As the red light faded, what revealed itself was a Dokkaebi with white fur wearing a straw mat.
[&Ah#@!&Ah#@!.....]
[&Ah#@!&Ah#@!.....]
The Dokkaebi was making sounds as if trying to say something, but with an unfamiliar pronunciation, no one in the subway car could understand what it was trying to say.
"What is it saying?"
"Augmented reality? Something like that?"
"It's ugly...."
Soon, the slightly calmed people looked at the Dokkaebi, holding their phones or asking those around them what this situation was.
"It sounds like Spanish somehow, should I try speaking to it?"
At that moment, Yoo Sangah, who was near me, tried to speak to the Dokkaebi in Spanish.
"...Do you know what that is? Are you going to ask it for money?"
Kim Dokja, who was next to Yoo Sangah, said that and blocked her way. Around then, the Dokkaebi's incomprehensible voice began to sound like a familiar one.
[Ah, ah, can you hear me? This is troublesome, the Korean patch wasn't working, so I had a hard time. Everyone, can you hear me clearly?]
At the Dokkaebi's words, the atmosphere among the people improved somewhat from before, and a large-built man spoke to the Dokkaebi.
"Hey, what are you doing right now?"
[Huh?]
"Is this a movie shoot? I have an audition to get to soon."
At the man's words, the Dokkaebi crossed its arms and spoke.
[Ahh, an audition. I see. Going to an audition even at this hour, ha, ha. My research was lacking. They definitely said if you start the scenario around seven in the evening, you get the most followers.]
"What? What are you talking about?"
At the man's confused words, the Dokkaebi just said its piece.
[Now, now. Everyone calm down and please sit down and listen to me. I have to convey an important message from now on!]
Then, some people ignored the Dokkaebi's words and got angry.
"What is this! Start the train quickly!"
A person who looked to be in his 40s, seemingly in a hurry, demanded it depart..
"What are you doing without any civilian cooperation!"
A person who looked like an office worker was angry about what just happened..
"Mom, what's that? Is it a cartoon?"
An innocent child asked their parents if this situation was a cartoon.
At that moment, the Dokkaebi brought its hand to its forehead and slowly closed its eyes, and then a deathly aura could be felt from an unspecified number of people.
Soon realizing what would happen next, I closed my eyes....
[How noisy, really! I said… be quiet!!]
Shouting as it opened its eyes, the Dokkaebi's gaze turned red. With a 'splurch' sound of something breaking, blood splattered on one side of the subway, blood that sprayed as a hole was pierced in the forehead of the large-built man who said he had an audition to get to.
And he...
"Uh...? Uh... uh.."
...met his death saying that and collapsed on the floor.
As he collapsed on the floor, blood splattered around him, and people's faces turned pale.
[This is not a movie.]
Splurch
At the Dokkaebi's words, a hole was pierced in the forehead of an elderly man sitting nearby... and in that situation, the Dokkaebi continued to speak.
[It's not a dream either]
Splurch
Splurch
Splurch
[Nor is it a novel, nor the reality you knew! Understand!?]
Along with the Dokkaebi's words, holes were pierced in the heads of everyone—those who tried to scream, those who tried to cause a disturbance, those who tried to move even a little. In an instant, the subway became a sea of blood.
[You all must have had a pretty good life until now. Right?]
Soon, the Dokkaebi said with a laugh.
[Being born, breathing well without paying any price, eating, shitting, reproducing as you please! Ha! You were born in such a good world!]
Then, the Dokkaebi spread its two arms and with a manic expression, said more.
[But the good times are over now. You can't enjoy freebies forever, can you?]
At the Dokkaebi's appearance and words, no one opened their mouth.
No, only one person looked at the Dokkaebi and opened their mouth.
"D-do you want money, perhaps?"
At some man's words, Kim Dokja and Yoo Sangah in front of me muttered.
"Yoo Sangah-ssi. Isn't that man Department Head Han from Finance?"
"...That's right."
That person took out his business card and showed it to the Dokkaebi.
"If it's money, I'll give you as much as you want. Take it. Ah, for your reference, I, I am this kind of person."
"How much will it take? One large bill? Or two?"
[Hmm.. So you're saying you'll give me your money?]
Perhaps because hope of survival was born at the Dokkaebi's words, color returned to his face.
"If you let us out of here, I can give you as much as you want."
[Money, it's nice. The fiber of plants imbued with the intersubjective agreement of many humans.]
Snap!
When the Dokkaebi snapped its fingers, the money he was holding caught fire and burned up.
[That's only true in your spacetime. Such paper has no value whatsoever in the macroscopic dimension. If you do something like that again, I'll blow your head off, so keep that in mind.]
"Ugh, ugh.."
[Phew, even in this time of chatter, your debts are piling up. Well, fine. Wouldn't it be faster for you to earn money yourselves than for me to explain a hundred times?]
At that moment, the Dokkaebi's horns lengthened as if they had become antennas..... and the voice heard earlier came again.
[Channel #BI-7623 has been opened.]
[Constellations are entering.]
And a blue window rose up.
Category: Main
Difficulty: F
Clear Condition: Kill at least one living creature.
Time Limit: 30 minutes
Reward: 300 coins
Failure: Death
[Then, good luck everyone. Please show us an interesting story.]
With those words, the Dokkaebi disappeared, and soon people fell into confusion.
'Really.... I'm going crazy..... Trying to read Chapter 1 of the novel and ending up inside that novel instead.... Aish....'
Soon, I let out a breath and thought calmly.
'First, stay calm..... Now.... Status Window.'
Status Window
Name: Kang Yuseong
Age: 28
Sponsor Constellation: None
Exclusive Traits: The One Who Gachas (General), Man of Heavenly Luck (Rare), Master of the Wall (Myth)
Exclusive Skills: [Gacha], [Shop], [Wall of ■■]
Comprehensive Stats: [Stamina Lv7], [Strength Lv7], [Agility Lv7], [Magic Power Lv 7]
As I quickly looked over my traits and skills, I was taken aback when I saw the censored skill [Wall of ■■].
Well, because the Wall was one of the keys to crossing the Final Wall....
'But the fact that I have it means.....'
It was then that a sound of someone being hit was heard.
"Ah… shit. My mood is already fucked up, and you're trying to run away alone."
"Huek...!"
"Won't you shut up?"
"S, save me... I, I have to go...!"
Thwack!
"I told you to shut up."
Thwack!
Thwack!
Thwack!
At that sound, my head automatically turned, and looking there, I saw Kim Namwoon beating an old woman. Amid the continuing violence, the old woman looked toward where the people were, her eyes seeming to beg for help.
"What are you doing?!"
At that gaze, while everyone who saw it was not stopping Kim Namwoon, Han Myung-Oh, who had been begging the Dokkaebi for his life by offering money, grabbed Kim Namwoon's arm.
"You little bastard, now to an elder...!"
"Ah~?! What, mister, you wanna die?"
Kim Namwoon shook off the hand holding his arm and spoke.
"...What?"
"You still don't understand the situation?"
"What bullshit are you talking! You damn bastard!!"
Shouting like that, Kim Namwoon pointed to a video showing a massacre happening elsewhere.
"That, you still don't get it? The military isn't coming to save us. And someone has to die."
"W, what are you…"
"We have to choose who dies.
Of course I know what you're thinking. Killing our own kind to survive? That's something only bastards do, right?! That's correct. But, would you still think that in a situation like this?
This is force majeure. If we don't kill, we die, so who can blame us?
Think carefully. The world you knew until now just ended. And a world needs new laws."
Having finished his speech, Kim Namwoon began attacking the old woman again.
Thud!
Thud!
"How long are you all going to just watch? Do you all want to die?"
At Kim Namwoon's words, everyone began to move, one by one.
Those who had been cowardly loitering around.
Those who had been filming with their phones.
The child's mother.
Even the person who had been stopping the student just moments ago.
Everyone began kicking, looking toward the old woman's death.
And I could only watch that scene from afar.