Episode 4 The Black Snake Biting Its Tail (3)
Episode 4 The Black Snake Biting Its Tail (3)
[You have slaughtered a total of 124 living organisms.]
[Slaughter Details: 1 grasshopper, 123 grasshopper eggs]
[As you have killed defenceless living organisms, the coins earned are halved.]
[You have acquired a total of 6,200 coins.]
[The coins used to level up stats are automatically deducted.]
[You have acquired a total of 3,500 coins.]
[You have achieved the achievement 'Mass Murderer' due to excessive slaughter.]
The scenario was over. But I couldn't laugh.
My attempt to inspect Hyeonmu using the skill ended in failure as expected. Of course, that was an inevitable failure.
The condition for using the 'Character List' skill was that the target must be a character from 'Ways of Survival'.
In other words, if it was a person who did not appear in Ways of Survival, the skill could not be used. And Hyeonmu was not a character from Ways of Survival.
Even if I used the skill on Yoo Sangah-ssi or the people on the subway, I wouldn't be able to learn anything.
The reason for my confusion was clear.
Hyeonmu.
A barefoot girl with her hair tied in a ponytail. In her right hand, she held a long pipe—where she had obtained it, I had no idea—and smoke rising from its tip slowly traced circles in the air.
What on earth was she? It wasn't a skill or anything like that. Yet how could she incapacitate Kim Namwoon, who had used a skill, in a single blow just by swinging her long pipe once?
Was she a Constellation hiding her identity? Or if not that, a Transcendent?
Nothing was certain yet.
It was then that Kim Namwoon began to speak.
"Fuck..."
The guy who had been screaming for his life spoke in a resigned voice once the system announced the end.
"Ahjussi."
"What."
"Am I gonna die?"
"..."
I couldn't answer. He probably didn't ask expecting an answer in the first place anyway.
I looked at him with complex eyes.
He definitely had to die here. Didn't Ways of Survival give a crystal-clear answer as to what would happen if a guy with such psychopathic tendencies went on to the next turn?
My plan had been just that as well. However, seeing him collapse while coughing up blood like this, a human sense of pity reared its head.
Hyeonmu approached Kim Namwoon. His left arm resting on the floor blocked the aisle diagonally. If she had walked straight ahead, her small barefoot would have landed right on his wrist.
However, just before touching it, the tips of Hyeonmu's toes veered slightly to the side. She didn't stop, nor did she look down. It was as if not stepping on a person's arm was a habit as natural as breathing.
"...?"
I couldn't feel relieved even after watching that short movement. Hyeonmu knew that Kim Namwoon could no longer move. Not stepping on his arm didn't seem to be because she hoped he would survive, but because there was no reason to intentionally cause more pain to a place that was already broken.
"What is it... Why are you suddenly doing this?"
"Don't move."
All the people who had somehow cleared the scenario by catching grasshoppers or by other means watched this scene with bated breath.
Without paying any mind to them, Hyeonmu squatted down next to Kim Namwoon.
His disheveled tie was pressing against his throat. Hyeonmu grabbed the knot, loosened it, and pulled out the folded collar of his shirt piece by piece. Her hands were neither clumsy nor excessively gentle. They were simply hands removing obstacles to breathing in a designated order.
Kim Namwoon's breathing lengthened a little. It didn't mean he was allowed to live that much longer; he was just made less uncomfortable until he died.
"Why...... are you doing this?"
Hyeonmu smoothed out the clumped fabric below his neck before opening her mouth.
"I told you I wouldn't kill you with my own hands."
"Is this...... not killing me?"
Hyeonmu's hands paused. The child raised her face briefly as if trying to understand Kim Namwoon's words, then soon lowered her gaze back to the collar.
"Yes."
There was neither mockery nor sophistry in that answer. That was why no one could immediately refute it.
[Paid settlement will now begin.]
Peubeobeobeok.
"Heuaaaaaah!"
Horrifying sounds and screams erupted as soon as the message appeared.
It was the sound of the heads of people who failed to kill a living organism exploding.
The execution, which began at the far end of the subway car, was gradually approaching this direction.
Even seeing that, Kim Namwoon didn't scream like the others. He merely looked into my wavering eyes before turning his gaze to Hyeonmu's face.
"...Fuck."
Peok!
The sound that followed.
I closed my eyes. I didn't keep them closed for long.
Beyond the blood-stained window, the tunnel lights flickered. It was a subway line I had ridden countless times, yet something I had never paid attention to.
Kkiiiik.
With a lurching feeling, the train began to move.
Deol-deol-deol.
Was it because it was broken? Even though it wasn't running at high speed, the noise and vibration were felt directly.
As light poured in while exiting the tunnel, I narrowed my eyes for a moment.
The above-ground section of Line 3 heading from Apgujeong to Oksu.
Outside the window, the Han River piercing through the center of Seoul began to reveal itself.
"Ah..."
Someone leaked a voice.
It was a sound filled with the relief of having survived, along with fear of what would happen next.
However, it didn't take long for the relief contained within that sound to vanish.
"Ah..."
It was no longer the Seoul we once knew.
The collapsing bridges of the Han River.
Cars torn apart like sheets of paper.
The Han River turning pale pink with human blood, and monsters trampling tanks like toys.
[You have acquired 300 coins as the basic clear reward.]
[100 coins have been deducted for the channel usage fee.]
[Additional reward settlement will now begin.]
A new world was being born.
Thoughts that had been raining inside my head until recently began to pour down as reality beyond mere thoughts.
Yoo Sangah-ssi approached.
"Dokja-ssi..."
"Sangah-ssi. You look like you have a lot of questions."
"Yes, that's right. What on earth is happening? Dokja-ssi, you know something, don't you...?"
Yoo Sangah-ssi's question was entirely reasonable. In the first place, no one experiencing such a sight would fail to have questions.
But not right now. I glanced briefly at Hyeonmu before speaking.
"...Sangah-ssi. I'm sorry, but even if you ask me, there's nothing I can answer for you."
"That's..."
"I'm sorry. This is all I can tell you."
Yoo Sangah grit her teeth for a moment before answering.
"...Yes. I understand."
Her head turned back toward the light.
Looking out the window, monsters reminiscent of giant snakes were floating in the Han River.
"D-Dokja-ssi! Look over there!"
I recognized their true identity right away.
Ichthyosaur.
Monsters commonly known as Sea Serpents. In Ways of Survival, they are classified as 7th-grade monster species.
One of the Ichthyosaurs turned its gaze toward us.
"It's coming! Dokja-ssi, we have to avoid it...!"
Yoo Sangah screamed in terror. But I didn't care much about the approaching Ichthyosaur.
At least for now.
Krrr-rrr-rrr...
The Ichthyosaur, emitting a low growl, lingered beneath Dongho Bridge before turning its body away.
In the world of Ways of Survival, the 'Scenario' takes priority over all matters.
In other words, as long as we are under the protection of the scenario, we are safe for the time being.
I looked back at Hyeonmu.
Originally, according to the progression of Ways of Survival, Kim Namwoon should have killed most of the people in this carriage and moved on to the next scenario.
But Hyeonmu stopped that.
By doing nothing other than swinging a long pipe once.
'What on earth is she...'
I couldn't understand anything. She had only lightly swung it once as if chasing away a mosquito, yet Kim Namwoon—who could have slaughtered most of this carriage—was put into a near-death state in a single blow.
If my guess was right, there would be those enraged by Kim Namwoon's death by now.
Specifically, up in that sky.
[Due to the death of the character 'Kim Namwoon', two Constellations express a faint hostility toward Incarnation 'Hyeonmu'.]
Of course, there were also those who viewed Hyeonmu with interest.
[A few Constellations express interest in Incarnation 'Hyeonmu''s martial prowess.]
Constellations.
The loftiest beings in the world of Ways of Survival, and Transcendent Beings watching all these stories from high above in the sky.
Seeing the Constellations express interest in Hyeonmu's actions, it sank in that this was just the beginning.
It was funny.
Until recently, I had been reading Ways of Survival, cursing at and cheering for the Constellations, but now they were watching us.
Of course, Hyeonmu wasn't the only one the Constellations were interested in.
[A small number of Constellations express admiration for your scheme.]
[An anonymous Constellation sponsors you 500 coins.]
I picked up Kim Namwoon's Swiss Army knife dropped on the floor and looked at Yoo Sangah.
"Dokja-ssi, are you okay?"
I saw Yoo Sangah-ssi's pale face. Cold sweat dripping, washing away her makeup. The blood smeared across various spots of her white shirt looked exceptionally incongruous.
"...I'm sorry. I couldn't save the grandmother."
"...No. It's not your fault at all, Dokja-ssi."
Right. It wasn't my fault. However, separate from that, I couldn't stop the bitterness welling up from within and thoughts about the future.
Chijijik—
[Wow, crazy.]
The air split open and Bihyung appeared.
[That was truly splendid. For things to go this far while I briefly stepped away...]
"..."
I couldn't answer.
[By the way, Hyeonmu-ssi? That was truly magnificent. The Constellation-nims are showing an enthusiastic response.]
Above Bihyung's head as he spoke, things resembling stars floated around.
One, two, three, four...... twenty, twenty-one. A total of twenty-one.
The number of Constellations expressing interest in this channel.
Hyeonmu also quietly stared at the stars, but her expression gave away no meaning. No smile was visible.
[Man, the number of survivors is quite something too, isn't it? I wonder how it compares to that guy in the next carriage...]
Smirking, the guy manipulated something. Then a survivor list floated up.
[Survivors of Train 3434 bound for Bulgwang, Carriage 3807: Hyeonmu, Kim Dokja, Lee Hyunsung, Yoo Sangah, Han Myeongoh, Lee Gilyoung. Total of 6 survivors.]
The most important one, Hyeonmu.
'She's too big of a variable.'
The 'interest' that child mentioned. If that really was the sole reason she was trying to follow me, it was far too dangerous.
Because an uncontrolled blade is always the most dangerous.
Lee Hyunsung's survival was a matter of course. Since I had read the original work.
In Yoo Sangah-ssi's case, and in the case of the child named Lee Gilyoung, I was the one who saved them.
I looked at Lee Gilyoung for a moment.
Sticky fluid was oozing from the child's hands.
A boy shedding tears while looking at his mother, whose head had exploded.
I hesitated for a moment before placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. It wasn't sympathy, nor was it guilt.
If I had to put it into words, it would be hypocrisy.
"Hey kid."
The boy's pure eyes as he turned his gaze were trembling endlessly.
"Do you want to live?"
Faintly, Lee Gilyoung's head nodded.
"Then let's go together. I'll help you."
Gritting his teeth, Lee Gilyoung slowly grasped my hand. I caught Yoo Sangah watching with a touched expression.
Of course, it was a somewhat calculated action.
Though the target was different.
[A small number of Constellations are moved by your good deed.]
[Constellations have sponsored you 200 coins.]
It is hypocrisy. But I cannot afford to feel guilt.
I, too, must survive.
"D-Dokkaebi-nim. Are you going to release us now? We've fulfilled the condition you wanted..."
It was Han Myeongoh.
His survival was a bit unexpected. He might have stepped on a bug without realizing it while running around frantically.
[Huuum, you want to be released?]
Bihyung pointed outside the window. The Ichthyosaurs roaming the Han River.
[For real?]
Han Myeongoh's mouth shut immediately.
[Anyway, I'm impressed. To be honest, I didn't expect much from this carriage other than Kim Namwoon-ssi, but who would have thought there was something much bigger here.]
Snickering, he spoke once more.
[Now, now, since you've overcome the hardship, there must be rewards, right? Now, as a reward for the first scenario, you have earned the qualification to receive sponsorship from none other than the Constellation-nims! How about it, excited? Hmm... everyone looks lukewarm. This is really an amazing thing, though.]
It was only natural.
Because I was the only person who had read Ways of Survival.
What the Constellation's sponsorship meant was clear.
It was convenient to think of it as a kind of contract: a Constellation chooses an Incarnation they like, and the Incarnation receives various assistance from the Constellation while progressing through the scenarios.
[Hmm, everyone has bewildered faces. Let me put it simply. Right now, you guys are worse than bugs. If you're thrown into the upcoming scenarios right away, let alone a 'Krook', you'll be wiped out even if you just encounter things like 'Mole Crickets'.]
"I am not weak."
Hyeonmu, who had been listening quietly to Bihyung's words, spoke.
[...]
Instant, palpable embarrassment.
It was understandable. The first scenario. An Incarnation with no skills and no Constellation's sponsorship had displayed martial prowess that even a Dokkaebi couldn't comprehend.
[Uh... Hyeonmu-ssi? Not everyone is like you, Hyeonmu-ssi.]
"That's true."
[Ahem, ahem. Anyway, in this universe, there are great beings who take pity on you people and wish to sponsor you. Do you understand what I'm saying?]
Lee Hyunsung, unable to hold back any longer, finally spoke up.
"What on earth do you mean by that? Who is sponsoring whom..."
[You really can't get it through your thick head, can you? Just take a look for yourselves. This will be far better than me explaining it for a hundred days.]
I unconsciously clenched my fists.
It starts now.
<Sponsor Selection> begins.
"Dokja-ssi? Suddenly some strange names popped up..."
"Even if you ask me, I don't know."
Of course, it was a lie.
"Could it be something like an aptitude test? Something to sponsor us?"
Yoo Sangah nodded slightly at my words and began staring into thin air. The same went for the others.
I also looked into my options.
<Sponsor Selection>
—Please select a Backer.
—The chosen Backer will become your reliable sponsor.
Demon-like Judge of Fire
Secretive Plotter
Prisoner of the Golden Band
Three options.
It meant that a total of three Constellations wanted to become my Backer.
It was not a bad number. Since there were tons of Incarnations who couldn't even get a single one.
Constellations never reveal their true names.
Because names naturally contain status and destiny, and revealing it is equivalent to exposing one's existence to the whole world.
Of course, for me, a riddle of this level was nothing.
Just then, Hyeonmu suddenly stepped closer and spoke.
"Dokja-ya."
"Huh?"
The moment I was about to answer without much thought, a sense of incongruity burrowed into my mind.
Had I ever told Hyeonmu my name?
"What is everyone staring at like that?"
"I think they are choosing a Backer."
"Backer?"
Ah. She must have overheard Yoo Sangah's conversation.
"According to the Dokkaebi, it seems to be something similar to a sponsor."
Hyeonmu pulled the long pipe from her mouth and pondered for a moment.
"Why?"
"What do you mean why?"
"Is there no price?"
"Well, wouldn't that depend on each Constellation?"
"You can just make your own story yourself."
[A Constellation listens to Incarnation 'Hyeonmu''s remark with interest.]
"Is a Constellation a master?"
"It's a bit different from that. A master and a sponsor are different."
"They aren't parents either."
"That's most likely the case, right?"
"A master/owner?"
A strange exchange of questions and answers followed.
I couldn't answer right away. However, the other party seemed to have gotten an answer to some extent from my silence.
"Strange."
Hyeonmu tilted her head. She looked like someone who had heard something truly incomprehensible.
Was she acting? If so, her reaction was far too vivid.
"What's strange?"
"That person was the one fighting to live, so why does the star behind them get to decide?"
"Because that's what a sponsorship relationship is?"
"The stars are greedy. The stars I know are a bit different."
'...?'
The stars I know? Which Constellation is she talking about? No, is she even talking about a Constellation in the first place?
However, Hyeonmu didn't seem inclined to answer that doubt.
She frowned for a moment and then waved her hand.
[A-Ah, no. Hyeonmu-ssi? What is the meaning of this...]
Bihyung displayed an astonished reaction. Given that an Incarnation refusing a Constellation's offer was shocking enough, exhibiting such an attitude made his reaction completely understandable.
"What?"
[It seems you don't quite understand yet, but someone of your caliber, Hyeonmu-ssi, is an Incarnation with immense potential! If a being like that even acquired a Backer...!]
"I don't need it."
Interrupted mid-sentence, Bihyung wore a dazed expression.
[Pardon...?]
"I have no need for power handed to me by someone else."
[A small number of Constellations express displeasure at Incarnation 'Hyeonmu''s statement.]
Even as the Constellations expressed their displeasure, Hyeonmu showed no particular reaction.
Separate from Hyeonmu's attitude, I agreed with her statement. If it was the 'Star Stream' that I knew, one should refrain from blindly gulping down what others hand out.
I closed the message while averting my eyes from 'Prisoner of the Golden Band', which kept drawing my gaze.
[Several Constellations are deeply shocked by your choice.]
Yeah, it starts now.
[Several Constellations are enraged by your choice.]
My heart grew heavy.
I might have just washed away a tremendous opportunity right before my eyes.
[You have not selected a Backer.]
But in the world of the 'Star Stream', equivalent exchange is an immutable truth.
If you take something, you must give something up.
I will survive.
But I will not become a plaything for the Constellations.
[Haha, my goodness... To think there's one more person who made an interesting choice. Well, even if you regret it later, I won't care.]
Bihyung's eyes, curved like crescent moons, rested on me.
[Well, take a rest for a bit first. I have some preparations to make. See you in 10 minutes!]
10 minutes.
It was a short time, but a truly crucial one.
Because I had to wrap up this entire situation within 10 minutes.
First off.
[Character List], [Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint]
I didn't fully know yet, but I had a general hunch.
"Everyone, please gather up."
At my words, the survivors hesitantly gathered around.
"Hello. I am Lee Hyunsung."
"I'm Kim Dokja."
"First of all... as I mentioned earlier, I am a soldier. Though now, I suppose I should say I used to be a soldier."
"I take it you can't reach your unit?"
"...That's correct."
The strength felt through our clasped hands was considerable. As expected, Lee Hyunsung is someone I must take with me.
Though he currently has no abilities, the future will be different. Lee Hyunsung wasn't a major supporting character in Ways of Survival for nothing.
"And Dokja-ssi."
"Please, go ahead."
"Thank you so much for earlier."
A head bowing respectfully. My heart felt a bit conflicted.
Did my actions look like justice to him? Those actions of scattering grasshoppers while holding human lives hostage.
I couldn't tell.
"...Not at all. It was what Hyunsung-ssi did."
Just then, someone grabbed my shoulder.
"Haha, our contract worker pulled off a big one. Dokja-ssi. You know my name, right?"
I could tell who it was just by his voice. Because he was the most unlikable human being at Minosoft.
"I know. Han Myeongoh-ssi."
"Eo-heo, Han Myeongoh-ssi? You should call me Department Head!"
Pulling this kind of bullshit even in this situation. It was typical Han Myeongoh.
Nepo baby, boomer, unlikable. Collecting every single negative label was a talent in its own right. But did he really want to act like this even in a situation like this?
Just as I was about to brush his hand away in rising annoyance—
Seueuk
A slender long pipe slipped between his hand and my shoulder. There was no need to explain who it belonged to.
Perhaps because Han Myeongoh had witnessed the sight earlier, he became a bit cautious. He seemed scared, even.
"Uh... was it Hyeonmu? This isn't fighting, it's adults'—"
"Move it."
"Huh?"
Hyeonmu looked up at Han Myeongoh with an expressionless face. A drop of sweat fell from Han Myeongoh's face.
"Wait, just listen to me—"
Tak
"...!"
The long pipe moved slightly. Even though it was a movement of less than a few centimeters, his arm was repelled at high speed.
Han Myeongoh stared at his own repelled arm with dumbfounded eyes. He checked to see if he was injured anywhere.
"You didn't do anything."
"What...?"
"If you barely survived thanks to Dokja, stay quiet."
Hyeonmu is taking my side. I was confused. It was a development I hadn't anticipated at all.
Han Myeongoh's face turned red. Was it because he didn't like the attitude a kid appearing around ten years old showed toward an adult?
Of course, because Hyeonmu was a terrifying entity to him, he could only protest passively.
"...Hyeonmu-ya. If you speak to an adult like that—"
Right then, silence suddenly settled inside the train car. It was neither the Dokkaebi, the monsters, nor a new scenario.
It was simply because the hand not holding the long pipe was slowly raised.
"Hyeonmu-ya, what are you trying to—"
[A large number of Constellations watch Incarnation 'Hyeonmu''s action with interest.]
Hyeonmu, who had been raising her hand without a word, let out a brief sigh and withdrew her hand.
"...Right. Now."
'...?'
Now? Once again, I had no idea.
I thought I had grasped the most basic things, but the more I thought about it, the further away I felt from understanding the basis of Hyeonmu's actions.
Would it have been different in the past?
What on earth was Hyeonmu's past that I didn't know about? I was immensely curious.
However.
[A Constellation feels relieved that Incarnation 'Hyeonmu' withdrew her hand.]
Although I couldn't know her mind, there was one certain thing.
Just now, Hyeonmu—
Intended to kill Han Myeongoh.