Chapter 8

3 I looked directly at Hyeonseong and Myeongoh, who were still hesitating. “Get killed by whoever’s behind that door, or try your luck outside this subway. Which do you choose?” “U-ugh…” “But, Dokja, how can you be so sure the person in the other car is a threat to us?” Steel Blade Hyeonseong Lee has a tendency to falter at crucial moments. There’s a reason why he’s not suited to being a leader. “They must be a survivor, too. So why don’t we meet with—?” In place of an answer, I looked around at the blood-covered subway car. Hyeonseong followed my gaze, then grew quiet. “…Never mind. I’ll look for a way out.” “L-let’s go! We need to get out of here!” Hyeonseong and Myeongoh had realized it, too. The survivors of other cars must’ve experienced the same scenario we had. And it was unlikely that they’d all been fortunate enough to have bugs to kill. “The door’s broken!” “Damn it! This one’s stuck, too!” As Hyeonseong and Myeongoh yelled with growing alarm, I also checked a door. There had been a barrier around the doors earlier, but we could touch them now. Not counting the doors between cars, each train car had eight exits. And there were three left that we hadn’t checked yet. Bam! That door wouldn’t hold for more than another minute. Even if he was the main character, his strength stat wouldn’t be that high near the beginning of the novel. And yet, he was trying to break through a steel door. I couldn’t help but feel amazed. “Dokja! Over here!” We’d found a manual mechanism that wasn’t broken. “It’s opening!” But even though the wheel turned smoothly, the door didn’t open all the way. It got stuck about a fifth of the way. “…Looks like this one’s broken, too.” “How about others?” “No good. This was our best shot.” The gap was too narrow for anyone other than a small child. Myeongoh and Hyeonseong each grabbed a sliding door and pulled, but it didn’t budge. [Coins Owned: 4,700C] Coins could be used to increase overall stats. And I’d already spent 2,700 coins to increase my stamina to level 10. I could use the rest to increase my strength, but it’d be risky to use them up at this point. Anything could happen this early in the scenarios, and I might need the coins. In the end, I had no other choice. “Hyeonseong, use your skill.” “Huh? What do you mean, my skill…?” I quietly activated “Character Profile.” [Exclusive skill “Character Profile” has been activated.] <Character Profile> Name: Hyeonseong Lee Age: 28 Sponsoring Constellation: Master of Steel Exclusive Attribute: A soldier who turned a blind eye to injustice (Common) Exclusive Skills: [Bayonet Lv.2], [Camouflage Lv.1], [Patience Lv.1], [Sense of Justice Lv.1] Stigma: [Great Mountain Push Lv.1] Total Stats: [Stamina Lv.8], [Strength Lv.8], [Agility Lv.7], [Magic Power Lv.5] Summary: He has great stats overall. He was chosen by a constellation despite staying silent in the face of injustice. This will lead him to another opportunity. I could view Hyeonseong’s information without any restrictions. Luckily, he had the same sponsor and attribute as I’d read in the novel. “You saw your skills when you opened the attribute menu, right? You’re a soldier, so there might be something in your kit that can help us in this situation.” “There is…But how do I use it…?” “Think of yourself using the skill.” “…That’s it?” “Yes, that’s how it works. I tried it earlier.” Hyeonseong appeared doubtful for a moment, but seemed to make up his mind and took a deep breath. “Raaaaaah!” As he gripped the door, his already-large biceps grew even bigger, almost ripping his shirt sleeves. It looked like he had activated “Great Mountain Push” without issue. To be exact, “Great Mountain Push” was a not a skill, but a stigma, a power that is granted by a sponsoring constellation. I’d used the more generic term “skill” to avoid suspicion. Drrrr. There was a sound like large gears being turned, then the door finally began to open. “Whoa! It’s like he’s some kinda superhero!” “It worked! It really worked!” [Character Hyeonseong Lee has begun to trust you.] [Your understanding of character Hyeonseong Lee has increased.] He’s grown more trustful of me, rather than suspicious. He really is a simple guy. “Let’s get out, quick!” Still, it was too early to relax. I lifted Gilyeong and handed him to Hyeonseong. “Hyeonseong, carry the boy on your back.” “Got it.” The steel door to car 3707 will break open soon. But if I’m right, that’s not the problem anymore. …Aw man, I thought this might happen. Didn’t I tell you to stay put? Damn it! I’m not done setting up the next scenario. The angry-looking goblin was floating in the middle of Dongho Bridge. “Aaah! I told you! We should’ve stayed put!” Myeongoh clutched his head, expecting it to explode at any moment. But there was no need for him to do so… Haah…Well, it can’t be helped. I hope you realize how lucky you are! …because the second scenario began as soon as the subway door was opened. [The second scenario has begun.] <Sub Scenario - Escape> Category: Sub Difficulty: E Mission: Cross the collapsed bridge to reach Oksu Station. Time Limit: 20 minutes Reward: 200 coins Penalty for Failure: ??? “Dokja, something’s not right. It says the ‘collapsed bridge,’ but the bridge looks fine…” “Never mind that and just run! Hurry!” “Oh, okay!” Actually, Sangah was correct. The bridge hadn’t collapsed yet. In other words, the bridge is bound to collapse soon. “Dokja, let’s go.” “I’m coming.” The reason it was still intact was because we’d left the train before we were supposed to. The goblin had needed ten minutes to prepare. We’d escaped three minutes before that. You could say we were cheating, but this was the only way we could clear this scenario. Especially since we had someone who was not physically strong. “Huff…Huff…Hyeonseong has amazing stamina. Must be the army training,” Sangah said in amazement as she ran beside me. “…Save your breath. There’s still a long way to go.” Hyeonseong ran at the head of the group with the boy on his back. Not surprising, since he was a monster whose total stats for strength, stamina, and agility added up to twenty-three even without his having invested coins on them. Behind him was Myeongoh, who was struggling to keep up, then Sangah and me bringing up the rear. It’d be close, but we could make it at this pace. “Ack! What’s that?” At that moment, Myeongoh screamed. Suddenly, there was massive whirlpool in the middle of the Han River spraying water in every direction. A gargantuan creature rose from the center of it. An angler dragon. The problem was that this one was at least double the size of the one we’d seen from the train. Judging by its size, it wasn’t a sea serpent, but a sea commander. Even sea serpents, the regular variety of angler dragons, were level-7 monsters. Ground rats, level-9 monsters, were a threat to the average person, so anything level 7 or above could kill a human like one would squash a bug. In other words, the monster swimming toward us was far beyond what anyone could handle this early on in the scenarios. Of course, there was no need for us to fight it. It wasn’t meant to be fought. Splaaaaash! Huge waves crashed into the bridge, and the angler dragon opened its mouth. It was trying to destroy the bridge by biting through the whole thing. “It’s gonna wreck the bridge!” “Run! We can make it if we keep running!” About two hundred meters left to go. At the speed we were going, we would be able to make it before the bridge came down. Playing the game on easy mode? Where’s the fun in that?! That is, if there weren’t any surprises. [The difficulty of the scenario has been adjusted.] [Difficulty: E -> D] I had a sinking feeling. The goblin chuckled. You’re just gonna run? Boring! Let’s change things up. [The spirits of the dead rise up.] [Black aether surges from the ground.] [Demonic beings have awoken!] There was a groaning noise behind us. We were being chased. Sangah glanced over her shoulder and went pale. “Zombies?” A horde of zombie-like corpses was swarming toward us. I spotted a few of the other passengers from our train car in their midst. “We’re almost there! Hurry!” The distance to the angler dragon was less than a hundred meters. Thankfully, Hyeonseong made it to safety with Gilyeong. The problem was the rest of us—including me. Myeongoh screamed, “Bastards! Get away from me!” There were too many demonic beings coming after us. If it had only been the dead from the subway, we could’ve run away from them. The problem was… “Gwuuuh!” …people who had been in the cars on the bridge had also reanimated. The area Hyeonseong had crossed earlier was now filled with demonic beings, their eyes aglow with bluish flames. I looked back and forth between the demonic beings blocking our way and the angler dragon drawing closer to us. “…Everyone, get down.” But it was too late. —Craaash! The bridge shook violently as the colossal angler dragon bit right through it. Its scales glistened in the cloud of dust, then the water of the Han River rained down. The stench of blood mingled with the fishy smell of river water. I staggered to my feet. The dust settled, and I surveyed the damage. Crushed steel frames and piles of concrete rubble. The angler dragon had chomped through a large swathe of demonic beings, leaving pieces of them strewn everywhere. The bridge had been cut off. “…Dok…! …okay?” Sangah was standing some distance away from me, holding up Myeongoh, with his arm around her shoulder. Myeongoh appeared to have injured his leg and was having trouble walking. Hyeonseong and Gilyeong were yelling something from across the collapsed section of the bridge, but I couldn’t hear them. They were in the safe zone, which was on the other side of a barrier. What should I do now? I had considered the possibility of the bridge being destroyed. But I hadn’t factored in Myeongoh and Sangah also being here. My thoughts were cut short by a voice ringing through the air. [Someone has received a constellation’s blessing.] [The constellation’s blessing has activated Deus Ex Machina for this scenario.] With that, a bridge of light appeared spanning the collapsed section of Dongho Bridge. Then a message window came up. [Deus Ex Machina - The Bridge of Even Numbers] Explanation: A bridge of light made by a constellation’s blessing. Only an even number of people can cross it. If an odd number of people attempt to cross, the bridge of light will disappear immediately. “Dokja, uh…in my head, this thing suddenly—” Sangah was looking at me in confusion. I had a pretty good idea of what was happening. Deus Ex Machina. A power that can be used by constellations to directly intervene in a scenario, albeit at a massive cost. “…It’s your sponsor, Sangah.” I didn’t know which one it was, but a constellation had chosen Sangah as their incarnation, and they wanted her to live. Deus Ex Machina is a rare event that only happened a few times in all of TWSA. Not to mention, in the original story, Sangah would’ve died. I was suddenly curious. Who on earth could her sponsor be? [This character’s information cannot be viewed via “Character Profile.”] [This person is not registered in “Character Profile.”] That surprised me. I can’t see her info with my skill? Why not? Is her sponsoring constellation that special? Or does she have the “Mental Barrier” skill? But there’s no way she’d have something like that this early…No, wait. Could it be? “Dokja, what should we do now?” Sangah sounded panicked. There was no time to think. Rumble. The river was churning below us. I could see the giant angler dragon that had destroyed the bridge turning toward us once again. I bit my lip and read the explanation again. Only an even number of people can cross it. Deus Ex Machina was devised by constellations, those sadistic bastards who love tragedy. There was no outcome where everyone would survive. Myeongoh shuddered as our eyes met. Someone had to die.