Chapter 6

1 The train came to a stop about halfway across Dongho Bridge. “Goodness…” The few surviving passengers got up and looked outside. Seoul in ruins and covered in fallen buildings. Gigantic serpentlike monsters devouring the wreckage of a crashed fighter jet. “Wh-what are those things…?” I recognized them right away. Angler dragons. They were commonly known as sea serpents. In the future, these creatures would be classified as level-7 monsters. One of the angler dragons turned toward us. “A-ack! It’s coming!” The survivors yelled in terror. But I calmly watched the fearsome creature swim toward us. I knew it wasn’t a threat to us. Kraaaah! The sea serpent roared and spun around Dongho Bridge. Then it disappeared underwater, leaving bubbles in its wake. In the world of TWSA, the scenarios take priority above all else. That means we’ll be protected as long as we’re playing our parts. Those monsters won’t attack us. Not now, at least. [Due to an unexpected review of the scenario, the calculation of your rewards is being delayed. Thank you for your patience.] The rewards should’ve been distributed by now, but there was nothing but this error message floating in midair. It was probably because of me. I looked at Namwoon Kim’s headless body. According to TWSA, he was supposed to kill most of the people in this car and move on to the next scenario. But I’d stopped that from happening. If I was right, it was about time for them to appear—the ones who were angered by Namwoon’s death. [Two constellations express displeasure with you over the death of character Namwoon Kim.] Constellations. They were the most mysterious beings in the world of TWSA, the masterminds behind all its tragedies. Seeing the messages of their reactions reminded me that the main game was about to start. What a joke. Just yesterday, I’d been the one reading about them, but now our positions had been flipped. [A small number of constellations are impressed by your scenario.] [They have donated 500 coins.] Just as some despised me, others liked what they were seeing. I wasn’t happy with either of those prospects, but there was nothing I could do about it at the moment. After all, I was their clown now, forced to dance for their entertainment. As I picked up Namwoon’s Swiss Army knife from the ground, I thought to myself… Watch me all you want. Eventually, you’ll be paying for it with your lives. “…Dokja? Are you okay?” I looked up to see Sangah’s face. Shoulders drooping listlessly. Bloodstains on her white blouse. Torn stockings. The Sangah Yu I’d once known was no more. I took her hand and stood up. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t save the old lady.” I looked down at the old woman’s headless body. I didn’t even know her name. From here on, countless people would die like this. Sangah looked torn as she gazed at me. “Dokja, how are you able to—” “Hmm?” “N-never mind. Anyway…thank you for earlier.” “For what?” “You know. Earlier, you…” Then I remembered. Sangah had been standing near where I’d thrown the bug cage. I knew what she was thinking. “It was just a coincidence. Don’t expect it to happen again.” “Oh……” She nodded without saying a word. I couldn’t tell what was going through her head, but she was a smart woman. I was sure she understood. Some had lived while others had died, because of my choice. I didn’t deserve any thanks from those who’d survived. Whoa, this is crazy. The goblin appeared in midair with a crackling noise. What on earth happened here? I was checking up on another car for just a sec, and…… The goblin’s face was a mixture of joy and shock. There were starlike points of light floating above its fuzzy head. I counted how many there were. One, two, three…twenty, twenty-one. Twenty-one in total, huh? No wonder that bastard looked so pleased. I can’t believe twenty-one of you are tuning in… Is this my lucky break? Ooh, a donation, even! Thank you, constellations. Ha-ha, everyone! Looks like you earned your keep. The number of stars represented the number of constellations who were tuned in to the channel. Twenty-one wasn’t a lot, but it must’ve been a record for this rookie goblin. Well, well, well. That’s quite a lot of survivors. That guy in the next car was one crazy bastard, too…… Got some great stories today. The goblin gloated, then fiddled with some invisible controls. Soon, the list of survivors came up. [Survivors of Train 3442 to Bulgwang – Car 3807: Dokja Kim, Hyeonseong Lee, Sangah Yu, Gilyeong Lee, Myeongoh Han. Total: 5 survivors.] Five survivors. More than I’d expected. I scanned their faces one by one. I’d known Hyeonseong would make it because he was strong and athletic. I’d expected Sangah to survive as well. And Gilyeong Lee. I surmised that was the name of the boy standing next to me. There was a crushed grasshopper in his hand, the one I’d given to him. The boy stared silently at the headless corpse of his mother. She had abandoned him to join in the killing of the old woman. And he had watched the whole thing. I hesitated for a bit, then put my hand on his shoulder. This wasn’t some cheap sympathy. If I had to describe what I was doing, I’d call it…hypocrisy. “Hey, kid.” The boy slowly looked up, his eyes filled with fear. The shock of his first brush with death hadn’t worn off yet. “Do you wanna live?” His pupils shook nervously. His body trembled as if he was trying to resist an irresistible power. Then, almost imperceptibly, he nodded. “Then come with me.” Gilyeong scurried over and clung to my leg. Sangah watched this moving scene with a tender expression. Seems like I’ve caused another misunderstanding. Well, I had meant to make a show of it, though not for Sangah. [A small number of constellations are touched by your kindness.] [They have donated 200 coins.] Some might have called it a dirty trick, but what can I say? I had to do everything I could to survive. Considering the crucial event that was coming up, now was the time to get the constellations’ attention. Someone shouted. “Th-then you’re letting us go? We did as you told us to, didn’t we?” It was Myeongoh, who was standing a few feet away from me, his shirt in tatters. Manager Myeongoh Han. He was one lucky guy, I’ll give him that. But I was puzzled. What was a rich man like him doing on a subway train anyway? Just a short while ago, he’d been bragging to the whole company about his new Mercedes. Hmm, let you go? Have you looked outside? Sure you wanna go out there? The goblin chuckled. Anyway, I’m quite impressed. To be honest, I didn’t expect much from this car, but you made it past the first scenario. You’ve shown me that even insects deserve a chance. Its words reminded me of the position we were in. We were nothing but grasshoppers in the goblin’s eyes. Now, now. You should be rewarded for pushing through, right? For clearing the first scenario, you’ve earned the privilege of being sponsored by constellations. Wow! Isn’t that exciting? …Hmm, you don’t seem very excited. This is a huge deal, you know? Of course they weren’t excited. “Constellations,” “sponsor”…I was the only one here who knew what those words meant. And I knew exactly what the goblin was leading up to. Sponsor Selection. One of the key events in TWSA was about to begin. Hmm, everyone looks confused. Let me explain. You’re very weak right now. Pathetic, really. If you go into the next scenario in your current state, a ground rat would easily kill you, never mind a kruk. But thankfully, there are great and magnanimous beings in this universe who pity you and are willing to sponsor you. Now do you get it? Hopelessly lost, Hyeonseong blurted out, “What does any of that mean? Who’s sponsoring wh—?” Seriously? This is not rocket science, damn it. Fine. I’m not gonna float here explaining all day. Why don’t you just see for yourselves? Well, I guess some of you won’t even get the chance, but whatever. Ha-ha-ha. I tensed up with anxiety. This is where is all starts. I need to make the right choice here if I’m to survive. “Um, Dokja? Something just popped up. Two weird choices…” “I don’t know. You’re on your own.” Of course, that was a lie to avoid suspicion. Still, two choices? I guess Sangah had gotten lucky, too. “Don’t stress over it too much. Think of it as an aptitude test.” “An aptitude test…” “No one really knows what’s going on. So let’s keep an open mind and roll with it.” “Oh…okay.” That seemed to convince Sangah, and she stared intently at the empty space in front of her. Her brow furrowed, as if she were trying to decipher a cryptic horoscope. Everyone else had gone quiet, too. They were likely reading through their own choices. I turned my eyes back to my own options as well. <Sponsor Selection> Choose your sponsor. The chosen sponsor will be your trusty supporter. 1. Abyssal Black Flame Dragon 2. Demonic Judge of Fire 3. Secretive Plotter 4. Prisoner of the Golden Headband Four choices that sounded like riddles. This meant that four constellations wanted to make me their incarnation. Considering the main character of TWSA got five offers, four wasn’t bad at all. And what really mattered wasn’t the number of choices, but the cryptic words next to those numbers. Constellations never revealed their true names. The trick was to consider key words such as “Abyssal” and “Demonic” to deduce their true identities. Of course, this was a piece of cake for someone like me, who’d read the novel. First, “Abyssal Black Flame Dragon.” According to my memory, this was a powerful being at the head of Black Cloud, a syndicate of constellations. I couldn’t remember its true name—only that it was extremely long. A contract with this constellation grants a powerful boost to one’s combat abilities, making it a great option early on when you’re sorely lacking in stamina and strength. Of course, this early advantage doesn’t come without a price. Using this constellation’s power gradually pollutes the mind, eventually turning you into a psychopathic murderer. It had an affinity for delusional edgelords…I thought it ended up being Namwoon Kim’s sponsor in the novel. Too shady. I’ll pass. Second, “Demonic Judge of Fire.” I was kinda moved that this one was on my list. Their epithet had some sinister words in it. But the term “Demonic” was a trick. If you think about it, “Demonic” means that it’s not actually a demon. And then there are the key words “Fire” and “Judge.” In summary, it’s a being that passes judgment with fire. Ironically, this constellation was an angel. If I remembered correctly, it was the Archangel Uriel… Not a bad choice at all, but I’ll hold off for now. Constellations of the absolute good alignment are powerful, but also come with a slew of ridiculous restrictions. Third, “Secretive Plotter.” Even I had never seen this one before. They might’ve been mentioned in passing…But I wasn’t sure. Maybe I’d find something once I gave TWSA another thorough read. What was clear was that they probably weren’t that strong. Putting aside the weak-sounding descriptors, the name didn’t seem to have any ties to a major legend or myth, as far as I could tell. “Secretive Plotter”? It didn’t have the gravitas of an epithet describing a powerful constellation. Pass. And lastly, “Prisoner of the Golden Headband.” My heart skipped a beat as soon as I saw the fourth choice. I couldn’t believe I’d gotten an offer from this one so early on. I thought I might’ve read it wrong, but no. There was no mistake: It was “Prisoner of the Golden Headband.” “Prisoner” didn’t sound that great at first glance, but the proper noun was the key here. The “Golden Headband”—the smallest prison in the world. Anyone who’d read Journey to the West would have gotten the hint easily. In all the folk traditions and literature in the world, there is only one being imprisoned by a golden headband. The master of Mount Huaguo, who suffers from the pain of a fetter squeezing into his head. The Handsome Monkey King with fiery eyes and a golden gaze. The Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal. Sun Wukong. There was a character in the novel sponsored by this being. The mighty constellation who swept away hundreds of incarnations with a single swing of his golden staff and slew thousands of monsters with a bolt of lightning. I still got goose bumps thinking about the author’s vivid description of his prowess. I wasn’t sure why this powerful constellation had taken an interest in me, but I knew that if I had “the Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal” as my sponsor, I could easily survive this new world. However… I quietly stared at the door which connected our car to the one in front of ours. I could picture him standing past that door, reading through a message similar to the one that was in front of me. If I chose “the Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal,” would I be able to beat him? [Sponsor Selection will end in one minute.] Time was ticking. I took a small breath as I looked over my choices one last time. It didn’t take me long to make a decision.