[ THE FREE SERVICE PERIOD OF PLANETARY SYSTEM NO. 8612 HAS CONCLUDED. ]
[ MAIN SCENARIO HAS BEGUN. ]
________________________________________
[ Channel #B-7623 has opened. ]
[ Constellations are entering. ]
"Wh-What's happening?!"
"I... I don't know...!"
Screams filled the train. Passengers stumbled and ran in confusion as the entire compartment began to shake violently, as if a massive earthquake had struck underground.
"Don't move! One more step and I'll blow every single one of you to hell!!"
The man with the bomb shouted with murderous intent. His words froze the chaos. Not just the passengers, but even the train itself seemed to fall into an unnatural silence.
What is going on...?
I clenched my fists. Fear crept into my chest.
My sister... she was waiting for me at home.
I couldn't die here. I wouldn't.
[ An extremely small number of Constellations are becoming interested in Incarnation 'Choi Han-Gyu'. ]
Another voice echoed in our minds, mechanical yet eerily omnipresent.
The man holding the bomb flinched. He began glancing around in paranoia.
Swisshh—
The lights went out. Darkness swallowed the compartment whole.
A suffocating silence pressed down on us.
Crack... crack...
A faint noise echoed from the connecting door to the next car. Sparks of light flickered in the air, illuminating nothing and everything all at once.
"What is happening...?"
"I-I can't see anything…"
Everyone's gaze fixated on the shimmering light. Fear and curiosity battled in their eyes.
"What the heck is going on?!" the terrorist growled. His voice trembled.
Swisshh—
The lights returned. People gasped in relief. But the air was still thick with dread.
What is happening… and why does everything feel so wrong…?
My head throbbed. Memories were slipping away, like sand through my fingers.
________________________________________
[ Welcome, everyone. Nice to meet you. ]
[ Yu Jung-Hyeok's dilemmas were carefully extinguished by a small CGI-like lump suddenly appearing in mid-air.]
[ It's getting tiring to make the same introduction over and over again, but... Anyway, this situation isn't a movie shoot nor is it a terror incident.... Ng?]
[ With two small horns and wearing a small straw mat, the strange and fluffy creature was floating in the air. ]
[ It was too strange to call it a fairy, too evil to call it an angel, and too tranquil to call it a demon. ]
[ Thus, it was called a 'Dokkkaebi.]
[ What's this? Hahahahat! Dear Constellations, please take a look over here! The scenarios haven't even begun yet, but something entertaining is already underway!]
It laughed—a light, cruel sound.
[ I'm already beginning to look forward to this particular car. I pray that you'll all show us an entertaining tale.]
[The main scenario has arrived!]
[Main Scenario #1 – Proof of Worth
Type: Main
Difficulty: F
Clear condition: Please kill one or more lifeforms.
Time limit: 30 minutes
Reward: 300 Coins
Failure: Death]
[ Then, good luck everyone. Please entertain us. ]
With a smirk, the Dokkaebi faded from view.
Panic swept over the passengers again. Some ran to the doors, trying to pry them open. Others called the emergency line in vain.
"This… this is a game...HAHAHAHAHA!"
A sudden, maniacal laugh echoed across the train.
Choi Han-Gyu.
His eyes gleamed with madness.
He pulled a hammer from his side and without warning, slammed it into the skull of the man beside him.
CRACK!
Blood sprayed like a fountain.
The man collapsed. Lifeless.
"If I do this... then I'll be the strongest...!"
Han-Gyu smiled wickedly, licking the blood from his face.
---
[ Incarnation 'Choi Han-Gyu' has achieved the feat of 'First Murder'. ]
The message rang through the air. Everyone heard it.
"Uwaaah! M-Murderer!!"
"Help! Someone help!!"
Choi Han-Gyu looked at them with disappointment.
"Why... why aren't you doing anything...? You're making me look like the weird one…"
He tossed a spanner toward a frozen man.
"You'll need this."
Then he turned and resumed bludgeoning the corpse.
Thwack! Thwack!
Blood soaked the floor. His twisted smile deepened.
"It's easy. You just… hit them. And then…"
He stopped. His face shone with ecstasy.
"Then, everyone can become rich."
------
[ Remaining time: 10 minutes ]
The countdown ticked above our heads.
A heavy silence fell.
Then—
"I... I can't take this anymore!"
A man suddenly grabbed one of the thrown weapons and began swinging it wildly.
"Forgive me! I'm sorry!"
"Uwaaah!!"
Like dominoes, others followed. They weren't sure what this was, but they understood one thing:
[They would die if they didn't kill each other.]
---
[ A small number of Constellations are pleased by the chaos. ]
[ A Constellation has sponsored Incarnation 'Choi Han-Gyu' with 100 Coins. ]
Han-Gyu laughed again, surrounded by blood.
I looked down. At the spanner lying at my feet. And my hands… still trembling.
Should I...?
I had killed people in games before.
But this—this was real.
This was not a game.
All around me, people were transforming. Their eyes—twisted, wild, bloodthirsty. No longer human.
If I show weakness... I'll die.
---
Then, a voice echoed in my memory.
"Big brother... sniff sniff... You won't leave me like mom and dad did, right...?"
A small girl. Tears in her eyes, clutching my hand.
"I won't. I'll always stay with you."
My voice. Or my younger self's?
---
Grab.
I knelt and picked up the spanner.
My grip tightened. My fear didn't vanish—but something else burned stronger than fear.
Resolve.
I won't die here. I will return to my sister.
Let them come. Whatever this world had become—I would survive.