On top, it read: Requiem of the World over Olympus.
Then below:
[Status]
[Name: Sung Young]
[Race: X]
[Traits: Manipulation (Lv. 1), Photographic Memory (Lv. 1)]
[Divinity: None]
[Malgrant: None]
[Blings: 0]
As I stared at the window in front of me, I muttered, "What the actual fuck?!"
I looked at the screen, baffled. It was bizarre… but also nostalgic in a weird, vague way. I tried touching it, but my hand passed right through. The title above—Requiem of the World over Olympus—stood out to me. It seemed like a combination of Shadows over Olympus and Requiem of the World in Ruins, which might've just been my imagination—after all, I'd just finished both novels.
I glanced at the girl beside me. Judging by her blank stare, she could probably see her own status window too. Her brown eyes were focused ahead, and although it might've looked like she was just staring, I knew a status window couldn't be seen by anyone else. It's common web novel knowledge.
The girl had curly, dirty blonde hair that looked like it hadn't been washed in a while. The blonde made her stand out. From that, I could already guess two things. One, she's homeless. Poor. Probably no family or relatives—maybe she was here before this whole situation started. Two, she's from the States. I mean, blonde hair? C'mon. Anyone could tell. And no, this ain't Japan. This is South Korea, Seoul—where we've got major beef with the U.S. Not that it concerns me. I'm a chill guy.
"OUCH!!!"
A sudden sting hit the back of my neck. I quickly rubbed it, but my hand stung even more upon contact.
I felt a breeze hit my nape.
"Oh shit."
I looked up in haste. The plastic ceiling above was dissolving—melting under the acid rain.
Without wasting time, I dashed out of the playhouse, pain coursing through every part of my body.
"What on earth is happening!?"
The park was a war zone. Bodies scattered across the ground—some still alive, others missing limbs. The acid rain and black liquid had torn through them like nothing. A horrifying sight. Men, women, the elderly… even kids.
…Kids?
I looked back.
The girl was still in the playhouse, sitting silently beneath the half-dissolved roof, her face blank.
"What is she doing?!"
Despite the pain burning my skin, I ran back toward her. I grabbed her and shielded her with my body from the rain. Then I sprinted toward one of the black, tree-like solidified liquids. I noticed earlier how they weren't affected by the rain.
Once we got there, I collapsed onto the ground beneath its cover, panting like crazy.
The girl lay on my chest, unmoving. I was flat on my back, gasping for air.
I trained a bit after reading Sl* Leveling*, but this wasn't a simulation—I could die here.
"Well… no point crying about it now," I muttered, wiping a single tear from my eye.
"Hey, can you get off me?"
"Oh… sorry."
She quickly moved away, curling up like she was defending herself from an attack, shivering.
I looked at her. "Don't worry, I won't hurt you. You can relax."
She slowly calmed down and stared ahead at the disaster unfolding. Some people had figured things out and ran under the black trees like we did. Others tried heading home and… well, they didn't make it.
"Status."
I said it aloud, and the window popped up again.
The girl looked over, curious.
"Status," she repeated softly. Then, "Um… Mister?"
She tugged at my sleeve. "What is this blue thing in front of me?"
"I've got a hypothesis," I said, "but nothing concrete yet."
So far, I've figured out how to interact with the window. You use your vision and pupils. Focus on what you want to tap, widen your eyes slightly, and bam—it registers. Really simple.
"Hey," I said, "try focusing on what you want to touch, then widen your eyes a bit. Like this."
"Oh, I see!" she nodded. "So what should I do with all this information?"
"…What? You're supposed to check everything—skills, traits, all of that."
"Ah, I see."
She turned forward and focused, analyzing her window—or at least, I think that's what she was doing.
So far, I've been narrowing things down. But one section of the window stood out:
[Divinity: None] [Malgrant: None] [Blings: 0]
No doubt about it—those terms were pulled straight from Shadows over Olympus and Requiem of the World in Ruins.
Divinity was from Shadows over Olympus. It represented divine weapons crafted from gods' blood. These weapons had insane powers. Sonny, the main character, and his crew used them to fight against gods and their fanatics. Finding one had a 0.000000000000000001% chance rate—slight exaggeration, but still.
Malgrant was different. It was a devil contract system from Requiem of the World in Ruins—you get powers and abilities in exchange for something. You can guess the rest.
Now, "Blings"? That one was new. Not from either novel.
I had two guesses:
One, it's a form of currency.
Two, it's a mana-like stat—needed to activate skills or something.
Now, my traits:
[Traits: Manipulation (Lv. 1), Photographic Memory (Lv. 1)]
Pretty unexpected. I thought I'd get some omniscient power or something—like Km Djka. But no.
The descriptions were unnecessarily long, so here's the summary:
Manipulation (Lv. 1)
Subtly influences others with equal or lower willpower. Sway conversations, nudge choices, and sense emotional cues.
Not mind control—just clever charm.
Slight boost to persuasion and deception
Sense basic emotional weaknesses
Honestly, pretty cool.
Photographic Memory (Lv. 1)
Recall recent images and info with clarity. At level 1, I can remember everything from the past day. Deep analysis still takes effort.
Instantly recall recent texts, images, or maps
Small boost to studying and observation
It'll definitely come in handy.
But still—no combat traits. That means I'm weak physically, but strong mentally. Not exactly a fair trade when everything wants to kill me.
Then something hit me.
Aren't traits supposed to reflect your character? Your qualities?
So why the hell do I have Manipulation?
I could understand Photographic Memory, but Manipulation?…unless it's because of that incident in second year… no, no. Not now.
Suddenly, a new notification popped up.
[New Trait Unlocked: Cerebrum Drive (Lv. 1)]
"What? A new trait? Aren't new traits supposed to be learned or triggered first? At least something basic…"
I looked around. The acid rain was beginning to let up.
The little girl was asleep on the ground beside me.
Looks like I spent a lot of time monologuing.
Despite the rain nearly ending, the park was a bloodbath.
Chattering filled the air—wailing, screaming, crying, shouting. You name it.
"Well… I guess this is how people react during their first apocalypse."
I glanced at my hand.
It was shaking.
…Was I scared?
"I guess even the reader can get scared, huh?"
I let out a deep sigh. But one thought refused to leave my mind:
Why the hell did Shadows over Olympus and Requiem of the World in Ruins become reality?