"What? That's it?"

On a hot summer night, Revan sat under his air conditioner, reading a web novel. Unconsciously, he murmured, "Is it really the end?"

The apocalyptic web novel Savior of the Ruined World, which he'd been following for over two years, had finally reached its conclusion. The tragic ending left the protagonist and everyone around him dead, with the world in ruins.

"Huh…?"

Although the story had recently intensified, he hadn't expected the protagonist to die. The shock left him dazed, and once it faded, he felt a growing sense of betrayal and disappointment.

"After all the praise I gave it for being so well-written, this is how they backstab us?"

He rated the novel with the lowest score and moved to the comment section to join the disgruntled readers. The comments were flooded with harsh critiques and anger, which he eagerly joined.

Suddenly, a new comment popped up.

PrincessInYourHouse: "Looks like everyone's too busy complaining to notice the author's note, lol. The author posted a survey link on their SNS account for feedback on Savior of the Ruined World. I did it already. Venting felt amazing."

Revan's fingers froze.

"The author's note?"

In his shock, he'd missed it entirely. Curiously, he checked and found the survey link as mentioned.

Following the advice, he clicked the link, opening a new page:

[A survey for the analysis and evaluation of Savior of the Ruined World]

The formal title felt oddly serious to Revan, who had just come to vent his frustration. Filling out his name and age, he noted the warning:

[Please answer as honestly and specifically as possible for accurate analysis.]

"But I've stuck with this for over two years, so why not?" he thought, feeling he had a lot to say. Following the other reader's suggestion, he figured venting might be cathartic.

Entering his information, he clicked Next, bringing up the first question:

[Do you think the ending of Savior of the Ruined World could have been different?]

"Of course," he muttered. There were definitely chances, but the protagonist missed them all.

As he continued, Revan became absorbed, spending around 30 minutes carefully answering ten questions.

"Ah, I have to go to work tomorrow," he sighed, questioning why he'd spent so long on this survey. Finally, the last question appeared.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

[What do you think was the main reason the protagonist failed to prevent the apocalypse?]

Reflecting on the story's events, he typed a concise answer. Then, he pressed Submit with a sense of relief.

Before setting his phone aside, a message caught his eye:

[Please review the terms before submitting the survey.]

Tired, he skipped reading the densely packed terms, checked the agreement box, and clicked submit. With confirmation that his survey was sent, he put his phone down and drifted to sleep.

Notification of Selection: Hello, Mr. Han Revan. Thank you for participating in the survey for the analysis of Savior of the Ruined World. Out of numerous responses, yours left a strong impression. We've decided to place you within Savior of the Ruined World, effective immediately. This is a pre-agreed commitment; non-compliance is not an option. We wish you a path full of hope. Thank you.

In his half-asleep state, Revan saw the message but thought it was a strange dream. He was drifting back to sleep when, suddenly, his body hit the ground.

"Ugh!"

Pain shot through him, leaving him breathless and disoriented. "Did I fall off the bed?" he wondered, confused by the rough, cold surface.

When he opened his eyes, he froze.

He wasn't in his bedroom—he was sprawled on a cracked asphalt road. As he tried to process this, a chilling sound came from behind him.

"Grraaah…"

Every hair on his body stood on end. He turned, his face pale as he faced an eerie creature—a gray-skinned, pupil-less figure with bent arms.

"U-ugh…!"

Frozen in fear, he couldn't scream. His mind was in chaos, unable to reconcile this nightmare with reality.

In a last act of survival, Revan raised his arm defensively as the creature lunged. Its teeth sank into his skin.

"Aaagh!"

The excruciating pain shocked him awake. Memories of kendo club training came rushing back, and he kicked the creature away, bolting toward a nearby car with an open door.

Ignoring his bleeding arm, he flung himself inside and slammed the door shut.

As he caught his breath in the dusty car, strange text appeared before him:

[Destiny Developer Privilege: Zombie virus detected. As per the fate intervention agreement, immunity was granted. Select your awakening ability.]

'Zombie virus, immunity system, awakening, abilities….'

A few words swirled around in Revan's mind.

Then, the title of the web novel he'd been reading right before bed came to him.

'Savior of the Ruined World…'

He also recalled the strange words he'd seen in his dream just before he woke up.

'Guidance for Pioneers… forging your destiny….'

No way.

That can't be.

There's no way something so ridiculous could happen.

Revan tried with all his might to deny the situation he was in.

But the monsters banging wildly on the car from outside were real.

The pain in his arm and the chilling cold seeping through his skin were real, too.

If the monsters outside really were zombies infected by a virus…

If this unbelievable and absurd situation was really happening to him…

'An ability, an awakened power—the ability that would be most useful for me to survive in this world… what would it be?'

Fragments of information from the novel he'd followed for over two years scattered through his mind.

An unreliable, half-baked power would be useless.

'In this world, there are already people who can breathe fire, create ice, and wield lightning at will.'

They're great fighters, but they're also easily replaceable.

That's why Revan didn't consider overwhelming, destructive power an option.

In a ruined world, zombies weren't the only things he needed to be cautious of.

In some ways, humans were more dangerous than zombies.

Survivors scraped by in the ruins after everything had fallen apart.

'The reason the world fell in Savior of the Ruined World was because of humans, after all.'

Revan, who'd read the entire story, knew that better than anyone.

He needed an ability that would be useful against humans rather than zombies.

'An ability no one would look down on, one that would be welcomed anywhere.'

And it would be ideal if it were an irreplaceable, unique ability in this world.

'What could it be?'

When he asked himself this, a single word suddenly sparked in his mind as if struck by lightning.

"Heal… healing…."

Murmuring, the word became clear in his mind.