Police cars surround the area, sirens no longer damaging the eardrums of those in close proximity, although the blinding lights were more than enough of an annoyance to deal with.
Caution tape—No that's police tape—and barriers barred off the general public as well as the thirsty to get a new story for the news. A person was seen retching to the side as the cameras began rolling. The newswoman was clearly uncomfortable with the topic but all involved managed to push through their disgust.
It was harshly raining that early morning, when the murder occured. The reporting crowd continues to attempt pushing back the barriers yelling unethical critism at the police force as they did their best to quell the crowd.
Ah, yes. A normal morning.
"Ugh... Why is every single channel being interrupted by this crap? I promise you, not everyone wants to hear you talk about the freaky shit going on in that body bag." [Y/N] mutters to nobody in particular. The sun had just barely began to peek through the window, and she had already had to hear about a gruesome murder in the neighborhood.
She was flipping from channel to channel while preparing herself a sandwich for her lunchbreak later on. Paying for food from that company was such a waste. They made everything so expensive when she could always make the same thing at home. And that's exactly what she's doing. The homey scent of toast permeated the air, ham, cheese, lettuce, and an assortment of other ingredients lay out on the counter. She aimlessly swung the butter knife between her dexterous fingers, watching the reporter cover the most recent victim of the serial killer in the area.
I wonder if I will someday suffer the same fate.. She was just about to search for a new show to watch, when her nose detected the smell of something akin to burning bread.
Ah. That was burning bread. Her food was burning.
"God damnit!"
.
.
.
Packing her sandwich along with an assortment of other snacks took little to no time, her phalanges making quick work of it all. She shut off the TV, quickly dusting off her outfit and grabbing her messenger back on the way out.
Her keys were missing, she noticed. She made her way back to the kitchen, and reached for the hook where they hung when she heard shuffling in the background.
Aw hell no.. I live alone, why do I hear noises right now. The sound of papers being flipped immediately alarmed the woman.
It sounded like someone was invading her personal office. How they got there, she would never know. [Y/N] immediately stuffed her hand into her back pocket, snatching her phone and flipping it upright in one swift motion. Quickly dialing 911, she silently lifted the keys from the hook and snuck to the front door. Just as she opened it, she heard a crash from behind her.
She felt her heart drop past her stomach like a ton of bricks. Adrenaline pumped through her veins as she swung the door open a cold chill travelling down her spine. [Y/N] sprinted to her car, not bothering to keep quiet. Whoever the intruder was definitely was behind her, and she was not willing to run the risk of getting caught.
She remotely unlocked the car, practically throwing herself inside. She locked it as quickly as she could as she got on the line with the operator.
"911 what's your emergency?" An almost infuriatingly calm voice came from the other side. [Y/N] placed the phone on speaker as she caught her breath and buckled her seatbelt.
She was about to start the car when something, or rather, someone crashed into the car. Unaware of wether or not that was intentional, she didn't care.
"Please help me," She choked out, feeling her throat grow tight as tears bubbled in her eyes. "Someone, Someone broke into my house. I managed to get out, but now they're-"
Her voice was cut off by loud screaming, a frighteningly sharp knife now poking through her windshield. She wondered who was screaming, but as her throat grew raw, she realized it was her.
"Ma'am!? What's going on over there?"
"That psycho just stabbed through my windshield!" She yelled, barely able to see through her blurry vision.
"You need to calm down, and listen to me so I can help you!" The operator called once more, to no use, as the phone had already fallen to the floor.
The woman frantically attempted to back out of her drive way when the driver's side window suddenly shattered. [Y/N] felt every organ in her body stop working in an instant. Her breath came to a stuttering stop, the world seeming to freeze as four words repeated themselves in her mind.
I'mgoingtodieI'mgoingtodieI'mgoingtodieI'mgoingtodieI'mgoingtodie
A sharp pain knocked her out of her frozen stupor. Oh..
What's that sticking out of her neck? Oh. It's a knife.
The world became a staggeringly maroon red, her vision blurring once more as her eyes came to a final close.
The world faded to a startling black.
.
.
.
.
She awoke on a train.
[Y/N]'s heart came to a stop once more when she discovered herself in an unfamiliar environment immediately after death.
Was this what it meant to reincarnate? ..She doubted that. She looked down at her outfit. Her sweater and black jeans were still intact, sneakers clear of any sign she had just put them through an unbelievable amount of stress mere moments ago. All her belongings were in their correct place.
With a breath of relief, she quickly checked the time. 6:54pm. It seems she had just gotten off work.. but why was she taking the train? She had a car.
She shook it off, and almost deluded herself into believing she merely had a strange dream until she checked her reflection in her phone camera. Scarily enough, there was a huge, nasty scar stretching along the left side of her throat where she had been stabbed. [Y/N] almost dropped her phone in shock.
No way.. There's just no way.. I.. Where am I right now? She naively asked, unaware that the universe was just about to answer her question in its own twisted, freaky way.
The train slammed its breaks and came to a sudden stop, nearly throwing the woman out of her seat. Now distracted from her questions, she took the opportunity to look at the train car she resided in. 3607.. Huh. Why were those numbers suddenly standing out to her..?
She quickly checked the time once more. 6:56 pm.. It had been about a minute since the train came a stop.
"I'm beginning to get a sense of deja vu.." she muttered, watching as numerous passengers began complaining about the train stopping.
"This is just ridiculous!"
"Why did we stop?"
"I've got places to be, hopefully this doesn't take long."
"What's going on!?"
[Y/N] felt the strong urge to roll her eyes at the childish complaints. She played games on her phone for a couple of minutes to pass the time, and eventually got bored, now scrolling through her files. She had to do a double take when she saw a certain one.
[ Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint.txt ]
..I never had this file downloaded. I always read the novel online. What is this?
Her mind began running at a million miles a minute, only to be rudely interrupted once more, this time by the loudspeaker.
"Telling all passengers on the train. Telling all passengers on the train."
.."E-Everyone run away! Run..!"
The train car erupted with panic. People began screaming, yelling, fighting, arguing. That simple announcement caused such a sense of foreboding within the people.
[Y/N] suddenly found herself standing, scanning the train carriage for a good exit in her own state of panic. She learned from her past life.. Or what she assumed was a past life, always heed the warnings of others. However, there was nowhere for anyone to go. It was too late.
They were trapped.
A startling voice began to speak, quelling a majority of the panic at once. The people began to focus on the strange things the person..? Was saying.
[ The free service of planetary system 8612 has been terminated. ]
[ The main scenario has started. ]
A cold shiver ran down [Y/N]'s spine.
..You have got to be fucking kidding me.
Her eyes refused to be peeled off of the dokkaebi speaking in front of her. Her fingers clenched and unclenched, a subconscious sign of panic. The woman's breath hitched, everything suddenly felt so real, as if she had cold water dumped over her head.
At this time, for some strange reason, she recalled the ddialogu said.. or thought by the true protagonist of this world. The lone reader, Kim Dokja.
'This was the moment the genre of my life changed.'
.
.
.
.
She had subconsciously blocked out the dokkaebi's ominous words. Her ears rang loudly, the background noise fading into the background. Her world turned black and white in an instant. She felt as if her entire body was frozen in its spot, fingers clenching so hard against her palms they began to bleed. Not that it mattered. Blood already bathed the floor of the train carriage as well as the people left standing inside.
All of them, including one oddball transmigrant were made to quickly understand: This was not a game. This was real, and people WILL die. Including them if not careful.
[Y/N] felt sick. Her insides were churning, yet she felt numb. Her state was confusing. One moment she wanted to vomit, and the next her body moved on its own. There was a kid, who had a blank faced stare as she stood over her father's corpse. The reaction the girl had reminded [Y/N] of a direct parallel to a person of similar character, Lee Gilyoung..
"Hey, are you alright?" She asked the little girl without thinking. She mentally face-palmed, what a dumb question, while she awaited a response.
The scenarios gave no such luxuries as wating, however. Before she knew it, she was back to shaking like a leaf in the cold fall morning.
[ #BI-7623 channel is open. ]
[ Constellations have entered. ]
Huh? It's the same channel as the novel? I guess he can appear in multiple places at once.. Or rather.. He had already been to their cabin. A small window emerged in front of all passengers on the train.
[ The main scenario has arrived! ]
「 [Main Scenario #1 - Proof of Value]
Category: Main
Difficulty: F
Clear Conditions: Kill one or more living creatures.
Time Limit: 30 minutes
Compensation: 300 coins
Failure: Death 」
Ah... Tears pooled in her eyes, and rolled down her face. I'm so fucked.
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.
.
“No matter how hard I try or how much effort I put in, the results are always average. I can't go on like this.”