Chapter 1 : Zombie Tongue

Several decades ago.

Beneath the surface of Earth, another world called the Abyss was formed.

In the deepest layers of the Abyss, filled with vicious monsters and precious treasures, there were explorers.

“Zombie… what?”

“Zombie Tongue.”

“Zombie tongue? That’s a pretty unusual name for a nickname.”

“Yeah, it is…”

“Zombies have a certain stubbornness to them. I saw them fighting earlier—covered in blood but fighting fiercely. So it really is a zombie?”

“That’s right. Honestly, I was surprised too.”

“Surprised?”

“Yes. I thought he was just some slow-moving weirdo, and his rank was only B-class. But to see him perform so impressively…”

The Guild Master of the Explorers’ Guild, who was acquainted with Han Seoryeon, explained this as Sorigum Han Seoryeon nodded her head.

An eighth-rank explorer who took part in the final battle had pulled off an unprecedented feat.

Since the Great Cataclysm that split the continent and opened the Abyss half a century ago,

humankind had finally succeeded in conquering its deepest layers.

Earth was about to return to the green world it once was.

The Abyss’s last monster, the Great Evil Dragon, was truly terrifying.

Many warriors fell, and even Han Seoryeon, one of the strongest explorers, barely escaped death several times.

And the one who saved her life, wounded but standing against the Evil Dragon’s razor-sharp wing, was an explorer called “Zombie Tongue.”

He was literally someone who seemed to have fallen out of the sky—a very peculiar person.

“So, why ‘tongue’ in the name ‘Zombie Tongue’? Tongue means tongue, right?”

That was Han Seoryeon’s question.

The Guild Master’s expression grew strange.

“His Gift is called Evil Appetite.”

“Evil Appetite?”

“Yes, he can eat almost anything. So he picks up all sorts of weird things to eat.”

“Weird things like insects?”

“Not just insects. Monsters, poisonous insects, even highly toxic plants growing in the Abyss. He’s a freak who has to try putting disgusting things in his mouth to satisfy himself.”

Farming and animal husbandry had been destroyed and replaced by Energy Bars for several generations already.

The Guild Master looked expectantly at Han Seoryeon’s intrigued expression.

“What a fascinating person.”

“Is that so?”

Han Seoryon’s reaction wasn’t negative; in fact, her curiosity seemed to deepen.

The Guild Master interpreted this as because Zombie Tongue had saved her life.

“Still, even if his personality is a bit strange… Sorigum, you wouldn’t be interested in just anyone. He’s a weirdo for sure. Even now, he’s trying to grill the Evil Dragon’s meat… wait?”

The Guild Master’s gaze hardened as he stared at Zombie Tongue.

His expression was one of disbelief at what he was seeing.

“That crazy guy… grilling Evil Dragon meat?”

Amid the chaotic scene of warriors gathering corpses and distributing items,

Zombie Tongue was lighting a fire and placing a frying pan over it.

And next to him was a chunk of meat.

Black veins clung to it—it was definitely a piece of the Evil Dragon’s flesh he had just slain.

The Guild Master’s eyes went wide and fixed on him.

“W-What are you doing right now?!”

“Grilling meat.”

The Guild Master shouted angrily, but Zombie Tongue was utterly nonchalant.

The one yelling was left speechless.

“Even so, the corpse distribution isn’t over yet. How can you just do that?”

Zombie Tongue checked if the pan was heated with his hand, then answered without looking at the Guild Master.

“I’m only taking one kilogram of meat anyway. Check the contract. And if I don’t do it now, the dragon meat will spoil fast.”

“Th-This guy, really…”

Zombie Tongue’s logic was quite sound, leaving no room for counterargument.

But the Guild Master was a man who valued dignity and protocol.

He wasn’t going to tolerate such barbaric behavior.

Just as he was about to yell again,

“You’re eating dragon meat?”

Han Seoryeon stepped forward from behind.

She had quietly followed the Guild Master.

“Grilling it, right?”

“A steak?”

Zombie Tongue, who had been indifferent, finally showed a proper reaction to those words.

He looked surprised by the unexpected comment.

“You know your food, huh?”

“I used to enjoy it.”

“Then why don’t you eat Energy Bars?”

“My grandfather loved real food.”

Upon hearing that, Zombie Tongue nodded in understanding.

“Daughter of a chaebol family, huh.”

“Can I sit?”

“You’re already sitting.”

Han Seoryeon naturally plopped down opposite him.

Zombie Tongue also seemed to accept it.

The Guild Master was flustered.

He had been about to scold Zombie Tongue, but Han Seoryon, a powerful warrior and the greatest contributor to the conquest, had intervened.

“Seoryeon-nim, if you sit with this guy…”

“I’m fine.”

“But there are people watching.”

Han Seoryeon was silent for a moment.

“I said I’m fine.”

Her voice was soft but carried a cold chill.

An unspoken warning not to cross a line.

The Guild Master realized once again who he was dealing with.

In the end, he had no choice but to step back.

“Don’t lose focus, hurry up and leave.”

Zombie Tongue smiled widely and waved his hand with a bit of annoyance, but the Guild Master couldn’t argue.

He suppressed his frustration and strode away.

“Zombie… right? Thanks earlier. You saved my life.”

“Well, I had to do it.”

“Are your wounds okay?”

“They’re bleeding, but I’m sturdy. I’ll get treatment later.”

His abdomen was wrapped in bandages soaked with blood.

It was a wound from the Evil Dragon’s talons.

Han Seoryon rarely owed anyone a favor.

She wondered how to properly express her gratitude.

“And Baek Yuseong.”

“Yes?”

“Call me by my name, not ‘Zombie Tongue.’”

“Ah, yes, Yuseong-ssi.”

“So why did you sit down?”

Even while asking, Baek Yuseong didn’t look at Han Seoryeon.

He calmly coated the pan with some kind of oil.

“I heard you’re making steak. I wanted to try a bite.”

At that moment, she was the most surprised of all.

It was unthinkable for her to act so friendly toward someone she had just met.

Anyone who overheard this conversation would be shocked.

“I’m not sharing.”

But no matter how surprising Han Seoryeon’s words were, Yuseong remained unfazed.

She hid her irritation and asked nonchalantly,

“What did you put on it?”

“Uh, garlic and chili powder with cooking oil. Like olive oil.”

“Oli… what?”

“So you’re a chaebol daughter, yet you don’t even know olive oil?”

“Hey, I’m not the cook here. Besides, the last time I ate steak was seven years ago.”

“Was there still beef seven years ago?”

Yuseong suddenly shouted in disbelief.

“Yes, there was back then.”

“Hah, I must have been the only one who didn’t know.”

Instead of grilling meat in the hot pan, Yuseong started stir-frying mushrooms and green vegetables.

“Commoners are happy just eating Energy Bars, but chaebols secretly dream of meat and eat it all by themselves…”

Yuseong’s grumbling made Han Seoryeon smile bitterly.

All the conquest members disapproved of Zombie Tongue’s cooking, but Han Seoryon was curious for a reason.

After all, all food sources had been replaced by Energy Bars, and limited ingredients went to the highest classes of society.

The masses considered cooking and dining barbaric and uncivilized, but the top elite secretly enjoyed gourmet food.

“Here.”

Yuseong sprinkled salt and pepper on the stir-fried mushrooms and vegetables and handed the plate to Seoryeon.

She hesitated for a moment.

“This is…”

“Of course, gathered from the Abyss.”

Han Seoryeon’s expression stiffened.

She expected it, but of course, the ingredients were from the Abyss.

They might even contain deadly toxins.

Most flora and fauna in the Abyss are extremely poisonous and repulsive.

Even the elite who enjoyed gourmet food gave up on Abyss ingredients.

“So it’s true.”

“What do you mean?”

“That Evil Appetite means eating all kinds of bizarre things. Even poisonous plants.”

Yuseong’s expression turned indifferent as he popped a mushroom into his mouth.

“If you’re hungry, you eat poisonous plants too. I only eat the tasty stuff. That mushroom isn’t poisonous.”

Han Seoryeon pondered his words.

Indeed, the grilled mushrooms smelled delicious.

Juicy and lightly crispy on the outside.

Sweet juice oozed out with perfect seasoning of pepper and salt.

Before long, she emptied the plate.

“You’re really good at this.”

Yuseong smiled.

He then placed the Evil Dragon meat on the pan.

As the meat heated in the well-warmed pan, it sizzled and released a rich, savory aroma.

That intense meaty scent.

It was an oily aroma that couldn’t compare to the mushrooms.

Han Seoryeon was surprised at her own gnawing hunger.

Afraid she might audibly growl, she hurriedly spoke.

“Um, wouldn’t it be easier to just eat Energy Bars? Why bother cooking?”

She tried to change the subject but found herself genuinely curious.

The Great Cataclysm had opened the Abyss and simultaneously caused the extinction of ‘food.’

It was a kind of catastrophe beyond scientific explanation.

Rice, wheat, various crops, and all livestock—chicken, pigs, cattle—had all disappeared due to supernatural forces.

Only rocks remained.

Humans started harvesting Nectar at the Abyss entrance.

They made Energy Bars from it to extend their lifespans.

Now, over half a century later, Yuseong’s cooking with Abyss ingredients marked him as a real eccentric.

“Because of an allergy to Energy Bars.”

“…Excuse me?”

At first, she thought she had misheard.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t eat them at all, but eating them caused rashes and unbearable itching all over.

Continued consumption would cause swelling of the airway and nausea.

An Energy Bar allergy.

Han Seoryeon had never heard of such a thing.

In this world, not being able to eat Energy Bars was tantamount to death.

“I used to eat grass at first, but nearly died from poison, then picked chili powder, then bugs and meat. After dying and coming back a few times, I developed the Evil Appetite Gift. From then on, poison wasn’t fatal, and I even learned to sample poison safely.”

Yuseong’s tone was calm.

But the process must have been agonizing.

Knowing that, Han Seoryeon was momentarily lost for words.

After a brief silence, she spoke.

“That must be a relief.”

“Now that the Abyss is fully conquered, grass and animals will grow on Earth again.

I’ll be able to eat steak as much as I want then, with real beef.”

Yuseong silently transferred the Evil Dragon steak from the pan to a plate.

He cut it into bite-sized pieces.

The meat was perfectly cooked, with an inviting pink hue.

“…I’ve waited for this my whole life. I thought I’d cry.”

His voice trembled slightly, though Han Seoryeon wondered if it was just her imagination.

“Why would you cry? You should be smiling.”

“Is that so? Haha.”

Yuseong smiled broadly, showing bright white teeth.

Such pure joy was rare in this era.

Han Seoryeon smiled along without realizing it.

“When we talked about steak earlier, I thought you were just a cranky person refusing to eat it, but no.

From the start, you couldn’t eat Evil Dragon meat.

Maybe you grilled mushrooms as a consideration for me.”

“Eat it before it gets cold. The Abyss will close soon.”

She urged him hastily, embarrassed.

Yuseong smiled softly and picked up a piece of steak.

“Still, still…”

“Yes?”

“I think I’m going to miss the things I ate in the Abyss.”

Her words held complex emotions.

Finally, Yuseong put a piece of Evil Dragon steak in his mouth.

“Ah…!”

It exploded with flavor inside his mouth.

All the hardships up to now.

The pain of that treacherous journey seemed to pour out in a single, stormy burst of umami.

Tears streamed down Yuseong’s face.

“Damn, why am I crying… huh?”

He wiped his eyes and noticed golden light blossoming from his arm.

Ahead, Han Seoryeon stared with her mouth agape.

An Achievement…?

When explorers achieve great Achievements, light often radiates from their bodies.

The intensity and color of the light differ depending on the quality of the Achievement.

Yuseong had earned many Achievements before, but he had never seen such a strong golden light.

Then, a system message rang out in the field.

[Conditions met. Mythic Hidden Achievement ‘Predator of the Great Evil Dragon “Time”’ unlocked.]

“What? Mythic Hidden…?”

Yuseong muttered in disbelief.

He had never heard of a Mythic Hidden Achievement before.

The message continued.

[Conditions fulfilled. The regret value of the Earth human is sufficient. Regression will now begin.]

[All memories except for Predator will be reset. Regression will commence.]

“What the hell is this nonsense?!”

The moment Yuseong shouted that,

Time began to flow backward.

He was sent back 18 years—to the moment when everything had been difficult and harsh.