The alarm rang at exactly 6:30 a.m.
Ren Ashford opened his eyes.
"…Again."
Sunlight spilled through the thin curtains of his bedroom, illuminating the same crack in the ceiling, the same half-folded uniform on the chair, and the same unopened textbook on his desk.
Nothing had changed.
Because the world had reset.
Ren sat up slowly, pressing two fingers against his temple. The headache was still there—sharp, familiar, and proof that this wasn't a dream.
Seven times.
This was the eighth.
Downstairs, his mother hummed cheerfully while making breakfast. Outside, birds chirped like the world hadn't been annihilated twelve hours ago.
Ren swung his legs off the bed.
"So this is the version where I wake up before it notices me," he muttered.
As if responding—
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
Irregular consciousness detected.
Initiating correction…
Ren's heart skipped.
"Too early," he whispered.
He stood still.
Didn't blink.
Didn't breathe.
Five seconds passed.
Ten.
Then—
[ERROR]
Correction failed.
Cause: Unknown Variable.
Ren exhaled slowly.
"…Still broken," he said, with a tired smile.
Last timeline, he'd tried to save everyone.
Before that, he became a tyrant.
Once, he hid.
Once, he begged the gods.
Every ending was different.
Every ending was worse.
Ren picked up his school bag and headed for the door.
This time, he wouldn't try to be a hero.
This time—
He'd break the world first.