In the darkness, my conscience made room. My feeble hand brushed against the rush of life it needed, and as my harmless grasp encircled nothingness itself, my eyes widened.

"So, what do you say, boy? Are you going to buy the apple?" The question was one I had grown accustomed to; the owner's voice asking it was as familiar as being at home.

The irritating bustle of the street, along with the smells and sensations of the warm sun on my skin, had no kinship with the dark indifference of the alley I was supposed to be in.

The shop owner frowned when met with my silence, displaying his great patience despite being mentored by a rough and aggressive man with no friends and a consistently bad mood. I knew he was a good person, driven by an obsession to protect his daughter. Of course, he didn't even know I existed.

"How many times have we crossed paths so far?"

"What are you talking about? It's the first time in my entire life that I've seen you. Plus, with those clothes you're wearing and that expression as if you've seen a ghost, you stand out enough not to be forgotten."

"I see. What day is it?"

"It's the fourteenth of Tammuz. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, it's nothing. Just curious."

I truly had no idea who Tammuz was or how the calendar of this world worked. The only reason I asked was to test the store owner's willingness to cooperate.

"You're done with the interrogation, kid. Do you want the apple or not?"

Perhaps the store owner was struggling with sales from his business, desperate enough to sell an apple, or maybe he was just incredibly patient with his clients. However, neither of these options changed my answer.

"Old man, I am as poor as a cloudless sky!"

"Old?! Get out of my store!"

As I ran away, I could still hear the shop owner's screams.

After confirming that I had the bag with all my belongings, I lifted the hem of my shirt to examine my abdomen.

There was no scar or any trace of a cut.

The sun was high in the sky, and a gentle breeze brushed against the skin where the wound should be. People and demihumans hurried along the main street, carriages were drawn by the same giant lizards, and the blacksmith forged metals while the cook sliced onions, as they always did.

「It seems that I am constantly fighting against logic. However, this time I have lost hands down. I have no choice but to accept it, even if it's hard...」

All my wounds had disappeared, just like the stains on my clothes. In my right hand, a coin from another world rose and fell at the will of my thumb, while my eyes fixed upon a bowl of instant noodles sealed inside a perfectly good nylon bag.

With a sigh, I finally came to accept it.

"Every time I die, I start from the initial state, from the very beginning."

Naming my newfound ability was quite a task. Although pretentious, "Return by Death" truly fit it. It lacked delicacy but didn't soften the truth. If I could only go back in time, a simpler name would suffice. However, my ability didn't allow me to return to the past without pain and suffering.

"On the other hand, the fact that it's a creative power, assuming I'm going to lose, doesn't sit well with me."

This power resembled returning to a saved point in a video game after dying or losing your character.

There was no point in considering other theories because the one I had initially rejected turned out to be true.

"Now that I'm sitting here, with all my belongings and memories, everything makes sense."

Looking back, I had already died twice.

The first time was when I first arrived in this world. I walked into the alley, and my cocky brat persona led to my demise. The second time was due to the carelessness of the same bastard who had killed me before.

However, after the second time, I realized that those three were not as formidable as they seemed, and I had been foolishly intimidated by them.

On the other hand, only having to die twice to discover my ability was a rather impressive feat. I mean, considering that I'm in a medieval world about which I know nothing, dying only twice is remarkable.

"My God, am I really reduced to considering that 'great'?"

Nevertheless, everything left me with a stoic truth.

I couldn't consider 'Return by Death' a blessing. It wasn't a gift bestowed by the gods, and if it was, that god would be the closest thing to a devil in the history of my world. However grotesque and egregious the way it worked, I couldn't avert my gaze from the harsh reality of its power.

Now, I could see the future and know the past. I had the ability to alter events in my present to shape my future, fully aware of the consequences of my actions. Through death, I could find a way to truly live. I simply needed the willpower to endure the suffering, knowing that beyond the pain lay my ultimate reward. There was no room to see this as a disadvantage; I couldn't fathom it. The notion of obtaining everything without cost seemed meager and mundane. Achieving dreams without sacrifice would taint the sweetness of accomplishment and render it unfair.

"What happiness would I find in conquering achievements I don't deserve?"

Nevertheless, I had decided to postpone my return home. Initially, I was an ignoramus yearning to go back, devoid of ideas or knowledge on how to achieve it. Now, I was faced with a potential path.

If there existed a being capable of granting me the power to revive from death and return to the past, that being must be powerful enough to summon someone from another world...

A new goal had taken shape in my mind. I would search and find the being that had cursed me. I would ignore their pleas for an explanation behind my summoning and subject them to the very pain they were about to make me endure, so that they would send me back to where I came from.

I would no longer be the prey; I would become the hunter.