Zhou Mingrui was leaving work, lost in thought about what he would eat for dinner while on the subway home. He ended up leaving later than usual, having volunteered to finish up some paperwork that had piled up over the week.
It's far too late to start on the stew I planned to make. I shouldn't have stayed for overtime, I was really looking forward to it. Zhou mourned the loss of his hearty meal as he stared aimlessly out the window at the passing scenery of the city, towering glass buildings reaching far into the sky and reflecting the setting sun off the many panels that line the sides of every building.
It was a common view he saw every day on his commute to work, and yet whenever he looked out, he always had this strange feeling that was hard to place, almost a sense of longing or nostalgia, but also worry. It felt as if what he was looking at was wrong in some way, or didn't belong. He often thought about this phenomenon, but he could never explain why it made him feel this way.
Unfocused in looking out the window, he was thinking about this strange feeling once again when his vision began to blur. He blinked a few times, trying to refocus his eyes, but it seemed as if everything around him was being covered in a thin layer of gray fog, blending everything into the background.
His head began to spin, and an indiscernible whisper sounded in his ears, growing louder and louder as Zhou became more disoriented, closing his eyes shut as he felt he was about to throw up.
In the darkness, accompanied by the deafening sounds of layered voices, many thoughts and images began to flash in his mind. Unknown yet somehow familiar, it felt as if his mind had shattered and reassembled itself with another; names and faces crossed his mind. Klein Moretti, Sherlock Moriarty, Gerhman Sparrow, Merlin Hermes. Memories of each individual played out in his mind, overlapping with each other and merging with Zhou Mingrui, before forming a singular thought in his mind. The Fool.
Zhou opened his eyes after a period of time. The voices in his head quieted, and the world no longer a blur, but many thoughts still occupied his mind. Am I still dreaming? I must be, considering I'm in the modern era, but how am I conscious? I've regained my sense of self, but that shouldn't be possible yet. There is no way the Celestial Worthy would let this happen so soon. I've been asleep for a little over a year, and I shouldn't have the upper hand just yet. Is this part of "His" plan? Why give me my memories while still in the dream? "He" would have a much easier time corrupting a clueless Zhou than The Fool.
Zhou's thoughts were interrupted as he began to notice that his surroundings had changed at some point. The subway was different, and so were the people. He looked up to see which station he had just passed, only to see words in a language he could not read.
Is this Korean? Zhou recognized some of the characters from his time as a keyboard warrior as he turned to look out the window, only to become even more confused.
Outside was not the city he expected to see, but instead Seoul, which he recognized from a trip he took when he was younger. How the hell did I end up here, and more importantly, why? I have no connections to this place, and it took me a moment to even recognize where this is.
"Is that you, Zhou?" His thoughts were interrupted once again, this time by a hand on his shoulder, accompanied by a loud and excited voice speaking Chinese.
Looking up from his seat at the stranger in front of him, he looked to be a similar age to himself, with an average build, wearing dark blue sweatpants and a light gray hoodie, with messy black hair, brown eyes, and a large smile plastered over his clean-shaven face.
"Do I know you?" Zhou asked with a puzzled look on his face as he glanced at the hand still resting on his shoulders.
"It is you! Oh, come on, don't tell me you don't recognize your fellow countryman. It's me, Huang Tao!" The man spoke as he sat down next to Zhou, keeping his arm wrapped around his shoulder.
Zhou stared blankly at the man beside him for a second before opening his mouth to speak, "What are you- why, no- how are you here?"
"I was hoping you knew the answer to that, my friend. One moment, I'm listening to the Primordial Moon's never-ending lullaby in my temple, the next I'm jostled awake on this train back in the modern era. At first, I thought you finally decided to save me, but judging from your reaction, you seem to be just as lost as I am."
"I believe this is a dream, and I'm not entirely sure if you are really you or just a persona created for the dream. Regardless, you must be here for a reason. I was in a slumber to fight off "His" will, and it seems I've regained my consciousness within the dream. As to why we are in Seoul, I haven't figured that out yet."
"Well, regardless, I'm just happy I can finally hear my own thoughts again, and it's also nice to see our time again, even if it isn't the right place," Huang said as he looked out the window at the passing scenery.
Zhou followed his gaze out the window, and they stared at the dense cityscape with buildings that reached the sky, a sight that they thought they would never see again.
"I never would have imagined I could see something like this again." A soothing female voice sounded beside him, which caused Zhou to jump. It wasn't the sudden voice that startled him, but rather the fact that it was spoken in Loenese.
Zhou and Huang both looked over to see a beautiful lady who looked to be in her 20s/30s, with long black hair and a western face, wearing a long black dress with a matching brim hat and heels, holding a white handbag.
"Amanises?" Zhou blurted out as the woman in front of him smiled and sat down, leaving Zhou between her and Huang.
"This is certainly a pleasant surprise. Care to explain why you decided to pull me into your dream?" Amanises questioned with a smile as she adjusted her hat.
"Hey, how is it you recognize her but not me?" Huang shouted before he got the chance to answer the question.
"It wasn't hard to guess her identity after you showed up, especially considering she spoke in Leonese," Zhou responded plainly. "As for why you two are here, I couldn't tell you. I don't believe I was the one who pulled you into the dream. Truth be told, if it wasn't for the fact that this wasn't the modern era, I'd think this wasn't a dream. I don't know how to explain it, but this feels different than before, closer to reality."
"You're right", Amanises responded, "I can sense that this is somewhat like a dream, but I can't get a solid grasp on it. Other than being able to discern the fact that it is in some way a dream, my authority over dreams is being suppressed, and I have no way of influencing it in any way, which shouldn't be possible even if I am in a weakened state."
"Weakened state?" Huang asked.
"Yes, it seems that I don't possess the uniqueness of Death or the twilight Giant. Whatever power brought me here left those behind, I'm assuming, because I never accommodated them and only used them as sealed artifacts. I only have the authority over Darkness."
"Well, at least you are still sequence 0. Whatever brought me here left behind my Black Emperor uniqueness and characteristics." Huang retorted. "What about you, Zhou?"
"I can sense my authorities over the 3 pathways and their uniqueness along with Sefirah Castle. However, the authority over the Spirit World here is faint. I can still feel its influence here, but the connection I have is different, almost as if it's not the Spirit World but something similar. However, the most troublesome is the fact that I do not sense even the faintest traces of "Him", which concerns me the most in this situation, seeing as there are so many unknowns currently."
"You don't feel any of "His" influence?" Amanieses asked with a tinge of concern in her voice.
"Yes, I can't detect his imprint on any of my characteristics, and seeing as ridding him completely is impossible, it definitely means he is trying to pull something here, but I have no clue, given the current circumstances and lack of information."
"So what's the plan then?" Huang asked, but before he could even finish his sentence, he noticed the two others look up, and a second later, he also felt his spiritual intuition go off.
A loud screeching sounded as the subway came to a sudden stop, and the lights flickered as panic began to spread through the carriage. There were whispers between the crowd, which none of the beyonders could understand. Just then, the intercom on the train spoke, and the panic became more intense.
"What's happening?" Huang asked as the three of them glanced around, trying to discern anything. Zhou was about to pull out a coin from the historical void to make a divination when sparks went off at the other end of the carriage, which soon formed into a creature resembling a furball.
The crowd became silent as the creature began to speak, before pausing to fiddle with something. The next time it spoke up, the three were surprised to notice they could understand what it was saying. Not only that, but they seemed to understand what everyone else was saying as well.
Zhou looked between Amanises and Huang and whispered, "Any of you have a clue to what is happening right now?"
"Not at all, this is certainly strange, even by beyonder standards," Huang responded.
"The people around seem just as confused, though it makes sense. If this is the time from which we came, supernatural stuff like this was nothing more than fiction." Amanises added.
Zhou nodded as he also took note of the conversation happening between the crowd and the strange creature they referred to as a dokkaebi, and he couldn't help but lampoon at how they were handling the situation. You guys are provoking an unknown creature without any understanding of the situation. Not even I am stupid enough to court death in such a way.
Just as he thought this, his spiritual intuition went off yet again as the creature's eyes turned red and the heads of the people who provoked the creature turned into mist.
Silence prevailed throughout the carriage as people were too scared to even breathe, besides the three beyonders. The creature began to speak up yet again.
[Everyone, your lives have been nice so far. Isn't that right?]
[You have been living too long for free. Isn't life too generous? You were born and paid no price for breathing, eating, pooping and breeding! Ha! You really live in a good world!]
Living a nice life? For free? In a good world? Don't make me laugh. What I would give for any of those things to be true. Zhou lampooned as someone from the crowd decided to speak up.
Offering money to this creature? This guy is even dumber than he looked. Zhou took this opportunity to lean in and whisper to Amanises and Huang, "I'm not sure what's going on, but from the looks of it, it's not directed specifically at us yet. I think we should lay low and let this play out before making any decisions."
They both nodded as Zhou and Amanises used Fooling and Concealment to prevent the people of the carriage from noticing the trio sitting in the corner.
The scene continued to play out, and Zhou couldn't help but wince at the sight of the money going up in flames, which did not escape the eyes of Amanises, who showed a brief smile.
Just then, a string of messages appeared on a strange blue screen in front of each of them.
[#BI-7623 channel is open.]
[Constellations have entered.]
Constellations? Zhou panicked as he felt the gazes of many entities looking down at the carriage before calming. Their gazes feel similar to that of the Outer Gods, but they feel much weaker in comparison. I doubt they will even notice us past the Concealment, unless we do something to reveal ourselves. The trio looked at each other as similar thoughts crossed each of their minds before another notification appeared on the screens in front of them.
[Main Scenario #1 – Proof of Value]
Category: Main Difficulty: F
Clear Conditions: Kill one or more creatures.
Time Limit: 30 minutes
Compensation: 300 coins
Failure: Death
The dokkaebi then smiled and departed, leaving behind a few words,
[Then, good luck everyone. Please show me an interesting story.]
Panic ensued within the carriage as some people tried to pry open the doors to no avail, while others tried their phones only to be met with silence.
Within the chaos, a young man in a suit standing in the middle of the carriage next to a lady with brown hair caught Zhou's eye. He reacted differently from the others in the carriage, too calm for any normal person, given the situation.
"Look at that guy next to the lady over there. What are your thoughts on him?" Zhou decided to see what the others thought.
"He is lucky to have such a beautiful lady clinging to his side," Huang said with a grin before getting smacked on the back of the head by Amanises, who added, "He seems way too calm. The way he's acting is almost as if he expected this to happen."
"Exactly my thoughts," Zhou responded as he took out a coin and flipped it in the air for a divination, but what happened next shocked him more than anything that had occurred previously, causing him to drop the coin, attracting the attention of the other two.
"What did you see?" Huang asked curiously as Amanises turned to listen attentively.
"I… I saw nothing," Zhou spoke in a dumbfounded manner, "my divination was completely blocked."
Notes:Huang and Amanises were both stunned at Zhou's words.
"How is that even possible?" Huang exclaimed, "Even with a weaker connection to the Spirit World like you said, how does the Lord of the Mysteries get their divination blocked? Are you sure it's not you that's the problem?"
"It's not, I am unable to divine anything either. Can't dive into his mind via dreams either." Amanises added with a frown.
Zhou took another look at the man standing in the middle and watched as he continued to calm down the lady next to him before speaking up again. "I'm not sure what this means, but we must be careful. That man could be what "He" is planning to use against us, or he might be useful in some manner. Either way, we should keep a close eye on him."
The other two nodded in agreement before Huang added, "I believe there are more pressing matters to focus on right now. That being this 'scenario'. It says that the penalty is death. They don't elaborate on how, but I'm not keen on finding out."
"Kill one or more creatures. That dokkaebi, as these people call it, assigned this scenario right after the screen mentioned constellations joining the channel, and we felt the gazes from above. From what I can tell, they don't have any malicious intent. Instead, it seems they are watching this as a form of entertainment. This scenario was clearly made to force the people here to make a hard decision, take another life to survive." Zhou began to analyze out loud.
"The people here have to forfeit their morals and humanity to survive. Could that potentially be part of "His" plan to affect us? Have us throw away our humanity to progress through this scenario?" Amanises questioned.
"I don't think this scenario is specifically "His" doing. The condition is to kill a creature, it doesn't specify a human. If this was truly designed to force us to kill an innocent person against our will to weaken our humanity, "He" would not have left these obvious loopholes. And forcing us into a scenario like this serves no immediate purpose." Zhou spoke as he separated a worm of spirit from his body before crushing it, proving his theory as a text appeared on the screen in front of him.
[You have achieved the 'First Kill' achievement!]
[100 coins have been earned as additional compensation.]
Zhou then separated two additional worms of spirit from his body and handed them to Amanies and Huang. "These should count as creatures when killed. At the very least, it will buy us some time. We should watch the rest of this scenario, especially that guy, and see how this plays out."
Amanises and Huang confirmed that they cleared the scenario with the worms of spirit before the three of them went back to watching the others in the carriage.
Another man who appeared to be a soldier stepped up in an attempt to calm the crowd by relaying a live message from the Prime Minister on his phone, but when the Prime Minister was killed on camera by the dokkaebi, the panic escalated again. The dokkaebi appeared once more and spoke down on the people in the carriage before reducing the time to 10 minutes and saying everyone will die if nobody clears the conditions in the next 5 minutes.
Luckily, we won't have to worry about that 5-minute mark. But the others in the carriage won't know that. Huh, it would seem the dokkaebi doesn't know either, otherwise, why would he add that? Can they not detect us because of Concealment, or are they unable to receive all the details of the scenario and participants? They seem to act more like moderators of this scenario. Perhaps the ones in control are the constellations? Zhou thought as the dokkaebi opened up a screen displaying the same scenario playing out in a high school, leaving only one survivor.
"Tsk, the people here are about to snap. Sooner or later, this carriage is going to turn into a free-for-all brawl." Huang let out a sigh. "I'm curious to know what's going through that guy's mind right now. He's just been standing there staring, but he seemed to pay extra attention to the soldier and the screen that played just now. He didn't even react to the dokkaebi changing the scenario either, and now he's on his phone acting as if everything is normal! Hey Zhou, can't you read that guy's thoughts?"
"No, I tried earlier, but it seems he has a way to get around that as well. He's completely walled off all my attempts to get any information about him. Whatever he is planning on doing, we will have to wait and see for ourselves."
…
Carriage 3807… Only 2 people survived that carriage. Dokja was staring blankly at the passage on his phone, still reeling from the fact that his favourite novel was slowly bleeding into reality.
"Dokja-ssi, shouldn't we stop this?" Yoo Sangah's voice snapped Dojka out of his stupor as he turned to look where she was pointing.
A young boy wearing a student's uniform was shouting something at an elderly lady before starting to wail on her as she staggered to the ground helplessly. A familiar name was on the tag of his uniform. Kim Namwoon. The only other survivor of this carriage besides Lee Hyunsung.
Dokja continued to watch from the sidelines. Surprisingly, it was Han Myungoh who stepped up to try and prevent the situation. Kim Namwoon directed his attention back to the screen displaying people dying all over the country.
"We have to choose a person to die. Of course, I know what you are thinking. You have to kill your fellow countrymen to live. It is something only sons of bitches will do. But you know, it is a situation beyond our control. We will die if we don't kill. Who will blame us? Are you going to die in the end because of your morals?" Kim Namwoon and Han Myungoh continued to go back and forth as people around the carriage began to waver.
"A new world requires new laws." Kim Namwoon, the one who adapted to the world of Ways of Survival the fastest, served as the breaking point for the people in the carriage, as attention slowly turned back to the grandma, still lying on the floor.
The people began to swing at the grandma, kicking her again and again in hopes of ending her life. Seeing what was unfolding, Yoo Sangah took a step forward before a hand reached out to grab her arm.
"You will be killed. I told you not to move." Dokja spoke, holding back Yoo Sangah in an attempt to stop her. After a bit of back and forth, Dokja sat her down before straightening his back in preparation. He didn't want to interfere this early, but he couldn't just stand by and watch.
Any second now, Dokja thought as he braced himself for what was to come.
Kwaang!
An explosion rocked the train as people cried out from the smoke that rose from the front of the carriage. Kicking off the ground, Dokja ran towards the group that was beating down on the grandma, slamming into Kim Namwoon.
"What? Eeeeok!", Kim Namwoon let out a confused grunt, but Dokja paid no mind as he continued to look around before spotting a kid holding onto a net full of insects.
"Excuse me a moment." Reaching into the net, Dokja took out the handful of grasshoppers, placing one into the kid's hand before turning towards the crowd.
"Everybody, stop. You can't live if you kill the grandmother." Dokja announced in a calm and clear voice, as everyone that was still shaken from the explosion turned to look at him. "Let's say you kill the grandmother. What next? The grandmother's death will be recognized for what the dokkaebi calls the 'first murder', and some time will be bought. Then what next? If what the dokkaebi says is true, you will each have to kill one thing. So, who will you kill after the grandmother? Will you kill the person next to you?"
The people thought about what was said before retreated from each other as realization struck for each person. They all knew the grandmother was just the beginning.
A laugh sounded out from Kim Namwoon who spoke up yet again. "What are you all worried about? Then kill him next! Cowards. Don't worry about your turn in advance! The odds are equal!"
"There is no need to gamble like that. There is a way for you to survive, even if you don't become a killer." Dokja retorted as the people around the carriage turned to him, agitated. "Have you forgotten? The scenario clear condition wasn't to 'kill a person'."
Confusion spread throughout the carriage but a few people began to catch on as their eyes found themselves on the net of insects in Dokja's hand. The desperation and madness were now being directed towards Dokja as the crowd slowly started to creep towards him.
Before the crowd could get any closer, Dokja reached into the net and pulled out the chubbier one he had noticed earlier and crushed it, throwing the rest of the bugs out and into the crowd.
[You have killed a living thing.]
[100 coins have been earned as additional compensation.]
No first kill? Nobody died yet. Did someone notice earlier and get their hands on a bug? Dokja thought as the carriage burst into chaos once again as most of the people hurriedly searched for the insects now lost in the crowd.
Kim Namwoon turned to look at Dokja as he asked, "Couldn't you have just given them the insects?"
"There are 12 people remaining," Dokja said plainly, causing Kim Namwoon to raise his eyebrow in confusion. "There were three insects left in the collecting net."
…
"That kid would make a great provoker," Huang spoke as the three beyonders continued to watch Kim Namwoon and Han Myungoh argue as the mood in the carriage slowly turned hostile.
"Things are turning violent, and if nothing happens soon, that grandma is going to die, and many more will follow suit. Even if we are not the ones doing the killing, letting it play out without interfering would have just as great an effect on our humanity." Amanises added, looking to Zhou to see how he would respond.
"I agree. Though I didn't want to make ourselves known so soon, I can pull some strings in the background to prevent them from killing each other, but that is only a temporary solution. If they don't kill a creature before the time runs out, they will die anyway, and I have no clue if they will survive if given a piece of my mythical creature form. It might kill them on the spot the second they touch it."
"Hey, hey, look at the guy. Looks like he's finally about to make his move." Huang interrupted, directing the attention of the other two back at the suspicious person who had just seated the lady beside him.
"He has been eyeing those grasshoppers with the kid over there. He probably reached the same conclusion we did. I noticed those earlier and thought they could be used to save everyone, but my spirit threads didn't show enough for the whole carriage. Regardless of his plan, the people are going to turn on him once they realise the truth."
"Should we do something?"
"Maybe, but let's wait a bit and see how he decides to play this. It might be a good opportunity to get close to him. Whether he's dangerous or helpful, we need more information on him, and buddying up with him might not be the worst idea to try and learn more about him."
"Agreed." Both Amanises and Huang nodded in unison before their spiritual intuition turned their attention to the other end of the carriage.
Kwaang!
The carriage rocked as the attention from the crowd was diverted. The three beyonders watched as Dokja ran forward and slammed into Kim Namwoon, before spotting the grasshoppers and making his way over, making sure to hand one of the grasshoppers to the kid before grabbing the attention of everyone in the crowd.
Why did it seem like he was waiting for that explosion to distract the others, as if he knew it was going to happen? This guy is getting more suspicious as this continues. At least he gave one to the kid. His character doesn't seem to be bad. He also prevented that lady from stepping up to the crowd. She would have gotten herself hurt if he hadn't done that. He may be suspicious, but at least he seems like a good person. Zhou thought as he watched Dokja take out a slightly larger grasshopper before throwing the rest of the insects into the crowd.
Huh, it looked like he specifically fished the larger one out of the net. Why would he care about the size if all he needs to do is kill… wait, could it be? Chaos ensued as the people desperately searched for the insects lost in the crowd, but Kim Namwoon approached Dokja, questioning why he didn't just hand them over normally.
"There were three insects left in the collecting net."
The three beyonders listened in on the conversation between Dokja and Kim Namwoon. Kim Namwoon continued to act as a perfect provoker.
This guy would give Anderson a run for his money. Zhou lampooned as the two continued to go back and forth before Kim Namwoon turned his attention back to the grandma. Dokja held his ground, preventing Kim Namwoon from advancing as Kim Namwoon began to complain.
Still seems to be a good person, putting himself between the grandma and that kid. Zhou leaned back as the look in Kim Namwoon's eyes shifted. A fight is bound to happen now. Let's see how this guy handles himself.
Before he could even finish his thought, Kim Namwoon took a swing at Dokja, just barely missing as Dokja ducked out of the way.
"Oh, not bad?" Kim Namwoon muttered. The beyonders shared the same sentiment but were startled when a dark aura began emanating from Kim Namwoon's body as he took another, more powerful swing at Dokja, landing the hit on his shoulder.
"Beyonder powers?" Huang blurted out in surprise.
"Not quite, but something similar it seems," Amanises responded, eyes not leaving the kid. "Could it be related to this scenario? Something like this would certainly be more entertaining if the participants were stronger."
"That seems to be the most reasonable explanation. But look at the other guy. He didn't even seem phased by the fact that his opponent just displayed inhuman strength and speed. Not only that, he's managing to keep up," Zhou added. "But he won't be able to land a hit at this rate."
"There are two minutes left, Kid," Dokja announced as he continued to dodge the incoming blows from the increasingly agitated Kim Namwoon.
"By the looks of it, he doesn't intend to," Huang said, an approving grin appearing on his face.
It's a good plan, as long as he can keep the kid distracted for 2 more minutes, the scenario will finish him off, but that kid isn't stupid. He knows what's happening and is getting desperate. He still has other options. Zhou turned his attention to the grandma, who was still lying on the floor close to the brawl.
Standing up from his seat, Amanises and Huang looked up at him with a questioning glance before coming to the same realization and nodding as Zhou walked over to the grandma, moving her back and placing himself between her and the brawl.
…
Dokja just needed to stall for another two minutes, but when he noticed Kim Namwoon's attention shift to where the grandma was lying, he panicked and turned to get her out of the way. But when he looked towards the grandma, he was met with a gaze from a man he hadn't noticed before who was now standing between the lady and the fight, a faint smile plastered on his face.
Dokja didn't have time to think about who that person was or why he stepped in as he heard a clicking sound from behind, turning his attention back to Kim Namwoon who had pulled a knife from his bag and had lunged in his direction.
[Heart]
Even with his exclusive skill, Dokja knew he couldn't avoid the attack coming in. Shifting his body slightly with the intent of letting his shoulder take the blow in place of his heart, the knife suddenly slowed for a moment, as Kim Namwoon's movements turned sluggish.
Taking advantage of the situation, Dokja managed to move out of the way in time as Kim Namwoon took a moment to collect himself, a look of confusion on his face that was quickly replaced by panic and anger.
"Damnit, just sit still and die!" Kim Namwoon shouted as he took a step forward, but he hesitated for a moment as Dokja began asking him questions.
"Do you think an insect egg is a living thing?"
Dokja saw Kim Namwoon's confusion, but his attention attracted to the stranger who stood behind Kim Namwoon, his expression contorting slightly as if he understood the reason behind the question. Did he notice the egg sac from the grasshopper I took? Whatever, that's not important right now.
[You have killed a living thing.]
[100 coins have been earned as additional compensation.]
[You have killed a living thing.]
[100 coins have been earned as additional compensation.]
Dokja ignored the look from the stranger as he upgraded his physique with his newly acquired coins. "No, it is you who will die,"
Kim Namwoon angrily lunged forward, knife aimed at Dokja's heart. Dokja paid no mind and didn't even move out of the way, earning an inquisitive look from the stranger standing next to the lady.
The knife which should have pierced his heart, instead left only a scratch. Kim Namwoon looked baffled by the turn of events as Dokja began to talk about how grasshoppers lay more than 100 eggs at a time, and that they count as living things.
Noticing Kim Namwoon was still confused, Dokja remarked. "It doesn't matter if you don't understand. There is only one minute left."
Fear took over Kim Namwoon's face as desperation filled every swing, making no impact on Dokja who just stood there and began speaking.
"Kim Namwoon. You are right. I am the same type of human as you."
Maybe I could've saved some of those people. Dokja thought as he glanced over to the people who were still crawling on the ground, desperately searching for the insects that were certainly gone by now.
Dokja then noticed the look given by the stranger. It was hard to read, but it seemed to give off a look of understanding, but also pity.
"Save me! Please! Help me!" The knife fell from Kim Namwoon's hand as he fell to the ground, 20 seconds left on the clock.
"Why should I?"
"P-People's lives are important! That's obvious!"
"That is the rule of the old world. It is just as you said. A new world requires new laws."
10 seconds.
"I don't want to, I don't want to! I don't want to die! Aaaaaaack!"
Kim Namwoon picked up the knife and let out one last desperate scream as he charged towards Dokja with the knife, but before he could even reach him, the stranger took a step forward and grabbed hold of Kim Namwoon's hands, dropping the knife and placing something in his palm before squeezing it shut.
[The given time has run out.]
Heads around the carriage exploded, and Dokja braced for the mess that would come from Kim Namwoon's head doing the same so close to him, but surprisingly, nothing happened.
Dokja was shocked, staring back at the equally shocked face of Kim Namwoon who was still being held by the stranger who wore the same smile on his face. Looking past the two of them, Dokja noticed the old lady on the ground was also alive.
What the fuck? Kim Namwoon and the grandma should be dead! Was it this guy who did something? He placed something in Kim Namwoon's hand right before the timer ran out. Himself, the lady, and Kim Namwoon, there is no way this guy got all three insects. Was there more? Where did he get them? Why did he save him, damn it! Kim Namwoon shouldn't have been allowed to survive this first scenario!Dokja shouted in his mind while putting on a calm face before turning towards the stranger who released the still dazed Kim Namwoon, who stared blankly at the person who saved him without saying a word.
Ignoring the flood of messages about the coins he earned from the creatures he killed, he glanced around the carriage to see who else survived. Yoo Sangah survived, so did the kid. That's good. Lee Hyunsung survived as expected, but Han Myungoh was less expected. They must have gotten their hands on the grasshoppers I threw, but how did these others survive? I