In the midst of the celebration, Jun-ho and his friends were exchanging boisterous greetings. "We're finally adults! This is the year we make our dreams come true!" Jun-ho was about to crack a joke when an unfamiliar voice cut through the air, sharp and mocking. "Kyo-ho-ho-ho. You all look like trapped monkeys." The voice wiped the smiles from every face, Jun-ho's included. His first thought was that it was some elaborate prank by the broadcasting company, but then an Cheon-sa materialized in the sky in a flash of blinding light. "This… this is real. It's not a joke." The shock was paralyzing, but he couldn't deny what his own eyes were seeing. The radiant, floating being left him utterly speechless. Then, a young man near the front shouted something informal at the Cheon-sa, and in the next instant, his head exploded. Lee Jun-ho's expression froze, hardening into the same mask of horror worn by every other citizen. A goddamn beheading. What kind of twisted bullshit was this on New Year's Day? He had never seen a person die before, let alone in a way so violent it resembled a firework bursting. The sight stole the breath from his lungs, leaving him paralyzed before the celestial figure. A frantic glance confirmed his friends were in the same state of shock. Lee Jun-ho's gaze then fell on Park Jin-ho. Why the hell isn't that shuttle bastard changing his expression? Someone like Park Jin-ho, someone he knew, should have been terrified, frozen stiff with fear like everyone else. But Park Jin-ho's face was a mask of perfect calm. In fact, it was more than calm… As if sensing his stare, Park Jin-ho slowly turned his head, his eyes locking directly onto Jun-ho's. How the hell did he know I was here? A corner of Park Jin-ho's mouth lifted into a smirk, a clear look of mockery. Though Jun-ho's judgment was clouded by the shuttle's infuriating arrogance, he knew this wasn't the time for anger. He understood, with chilling certainty, that he had just been thrown into a hellish survival game, one that would last for twenty rounds. "Well, now that the explanation is roughly over, shall we begin?" the Cheon-sa chirped. "Kyo-ho-ho-ho." As the devilish laughter echoed around them, Lee Jun-ho's vision went black. Of course, Lee Jun-ho was watching. The Lee Jun-ho of this timeline only knew the Park Jin-ho from high school: a quiet, unassuming kid. He was a plain student, with no quirks or oddities to make him stand out. I thought everything would be fine as long as I didn't cause trouble for anyone. But things had not gone as planned. Just by virtue of sitting near Lee Jun-ho, Park Jin-ho had become a target. He hadn't done anything to provoke it, hadn't acted eccentric or bothersome in any way. After that… I endured all kinds of harassment. He was tormented during breaks, dragged behind the school and beaten up whenever his bullies were bored. His role as "Bread Shuttle" involved not just buying bread, but also alcohol and cigarettes. Once, the convenience store owner called the police. When his parents were summoned, he'd had to explain with a bitter taste in his mouth. "My parents aren't here." When the officer pressed him for a reason, he answered reluctantly. "They died in a car accident when I was in middle school." At that, the pitiful look on the officer's face was enough. He'd just scolded him lightly and sent him home. Then the cycle of torment began all over again. Park Jin-ho had been powerless in the face of the strong. He suffered so much that the very thought of going to school filled him with dread. But after countless regressions, after dying and starting over again and again, Park Jin-ho had become a completely different person. The timid, weak version of himself was gone. Ninety-nine regressions had transformed an ordinary boy into something else entirely. That was why he could maintain his composure, even looking at Lee Jun-ho, the boy who had once tormented him. In fact, seeing that bastard stirs no emotion in me at all. The reason was simple. He had already taken his revenge, over and over, until the act had become tedious. Did I start in the seventh round? After gaining strength and confidence through his repeated attempts, Park Jin-ho had finally turned on Lee Jun-ho. He repaid every ounce of suffering he had endured. Lee Jun-ho had begged for mercy, but Park Jin-ho never forgave him. He killed him, again and again, with every reset of the cycle. He continued until every last drop of wrath in his heart had been spent. But after doing it more than twenty times, it became meaningless. He had grown tired of vengeance. Now, in his 100th round, he felt nothing at the sight of Lee Jun-ho. There's no point in seeking revenge anymore. No benefit. If he has to die, he'll be used first. He had already planned out exactly how to make use of the boy. But he had no intention of letting him reach the final round. He found himself standing alone in a vast, empty white space. After a moment, the devil's deceptively polite voice echoed through the void. "Kyohoho. I'm sure you're all wondering where you are. You're in a private space, invisible to one another. Before your souls can be transferred, you must first create a physical body. Think of it like creating an avatar in one of the games you humans enjoy so much." "Customization," Park Jin-ho murmured calmly. The term "avatar" was likely flustering most people, but having created dozens of them before, Park Jin-ho remained perfectly composed. Soon, a figure identical to himself materialized in the white space. The avatar moved as he did, a perfect mirror. "Now, you can adjust your face and body as you wish. You may also choose a nickname to use in the other dimension. It's the same as character creation in a game, so you shouldn't have any trouble." There would be no issue. Most teenagers and young adults were intimately familiar with games. "This opportunity only comes once, so you must all make your decisions carefully. Shall we start with choosing a nickname?" A moment later, a new voice, a mechanical tone distinct from the Cheon-sa's, was heard. [Please state your nickname to register in the system. You have 30 seconds.] [If you do not decide within the time limit, your real name will be automatically registered.] Park Jin-ho's lips moved without a hint of hesitation.

Chapter 4: When Heaven Descended