1 - What a start

[The Celestial Games Begin]

He blinked before looking at the girl opposite to him. "Are you seeing this?"

"Yeah... You don't think this is some sort of hologram right?" She asked hesitantly.

"No, I don't think so-"

BOOM

Both of them flinch as they turned to where the explosion sounded from.

CLATTER

Dropping the VR set inbetween them accidentally, directly hitting-

"OW!" His foot, as he tried to get it off him.

"Oh, sorry!" She also helped him out, pulling the box away from his foot, though they both stopped to stare back at the digital screen again once it changed.

[Would you like to see your status?]

"Uh, yeah." Both of them agreed, as the screen dissapeared and a new one unfolded.

[Shinu Rosenthal]

[Realms of Power]

Physical Realm: Mortal [0/1000]

Growth rate: Terrible

Vitality Realm: Mortal [0/1000]

Growth rate: Terrible

Spiritual Realm: Dormant [0/100]

Growth rate: Terrible

Magical Realm: Dormant [0/100]

Growth rate: Terrible

Shinu laid his curious gazed at the screen in excitement, before the feeling faded away swiftly like the wind at the face of his terrible Growth rate. 'That doesn't look good.'

"Woah." The girl let out, making his expression turn complicated.

'She probably got something good- Huh?' His thoughts stopped instantly when he saw the next part of the system, his mouth agape, his brows furrowing as he looked at what it said.

Mark: [Wanderer of Time]

Abilities: [Retrace]

'Wanderer of time? That sounds...'

Cool, it sounded cool, did he have powers to reverse time by a bit? Maybe foresight? Or was he a... Regressor? Timelooper?

He gulped, the curiosity of his eyes peering a hole through the only ability he has, the anticipation of what it could be.

'Retrace... An ability to travel back right? Or maybe like the recall to a point in time where I once was? Like that one character, Tracer was it?'

Shinu couldn't hold himself to just speculate anymore, asking in his mind for what it meant.

'Be good come on...' If his Growth Rate was trash, he speculated this ability would be good, since it is a time ability it must be.

And the ability description was...

[Retrace - Sacred - Proficiency 0%]

The wandered retraces his steps back to where he started whenever he gets lost through death.

'W-woah' It was just as he expected, something spectacular, but not like this.

Was he... The new protagonist of this world?

'Don't get cocky, you are nothing, it's most likely you who's going to be the pawn.'

'Huh?'

He flinched hearing his own voice talking back, taking a look at the last section.

[Cursed Mark - Unending Insanity]

Insidious voices speak out the truest parts of yourself, the doubts and insecurities, the darkest feelings in your depth. Driving thou to insanity.

And he thought that the dying part was the only downside, but he had this to worry about.

'Wait, don't I have three flaws? Slow growth, dying to activate my ability, and this voice.'

'Aren't you forgetting one more?' He bit his lip, before spreading it thinly.

'But atleast I'm a regressor, I can keep trying again and again, but with this voice, and if this world did turn into a hellish nightmare...'

'Then just like the regressors in novels, you too are going to be driven insane.' The insidious voice finished with a cackle.

"The world turned into a game... Hey, do you think we should just be standing here after that explosion?" The girl spoke again after a few minutes had passed.

Shinu nodded his head, still staring at his status screen with a frown.

"Yeah, we should probably move." He then looked back at her, and freezing.

'...Did she look that beautiful before?' He couldn't help but stare in awe at her face.

"What? Is there something behind me?" She took a quick glance behind her, before her fierce gaze landed on him again.

He gulped before hesitantly looking away, "Um, nothing."

'Pervert'

'Shut up! And hey I only commented about her face!'

Just as he was about to speak again, Shinu was cut off by the sudden digital screen appearing once more.

[Main Objective Received]

[Clear the floor]

Objective - Eliminate the three mini bosses located in your floor.

Rewards - Random Starter Kit per Kill, Access to other floors.

Time Limit - Three days

Penalty - Death

Bonus Objectives Hint - Time is of the essence

"Wait, behind you!" Before he even had time to process the new information or turn around, the girl grabbed his arm and pulled him away.

"Wait wha-" It was then he saw while running away, a walking, grotesque corspe that defies all logic, staggering silently while its arm try to reach him.

'No way...' Shinu couldn't believe the sight, but he quickly adapted to the situation and began running earnestly.

"So what do we do?" He asked while glancing around the aisles, other people were also running away from the zombies, most of them slow but some were faster.

"What would you do if this was a game?" She asked with a smile forming on her face, Shinu thought for a second before leyying out an "Ah" in realization.

"Get something to defend ourselves with!"

"Weapons." She nodded in agreement.

The two gamers finally began thinking, and adapting to the sudden situation as they both ran past the aisles and several zombies.

"There should be cooking equipment over there, like knives and all!" Shinu pointed out.

"Got it." The two arrived at the aisle, but before they could enter two zombies were already coming at them, occupying the aisle.

"Damn." The girl gritted her teeth.

"Let's circle around!" Shinu went to the aisle nearby and ran through, circling around to finally take one of the knives, before an idea came to him.

'Shouldn't we just run?' He thought while looking at the zombies chasing after them.

'You can try.' The sinister voice of his replied back as soon as Shinu saw another pair of zombies blocking the other side.

"Got it!" The girl opened the package of knives, taking two, both longer and larger than his knife.

"Mmm, I'll take the one on the left, we'll take care of them both and then get out!" Shinu grabs one more knife before nodding at her.

She gives a nod back and both rushed at the zombies.

The girl threw one of the knives, making Shinu throw his aswell, both of them didn't manage to kill them with it, but it did give them an opportunity to strike!

SWISH

Shinu thrusts his knife towards it's head, while the girl went to slit its throat before stabbing the side of its face in one wild and clumsy, yet swift motion.

With the knife plunged into the zombie's head, it dropped down with a notification.

'That was... Strangely easy.' He shook off the uncomfortable feeling he felt when plunging the knife, grabbing the one he threw.

'What the hell is she doing just standing? Is she really reading the notif at this time?'

"Lets go!" Shinu grabbed her arm before running.

'Out of this store, probably, or maybe in the bathroom? A staff room?'

"Hey, where do you want to go? Outside or lock ourselves up somewhere inside?" He asked, starting to run out of breath.

"Outside." She said, more drained than him.

With no zombies in sight, Shinu decided to check the small digital screen, enlarging it.

[Zombie Slain]

+1 Physical Point

"Huh, how many points did you get from killing it?" Shinu asked in curiousity.

"Four points."

"Huh, that's more than I got." He frowned, shaking his head.

'Stop staring you creep.'

'Did she get something to make her prettier? That doesn't make sense though.'

The two reached the outside of the department store, staring at the chaos and fire from below or the floor they were in, not only zombies were the threat, but goblins, skeletons, and wolves.

Plenty of monsters and people around, screaming, roaring, and bloodshed. The struggle of people around them, filled them with dread.

"Hey... What's your ability, and curse?" Shinu couldn't help his curiousity anymore as he asked cuatiously.

"...If I share mine, will you also share yours?" A reasonable reply.

"...I will..." He responded after a bit, wondering whether to share it or not, but at the start, can't he just share it?

"Then say it."

"..."

Her eyes narrow, frowning at him, and before a minute passed he finally answered.

"I can regress-"

And when he finished, the floor above them exploded, causing the floor ontop to collapse onto them.

...

"Agh! Fuck!" His one eye was covered with blood, as he woke uo after bding knocked unconcious from the accident.

He gazed around while feeling excruciating pain around his body.

'Am I seriously dying already?' He laughed inside, or was it the voice?

'How pathetic, do you even have what it takes to be a regressor?'

He questioned himself truly, as he looked beside him, the girl had it better, her arm and leg stuck.

But she wasn't dying like him.

'Lucky...' He coughed out blood when he laughed.

"Hey..."

"Yeah?"

"You can regress... Right?"

"Yeah..." And it was going to be a painful ride.

"...Good luck next time."

And with those final words, his conciousness slipped as his soul retraces it's steps back in the road of time.

It was time to start over, and choose a better path.