「 [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 」
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[Y/N] turned her head back to the young kid who seemed just as scared as the older woman. Bending her knees a bit, she reached the girl's height in order to seem less intimidating. She forced a nervous smile onto her face.
"..Hi. My name is [L/N] [Y/N]. I'm going to keep it as simple as possible, because I'm bad at words.." She stated, smile turning a bit more calming as she spoke. "Do you want to come with me?"
"..Why do you want me with you? Won't I just get in the way?" The little girl finally responded, clenching the front of her t-shirt.
"Because I don't believe you deserve to suffer the same fate as those who have already left this world."
"Oh. Thank.. Thank you." The girl hesitated, but smiled back for a moment.
Good. Now the child wouldn't be alone in such a cruel world. Now there was another issue at hand. How were they meant to beat the scenario without killing anyone? She was sure her luck was nowhere near as good as Dokja's, and there would be no convenient bugs around. She watched as people wasted their time ganging up on and fighting one another, meaningless brawls occuring throughout the carriage. It was a waste. Not any of those hits would kill anyone in time for the scenario end.
[Y/N] felt the girl tug at her sleeve. Ah, right.
"Yes?" She asked, turning her head to the young child.
"I realized I forgot to tell you my name.." The girl tightly clasped [Y/N]'s sleeve. "It's Lim Hanna."
That brought a smile to her face, "It's nice to meet you Hanna."
She was quick to think back to the matter at hand. "Hanna, can you do me a quick favor?" The girl nods, already looking up expectantly at [Y/N].
"Can you keep an eye out for any bugs..? I understand it's a stretch, but this scenario doesn't really need you to kill a person." She explained to the girl, who had a look of puzzlement on her pale complexion.
"Ah.. Okay Unnie." [Y/N]'s heart melted when Hanna called her that. She was already attached to the girl.
I met this girl only three minutes ago, but if anything happens to her I would kill everyone in this room and then myself.
She continued her search, breaking up unreasonable arguements for the sake of keeping them away from the child. She smiled. Things were finally beginning to look up for her.
Sure, she wasn't in the same carriage as the main characters, but who knows? Maybe.. Maybe she could finally become different.
She could finally be better than she was.
She could do this.
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She spoke too soon.
Way too soon. While she had been preoccupied by trying to solve the dilemma of killing humans, she found that Hanna had suddenly let go of her sleeve. In a panic, she scanned the train car only to find she was being dragged off by some prick in a hood.
She could felt as if she could hear her blood roar in her ears, heatbeat accelerating as she rushed over to them. She was almost there. Her fingers instinctively moved to her bag, pulling out a folded pocket-knife.
She could make it. She could save Hanna. She could teach her the ways of the scenarios, they could survive together.
No.
She was too late.
The man threw the girl on the ground, and leaned down to her, knife dangerously poised in the air.
When she reached them after what felt like an eternity, he plunged his knife deep into the girl's chest. He pulled it out, a spray of blood splattering him and his surroundings.
She immediately froze in her stride. Blood sprayed all over her sweater and face, dripping from her chin.
She felt as if every organ in her body ceased to function. A cold breeze traveled from her head to her body.
Her heart felt as if it would burst from her chest.
The little girl's screams began echoing in her mind, repeating like a broken record.
No.. I couldn't make it..? I.. NO.. NO!! NONONONONONONONONO-
The world faded to black.
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When [Y/N] awoke, she was greeted by a plethora of blue windows, obstucting the view of whatever was in front of her. Her head fell in contemplation. That's when she saw it. She could hear her ears ringing as she sat in this bloodied train cabin. A pocket knife pierced the chest of the body laying in front of her. Huh?... How did it get there? Wasn't it.. Just in her hands..?
She looked back up to finally acknowledge the windows.
[ You have killed 35 living things. ]
[ Kill History: 35 Human Beings. ]
[ 3,500 coins have been acquired! ]
[ You have a total of 3,500 coins. ]
Oh.
She wasn't surprised she murdered the guy but... thirty-four extra people? Those people who may not have deserved such an end.. She decided not to focus on it for the sake of her mental health, but rather how she had blacked out right before doing so. She began to suffer a splitting headache when she attempted to remember, and ended up leaving it that way. The thing that made her heart come to a stand still was the next notification she read however;
[ The 'Mass Murderer' achievement has been gained through excessive killing. ]
She wanted to vomit at the thought of that. Her throat began to tighten, tears pricking at her eyes. Not only had the little girl she had been trying to keep alive been killed, she had gotten an achievement for.. commiting atrocities..? Sure, Dokja had gotten the same one, but that was through murdering insects, not human beings. Her breathing accelerated as she began to dry retch. She could barely register the following blue notice windows through her tears.
[ Main Scenario #1 - Proof of Value has ended. ]
[ 300 coins have been acquired as a basic clearance reward. ]
[ A handful of constellations feel pity for the outcome of your actions. ]
[ Constellation, 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' is slumped over in disappointment. ]
[ 700 coins have been sponsored. ]
[ One constellation is currently interested in you. ]
[ Many constellations of the 'absolute good system' dislike you. ]
[ Many constellations of the 'absolute evil system' admire your scenario. ]
[ 1,500 coins have been sponsored. ]
[ Two constellations are currently interested in you. ]
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[Y/N] finally exited all windows and widened her eyes at the carnage she left in her path. Many of them had no head, or split open ones, insinuating she didn't finish the job in time. She silently was thankful for not murdering everyone in the carriage herself. She couldn't process the death of the stranger though, she was already in mourning of another.
He deserved it.. She told herself, although she couldn't bring herself to think in that manner.
Although she was despairing her companion of 5 minutes, [Y/N] couldn't bring herself to cry over a kid she barely knew, the weight of her sins already beginning to slowly weigh on her shoulders. The kid's body lay a couple inches to her right, whereas the mutilated one she seemed to have killed last lay mere centimeters from her own. She felt empty.
She knew she wasn't fit for being a hero.
I couldn't even save a child.
How am I meant to live in this place?
She wasn't fit for a world such as this.
How could the world be so cruel as to bring me here..?
Ah. This is how it was going to be from now on, wasn't it.
She barely acknowledged the messages sent from earlier, as well as the coins sponsored. Her brain temporarily froze upon remembering Uriel watched all that go down, yet still became interested in sponsoring her, but she had no time for this. Her bloodied fingers trembled as they inched towards the mutilated corpse in front of her. She had no idea how it happened, but after blacking out, she somehow made it past the first scenario. She should be thankful, really thankful for whatever entity it was that stopped her from dying but..
She couldn't help but notice this feeling of foreboding as she plucked the knife from the body, flinching at the spout of maroon liquid as it splattered all over her face. The sound of flesh creating friction against the blade.. To describe in one word, sickening. It made her wonder how she could do all this and not feel remorse, but disgusted at the sounds a dead body that she killed made.
A heavy sigh echoed throughout the silent train carriage. The only sound besides that was the contant dripping of blood into larger pools of the substance, from the ceiling to the floor.
"I want to go home.." She muttered, staring uncomfortably at the carnage left behind by the first scenario.
[ Constellation 'Lonely Daydreamer' says they share your sentiments. ]
[ 500 coins have been sponsored. ]
[ Three constellations are currently interested in you. ]
She smiled thinly at the sight of free coins, but felt conflicted at the appearance of a constellation not mentioned in the novel. She (kinda) understood Uriel, but this new person? Perhaps because of her existence more constellations would make themselves known, but it was still strange. Her eyes unwillingly scanned the desolate train car once more. She noticed the train was in motion, making it quite obvious that the second scenario wasn't in progress yet. In fact, the sponsor selection had yet to occur. Perfect.
Only the first scenario and it was this bad.. She knew it would only get worse from here. [Y/N] was very close to staying in the deathly silent cabin by herself until the next scenario eventually killed her for her inactivity. She felt listless, as if her liveliness was drained in a total of fifteen swift minutes. The idea of dying instantly for failing to complete a scenario was beginning to sound... Appealing. After all, she did kill many people.
The train slowed to a stop, sending [Y/N] onto the floor, a retching heap of bloody clothes and flesh.
That thought felt sickening even though she had no memory of doing so. Bile was felt rising to her throat, and would have splattered all over the floor moments later, had there not been a very telling clearing of an unfamiliar voice. She quickly swallowed her vomit before it reached her mouth, still leaving a sour taste in her mouth, thoughts running into overdrive. That much time had passed already..?
[Oh? There's only one of you? You and those other carriages sure are interesting..]
Those carriages?
The dokkaebi, now recognized as Bihyung, was surely talking about the cabins Yoo Joonghyuk and Kim Dokja were in. Right. That person was definitely going to be a problem later.. She wasn't part of any regressions he knew of. Kim Dokja would also a problem, he would surely ask many questions, should she ever meet him.
After he spoke, a list of.. She would say survivors, but she was the only one alive at the moment, appeared.
「 Survivors from 3434 Train to Bulgwang, Carriage 3607: [L/N] [Y/N]. A total of one survivor. 」
[The other carriages are already selecting their sponsors. I saw you passed out, but that's not much of an excuse to fall behind is it?] He questioned in a teasing voice.
Now she remembered why she had a love-hate relationship with this dokkaebi when reading the novel. With a snap of his fluffy.. fingers??, a list of the two sponsors interested in her appeared. He said something she didn't hear, before disappearing to go do whatever it is dokkaebi do, which she assumed was attempting to stop Kim Co. from escaping the train. [Y/N] shook her head, she had to stop getting distracted by those she definitely wouldn't interact with.. Definitely.
「 Sponsor Selection :
-Please select your sponsor
-Your chosen sponsor will be your strong supporter.
1. Demon-like Judge of Fire
2. Abyssal Black Flame Dragon
3. Lonely Daydreamer 」
Uriel? That was surprising.. As a constellation of the absolute good system, she was expecting her to be angry. Although, this was Uriel.. She may have wanted to judge her vengeful actions.. Abyssal... Lord, his name was so long for no reason. His presence was pretty self-explanatory, but Sleepy Daydreamer was another mystery to her.
[Y/N] allowed the time to expire, seeing as there was no point in gaining a sponsor when she planned to die before things got too rough.
[ Constellation, 'Demon-Like Judge of Fire', will continue to judge your scenario. ]
[ 600 coins have been sponsored. ]
[ Constellation, 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon', is glaring at you, but claims they weren't very interested in the first place. ]
[Constellation, 'Lonely Daydreamer', smacks 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon' on the back of the head. ]
[ 300 coins have been sponsored. ]
She almost felt bad for rejecting them, but pointedly began to ignore the popups at the mentioning Abyssal Black Flame Dragon. Not even five minutes later, Bihyung showed up once more, with a puzzled expression on his fluffy face.
[You and that other guy.. Made some interesting choices, huh.]
"Thanks..?" [Y/N] said, not sure how she was supposed to respond to that. Rather, she wasn't quite sure how she felt about being compared to that suicidal squid.
[You..] The dokkaebi sighed, seemingly already tired of dealing with her. [No matter, there will be another opportunity to be sponsored.]
He disappeared moments later, just as he did the first time. She was busy thinking about other things.
A loud clanging sound suddenly resounded throughout the empty train car, despite being muffled. From what it sounded like, the regressor had already begun his attempts to break down the door to cabin 3807. How she remembered the specific carriage they were in, she didn't know. [Y/N] sighed a shaky breath of relief at remembering that he expected everyone in the other cabins to be dead and was, for some reason, fixated on that guy's cabin and not hers. Although that was probably because in TSWA, Lee Hyunsung and Kim Namwoon were supposed to survive at the very least.
She pushed her body off the ground, knees nearly giving out from under her weight that suddenly felt like several tons rather than kilograms. She was definitely lucky that she was in carriage 3607 and not 3807.. That would've been a major problem. As much as she loved the novel, being involved long-term with anyone from the main cast sent shivers of anxiety down her spine.
Despite her deep attachment to the characters, [Y/N] wasn't suicidal. She knew there was no way she would survive for long, and going with them was just a major headache waiting to happen. She decided to merely play the waiting game.
The woman flipped her blade shut once she wiped it off on her pants to clean it despite being covered in blood, making her way to the doors. For the most part, everything was sealed, and she was soon to realize that.. Wow.
I'm so dumb. There are literally windows on this train. And I have a weapon.
With another sigh, already mentally drained from this whole traumatic situation, [Y/N] used the end of the folded knife to slam it against the windows as hard as possible, only for it to not budge.
"..Figures."
[ 2,700 coins have been spent on Strength. ]
[ You feel your bones becoming thicker! Your overall strength has inscreased. Strength Level: 13 ]
..13? Since when was her strength any higher than level one? She doesn't recall ever spending any coins on increasing her strength. She made a mental note to check her stats later on.
Also, is it just me or do my windows seem to have a slightly different personality compared to what was shown in the novel..?
Just as she was about to brace her arm to break the glass, a pop up rudely disturbed her immersion.
「 [Second Scenario - Escape]
Category: Sub
Difficulty: E
Clear Conditions: Cross the broken bridge and enter Oksu Station.
Time Limit: 20 minutes.
Compensation: 200 coins.
Failure: ??? 」
She already expected this to happen, but she hoped she would be able to leave before then. Her sense of time was slowly getting worse, and she could feel it. She sighed, and focused back on the task at hand.
With one final swing, the glass on the train window shattered loudly, hurting [Y/N]'s ears a bit. She used the end of the pocket knife to push especially sharp shards from the edge before finally pulling herself out of the train, and despite her best efforts, still gained a few cuts.
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"Constantly being manipulated by useless measures of worth. I've already come to hate this life. So, I think I'll restart my life."