SWNOVELXO Chapter : Prologue: "The First Death Is Never the Last"
Day 7 of the First Cycle
Seoul, South Korea – Present Timeline
The city was on fire.
Kyung-min stood at the edge of a ruined highway, watching as black smoke coiled into the blood-red sky. Skyscrapers had crumbled, their remains swallowed by the massive fissures that split the ground like rotting flesh. Somewhere in the distance, sirens howled—desperate, dying cries that no longer meant anything.
Seoul had fallen.
And yet, the worst part wasn't the destruction. It was the unnatural silence that followed.
The city wasn't just ruined. It was erased.
No civilians. No emergency responders. No soldiers.
Just dungeons. Just monsters. Just the dead.
Kyung-min tightened his grip on the rusted metal pipe in his hands. It wasn't much of a weapon, but it was all he had left after he and his friends were forced to abandon their supplies. Their party had started with six members. Now, only five remained.
The sixth? His body had been torn apart an hour ago by something that used to be human.
[System Notice: Cycle Termination Approaching.]
Time Remaining: 00 Hours, 15 Minutes
Kyung-min exhaled slowly, letting the icy air burn his lungs.
In less than an hour, the world would reset.
And no one would remember.
Day 1 of the First Cycle – 6 Days Earlier
Han Kyung-min was eating a late-night meal at a convenience store when the world ended.
He remembered the details clearly—the quiet hum of the refrigerator beside him, the faint scent of instant ramen, the glow of his phone screen displaying a new message from Seok-hoon.
Then, without warning—
The sky shattered.
It didn't crack like glass or explode in a blinding flash. It simply… collapsed.
A notification appeared in his vision.
[Welcome to the First Cycle.]
"Earth is no longer a stable world."
"You have been selected to participate in humanity's trial."
"Survive, adapt, and overcome. Failure means extinction."
At first, Kyung-min thought it was some kind of prank, an elaborate hologram. Then the ground trembled, and he heard the first screams.
Outside, the streets of Seoul were vanishing. Entire buildings flickered in and out of existence, replaced by ancient ruins and crumbling stone towers. A dungeon gate had appeared in the middle of the street, and from its depths, creatures poured forth—gnarled figures with hollow eyes, their bodies stitched together with something black and rotting.
The first of many horrors.
[You have awakened.]
[Starting Class Assigned: Soul Archivist (E-Rank, Support-Type)]
And just like that, his fate was sealed.
Day 3 of the First Cycle – The Hunt Begins
"Shit, shit, RUN!"
Kyung-min's heart pounded as he sprinted through the remains of a collapsed shopping district. Behind him, the monster gave chase—a twisted, centipede-like corpse, its countless legs made of shattered bones, its body dragging behind it like a rotting marionette.
[System Notice: You cannot defeat this entity.]
[Your class is non-combat. Escape is recommended.]
No kidding.
He ducked into a narrow alley, sweat dripping down his brow. His legs burned, his lungs ached, and he had no idea how much longer he could keep running.
But then—
"Over here!"
A hand grabbed his wrist, yanking him into the darkness. A girl—taller than him, her silver hair streaked with blood—dragged him behind a collapsed store counter, pressing a finger to her lips.
The creature skittered past them, its grotesque body writhing as it searched for prey. After what felt like an eternity, it finally moved on.
Kyung-min let out a shaky breath.
"…Thanks."
She didn't respond immediately. Instead, she studied him—her gaze sharp, assessing. Finally, she sighed.
"You're not a fighter," she murmured. "Not yet."
There was something unsettling about the way she said those words, but before he could ask, she stood up and offered her hand.
"Come on," she said. "If you want to live, stick with me."
Day 7 of the First Cycle – The End Approaches
[Final Announcement: The Next Cycle Will Begin in 60 Seconds.]
Kyung-min laid at the edge of the battlefield, his body battered, his clothes torn. Around him, the world was vanishing—buildings dissolving into dust, the sky unraveling into an endless abyss.
He turned to face his friends—Seok-hoon, Min-jun, the others.
Would they remember?
Would he?
And if not… what was the point of surviving?
A new notification flickered.
[Soul Archivist Ability Activated.]
[You have recorded your first death.]
Wait.
What?
Before he could react, the world collapsed.
Unknown Time. Unknown Space.
Kyung-min opened his eyes.
He was floating—weightless, lost in an ocean of whispers. Faint, broken voices echoed around him.
"…he shouldn't be here."
"…not yet… but he's already seen too much."
"…erase him?"
"…no. Let him remember."
For a brief moment, he saw something—a throne, massive and ancient, made of blackened bone.
Then—
Day 1 of the Second Cycle
Kyung-min gasped as he sat up, lungs burning as if he had been drowning.
The world had reset.
But unlike before—
He remembered.
END OF PROLOGUE.
(This moment is locked. The betrayal will come. The memories will return. If the story strays, the world will notice. The readers will judge. There is no escape from the inevitable.)