Didn't you hear the message from just now? Hey, didn't you hear?"
"Soldier! What do we do now? Why isn't the police here?"
"Everyone, calm down and listen to me..."
People were becoming increasingly desperate because the calm that came from the poet's poems no longer had any effect, and the system's messages frightened everyone.
Leonard, realizing the situation, withdrew from the crowded area and walked back to Audrey and Klein. With a worried and doubtful expression, he looked at Audrey and decided to ask her a question, gesturing with his arms. "Could you try to calm the people down, Madam Justice?"
With a sigh, Audrey simply replied, "I can't do that, Mr. Star. The seed of despair has already sprouted in their minds. Even if I use 'appease,' they'll revert to the same feelings again." With a sorrowful look downcast, Justice noted that perhaps in this carriage, she couldn't save anyone from the panic that the Dokkaebi had caused.
He nodded, understanding the situation from Audrey's comment. He considered trying another way to calm things down, even if he didn't think it was the right thing to do. But at the moment, there was no other solution. ' The best way to calm someone in a panic is simply to create more panic.'
Plop
When he thought about asking the World to scare other people, he heard a noise like something being crushed. Klein had his fist clenched, as if he were holding something. 'He' turned 'His' face to the side, realizing the messages he had received.
[You earned the 'First Death' achievement!]
[100 coins were obtained as an additional reward.]
' Apparently, my theory was correct.' Mentally, he was smiling with celebration. Since the time limit had been reduced to 10 minutes, Klein had been theorizing about the meaning of the words in the first scenario's objective. He read and reread the same words many times, trying to find a loophole so that he wouldn't have to kill anyone. Until he finally interpreted it.
It didn't necessarily have to be a person. Just a living being. That is, if he wanted, he could kill an animal, a bacterium, an insect… And that also applied to the spiritual worms that formed in his divine body. At least that's what he thought, since the spiritual worms are living beings that assemble his body; they could be considered living beings or simply not, since he hadn't killed all the worms that represented Klein. Fortunately, it wasn't the second case.
Klein looked coldly at Justice and Star, walked towards them, stopped, and used his cold tone to speak to them.
"They extend their hands."
The two were momentarily confused. Why was Lord Mundo asking them to extend their hands? Even so, they didn't ask why and raised their right hands, waiting for the next request. Klein said nothing and placed the spirit worms in their hands, then stepped back far enough for them to process what had happened.
Seeing no reaction, he decided to give her a push.
"It is necessary to kill a living being in order to survive." And spiritual worms are...
Ah… They nodded, as if they truly understood. But when they looked at the worm, which seemed to carry a great madness, they somehow felt guilty.
' Mr. World has thought of everything. He's sacrificing his sanity to save us from death. 'He' is truly kind. Mr. World, we're here to save you, not the other way around!' Audrey couldn't help but sigh, as if 'His' actions were tiring her, even though she hadn't done much. It seemed Leonard was thinking the same thing, since he was the one who asked resentfully.
"Ah, Klein... Won't that hurt you? Since the worms are part of 'your' body."
' Since when did Leonard start referring to me as 'He'? My poet friend, don't worry about it.' Klein satirized Leonard's question. He didn't like being called 'He'. But also, he couldn't tell his faithful followers and anchors about it. As if considering the cons, Klein turned his head to the side, leaving a brief silence between them. Thus, he answered.
"I've suffered worse pain."
"So… Okay." As if Klein's answer had been a key, Leonard and Audrey together crushed the translucent worms in their hands. Klein felt slight stings in his head, which were easy to ignore now that he was used to it.
[You killed a living being.]
[You killed a living being.]
'To mentally exhaust me with the death of several spirits, it would be necessary to kill almost half of my divine body. Therefore, three spiritual worms are almost nothing.'
"Hey, you... Sir..."
"Hm?" Klein turned to see who was calling. He seemed to be a man who had been trembling constantly since the Dokkaebi appeared. He had dark eyes, thin skin, and dark hair. Even though he didn't look like it, he still conveyed a sense of despair.
"You had something in your hand and you killed him... What was it?"
"It's something that doesn't need your attention, sir. Don't worry about it," Leonard said, remaining alert to the man's actions until a background argument could be heard.
"B-but… He gave you this thing! You found something that will guarantee our survival. Please, give me some too. Give me that thing."
He held out his hand, asking to receive the spirit worm. Leonard was about to yell at the guy to back off, but he saw Gerhman's body moving. The man shuddered as he saw Sparrow's face up close. His eyes seemed to carry an immense madness. Even though he hadn't murdered anyone in that carriage, if necessary, he would kill everyone present to avoid being disturbed.
"Leave."
"Y-yes sir! I-I'm sorry!" He didn't need to be told twice to keep his distance from Sparrow. Anything would be better than being near him.
When the stranger walked away, it was now time to listen to the argument between the white-haired boy and the department president.
"What the hell is this brat talking about?"
The insult caused the white-haired boy to point to the ceiling of the subway car with his finger.
"Can't you see that?"
Everyone tilted their heads to look at the ceiling. And there, a holographic screen was spinning.
[<< My stern. >>]
[<< Aaaaack! >>]
[<< Die! Die! >>]
"Don't you understand yet? The army isn't coming to rescue us. And someone is going to die."
"What are you talking about?"
"We have to choose one person to die."
The department head couldn't answer. The hairs on his wrist stood on end.
"Of course, I know what you were thinking. You have to kill your countrymen to live. It's something only sons of bitches do. But you have to know that it's a force beyond our control. We will die if we don't kill. Who will blame us? Will you die in the end because of your moral values?"
"I-it..."
"Think carefully. The world as you knew it is over."
The man's shoulders swayed. It wasn't just him. Madness could be seen in people's eyes. It was a scene where morality was collapsing. The white-haired boy had a phrase for this madness.
"A new world requires new laws."
"He would make a great conspirator on the hunter's path." Audrey whispered her words to Loen so only Klein and Leonard could understand, which Leonard nodded in agreement with while Klein continued to observe the crowd.
' You can't save everyone. That's what I learned when the great plague swept through Backlund... But even so...' Klein began to move toward the white-haired boy who was now punching the woman.
"Yeah... That asshole is right. If we don't do this, we're all going to die."
The first man went towards the old woman, then the second and the third. Klein's steps quickened, accelerated, and advanced towards the old woman. But instead of attacking her, he attacked all the people who punched the woman. Klein used his right leg to kick the three men away and grabbed the white-haired boy's arm and twisted it.
"Aaaaaack!"
After that, he threw him away, making him fall to the ground. When Gerhman got closer to the old woman, she was unconscious, covered in wounds from the beatings. This didn't change his cold expression. He simply removed a spirit worm from his body and placed it in the old woman's hand. Carefully, he closed her hand, making her crush the worm. Then, he moved his most serious wounds to his arms and legs. All this while the boy cursed him and his friends who had appeared beside him at some point.
"What the hell are you doing? Didn't you hear a damn thing I said?"
"We listened. And we disagree with your words. There are other ways to solve this problem." Justice was the one who responded. She wanted the situation to be fair for everyone. And her codename said everything she planned to do. Justice.
A sudden explosion occurred, causing everyone in the carriage to tremble or fall further away from the scene, while Gerhman calmly stood up as if he hadn't been affected by the tremor.
"Are you sure about this? About saving her?"
Leonard was the one who asked, while Kim Dokja, at some point, got up from his seat and went towards a child. He picked up his net, then gave her an insect and said loudly for everyone to hear.
"The girl is right! Everyone, stop. You won't live if you kill her."
Kim Dokja's voice was surprisingly clear due to the temporary silence that had fallen over others because of the explosion.
"Let's say you kill the old woman. Who will be next?"
The Beyonders, who were now observing Kim Dokja, realized he hadn't taken any action. So why now? Perhaps he also interpreted the scenario's objective phrase the same way Klein did. Even if it seems like just a survival tactic, at least he's spreading the word about the discovery to everyone.
"If what Dokkaebi says is true, then everyone has to kill one person. So, who are you going to kill next? Are you going to kill the person next to you?"
"Haha, what are you worried about? Then kill him next! Then that shitty trio! Cowards! Don't worry about your turn in advance! The chances are equal!" The white-haired boy had noticed the unstable atmosphere. He tried to get people to continue fighting.
"There's no need to risk your life like that." After that guy in the top hat easily kicked three men and twisted Kim Nanwoon's arm with ease, he must be the strongest in this train car right now. I'm kind of saving you from your own suicide . There is a way to survive, even without becoming a murderer."
"What?"
"What it is?"
The people in the train car became agitated. The boy's expression twisted.
"Have they forgotten? The condition for completing the scenario wasn't 'killing a person'."
"That guy is really smart. Besides the three of us, he was the calmest one." Leonard praised the stranger's actions, then offered a brief analysis. "Strange… I don't remember that thing saying it's a Dokkaebi…"
"So our theory was right! He certainly knows the scenarios. He knows more than he lets on." Audrey's eyes shone as if she was finally heading in the right direction. "We should side with him. If he knows about the Dokkaebi, he must know more."
"That's the logic. We must continue to stay by his side in the next scenarios." Estrela was already used to these situations where they would be observing the suspect for days, maybe even months. So for him, this was like just another day at work.
"Do you want this?" Kim Dokja crushed the grasshopper in his hand and noticed that he hadn't received notification of the first death.
' Strange… Could someone have already committed the first murder? ' As he pondered the situation, he threw the net away as quickly as possible. It went toward the opposite side of the area where the people were gathered.
The insects spread throughout the train car in search of freedom.
The white-haired boy straightened up when Kim Dokja approached him.
"There are 12 people left."
"Also?"
"There were only three insects left in the collection net."
The boy frowned for a moment before smiling.
"12 to 3? Hahahaha! Yes. Not everyone can survive anyway? So that's why he played?"
"Try."
"Don't make me laugh."
"...?"
"A sensible person wouldn't do that for that reason." The boy's smile widened. "Tell me honestly. You just wanted to see that scene, didn't you?" The white-haired boy decided to make an offer. "Join me. How about it?"
POV Kim Dokja
[The character Kim Namwoon has a favorable impression of you.]
[Your understanding of the character Kim Namwoon has increased.]
My immediate survival was guaranteed if I held hands with Kim Namwoon. If I hadn't read Ways to Survive, my choice might have been a little different.
"Sorry, but I like being alone."
"Seriously? Hmm, that's a shame." Kim Namwoon bit his lip slightly and stood in front of me: "So, can you step aside? And ask that trio of strangers to stay away too? I still have to deal with that old woman behind you."
After hearing her words, I looked back and saw that the woman was unconscious and bleeding, but it seemed she wasn't seriously injured and would survive if she made it past the scene.
"What do you want?"
Do you still need to ask?
"Aren't you going to hunt insects?"
"Insects? Why would I do that?" Kim Namwoon laughed. "I already have a captured insect right in front of me."
I could feel Kim Namwoon's murderous intent. The character, who only existed in the novel, was staring at me with vivid madness. Therefore, I felt a little scared.
Kim Namwoon was exactly the person I imagined.
[The character Kim Namwoon has diminished his appreciation for you.]
"What are you looking at? Aren't you going to get out of the way?"
"It is difficult."
"What?"
"I'm not going to move out of the way. And I'm sure they won't either."
"Haha, are you going to play the apostle of righteousness now? Do you have multiple personalities?"
I didn't answer.
Kim Namwoon's face slowly darkened, and his bright eyes turned cold. "No, wait a minute. You set the net there to do this from the beginning, right?"
"…"
"You want to save the old lady? Hahaha! Incredible! Truly incredible! Right? Yes?"
I still haven't answered. When I looked closely at him, old memories surfaced.
"Ah, so you're the kind of person I hate the most. All wretched old men are the same."
They were reminders of all the times I felt frustrated by that brat in Ways of Surviving.
[The character Kim Namwoon despises you.]
"What did you say?"
I considered his rhythm and lowered my head, avoiding the left fist that flew out before he finished speaking.
"Oh, not bad."
Even though I knew it was coming, I felt a sensation of heat above my head. It wasn't an ordinary punch.
[Blackening Level 1]
A dark aura surrounded Kim Namwoon's entire body. This was a unique ability of the "chuunibyou" attribute.
It was rare to use a skill before the end of the first scenario, but Kim Namwoon was already demonstrating one. Despite his psychopathic nature, there was a reason the main character had recruited him.
Peeok!
After he attacked, my left shoulder tightened. There was no way I could win if I kept fighting like that.
' Should I use that now? ' I was calculating the time when I heard a message.
[Your understanding of the character Kim Namwoon has increased.]
[You are close to meeting the usage requirements for the unique skill Omniscient Reader's Point of View Level 1.]
Omniscient Reader's Point of View? What is that?
[The conditions for using the unique skill Omniscient Reader's Point of View Level 1 have been met!]
Kim Namwoon's punch missed me and hit the ground.
"Haha, what? Didn't I get stronger?"
A slight punch mark was left on the ground. Kim Namwoon was gradually becoming aware of his current strength.
Kwang! Kwang! Kwang!
The fist that could break a bone with a single blow kept striking the ground. Kim Namwoon grew frustrated and couldn't control his temper. "Ah, why can't I hit you?"
Of course, he couldn't hit me. All thanks to my second skill.
[The exclusive skill, Omniscient Reader's Point of View Level 1, has been activated!]
Once that ability was activated, I could observe Kim Namwoon's attack direction as if I were reading his inner thoughts. For example, like this…
(Right side.)
I quickly moved away from the direction of the attack.
(Right eye.)
So I quickly ducked and dodged the incoming punch.
"You're really good at dodging!"
It wasn't reasonable to counter-attack because I wasn't athletic, but I could at least avoid most attacks.
(Left thigh.)
That was enough to endure. The important thing was to buy time. I dodged Kim Namwoon first and pointed to the clock in the air. "Two minutes left, little boy."
Kim Namwoon's distressed gaze alternated between me and the woman. "Damn it!"
At the moment of the selection, Kim Namwoon's gaze was fixed on the side of the lady who was being protected by the trio of strangers.
I was forced to get his attention and move as far away as I could. If the lady died, Kim Namwoon would complete the scenario. No matter what, I absolutely couldn't let this guy move on to the next scenario.
"Haha, I knew you'd call me to go further." When Kim Namwoon took something out of his bag, I felt something sinister.
A blade gleamed with fluorescent light. It was a MacGyver knife. I'd forgotten about that. He was a stubborn military otaku.
Swiik-
He had a connection between the Knife Fighting skill and the ' Blackening ' strengthening skill. The direction the blade was aiming was obvious.
(Heart.)
It was an attack that couldn't be dodged even if I knew the direction. So, I made a quick judgment. If I couldn't avoid the attack, it would be better to be hit somewhere else that would take less damage.
Chiiik! The blade missed my heart and made a deep cut in my shoulder.
It hurt. It really hurt. I felt a burning pain on my skin. My vision blurred, and it felt like death was drawing near.
"Hahaha, now die!"
There was 1 minute and 30 seconds left until the scene was over. I looked at the lady, but now I really had to use it.
"Kim Namwoon, a second-year student at Chungil High School. I have a question."
"What?"
"Do you think an insect egg is a living thing?"
I took the body of the grasshopper I had killed earlier out of my pocket. The plump yolk sac was undoubtedly full. There was a sound of something bursting and fluid spurted out. A disgusting sensation spread through my hand when I heard a message.
[You killed a living being.]
[100 coins were obtained as additional compensation.]
[You killed a living being.]
[100 coins were obtained as additional compensation.]
Several messages bombarded my ears.
Kim Namwoon frowned: "Insect eggs? What are you trying to say out of nowhere? Are you trying to buy time?"
"Perhaps."