~Chapter 1~

<Server: Earth> rewinds its time.

“Ha…”

Saebyeok let out a breath as she watched the melting black mass.

The <Destruction>, collapsing while spilling out filthy sludge, was nothing but disgusting.

“…It’s over.”

It had been a long fight.

Counting from the day she first awakened, more than ten years had already passed.

!! Alert !!
<Destruction> invading <Server: Earth (S3-EH)> has disappeared!
You have cleared <Scenario: The Reason for Destruction>.

At last, that hateful <Scenario> had ended. Finally.

But Saebyeok felt no joy.

How much blood had been shed to reach this place? How many sacrifices were made?

With her broken body, she slowly stood and looked around.

It was desolate.

A world where no life could be found swallowed even the sparks scattered from her spear.

“Haa…”

A deep sigh rose from her chest as she looked down at her hands.

Hands full of scars and calluses. Once, she had thought they were proud marks of survival…

“…I lived.”

Alone.

“……”

It was empty.

‘Noona, save me…! I don’t want to die…!’

Her younger brother she could not protect.

‘Leave this place to me! You just keep running forward!’

Her childhood friend, righteous until the very end.

The comrades who believed in her no matter what, and the Association President who entrusted her with the future.

Countless faces passed through her mind. None of them were unimportant.

Even the man who survived with her until the very last moment.

‘If only one of us can live, it should be you.’

“Even if I survived like this… what can I possibly do alone?”

Power strong enough to rule the world, a breath burning hot from within—none of it had meaning by itself.

A bitter smile spread on Saebyeok’s lips as she looked at the fading world.

“See? There’s nothing left.”

‘There must be a reason why all of this is called a <Scenario>. So survive to the very end, Han Saebyeok.’

She had clung to his words as her last hope. And she had lived.

But in the end, there was nothing.

“So you were wrong after all.”

An emptiness beyond words clawed at her heart.

Slowly, Saebyeok lifted her arm and placed her spear blade against her own neck.

‘If I die, will I be able to meet them all again?’

Would they be angry, asking why she came after surviving? Or maybe… praise her just a little for reaching the end of the <Scenario>.

Even if they cursed her, even if they scolded her—if she could just see them one more time…

That was when it happened.

Ding!

With a cheerful sound, a notification window appeared before her eyes.

!! Alert !!
You are confirmed as the sole survivor of <Server: Earth (S3-EH)>.
All conditions to become Server Administrator have been met.

The hologram window that had tormented her since awakening appeared again, spouting strange words.

!! Global Announcement !!
<Appointed: Han Saebyeok, the Dawn’s Spearmaster, as Administrator of <Server: Earth (S3-EH)>.

A global announcement with no survivors? What a cruel joke.

Her face twisted in anger for a moment, but soon she relaxed with a hollow laugh.

Even anger had lost its meaning now.

Everything was pointless.

She was about to press the spear harder when—

!! Alert !!
As a reward for clearing <Scenario: The Reason for Destruction>, <Skill: Time of Protection (EX)> is unlocked.

The message froze her in place.

“Time of Protection…?”

As soon as she murmured, a giant hourglass appeared before her.

It was dazzling, radiating mysterious power as if it contained the whole universe.

Saebyeok’s breath stopped.

<Skill: Time of Protection (EX)>
Everyone makes mistakes, even Server Administrators.
Shall we turn back time a little and fix them?
※ Currently inactive. Will activate once conditions are met.

A power to turn back time.

When she had lost everything—her precious people, even the man who fought by her side until the end—Saebyeok had searched endlessly for this very thing.

Clinging to the hope that she could start everything over again.

‘With so many powers in the world, surely there must be one that can rewind time.’

He had said it so casually, but she had staked everything on those words.

Yet no matter how much she searched, she found nothing. In the end, she thought it was just an illusion born of desperation.

“…So it wasn’t an item, but a skill.”

Maybe she had been searching in the wrong place from the start.

“EX-rank…”

A rank beyond S-rank. A realm outside human measurement. People called it “the domain of gods.”

She had never seen a skill of that grade.

With trembling hands, Saebyeok reached out to the hourglass.

The moment her fingers touched it, the world turned into a night sky.

The dawn she hated, the dry land of despair—all vanished.

It was as if nature itself declared this power too great for human hands.

As the entire space-time vibrated like a challenge, Saebyeok whispered softly:

“…<Time of Protection>, activate.”

!! Alert !!
Checking activation conditions for <Skill: Time of Protection (EX)>.

Verifying…
Verifying…

Verification complete!

!! Alert !!
<Skill: Time of Protection (EX)> is now activated.

Saebyeok’s thoughts stopped.

But the system didn’t wait.

!! Alert !!
Using <Skill: Time of Protection (EX)> on <Server: Earth (S3-EH)>.
Rewinding the time of <Server: Earth (S3-EH)>.

The hourglass spun brightly, radiating light.

Saebyeok’s heart pounded, tangled with countless emotions.

<Please specify the load point for <Server: Earth (S3-EH)>—??—?>

Beeeep!

A sharp alarm blared. System windows cracked with fierce warnings.

!! Warning !!
Error detected: Insufficient Administrator Authority.

!! Warning !!
Penalty applied for using <Skill: Time of Protection (EX)>.
Load point will be set randomly.

A red warning screen appeared, along with a spinning event wheel. It turned quickly, then stopped.

Proceeding with <Maximum Administrator Authority>.

Calculating…
Calculation complete!

!! Alert !!
Returning to March 27, 2025, 18:18:18.

The next moment, immense gravity crushed Saebyeok’s body.

There was no time to even think about how familiar that date was.

Her insides twisted, her bones felt like they were breaking apart.

But Saebyeok did not cancel the skill.

Even if her body were torn to pieces, she could not stop.

‘Eat, sleep, eat, sleep—like a pig…! H-Huh?! Noona?! Since when were you listening?!’
‘Now you finally realize how great I am? Hahaha! Then treat me to a meal!’

To see them again…

‘Han Saebyeok. Don’t die.’

She could have sold her soul for that chance.

!! Warning !!
Temporary compression from authority conflict detected!
Unfinished authority transfer found!
Hardware damage worsening!

The flashing messages were the last thing she saw before she lost consciousness.

It had been a long time since she blacked out like this. Ever since becoming an Awakener, her senses surpassed human limits—she would even wake at the sound of an ant walking.

“…—ago.”

Her ears rang as if underwater.

But soon, the sensation of someone tapping her leg pulled her out of the darkness.

Like breaking free of sleep paralysis, all her senses returned at once.

“Wake up and eat this before sleeping again, you pig… Huh?!”

Saebyeok’s eyes flew open. Instinctively, she grabbed the leg kicking her and pressed what she held against his neck.

Years of running from Destruction had sharpened her reflexes.

But when her eyes met his, they went wide.

“…Han Saejin?”

“Whoa, you scared me!”

The one she had caught was her younger brother—Han Saejin. The same brother who had died years ago.