Chapter 4

3 The goblin disappeared, and chaos erupted as people threw themselves into whatever each of them thought was the best course of action. Some struggled to escape the car, while others tried to call the police. Sangah was one of the latter. “The police…the police aren’t answering! What should we do? What—?” “Sangah, please, calm down.” I looked straight into her panic-stricken eyes. “You’ve played our company’s new game, right? The one where the world ends, leaving a small group of survivors.” “Huh? What’s that got to do with—?” “Think of it this way—we are in that game right now.” Sangah looked confused. “A game…” “It’s simple. We just have to follow the rules.” After that, I tried to calm my own breathing. I also needed a moment to process everything that was happening. Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse. Scenes from the novel were playing out right in front of my eyes. A goblin with its horns extended like antennae. Dead bodies strewn on the floor like pieces of garbage. An office worker covered in blood, shaking with fear. An old lady desperately praying in her seat. I carefully surveyed each scene. As if I were Neo from The Matrix, I observed, doubted, and finally, accepted. I had no other choice. I wasn’t quite sure why, but I knew beyond any doubt— TWSA had become reality. Let’s think. What should I do to survive in this world? “Now, now, everyone! Stay calm. Take a deep breath.” About five minutes had passed since the goblin had left when a man stepped forward. “Feeling better? Stop what you’re doing and let me have your attention, please.” I turned around and spotted a neatly trimmed crew cut. The man stood a head taller than most people and had a muscular build to match. At the sound of his voice, the people who were talking on their phones or sobbing in terror quieted down. Mr. Crew Cut waited for everyone’s attention before he spoke again. “During a national emergency, even a small bit of disorder can lead to a lot of casualties. As such, I’ll be taking control of the situation.” “Huh? Who the hell are you?” “A national emergency? Are you shitting me?!” The instinctive objection to the word “control” seemed to bring a few people back to their senses. The young man took out a government ID from his wallet. “I’m a first lieutenant in the army. Unit 6502.” This had a calming effect on some of the passengers. “A soldier. He’s from the army.” However, their relief was cut short. “I’ve just received a message from my unit.” People gathered around to read what was on his phone screen. I happened to be close by, so I was able to get a good look. Level One national emergency declared. All personnel must immediately report to their unit. Startled gasps broke out all around the car. A national emergency. I’d already known that would happen, but what really surprised me was something else. Hyeonseong Lee, first lieutenant in the army. The person standing in front of me was the Hyeonseong Lee. I knew him. This was my first time seeing his face, but I remembered his name clearly because he was a major character in TWSA. Steel Blade Hyeonseong Lee. There was even a character from the novel. I had no choice but to accept that this was happening. “Hey, army man! What the hell is going on?” “I’ve been trying to get in contact with my unit, but…” “What about the president? What is he doing? Call the president! Hurry!” “I’m sorry, but I’m just a soldier. I don’t have a direct line to the president.” “Then how can you take charge?!” “For everyone’s safety, I ask that…” Watching Hyeonseong Lee calmly respond to these absurd questions, I realized how accurately the novel had described his character. But wait a minute. Is this how Hyeonseong Lee’s character is introduced? The question popped up in my head, and I felt a sense of unease. As the sole reader of TWSA, I was positive this wasn’t how it had happened in the novel. He’s supposed to appear after the first scenario is complete. ……What’s going on? I was confused. If I could just read the novel again, then I’d know for sure. “The prime minister’s making a statement! He says it’s really a Level One national emergency!” Someone shouted, prompting everyone to take out their own smartphones. Sangah turned her phone’s screen toward me. “…Dokja, look at this.” We didn’t even have to search for it because “prime minister’s statement” was the top trending item at every major outlet. Besides, I already knew what the video would contain. Attention, all citizens. A number of areas, including Seoul, are under attack by unidentified terrorists. The speech was straightforward. The government would combat these terrorists by any means necessary, and there would be no negotiation with them. Citizens, keep calm and carry on, etc., etc.… I hadn’t thought much of it while reading the novel, but now that I was actually hearing this speech, I realized how ridiculous it was. A terrorist attack… I guess that’s a convenient explanation. “By the way, why’s the prime minister making this speech? Where’s the president?” “I heard he’s already dead.” “What? Really?” “It’s not confirmed, but I read some comments saying that he—” “Then it’s just bullshit. You scared me!” Of course, I knew that it wasn’t just hearsay. “Ack! What the—?!” The sound of gunshots suddenly rang out, causing some people to drop their phones. But the gunshots had come from the phone speakers, followed by loud crackling. In the footage, where the prime minister had once stood, there were only splatters of blood. The people in the subway car gasped in horror as they realized what had just happened. “Th-the prime minister is…” He had been killed. By having his head blown up on live TV. There were few more gunshots before the video went quiet. What appeared on the screen next was the goblin. Come on, I told you already. This is no “terrorist attack.” Get real! People were at a loss for words. All they could do was open and close their mouths like fish out of water. You still don’t get it, do you? How stupid. You think this is some kinda game? The goblin’s casual tone only added to the sense of dread. I clenched my fists tight without realizing it. Ha-ha. Very well. According to my research, the people in this country are good at video games. Then I guess I should increase the difficulty, eh? A large timer appeared in midair with a beep. It immediately began to count down. [Ten minutes have been deducted from the time limit.] [The time remaining is ten minutes.] [If the first kill does not occur within the next five minutes, every living creature in this train car will be exterminated.] “Wh-what? This has to be a prank, right?” “Did everyone else hear that? Hey, did you hear that message, too?” “Army man! What do we do now? Why aren’t the police here?” “Everyone, please, calm down and listen—” The chaos that broke out following the goblin’s announcement was far too much for Hyeonseong Lee to handle. I noticed Sangah gripping my jacket tightly. And yet, I still couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. A key character like Hyeonseong Lee was already here. So why hadn’t he made an appearance yet? According to the story I knew, he should’ve showed up by now. “M-murder! Someone got killed in the next car!” The windows near the passageway gave a clear view of the carnage taking place in car 3907. People blanched in horror as their eyes met the gaze of the killers in the next car over. “We can’t let ’em in! Don’t let anyone come in here!” People tried to block the door. But that was unnecessary. After all, that wasn’t where their enemies were. [Entering and exiting the car is prohibited until this scenario is complete.] With that message, people bounced off the steel door as if they had bumped into an invisible wall. “Wh-what the heck?” And once again, the goblin’s voice rang out. Ha-ha. Things are getting interesting all over the place, but it looks like some people are still dragging their feet. All right, then. I’ll do you a special favor. Here’s a preview of what will happen to you unless you take action in the next five minutes. A large screen appeared in midair inside the subway car. It displayed a classroom. Girls in navy uniforms were trembling in fear. A high school boy next to me mumbled as he chewed on his nails. “Those uniforms…isn’t that Taepoong Girls’ High School?” Some of the girls were working together to break down the door, while others seemed to be brainstorming ideas to escape. Young students doing everything they could to get through the scenario without killing anyone. They were much wiser than the foolish adults here. That made this scene all the more tragic. Beep, beep, beep, beep—the alarm sound grew increasingly urgent, causing the girls to scream. [The time limit has passed.] [Penalty will be disbursed.] Immediately following the announcement, the head of a student sitting in the front row exploded. Then another one. And another. The young girls’ heads blew up one by one. Screaming students ran to the windows and the door. “No…th-this can’t be happening…” Broom and mop handles broke and the girls’ nails were torn off as they rammed and clawed at the classroom door. But it would not open. No one could get out. Splat. Splat. The students’ heads continued to explode. It was at that moment one girl began strangling her friend. The victim’s arms went limp as she gasped her last breath. A moment later, the screen showed nothing but the one remaining girl, looking around with a feverish fire in her eyes. [Channel #BAY23515. Taepoong Girls’ High School Class 2-B Survivor: Jihye Lee.] The girl glared directly at the screen as it faded. The goblin’s voice broke the silence that fell over the train car. How was it? Fun, right? The goblin exclaimed these words gleefully, but people weren’t looking at the screen anymore. They were nervously glancing at each other, scrambling to put some distance between themselves and everyone else in the car. Someone screamed in disbelief. “Damn it! What the hell is this?!” Even Sangah let go of my arm, though she didn’t try to move away from me. With both my hands free, I turned on my phone. Why hasn’t he appeared yet? Things were unfolding as they had in the novel, but there were key differences that were nagging at me. The only way I could sort this out was by checking TWSA. But how would I possibly find that novel again? Was there a bootleg copy somewhere? I doubt it. The novel is too unpopular for anyone to even pirate it……No, wait. [1 Attached File] Seeing the e-mail notification on my phone threw me into a daze. Surely, it’s not……No way, right? What I saw in my in-box left me stunned. The name of the attached file the author had sent me was… [Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse. TXT] I couldn’t believe it. I rubbed my eyes and stared at the screen, but the file was definitely there. The filename extension was TXT. Had the author…seriously sent me their novel as a present? [You have acquired an exclusive attribute.] [Your exclusive skill slot has been unlocked.] The messages rang in my ears as I opened the file. This was nothing to be surprised about, if the world had truly turned into that of TWSA. The survivors in the novel received attributes and the ability to use skills. I tried saying “attribute window” in my head. If I really had received a skill, I needed to know what it did. [The attribute menu cannot be opened.] What the heck? I tried again to call up the attribute window, but still nothing. This was unexpected. What was I supposed to do? Without the menu, I couldn’t see what attribute and skills I had. They say knowing is half the battle, and I was at a huge disadvantage. I stared blankly into empty space for a while, then gave up and decided to read the file from the author first. [Your reading speed has increased due to your exclusive attribute.] I didn’t know what my attribute was, but it allowed me to read the entire opening of TWSA in under a minute. …Found it. I stopped scrolling when I got to a scene near the beginning, in which the main character was about to perform a certain action in the subway. He looked over the people gathered at the rear door of car 3707. The wheel of the lighter he held tightly felt cold to the touch. There would be no mistakes in this life. He vowed to do whatever it took to reach his goals. Fear was written plain on the people’s faces. He felt no remorse. This would be over in a moment. He scanned the other passengers with cold detachment. Fwoosh. A small flame sparked to life at his fingertip. Then it all began. I felt a chill down my spine, and I read the passage over and over again. Now I knew why something felt off. “…It was 3707.” I glanced around for the number of the train car I was in. 3807. I was in the car behind the one the main character was in. My hands trembled a little. …Hang on. Then what’s supposed to happen to the people in this car? Through the dirty window, he watched the chaos unfolding in car 3807. Was it too late for them? There’s nothing I can do. After all, there would only be two survivors from that car. Only two survivors. Everyone else here would die. And I already knew who those two people were. I looked up in a daze at Sangah Yu. This person will probably die. And so will I. “Dokja, over there—” I turned to see what she was pointing at. A male student who had been leaning on the wall near the entrance had moved over to the priority seats. He had a slim build, and his hair was dyed silver. I checked the name tag on his school uniform. Namwoon Kim. As I’d thought, it was a name I knew very well. There will only be two survivors in that car—Hyeonseong Lee and Namwoon Kim. That’s fine. Those two are the ones I need anyway. Standing in front of the priority seats, Namwoon Kim scanned the elderly seated there like a butcher deciding what to slaughter first. “Any volunteers?” His voice was cold with undisguised intent. An old man stammered a feeble protest. “Wh-what do you mean—?” “You know exactly what I’m talking about. It’s time to make the right decision for everyone’s sake.” One by one, the other passengers were beginning to pay attention. They seemed to understand what was about to happen. Surprisingly, it was Myeongoh Han who frowned and stepped up to Namwoon. “You brat! Are you out of your damn mind?” Unperturbed, Namwoon stared coldly back at Myeongoh. “Then are you gonna die?” “What…?!” “You still don’t get it, do you?” Near the ceiling, images were still playing on the holographic screen the goblin had left behind. H-help! Gyaaaagh! Die, damn it! Die! It wasn’t just this train and Taepoong Girls’ High. The screen was showing live footage of people dying all over the world. I saw Hyeonseong repeatedly trying to contact his army unit, his eyes locked on the grisly footage. His phone continued to ring pointlessly. Namwoon Kim scoffed. “Wake up. The army’s not coming to save us. That means we have to choose who dies.” Some of the passengers flinched at his dry words. “Why are you hesitating? The goblin said it—we’ve all had free rides. By that logic, who here has had it easy the longest?” All eyes turned to the priority seats. The elderly passengers turned pale. Namwoon had just put into cold, hard words what everyone was thinking, but hadn’t dared voice aloud. “In this kinda situation, doesn’t it make sense for the ones who’ve lived the longest to sacrifice themselves? Or are you gonna tell the little kid over there to die?” The child who was clinging to her mom ducked behind her back. Namwoon smirked at the girl, then turned back to Myeongoh. “Look, I get what you’re thinking. Killing each other for survival? We’re not animals. I’d agree…under normal circumstances. But does this look normal to you?” “……” “Think carefully. The world as you knew it is over.” Myeongoh’s shoulders twitched. It wasn’t just him. Something was breaking inside the people. Their thin veneer of morality was beginning to crumble. And it was Namwoon Kim’s words that hammered a wedge into the crack. “A new world needs new rules.” Namwoon Kim. A disaffected youth who’d adapted to the world of TWSA faster than anyone. He turned to stare directly at the elderly passengers. “So who’s gonna do it? Unless someone volunteers in five minutes, everyone will die.” The old men and women blanched at his words. “Well, if no one comes forward, I’ll have to pick one. Let’s see…” His extended finger scanned the priority seats like a sick game of Russian roulette. No one could stop him this time. Not Myeongoh Han…not even Hyeonseong Lee. The soldier clenched his fists, but he could only shake them in frustration. He, too, had made a decision. The other passengers’ faces betrayed their thoughts all too clearly. I could read them like a poorly written novel. [If no one is killed in the next five minutes, everyone dies.] The looks in people’s eyes were changing. [If no one is killed, then I…] Their eyes gleamed with the most primal instinct all living creatures have. Namwoon Kim’s finger finally came to a halt. “Looks like it’s been decided.” He seized the trembling woman by the collar and lifted her to her feet. He glared at the struggling elder in his clutches, then back at the other passengers. “What’re you waiting for? Are you just gonna stand there and die?” Some looked away, while others met his gaze. The first to make a move was an office worker wearing a backpack. “…He’s right. Everyone will die if we don’t do anything.” The office worker approached the old woman. The others began to mumble as if they were possessed. “Yes, someone has to…There’s no other choice. This is the only way we’ll survive.” “Gah, screw it!” Two, then three. The passengers who had been watching furtively moved toward the priority seating. The man who had been pacing around indecisively. The university student who was recording everything on her phone. The mother who seemed to have forgotten about her child. Even Myeongoh Han eventually joined in. They all knew—if this old lady was not killed, they’d be the ones to die. One by one, they began to lynch the defenseless woman, hesitantly at first. “L-let’s be honest, you don’t have much left in you anyway! Let the young people live!” “Just die! Die already!” I remembered something I’d once read in a novel. Executioners pull the lever at the same time, so as to conceal who really ended someone’s life. I watched the scene before me as if I was reading that passage again. Like I was spectating a commotion happening in another world. This couldn’t have been avoided. As written in the original story, that unnamed old lady was not meant to survive. It was at this moment that Sangah bolted up from her seat. I grabbed her by reflex. “I told you not to move.” “Dokja.” I could feel Sangah’s arms trembling as I gripped them. She clenched her fists, as if to steel herself, but she couldn’t stop shaking. I tried to talk her down. “If you go there now, you’ll become their target.” “I know. I know that, but…” Her eyes were shaking with fear, but there was a spark of resolve in them. “I can’t just sit here and do nothing.” It hit me once again. Regardless of the genre, some people are destined to shine. “Sangah, stay here.” However, she’s not the one who can change this story. After all, she is not the heroine of this world. “But—” “Listen to me just this once. I won’t tell you what to do again.” After forcing Sangah to sit back down, I turned around and took a deep breath. I straightened my back and breathed out slowly. I began to stretch my wrists and ankles. To be honest, I felt it was a bit too early for me to step in. This hadn’t been my original plan. “…Dokja?” I didn’t answer her, and instead looked at the other passengers. It felt like time was slowing down as I watched Namwoon’s raised fist descend. People surrounded the helpless woman like executioners carrying out the sentence together. I wasn’t standing back because I was scared of Namwoon Kim or the others, nor was it because I condoned their inhumane actions. I was simply waiting for the right moment to make my move. And the timing is… Boom—! …now. “Ack! What was that?!” The sound of the explosion rang in my ears, and the train shook violently from the impact. Screams everywhere. Smoke from the car in front of us was seeping into ours. It’s begun. He’s made his move. I dashed forward with all my strength, past the people crouched in terror, toward the old woman. “What the—?! Argh!” Namwoon Kim crashed to the ground with a scream as I rammed him head-on. It might have seemed like I’d shoved him aside to save the old lady, but that wasn’t what I was after. Where is it? I quickly looked around. Kill or be killed—that was the law of the new world. And in the midst of this hellscape, a child was crying. It was the boy with the bug cage I had seen earlier. “Sorry, but I’ll be taking that.” I reached for the bug cage he was clutching in his arms, and the boy stepped back warily. I shook my head. “Please.” He eventually acquiesced. I put my hand in the cage, wincing in disgust at the feel of a grasshopper’s chitinous exoskeleton. I took one out and gave it to the boy. Then I turned around toward the others. “Everyone, stop! You won’t survive even if you kill her.” In the momentary silence that followed the explosion, my voice rang clearly through the whole subway car. One by one, people turned my way. “Let’s say you kill the old lady. And then what?” It pleased me to see them flinch in surprise. I had their full attention now. “Sure, it’ll count as the ‘first kill’ and buy you some time. But what then?” “Uh…” “If the goblin was telling the truth, then each of us has to kill someone. So who will you murder? The person next to you?” Reminded of the brutal reality by my words, the passengers shuffled away from each other, eyes darting around nervously. Their faces were filled with fear. The truth was, they’d known all along—the old lady was just the beginning. Namwoon Kim spoke up, as if to retake control of the situation. “What’s there to worry about? Just kill that guy next! Buncha cowards. Stop fretting about the order! Half will live, and the other half will die. Simple as that!” I’d known he’d say something like that. I waved my hand to cut him off. “That kind of coin flip isn’t necessary. There’s a way for you to survive without becoming a murderer.” “What?” “H-how?” The crowd became agitated. Namwoon’s face contorted into a scowl. “Did you forget? The condition for clearing this scenario isn’t killing a person.” Kill one or more living creatures. There had been no mention of “human being” in the scenario description. Kill one or more living creatures. In other words, it didn’t matter what you killed, as long as it lived. Someone quickly connected the dots and pointed at the bug cage I was holding. “A bug! Look at those bugs!” Grasshoppers and crickets were hopping around inside the cage. People’s eyes narrowed. I nodded. “That’s right. Insects.” I reached inside the cage and took out a grasshopper. It was the one I’d noted earlier, with a swollen abdomen. “G-give me that! Hurry!” “Just one! One bug is all I want!” I slowly stepped back, keeping my eyes on the crowd surging toward me with outstretched arms. The murderous rage that had been directed at the old woman was now turned upon me. I felt my lips curl up into a smile. Why? My very life is in danger, yet why does my heart beat with excitement? “Do you want it?” I shook the cage like a circus trainer trying to provoke a pack of savage beasts. As a few of them lost their patience and lunged at me, I crushed the grasshopper in my hand. [You have completed the “First Kill” achievement.] [You have received 100 coins as a bonus reward.] The sensation of a life being squashed out filled my clenched fist. “Then you can have it!” At the same time, I flung the bug cage away with my other hand. I made sure to hurl it in the opposite direction of where Namwoon and the crowd were standing. “That crazy son of a…!” With the door of the cage flung wide open, the bugs leaped toward freedom.