Mad Hatter's Guide to Clearing The Game

Chapter 40: Ch38. Awakening

Once a corporate high-rise belonging to a prestigious law firm, the building in front of downtown's main square had been repurposed into the Union Guild's central stronghold, a rare island of stability in a city consumed by chaos.

While the countless skirmishes against monster hordes had left scars – cracked windows, claw marks on the walls, and scorch marks along the hallways – the structure itself stood firm, reinforced with steel plating, barricades, and makeshift defenses, along with a few experienced mage players who took care of raising barriers around the perimeter of the building.

The entrance was no longer a polished glass doorway but a fortified checkpoint with thick metal barriers and sandbags lined in the front, with floodlights mounted above it to keep the surrounding streets illuminated at night.

Mages, melee fighting, and Ranger Class players patrolled the area, ready for any situation, while a security post checked everyone entering or leaving. Above the entrance, the building's old corporate sign had been torn down, replaced with bold white letters spray-painted across the wall, Union Guild Headquarters, topped by the guild's blood-red insignia – a circle that resembled a snake biting its own tail.

Further inside, the building had been reorganized into six practical spaces: War Room, Armory, Med Bay, Quarters, Mess Hall – that was also used as a lounge – and Supply Depot. Each floor with its specific purpose and personnel assigned to it.

Inside the War Room, currently occupied by Sarissa and the leader of the Sakura Guild, Hinata Shinji, the leader of the Union Guild stomped her foot on the floor.

"What the hell was that, Shinji!?" Sarissa shouted at the young man, who kept impassive with his arms crossed. "I thought we agreed-"

"We also agreed that you wouldn't make any power plays towards the players." Shinji interrupted her before she could say anything else. "Don't you think that they're already stressed enough for you to be stepping on them as you did?"

He took a brief pause and then added.

"Also, it is

"Dismissed." She sighed, turning around and looking out the window, at the landscape that comprised the entirety of the main square, and some blocks beyond.

"I can't understand why you're so obsessed with-"

"Dismissed." Sarissa's tone was poignant and sharp, although showing only a slight hint of annoyance. "We'll keep in touch, and don't forget to level up. You're only three levels behind me, so you shouldn't slack."

Shinji said nothing in return, but Sarissa only turned around when she heard the sound of the door closing behind the leader of Sakura Guild.

She sighed heavily, sitting and leaning back in her chair, fingers laced together as she stared up at the ceiling. With the War Room empty now, save for the quiet hum of the emergency lights overhead and the distant murmur of players outside the door, she was finally alone to think about her next step.

It was always at times like this that the memories crept in when she was alone in the War Room, where the top guild members usually gathered to plan their next raids.

At least, back in the last time-line when Sarissa came from, that is.

The countdown to 2025 reached zero, but suddenly, instead of cheers, there was silence. A heavy, unnatural stillness fell over everything. The air itself seemed to distort, rippling like a mirage. Then came the notification.

[Updating home-world 39515's version]

[Version 20.25's update brings a lot of fun and games with the new and improved Survival Mode]

[Do you want to convert your previous avatar to home-world 39515's latest version?]

[Yes] [No]

Most people hesitated, confused. Some laughed, assuming it was a clever prank.

But Sarissa had felt something, like an instinctual dread curling in her gut. Before she could process it, the square was drowned in screams, and by her side, her mom, dad, and siblings were suddenly attacked by small creatures that resembled Goblins that usually appeared in webtoons about awakened warriors that would save the world from a monster's invasion.

Monstrous, twisted things shrieked and tore through the crowds like they were nothing but paper dolls, although they were nothing but small, seemingly frail monsters. Blood painted the streets, drowning out the cries of confusion and terror.

Sarissa ran.

She remembered the fear, the sheer helplessness as she watched people she knew and loved get ripped apart. She had no weapon, and no knowledge of what was happening.

Only that ridiculous pop-up window glowing in front of her. Then, she pressed [Yes], and another notification appeared before her tear-streaked eyes. @@novelbin@@

[Congratulations! You have now become a player.]

[Your avatar's data has been successfully converted.]

[You have received a Classpect: Wonderland's Treasure]

[Classpect status: Dormant]

[Player level: 01]

[Your avatar's previous data allows you to unlock a skill]

[Do you wish to unlock the skill?]

Without even blinking, she pressed [Yes]

[Skill unlocked: Regression – Level 01]

[Good luck, player]

She did not understand what it meant. Not then.

She had died that night, before she could even learn how to fight properly, when a massive, hulking beast of shadow and bone, had slammed its claws through her chest, pinning her to the rubble like an insect.

She still remembered the sensation – the cold, searing pain, the feeling of her own life slipping away as she choked on her own blood.

The system's voice echoed in her ears right before her consciousness could slip away completely. Unfamiliar, and yet, somehow, so soothing.

[Skill – Regression: Level 01 – is active]

[Due to the player's low level, the skill's effect will take the player one hour back in time]

Then, she opened her eyes with a startle. Around her, the fireworks had not gone off yet, and the crowd was still cheering, excited about what the new year had in store for them. Her heart pounded in her chest as she gasped for breath, staggering backward as if the pain still lingered. She clutched her chest, expecting a wound, but there was nothing.

Her parents asked if she was okay, but she dismissed their questions and concerned glances, telling them that she just had a waking dream.

And then, the notifications came. The monsters, her family's death.

She watched in a daze, without noticing that a group of Goblins was about to swarm on her.

She died by their claws and teeth, and the system's voice echoed in her ears.

[Skill – Regression: Level 01 – is active]

[Due to the player's low level, the skill's effect will take the player one hour back in time]

She opened her eyes in the main square again. This time, though, she checked for every detail that might have given her the slightest clue of if what happened was just a dream or...

The fireworks had not gone off yet, and the crowd was still cheering, her mom and dad asked her if she was okay, and Sarissa dismissed their concern, telling them it was just a waking dream.

Her eyes went wide, but then she closed them shut, counting the seconds in her mind.

When her count reached forty-five, the holographic window appeared in the sky, and she knew it was not a dream.