#koreanwebtoonbased

Starting the Paid Service(5)

The panicking started immediately as soon as the clear box hit the floor with a loud thud and the remaining crickets jumped out. Yoo Sangah looked a bit concerned as she watched the commotion, wiping her hands with the wet wipe, while Kim Dokja looked as if he had expected something like this to happen.

Our eyes met. I stared straight at him in the eyes, daring him to question my actions but he stared back and nodded his head. Of course, he would agree, I did almost the same thing that he had in the original novel of 'Omniscient reader's Viewpoint.'

"H-hey why would you do such a thing-"

Some turned their heads to glare at me while the others immediately scurried forward.

"You son of a bitch."

"You better start looking for them quickly, there are only three minutes left." Dokja intervened, crossing his arms as he confronted the small group of people that had started walking towards me.

His words were a signal for the people to start looking everywhere on the subway train. They crouched down to look under seats and in between cracks.

"Yes! I got one! Aaaack! N-no...stop-!"

The joy that the more fortunate ones gained after finding an insect quickly dissipated as they also became targets of the others and their malicious attacks. The carriage quickly became chaotic.

"Hey, why'd you do that? Shouldn't you have just given them the insects?"

Looking back, I saw that Kim Namwoon had directed his gaze towards me and had finally decided to quit being silent. I looked at the silver-haired teen, annoyance creeping up my neck, but I responded calmly.

"There are twelve people left."

"What?" He tilted his head to the side, confused.

"Only three insects were remaining inside the net."

He frowned, quickly mulling over my words, before he quickly put on an ear-splitting grin. "Kekekeke, twelve to three? Not all of them will be able to survive, right? So you threw the net and the lucky ones would find the remaining three?"

"Yea,"

"Don't make me laugh!"

"...." He was starting to piss me off.

"A normal person with common sense wouldn't do that sort of thing without a reason." He grinned, as he looked up at me with a sadistic gleam in his eyes. "Tell me honestly...You just wanted to see this scene, didn't you?"

And there was the question. [Exclusive skill, Character List is activated] a message rang in my ear. Though I was surprised, I made sure not to show it.

[Character Information]

[Name: Kim Namwoon

Age: 19

Constellation Support: None (Two constellations are showing interest in this person)

Private Attribute: Chunnibyou (General)

Exclusive Skills: Unusual Adaptability lv. 3, Knife Fighting lv.1, Blackening lv.1

Overall Stats: Stamina lv.3, Strength lv.4, Agility lv.6, Magic Power lv.4

Overall Rating: A chuunibiyou who was blackened by a special occasion. It is recommended that you don't get involved with him.]

Kim Namwoon wasn't like most chuunibiyous. Unlike the others that had decided to end their own suffering because they couldn't endure the nightmare that had become a reality, Kim Namwoon became know as the Delusional Demon.

He had been waiting for the destruction of the world the entire time and had adapted at an 'unusual speed.'

He looked from me to Dokja and back. "Why don't you two team up with me?" There was a few seconds of silence as Dokja and I met eyes.

[The character 'Kim Namwoon' has a favorable impression of you]

[Your understanding of the character 'Kim Namwoon' has now increased]

I looked at the notification that had popped up in front of me, my face not betraying anything. I closed my eyes, pretending to be mulling through the idea. I opened my eyes to see Dokja was staring at me.

I smiled at him, tilting my head to the side. He stared at me before grinning. We looked at Kim Namwoon, who had been watching our little play, before speaking at the same time.

"No."

Immediately, his face contorted a bit before returning to that annoying smirk. "Ah, what a shame. I mean it. Then can you step aside? I have something to do with that old lady behind you." I could feel Yoo Sangah stiffen behind me. Gilyoung's hand on my hoodie tightened.

"What do you want?" Dokja asked, crossing his arms as he looked down at the arrogant chuunibyou.

The other leaned his head back, "Do you have to ask?"

"You aren't catching the insects?"

I held my breath. "Insects? Why would I catch that? I've already caught one in front of me." He grinned down at the old lady who was struggling to breathe and was bleeding.

Yoo Sangah immediately moved in front of the grandma, fear prominent in her eyes but radiating a protective aura. I couldn't help but feel proud of her.

I looked back at Kim Namwoon. He had a murderous aura.

He was every bit the person I had always imagined him to be.

[The character 'Kim Namwoon' has a slight decrease in favor towards you and your companion 'Kim Dokja']

He stared right at Kim Dokja, his eyes occasionally moving onto me. "Well, aren't you going to move aside?"

Kim Dokja crossed his arms and tilted his head, his eyes closing as he feigned a serious thinking expression. I snorted, turning the other way when Kim Namwoon's slightly confused by slowly reddening eyes turned towards me, oops, he was getting angry.

"Hah...it's really a tough decision." Kim Dokja muttered to himself, yet speaking loud enough for those around him to hear.

Kim Namwoon stared at him. "What?"

Kim Dokja smiled, looking at the white-haired boy as if he was looking at the eyes of an innocent child that wouldn't grow to be a young man obsessed with blood and murder. "I won't move aside." He said in an almost doting tone.

"Haha," Kim Namwoon chuckled darkly, "Are you two going to imitate the Apostle of Justice? Hey, do you have multiple personalities? Fuck you."

He looked at me directly in the eyes, completely ignoring the taller man in front of me. "Who cares what the others go through, the type of place this country has regressed to is nothing that can be saved with a bit of compassion."

He looked at me, his dark eyes seemed to be glowing when he spoke. The words he had spoken weren't in the official novel or the novel based off of the original, 'Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint.'

But there was truth in his words, I knew it. Still, I couldn't think about what he said, my mind was focused on one word.

Regressed.

I knew that Dokja would be focused on the fact that his words hadn't been in the original novel but the fact that, during this life, I knew Yoo Jonghyuk on a personal level only the realization that he had regressed three times already, made my heart stutter. It all felt real now.

Kim Dokja, Yoo Sangah, and Lee Gilyoung weren't just characters from a book. Now they were real. The years of interactions I had had with the 'characters' of a novel felt like years I had gone through in befriending people.

Not that they weren't people before, because they were.

They were all people just like me only, I hadn't thought of them that way. I had thought of them as lesser than what they were.

I felt hot tears prick the corner of my eyes, I hurriedly rushed to wipe them, thankful for the fact that no one had caught me in the act.

Kim Namwoon's cackle brought me out of my musing. "No, wait a minute. It couldn't have been, could it?" He cackled, holding his stomach. "Did you throw over the net just to do this from the beginning? Really?"

His question was directed to me. I leveled myself, fatigued and unwilling to answer him "...".

"You wanted to save the grandma? Hahaha! Amazing! Really fucking amazing! No? Yes?" What the hell was this idiot saying.

"Ah..." He sighed, shuffling. "It turns out the two of you are the type of people I hate the most."

'Hah....you're the type of person I hate the most too, ok?' I thought to myself silently, readying myself to block the first hit sent my way.

[The character 'Kim Namwoon' despises you and your companion 'Kim Dokja']

"What did you say?"

Dokja lowered his head, seemingly casually avoiding the punch that flew over his head eve before Kim Namwoon's words were over.

"Oh? Not bad.." He said as he sent a right cross in my direction. I stepped aside, watching the fist move towards me and back. There was a hint of heat as his fist moved, proving that it wasn't any ordinary punch.

[Blackening Lv.1]

"Oh~ You too?"

"Not bad, not bad at all." The grin that had formed on his face turned maniacal.

A dark aura rose from his body, enveloping him from head to toe. He looked at me in the eye, I stared right back only to be met with glowing pupils. I couldn't help but shiver.

This was an exclusive skill of his 'chuunibyou' trait. It was rare rough to release an exclusive skill before the end of the first scenario, but Kim Namwoon was already showing one. It was expected of him though, after all, there was a reason who he had been recruited by the main character.

Hah... this was really starting to get too predictable. I really didn't want to but-

Peeok! I felt my shoulder spasm where he hit me, with my mixed martial arts experience I might be able to go against him.

[Your understanding of the character 'Kim Namwoon' has increased]

[You and your companion 'Kim Dokja' are close to the conditions of use for the exclusive skill 'Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint' Lv. 1]

Here it was.

[The conditions of use for the exclusive skill 'Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint' Lv. 1 has been reached for you and your companion 'Kim Dokja!']

Kim Dokja sent me a look of surprise, Kim Namwoon struck again.

His fist narrowly missed Dokja, who had been distracted, and came my way once more. I pulled on his arm and sent him towards the ground.

"Haha, what's this?" He turned to look at me from the ground he had been pushed towards and..unlodged his fist from the ground. A faint fist mark remained, he was realizing this newfound strength of his little by little.

Kwang! Kwang! Kwang!

"Haven't I become stronger?" He grinned, the fist that could break bones with a single blow kept on hitting the ground. Kim Namwoon let out a frustrated growl.

"Ah, why can't I hit you?"

Of course, he couldn't hit us. Thanks to 'Omniscient reader's Viewpoint' we could observe Kim Namwoon's attack direction like we were reading his thoughts.

[Right side]

Dokja moved away from the direction of the attack.

[Left eye]

I bent down to avoid the fist and sent a fist towards his gut, his attention immediately moved towards me.

"You're a little different aren't you Princess?" I glared at the nickname, disgust welling up in the back of my throat as his attention.

I held my hands up in front of me and sent a jab towards him, I hit him square in the eye. He grinned at me as he sent a sidekick towards my waist. I caught his leg, and twisted it, he yelped in both shock and pain.

"You-!"

I grinned, grabbing his collar and hitting him square in the jaw and then in the same eye. Dokja came up behind him and threw him to the ground, his head banging loudly against it.

"Are you ok?" He asked me, taking my clenched fists into his hands and rubbing my knuckles lightly.

"Yeah," I smiled. "I'm ok."

Kim Namwoon got back up, a frustrated snarl on his face as he hurriedly sent a punch towards Dokja, face grimacing in pain as he stood on the twisted leg.

I jumped away and towards the grandmother and the others, I pointed to the timer that had been slowly decreasing. "There are less than two minutes left kid, you better hurry." I stood in a protective stance if Kim Namwoon killed anyone he would be able to pass this scenario.

He grinned, knocking himself into Kim Doja and pushing the older man to the ground. He pulled something out of his bag. A blade shone in the fluorescent light. It was-

"-a portable MacGyver Knife." Dammit, I had forgotten. This kid was a diehard military otaku.

Swiiiik-

There was an obvious link between the technical skill 'Knife Fighting' and the strengthening skill 'Blackening'. It was obvious to which direction the knife was pointing.

[Heart]

It was an unavoidable attack but I had to do some quick thinking, I changed the direction my body pointed towards, and instead of my heart, the knife pierced my shoulder. The deep cut on my shoulder immediately spilled red.

I gritted my teeth, pain searing on my skin as my vision shook.

"Ha-Neul!" I heard the voices of others call out as I struggled to keep my attention on Kim Namwoon.

"Hahahaha! Now die."

Less than a minute and thirty seconds left. I pitied the grandmother, I swear I really did, but it was time to use 'that'.

"Chungil High School, 2nd Year, Kim Namwoon. I have one question for you." I stated, reciting the same lines Kim Dokja had said to Kim Namwoon from the novel.

"...What?"

"I wonder....do you think an insect egg is a living thing?" I took out the cricket I had killed earlier from my pocket. Its egg-sac was abundant, then the sound of popping as fluid trailed down my hand. The disgusting feeling spread over my hand and I felt bile rising in my throat as I heard a message.

.

.

.

[You have killed a living thing]

[100 coins have been earned as additional compensation]

[You have killed a living thing]

[100 coins have been earned as additional compensation]

[You have killed a living thing]

.

.

.

Multiple messages bombarded my ears.

He frowned, "Insect eggs? Are you trying to waste time?"

I chuckled, shrugging. "I guess so."

"How would I know something like that? I've always slept during bio." He looked at my bloody shoulder, face contorting into a happy laugh. "But there is something that I'm sure of. Wanna know what?"

"...What is it?"

"You will die right now!" He moved the swiss knife before I could answer in an attack that was hard to avoid.

[A large number of coins have been acquired! Do you wish to check the coin usage tips?]

I snorted, omitting the explanation that entered my ears as I snarled at the teen, there was no need to listen when I already knew the contents.

"Hah! Me dying? No, it's you who will die!" I spat out, muttering something else quietly.

[2.700 coins have been invested into 'stamina']

[Stamina Lv. 20 → Stamina Lv. 30]

I would think about that later.

[Your stamina has increased dramatically!]

[The durability of your body has greatly increased!]

Kim Namwoon's knife penetrated my heart, to be exact, it looked as if it was penetrating my heart.

My skin had turned rock solid, not even a scratch remained. His eyes widened in astonishment.

"H-how?" His eyes moved from the stab wound in my shoulder to the knife that should've been lodged directly into my heart.

"Let me tell you the correct answer to my question: Yes. An egg is a living thing."

"W-what?"

"And in spawning season, female crickets can lay over 100 eggs, sometimes over 200 eggs.

"What are you saying?"

"There's no need to understand. Since there's barely a minute left."

Finally, fear appeared over Kim Namwoon's face. "Aaaaaah! Die! Die! Diediediediedie!"

The knife moved towards my neck, there was no reason to move.

Kakakang

It must've been since the area was more vulnerable than the chest. There was a slight scratch this time, nothing to be worried about though.

"Kim Namwoon."

Behind us, people were crawling around that section of the train, searching for crickets. Some had already given up, others were still searching and once they suspected someone already laying hold of one, they attacked.

"You were right about one thing. I am the same type of human as you."

Maybe I could've saved some of those people.

"Shit! Fuck! Why won't you die?! JUST FUCKING DIE ALREADY!"

50, 45, 40...

The knife barely left any scratches, small beads of blood bled from a few of the scratches. 45 seconds left when Kim Namwoon opened his mouth, dropping the knife and kneeling in front of me.

"S-save me...p-please."

30...

"Save me! Please! Please!"

I grinned, "Why should I?"

[You are close to the conditions of the exclusive skill 'Capture the Target' Lv. 1]

[The conditions of the exclusive skill 'Capture the Target' Lv. 1 have been met]

[Do you wish to 'Capture the Target → Kim Namwoon?']

Oh? What a pleasant surprise.

[Accept or Decline]

25 seconds left.

"People's lives are important! Th-that's obvious!"

"That is the rule of the old rule. This is a new world, just as you said. A new world requires new laws."

20 seconds.

"I don't want to die! Please! I don't want to die!!"

His face contorted as he wailed, tears and snot covering his face.

I smiled down at him, my face gentle and showing a fond look. He continued wailing, closing his eyes.

15 seconds left.

"Then.." He looked up at me, desperation in his eyes.

10 seconds.

"Be a good boy from now on, ok?" He nodded frantically, grasping at the ends of my hoodie. "Accept," I said quietly, a golden light forming like a bracelet on my wrist. A golden 'string' of light trailing down from the bracelet to the neck of Kim Namwoon.

5 seconds.

A notification appeared from my [Companions] 'tab' as gasped sounded around me. Kim Namwoon stared at the golden light that had slowly disappeared into nothingness, a confused look appearing in his eyes before he caught sight of the timer.

He wailed out in fear, desperately searching for his knife that had been kicked away by Dokja at some point.

[The given time has run out]

Throughout the train, the sound of heads exploding came like a chain reaction.

[Paid settlement will begin]

One head, two, three, four...

They were like bloody fireworks introducing us to a new era. I watched the scene with joy, a bit of guilt, and an unidentifiable feeling swarming n my gut.

It was unnerving how calm I was.

[You have killed 156 living things.]

[Kill History: 1 cricket, 155 cricket eggs]

[You have killed non-resistant living things. The numbers of coins you have acquired is now reduced by half]

[7,800 coins have been acquired]

[The number of coins used towards stats level up is automatically subtracted]

[The 'Mass Murder' achievement has been gained through excessive killing]

I looked up towards the mirror and saw a streak of blood on my face, I didn't bother wiping it away, knowing the blood was on the window.

Kkiiiik.

There was a lurching feeling as the train started moving once more, making the familiar sound of the train.

Soon, light-flooded in, and the darkness was finally lifted from the windows. We had arrived at the surface ground section of Line 3 between Apgujeong and Oksu.

From the outside of the window, we could see the Han River and Seoul.

Ahhh, someone let out a moan of relief.

It didn't take long for the moan of relief to change to one of both terror and disbelief. The landscape outside the window was no longer the one of the Seoul and Han River we had all became familiar with as children.

Smoke and dust rose from the ruined city, my heart pierced at the sight of the devastated city.

The Han River bridges had collapsed, its waters dyes red from the blood of fallen soldiers as a monster, while amongst the fallen buildings, trampled on a K1 tank like it was a Christmas toy.

[Main Scenario #1-- Proof of Value has ended.]

[300 coins have been acquired as a basic clearance reward]

[100 coins have been reduced for the channel usage fee]

[Additional compensation settlement will now begin]

One world was destroyed and a new world was born.

Dokja and I looked at each other, our eyes reflecting the mess that the other ad become.

...I was the only reader who knew the true outcome of this world.

[Accepted]

[You have now become 'Kim Namwoon's master, in place of his constellation]

I looked down at the white-haired teen who was looking down at his hands, obvious shock on his face.

There was still this kid to deal with.

[The character 'Kim Namwoon' had a favorable impression of you'

[The character 'Kim Namwoon's favorability had increased]

[The character 'Kim Namwoon's favorability had increased]

[The character 'Kim Namwoon's favorability had increased]

[The character 'Kim Namwoon's favorability had increased]

I sighed. This child.

Starting the Paid Service(4)

I could hear laughter escape Dokja's lips but I ignored him in favor of opening the pdf that had been sent to me by the author. The file extension was txt.

[You have obtained an exclusive attribute]

[The exclusive skill slot has been activated]

[You have obtained an exclusive attribute]

[The exclusive skill slot has been activated]

My eyes widened in surprise. I knew that Dokja had gained an exclusive attribute while checking out the novel but I didn't think I would as well, and to think that I would gain two.

'Attribute Window.' I silently thought, a bit surprised when a screen that read [You cannot activate the Attribute Window] appeared. Thinking 'Attribute Weapon' once more, I was disappointed to be met with the same screen.

How the hell am I supposed to know my skills and attributes now? I closed my eyes, rubbing my forehead before hearing a small ding in my mind. I looked up and saw a small blue screen at the corner of my right side.

Curiously, I pressed on it. Immediately it opened up to show a screen that said [Companions].

The first one on the list was Dokja, then Yoo Sangah, Lee Gilyoung, Lee Hyunsung, and lastly Yoo Jonghyuk. Their names were gray though and besides their names were two boxes. The bigger one said [Info/Status] while the smaller one said [Request],

I quickly set Gilyoung down only to have him latch onto my fingers.

'Curious.' I clicked on the [Request] besides Dokja's name and saw Dokja's eyebrows raise. He gave me a quick look before the grey box on his name turned a bright blue with the words [Request] being replaced with [Accepted]. The [Info/Status] was 'on' now too and there were also three new circles stacked on top of each other on the far end of the box. One was a picture of a mic, the middle one a messaging symbol, and the last two hands stretched towards each other.

My eyebrows raised. A trading option. Oh, I could get lucky with this.

I tapped the messaging icon, only to find no keyboard. 'Hey Dokja' I thought, not surprised to see the words appear on the 'text' box. An arrow showing [Send] appeared beside it and I pressed on it.

It took a while before he responded. {Ha-Neul, is this one of your attributes?}

{Yeah} I responded. {I got two but I can't open my attribute window so I can't see what the other one is called.}

{I see. You shouldn't go around telling people about your attributes though.}

{I know. But I trust you and I was wondering if you may have had the same problem as I did.}

{..I did.} He sent a frowny face. I looked over to see him frowning, {This attribute is pretty cool. Look's like it'll be useful.}

Almost simultaneously we went 'offline' and looked down at our phones, I started looking through the novel. Wondering how we would get through this. Even though I knew how it would end, I'm here to fuck things up and not have Dokja die so many times.

[Your reading skill has increased due to the effect of the exclusive attribute] I was surprised for a second, but suddenly I had finished reading ten chapters in less than thirty seconds.

Suddenly, I caught a line.

[He saw people gathered at the back door of the 3707 compartment. The wheel of the tightly held lighter was cold. In this life, he absolutely couldn't make any mistakes. He would use any means possible. He took in the expression of fear in everyone's faces. He felt no guilt. Everything was fleeting. He looked down at the people with merciless eyes. After a while, his fingertips moved and fire rose. Then it all started.}

Fuck.

Without checking, I already knew what carriage we were on. [3807]. No matter how friendly Yoo Jonghyuk and I had been before his current regression, I wasn't in any others. He would suspect both me and Dokja. This carriage was doomed for death.

[He looked through the blurred window at the 3807 compartment. It was already too late. It was inevitable. Anyway, only two people survived in that compartment.]

Double fuck.

Quickly, I pulled up the [Companions] window and sent a request to everyone on the list. Unsurprisingly, Gilyoung accepted first. He looked up at me and I ruffled his hair.

Yoo Sangah accepted a few seconds later, followed by Lee Hyunsung but Yoo Jonghyuk's stayed on a purple [Request Sent].

Not that I expected anything. I could teach the others how to use it later, what was more important right now, though, was getting the first kill.

"Dokja-ssi, Ha-Neul-ssi, shouldn't we stop this?" Yoo Sangah suddenly said, looking towards a young man crouching down in front of the elderly woman.

I narrowed my eyes. That motherfucker.

"Shit!" He said, pulling at his collar. "I'm in a bad mood and this old lady keeps whining and groaning! Can't you shut up?" The young man was a high school student who had previously been leaning up against the entrance. I had seen his eyes flicker towards me a couple of times while the Dokkaebi had been speaking but I had chosen to ignore him.

With his thin figure and dyed-white hair, it was obvious who he was before I even had to read the name tag on his uniform. Kim Namwoon.

[Only lee Hyunsung and Kim Namwoon survived in that compartment. It doesn't matter, those are the only ones that I need anyway.] That was what Yoo Jonghyuk had thought in the original novel.

I wonder if he thought the same thing now, perhaps he did.

"Didn't I tell you to shut up?" The agitated teen grabbed the elderly women's collar, her powerless legs staggering. Kim Namwoon's palm moved through the air.

Slap! Slap!

I couldn't help but feel disappointed even though it was expected that no one would do anything. In normal times, multiple people would have come up to stop him and protect the grandma. Now, no one did a thing.

It didn't take long for the slaps to change into punches.

The old woman begged for help.

Surprisingly, or unsurprisingly, it was Han Myungoh (the department head), that spoke up first.

"Y-young man! Treating an elder like this-"

"Hey old man, do you have a death wish?"

"What?"

"You heard me, do you have a death wish? You still don't understand the situation?"

"What bullshit is the brat saying?"

Kim Namwoon pointed toward the ceiling of the subway train. There, a screen showed not just the deaths on the trains and High Schools but also people dying all over the country.

People cried and begged.

Others laughed sadistically or moaned in pain.

"Don't you understand? There's no way the army is coming to rescue us. Someone has to die."

"W-what are you saying...?"

"We have to choose who has to die."

Han Myungho didn't answer. The entire compartment was completely silent. Not a single breath.

I directed my burning gaze from the white-haired teen to the older woman.

Kim Namwoon had been the fastest way to survive in the new world of 'Ways of Survival.'

"A new world requires new laws old man, you heard what it said. Kill someone."

It wasn't because he was especially smart or anything. No. Kim Namwoon was a psychopath who found joy in others' misery.

He turned back to the older woman and started kicking her. "Hahh... It's really hard to kill." He looked back up to the others who had been standing motionlessly. "What, are you gonna just stand there, watching? Do you want to fall behind?"

He also had a way with words.

The others started trembling at his words, looking from one another.

"This-this bastard is right."

"Someone needs to die s-so that the o-others can live!"

A few people inched towards him and joined him in hesitantly kicking the older woman. Slowly their kicks became stronger and stronger and they even started hurling insults towards her.

"Die! Die quickly!"

I looked at the old woman then down to Lee Gilyoung who had been looking up at me for some time now. I pushed down my mask, brushed the hair off of his forehead, and leaned down to kiss him on the forehead.

"I'll be right back little darling."

I placed my bookbag down and took out a sleek black rectangular prism that was five inches tall and two inches in both width and length. It was cool to the touch but more dangerous than the seemingly 'innocent' look it had.

"Take care of this for me, all right?" Gilyoung nodded. With the fanny pack across his chest, the small blue taser in his right hand, and my bag in his left, he watched me walk away and towards the others.

I twirled the rectangular prism around in my right hand. When I was less than five feet away from the group, Kim Namwoon turned around and looked at me with a cocky smirk. My face remained neutral as I pressed a small button at the end of the prism.

In less than five seconds, the rectangular prism contorted into a needle-like shape that was well over three feet long. Its tip was dangerously sharp and its base was just thick enough to wrap my hand around. The sleek black needle wasn't heavy nor light but I felt no strain as I pointed its tip to Kim Namwoon's face.

"Everybody stop. You can't live if you kill the grandma." Kim Namwoon's face froze as he went cross-eyed looking at the tip. The others slowly looked up at me, faces paling as they saw the thorn-like weapon in my hands.

"Ok, say you kill the grandma. Then what next? Sure the grandma's death will buy some time as long as you kill her within the five-minute limit. But then what?"

"Ah..."

"If the dokkaebi told the truth, then you'll each have to kill someone. So, who will you kill after the grandmother? Who's going to be next?"

Horror slowly filled their eyes, as they listened to my word. In fact, they knew it was the truth. They knew my words were right.

Kim Namwoon saw the shaky figures of the others. He slowly backed away from me. Grinning.

"Haha! What are you saying? All we have to do is kill you next! Cowards, don't worry about your turn in advance. The odds are equal."

I let out a chuckle. He would be more believable if he wasn't backing away from me. I waved my free hand, "There's no need to kill anyone."

Immediately everyone looked up at me. "In fact, there's a way to pass this first mission without becoming a murderer."

"What?"

"Then what is it?"

Kim Namwoon scowled as the people slowly became agitated.

"Have you all forgotten?" I walked closer to the grandma and motioned for the others to come towards me. Once all three of them had arrived, I took the bag from Gilyoung and took out the box of crickets. I grabbed one and held it out for the others to see.

"The condition for the scenario isn't 'Kill A Person.'" That was when people noticed the condition properly.

[Kill one or more living things]

Kill one or more living things. Even if I had never read the novels, I thought that at least I would've been able to read the clear condition properly. Killing a 'person' had never been specified.

"I-I-insect!"

"G-give me an insect!"

I slowly applied pressure on the cricket.

"That's right, the insects." I slowly stepped back as the shining eyes of the others became closer and closer with every step they took towards me. The only ones who stayed in their places were Kim Dokja, Yoo Sangah, Lee Gilyoung (who Yoo Sangah had dragged to stand beside her, I was thankful), and Kim Namwoon who was silently fuming.

"Do you want them?" I waved the clear box of crickets in the air, my heart beating heavily and a smile threatening to break out. I was excited.

"P-please give me one!"

"Only one! I only need one!"

I crushed the cricket in my hand.

[You have achieved the 'First Kill' achievement]

[100 coins have been earned as additional compensation]

I threw the box in my hand as far away as I could. It landed on the other side of the compartment, as far away from the grandma and my little group as possible.

"Then go get them."

The crickets jumped out immediately as soon as they were given their freedom. A few even jumped towards us and both Kim Dokja and Yoo Sangah were given a chance to grab a cricket and crush it.

I looked down at Gilyoung. Who had already moved to my side, and noticed him looking at the hand full of insect guts in mild disgust. I chuckled before handing a baby wipe, from my bag to him and the others. I looked up at the mess I had created.

I felt an almost sadistic-like thrill crawl up my spine as I let out an unrestrained grin.

How amusing.

Life is full of surprises that people should be expecting by now but no one knows when to expect them. These surprises can be pleasant or unpleasant or they could start of unpleasant only for you to realize that it was worth it or the opposite could happen.

Life is unexpected.

It had been six hours since the plane had lifted off and thirty minutes since Ha-Neul had woken up. She looked through some pieces of social media before getting up to use the bathroom. As soon as she closed the door behind her the plane shook, throwing her against the wall. Immediately the captain spoke through the speakers, talking in a calm voice as he attempted to calm down the passengers while giving out instructions to assure safety.

She could feel the plane falling as she grabbed hold of the sink and the doorknob. Cold sweat appeared on her forehead as her head was knocked on the door. It was like this for another fifteen minutes until everything went black.

Pain.

She felt pain everywhere. Her body throbbed and certain parts pulsed. She slowly opened her eyes, a blinding light stabbing into her eyes before she closed them again. Faintly, she could hear voices from outside of her subconscious.

"Don't worry....fine...safe."

Crying. "Are you.....okay?!"

"Of course....no..."

"Thank you...."

A while later, she woke up again. There was still an overbearing sense of exhaustion overwhelming her but this time she was able to open her eyes fully.

A masked face donning blue was the first thing she saw. "It seems like you're awake." A feminine voice said from underneath the mask. "Here," A cup of water was handed to her. "Something to quench your thirst after having been asleep for so long."

Ha-Neul gave her a stiff but thankful smile before chugging down the water, still thirsty for more. The woman took off her mask, revealing a bright smile, and refilled her glass again, waiting for Ha-Neul to finish drinking, before she proceeded to speak again.

"I hope you're not thirsty anymore. My name is Kim Chan-Mi, your nurse. You were in a pretty bad plane accident. You were the only one to survive and have been asleep for the past three weeks. Your grandparents visited you yesterday and will probably be back sometime today after the news of you waking up has been delivered. It's best if you don't move around. You were scabbed pretty badly and there are a couple of burns all around your body that hasn't healed yet." The nurse gave her a pitying look before she continued.

"You have three fractured ribs, a small section of your spine that has been fractured, a broken leg, a twisted ankle, and your left arm is broken. Once you're all healed you'll be able to go about your day normally but for now, you'll need a couple of months of healing in bed before you can stand up alone and you'll need some physical therapy first and foremost after everything has finished healing."

With a hoarse voice, Ha-Neul asked, "How long will it take for me to recover?"

"About six to eight weeks, a week or two extra if the doctor says anything otherwise." Ha-Neul attempted to nod before hissing in pain.

The nurse rushed to help her steady her head, giving her a worried look. "It's best if you refrain from any sort of movement, big or small."

Ha-Neul closed her eyes before opening them again. "Y-yes." Nurse Kim looked at her again before giving her a small smile. "Your doctor, Doctor Lee Ji-Yoo, will come in to check up on you later. If you need anything just call us."

"Can I ask what time it is?" Ha-Neul asked hesitantly.

"8:54 am."

"Thank you." The nurse gave her a small smile before leaving, closing the door quietly behind her.

Ha-Neul let out a breath, closing her eyes as the headache in the back of her mind became stronger and stronger. Flashes of pictures started to appear in her mind, unfamiliar people in familiar places, things that she had never done happening, so on and so forth. Ha-Neul shot a look at the black clock on the wall, nearly a full forty-five minutes.

A groan escaped from her lips. According to the pictures that had flashed through her mind, the airplane crash had given her a chance of transmigrating. Where to? No clue.

She was currently in the body of 15-year-old Park Ha-Neul, starting middle school this year and returning from 3 years of living in France when the accident had taken place. She, unlike her original self, was an only child and a blooming model as well as a well-known child-actress, Her first movie had been as the three-year-old daughter of the second male lead in the movie, 'Hope In a Broken World' an apocalyptic movie set three thousand years after the current century. She currently lived with her grandparents.

Her mother had had a one-night stand with some Chinese CEO and had gotten pregnant with her. Instead of telling the man, Park Ha-bin, Ha-Neul's mother, had kept her and went through the birth without him. Sadly, she had died soon after Ha-Neul had been born, using her last breathes to gift the baby girl both her real name and her English name, Heaven.

This wasn't a setting that she recognized. Although Ha-Neul knew that she had transmigrated, the question was where? She didn't recognize any of the settings that were currently racing through her mind. None of the people in the original Ha-Neul's memories were familiar to her in any way. Could Ha-Neul be a background character? No matter what, being a background character was a good thing. It meant that all the drama that would happen would have nothing to do with her.

She let out a silent cheer.

The door swung open to reveal an elderly couple in a matching set of black and blue along with Nurse Kim holding a stack of files in one hand as well as a tall man with short hair and rectangular glasses wearing a white lab coat.

'Must be Doctor Lee," Ha-Neul thought, her eyes flitting to the group that had just walked in and back. A small smile flickered onto her face as the old woman, Granny Ah-Ju, and the old man behind her, Grandpa Do-Hung, scampered up to her, tears running down Granny Ah-Ju's face as a hesitant smile covered up the obvious worry on grandpa Do-Hung's face.

The two looked so much like her grandparents from her original world that she couldn't help but feel a pinch in her heart as she remembered the two elders that had passed away in her childhood.

"Granny," Ha-Neul called out, a sweet simile enveloping her naturally cold face, "Don't cry. I'm perfectly fine!" She attempted only to have the older woman start coddling her arms and head.

"Oh, my poor A-Neul! Oh, how could this happen to you! My precious little sparkle. Oh, A-Neul!" Granny cried, inconsolable.

Grandpa Do-Hong hugged the older woman, his face facing Ha-Neul. "Ha-Neul," the old man said, his voice hoarse from old age. "Grandpa and grandma can't handle the fear of losing you too. Please be more careful." He said, his brows scrunched up as his hands pat Granny Ah-Ju.

Ha-Neul gave an awkward smile. "Sorry, Granny and Grandpa."

Prologue: There are three ways to survive in a ruined world

*not edited*

[There are three ways to survive in a ruined world. Now, I have forgotten a few, but one thing is certain. The fact that you who are reading this now will survive.

-Three ways to survive in a ruined world]

✨🖤------ 𝓘 𝓪𝓶 𝓪 𝓛𝓲𝓷𝓮𝓫𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓴 ------ 🖤✨

Ha-Neul Park, 23 years old and fresh out of College.

A writer.

A reader.

An Artist.

She was a quiet girl. Well known for her outstanding writing skills, her Webtoon 'Another ReRun', as well as her online identity 'HeavenAndHell' (inspired by her English name Heaven). It was currently Summer and she was traveling back to Korea to visit family before deciding if she wanted to move there or stay in America.

"We'll miss you, Heaven!" Her red-haired friend Anna cried, wiping away a non-existent tear from the corner of her eye as she latched onto her blond boyfriend's arm. Lucas looked down at Anna fondly before moving his gaze to the black-haired girl and patting her on the head.

"Don't have too much fun without us shorty." He chuckled, earning a punch in the gut from his twin, Savannah.

"Don't listen to him, Heaven." She flipped her chocolate brown braid over her shoulder. "Facetime us often, okay?" Savannah went in to hug the shorter girl. "If you don't, I'm going to bother you with texts and calls every five seconds."

Ha-Neul nodded, smiling brightly before she turned around to leave. She stopped. "I'll miss you guys!" They went in for a group hug before she ran off, fearing that she may miss her flight.

It wasn't until a full thirty-five minutes had passed that Ha-Neul could let out a sigh of relief and sink into her comfortable 1st class airplane seat after putting away all her luggage and receiving a glass of water from one of the Attending Ladies.

'On the plane and ready to head out!!'

She texted to the group chat before turning on some music. Fifteen minutes later the captain announced that they would be lifting off and Heaven finally closed her eyes, already having left her phone on vibrate.

She was able to rest for a good hour and a half before groggily waking up to the sound of her phone vibrating. Her younger sister was calling her.

"언니! (Big Sister!)"

"뭐야0?(What?)"

"내 남자 친구가 방금 나랑 헤어졌어! (My boyfriend broke up with me!)"

"..... 진짜? 왜? (Really? Why?)"

"유을이 훔쳤다. (Yu-Eul stole him.)"

"내가 참조. 너무 슬퍼하지 마십시오. 내가 거기 도착하면 나머지는 말해줘. 안녕 (I see. Don't be too sad. Tell me the rest when I get there. Bye)"

"안녕! (Bye!)"

Ha-Neul sighed, rubbing her forehead in exasperation. Her little sister, Hae-Won, had just turned 17 and was already going through boys as if they were a deck of cards. She turned back to her phone to read the last few chapters of a webcomic before going back to sleep. This would be a long plane.

✨🖤------ 𝓘 𝓪𝓶 𝓪 𝓛𝓲𝓷𝓮𝓫𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓴 ------ 🖤✨

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