I wonder if I’m crazy.

By the way, my name is Noah Wilson, and I’m currently in my senior year at Baruch College in New York City.

Going back—do you ever wonder if you’re crazy?

I mean, what am I doing talking to myself in front of my mirror? Buck naked at that, with only a towel wrapped around my waist to cover the lower half of my body.

Well, I was already doing it, so I might as well continue.

As I looked at the mirror, I analyzed my body. It wasn’t too bad but wasn’t too amazing either—nothing like the ripped physiques you often see on bodybuilders. It was just fit—not too skinny but not too fatty.

My face was also average. Black hair, black eyes, and a well-defined jawline. Just average. I was also kind of short, being 5’9”.

I wasn’t complaining, though. In fact, I was more thankful. Seeing those handsome guys being flocked by girls looked tiresome to deal with.

Anyway, I was on my way to university to attend my class. I had just finished taking a shower and was drying myself.

After that, I put on a simple, casual outfit—a plain grey t-shirt layered with a red jacket, black loose pants, and white shoes.

Once I finished dressing, I glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. There were still fifteen minutes before my class began.

Enough time for breakfast.

I wasn’t worried about being late—my school was just down the street, after all. It would only take a couple of minutes to walk there.

One of the perks of living close to your school is that you never have to worry about being late.

I scrolled through my phone while eating toast with a sunny-side-up egg. While scrolling, I stumbled upon some interesting news.

“Breaking News! The largest continent, Asia, has reportedly been split apart by an earthquake of immeasurable magnitude. Millions of people have lost their homes, and—”

The news these days was quite worrying. Last week, there was a sudden rise in sea levels, drowning many cities. A month ago, a stampede of animals ran through a city, resulting in countless casualties.

It was as if the world was ending.

No. No, that couldn’t be possible, right?

I shook my head and stopped thinking about it. If the world was really ending, I’d have no choice but to accept it. I couldn’t do anything about it anyway.

I finished my meal and grabbed my bag. Before leaving, I glanced at a picture frame on the table.

“I’ll see you later, Mom.”

I gave her a sweet smile.

***

I walked down the streets.

The city was practically abandoned. Each store was closed, layers of dust and dirt accumulating—a sign that they had been left untouched for a long time. The roads were empty, with no vehicles in sight.

It was eerily silent.

As for why it was empty? People had fled further inland. Well, I couldn’t blame them—this place was close to the ocean. Given everything that was happening, it wouldn’t be surprising if a massive tsunami hit. I was sure they valued their lives.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

I didn’t evacuate like them.

What more could I lose anyway?

Honestly, it wasn’t like this a year ago. The city was bustling with life. Since this place was near the university, a lot of college students would come home drunk, probably after a party—just enjoying their lives.

Of course, I was one of them. I still remember my mom scolding me every time I came home reeking of beer.

Then, one day, a meteor landed on our planet. The event exploded across the internet. People were excited—some speculated that it was a new metal stronger than diamonds, others believed it was a fertilizer that could grow plants in a single day, and some even thought it could finally cure cancer. I was intrigued as well.

I didn’t know if it was a coincidence or not, but that was also the day my mother contracted her disease. The doctor said it was incurable—a never-before-seen disease in human history. I despaired at hearing him.

According to him, she was healthy and conscious but somehow couldn’t wake up.

Then, he pronounced her dead.

Naturally, I argued with him.

“If it’s an incurable disease, then why don’t you study it before saying that?! Please… don’t give up on my mother,” I pleaded, almost begging.

Yet, my words seemed to go through the ears of the doctor. He only smiled and patted my shoulder, his eyes having an unsettling glint.

“It can’t be helped. This is an unknown disease, after all. We don’t have any medicine that will work on her. But, with your help, we might prevent this disease from causing harm to someone ever again.”

I squinted my eyes at him. “What do you mean?”

“What I mean is…” Even as he talked, his smile never left. “...surrender the body of your mother to us. With her help, I— I mean, we might be able to track the origin of this disease and essentially find the cure!”

I stared speechlessly at the doctor. Did he think of my mother as just a specimen?

I didn’t miss his slip of the tongue—he wanted to use my mother to gain fame and be recognized for finding a cure to this unidentified disease.

I clenched my fist tightly. I didn’t realize it in my anger, but I was already punching the doctor, crushing his face. All I could think about was killing this bastard.

Of course, I wasn’t able to achieve it due to the intervention of other people. The doctor held a lot more power than I thought. Because the next day, we were kicked out of the hospital.

It was no problem, I could just transfer her to another hospital, or so I naively thought.

Reality hit hard—all the hospitals I visited rejected us. Each of them stated the same thing: "Pronounce her dead and provide her body."

I knew that providing her body would definitely be helpful, but just imagining those doctors holding knives in their hands and digging up my mother’s body—I couldn't do it.

In the end, all of this was just my own selfishness.

***

As I said earlier, my university was just close to my house. In a couple of minutes, I was already there.

Normally, at this time, when class was about to start, a surge of students would come running, trying to make it on time. But now, it was just lifeless.

The hallways were silent, with only the sound of footsteps from a few students who still had an interest in studying.

The class I was heading to was a Philosophy class. Well, it’s not like I had a choice. My original course was smithing, but the other professors left, leaving only the Philosophy professor.

You’re asking why I was still taking classes even when they weren’t related to my course?

Well, one of my mom’s dreams was for me to graduate college. I planned to show her my diploma once I got it.

I hurried to my classroom. The lesson was boring as always—discussing life and whatnot.

I can’t even believe I managed to endure listening to the professor for five hours, though I was mostly asleep.

“Hey, you."

Just as I was about to leave, the professor called out to me.

“Yes, professor?”

“Watch out above you.”

Huh? Above me? What does he mean? I was about to ask him when I noticed that he was suddenly gone.

“What the—”

What a weird professor. Anyway, I didn’t mind what happened too much and headed back home.

I was walking through the streets. I couldn’t see anything because it was dark, and the streetlight was broken. It was already creepy enough because of the darkness, but the silence didn’t help.

I reached into my pocket for my headphones to listen to some music and ease myself when suddenly a monotonous voice rang in my head.

[The evolution of world E#0126 has begun.]

What the heck? I’m sure I haven’t put on my headphones yet. Where did this voice come from?

The voice didn’t stop.

[Congratulations on entering the evolution stage! As a reward, you will be given a random skill set.]

[Skill set ‘Infinite Death’ has been gifted to you. Check your Status Panel to see more details.]

“Evolution? Skill set? Status Panel? What the heck am I hearing right now? Did someone put drugs in my drink?”

The moment I uttered "Status Panel," a floating blue screen suddenly appeared in front of me. But I didn’t have time to check it before I felt like I was falling.

I was staring at the beautiful night sky. Wait… is that my body? Why doesn’t it have a head?

No way—

I died?

[Condition has been fulfilled. Skill ‘Rewind Through Death’ will be activated.]

[Reversing time… Reversing time successfully.]

[‘Rewind Through Death’ will be on a 24-hour cooldown.]

[Death Count: 1] [+1]

What the actual fuck?!