Chapter 15

1 A meteor shower was falling across the night sky. Most people would have been awed by this spectacle, but not Junghyeok Yu. [Is it starting?] After all, the meteor shower was an omen that the third scenario was on the horizon. Seoul would perish as planned. Junghyeok looked down from the night sky to the mouth of the Han River. The swarm of angler dragons had migrated downriver, so it was quite peaceful around Dongho Bridge. [I guess it was too much for him.] It had been three days since Dokja Kim had fallen into the river. A beginner who had just cleared the first scenario, hunting an angler dragon? That was probably too much to ask for. [Well, even I would have a hard time doing that in three days.] Still, if this Dokja Kim couldn’t manage that, then he wasn’t worth taking along. He’d just be a liability. [He called himself a Prophet, but I guess he wasn’t all that.] Junghyeok closed his eyes in disappointment. He’d move forward on his own once again. No allies. It wasn’t a big deal. He’d always been alone. [This time, I’ll change the future no matter what.] Junghyeok turned around. But perhaps he’d given up too soon. “Wait…!” Wh-what? I blinked several times, but all I could see was a grayish-white ceiling. I was still inside the angler dragon’s stomach. When I turned my head, Bihyeong was there, looking startled. “…I had a dream.” Ooh, an ominous foreshadowing to get the constellations hooked? Classic. You really are a natural, aren’t you? That wasn’t what I was doing, but I didn’t care enough to correct him. [A small number of constellations wish you’d move to a new location already.] I’d fallen asleep after using the Ellain Forest Essence I’d bought for five hundred coins. It was too dangerous to make a move while I was this exhausted. Ellain Forest Essence put you to sleep for two hours, but quickly healed your wounds and fatigue. It had a hefty price tag, but it was worth every coin. “…I really should get going now,” I muttered to myself as I stretched. The dream I’d had was still vivid in my mind. Perhaps it hadn’t been a dream. Bzzzt. There was an electric crackle, and Bihyeong disappeared without a word. I was sure he had work to do elsewhere. I sighed in relief. A stream contract with a goblin. It was a gamble I couldn’t have attempted if I hadn’t read about Bihyeong in TWSA. Looking back, I was surprised by how calm and collected I’d been throughout that tense situation. Even though I’d struggled to lock down even the smallest contracts in “real life.” [Exclusive skill “The Fourth Wall” has been activated.] …Real life, huh? I clenched the thorn I held in my right hand. Did I really consider this to be reality? [A small number of constellations want you to get moving already.] Well, it wasn’t the time to be worrying about this stuff. I gripped the thorn and swung hard at the stomach wall, breaking open the brittle dead tissue. Water gushed in, and I jumped into the Han River. “Pwah!” Luckily, there were no other angler dragons around. Small aquatic species approached curiously, but they didn’t seem hostile. Not all monsters attacked humans. …Is Dongho Bridge that way? I used a chunk of the dead angler dragon as a flotation device and kicked awkwardly at the water. The cold water stung my skin, but I ignored it. After about thirty minutes of swimming, I finally reached the shore. [A small number of constellations tense up.] This kind of message usually meant something dangerous was about to happen. [Constellation Abyssal Black Flame Dragon grins ominously.] Too bad for the constellations who disliked me, but it wouldn’t go the way they wanted. I already knew exactly what hazards lay ahead. [You have entered the zone of the second scenario.] [This scenario zone is heavily polluted.] [Hold your breath and quickly seek shelter in an underground area.] That was how the message explained it, but from the very moment the scenario started, you weren’t supposed to be aboveground. What was happening to my skin was proof of that. [You have been exposed to a poisonous fog.] My skin was turning black as soon as it came in contact with the purple fog. Groar! As I tracked the source of the purple fog, I spotted a monster which was letting out a horrendous roar. A towering behemoth over thirty meters tall. This fog was the flatulence of a level-7 monster, a plague rhinoceros. It snorted as it faced another monster across the fog. Based on its silhouette, the other monster appeared to be a monarch species insect. Kreee… It wasn’t just humans who were struggling to survive in the new world. Monsters fought for territory as well. I tried my best to hold my breath as I moved. They were level-7 monsters like the sea commander, but I wouldn’t be able to handle them now. I’d been able to kill the sea commander because I was ready. [You are using Ellain Monkey’s Lung.] An item that can neutralize poison for twenty minutes. I’d purchased it from Bihyeong in preparation for this. [A small number of constellations are impressed by your readiness!] Oksu Station was destroyed, since it was aboveground. The closest underground station was Geumho. The others should’ve already moved there. I quickly made my way through the streets, avoiding small monsters feasting on dead bodies. I only had twenty minutes to gather the necessary supplies and reach my destination. The first thing I needed was clothes. Mine had been damaged by the angler dragon’s stomach acid. There were plenty of clothes around, but I didn’t feel good about taking them. …I had no choice, though. I took some clothes off the dead bodies that were strewn about. Next, I made a beeline to a convenience store. I hurriedly scooped some small and compact food items into a few plastic bags. Once underground, these would serve as great bargaining chips. I’d collected about three or four bags of food when I noticed that the monkey’s lung I was holding in my mouth was starting to turn black. I was running out of time. Just then, I heard a voice. “H-help…please help me…” …Someone’s still alive out here? I turned my head and saw a young woman cowering in a corner. Her arms and shoulders were bruised as if she had been fighting, and her ripped shirt had bloodstains. Luckily, her wounds weren’t deep, but the effects of the poison were evident on her skin. The face mask she was wearing was slowing down the effect of the poison, but she would be dead soon if I left her here. “Are you okay? Can you get up?” “Ughh…” I wanted to check if there was a minor character like her in TWSA, but there was no time. I carried her on my back and ran straight toward Geumho Station. I made my way down a side street until I came upon a large road. Geumho Station was only a hundred meters straight ahead from here. Taking a deep breath, I dashed down the road at full speed. I could see Exit 3 in the distance. …Closed. What about the other side? Every exit had the shutters down. It must have been standard protocol for a state of emergency. I could’ve broken through with the Stone Hog’s Thorn, but that might endanger the people inside. “Four…Exit 4…” Unexpectedly, the woman on my back helped me. As I ran toward Exit 4, I could hear the shutters being lowered. I stuck the thorn into the gap before it could fully close. Someone yelled. “Wh-what the hell?!” “Open the door.” “No! You can’t come in! Go away!” “I have an injured person with me.” “It’s already full in here. We don’t need any more people!” It’s full? They won’t take any more people? Strange. Did this happen in the novel? “I don’t care.” I used the thorn as a lever to lift up the shutter. I’d used coins to get my strength stat up to level 10, so I had the strength of five or six adult men. “Aaaack!” The people who’d been trying to lower the shutter were thrown off their feet. “R-run!” Those men got scared and disappeared into the darkness underground. Safely inside, I closed the shutter behind me and put the woman down. [You have entered a safe zone.] The poisonous fog didn’t go underground. That may not be how gases behave, but not everything in a scenario required a scientific explanation. “Put this in your mouth.” I took the mask off the woman’s face and put the monkey’s lung I’d been using in her mouth. It won’t heal her completely, but it’ll neutralize some of the poison. “Ngh…” She let out a faint moan. An abandoned woman. I was curious about her. Chances are, she was supposed to have died back there. But as I was about to activate “Character Profile,” I heard a voice. “Over there! That’s him!” From the darkness, flashlights were approaching. Once I squinted, I could make out a group of men armed with iron pipes and such. [Constellation Prisoner of the Golden Headband frowns at the appearance of the unwelcome guests.] A large man in the middle was the first to speak. Judging by his physique, he was probably no stranger to fighting. “Who the hell are you?” For some reason, I couldn’t answer. How do I respond in a situation like this? I thought about it for a moment, then put on my best Junghyeok Yu impression. “Dokja Kim.” “…Dokja Kim? That’s your name?” “Yes.” “I didn’t ask for your damn name! Who the hell are you?” It was even harder to answer that question. “Wh-what? That woman…” One of the men shined his flashlight on the woman beside me. “Huh? Isn’t she from the minor group? I thought she came back with the rest of you guys.” “Uh, about that…” The man flicked his flashlight around the woman’s waist in a vulgar manner. The large man chuckled knowingly. “Ah-ha. I see, you filthy dogs. Ya didn’t even ask me for permission first…?” “Heh…heh-heh. Apologies, sir.” “I-I know you should get first dibs, Cheolsu…Heh-heh. We were going to, but…” Cheolsu? Cheolsu…Had there been a character by that name? Well, I didn’t remember him, so he must have been a small fry despite how he looked. “Hand over the woman and— Huh? What’s that?” The flashlight’s beam was now on the convenience store bags. This was taking a dangerous turn. “Leave those, too, and get outta here. Then maybe I won’t kill you.” Dangerous for them, not me. [Constellation Prisoner of the Golden Headband is annoyed by the appearance of small fries.] [Constellation Demonic Judge of Fire is furious about the breach of justice.] [A bounty scenario has been started at the request of constellations.] <Bounty Scenario — Get Rid of the Nuisance> Category: Sub Difficulty: F Mission: Constellations are furious at the petty villains dragging down the pacing of the story. Take care of them within the time limit. Time Limit: 5 minutes Reward: ??? Penalty for Failure: ??? I’d thought this might happen. Poor bastards. I straightened up, holding the thorn in my hand. There aren’t any underage constellations watching this, right? I hope not. Things are about to get graphic.