For a long, taut moment, the only sound in the carriage was Lee Hyunsung's ragged breathing. He stood before the warped subway door like a man facing down an executioner, shoulders trembling, palms pressed uselessly against the cold metal.
"Haaap!... ugh." He staggered back, shaking out his hands as if the door had personally offended him. "Yoo Joonghyk-ssi, h-how can I open this door? I'm not strong enough..."
Yoo Joonghyuk didn't even blink. His voice landed with the weight of a verdict. "Use your stigma."
[Some Constellations are surprised with how much Incarnation 'Yoo Joonghyuk' knows about the scenario.]
Lee Hyunsung froze, the confusion on his face almost comical—if the situation weren't so dire. "S-stigma? I—what stigma?"
"You should've checked it when you opened your attribute window." Yoo Joonghyuk's gaze flicked over him, assessing, disappointed. "You're a soldier. There must be a skill you can use."
"Um, well... I have one but, how do I use it—"
"Just think about using the stigma."
[Several Constellations are suspicious with Incarnation 'Yoo Joonghyuk'.]
High above, the distant stars flickered with restless murmurs—constellations whispering doubts. But down here, no one paid them any mind. To most of the bewildered survivors in the carriage, these so-called messages were nothing more than the latest twist in whatever bizarre, overcomplicated joke the world had turned into.
Lee Hyunsung blinked, trying to steady his breath. The weight of Yoo Joonghyuk's gaze made his thoughts scatter.
"So... if I just think about it..." His voice trailed off, uncertainty creeping back at him. "...Will that work?"
Yoo Joonghyuk didn't answer. He didn't need to. His silence pressed down harder than any lecture, leaving Lee Hyunsung to drown in his own nerves.
Lee Hyunsung drew in a breath that sounded too loud in the cramped carriage. He stepped back to the door, his fingers curling around the small opening. Determination—hesitant at first—settled over his features like a closing visor.
"Haaap—" His arms tightened, tendons rising like cable pulled taut. Something inside him—some dormant instinct honed from years of discipline—surged awake. His stance shifted, weight grinding through his heels. The air vibrated faintly around him.
[The Constellation 'Master of Steel' is cheering for his Incarnation!]
[A handful of Constellations are cheering for Incarnation 'Lee Hyunsung'.]
This was the Great Mountain Push, erupting through his body at last.
The moment he activated the stigma, strength flooded into him in a crushing wave—dense, and immovable. The door's warped frame groaned in protest.
Dudududu—
Deep in the mechanism, a massive spring twisted against its own limits. With a harsh metallic shudder, the door began to inch open.
"What? This guy's got real strength!" Kim Namwoon shouted, half amazed, half delighted, practically bouncing with excitement. "That's it! That's really great!"
[A Constellation who hasn't revealed their modifier is revealing their modifier!]
[The Constellation 'Nail-eating Rat' loves Incarnation 'Kim Namwoon's' excitement!]
[The Constellation 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon' is warning Constellation 'Nail-eating Rat' to back off of his Incarnation.]
But Lee Hyunsung didn't hear him. His face was flushed, eyes narrowed, entire body locker into the effort. There was no room for praise, or fear, or thought—only the stubborn belief that if he pushed hard enough, something would eventually give.
He wasn't complicated. He didn't need to be.
He was, after all, a simpler person than most people thought. And sometimes, that was exactly what pushed things forward.
At last, with one final heave, the door jerked aside just enough to reveal a narrow gap—barely wide enough for a person to slip through. Cold air rushed in, carrying the distant hum of the outside world. Yoo Joonghyuk didn't waste time a second; he shoved the opening wider with his shoulder and motioned sharply.
"Move. We're leaving."
The others scrambled to obey, squeezing out one by one, boots clattering onto the platform's concrete edge. The carriage behind them rattled as if offended by their escape, the fluorescent lights flickering weakly overhead. Lee Hyunsung was the last to step through, panting, sweat bending down his temples but relief softening his expression.
The moment their feet hit solid ground outside the train, the suffocating pressure inside the carriage seemed to lift—replaced instantly by something colder, heavier, and infinitely more dangerous.
The iron door, already warped from Lee Hyunsung's effort, gave one last tortured screech as it yielded. A jagged crack split down its center, metal bending outward like it had simply lost the will to resist.
[...Ah, this is really—unbelievable. I knew this would happen. Didn't I warn you? I told you not to go anywhere! Damn it! The scenario isn't ready yet—]
The Dokkaebi's voice exploded across the carriage with a sharp crackle, its tiny form whipping through the air above Dongho Bridge like an annoyed firefly on fast-forward. Its irritation practically dripped from each flickering pixel around its body.
[Sigh... it can't be helped. you humans are lucky this time.]
Lucky wasn't quite the word for it—but it didn't matter. The moment the carriage door gave way, the second scenario slammed into activation, enveloping everyone with a cold ripple of system light.
[ The second scenario has arrived !]
[ Second Scenario – Escape ]
Category: Sub
Difficulty: E
Clear Conditions: Cross the broken bridge and enter Oksu Station.
Time Limit: 20 minutes.
Compensation: 200 coins.
Failure: ???
The message flashed across the air before dissolving again, and Lee Hyunsung squinted it up, confusion pinching his brow. "Yoo Joonghyuk-ssi, something is strange. It says 'broken bridge,' but the bridge is still—"
"Don't worry and just run. Quickly!"
"U-Understood!"
[The Constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' considers Incarnation 'Yoo Joonghyuk' has cheated the scenario!]
[A handful of Constellations mocked Incarnation 'Yoo Joonghyuk' for his cowardice.]
[The Constellation 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon' is pissed by Incarnation 'Yoo Joonghyuk's' decision.]
They bolted onto the bridge, their footsteps echoing across the asphalt as if the structure itself was holding its breath. Lee Hyunsung wasn't wrong—the bridge was perfectly intact.
In other words, the bridge was going to break.
The only reason it hadn't yet was simple—they had gotten off the train too early. The dokkaebi had given a preparation time of 10 minutes, but Yoo Joonghyuk had told Lee Hyunsung to force the door open at the 7-minute mark. Some would call it cheating. Others would call it cowardice. But in a scenario designed to kill them, taking shortcuts wasn't shameful—it was survival.
Lee Hyunsung's breathing grew louder as they ran, heavy and steady like a war drum ponding across the bridge. Beside him, Kim Namwoon let out an incredulous laugh, almost tripping over his own excitement. "Pant... pant... damn, old man! You're a soldier for real—your stamina's insane!"
[Some Constellations are curious on Incarnation 'Lee Hyunsung's' stat.]
"Don't talk," Yoo Joonghyuk said without breaking pace. "You'll lose strength."
Both men snapped their mouths shut immediately, nodding in unison. Lee Hyunsung's face was red enough to cook on, clearly itching to say something, but he forced himself forward with surprising speed. His strides were heavy, sure, powerful—built from discipline rather than coins.
Despite never spending a single coin on his stats, the total of his strength, physique, and agility already exceeded 23. Raw, unpolished power—dangerous in the hands of anyone else, but something endearing in the hands of someone as earnest as Lee Hyunsung.
And right now, they needed every bit of it.
[The Constellation 'Master of Steel' respects Incarnation 'Yoo Joonghyuk' for taking care of his Incarnation.]
[The Constellations of the absolute good are delighted by Incarnation 'Yoo Joonghyuk's' good deeds.]
They charged farther onto the bridge, their steps echoing against steel and asphalt. The river wind howled beneath them. Every instinct screamed that they were moving toward danger instead of away from it.
"Ah! What is that?!" Kim Namwoon's voice cracked sharp through the air, shrill with both excitement and terror.
Ahead of them, the Han River had erupted into chaos. A massive whirlpool churned at the center, throwing up great walls of spray. And in the middle of that storm, something colossal thrashed—its dark scales gleaming beneath the broken sunlight.
A monster rose from the water. It was an ichthyosaur. But, the size of it is twice as big as the others.
This wasn't a sea serpent... it was a sea commander. A normal sea serpent was already a 7th-grade monster—far beyond what the average human could even hope to confront. A ground rat, merely a 9th-grade was enough to tear people apart. But this? This thing could swallow them whole without noticing.
[The Constellation 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon' is curious whether or not Incarnation 'Yoo Joonghyuk' could defeat a 7th-grade monster.]
The river surged as if a tsunami had been crammed into a single attack. The ichthyosaur slammed its head against the bridge supports with terrifying force, gnawing through steel and concrete like it was nothing.
"The bridge is breaking!" someone yelled—maybe Kim Namwoon, maybe all three of them at once.
"Run!" Yoo Joonghyuk barked. "If we run fast enough, we can cross it!"
Two hundred meters remained. Two hundred meters between them and survival. And just like in the previous regression, Yoo Joonghyuk knew—they could make it if they didn't hesitate.
"We just need to go a little further! Faster!"
At that moment, Yoo Joonghyuk activated his exclusive attribute, Pro Gamer. The shift was immediate and deliberate—his body tightening into perfect efficiency, movements becoming sharp, measured, and ruthlessly optimized.
It was like watching someone slip into a familiar combat stance from a game they'd mastered long ago—every step he took aligned perfectly with the ideal route in his mind.
[Incarnation 'Yoo Joonghyeok's' exclusive attribute, 'Pro Gamer' is awakening!]
The system acknowledged his activation quietly, as if stepping aside for him. Yoo Joonghyuk didn't react—there was nothing surprising about it. It was the strength he'd prepared, the control he'd earned due to his status as an Ex-Pro Gamer. His breathing steadied, his stride lengthened, and his speed strike with terrifying precision.
Behind them, the ichthyosaur roared as it slammed into the bridge supports again, the entire structure trembling under the monster's weight. Water sprayed high enough to sting their backs as they ran.
The distance dropped—one hundred and fifty meters...
[The Majority of Constellations are cheering for the three Incarnations!]
One hundred and twenty meters..
[The Constellation 'Queen of the Darkest Spring' is looking at Incarnation 'Yoo Joonghyuk' with Interest.]
Fifty meters.
Their footsteps hammered the pavement in unison, and with a final burst—driven by Lee Hyunsung's raw strength, Kim Namwoon's adrenaline, and Yoo Joonghyuk's absolute control—they crossed the safety barrier just as the bridge behind them released a bone—deep groan that signaled catastrophic collapse.