Beta Universe, summer of 2014.
Bang—!
The piercing gunshot echoed beside his ear, violently jolting awake the young man who had passed out from heatstroke.
At that moment, he was standing in a space of pure white.
However, this was not a hospital.
Instinctively, he raised a finger and touched his temple. The memory of a bullet passing through his skull was still vivid, making cold sweat seep down his back.
He really did not want to experience that feeling a second time.
But when he thought of the clone in the Alpha Universe, who might already have died over and over again, he found peace with it.
No matter how many times Beta in the parallel universes died, those were events that had happened across countless parallel universes.
The him standing here only needed to die one more time at most...
At that same moment, a translucent floating window appeared before him.
Lines of text gradually emerged across the screen.
This system is dedicated to raising the civilization level of indigenous inhabitants. The holder is requested to explore the secrets of this system independently...
It was still that familiar feeling.
Looking at those nostalgic words, the corners of his lips curled into a faint smile. His clear eyes carried a calmness and steadiness utterly unsuited to his age.
As though he were not twenty years old.
But two hundred...
"We meet again, Observer."
The text on the screen stopped, as if a play had suddenly exposed its trick and could no longer continue.
The existence hiding behind the screen had clearly not expected to hear its own name here.
It had expected even less to encounter an acquaintance here.
"...You? But how is that possible... It should be 2014 now... Wait—"
For a brief instant, it fell into shock