Chapter 0: Prologue
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 0: Prologue
Click, click.
Staring at the glowing monitor, the man’s expression soured as he scrolled.
“What is the world coming to…?”
A news article loaded rapidly before his eyes.
[...Student A (18) is currently at large after stabbing three police officers. According to Student A’s family, his behavior changed abruptly several months ago, and he began displaying extreme violent tendencies...]
“Huh? This is my neighborhood.”
The incident—where a high schooler stabbed three responding officers during a brawl with several adult men—had occurred not far from the PC bang where the man currently sat.
“Kids these days are terrifying.”
— Hyung! Get in here!
As soon as a youthful voice crackled through his headset, the man closed the news tab and returned to his game.
Royal Ground.
It was a survival FPS where a hundred players dropped onto an island to battle until only one remained.
Having been discharged from the military only a week ago, he had rented a small studio apartment under the pretext of studying for his return to university. Instead of hitting the books, however, he was hopelessly addicted to the game.
“This is my last round. Let’s actually get that chicken dinner this time.”
— Hyung, why the last round?
“I have to go register for an academy.”
— What kind of academy?
“I told you. TOEIC!”
— Aww, come on. Forget TOEIC… Let’s just play more.
“I can’t. My conscience kills me every time my parents call… 140 mark!! Two of them! They’re running!”
He was happily picking off the two enemies when, suddenly, pitch-black darkness swallowed everything.
“Ah! What the—!”
“Shit! What happened?”
“I think the power’s out.”
“Are you kidding me? I was in the middle of a raid!”
The PC bang instantly descended into a chaotic uproar.
A moment later, the lights flickered back on. A man who appeared to be the owner walked around, bowing and apologizing to the customers.
“It seems the power went out for the entire building. I’m sorry, everyone.”
If the whole building’s power was out, there wasn't much anyone could do.
‘But right before the power cut, I could’ve sworn I felt a weird vibration. Was it just my imagination?’
The man turned his computer back on and glanced around, but no one else seemed to have felt the tremor.
*
On the rooftop of the very building that had just lost power, a fierce battle was underway.
“Byeong-gi! Fall back!”
“Why?! This brat is nothing!”
Ignoring the man in the black suit, a man in a sleeveless shirt lunged forward, only for a concentrated mass of electricity to slam straight into his chest.
— Crackle! Zap!
“Aaaargh!”
Watching the sleeveless man get blown back, his body convulsing with current, the man in the suit clicked his tongue. He glared at the student in the school uniform standing before them.
“If you keep acting like this, I really can’t guarantee your safety.”
“Ha… ha… You never intended to guarantee my safety anyway, did you? You’ve already framed me as some psychopathic delinquent… Stabbing police officers? You bastards…”
The moment the student finished speaking, his form blurred. The three hulking men guarding the area near the fallen man immediately scattered.
Their movements were disciplined and swift, leaving behind afterimages that defied human speed.
— Swish!
“Watch out for magic! Just keep him contained!”
As the man who had given the initial order began to direct them again, more thugs surrounded the student.
Just as the student’s hands began to glow white, the leader’s voice thundered.
“Disperse!”
The thugs scattered once more. In that split second where the student faltered, having lost his targets, a slender man in a suit materialized in mid-air above him and reached out.
A pitch-black net manifested from the man’s bare hands, instantly enveloping the student.
— Sizzle!
“This thing is designed to nullify most magic. Try tearing it if you can.”
The man pulled out a cigarette and lit it, staring down at the student who was gnashing his teeth in fury.
“You bastards! Get this off me right—”
Thwack!
The scorched man in the sleeveless shirt, who had managed to stagger back up, delivered a heavy soccer kick straight to the student’s face. He began to stomp on the trapped boy, huffing with rage.
“You little piece of shit!”
“Byeong-gi. That’s enough. He’s merchandise. We can’t have him damaged.”
Ignoring the order, the man continued to kick. When the leader finally stepped in to block him, the man glared back with pure dissatisfaction.
“You’re the one who got hit by a kid, and you’re the one who messed up. Take your frustration out somewhere else.”
“Tch! An Outcast acting like a Team Leader.”
“What?”
As the Team Leader’s expression darkened, the man with the scorched face let out a mocking sneer.
“It’s not like I’m wrong. It’s a fact that you’re an Outcast. No matter how much you play Team Leader, aren't your days numbered anyway?”
The Team Leader’s eyes twitched violently.
“Then why don’t we drop the ranks and see how you fare against an Outcast?”
The Team Leader threw his cigarette to the ground. The man backed away, his mouth curling into a smirk.
“Later. Once I’ve cleared a few more rounds, let’s have at it then.”
As the man vanished from the rooftop, the other thugs gathered around the Team Leader.
“Are you just going to let him be?”
“Sigh. What choice do I have? He’s still a body with plenty of utility. I’ll leave him alone for a while. At least until he becomes an Outcast himself.”
The Team Leader glared at the spot where the man had disappeared for a moment before turning his gaze to the unconscious student.
“Hurry up before he wakes up.”
“Yes, sir!”
*
While staring intently at the monitor and flicking his mouse, a teammate’s urgent voice came through the headset.
— Hyung! 200! Sniper!
“Confirmed! I’ll take him. You get In-circle!”
The moment the enemy’s head entered the crosshairs of his magnified scope, the man clicked.
“Confirmed kill!”
— Nice! Hyung, we might actually get the chicken dinner this round!
“Don’t get careless. Stick to the rock in front of you!”
— Ah, enemy here!
No sooner had his teammate spoken than a notification appeared, signaling his death.
“Damn it! How many?”
— There’s two! Hyung, just fall back and—
Before he could finish, the sound of gunfire erupted. The man gripped his mouse tight.
— Nice! Whoa! You wiped both of them while they were in cover? Hyung, are you sure you’re a beginner? That aim was insane! Are you using hacks?
“Yeah, I’m using hacks. The ‘I’m-just-that-good’ hack! Hahaha.”
— Ah, just one more round before you go.
“I can’t. I really have to go register today.”
— Hyung, why even bother with school? Just go pro.
“Hey! My parents would have a heart attack. Besides, what pro at my age? I’m an old man. I’m heading out. See you later.”
— Okay. Hyung, I added you on KakaoTalk, so message me when you’re playing.
“Will do.”
As soon as he turned off the computer and stood up, a long sigh escaped his lips.
“Haaa.”
The joy of gaming was truly fleeting.
The moment the screen went dark, the weight of reality pressed down heavily on his shoulders. He had always loved games, so he played them out of habit, but he wasn't young anymore.
‘Jin Seo-un! Get it together and start living properly.’
Clearing his cluttered mind, he began walking toward the TOEIC academy he had looked up earlier.
In the middle of the bright day, while he was walking down the street, an intense light suddenly swallowed Seo-un whole.
In the split second his vision flashed white, a searing pain—as if his entire body were being incinerated—snapped his thread of consciousness.
In the fleeting moment before he blacked out, Seo-un was certain he had been caught in a nuclear explosion.
It had been only a week since his discharge from the military.
‘Ah… I finally get discharged, only to die in a nuke…’
The blinding white light that filled his vision and the agonizing heat left no room for doubt. There was no need to think any further.