The train rattled along Line 13 of the Arkwell Metro, groaning like a beast nearing its final breath. Fluorescent lights above flickered, washing the worn interior in sickly white. The air reeked of sweat, city grime, and the clinging staleness of people too used to surviving the daily grind.
Noah Graves sat alone in the back row, his navy-blue work badge dangling limply from his neck. His shirt was wrinkled. His tie was crooked. He didn't care. All that mattered was the glow of his phone screen in the dim light.
[Chapter 3,149 – The Final Regression]
His breath hitched.
Ten years.
Ten years of reading Endgame Protocol—a web novel that never once hit trending, never got a comment, never had a review. It was an ugly, convoluted, overly long apocalypse story that updated like clockwork every night at 9:30 PM.
And he had been the only reader. Ever.
His thumb hovered over the screen.
"...So this is it."
He tapped.
The final lines scrolled down with the familiar dry narration:
"And with that, Lucien Stormrider let out a heavy breath. The world had been saved. Again. But the wheel had not stopped. He stared at the crumbling sky and said—"
'Let's go back to the start.'
Noah let out a half-laugh, half-sigh. "That's it? You reset again?"
The moment his eyes traced the final period, something strange happened.
The lights inside the train went dark—completely, as if reality itself blinked.
The silence was instant and deafening.
No one spoke. The hum of electricity stopped. Then, without warning, every phone in the car—every single one—flashed white before going black.
Noah's phone didn't shut off.
Instead, a new notification blinked into existence.
[Main Scenario #1 has been activated.]
His mouth fell slightly open.
[Main Scenario #1: Massacre on the Metro]
– Category: Main
– Difficulty: F
– Objective: Survive for 30 minutes.
– Reward: 500 Coins
– Failure: Death
[The Scenario begins now.]
"What the...?"
Screams burst out across the train as people began noticing the same message on their screens—or in their minds. Noah couldn't tell which. Then the temperature dropped.
The car lights flickered once more, but this time, it wasn't electricity returning.
It was something... alive.
From the door between cars, something began to emerge.
Its shadow fell long against the floor—grotesque, limping, dragging claws that scraped steel. As it came into view, Noah recognized the creature instantly. Pale, bloated, with a face that was stretched and eyeless, its skin looked like wet wax over muscle.
"...A Skinwalker," Noah muttered, his heart thudding. "Straight out of chapter one."
The monster opened its toothless mouth and let out a scream that didn't come from its throat but from inside everyone's mind. One woman fainted instantly. A man backed up and slammed into the windows. Another tried to open the emergency latch—locked.
Panic bloomed.
And still, Noah sat.
This wasn't right. In the original story, this was where the protagonist—Lucien Stormrider—stepped forward and saved the survivors using a powerful ability from his sponsor. It was supposed to be flashy. Triumphant.
But now... no one came.
Lucien didn't appear.
The story had deviated.
[Hidden Condition Met: The Protagonist is Absent.]
[You have assumed the role of: Substitute Protagonist.]
[You have acquired the exclusive skill: Insight of the End.]
A glowing prompt hovered in front of Noah's eyes, crystal-blue like a game window. Others were still screaming, blind to what he saw. He blinked, heart pounding.
Skill: Insight of the End (EX)
– Grants full knowledge of past, present, and predicted future events.
– Allows identification of enemy traits and scenario logic.
– Immune to memory corruption or cosmic censorship.
Would you like to activate the skill now?
[Y/N]
Noah didn't hesitate. He slammed his thumb against the invisible [Y].
The world shifted.
The Skinwalker now shimmered with red text floating above its body.
[Skinwalker - Grade F Predator]
– HP: 620/620
– Weakness: Fire
– Attack Pattern: Lunge → Grapple → Rip
– Intelligence: Low
– Behavior: Hunts the weakest target first
Noah's eyes widened. It was like seeing reality through a cheat sheet.
Then he saw something else: The floor plan of the train, glowing faintly in his mind. A route to survival.
"Back car, left door. Emergency locker. Small flare gun inside."
He ran.
People shouted as he shoved past them. Some tried to stop him—others were too busy screaming or frozen in shock.
"Where the hell are you going?!"
"Don't open the—!"
Noah ignored them. He kicked open the emergency panel and yanked free a flare pistol. It was small, nearly toy-like—but the memory was clear. Chapter 1, paragraph 94: "Lucien uses the flare gun to ignite the beast's fear receptors and buys 30 seconds."
[Item acquired: Emergency Flare Gun (1 Use)]
[Temporary Buff: Courage +10 for First Action Taken]
The Skinwalker turned its empty face toward him.
It lunged.
Noah dropped to one knee and aimed.
"Burn, freak."
He fired.
The flare screamed like a comet, striking the creature dead center in the chest. It burst into flame. Its body twisted violently, flailing, screeching in that awful, psychic noise. The passengers cried out again—this time, some in awe, some in fear.
Noah didn't wait. He turned to them.
"Everyone get to the rear connector! That thing can't break through the fire door if it's locked from this side!"
"You—you just shot it!" one man stammered.
Noah glared. "Do you want to argue or survive?! MOVE!"
To his surprise, they listened.
He hadn't yelled, hadn't even raised his voice—but the force of someone knowing what to do made people follow.
The remaining dozen survivors stumbled into the connector hallway as the flames flickered out behind them. The Skinwalker, partially charred but still moving, slammed against the barrier just as Noah shut it and sealed the manual lock.
He slumped against the wall, panting.
[You have fulfilled the objective: Survive for 30 Minutes (Override Condition Met)]
[Coins +500]
[Bonus: Leadership (First Action)]
[Coins +100]
[Your actions have attracted attention from the Watchers.]
A new voice rang out—smooth, amused, and distant, like an announcer watching from another dimension.
"Well well… a reader who acts before the hero. Intriguing."
Noah's eyes narrowed.
"Who's there?"
A shimmer of blue fire appeared mid-air, coalescing into a small humanoid figure no taller than a child, dressed in extravagant robes. Its face was a shifting mass of smoke, wearing a grin that never moved.
"I am Ashtiel, Observer-class Watcher, here to host this Scenario. I must say, this deviation is unexpected—but quite entertaining."
Ashtiel hovered, examining him like a rare toy.
"You shouldn't exist in this role, Noah Graves. The protagonist was someone else. Yet… here you are."
Noah stood slowly, wiping soot off his sleeves. "I read the whole thing. Every line. Every chapter."
Ashtiel chuckled. "So I see. Insight of the End… what a troublesome skill to awaken."
Noah didn't respond. His mind was already moving through the next Scenario.
Lucien Stormrider was gone.
That meant everything after this point—every character, every death, every turning point—was up to him now.
The reader had become the lead.
[Scenario Clear: You have survived.]
[Your tale begins now.]