I am Regressor

Jo Yuan opened his eyes slowly, his body heavy as if weighed down by invisible chains. The first thing he noticed was the cold stone beneath him. His fingers grazed its surface, rough and uneven. He lifted his head and blinked, trying to focus.

Around him, there was only darkness. The air smelled stale, like old stone and something faintly metallic. When his eyes adjusted, he realized he was lying on some kind of altar—black stone, covered in strange, glowing symbols he didn't understand.

"What… is this place?" he whispered. His voice echoed back at him, but no answer came.

The room was eerily silent, no sign of life anywhere. Jo Yuan felt his heart race. He had no memory of how he got here. One moment, he was living his normal life in his world; the next, he woke up in this strange, cold place.

"Another world?" he muttered. It sounded ridiculous, but deep down, he felt it was true.

...

Jo Yuan pushed himself up, legs shaky but steady enough to stand. He needed to figure out where he was. Looking around, he saw walls, high and jagged, stretching upward. Faint light flickered through cracks, giving the place an ancient, forgotten feel.

He carefully stepped down from the altar, the echo of his boots filling the empty hall. Symbols and markings lined the walls, but he couldn't understand any of it. He ran his fingers over the stone, hoping for clues.

"An altar… a dark, creepy place…" he whispered, more to himself than anything. It reminded him of stories about rituals or sacrifices, but there was no blood, no bodies.

Further in, he noticed strange statues with demonic features—horns, fangs, wings. His stomach tightened, but he pushed the fear down. If he was going to survive, he needed to stay calm.

He wandered for what felt like hours. The corridors were winding, the air thick and oppressive. Everything was unfamiliar. Just as he felt like he might never find a way out, he saw a faint light in the distance. His heart leapt. An exit.

...

Jo Yuan moved toward the light, careful but eager. His pace quickened as the light grew brighter, hope swelling in his chest. Freedom was so close.

But then, without warning—boom!

An explosion. Pain seared through his body, white-hot and unbearable. The last thing he felt was the force of the blast ripping him apart, then nothing. Just darkness.

He woke again, gasping for breath.

He was back on the altar.

"What…?" He sat up in a panic, heart pounding, the cold stone under him all too familiar. "No, this is… I was just…"

The realization hit him like a slap. He was back where he started, in the same position, on the same demonic altar.

"How?" He stood up, shaking his head, disbelief clouding his mind. "I died. I'm sure I did."

It didn't make sense, but there was no denying it. He was alive again, right where he had been when he first woke up. Was this a dream? A nightmare? But it felt too real.

...

Determined not to let fear overtake him, Jo Yuan tried again. He walked through the same hallways, retracing his steps, but this time more cautious. He checked every corner, every floor tile, trying to avoid whatever had killed him.

But as he approached the light again—boom! Another explosion. His body was torn apart in the same instant, and once again, he felt the cold nothingness.

He woke up again on the altar.

A cold sweat ran down his face. His hands trembled. "What… what is this?" he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.

He tried again. And again. Each time, he died in a different way.

Once, he stepped on a hidden trap that shot spikes from the floor. Another time, he tried taking a different route, but a massive stone ceiling collapsed, crushing him instantly. He even tried standing still, refusing to move at all, but then something in the shadows took him—he never saw what it was.

Every time he died, he woke up again on the altar. No matter how it happened, death was not the end. The cycle repeated endlessly.

After countless deaths, Jo Yuan lay on the cold stone altar once more, but this time, he didn't move immediately. His body ached, his mind felt numb.

"I'm a regressor," he whispered, staring up at the cracked ceiling. It was the only explanation that made sense. He had heard about time loops in stories, in games, but never imagined it could happen to him. Yet, here he was, trapped in some cursed place, forced to relive his death again and again.

He clenched his fists, determination rising within him. "I can't die anymore. I have to break this… somehow."