I opened my eyes slowly. A sharp ringing sound pierced my ears for the fifth time. I slouched upwards, as if my body just survived a year long coma.
"Caawww!"
"Shut the fuck up!" I yelled towards my room's window.
I was the only one that had a window, my sister's room only had a door to the living room. Which meant I heard everything loud enough outside our home.
Strangely enough, I didn't get out of bed like I had always done. This was the 5th time this week that I had heard that damn crow and it has been driving me crazy.
It took me a few hours before I got the proper composure and courage to look at my phone.
My hands trembled with fear. Unbeknownst to anyone, my problems just got a whole lot bigger.
[ 9:00 AM | September 1, 2025 ]
It has been 4 days since I was stuck in this loop. The first two days, I convinced myself that it was all just a dream.
A lucid dream that seems to never end.
However, each morning I wake up, it reminded me of how dreadful my current situation truly was.
"Did I get cursed?"
Was my novel so utterly garbage that someone had the time to give my name to a witch?
After stealing another glance at the date and time on my phone, I couldn't convince myself that this was all a dream anymore.
Everytime I wake up, I feel everything.
The human's five senses never lie.
I scrambled my brain, hoping to find the answer I was looking for.
"There is one possibility..."
An idea so absurd that I never believed it for a second.
It was that I was granted the power to magically regress through time.
But there was an issue when I thought about it.
First, who wanted me to regress like this.
Second, why am I regressing?
Lastly, how.
There were two types of regression, the groundhog day kind where someone is just stuck in a time loop.
Now that would be kind of nice, beneficial short-term, long-term however...
I would be stuck unless I completed a certain condition which I did not know of.
And lastly the regression where the condition for regressing would be death.
Kind of like the movies I watched when I was young, Edge of Tomorrow, Happy Deathday, those types of movies.
I didn't want it to be the latter, in fact, I didn't want the former either.
I just wanted to continue my mundane life.
Writing, sleeping, occasionally playing games. That's the kind of life I wanted. Hell, I'm even blessed to not have a blue-collar job and still have enough for me and my sister.
"Why me... Damn it."
"I have to get out of this mess. Fuck, but how?"
Truthfully, I didn't know.
I was just a webnovel author that wrote about cultivation where immortals roam the cosmos and where a single-flick of their finger could wipe out a planet.
I didn't have the smarts, the ability, or the instincts to go through all this.
What I did have was a will to not yield to any given situation, thanks to my father.
But, not all hope is lost.
Because the next second, a hazy blue square appeared in front of my face.
[Synchronization Complete.]
Akin to the novels I have only read about, where nobodies became monsters amongst beasts.
I heard a voice enter my mind, surprising me.
My mouth was left open as I try to make sense of what is happening, but I couldn't even utter a single word.
This meant only one thing.
A system.
I had a chance.
A chance to turn this shitty life around for the better.
Would I be able to boost my stats?
I'll be an olympic gold medalist, in all categories.
No, maybe I'll crank up my intelligence and cure cancer all together. I'll get targeted by huge conglomerates though.
But who cares, cancers are gone!
Without a shroud of hesitation, a wicked smile formed across my mouth as I thought about all the possibilities that I could use the system for.
If someone were to see me now, they would probably see a demon whose plans just succeeded.
"Status!" I hurriedly say.
I wanted to know what I have. Whether it be an OP Skill, or an SSS-Talent, anything would be great.
'Big money, Big money, Big money.'
My eyes were practically dollar signs at this point, my heart beat pounding with each tick of anticipation as the regression problem flew out of my worries.
A new screen appeared, one where I was left speechless and utterly shocked.
"No way... A human can't possibly have this kind of capabilities..."
[ Name: Frey Lumens ]
[ Talent: A]
[ Strength: F-]
[ Speed: F ]
[ Agility: F- ]
[ Stamina: G+ ]
[ Magic: G- ]
[ Luck: F- ]
[ Fallen Author: You are able to see the danger level of individuals. You are able to see your own stats and rating. ]
[ Regressor: When the host dies, start back from the very beginning. Current Regressions: 4 ]
[ Iron Will: Your mental state doesn't break under any normal circumstance. You're a tough cookie! ]
[ Talents: None ]
[ Combat Style: None ]
[ Skills: Pro-Gamer, Chef, Mediocre Writing ]
[ Rating - Wow, is this the effect of not touching grass? I'd say good luck but that would be a lie, no? Don't die! ]
I stared speechless. My stats were catastrophic, I didn't know what the average person's stats would be but this just sealed the deal.
I am thoroughly fucked in the ass.
Not just because of my stats that averaged around the F and G ranges. No, it's the ability I have that answered the questions I wanted to know earlier.
I regress through death.
And according to the system, I had already died four times and the cause of death is still unknown to me.
This shook me to my core as my hands turned cold.
Every morning I wake up, it didn't mark a new day, it marked a new death.
This meant I have been dying in my sleep, without feeling a god damn thing.
Questions exploded in my mind. How? Why? When?!
Veins bulged on my forehead as a suspicion gnawed at me: Was the system mocking me?
My mind was full of emotions ready to explode if left in the dark, yet I suppressed them and remained calm.
There was no point in anger, what I needed most was answers.
My finger tapped on my legs that were now in a lotus position. A mannerism I had developed whenever I was focused on thinking.
First order of business, how was I dying?
Death didn't come to me until I fell asleep, this meant that in the morning and the afternoon I was relatively safe from danger.
"I'm guessing it's between 11pm and 5am, that's where I die."
The time frame was long but it still gave me an idea on what to do.
My plan was to stay awake till midnight and wait until I discover what has been killing me. I don't have any known illness that is lethal, at least I hope so. And I don't have anyone who wants me to die—aside from that one reader.
'I doubt he knows who I am and where I live.'
I got up, grabbed the nearest clothing I have and got dressed. It was still early in the morning and I needed to eat breakfast. My routine bathroom shit was no longer my priority since I wasn't in the mood.
I sat on our living room couch, and turned on our TV. I glanced towards Ada who happens to be walking by giving me a stare as well.
"Why were you in your room for so long? Thanks to you I won't be late for class. Did you-"
"I DID NOT GOON!"
"Woah, how did you know what I was going to say? It's normal right? No worries brother, I won't tell anyone." Ada gave me a thumbs up.
I could only sigh at her humor.
"Nevermind that. Ada, has there anything weird going on? Maybe something about people dying?"
Placing her fingers on her chin, Ada went into a deep thought at my question.
"Not that I know of... All though, people seem to be posting things about superheroes lately."
"What do you mean?"
"You know, MARVEL, that kind of thing in the movies. Crazy right? Apparently, they're real? I don't buy it though, crazy talk."
I felt my stomach churn at her words.
'Oh no... No. No. NO.'
I unconsciously clasped my face in fear, if her words were correct and it most likely is, it could only mean one thing.
I'm now in a universe filled with cosmic beings that can wipe out the galaxies with a whim. A dangerfest filled with monsters beyond measurement.
No matter how strong one gets, there would always be someone stronger.
Even street tiers villains are dangerous, especially to me.
The problem was which universe was I in.
Marvel Zombies?
Ultimate Universe?
I didn't know.
But what I knew was I had to survive. No, me and Ada. From the looks of it, she doesn't know what's going on, oblivious to the danger we are in. Even I am skeptical of her words, but the blue screen that only I could see proves otherwise.
'Let's test this out first.'
I need to see what I can do in order to not die.
Staring at Ada who was about to leave, I tried to use the "Fallen Author" ability on her. To my surprise, I understood how to use it immediately, like an implanted memory in my mind. Soon after, a green glow surrounded her body.
Green. Not hostile. Not dangerous, at least… that's what my instincts are telling me.
"I will just assume she's fine." I say with a smile, she was my one and only sister after all.
Once she left, I could no longer use nor see my ability. Sight was needed to use it and I really needed to focus in order to see the aura, it was not some passive skill that works automatically.
Whether this ability will prove useful in the future, only time could tell.
I'll do with what I have for now.
…
…
…
Later, in a dark corner of a dimly lit room, the world came to a standstill as a shadowy figure stood in silence. Only a pair of deep orange eyes were visible, it was me, waiting for the assailant to come out.
It was now past 1am and to my surprise, nothing had happened, yet.
I had been standing in this corner with a baseball bat that I had kept under my bed for whenever a burglar were to come and intrude on our home. If there was ever a time to use it, it would be now.
[ You have attained, Stealth Lv. 1 - You are now harder to see. ]
My brows rose in surprise, this was the first time a skill has been given to me.
Even though I wanted to experiment on it more, maybe figure out how to get more skills—the situation right now was not ideal.
Because the next second after receiving the notification, the entire room was filled with a blinding light as the wall next to my bed and those nearby were consumed by this brightness.
-BOOM!
I instinctively covered my face and chest with both my arms, but it was useless. I felt the world around me spin in circles as my ears rang without stopping.
Flames engulfed the room around me and before I could realize what had happened, everything faded to black.
(A/N: First Fanfic, not sure if the use of Em Dashes — are appropriate, just didn't want too much coma in the chapters. Leave comments for ideas, I'll read it all.)