A Deceptive Peace
We were standing on the platform of Seoul Station, where trains came and went.
"My god..."
"What in the world..."
Everyone stared, their mouths agape in shock.
The station was pristine.
A blue sky peeked through the translucent roof and well-maintained steel framework.
At the edge of our vision, skyscrapers gleamed in the sunlight, looking as though they had never once collapsed.
The sound of a train echoed. It was real. A train was chugging vigorously along the tracks.
It was a scene from the era when humanity was still the master of the Earth.
That alone was astonishing, but what truly made us doubt our eyes lay elsewhere.
"Yes, I just arrived in Seoul. Go on in."
"Daddy!"
"Do we have to go to Grandma's? I was supposed to meet my friends..."
"Thank you. Please come again."
There were people.
They didn't have the fatigue-ridden, zombie-like faces common in Maetan, nor were they the overly perfect, highly customized avatars.
These were people from a time when humanity still believed in a bright future, living vibrant lives in the midst of abundance. They were right there.
"Is this... really inside the Internet?"
"...It looks exactly like the Seoul Station from when I was young."
At the words of a middle-aged out-of-office worker, several people nodded.
For most of them, their lives before the war had been longer than their lives after it.
Behind us, the door to a convenience kiosk stood open. It seemed we had emerged directly through it.
"Bwahaha! Surprised, aren't you?! You there! Stop looking around! The AI bastards will notice!"
Just then, a booming voice echoed from the opposite platform.
Weaving through the bustling crowd was a massive man, standing a full head taller than everyone else.
He wore a suit that looked ready to burst from his sheer muscle, and his skin was a deep crimson.
Two horns protruded from his cropped hair.
It was an avatar I had seen a few times in Intra-Maetan.
There were billboards featuring him as a model all over the city, and I had often spotted him on streams.
The **A-Grade Player**, **Kang Yeolchan**.
"Hup!"
Kang Yeolchan leaped lightly across the tracks, landing on our platform.
"Now, as you all know, the Internet is the AI's front yard! You know what happens if they catch us connecting, right?"
I recalled the man whose Neck-Hub had been extracted before we dived.
"Those AI bastards will corrupt your Neck-Hub. If that happens, the only choice is to sever the connection and rip the Neck-Hub right out of your neck! But don't worry! We just have to avoid getting caught! Relax! Act natural! That's it! Deep breath! Come on, everyone! In... and out...!"
Kang Yeolchan puffed out his chest and gestured to us.
We followed his lead, taking a deep, collective breath.
"Those AI bastards look for anything out of the ordinary, awkward, or unexpected to track us down! And what does that mean? If we act naturally, like we belong here, they won't be able to find us! Got it?!"
Kang Yeolchan grinned, his pearly white teeth flashing.
His energetic voice and sweeping gestures instantly calmed the panicked out-of-office workers.
As expected of an **A-class** player, his presence was overwhelming.
"Alright! You've all been briefed on where we are, right?! Anyone here who's been to this place before? Raise your hand!"
A few of the older workers raised their hands.
Kang Yeolchan shook his head.
"Wrong! None of you have ever been here. This isn't the real Seoul Station! It's a virtual space reconstructed by the AI using data from the Internet! No matter how identical it looks to your memories, no matter how real it feels, it is not real! It's all a deception created by the AI! You must keep that in mind!"
Passersby and passengers waiting for the train glanced in our direction.
His voice is definitely too loud.
"Don't worry! This much won't get us caught! But if we make any more of a scene, even they will start to find it strange!"
Kang Yeolchan was personally demonstrating the threshold of what the AI would tolerate.
Even his slightly exaggerated voice and gestures seemed intentional.
"You there! My goblin friend!"
Kang Yeolchan pointed at me and shouted.
Just as he said, I was still using the goblin avatar I wore at work.
"A demi-human! You've got unique taste! That's right, what's the fun in making an avatar that looks like a regular human?"
True to his words, Kang Yeolchan was using a red Dokkaebi avatar.
He seemed to take a liking to me for choosing a demi-human goblin, but I hadn't picked this avatar out of personal preference.
It was simply because it was basic, requiring very little processing power.
One of the out-of-office workers asked,
"Um, is it really okay if he's not human?"
He looked at me with doubtful eyes.
Admittedly, a goblin's appearance did stand out a bit in a modern setting.
Ragged leather clothes, leather shoes, and a rusty dagger at my waist.
"No problem at all! As long as you don't attract the AI's attention!"
Kang Yeolchan proudly thumped his own red Dokkaebi chest.
"Now! Here are the packages you'll be transporting!"
Kang Yeolchan pointed behind the kiosk, where a pile of bags was stacked.
The contents varied—toothbrushes, ballpoint pens, batteries, umbrellas, and the like.
"These are item packages disguised as subway peddler gear! Go ahead, grab one each!"
The workers hesitantly picked up the bags.
I picked up a bag containing mufflers, and a notification window popped up.
◈ Effect: Storage (C)
"Got everything?! You all remember the map from before we connected, right? You'll find that map inside your bags! From now on, follow that map to move! But there's one thing you must watch out for! Look at the numbers in the upper right corner of your vision!"
At the edge of my vision, in the top right, a number was indeed floating.
"That is your brain temperature. On the Internet, without the support of Intra-Maetan, you have to render your avatar using nothing but your own brain! Overworking your brain will cause your temperature to rise. Since you've just connected, it should be around 36 or 37 degrees Celsius. Once it exceeds 40 degrees, it gets dangerous. Make sure you finish your work and rush back here to log out before that happens!"
...I'm already at 38 degrees?
...It must be because of my low Computation Grade. Being low-grade is miserable.
One of the out-of-office workers asked,
"What happens if it goes over 40 degrees?"
"This part gets cooked," Kang Yeolchan said, tapping his own head.
"And just in case, do not mess with the residents of the Internet. Even if they look like ordinary people, they are essentially the nerve endings of the AI."
Even at this very moment, countless people were passing by us, boarding and disembarking from the trains.
They glanced at us out of the corners of their eyes, but none of them actively approached.
"Once we set off, it's best if you don't even contact each other!"
"Aren't you coming with us, Mr. Kang Yeolchan?"
"I'll be moving around constantly to handle any unexpected situations! If anyone tries to talk to you, do your best not to panic and just ignore them! I'll be there soon! Now, before we head out, I will give each of you one last item!"
Kang Yeolchan pulled something out of his inner jacket pocket.
"This is the item that will let you go anywhere in this Internet world! It grants you access to most of the transit systems on the Internet! Do not lose it under any circumstances! And you must return it when you log out!"
We lined up and received the items one by one.
It was a small plastic card, embossed with mysterious numbers and illustrations of various transit vehicles.
As soon as I took the card, a notification window popped up.
◈ Balance: 9,700 KRW
Clack-clack, clack-clack.
"— This stop is Chungmuro, Chungmuro. The doors are on your..."
Screeech... Psssssh...
The train ground to a halt, and new passengers boarded to replace those who had disembarked.
It was remarkable.
Ever since boarding, I had been observing the passengers.
Yet, I couldn't find a single common thread among them.
Even if the people in this world all looked different, I figured that if a single AI were managing them, some sort of pattern or commonality would emerge. But there was absolutely nothing.
It was as if every single one of them... was a completely different person.
While I was observing them, a man with a thick beard caught my eye. He gave me an awkward smile, nodded, and walked past.
...Is he one of the out-of-office workers?
I had already crossed paths with several out-of-office workers at the turnstiles and inside the subway.
I had deliberately avoided making eye contact, but they would spot me first and acknowledge me.
Well, yeah. A goblin avatar does stand out.
He passed me and moved toward Car 6.
This was no time to be people-watching. I needed to make my way to Car 4 before the train reached Hyehwa Station.
Following behind the man, I slid open the door to the next car.
Nothing out of the ordinary had happened yet.
The subway was slightly crowded but peaceful, and no one paid me any mind.
Why is the survival rate only sixty percent? I don't get it at all.
There were twenty-two out-of-office workers deployed today.
If only sixty percent returned, it meant nine people wouldn't make it back.
What on earth was causing nearly half of them to be sacrificed?
I found the answer the moment I opened the door to Car 3.
"Excuse me. Are you aware that soliciting on the subway is prohibited?"
"No... I, well... um..."
The bearded out-of-office worker was trembling violently.
It was the man who had just passed me.
Standing in front of him were two transit police officers in uniform.
"Why aren't you answering?"
"May we take a look inside your bag?"
The transit police questioned him, backing him up against the door.
Terrified, the bearded man shook like a leaf, unable to utter a coherent response.
This is bad.
Just as I was about to back away—
"H-Help me!"
What the hell are you doing...?
Cornered, the bearded man cried out to me.
In an instant, the eyes of the transit police, along with everyone else in Car 3, locked onto me.
"Excuse me, sir. Do you know this man?"
One of the officers asked, pointing at the bearded man.
"No."
I answered firmly, but it was useless.
"Please, h-help me! I don't know what to do... If I get c-caught..."
Damn it.
The bearded man clung to me desperately.
I tried to shake him off, but with a goblin's pathetic physical strength, even that wasn't easy.
Did he already forget what Kang Yeolchan said before we left?
Act naturally, like you belong here...!
"— This stop is Dongdaemun, Dongdaemun. The doors are on your left. Passengers transferring to the Incheon or Cheonan lines..."
"You have the same bag. Both of you, step off the train. We need to have a little chat."
The transit police closed in, flanking me and the bearded man.
Not just them, but everyone in the subway car was staring at us.
There was nowhere to run.
Soon, the doors slid open, and we were forced off the train, our shoulders gripped tightly by the officers.
"Come with us to the office for a moment. Contact the Dongdaemun station office."
Receiving the order, the other officer pulled a cell phone from his pocket.
In that split second, I realized that if that call went through, it was over.
If we were dragged to the station office, we would never get another chance to escape.
I darted my eyes around, scanning our surroundings.
The train had already departed.
The passengers who had gotten off with us were already heading up the stairs in the distance.
In other words, the only ones left on the platform were us and the transit police.
My instincts screamed.
If I'm going to move, it has to be now!
Thump!
There was no wind-up, no bending of the knees.
Springing forward like a released coil, I whipped the dagger from my waist and slashed the throat of the officer holding the phone.
"—!"
The officer stumbled backward, clutching his neck to stem the spurting blood.
As expected, one strike isn't enough.
Gripping the dagger with both hands, I drove it straight into his solar plexus.
Thud.
His vital point pierced, the officer's knees buckled, and he collapsed to the floor.
That's one down. Next...!
The bearded man stood frozen, his entire body shuddering.
The other officer was jamming a metal needle, as thick as a finger, directly into his ear.
The bearded man let out a groan that was impossible to distinguish between agony and ecstasy, his eyes darting frantically in their sockets.
I had seen this state a few times on the battlefield.
It was the look of a brain melting under a tidal wave of incoming data.
"Freeze! Move and I shoot!"
Holding the dazed, needle-impaled bearded man as a shield, the transit officer drew his handgun.
I watched the direction of the muzzle and the officer's finger, measuring the distance to see if I could close in with a **Roll** if necessary.
...No matter how I approach, the bearded guy is in the way.
The transit officer shouted,
"We have a suspect here! Send backup to the platform...!"
The moment he called for backup—
Boom!
A flash of fire erupted from the far end of the tunnel.