"Save me! Save me...!"
"Forgive me!"
The cries of supplication reached Liam's ears, but he did not move in the slightest; that was not his problem, although he felt some envy.
They could die.
He couldn't.
If he died, he would return to the same point.
But in this regression, several anomalies had appeared that had not been present in previous ones: the message from his girlfriend... and the appearance of Adam with his dog.
'Maybe this time... it can end.'
Liam stood up and looked out the window.
A man was wielding a piece of rusty sheet metal, attacking a defenseless woman who could barely back away.
"Die! Die!"
"Aaaack!"
The blade fell once more.
"Hahahaha! I won 100 coins!"
Liam watched the scene without changing his expression.
'Hmm... they've already realized that killing gets them coins.'
'That's how it always starts.'
'First they kill to survive... then they survive to kill.'
He turned around when he noticed movement behind him.
Arlene was awake.
Liam approached her and handed her some nerve pills and a bottle of water.
"Thank you, dear."
She took two pills and drank a long swig until she felt a gaze fixed on her.
A child.
And a dog.
"Um... dear," she said hoarsely. "Why is there a child here now that I'm awake?"
Liam shrugged and sighed.
Arlene looked back at the boy.
Adam said nothing. He just hugged the dog tightly, too tightly for someone his age.
His eyes weren't scared.
They were alert.
'At least that kind part of him hasn't disappeared...'
Arlene completely misinterpreted Liam's actions, believing that he had taken in the child out of compassion.
"How are you feeling?" he asked.
She let out a long sigh.
"Better... nauseous, but manageable."
Liam nodded.
"How many coins do you have?"
"A thousand coins. How do I use them?"
Liam crossed his arms, staring blankly outside.
"Just pick a stat you want to improve, and you're good to go."
Arlene opened her attributes window, undecided.
"Hmm... I see. So which one do you recommend I improve?"
"I don't know. It's entirely up to you."
Liam lied with ease.
Not because he didn't know the answer, but because he was tired of deciding for others.
Too tired.
So—
Rumble!
The ground shook slightly.
A second later, another tremor.
Stronger.
The dog pricked up its ears and began to growl softly.
Liam frowned.
"We have to go."
"...Eh?"
Before they could react, he calmly added:
"A large horde of monsters is coming."
From the window, they could see a stampede approaching.
They weren't running in disorder.
They advanced like a tide.
Covering the street.
Swallowing everything.
The three of them and the dog wasted no more time and left the building.
...
Thump—thump—thump!
The sound of their footsteps echoed through the shattered street as they ran at full speed, dodging debris, overturned vehicles, and abandoned bodies.
Behind them, a black tide of monsters advanced relentlessly, devouring the space between them second by second.
[The constellation "Golden Diadem" wonders how you will survive the time remaining.]
[Several constellations watch with growing interest.]
Liam ignored the notifications.
He had no time for boring constellations or spectators hungry for tragedy.
His gaze was fixed ahead, following the route he had calculated from the start. Even so, he couldn't help but glance over his shoulder.
They were closer.
Too close.
[3 minutes, 12 seconds]
There were just over three minutes left before the tutorial stage ended.
Three minutes to survive.
The monsters were almost upon them. Their growls mingled with the sound of claws scraping the asphalt and teeth clattering together.
"Woof! Woof!"
The dog ran ahead alongside Adam, setting the pace as if its instinct knew precisely where to go.
The boy Adam's face was red, and he was breathing heavily, but he didn't stop.
He didn't dare stop.
One of the monsters, a deformed creature with too-long legs, suddenly accelerated and lunged at them.
Liam reacted instantly.
He spun around and threw a sharp punch.
The impact echoed like the crack of broken bones.
"Grrrr—!"
"Kririkrrir!"
"Grrraaaah!"
"Raaarr!"
"Uuuuuh!"
The screams overlapped, growing closer, more desperate.
Arlene felt something slimy brush against her leg.
Slime.
Her stomach lurched, and a chill ran down her spine, but she didn't scream. She didn't allow herself to slow down.
Time continued to tick away.
They wandered the streets, turning again and again, following Liam without question.
He led with cold precision, choosing narrow routes, tight corners, anywhere he could gain an extra second.
[2 minutes, 22 seconds]
Time was running out.
And their strength was fading.
Their lungs burned. Their legs felt heavy. Sweat blurred their vision.
But the monsters...
They never tired.
On the contrary.
It seemed that with every passing second, they became faster, more ferocious, as if the stage itself were pushing them to catch up.
Liam glanced to the sides, calculating the remaining distance, then looked back again.
He stopped.
"Keep running."
His voice was firm, leaving no room for discussion.
Arlene hesitated for just a second. Concern crossed her face, but she obeyed. She didn't look back again.
[The exclusive skill Sea Without Light Lvl. 1 has been activated]
The shadow beneath Liam's feet writhed as if it had come to life.
It expanded violently, covering the ground like a black ocean.
Thick tentacles emerged from it, rising and falling with brutal force, knocking down posts, crushing bodies, and dragging monsters into the darkness.
[You have killed a living being.]
[You have earned 100 coins as additional compensation.]
[You have killed a living being.]
[You have killed a living being...]
Notifications flooded his vision.
Liam didn't read them.
He turned around and started running again.
He had gained a few seconds.
Just a few.
Thump—thump—thump!
He caught up with the group just as his body began to protest in earnest. In the distance, between ruined buildings, his target appeared.
A bridge.
And beneath it, the city's great river.
A cruise ship moved slowly across the water.
"Grrrr—!"
"Kririkrrir!"
"Grrraaaah!"
"¡Raaarr!"
"Uuuuuh!"
The monsters were now closer than ever. Their shadows stretched out, almost touching them.
Liam gritted his teeth.
"Jump on him."
Arlene didn't hesitate.
Neither did Adam.
With the dog leading the way, the three of them threw themselves toward the cruise ship, slowly making its way down the river, while the monsters roared behind them, hungry and furious.
Liam jumped too.
He was the last one.
Behind him, the monsters did not hesitate. They leaped with their jaws open, fangs exposed, thick saliva dripping from their mouths as they rushed toward the river like a living avalanche.
[5 seconds]
The wind hit his face as he fell.
The cruise ship was getting closer and closer.
Too slow.
[4 seconds]
Arlene, clinging to the railing, looked back.
What she saw made her blood run cold.
The monsters were falling into the river en masse, stirring the water as if it were boiling, darkening it with shadows and twisted bodies.
[3 seconds]
The seconds seemed like an eternity.
The edge of the cruiser was already within reach.
Two seconds.
Only two.
Then—
The river opened up.
It wasn't a wave.
It wasn't an explosion.
It was a mouth.
A gigantic jaw emerged from the depths, tearing through the surface of the water. Fangs as white as spears, embedded in red, pulsating flesh, closed around the void.
Liam, suspended in midair, had no time to react.
He fell.
Straight down.
Into the mouth of the sea monster
The fangs closed around him.
The world turned red.
Dark.
Damp.
Liam closed his eyes in shock as the icy water enveloped him. When he tried to breathe, he found no air.
Only a warm, vibrant, immense darkness.
As if the sea itself had swallowed him whole.
Then, a window appeared before him.
[You haven't completed the scenario.]