Transformed into Cosmic Horror in a Sci-Fi Universe

Transformed into Cosmic Horror in a Sci-Fi Universe – 58

EP.58 End and Beginning

Wow, Rios was really furious. He didn’t seem to care much during the war, but abandoning his loyal followers without any remorse clearly enraged him. Well, it’s understandable. While infighting and battles might be tolerated as a means of establishing hierarchy, from the perspective of Rios, who was once a commander of the Kapteri race known for their strong sense of unity, Muwan’s actions were utterly inhumane.

Rios must have thought Muwan had crossed a severe line, leading to his immediate execution. It’s a good thing, really. While war can spur rapid technological advancement, it also consumes manpower and resources, drastically lowering the quality of life. If it drags on too long, it benefits no one.

So, Muwan met a miserable end as a traitor. Most of his forces were absorbed by Lumolasi and the Holy Nation. The two factions were so closely knit that they were practically a single community, making it fair to say that the elves were now unified.

The combination of Lumolasi Republic’s advanced technology and democratic tendencies with the Holy Nation’s devout religious practices created a formidable alliance. Although a few factions remained, none were as large or powerful as this unified entity. Eventually, they would either be absorbed or willingly seek protection under this powerful alliance. Despite knowing their moderate stance, the overwhelming technology and military power were still a source of fear.

Now is the time. From this point of unity, the true progress of the elves would begin. From the modern era to the SF era.

The day when the elves would venture into space was drawing near. It had been about 20 years since the birth of the elves, and five cycles had passed according to the elven planet’s calendar. The children born in the early days had now grown into adults, becoming a significant workforce. Simultaneously, they were now capable of having children, laying the foundation for a population explosion.

With territories, food, and resources capable of supporting a population in the hundreds of millions, the elves actively encouraged childbirth. Those who had children received ample food support and large houses to live in with their families.

Interestingly, despite such advancements, there was still no concept of ‘currency.’ Transactions did occur, but they were mostly barter-based. Workers were compensated with food and necessary resources instead of money. Thanks to the elves’ strong sense of unity, this system worked without major issues, but the lack of currency was somewhat inconvenient. Lasi seemed to recognize this and was discussing potential reforms.

Currency reform, population explosion, the end of war, and the unification of the elves—all these changes began to unfold simultaneously after the war with Muwan. It was truly a golden age.

And then, there was one more significant event.

Pssshhh—

{Multiple lifeforms detected.}

{They are different from us. They are made of soft materials.}

{The scent and sound of machinery are also present.}

{Could it be that these soft lifeforms coexist with machines?}

Visitors had arrived from space. They were the Metallians, creations of Dalos, beings made of machinery. They were the inhabitants of a neighboring planet.

With the arrival of the Metallians, it seemed like the future was set. In my estimation, within the next 30 years, the elves would develop modern vehicles like cars, tanks, and fighter jets. Within 50 years, they would venture into space. They would make contact with the Galactic Union, join it, and in about 100 years, the elves might even rise to the highest ranks within the Union. That’s roughly my prediction.

#

While observing the elves’ progress, various events were unfolding in other parts of the universe. All were interesting in their own right, but one stood out in particular. It was the ‘Constellation Hunter’ universe I had previously meddled with. This unique universe connected three dimensions: a fantasy world, a divine realm, and Earth. I had once granted power to a human there as a constellation, causing quite the upheaval.

Initially, I considered resetting or deleting the failed experiment, but instead, I decided to introduce a regression twist. This caused the flow of time to become somewhat tangled, with time passing 100 times faster there than in other places.

Adjusting it back would be simple—just a click—but since the universe was self-correcting to align its flow, I didn’t feel the need to intervene. So, I left it as it was for about 5 years, during which 500 years passed in that world.

The amusing part was that despite the passage of time, the ‘Constellation Hunter’ universe remained largely unchanged from when I first interfered.

The timeline, characters, and events all remained unchanged. Why did this happen?

[…How many times has it been now? Around 400…?]

Unbelievable. Lee Junhyun wasn’t just experiencing a regression; he was caught in an endless loop due to the tangled flow of time. The world was supposed to end on the date and time when he was first killed by Park Yujin. At that moment, the world would end, and he would die. However, something had gone terribly wrong. Instead of disappearing, Lee Junhyun was continuously sent back to the time and place of his initial regression.

Not only did he return to the same point after being killed by Park Yujin, but even suicide would result in the same regression. The entire universe had aligned itself with the existence of the regressor, Lee Junhyun. If he ceased to exist, the universe would also end, so the universe’s will kept returning him to his original state.

Due to my interference, the universe was already set to end at the date and time of Lee Junhyun’s first death. This contradiction created an infinite loop for Lee Junhyun.

This is quite fascinating. The universe’s very existence is tied to a single human, and its will is to maintain that human’s existence at all costs. Creating adversaries and ensuring its own survival—this is worth a closer look.

Let’s watch it closer.

#

A total of 397 times.

489 years, 73 days, 15 hours, and 33 minutes.

That’s how many times Lee Junhyun had regressed and the duration he had been trapped in the loop since his first regression.

“…Here again.”

He always found himself back at the starting point, his officetel.

The clock, as always, showed 10:00 AM on July 17, 2024. It was the start of the 398th loop.

“……”

Lee Junhyun stared at his phone’s clock, lost in thoughts of the distant past. It all began with his murder at the hands of Park Yujin. Despite his efforts to grow and prepare, he was no match for the rampaging abyssal demon, Park Yujin. Lee Junhyun was killed by him for the first time.

‘Damn it… I couldn’t save them after all. I prepared so hard. But I have no regrets. I did everything I could. Now, I can just rest…’

As he thought this, he suddenly found himself back in his officetel.

[July 17, 2024, 10:00 AM]

“I-I’m back?”

During his second regression, he concluded that he had to kill Park Yujin and save the world to end the loop. Determined, he sought out Park Yujin before his rampage and killed him, even if it meant becoming a criminal.

But then…

“What? Why…?”

From Park Yujin’s corpse, the power of the abyss erupted, creating an indescribably monstrous form. An abyssal creature. This being was even more destructive than the awakened abyssal demon, Park Yujin, and it shattered the world even more catastrophically. Naturally, Lee Junhyun, who confronted it before he had grown stronger, was brutally torn apart by the abyssal monster.

In his third regression, he reflected on his previous failures and prepared even more meticulously. He trained rigorously to not only defeat the abyssal demon but also to vanquish the true boss that emerged from his death.

But he lost. He lost and regressed, died and regressed, was torn apart and regressed. Throughout this cycle, he felt his emotions and senses dulling.

‘…I can’t taste anything while eating.’

Perhaps it was the result of experiencing countless horrific deaths. He was gradually falling apart. However, to end all of this, he had to eliminate the abyssal demon, and the monster that was the abyss itself within it. Fixated on this singular goal, Lee Junhyun continued to push forward.

“Huff, huff….”

After roughly 30 regressions, Lee Junhyun finally managed to defeat the abyssal demon Park Yujin and the abyssal monster that emerged from her.

“I did it. Finally.”

His emotions had dulled to the point where he felt no great joy. Yet, the relief of finally being liberated was palpable, seeping into his very bones.

“It’s finally over. Finally. Finally, it’s over….”

[July 31, 2026, 6:28 PM]

Drip—

It was over. Everything was.

And then….

[July 17, 2024, 10:00 AM]

“…What?”

It began. Everything.