Darkness.
Then—
Light.
Rishiro's eyes opened slowly.
The familiar ceiling of his apartment came into view.
For a moment he simply stared at it.
"…Again."
He sat up.
His chest was fine.
No wound.
No blood.
Just the same small apartment and the same rejection email glowing on his laptop screen.
8:17 PM.
The loop had restarted.
Rishiro stretched his neck slightly.
"…Alright."
He stood up and walked toward the bathroom sink.
Cold water splashed across his face.
Then he froze.
Something appeared in front of his vision.
A faint translucent window.
STATUS
Name: Rishiro Kagami
Strength: 5
Agility: 5
Endurance: 5
Perception: 7
Intelligence: 9
Willpower: 8
Available Points: 1
Rishiro blinked.
"…Oh."
He leaned closer.
"So it really is a game."
He tapped the floating window curiously.
The point moved.
Agility → 6
The window faded away.
Rishiro chuckled quietly.
"…That's hilariously broken."
He grabbed a kitchen knife from the counter.
"Let's test it."
First Attempt
The streetlights flickered.
Cold air filled the road.
The checker appeared from the darkness.
Tall.
Twisted.
Wrong.
Rishiro charged forward.
The creature moved.
Faster than human thought.
Pain exploded through his chest.
"…Still fast."
Darkness.
[Restart Sequence Initiated]
Second Attempt
Rishiro dodged the first strike.
Barely.
The second strike pierced his stomach.
"…Okay."
"…Better."
Darkness.
Third Attempt
He survived five seconds.
Then ten.
Then twenty.
The checker's movements became clearer each time.
Its attack pattern.
Its timing.
Its reach.
Every death taught him something.
Every restart made him sharper.
Attempt 12
Rishiro managed to slash the creature's arm.
Attempt 29
He survived nearly half a minute.
Attempt 46
The checker nearly lost balance.
But Rishiro still died.
Attempt 73
The fight lasted almost a full minute.
Attempt 100
Something had changed.
Not the world.
But Rishiro.
The apartment door opened slowly.
Rishiro stepped inside the bathroom again.
For a moment he stared at the mirror.
The reflection staring back looked different now.
Rishiro Kagami stood taller.
His body had become lean and defined.
Not bulky.
But clearly strong.
His shoulders were broader.
His movements more relaxed.
His black hair had grown slightly longer, falling loosely around his face.
A few strands framed sharp, focused eyes.
And his jawline had become noticeably sharper.
But the biggest change wasn't his appearance.
It was his expression.
The nervous writer from before was gone.
In his place stood someone calm.
Someone who had died far too many times to be afraid anymore.
Rishiro tilted his head slightly.
"…Huh."
He touched his jaw lightly.
"…Not bad."
A faint smirk appeared on his face.
"Guess dying builds character."
He left the bathroom and walked across the apartment.
Leaning against the wall—
Was a chainsaw.
Rishiro grabbed it.
The machine felt heavy.
Comfortable.
Familiar.
He pulled the cord.
The engine roared to life.
The sound filled the apartment.
Rishiro smiled.
"…Yeah."
"That should do it."
He turned the engine off again.
Then stepped outside.
Tokyo's night air greeted him.
Neon lights reflected across the pavement.
People walked normally.
Completely unaware their world would end in three days.
Rishiro walked calmly toward the street corner.
The same place.
The same battlefield.
Right on schedule—
The streetlights flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then the air grew cold.
Rishiro stopped walking.
"…There you are."
The checker emerged from the darkness.
Its twisted limbs dragging across the pavement.
The shadows around its body shifting like living things.
But this time—
Rishiro didn't look afraid.
Instead he rested the chainsaw on his shoulder.
The engine roared to life.
The sound echoed through the empty street.
Rishiro smiled.
"…Alright."
"Let's try this again."
The checker moved.
Fast.
Inhumanly fast.
But Rishiro moved too.
He dodged the first strike.
The chainsaw screamed as he swung it forward.
Sparks exploded as metal teeth met the creature's arm.
For the first time—
The checker staggered.
Rishiro's grin widened.
"…Got you."
The battle had finally begun.
End of Chapter 6