!
Silence.
My breathing was a mess.
In the middle of that wide, dark room… I finally collapsed to my knees, crying my heart out. The sound of my sobs echoed, bouncing off the stone walls as if the entire dungeon was laughing at me.
"Hiks… why am I still alive…"
"What's the point… living like this… hiks…"
For the first time in my life, I felt truly empty. As if every reason to live had long been destroyed, yet this body kept forcing me to survive.
Without realizing it, I wasn't the only one in the room.
"Who dares to enter the king's altar?"
The voice boomed—deep and commanding. I looked up, trembling, and my eyes met the figure on the throne.
A man stood there. His golden hair shone as if reflecting a light that didn't exist. His aura… made the entire room feel like a grand palace, not a rotten dungeon.
His gaze fell on me—a gaze so demeaning I felt more worthless than the mud on my feet.
"What is that look…? How dare you look back at your king!"
Suddenly my body slammed onto the floor.
Not because I dropped myself—because I was _forced_. An invisible force pressed down on me so hard my bones trembled. I couldn't move. Even my voice got stuck in my throat.
"I-I…!"
No sound came out.
I couldn't even beg.
"Hmph."
With a small grunt, the pressure disappeared. My body could breathe again.
"Do not force me to soil this place with your blood. If you act insolent again before the _king_, I will not hold back"
The man moved his finger, summoning me like calling a dog.
"Come here."
The voice wasn't loud. But every word carried a power that sent shivers up my spine.
And for some reason… my feet began moving on their own.
When I stood right before him, my body dropped to its knees again—forced to bow by his presence alone.
"It has been a long time since I met someone," he said while looking down at me like dust. "But the one who comes to me is insolent. Know this… if it were someone else, they would have vanished already."
I swallowed hard. His tone… truly like a dictator who could erase anyone without blinking.
Gilgamesh lifted his hand toward me.
And the world immediately turned into torture.
"Ugh—!?!"
My head felt like it was being crushed from the inside. The pain was indescribable, like my brain was being torn apart. My body froze—I couldn't even scream.
"Pathetic!"
With one furious motion, he flung my body like a rag against a stone pillar.
BAK!
"Akh—!!"
t felt like my bones shattered. I spat blood, my eyes watering from the pain stabbing through every part of me.
I didn't understand why he was suddenly enraged. Until…
"I thought a warrior had come. Turns out it's just a cockroach."
He looked at me with disgust.
"Using a small child as a shield?"
My body froze.
How… how did he know that?
The pain in my head earlier— Don't tell me…
He read my memories.
"U—Uhuk… Pathetic, huh…" I muttered weakly, enduring the pain.
Gilgamesh rested his chin on his hand, as if evaluating trash.
"Watch… your tongue," he murmured with a threatening tone.
I let out a small laugh, though every vibration made my ribs scream.
"Hehehe… right. I am pathetic. Shameless. A coward. I always ran from problems, thinking time would fix them… but it only made everything worse. Uhuk… What could you possibly understand about my life, oh great king? What can be expected from someone who eats at a table… but lives as if crawling on the ground?"
There was no response. But I could feel his anger boiling.
I continued. If I was going to die, I might as well spill it all.
"Uhuk… I've always been haunted by guilt. It wasn't my intention to use that child as bait. I only wanted to help him because he was lost… but those monsters were too terrifying. They slaughtered everyone around us. When they targeted me… I thought running wasn't enough. So I threw the child I was carrying to buy time…"
My tears burst.
"Honestly… I hate myself for always surviving. You're right to call me a cockroach. People see me the same way. I'm a pest… trash of society who deserves to die."
I looked up at Gilgamesh—the ruler who could kill me anytime—and screamed:
"But what's funny about that!? I didn't die! I'm alive! Even before you! I'm still alive!!"
The room fell silent.
I froze.
He should have killed me. He should have cut my head off instantly for being rude.
But what I saw instead—
A strange look.
A look… pleased?
"He…"
I flinched.
"Hahahahaha!!"
Gilgamesh laughed loudly, his voice echoing like a storm.
"How long has it been since someone insulted me like this? Interesting!"
He stood, his smile widening.
"Very well. It would be a waste to kill you now. I will offer you something… and you cannot refuse."
I stiffened.
A contract?
Gilgamesh descended the steps of his throne. Instinctively, my battered body rose and staggered closer to him.
Now we stood face to face.
"You… I will make you repeat your worthless life."
"W—What?"
I stared in disbelief.
"Are you deaf? This king is generously giving you a chance to fix your pathetic life."
My mouth hung open, but no words came out.
"Hah. The perfect reaction."
Suddenly a golden chalice appeared in the air. As if forged from light.
"Hold this chalice with me, and make the vow."
My hand trembled.
I hesitated.
But an invisible force made me extend my hand.
So… I held the chalice with him.
Gilgamesh opened his mouth.
"Under my command—King of Uruk, First Hero of Humanity, The First Human Sovereign, and the King Cursed by Fate…"
He paused, staring at me with golden eyes that seemed to strip my soul bare.
"Follow my words."
He began the oath, each syllable shaking the air:
"Before the great king of humanity…"
My heart pounded. My hand sweated. But my body could not resist; my voice was forced to follow his rhythm.
Gilgamesh continued, his tone like a god sculpting destiny:
"I… who am worthless…"
I repeated, though my throat felt dry.
"I… who am worthless…"
"*Swear to redo my failed life…"
"Swear to redo my failed life…"
The light from the chalice grew brighter, filling the entire room, dancing like holy flames.
Gilgamesh smiled faintly—a smile of a king who knew he had just bound someone's fate to his will.
Then he spoke the final line.
The line that served as the key to the contract.
"Until the day comes…"
I repeated, voice trembling:
"Until the day comes…"
"I will live."
"I will live…"
And—
Gilgamesh looked straight into my eyes.
"And return before the Great King of Humanity."
I repeated it—or rather, was forced to by the power of the oath:
"And return before the Great King of Humanity."
BRUGHHH!!
Golden light exploded from the chalice, enveloping my entire body. A mix of cold and heat swirled around me, tearing my consciousness apart.
"Contract complete," Gilgamesh said quietly, though his voice dominated my entire world.
"Begin your pathetic life again, human. And make sure you walk until the day arrives."
My consciousness collapsed, the light consuming my sight.
And I, who should have died countless times, was pulled back into the past.