23. Nothing Change
Wan Dae Hyun was a man in his late twenties, still in his prime. He didn't have any particularly striking features—no sharp gaze, no commanding voice—but people described him as kind. From what others saw, he was just a gentle, well-meaning person. The kind of guy you'd expect to see as the pastor of a small countryside church or the chairman of a humble orphanage. A man with a clean background, no scandals, and a comforting smile.
But to me, those were the ones you had to watch out for.
They were exactly the kind of character authors liked to twist—the ones who committed horrible deeds while claiming it was "for the greater good." Wan Dae Hyun fit that mold perfectly.
On the other hand, Yoo Da Hee was nothing like I expected.
When some of the green zones collapsed during the attack, she was the first to step forward without fear, engaging the monsters head-on. They called her the "Saintess," but she looked more like a berserker—crushing skulls with her bare hands, fighting like a war god in human form.
Was she even human?
Her physical strength was absurd. It was comparable to a Sequence 8 Beyonder focused on raw power. For a moment, I wondered if she, like me, came from another world. But the existence of her siblings made that unlikely.
I had believed this world was a regular Earth that had just entered an apocalypse. But her capabilities defied science and logic.
Unreasonable. Unnatural.
And it seemed I wasn't the only one who thought so—NaRi looked just as stunned as I was, clearly unable to believe what she'd seen.
When there's something you don't know… you ask.
And the answer was:
"You can use coins to increase your physical level," NaRi explained, repeating what she had learned from her sister.
Wait, what?
You could do that?
Wow. On one hand, that explained everything. On the other, it made me feel like I was in the most capitalistic apocalypse ever. The richer you were, the stronger you became. Classic.
But also...
Was that really something she should've told me? Was she just naive?
That's what I was thinking while listening to her, but of course, I didn't stop her.
"Have you tried it before?" I asked.
NaRi shook her head. "I might, in the near future. But for now, I'm still observing. What about you, Oppa? You have more coins than me."
"I'm also still exploring the possibilities," I replied. "If coins can be used to increase physical abilities, maybe there are other ways to use them too."
Our conversation ended in silence.
Da Mi and Jae Hee were with Da Hee, helping organize the station's residents. Meanwhile, I sat at the farthest bench, resting and trying to stay out of the way, watching as everyone around me busied themselves. Normally, there's always someone who complains when others slack off, but with NaRi next to me, no one dared say a word.
"What do you think?" NaRi asked, her voice slightly subdued.
"About what? Oh, that?" I took a second to catch on. "It depends."
"Depends on what?"
"Tonight's result. If they succeed, things might improve. But if they fail, everything will get worse."
Then, the dokkaebi snapped her fingers.
A familiar blue message box from the Star Stream appeared in front of every survivor:
[Main Scenario: The Few for the Many]
Objective: Leave at least 10 green zone slots unoccupied
Category: Sub
Difficulty: F
Time Limit: 11h 34m remaining
Reward: No more sudden green zone disappearances
To some, it was a light from heaven.
To others, it was a curse from hell.
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
The discussion veered from solving the mystery of last night's vanished green zones to a new question—who would be the sacrifice?
The inner circle—those who held power and respect—wanted to maintain the current plan. But the voices from the outer circle grew louder. Everyone wanted safety. No one wanted to be the offering.
Cracks began to form in the unity they had built.
What once seemed like a strong, cooperative community started to unravel from just one scenario change.
For now, the tension was manageable. But if this continued, someone was bound to say something stupid that couldn't be taken back.
"STOP!" Yoo Da Hee shouted, her voice ringing through the station and silencing the crowd.
"Nothing has changed—we should follow the original plan."
Stunned silence followed.
Is she insane?
Has she lost her mind?
We tried to fight because there's no other way but now?
Thoughts like those probably filled everyone's head—but no one said them out loud. After all, she was still their Saintess.
"I'll explain," she added. "If you think it's unreasonable, we'll go your way instead."
And just like that, she laid out her plan.
They would set traps and completely abandon the station's lowest floor—the point where the monsters emerged. Instead, they would make their stand on the narrow staircase, using the bottleneck to their advantage. It was simple, direct, and above all—possible. Especially with the strength she had displayed.
Most people agreed right away. There wasn't much time, and no one wanted to think of another plan.
If anyone was dissatisfied, they kept it to themselves.
And so, preparations for the midnight siege began—led by the Saintess herself.
I figured I should help too. I used my thread ability to reinforce a barrier. It wasn't anything fancy—just my enhanced thread with no special properties—but it helped. I stopped after about 60 meters, feigning exhaustion. That marked the end of my contribution.
With scavenged furniture and scrap materials, the barricade was finally finished. It wasn't great, but it would do.
We rested briefly.
And then, night fell.
With it came the echo of irregular footsteps, rapid and unending, and the growls of countless unseen beasts.
That night, humanity fought back.
They overcame the horde.
They endured the trial.
But not without casualties.
Roughly 10% of the station's population was lost—injured or dead. But nearly all of them came from the outer circle.
The reason was simple.
The inner circle had experience and cohesion. They had gone on food raids together. They had fought before.
The outer circle? They were people who had survived the first scenario through fear, adrenaline, or blind luck. They weren't ready for real combat. They weren't prepared for blood.
Even with support from the inner circle, many died because of carelessness—some from hesitation, others from blind panic.
In the end, the results were clear.
The inner circle emerged almost unscathed.
The outer circle was devastated.
Then came another message:
['Demonic Judge of Fire' condemns the constellations who giggle in their seats.]
I didn't know why I received that notification, but I was sure of two things:
One—there were far too many constellations watching this station.
And two—this wasn't the worst it would get.