"Everyone else dies," Min-ji confirmed. "I'm sorry, but those are the numbers. Five thousand seeds to rebuild civilization when dimensional collapse ends, or humanity goes extinct entirely."
Jae-sung stood, pacing. "This is insane. You're talking about abandoning the world."
"I'm talking about surviving."
"Not much of one."
They argued. Yoo tuned out, thinking rapidly.
Six months, five thousand survivors, void rifts erasing reality.
Unless...
"What if we close the rifts?" Yoo interrupted.
Everyone turned to him.
"The void rifts, can they be closed?"
"We've tried," one Platinum-rank said. "Energy attacks just accelerate expansion. Spatial manipulation destabilizes them further, physical matter erases on contact, nothing works."
"Have you tried spatial sealing?" Yoo pressed. "Not attacking the rift, sealing the space around it, containing rather than destroying."
The Platinum-ranks exchanged glances.
"Its theoretically possible," Min-ji said slowly. "But it would require spatial manipulation expert, a power level of diamond-rank minimum, and we have two in entire country, both deployed elsewhere."
"I could learn," Yoo said.
Silence, Then laughter... not mocking, incredulous.
"You're Bronze 9," the Platinum-rank said. "Spatial sealing requires..."
"high-level spatial understanding, which I have, I'm reincarnated, my consciousness is twenty-nine years old, not eight months." Yoo met their eyes. "And I have personal pocket dimension, extras World, I understand spatial manipulation intimately."
Min-ji studied him. "You're serious."
"Completely, teach me advanced spatial techniques, and give me six months, I'll close the rifts."
"You'll die trying."
"Maybe, but if I don't try, everyone dies anyway, five thousand refugees in a bunker isn't saving humanity. It's preserving corpses."
Jae-sung grabbed Yoo's shoulder. "You're talking about suicide."
"I'm talking about the only option that saves more than five thousand people." Yoo looked at his father. "Surviving alone isn't enough, we need to save others too, otherwise, what's the point?"
Jae-sung's expression was agonized, but he didn't argue,
Min-ji made a decision. "I'll bring it to academy leadership, spatial sealing training for anomaly child in exchange for rift closure attempts. They'll probably say no."
"Tell them I volunteered, that I understand the risks, and that Bronze 9 with spatial abilities is better than nothing."
"I'll try."
She left with the other Platinum-ranks.
Yoo and Jae-sung remained.
"You're eight months old, Yoo" Jae-sung said quietly. "You shouldn't be volunteering for suicide missions."
"I died once already, if I die again trying to save people, at least it's meaningful death instead of random shooting."
"That's not comforting."
"It's not meant to be, but that's what it is."
Three Days Later
Academy leadership approved Yoo's proposal, conditionally.
He would receive spatial manipulation training from Master Yoon, power level Diamond 53, spatial expert returned from overseas deployment, four hours daily for three months.
Then: live rift closure attempt. If successful, continue, failure equals (death), Operation Sanctuary proceeds as planned.
Three months training, three months missions. Total: six months, perfect timing before the apocalypse.
Yoo reported to Master Yoon's training hall, found an elderly woman, tiny frame, but energy signature that made reality itself bend slightly.
"You're the child volunteering for sealing," she stated.
"yes.'"
"hmm" She gestured for him to enter. "Show me your Extras World. I'll assess if you're wasting my time."
Yoo opened the dimensional gap. Expanded it to full size, now sixty cubic meters, grown steadily over months.
Master Yoon stepped through, and examined the space. Her expression shifted from skepticism to fascination.
"This is... unprecedented, your pocket dimension this stable at Bronze 9? You're not just spatial user. You're spatial natural, born for this."
"Can you teach me sealing techniques?"
"Yes. But understand: what you're attempting requires precision beyond most Diamond-ranks, one mistake during rift sealing, you don't just die. You erase. Completely, no afterlife, Just nonexistence."
Yoo had existed in the void for 823 years, he knew that fate intimately.
"I understand. Teach me anyway."
Master Yoon smiled grimly. "Brave or stupid, we'll see which. Begin with basic exercises—"
The training started.
Four hours daily of spatial theory, meditation, energy control, and learning to perceive dimensional boundaries, to manipulate space without tearing it, to seal rather than destroy.
It was brutal, his body wasn't designed for this level of concentration, multiple times he collapsed from mental exhaustion
Two Months Later
Yoo stood at training hall's edge, watching his father spar with other Platinum-ranks.
Jae-sung had grown stronger, platinum 44 now, not through Ascension Protocol, he refused, citing the need to stay alive for his son, but through constant combat missions, pushing his limits safely.
Seo-yeon approached Yoo, "Are you scared? Of the rift closure mission?"
Yoo considered. "A little, but more terrified of doing nothing and watching everyone die."
"That's stupid and brave." She punched his arm lightly. "When you go on that mission, I want to come, I can't seal rifts, but I can watch your back, and make sure nothing kills you before you erase yourself."
"You don't have to... "
"Don't worry, I can do it."
Despite everything, Yoo smiled. "Thanks."
"Don't thank me yet, Thank me when we survive."
'When. Not if.'
How optimistic of you
Later That Night
Jae-sung found Yoo in Extras World, practicing alone.
He'd learned to enter the pocket dimension, Yoo had taught him during private training sessions, now Jae-sung appeared beside him in the space.
"You've been avoiding me," Jae-sung said.
"No, I'm just training."
"Oh?" Jae-sung sat on a manifested chair, one Yoo recreated from memories. "You're preparing to die, and you don't want me to talk you out of it."
"Would you? Try to stop me?"
"I should, you're my son. Protecting you is my job." Jae-sung's voice broke. "But you're right, saving five thousand while billions die isn't salvation. It's cowardice, so no. I won't stop you."
"Then why are you here?"
"To tell you I'm proud, and terrified, and if you die doing this..." Jae-sung's hands clenched "...I'll follow, I'll close every remaining rift myself or die trying, because I can't live knowing you sacrificed yourself while I played it safe."
Yoo sat up, "Then we'll just have to survive this, until the end"