"Will you stay here and be killed by the guy smashing into that iron door, or step outside the train and test your luck? Which one will you choose?"
"Ugh, ugh..."
"Dokja-ssi, there's no guarantee that whatever is beyond that iron door is an enemy..."
I tapped Lee Hyunsung's shoulder and pointed to the bloodstains around us.
"...Ah."
"We, we have to get out! We can't let whatever is out there get in!"
Only then did Han Myungoh and Lee Hyunsung start preparing to leave.
It seemed the two of them finally realized it. The other carriages must have cleared the same scenario as us... and they wouldn't have had the luck of finding insects.
That meant the ones beyond the door were real murderers who had killed people.
"Find an exit!"
"This one's broken!"
"Damn it, this one won't budge either!"
They struggled with all their might to open the doors.
Looking back... that iron door seemed on the verge of breaking down.
"Everyone step aside for a moment. Stay behind me if you can."
At my words, the group struggling with the door stepped back, puzzled.
Glad they listen well.
"Cursed Technique Reversal: Red."
I immediately reversed the Cursed Energy of Limitless and fired it forward.
It was simply a force of repulsion, but its destructive power should be more than enough to blast through a subway door.
"Let's go."
"Wh-what..."
Everyone looked shocked by my action, but another thud from behind snapped them back to reality. Led by Kim Dokja and me, we fled from the train.
We ran for quite a while. Thinking we just needed to follow the tracks, I ran with the group to escape the area.
[Goodness, I knew this would happen.]
We were forced to stop running due to the sudden appearance of the Dokkaebi in front of us.
[Didn't I tell you earlier? Not to go anywhere. Damn it... the scenario isn't even ready yet.]
"I knew it! I said we shouldn't have come out!"
[Phew... well, can't be helped. You humans really are lucky.]
Ding.
As the Dokkaebi snapped his fingers, a new message window appeared before our eyes.
[The Second Scenario has arrived.]
< Sub Scenario - Escape >
Category: Sub
Difficulty: E
Clear Condition: Cross the broken bridge and enter Oksu Station.
Time Limit: 20 minutes
Reward: 200 Coins
Penalty for Failure: ???
"Excuse me, Dokja-ssi. Something's strange. It says 'broken bridge', but the bridge is still..."
"Don't worry about it and run! Quickly!"
Silencing Yoo Sangah's curiosity, Dokja kept running. We followed behind him, running as fast as we could.
Actually, Yoo Sangah's point might have been valid. The bridge just hadn't broken yet. The point of this sub-scenario was... that the bridge was scheduled to collapse. If we had exited at the "appropriate" time, there would have likely been a broken bridge waiting for us.
"Hah, hah... Hyunsung-ssi really has good stamina, being a soldier and all."
"Don't talk. It drains your energy."
Fortunately, thanks to Hyunsung running with Gilyoung on his back, we all managed to get here without any casualties.
WHOOOOSH.
"W-what is that!"
An Ichthyosaur suddenly surged from the water. It looked to be about the level of a Sea Commander.
Kim Dokja would vaguely know. That this Ichthyosaur obviously didn't appear for us to hunt.
And that it was the very culprit that would destroy the bridge.
"The bridge is going to break!"
"Run! If we run, we can cross it!"
Certainly, Dokja's judgment was excellent. The distance was short enough that if we ran from now on, we could all cross. However, the Dokkaebi snapped his fingers once more.
[Scenario difficulty has been adjusted.]
[Scenario Difficulty: E -> D]
[It's no fun if the game is too easy, right? Where's the thrill in just running away! Let's set the mood a little!]
[The malice of the dead returns.]
[The surrounding earth fills with black ether.]
[The Demonic People have awakened!]
Unpleasant voices of the dead were heard, and soon, things commonly called zombies began chasing us from behind.
"Z-Zombies...?!"
"Just a little more! We just have to avoid getting caught!"
The Ichthyosaur gradually raced toward the bridge. Lee Hyunsung broke through the safety line with Lee Gilyoung on his back. Since I was deliberately running at the back, I still had quite a distance to cover.
"Y-you bastards!"
There are too many Demonic People chasing us.
At this speed...
"Everyone get down!!"
It meant it was already too late.
The bridge couldn't withstand the Ichthyosaur's attack and shook violently.
Through the thick dust, something glinting caught my eye—it was the shining scales of the Ichthyosaur.
Water from the Han River poured down from the sky like rain, and the smell of blood and water—just a terrible fishy stench—filled the air.
If it weren't for the Limitless technique, I would have been drenched in all of it.
"The Demonic People... looks like the Ichthyosaur ate them."
A little distance away, I saw Yoo Sangah trying to wake Dokja.
She was supporting Han Myungoh with one arm and trying to wake Dokja with the other.
"The bridge is cut."
"So it is."
I helped Dokja stand up and looked across the bridge. The other two seemed to have crossed safely, and for us... well, a Constellation's blessing should be dropping soon.
[Someone has received the favor of a Constellation.]
[Due to the favor of a Constellation, 'Deus Ex Machina' is activated for the scenario.]
Just like that.
A voice echoed from the void, and a bridge of light formed across the broken section of the bridge. And a message window appeared.
[Deus Ex Machina - Bridge of Even Numbers]
Description: A bridge of light created by the favor of a Constellation. Only two people can cross this bridge. If more people try to cross, the bridge will immediately vanish.
It should have been an even number originally. Did my intervention twist the Probability? The situation turned quite malicious.
"Dokja-ssi. What do we do now?"
"Well."
Time was short, and the number of people was limited. Kim Dokja's head must be spinning.
But, as I just said, time was short.
"Kim Dokja!"
"?!"
Thwack. At my call, Kim Dokja hurriedly twisted his body to block a Demonic Person's attack.
"...Kim Namwoon."
Their ill-fated relationship seemed to run quite deep.
"Grrr..."
"Yoo Sangah-ssi. Right now—"
"Let go of me! Let go! Dokja-ssi! Dokja-ssi!!"
Watching Dokja's situation, I turned around at that sound to look at Yoo Sangah.
Ah, right. Here, Han Myungoh abandoned Dokja, picked up Yoo Sangah, and crossed the bridge, didn't he?
Well, I could cross whenever I wanted... but it was still annoying.
"L-look at him run."
I pointed at Han Myungoh and laughed in disbelief.
"He probably... received a Stigma."
"Indeed."
I used the Six Eyes to see through to who the Constellation was.
Well, it was information I knew without looking, and information I didn't necessarily need to know. But I was curious if I could see through to the Constellation.
"As expected."
"Those eyes..."
"Hm? Ah, it's nothing."
I looked toward the Demonic People.
"I'll take the left. Dokja-ssi, you take the right."
"Understood."
I immediately activated Limitless and ran toward the Demonic People.
Actually, there was a way to wipe them all out by myself. But I didn't. Kim Dokja needed to awaken his abilities, and as far as I knew... he hadn't yet realized one of his skills.
"Grrrr...!"
"Oops."
The Demonic People rushing toward me. I considered wiping them out at once with the Limitless technique, but thinking I shouldn't rely too much on my ability either, I deactivated it.
"Guaaaah...!!"
Using the momentum of the Demonic People rushing at me, I flipped them over to my rear. I tried using the exact method Kim Dokja was using in front of me. Dropping them under the bridge.
It was easier than I thought. Since the mindless mobs charging at me couldn't do things like suddenly reducing their force.
Well, even if I used the same method as Kim Dokja, there was a difference. I had things Kim Dokja didn't. For example, things like [Martial Arts Lv.10].
While dealing with the Demonic People rushing at me, I kept an eye on Kim Dokja. He suddenly stood stock still, so for a moment I thought he'd gone crazy...
"Oh."
He quickly grabbed a knife and slashed the Demonic Person that had been Kim Namwoon. It seemed he used the Bookmark skill.
"Tired... really tired."
"Grrrraah...!"
Should I help him now? Thinking that, I slowly activated the Limitless technique and walked toward Kim Dokja. However, hearing the crushing sound of Demonic People being smashed from the opposite direction, I immediately looked not at Dokja, but toward the source of the noise.
"Who are you guys?"
A man had obliterated all the Demonic People where he stood in an instant and arrived in front of us. Overwhelming martial prowess, slaughtering the Demonic People with just two fists and no weapons.
"..."
Looking to the side, Kim Dokja appeared to be looking at Yoo Joonghyuk through 'Character List'.
"How are you guys alive?"
The figure existing before our eyes was the original of the world mentioned in Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint.
The protagonist of that work.
The Regressor, Yoo Joonghyuk. That man was standing right in front of us.