Reborn, I Let Them Take the Cursed Graduation Photo Chapter 05

Reborn, I Let Them Take the Cursed Graduation Photo Chapter 05

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself standing in the middle of a deserted city street.

The entire city looked abandoned.

The sky hung low overhead, shrouded in a dull gray haze. There was no sun, no warmth, only the

stench of rot lingering in the air.

Bodies were scattered across the street.

My classmates.

One by one, they began to wake up.

Then crimson text appeared across the sky.

This time, everyone could see it.

[Hidden Objective Triggered for Survivors: All participants’ souls have been transported to an

alternate world.]

[Hidden Objective: Survive for 30 days in the Apocalypse World to return to your original reality.]

[Warning: Death in the Apocalypse World results in death in the original world. Any injuries sustained here will also affect your physical body in the original world.]

[After 30 days, the game will end. All surviving participants will have their memories erased.]

[Prepare yourselves. The game will begin in 10 minutes. Good luck, Survivors.]

Silence fell over the street.

A suffocating, deathly silence.

Almost two minutes passed before someone finally spoke.

“What… what the hell is this?”

“Is this one of those Rules Horror scenarios?”

A student suddenly went pale.

“Wait… five years ago, the math department students…”

Everyone turned toward him.

“They were sent here too, weren’t they? They went through this game. Some died. Some came back

injured.”

The realization hit the crowd all at once.

Several people immediately broke down crying.

“We’re screwed…”

“Oh my God… what does apocalypse survival even mean?”

“No, no, no. Send me back! I just got the job offer I’ve been working toward for years!”

Panic spread rapidly.

Students instinctively clustered together in small groups, seeking comfort wherever they could find it.

Then the blame started.

One boy pointed at Ethan.

“This is all your fault! If you hadn’t insisted on taking that group photo, none of this would’ve happened! The urban legend was real!”

Another student glared at Isabella.

“And you! You’re the one who suggested it in the first place! We wouldn’t even be here otherwise!”

Tears welled up in Isabella’s eyes.

“I didn’t know…” she said weakly. “I swear I didn’t know this would happen…”

“It’s not Isabella’s fault.”

Ethan immediately stepped in front of her.

His face was dark with anger.

“If anyone’s responsible, it’s Katherine.”

He pointed directly at me.

“She knew something was wrong. She always has those weird instincts about danger. She could’ve warned us, but she kept her mouth shut and let everyone walk into this!”

Dozens of eyes turned toward me.

Again.

i met Ethan’s gaze without flinching.

“If I knew how to stop this,” I asked calmly, “why would I be standing here with the rest of you?”

Ethan blurted out the words before he could stop himself.

“In the last timeline, you did everything you could to stop the photo! Why’d you just give up this time? You basically left everyone to die!”

A smile tugged at my lips.

“Oh?”

My voice was light.

“So you remember both timelines.”

Ethan froze.

I continued.

“Then you should know exactly what the safe choice was.”

I stared straight into his eyes.

“If that’s true, why didn’t you save everyone?”

His mouth opened.

Nothing came out.

I took another step forward.

“Why don’t you tell them what happened last time?”

The crowd looked between us.

I didn’t look away.

“Tell them how everyone survived.”

“Tell them what happened to me afterward.”

The color drained from Ethan’s face.

Snow-white.

He couldn’t say it.

Couldn’t admit it.

Couldn’t tell them that in the previous timeline, I had stopped the group photo and saved every single person standing here.

Couldn’t tell them that after the memorial service, he had shoved me down a staircase because he blamed me for Isabella’s death.

Couldn’t admit that he was a murderer.

At that exact moment, new blood-red text blazed across the sky.

[Apocalypse Trial One: Catastrophic Rainfall]

[Event begins in 1 hour.]