Chapter 1: The End of the Beginning

  There are two types of protagonists in the world.

  The first is the kind who wakes up one day, discovers a mysterious power, and proceeds to punch destiny in the face.

  The second is the kind who gets hit by a truck and wakes up in another world, usually with an overpowered ability, an inexplicably loyal harem, and an eventual kingdom to rule.

  I, unfortunately, was neither.

  I was the third type.

  The type who coughed up blood in the middle of a convenience store and collapsed right next to the instant ramen section.

  As my vision blurred, I could hear the muffled sounds of the cashier calling for an ambulance. The fluorescent lights above flickered, reminding me of my childhood bedroom how ironic that my final moments would resemble my sleepless nights of reading web novels instead of sleeping like a responsible adult.

  I knew I was dying.

  I had known for years.

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  Ever since the doctor handed me a folder full of test results with a look that said, Wow, this guy is so screwed, I had lived my life with an expiration date. Every breath felt borrowed, every moment a countdown. I wasnt sad about it anymore. If anything, I was relieved.

  Finally, I dont have to pay rent anymore.

  I closed my eyes.

  And then

  [Initializing System Transfer]

  Huh?

  [Synchronizing Core Functions]

  [Welcome, Host. You are now the sole administrator of .]

  My consciousness jolted awake.

  I was no longer on the cold tile floor of the convenience store. Instead, I was floating in an endless void, surrounded by shifting screens of text and numbers. Information flooded my mind at an overwhelming speed. My past. My future. A story I had never written, but was somehow a part of.

  And in the center of it all”

  A Status Window popped up before me.

  [Status Window]

  Name: Han Jiho

  Age: 24

  Title: Terminally Ill Protagonist (New!)

  Class: ???

  Abilities:

  Final Trial Administrator (EX+) Governs the final challenge of existence.

  Last Laugh (S) You always get the final word. Always.

  Fraudulent Luck (F) May randomly succeed in impossible situations, but in the dumbest way possible.

  Time Remaining: ???

  I blinked.

  I blinked again.

  Excuse me?

  Before I could process the absurdity of what I was seeing, a new notification appeared.

  [Congratulations! You have been selected as the Final Trial Administrator.]

  [Your job is simple: Guide the chosen ones through the last and greatest challenge of their lives.]

  [Failure is not an option.]

  [Your time begins now.]

  And just like that, the void shattered.

  I was falling no, being thrown into a world I didnt recognize, where a hundred different voices were calling out to me, their emotions ranging from desperate to furious.

  Administrator! Youre finally here!

  The last trial is broken! Fix it!

  What do you mean, you dont know how? Youre the administrator!

  I hit the ground with a painful thud. Groaning, I lifted my head.

  Before me stood a group of people heroes, warriors, mages, and even a talking cat. Their eyes were filled with expectation. Hope.

  Oh.

  Oh, no.

  I wasnt the protagonist of my own story.

  I was the guy responsible for making sure they survived theirs.

  I was the manager of the last dungeon in existence.

  And I had no idea what I was doing.

  Can I get a tutorial I asked weakly.

  The talking cat smacked me in the face.

  Welcome to my afterlife.