Chapter 1 - chapter 1
chapter 1
Episode 1
[Find the exit.]
I ran like crazy. A whooshing sound grazed my back, and people screamed.
I didn't look back. One wrong move and I'd die. I gritted my teeth and ran, focusing only on what was ahead. A semi-transparent window persistently followed my rapidly shifting vision.
[Find the exit.]
I knew what this was. A status window. My friend's game had these kinds of prompts.
It was a survival game where space monsters ran rampant. The damp, dark setting and the monsters with blades on their arms that sliced people to pieces were exactly the same as the current situation.
[Find the exit.]
So, I'd fallen into the game. The problem was, I'd never played this game. I'd only watched my friend play it over his shoulder.
[Find the exit.]
Which meant I didn't know the exit.
Of course, as soon as we fell into this place, there were guys who were ecstatic, eyes wide, saying they knew the game well and that they were finally the main characters.
They were the first to die. They lacked stamina.
No matter how much you knew, if you were slow, there was nothing you could do. As a result, only the fast people remained.
But this was almost over too. If we just kept running away like this, we'd all be wiped out.
[Find the exit.]
Instinctively, I sensed a monster was right behind me.
Instead of running, I threw myself to the side with all my might. My shoulder slammed into the rocky ground, and I yelped, but this pain was nothing. It was a hundred times better than being cut in half.
Sure enough, the monster's blade roughly passed through where I had been, making a crack sound. I immediately sat up and frantically moved backward.
The monster, approaching me, was suddenly struck by a human arm flying from the side. It staggered, then bent down and began to tear at it.
[Find the exit.]
The scene behind the monster, munching on the arm, was horrific. Giant, mantis-like monsters. A completely enclosed space. People running around like crazy.
Corpses were already scattered everywhere. There were over a hundred people at first, but now there were less than half left.
I leaned against the wall, frantically scanning my surroundings. Someone had to be here. Someone who knew this game well. I believed they were still alive.
Someone who was good at games, good at sports, good at studying, someone whose sharp mind was supported by a strong physique, someone who could survive anywhere... someone like Baek Yi-hyun.
A hollow laugh escaped me. Thinking of Baek Yi-hyun in this situation. The reason I fell into this place in the first place was because I couldn't forget him.
Someone who was already dead. Why did I keep thinking of someone I should have let go of?
I gritted my teeth and scanned my surroundings again. Someone must know the exit. I had to follow that person.
[Exit.]
Suddenly, the status window's message flickered. At the same time, I spotted a man huddled in a corner.
At first glance, it looked like he was cowering to avoid the monsters, but he was desperately feeling between the rocky wall and the ground.
A faint gap was visible. It was a spot you wouldn't find unless you already knew about it.
The exit.
I immediately pushed off the wall and darted forward. I ran desperately, focusing only on the man.
The man inserted his hand into the gap and lifted it up with all his might. Surprisingly, the wall rose with a rumbling sound.
Just as I saw the dim night sky outside, a child urgently clung to the man's back. The man pushed the child away with a fierce expression.
'That bastard's trying to get out alone!'
I knew it from the moment he was secretly hiding in the corner. That man had no intention of sharing his knowledge with others. I didn't know why, but one thing was certain.
If the exit closed like this, we'd die.
I gritted my teeth and ran. Fortunately, the man didn't go out immediately and waited for a moment. It seemed like he was waiting for something.
Then, he covered his hand with his sleeve and hurriedly pulled something from the ground. It was a glittering jewel.
The man gripped it tightly and slipped out. Just before the door closed, I barely managed to push my hand into the gap. I planted my elbow on the ground and used that as leverage to lift the wall up.
The wall slowly rose with a heavy sound. As soon as enough space was secured for one person to squeeze through, I shoved my upper body through.
Fresh air hit my nose. It was night outside. Countless stars filled the dark sky.
I was about to pull myself out when I suddenly stopped.
What would Baek Yi-hyun do? What would Yi-hyun do?
I knew the answer. Baek Yi-hyun wouldn't escape alone. He would save people.
That's right. He saved me and died instead.
My chest pounded with tension. I pulled my half-inserted body back in, propped the wall up with my shoulder, and pressed my back against the edge of the entrance.
At the same time, I looked inside. In the midst of the chaos, the child who had been pushed away by the man was sitting and frantically moving away from the monster.
That's when it happened.
[Please wait. The Primary Orb will regenerate in 1 minute. Orb generation will be suspended while people are entering or exiting, so please wait until the Primary Orb is fully generated.]
Primary Orb? Regenerate?
I looked down at my feet. Sure enough, the spot where the man had pulled out the jewel was faintly glowing. Something was sparkling and solidifying.
When I put my hand over it, the glowing mass disappeared. When I took my hand away, a tiny light began to burn again.
I knew instinctively. I had to wait here until something was completely made and then take it.
The man who escaped first desperately took it, and the status window was telling me to wait. This jewel, whatever the Primary Orb was, was quite valuable. But...
I turned my head and looked inside. People were dying.
The decision wasn't difficult. I gritted my teeth. I firmly supported the wall with my shoulder so it wouldn't fall and reached out to grab the hand of the nearest child.
The child flinched in surprise. Our eyes met.
"Quick!"
I pulled the child's hand with all my might. The child was dragged along, then hurriedly stood up and came towards me.
I pushed the child's back to send them outside. At the same time, the faint light that was being generated below went out. Trying not to care, I shouted inside.
"This way!"
Some of the people who were running away looked this way. So did the monsters. I shouted urgently.
"Everyone, this way! Hurry!"
People rushed over. I pressed my body further against the edge. People frantically passed me and escaped outside.
Soon, people were crowding, stepping on my feet and pushing me, but that didn't matter. I barely supported the wall pressing down on my shoulder with my hands, watching the monsters beyond the people.
The moment one of the monsters that rushed this way swung its scythe-like arm, I pulled my body out, which had been supporting the wall, and escaped outside.
No sooner did I realize that there was nothing under my feet than I fell straight down. Immediately, the impact reached my entire body.
I gasped for breath, trying to regain my senses. I felt fresh soil under my hand that was touching the ground.
Dewy grass. Quiet surroundings. I could faintly hear the sound of insects chirping somewhere. There was no monster's unique growling.
I survived.
Somehow, I got out. Relieved, I raised my head and gasped. I reflexively lay flat on the ground. I only rolled my eyes to look around.
The situation was clearly not good.
The people who had gone out first, about thirty of them, were all kneeling on the ground with their heads bowed.
Beyond them, I saw several tall men. Black uniforms, relaxed faces. Giggling laughter. Thin cigarettes in their hands. Guns at their waists. Swords and bows on their backs.
And someone was dead in front of them. One of the soldiers put his foot under the corpse and kicked it. The corpse flipped over, revealing its face.
Empty eyes were facing this way. It was the man who had taken the jewel first.
The soldier pulled out only one glove from his waist and put it on his right hand. Then, he picked up something glittering from the blood slowly spreading under the dead man's body. It was a jewel.
The soldier rubbed the jewel against his uniform to wipe off the blood and whistled, glancing over here.
"Wow, so many survived?"
"This class is amazing?"
"Two, four, six, eight... thirty-two? Wow, has this ever happened before?"
"Never. It's hard for even one to come out."
The soldiers snickered.
"It can't be a coincidence. In these special cases, there's a leader."
The soldier tossed the jewel into the air and grinned. The sight of him raising the corners of his mouth, covered in blood, was definitely that of a madman.
I lay even flatter on the ground. I must not be seen until I understand the situation.
"Come out. The one who saved so many."
I huddled and didn't move. In times like these, protecting myself was the best course of action...
For some reason, my back felt cold. I raised my eyes very slightly and flinched.
Everyone was looking at me.