[09:12 PM | Seoul Metro Line 2 | Subway Car 4]
[Time remaining: 21:07]
The Predator hadn't moved since the last hit. It crouched low and dragged one arm across the floor, its claws scraping metal with a sound that could strip paint.
Kang Jae-hwan stared it down, panting hard, his knuckles white around the bloody steel pipe.
He couldn't tell whether it was stunned, dying, or simply amused.
[HP: 148/200] [Regeneration active.]
He had no more items. No more tricks.
And no more margin for error.
Across the cabin, the survivors were still huddled near the back door. Four adults, two teenagers, and one small child. The schoolgirl he had saved earlier was curled up, shivering and sobbing, while the man in the suit hovered protectively over the group. Everyone else was either dead or dying.
The metal groaned again.
The Predator shifted.
Jae-hwan prepared to move—but then it stopped.
Its heads twitched.
The system chimed.
[System update in progress.] [New variable detected.]
Jae-hwan blinked.
[Storyline Divergence Rate has exceeded 3%.] [A non-canon identity has entered the scenario.]
What?
[Name recognized: Han So-yeon.]
He froze.
The name pulsed in front of his eyes.
No. That wasn't possible.
Han So-yeon was a character from The Epitaph of the Forgotten World.
But she had never appeared until Chapter 412.
A future character.
A forgotten side character, at that. She was a scavenger living in the Eastern Dead Zones, and her entire story arc had lasted six chapters before she was killed by a corrupted warden.
She was never supposed to be here.
Not in the subway.
Not in Scenario #1.
[Warning: Narrative Instability Detected.]
Jae-hwan took a step back.
He looked around.
"Han So-yeon..." he murmured aloud.
A girl looked up.
She couldn't have been older than sixteen.
Short hair. Pale skin. Eyes wide with confusion.
"What? That's… that's my name. How did you know that?"
Everyone turned to her.
Jae-hwan stared.
[Name: Han So-yeon] [Status: Civilian] [Affiliation: None] [System Recognition: Incompatible Timeline Entry]
His heart thundered.
This was real. She wasn't just sharing a name. The system itself recognized her.
She wasn't supposed to be here.
And yet, here she was.
Living, breathing, shaking in fear—
—and incredibly dangerous.
Because if she was here now, then the story really had shattered. There were no rails anymore. No fixed order.
Anything could happen.
[Hidden Achievement Unlocked: Witness to Divergence] Reward: +1 Stat Point Title: [Glitch Watcher]
[Title Effect: You can detect characters and events not belonging to the original timeline.]
Another window.
[System Alert: Unknown Administrator is observing this scenario.]
Jae-hwan's breath hitched.
Administrator?
There had been no mention of administrators this early in the novel. Not until the third major arc. And only in passing.
Something—someone was watching.
[An Unknown Administrator smiles faintly.]
He gritted his teeth.
"Of course you do," he muttered under his breath. "You sons of bitches always smile when people die."
"What?" So-yeon asked again, voice trembling. "How do you know my name? What is this place? Why are there monsters?!"
Jae-hwan didn't answer.
He couldn't.
Not yet.
He needed to think. Fast.
The Predator had gone still. It hadn't attacked since the system update. Was it frozen? Waiting? Controlled?
[New Variable Triggered: Chain Scenario Detected.]
[Main Scenario #1: Survival (Continues)] [Chain Scenario Activated: Unwritten Chapter Begins.]
Objective: Protect the Non-Canon Entity (Han So-yeon) until timer ends.] Failure Penalty: Immediate death of Han So-yeon. System collapse in local area.]
He laughed.
It was bitter. Ugly.
"You're giving me escort missions now? Seriously?"
[An Unknown Administrator is curious about your reaction.]
Of course they were.
Jae-hwan tightened his grip on the pipe.
The game had changed.
The rules were broken.
And now, the girl whose name shouldn't exist was the most important person in the subway.
The Predator stood.
It looked directly at Han So-yeon.
And it smiled.
[Target Priority: Han So-yeon]
[20:12 Remaining.]
[The chase begins.]
To be continue...