Chapter 9

4 At that moment, Sangah yelled, “Dokja! Behind you!” I ducked instinctively, barely dodging a bloody fist. A familiar fist, wrapped in a dark aura. I reflexively kicked backward as I fell forward, and felt it connect. Even without looking, I had a hunch who it was. A level-9 humanoid—demonic being. A human infected by black aether. Despite being level 9, they are considered highly dangerous. Normal humans who become demonic beings are little more than zombies, but depending on the host, they can be extremely threatening…like this one. I looked at the name tag on the headless body’s school uniform. “…Namwoon Kim.” The high school boy whose head had exploded ten minutes ago. He’d been reanimated as a demonic being, and I was his target. Namwoon’s exposed vocal cords writhed grotesquely. “Guhh.” [Exclusive skill “Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint” has been activated.] [The target is not sentient. “Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint” is canceled.] Damn, it doesn’t work? Shhk! Namwoon’s nails, which had grown into long, black claws, slashed my thigh. A burning pain spread through my whole leg. He hadn’t been able to cut through my skin with a knife before, but now he could do it with his bare hands. Demonic beings become many times stronger than they were as humans. “Sangah, we have to—” I was about to talk to my companions when I got a sinking feeling. I didn’t have to turn around to see what was happening. “Let go! Let go of me! Dokja! Dokja…!” Myeongoh Han, who had been limping not too long ago, was zooming across the bridge at an incredible speed while carrying Sangah. [Constellation Secretive Plotter is amazed by how gullible you are.] [Constellation Demonic Judge of Fire is touched by your selflessness.] [You have received 100 coins as a donation.] ……I see how it is. I’d been abandoned. The way Myeongoh was running was quite strange. Despite only using one leg, he was going as fast as an Olympic runner. There was no way an out-of-shape middle-aged man like him would have such a skill, so it had to be his sponsoring constellation’s stigma. [One-Legged Swift Foot] I knew which constellation provided that stigma. I used “Character Profile” on Myeongoh as he ran farther from me. [This character’s information cannot be viewed via “Character Profile.”] Again. It didn’t work. If I remembered correctly, “One-Legged Swift Foot” was a stigma of Limping Trickster. That constellation didn’t grant any mental barrier stigma. And there was no way Myeongoh had that kind of skill on his own. In other words, the reason my skill wasn’t working on him had nothing to do with any of his abilities. …How stupid of me. Looking at the message in front of me, I let out a wry chuckle. [This person is not registered in “Character Profile.”] I’d been overthinking it, instead of taking those words at face value. “Character Profile” is a skill that displays a character’s information. And Sangah Yu and Myeongoh Han were not characters from TWSA. If I hadn’t saved them, they’d be dead. No wonder I couldn’t find their information in “Character Profile.” “Grrr! Grrr! Grrr!” On one side, Namwoon Kim and the other demonic beings were shuffling toward me, groaning unintelligibly. In the other direction, Myeongoh had made it halfway across the bridge. Since Hyeonseong and Gilyeong were already in the safe zone, they couldn’t help me. In other words, I’d been left high and dry. I had to think quickly. Subdue one of the demonic beings and cross with it? It might have been worth trying, but I didn’t like my chances. These monsters may have been classified as humanoids, but they weren’t actually humans, meaning they might not satisfy the condition for crossing the bridge of light. “Groar!” Some of the demonic beings lunged at me but lost their footing and fell off the bridge. Crunch! They instantly became food for the angler dragons. The serpentine monsters swarmed like piranhas in a feeding frenzy, scattering bits and pieces of the demonic beings in the water. Icy tendrils of fear crept down my spine. If I tried to cross the bridge alone, making an odd number, I’d meet the same fate. So that wasn’t an option. Then what? “……Slow down. Think.” I muttered to myself, trying to calm my nerves. I needed to stay rational. There were still a few things I could try, but first, I had to deal with the enemies in front of me. I controlled my breathing and focused on tripping the demonic beings that lunged at me. “Guhh?” Luckily, they didn’t have eyes, so it was easy to use their own momentum to make them fall off the edge. Kraaah—! Crunch! I was steadily thinning their numbers. The goblin’s timer began to blink. Fifteen minutes remaining until the scenario ends. “Haah…” There was a gash on my shoulder from an attack that had come from my blind spot. No matter how much information I had, my body was fragile and untrained. “Groar!” There was nothing left of Namwoon’s mind except feral instinct. His attacks grew faster and faster. Left shoulder. Right thigh. Head. I needed to break his flow. I stomped hard on his leg as I barely dodged his claws. “Graah?” But he no longer had a sense of pain, so my attack did little to impede his advance. I staggered backward until I felt exposed metal beams underfoot. I could hear the angler dragons below thrashing in anticipation as they saw me teetering on the edge. [A small number of constellations are entertained by your struggle.] [A small number of constellations have donated 200 coins.] The coins were racking up. I had over five thousand at this point. A hefty sum for the early stages of the scenario. Wow! He’s holding up pretty well, isn’t he? Now! Is there any constellation willing to bestow their blessing upon this poor incarnation? The goblin sounded like an auctioneer. I wished I could tear its smug face apart. Going once! Going twice…! Seriously? No one…? Of course there was no one. It’d be strange for any constellation to support me now, considering the choice I’d made during Sponsor Selection. And that’s why you should’ve taken the help when it was offered. What a pity. I failed to dodge Namwoon’s attack and took a hit to my waist. Of course, I’d been fighting back the best I could, too. I’d torn up the left side of his torso and shoulder with a knife. His intestines were spilling out of the gaping wound, bouncing like jump rope. In order to kill a demonic being, you have to crush its heart. However, the skin around its heart is the toughest, so a Swiss Army knife wasn’t enough to pierce through. Damn it, if I only had a combat skill, this would be easier. [Exclusive skill “Bookmark” has been activated.] …Bookmark? [“Character Bookmark” has been activated.] [Available bookmark slots: 3] [Loading the list of bookmarks available for activation.] <List of Bookmarked Characters> 1. Delusional Demon Namwoon Kim (Understanding 25) 2. Steel Blade Hyeonseong Lee (Understanding 35) 3. Empty slot “Bookmark.” I’d read three thousand chapters of TWSA but had never seen this skill before. Yet I instinctively knew how to use it. “Activate the first bookmark.” I felt a fluttering sensation as pages of a book flipped by in my head. They were scenes from TWSA with Namwoon Kim. Gah-ha-ha-ha! I’m so freaking strong! Die! Die! Die! Die! A new world needs new rules. As his memories flooded into my head, every muscle and nerve in my body tensed up. The unfamiliar power of someone other than me was surging within me. [The first bookmark has been activated.] [Duration is shortened because your “Bookmark” skill level is low.] [Duration: 1 minute] One minute. That’s more than enough. [The character’s skill will only be partially effective due to your low understanding of this character.] [“Dark Awakening” Lv.1 has been activated.] Breathing raggedly, Namwoon lunged at me. The black aether surrounding him threatened to burst forth and engulf me. I focused as much energy as I could in my heels. Then I dashed headlong at Namwoon. If I had the same skill as him, I wouldn’t lose. I really was Namwoon Kim himself at that moment. The unhinged murderer who, along with the main character, had struck fear into the world of TWSA. The Delusional Demon who could take on any foe once his Dark Awakening was activated. “Kraaaah!” I felt the sickening sensation of sinew and flesh being torn as the Swiss Army knife in my hand ripped through his body, from left shoulder all the way to the heart. The demonic being that had once been Namwoon Kim staggered as its body was torn apart. If he had eyes, he would’ve been looking at me. “Guhh…I…grrr…don’t…” The cynical young man who had dreamed of rebelling against the world he despised. Had the story of TWSA never happened, he might have taken the entrance exam, entered a university, and enjoyed campus life, just like a normal person. “…don’t…wanna…die…” I regarded him wordlessly as he careened off the railing. I’d hated his character, but at that moment, I was seized with inexplicable sorrow. [Your understanding of character Namwoon Kim has increased.] [The first bookmark has been deactivated.] A tidal wave of emptiness and fatigue crashed over me. I was exhausted. “Groar!” I had ten minutes remaining. There was still a sizable swarm of demonic beings shuffling toward me. Far too many for someone with only level-10 stamina to deal with. But it had never been my intention to deal with them alone. …He’s a bit late. It’s about time he appeared. Crunch! Snap! As if on cue, there was the sound of flesh and bone being crushed. I knew it. That guy would definitely pull a stunt like this if it meant raking in more donations and achievements. Crack! Crunch! Even though it was a living human tearing through the bodies of what used to be humans, it sounded like an iron mace slamming down on flesh. To be honest, I’d thought I might stand a chance against the main character with the number of coins I’d amassed. But watching the carnage unfolding in front of my eyes, I realized how sorely mistaken I’d been. From the spot he’d left the train, there was a straight line of demonic beings’ broken bodies, like a trail left by a tank charging through dense foliage. Was it even possible for a human to cause such devastation? “Graah?” Even the headless abominations noticed something was off and turned toward the commotion one by one. But it was too late. Craaack! In the blink of an eye, the man smashed every demonic being in his way and stood before me. Here was a force of nature that had torn through a horde of enemies with his bare hands. I thought I’d steeled myself for this moment, but I felt cold sweat dripping down my back. Fight a monster like him? There was no chance. Even if my stats were double what they were now, I couldn’t win against him. “Who are you?” The man’s cold gaze fell on me. I activated “Character Profile” to fight off the fear. [Exclusive skill “Character Profile” has been activated.] [There is too much information about this character. Switching to a summarized view.] Name: Junghyeok Yu Attributes: Regressor, <Third Loop> (Mythical), Pro Gamer (Rare) Exclusive Skills: [The Eye of the Sage Lv.8], [Close Combat Lv.8], [Weapon Proficiency Lv.8], [Mental Barrier Lv.5], [Crowd Control Lv.5], [Reasoning Lv.5], [Lie Detection Lv.4]… The list of skills went on and on. From near the bottom of the list, a powerful hand shot out and gripped my neck. “How the hell are you still alive?” The first way to survive the apocalypse. This man standing in front of me was the living embodiment of that. The Regressor Junghyeok Yu. The endless tragedies of this world all begin with this character.