Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"...you see all that, Miyu? This'll all be yours someday. Watch over it well for me, will you?"

A man's deep, booming voice resounded; one that the young girl in his arm recognized as belonging to her father.

With his free hand, he gestured out a window from his office, overlooking a huge industrial complex. Thousands of workers scurried about in the jungle of steel, maneuvering around scaffolds, machinery, and smokestacks that billowed nasty columns of smoke into the atmosphere. It was a gritty scene, one that didn't befit the eyes of a little girl all dolled up in the outfit of a princess.

"In this world, money is absolute power. Man or woman, tall or short, smart or downright fucking stupid, it doesn't matter. Nothing a deep set of pockets can fix. Remember that."

As they watched on, one of the ant-like workers lost his grip on a service ladder and entered free-fall. Before his form could hit the ground, a couple smart knocks on the polished mahogany door redirected the attention of Miyu's father.

Turning as if he saw nothing, he set her down onto the plush velvet carpet and opened the door.
.

.

.

Looking back, that was one of my oldest memories. Fighting back vomit, I buried my face in my hands. The slick blood on my palms spread all over my cheeks as I pressed them to my eyes to block out the world. The taste and smell of iron was coaxing the burning wave of bile up my throat faster, but I just couldn't look.

Father, you said that money is this world's absolute power, right?

Then why pray tell, are you lying there on the floor, with your head blown off?

Chapter Text

"Better pay! Better hours!"

"Better pay! Better hours!"

"Better pay! Better hours!"

It's been roughly three hours since the strike started. It had started just after lunch time, but now the sky was right in the middle of the sky. How annoying. It all begun earlier today. Father and I were to depart from the factory for the day, but as we drove past all the assembly lines and other facilities, it was deathly quiet. So, this was where they'd all gone.

Scurrying about like insects guarding the nest, almost the entire work force had descended upon the gate.

Some had quickly set up a blockade while most sat cross legged on the road, while a singular man--the head foreman--stepped forward with a megaphone in hand, beginning the chant.

Security deployed immediately as alarms blared, forming a line of defense around our car.

"They're not gonna let up any time soon, are they?" I sighed, more bored out of my mind than anything. This charade had been going on for god knows how long. Last time, it was the engineers. "Won't they catch on?"

Father's left hand was clutched tightly on the wheel. A finger was tapping it in tandem with the pulse of a vein that was popping in his temple. "A bunch of ingrates, they are! Barely even a month's passed, yet they're clamoring for yet another raise!?"

I nodded, but sighed internally. He skipped over my question. Well, fifteen percent added onto already terrible pay while slashing overtime wage opportunities was hardly fair. What were they gonna do anyway? Sue us again? Yet they folded every time they saw the settlement amount, so it was never that big of an issue.

Father was growing impatient. His hand left the steering wheel and began fishing through the sun visor above his head. Tucked between the car's ceiling and the flap was a brown envelope that was full to the brim. He took it and stepped out of the car.

At the sight of him, the workers grew quiet only for a second, before chanting even louder than before. As he approached the megaphone wielding foreman, two men in suits from the security force escorted him.

Father's hands fidgeted with the brown envelope's opening, before discreetly pulling out a smaller, but loaded envelope. The wind ever so slightly opened its flap, revealing bills that flashed a bright yellow. If I had to guess, there was about 3,000,000 won in there.

The transaction, protected from the worker's eyes by the backs of security, quickly completed. The envelope was now secured in a pocket within the foreman's vest.

Father leaned into the foreman's ear as if to whisper something offensive before turning around and walking back towards the car. The foreman's fists, visibly shaking with rage, balled up tightly.

Yet, the expression facing away from the people on strike was one of satiated greed.

He ran up to Father who was walking away and threw a punch that missed the back of his head, though it looked more like it was never aimed properly in the first place. Security sprung into action to subdue the 'indignant' foreman as Father ducked, making a show of displaying the 'distress' he was in to the personnel around.

Another goon led Father back to the car while troops that were on standby began to rush a little too excitedly into the scene holding batons, corralling the workers who had begun to clamor to rescue the foreman away from the gate.

I rolled my eyes at the scene as Father entered the car once more, looking pleased with himself.

"That's how you do business!" He cheered triumphantly as he revved the engine of the car.

Without waiting for the gate to be fully cleared of people, Father stepped on the gas, accelerating us forward at a rapid pace. We passed the guard tower and was clear out when suddenly-

CRASH!

A reverberating impact rocked the car, instantly tightening the seatbelt around my chest. My breath was squeezed out of me as I was strapped tightly to the seat while the sound of metal violently crumpling around me assaulted my eardrums.

My head snapped back with ridiculous force against the headrest as the airbags deployed. I felt shards of glass rush by, snagging in my hair and clothes. Once the initial impact wore off, the airbag deflated ever so slightly, allowing my arms to move.

Hyperventilating slightly, I unbuckled my seatbelt and reached for the door's handle, but a sharp pain caused me to reel my hand back.

I pushed the airbag out of my face and found that the handle of my door had crumpled completely, allowing jagged shards of metal from the car's exterior to protrude within, which is what I'd cut my palm on.

Before long, a couple of the security guys reached my side of the door and wrenched it open, carefully extracting me from the wreck.

I clutched my bleeding hand as I checked my surroundings. The workers were suspended in a state of apparent shock, all looking at the wreck of our car. It had definitely crashed, but as for what it crashed into...

The form of the vehicle was crumpled from the front as if it had run into a sturdy wall, even though it had encountered no such obstacle.

I staggered over to the car's nose and reached forward for something, anything, that perhaps couldn't be seen. I extended my arm until it stopped. Something was actually there.

A translucent wall of hexagons in a web-like layout was materializing under my palm in the otherwise empty air. It flickered intermittently, like a faulty hologram display.

"What the hell..?" I pressed my hand to the wall, confirming it as solid indeed. A few seconds later, sparks flew as an electrical current flowed through the wall into my flesh, sending me recoiling.

The next second, something of a bright blue hue flashed in front of my eyes. A small window dominated my vision, displaying in neat white text:

[ALL FORMS OF EXIT ARE RESTRICTED UNTIL THE SCENARIO IS COMPLETE]

...Scenario? What the hell is that? I glanced around, looking to the faces of those around me for confirmation. Were they seeing this too?

[Kek, kek, kek! How interesting!] A devilish little voice resounded out from nowhere. Sparks were materializing in the air above the empty grounds between the wreck of the car and the scuffling between the workers and security.

Not a moment later, the sparks condensed with a pop, revealing some kind of a creature that I couldn't take my eyes off of.

It was as if a soccer ball had gained sentience and sprouted downy, cotton-like hair all over its surface. Little stubby horns stuck out from its head that were reminiscent of antennae.

A loincloth of what looked like goatskin was fashioned around its midsection. Obsidian-black, beady eyes were surveying the world around it as a fanged mouth twisted into an evil smile.

[Ahem, ahem! Can everybody hear me?] It cried out in a showman-like tone. [It seems that things were heating up regardless of me being here! Are you all that excited to carry out the scenario?]

Noone was paying attention to it, however. Between the scuffle of two parties and the car crash, its voice was being drowned out. I saw its little face contort with visible rage.

[Listen when you're being talked to! Do the monkeys of this Earth not know basic manners!?] It snapped a little finger thrice and in the next second-

POP! POP! POP!

The heads of three people exploded on their shoulders. Screams rang out as the creature laughed maniacally, prompting people to finally notice it. Faint recognition was flitting across some of the older worker's faces, and I caught the word 'Dokkaebi' being passed around.

...Dokkaebi? That gremlin-like creature from the myths? Impossible...

[Are we finally ready to listen!?] It screeched out. [Gather around, children! You have much to learn!]

The people were confused and afraid. Gather around? What did it mean? What was it, exactly? But as it raised its hand once more, fingers poised as if to snap, no one dared not to comply. Like sheep, we all filed towards the central ground. I hung near the crowd's rear, watching the security men that were escorting my scratched up but otherwise fine Father.

The dokkaebi was floating on its back like it was swimming, arms behind its head in a relaxed position.

A woman plucked up her courage and spoke up. "W-What do you want from us!?"

[Hm, what's this?] The dokkaebi scrutinized the woman. [Isn't it customary to state your name before asking someone a question?]

The woman gulped. "W-Well, my name is-"

[Sorry, I don't really care anymore.]

Snap went the fingers of the dokkaebi. The woman's head was blown clean off. Those beside her were splattered with brain matter, eliciting more terrified screams.

The dokkaebi straightened up, the horns on its head glowing as they protruded a bit higher.

Yellow arcs of energy surged between the horns like signal towers as it stretched as if satisfied [Kek, kek, kek! Come on in, everyone!]

[CHANNEL #BI-7623 HAS OPENED]

[CONSTELLATIONS ARE ENTERING THE STREAM!]

Simultaneously, two bright blue windows popped up in front of all of us. A small one displayed an digital clock set to an hour and a half, while the larger one was detailing these words:

>MAIN SCENARIO #1<

[UBERGAEA]

CATEGORY: MAIN

DIFFICULTY: F

CLEAR CONDITION(S): CONFIRM YOUR SAFETY AS YOU CROSS INTO THE NEW WORLD. ELIMINATE ANOTHER LIVING BEING TO SHIELD YOURSELF FROM THE CATASTROPHE

TIME LIMIT: 1 HOUR AND 30 MINUTES

COMPENSATION: 300 COINS, SAFE PASSAGE INTO THE SUPERCONTINENT

FAILURE: IMMINENT DEATH

Chapter Text

A deep seated fear was palpable among the crowd as they read and reread the text window in disbelief. Imminent Death? They had to be joking, right?

As sweat pooled in my palms, I couldn't help but eye the service weapon holstered at the nearest security officer's waist. My fingers twitched, but I didn't reach for it just yet.

Nervous glances were being thrown towards the timer that had started ticking down, only adding to the pressure. Amidst the chaos, I squeezed Father's hand, searching for even a hint of reassurance. None came. Not even a halfhearted squeeze back.

[You there. The one who took the bribe.] The dokkaebi pointed at the foreman, whose face had turned completely white. [Refresh me and the dear viewers of our stream. What was going on here?]

The foreman threw glances at the workers looking at him with heightened suspicion. "What bribe? What are you talking about? S-Stream?"

A lazy snap came from the bored looking dokkaebi's fingers. It seemed it was pointless to lie to it.

The envelope hidden within a pocket flew out into the air where the dokkaebi caught it. It carelessly ripped the envelope and its contents in half, throwing the paper into the air for everyone to see before incinerating it with conjured embers.

[Constellations abiding by Good despise incarnation, Park Jeongbin.]

[Constellations abiding by Evil are finding this situation funny.]

"Well, I-" The foreman, visibly sweating as the indignant screams and shouts of those he was 'representing' battered his eardrums from all around.

Having enough after reading even the unfamiliar messages from these 'Constellations', he cast away his charade. "We were simply giving them what they deserve! If you want better money, work harder! Right, CEO-nim!?"

Once those words left his mouth with a spiteful smile, a fist came crashing out from nowhere. It rocked the foreman's jaw, sending him spinning. He disappeared behind the sea of bodies, leaving all the spotlight to Father.

He cursed under his breath as his name was implicated. The dokkaebi wasted no time in looking over at this direction, sending a shiver down my spine though our eyes had met only for a split second. It grinned evilly. [Why, if it isn't our little businessman!]

Dull thuds could be heard as workers stamped on the foreman lying on the ground in a fetal position, his huge palms covering the back of his neck. Dust clouds were rising from their footfalls, obscuring the faces of those attacking. This unknown scenario window had started to drive people insane!

I felt heavy hands on my back as I was pushed forward, and noticed my Father and his escorts in a similar situation. Fear bubbled up in my chest as I realized we were being pushed to the dokkaebi's position. I glared at the man placing a hand on me and slapped it off, but my vision flashed as something impacted my jaw.

"Bastard!" I nursed the bruise on my cheek. "You'll pay for this!"

He looked down at me with contempt, venom dripping from his words as his vice-like grip clutched my collar. "Daddy's wallet can't save you now. This is what you spoiled pigs get!"

"Stop! I-I can give you all your money!" Father cried out in dismay. "If it's a raise you want, I can give it all to you!"

I scratched frantically at the worker's wrist, looking on in dismay at Father, . Panic was setting in. What kind of man are you!? Your only daughter's in danger, yet all you can do is flaunt your wallet?

Father tossed up the brown envelope in his hands, sending hundreds of 50,000 won bills flying up for grabs. "There's more where that came from!"

[Constellations who despise materialism are frowning on at the scene.]

For a second, the people faltered at the sight of that ridiculous sum, including the man holding me. The security officers used that opportunity to tackle the man assaulting me down. A heartbeat later, every single one of those bills burst into flame and scattered as ash.

[I don't think you guys understand just what kind of position you're in right now!] The dokkaebi growled through gritted teeth. [Are you still fighting over those measly sheets of plant fiber!?]

The timer, now at 1:00:02, blinked an urgent red.

As the two seconds passed and it hit exactly an hour, powerful tremors coursed through the earth beneath our feet, causing a bunch of people to lose their balance.

A huge screen spread out from under the dokkaebi. It depicted Busan's Haedong Yonggungsa Temple that overlooked the East Sea.

Fierce waves were beating at the cliffs around as tourists and locals cowered behind whatever cover they could find. The usually tranquil seas were roiling and turbulent, as if something massive was disturbing the waters beneath.

Suddenly, a huge shape loomed under the waves a little ways off the coast. It stretched on and on for what seemed like kilometers, displacing ludicrous amounts of seawater as it rose from the depths.

The sea was illuminated as bright yellow headlights came into view from under the deep blue water; slit pupiled eyes that were several times as large as the Las Vegas Sphere blinked off years and years of barnacles and marine plant-life.

Finally breaching the water, a huge reptilian head was revealed to all that was watching.

It was a huge serpent. No, huge wasn't enough to describe it. Its head alone barely even fit in the dokkaebi's screen. Every little shift in its movement caused the camera to shake and waves to crash into the temple.

A segmented obsidian black exoskeleton that was tougher than the hardest steel glinted beneath the deep prismarine scales that glinted all over its body as its gigantic eyes seemed to survey the land with surprisingly human-like intellect.

[A constellation who loves to drink and hammer has revealed his modifier.]

[Constellation, Thursday's Thunder, looks on at his oldest enemy.]

[Dragon Species, World Circling Serpent has incarnated into the scenario.]

[The current scenario is unable to grade this being.]

My breath was taken away at its sheer size. It was kilometers away and I was only seeing it through a screen, but its lamp-like gaze seemed to pierce through my soul all the same. What the hell could that thing even be!?

The serpent's giant maw opened, wide enough to swallow entire countries. Sea foam bubbled at the back of its throat as frills around its neck opened wide.

Turbulent seawater was forming on its tongue, as if it was pressurizing and charging up to fire onto the temple that it was aiming straight towards. Just before it looked like its concentrated attack was about to commence, the serpent recoiled in apparent pain.

The water decondensed and poured out of its mouth in a great waterfall as red sparks danced all around its huge body.

[Probability Restrictions laid out by the first scenario have restricted the World Circling Serpent's actions!]

The serpent flailed about until the sparks stopped. It shook the pain off, roaring at the air. As we watched on, the serpent began its movements. Its streamlined head was aimed directly towards land.

Nothing could stop it and as such, it crashed through half of the temple and most of the surrounding cliffs. Tons upon tons of rock and the demolished shrines of the temple wasted into the sea, along with hundreds of people.

The snake slithered onto land, burrowing a humongous groove in the earth as it slithered past. It was headed northwest--here, to Seoul.

[The World Serpent, Jormungandr, will continue to forge its path across your puny Earth!] The dokkaebi jeered on. [It'll wrap itself around each of your silly continents, constricting them together!]

As if to emphasize the dokkaebi's words, red thunder rocked the earth and skies with deafening bangs. The dokkaebi giggled. [What a beautiful reaction! You haven't heard your true name in a long time, haven't you!?]

A series of great earthquakes rocked the earth at the same time that the serpent dug its head into the ground in the dokkaebi's projection.

With little electronic beeps, countless other screens popped up beside the large one, every single one displaying scenes from all around the world of the serpent's body coiling around the geography and important monuments.

[In an hour's time, the Great Serpent's head will meet its tail, and the disaster will begin. Let's just say that you won't like to experience it firsthand.] The dokkaebi grinned down at us. Yet as he was about to speak again, a quiet ding rang out as a message appeared to everyone.

[Numerous constellations think that this storyteller speaks too much.]

Instantly, the dokkaebi's expression twisted into one of shame. It immediately flipped around, rubbing its hands together as it addressed the sky. [I-I'm sorry dear Constellation-nims! This Bihyung got carried away-]

I tore myself away from listening to that conversation. Reaching out to the... Main Scenario window? This was strange. It was a holographic projection that seemingly came from nowhere. Was it touchscreen too?

And these words... It was almost like some kind of game questline that I had to clear. I checked the clear condition once more.

[Eliminate another being to shield yourself from the catastrophe.]

Gulping, I processed the information. Eliminate another being? Did that mean I had to kill a human? Or would anything suffice? And how exactly would killing something save me from that serpent!?

The longer I sat there in thought, the more time slipped away. The seconds were ticking down on the timer beside me in the air.

"I've had enough! Die!" The foreman, whose face was now deformed from the soles of boots, had finally stood up, and he was swinging for dear life.

Say what you will about his character, but his body, and therefore strength was definitely that of a man who manages a hands-on factory. With each haymaker thrown, a worker went down clutching the site inflicted with a punch.

The foreman's rampage continued on, but it didn't stay unchecked for long. A woman, holding a jagged metal pipe wrenched from an assembly was the next on the foreman's list. As he charged, she swung the implement out of desperation, lodging the rusted metal into the foreman's neck.

Realizing what she'd done, she screamed and dropped her weapon, where it stuck out of the foreman's neck as he crumpled to the ground, blood pooling out from beneath it.

The very next second, the ground beneath the woman's feet was dislodged by mechanical panels. Flaps enclosed around the woman, trapping her in some sort of futuristic capsule.

As she banged on a transparent panel and screamed things that couldn't be heard, a white gas expelled from the walls. Her movements dulled, and she collapsed to the floor.

Not missing a single beat, the capsule shot down through the hole in came through, leaving a deep tunnel and taking the woman deep underground.

Father, with his hair and clothes disheveled, crawled up to the hole and looked down into the abyss. I couldn't tell what was racing through his mind. His pupils were dilating erratically and his face was red. His breaths were ragged and shallow.

He cleared his throat, wiped his nose and stood up, brushing dust off of his coat, putting up the dignified businessman front once more as if he wasn't begging just a moment ago.

From god knows where, he pulled out yet another loaded envelope as he reached for one of the security officer's service weapons. "Alright everybody, line up! Who wants to die first? I'll make sure your family is paid for, so rest easy!"

As soon as those repulsive words left Father's mouth, even he himself seemed to notice how ridiculous the request was. He stared unblinkingly at the crowd as he tried to backpedal.

"W-Well, think about it...? You already make a worthless salary, so this guarantee is a win, right?"

[Numerous constellations disapprove of incaration, Lu Minho.]

"Oh to hell with you 'constellations!" Father yelled at nowhere in particular before sweeping the crowd for volunteers. "Noone!?"

He opened up the envelope. It was filled to the brim with more yellow 50000 won bills. "This is your child's college fund, or your sickly mother or father's hospital bill! And it's just the start!"

"Do you think we're stupid!?" A worker finally yelled. "You're telling us to die and leave our loved ones to you? Fat f*cking chance!"

With a yell, he charged towards Father, tackling through the security entourage just barely pushing the crowd away from where we stood. A punch thrown met its mark; Father reeled backwards clutching his stomach as he roared a various selection of expletives, spittle flying from his mouth.

"Fine! If that's how it is, then you leave me no choice!" He yelled out in rage as he pointed his pistol at the worker.

The boy with fear in his eyes ducked and rolled frantically, evading the shots fired from Father's shaking hand. Half the cartridge was emptied in under a minute, yet it all flew into the ground.

Cursing his aim, Father, in what could only be reported as stupidity, abandoned the worker boy completely and trained his muzzle on the dokkaebi. "It said another 'BEING', not a human, right!?"

His hand squeezed around the pistol's grip and a second later, a resounding bang sounded as the gun fired, the bullets trajectory flying straight towards the apologizing dokkaebi's torso.

It met its mark, but the bullet stopped just short of the dokkaebi's downy fur. It froze immediately, before slowly turning around. Its scleras were an evil red as its teeth gnashed together in unbridled fury.

[Insolent f*cking monkey! You scummy piece of sh*t!] It bellowed, spittle flying from its mouth.

The dokkaebi raised his hands, fingers poised to snap. The gun fell from Father's hand as he instinctively could tell that it was over. He fell to his knees in front of me, grasping at my shirt. His eyes were bugging. One pupil was bigger than the other. He had bitten his tongue, and it was bleeding.

"S-Save me, Miyu!" He cried out in desperation. "Do something, anything!"

[Numerous constellations are pitying you greatly.]

The world seemed to move in slow motion. My heart was beating in my dry throat as my hands kept firmly to my sides. Father was gripping at my shirt, crumpling the fabric. I had to fight back the urges to wrench his fingers off of me.

I searched for anything in those frantic, desperate eyes of his, trying to discern if this man who all but forgot about me in this unfamiliar scenario truly cared about me, or was simply treating me as his last resort.

Behind him, the dokkaebi's fingers completed the snap motion.

The next second, a hole was punched into Father's head.

Chapter Text

My throat was seizing up. Bile was piling up inside, threatening to spill out into my mouth and then past my lips.

People were kicking up dust, and it was flying into my eyes. I blinked tears back into my stinging eyes as the deafening roar of the people clamoring assaulted my ears.

The disgusting warmth of blood and brain matter was permeating through the front of my clothes as it flowed from the man clinging to my shirt.

After what seemed like an eternity, Father's hands loosened up and fell to his sides. He fell forward, his punctured head sliding down my torso before crashing down onto the earth, drawing a crimson streak on my white tee.

That was the last straw.

I doubled down, the contents of my stomach beginning to gush out.

Around me, pandemonium was starting. With the death of their employer, the security guards didn't know where to be and were getting swept up by the workers who were getting rowdy once more. Rocks, pipes, shards of glass, anything that was in reach was picked up and used as weapons.

Morality was now nonexistent. Under the gaze of the dokkaebi that could kill us at any second, we were finally showing it what it wanted to see.

As more and more deaths occurred, more and more people were trapped within the capsules and dragged down into the depths.

All the while, time kept ticking down. The timer for the scenario was displaying a time of 00:41:37. Over half of the duration had passed.

Suddenly, a cracked leather boot buried itself in my stomach. Another wave of vomit was purged as I was sent flying.

Through bitter tears welling up in my eyes, I recognized him as the man who was choking me out earlier. Clutching my abdomen, I crawled next to my Father's side, gripped his corpse by the collar, and began frantically shaking him as a sudden wave of anger welled up within me and poured out.

"Wake up, dammit!" I yelled out in frustration. "Wake up, you stingy bastard! You can't just leave me alone in this situation you created! Not after everything I've went through!"

The worker's boot swung once more, landing a kick to my rib. I howled in pain and recoiled.

I had dropped Father's corpse and was no longer holding it, but it was surprisingly rigid as if supported by something. His back was arched, and light was pouring out from within his mouth. Due to the hole through his skull, light was streaming out from there, too.

His arms twitched like he was a puppet, yet as he contorted, multiple messages cropped up in my field of vision.

[The attribute of incarnation, Lu Minho is taking effect!]

[Attribute, Late Chaebol* Heir is activating!]

[Incarnation, Lu Minho's personal skill; Final Will and Testament is activating!]

[You have been gifted 7,777 coins.]

As those messages faded, his body crumpled back to the floor. Coins? Where the hell did those come from? I didn't even receive anything! What is this! His last act before dying was give me imaginary money!? Don't joke with me!

Taking notice of the messages revolving around me, the dokkaebi suddenly looked intrigued. [Ah, coins! I almost forgot! See, if you monkeys want to argue over currency that bad, fight over coins, those actually matter. Here. I'll make it easy for you.]

It fiddled around with an interface for a bit, before releasing it into the air. Simultaneously, every person in the complex got a new window;

<BOUNTY SCENARIO - INHERITANCE HIJACKING>

DIFFICULTY: F - D-

CLEAR CONDITION: INCARNATION, LU MIYU, HAS INHERITED A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF COINS FROM THE CORRUPT CEO. KILL HER AND TAKE IT FOR YOURSELF!

TIME LIMIT: 30 MINUTES

REWARD: LU MIYU'S INHERITANCE, 223 COINS

PENALTY FOR FAILURE: --

Before I could even register what I was reading, a boot's metal toe cap buried itself into my teeth, filling my mouth with the taste of dirt and metal. The taste of iron quickly followed as blood poured within my mouth.

I crumpled to the ground, sobbing. Unrelenting, the assailant's hand gripped my collar and raised me to his eye level.

This man who was out to get me since earlier, seemed like he was going to get his way. He raised me up higher, gripping me by the neck.

I kicked my legs uselessly as the world zoomed out as if I were looking through a funnel. The were sounds moving away as well, along with the sensation of my ears being enclosed by muffs.

Blood was getting trapped in my head. It felt like it was going to explode, exemplified by the ticking-like sensation of my pressurized veins that were responding to my racing heartbeat.

Was this it? Is this how I die? Left to the mercy of a nameless underling?

The designer purse I had all but forgotten about slipped off my shoulders, spilling its contents out upon the ground. Those things that Father loved so much, bills, exploded out and were floating down to the ground.

Not like this. I don't want to end it like this. I'm not meant to be done in by... by a nobody! Stinking bastard, get your hand off of me!

'Money is this world's most absolute power..?' Bullshit! What is your wallet doing for you now!? Oh right, you can't talk! You were blasted by a goblin!

I was getting angrier and angrier. My will was firing up. Yet on the contrary, my body was going limp. I... I... I'm...

"... not done!" Through what little I could still see, I locked my eyes onto the man's gaze.

My hands fell to my sides as everything faded to black. Big words, but the declaration was empty. Or was it?

My head went slack as... my nose caught a whiff of air? A second came. Then a third. Sensation came back. I started hearing the commotions around me once more.

My neck was still constricted in the man's grip, but somehow, it felt just a little bit alleviated. My vision returned in full as my oxygen was replenished, allowing me to see the message that my dying body had reflexively triggered:

[1200 coins invested into physique!]

[Physique LV 1 -> LV 5]

[Your frail body grows slightly stronger.]

Physique? Invest? I could do a thing like that? Did I use the coins..? How did I do that?

But despite my doubts, the undeniable proof of whatever I'd just done was evident; even my assailant had noticed that he couldn't crush my neck anywhere as well as he could just a few seconds prior.

"What the hell did you do?" His hand tried to close harder around my windpipe, but the muscles in my neck resisted as if they were made of steel.

The longer I hung from his hand, the more I came to terms with it; his hand could no longer choke me out effectively. Despite his best efforts, I could draw in a survivable amount of air. Right then and there, an epiphany struck.

"Coins... was it?" My breathing sped up as the realization dawned on me. "Hahahahaha!"

Now that I had accessed the interface, I drew upon the feeling. To my surprise, it came naturally to me. Easy as pie, I opened up my data;

>CHARACTER INFORMATION<

NAME: Lu Miyu

AGE: 17

SUPPORTING CONSTELLATION: --

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES: Nepo Baby (General), Cheapskate (General)

PERSONAL SKILLS: [Endorser LV. 1], [Business Sense LV. 1], [Exceptional Adaptability LV. 1]

STIGMA: --

OVERALL STATS: [PHYSIQUE: LV. 5], [STRENGTH, LV 2.], [AGILITY, LV. 4], [MANA, LV2.]

GENERAL EVALUATION: The spoiled daughter of a wealthy tycoon. Your spending habit knows no bounds. Both of your attributes seem to have a latent evolutionary aspect.

[6577 coins currently in possession.]

6577 coins left. And I ascended four levels for 1200 coins. I see. So that's how this world worked. I glanced at Father's corpse, a renewed vigor filling me. Maybe I had treated your philosophy too harshly.

[1500 coins invested into physique]

[Physique LV 5 -> LV 10]

[300 coins invested into agility!]

[Agility LV 4 -> LV 5]

[Your movements are starting to become more capable.]

[4500 coins invested into strength!]

[Strength LV 2 -> LV 15]

[A newfound strength is found in your muscles!]

I flexed my hand, which all feeling had returned to. I took deep, long breaths. My neck was now too hard for this mule who didn't have coins to invest to ever think of squeezing.

Nepo Baby, huh? If that's what I was called by this 'scenario', then so be it. I'll become the strongest spender that this 'scenario' has seen. This inheritance was just the beginning.

I'm sorry Father, you cheap bastard. Somehow, you were right all along.

In this world, currency truly is power.

My hand flew to the one uselessly wrapped around my throat. With barely any effort, I pried it open and broke all of the fingers for good measure. Each one snapped with a satisfying pop as the worker's face contorted.

"You monster!" He cried out in pain, yet still charged towards me.

The muscles in my body flexed reflexively. Light on my feet, I drew a leg back and using momentum, clumsily threw it forward.

It wasn't a flashy technique. In fact, it was probably done sloppily. Despite that, the sole of my shoe connected with a torso that felt like sytrofoam.

My foot punched through his stomach with ease, punching his guts out through the other side. I felt his muscles squirm and the warmth of it all around my ankle. It made me sick to my core. I ripped my foot out of him, leaving a gaping hole as he immediately collapsed.

[You have killed a living being.]

[Earned 100 coins.]

[A handful of constellations are nodding at your scenario.]

[You have cleared the main scenario.]

[Rewards are being calculated.]

As I reveled in my victory, the ground beneath me gave way. In a second, I was encapsulated and before I could react with more than a scream, I was plunged into the depths of the earth.

(chaebol = a business setup in korea where stupidly successful companies are managed by a family, and parachute = someone who got into a high position through connections based on my understanding of the slang)*

Chapter Text

"Aaah!-"

As I suddenly came to, the scream that was cut off ran its course. I choked on my voice and coughed it out.

Come to think of it, where was I again? It was a tight squeeze, claustrophobically so. The afternoon sun's light streamed in through a transparent panel directly above me... ah. That's right.

As a reward for clearing that 'Main Scenario', I was transported underground to be spared from whatever that 'World Circling Serpent' was going to do to the land above.

Scratch futuristic like I'd thought earlier. This capsule thing was definitely shoddy.

I coughed violently, spittle flying out of my mouth as the nasty taste and acrid scent of chemicals refused to exit my throat and sinuses. I was forced upright in a standing position, with barely any room for my arms to move.

My legs were starting to go numb from the apparent lack of use. How long had I been here? How do I get out?

The tunnel the capsule had bored through to fetch me didn't seem to be obstructed in any fashion. I had a straight view to the sky.

I felt around me for anything that felt like a switch or a button to open the implement, but it was all smooth, cool metal. Thinking back, I had invested all those coins into strength, right?

What did I have again, level 15? Would I be able to bust my way out?

Carefully, I extricated my arm from the tightness at either side of my torso.

To the best of my ability, I wound my arm back and struck the panel of the capsule. The metal easily crumpled like aluminum before my fist, resulting in a sizable dent. A couple more blows allowed me to bust the dent open and tear a hole into the panel.

I placed my hands carefully onto the jagged metal, but it glided harmlessly past my skin. Was this another byproduct of investing into 'Physique'?

Curious, I pressed a little bit harder, but stopped when I felt the jagged edge sting a bit against my skin's resistance. Well, whatever the case was, I carefully pried the metal apart with manageable effort and clambered onto the top of my capsule.

Looking up, I was still a couple meters below the hole to the surface. Belatedly, I registered that something detestable was staring back down at me.

[You're an early riser.] The dokkaebi muttered as it bit its nails. [Everyone was supposed to pick at the same time... well, no matter. You possess 'Exceptional Adaptability', after all. It was to be expected.]

"What are you talking about?" I shouted back up at it. "Get me out of here!"

[Give me a second.] It grumbled. [You still need to be commemorated for passing the first scenario.]

[A fair bit of our dear viewers have expressed an interest in the incarnations in the area, particularly you. Choose a sponsor before you go. It'll be in your best interests.]

[A handful of constellations are excited for what's coming next!]

"What do you mean?" I called back up, but my question was immediately answered by the indirect message that cropped up into my vision.

>SPONSOR SELECTION<

-Please select your constellation sponsor.

-The selected sponsor will be your reliable backer

1. ABYSSAL BLACK FLAME DRAGON

2. TRINKET HOARDING MISER

3. MASS PRODUCTION MAKER

4. MONARCH OF THE SMALL FRIES

As I read through my options, indirect messages from the candidates started bombarding me.

[Constellation, Trinket Hoarding Miser, advises you to pick well.]

[100 coins have been sponsored.]

[Constellation, Abyssal Black Flame Dragon roars at the blatant interference.]

[Constellation, Abyssal Black Flame Dragon, looks expectantly at your skill; Exceptional Adaptability.]

[Constellation, Abyssal Black Flame Dragon, wonders if you're the edgelord type.]

[The constellations are awaiting your choice.]

"Wait, hold on, dokkaebi! They're sponsoring me, but what exactly does that mean?"

The dokkaebi looked at me as if I'd just said something stupid. [These higher beings are lining up to provide you with support. Hurry up and choose, fool. You only have five minutes.]

Right on time, a message confirming that notion popped up.

[FOUR MINUTES LEFT ON THE SPONSOR SELECTION]

"On what terms? What do they get out of sponsoring me? Surely it isn't for free? It's a deal, after all. I even have to place my own signature onto a sponsorship contract!"

The dokkaebi didn't reply. Cursing under my breath, I reviewed my options once more.

Trinket Hoarding Miser? Mass Production Maker? Abyssal Black Flame Dragon? Monarch of the Small Fries? Who the heck were these shady practitioners? Why was he wondering if I was an edgelord? And that guy is blatantly bribing me! What kind of deal would make a contract between me and them fair?

[Exclusive Skill, Business Sense LV.1 is taking effect.]

Ah. Silly me. If I wanted to negotiate terms, I should've done that in the first place. Higher being or not, this was still a contract between two entities.

They wanted to sponsor me, which means that there was something to be gotten from me. Of course, that something can be leveraged.

After thinking it out for a bit, I declared upwards. "You four! You're interested in me, correct? Provide me with an application form! Before I can agree to sign, state your terms and I shall consider them. A contract goes both ways!"

[The constellations are surprised by your terms.]

[Constellation, Monarch of the Small Fries scoffs, and rescinds his sponsorship offer.]

[What do you think you're doing!?] The dokkaebi seethed. [Do you want my channel to go bankrupt!?]

"I don't trust offers as free as this." I crossed my arms. "There's always a catch. Surely. Without fail. I wasn't born yesterday, you know?"

[You must be stupid or something! This isn't the kind of meaningless deal you think it is! These constellations, they're extending their grace to you!]

"That's what all con men say!" I shot back at the indignant dokkaebi. "I need to know what I'm getting into!"

[Constellation, Trinket Hoarding Miser, is telling you to quit the knowitall act.]

[150 coins have been sponsored.]

[Constellation, Abyssal Black Flame Dragon, is trying to figure out how to fill a form.]

[Constellation, Mass Production Maker, is intrigued by this proposition.]

[300 coins have been sponsored.]

[TWO MINUTES LEFT ON SPONSORSHIP SELECTION.]

I climbed out of the hole I'd torn and sat down cross legged on top my capsule. "Well? I'm waiting."

As the dokkaebi stared down at me in disbelief, I waited for the timer to tick down. A minute was left, yet no application came.

Were these constellations legit, anyway? The dokkaebi called them higher beings. It meant that they were powerful, obviously.

But what would a dokkaebi consider a higher being? It's already a creature of fable. Were these gods? Who exactly, or what exactly are constellations?

Regardless of their identity though, that Trinket Hoarding Miser seemed like too a shady a fellow. He was trying to bribe me by tossing coins at me through his messages, but didn't seem like he was gonna conform to my terms.

I'm not gonna accommodate an entitled prick like that.

The Abyssal Black Flame Dragon sounded powerful enough from that nickname, but why was he so clumsy? Doesn't he know how to write? He can't literally be a dragon, can he?

Only that Mass Production Maker was silent. He said he was amused and gave me coins, so was he writing one up? There were thirty seconds left, though. He better hurry up. Ah, there it is.

Swiping away all the other indirect messages, I tabbed onto the one the Mass Production Maker had sent.

[*I'LL KEEP IT BRIEF, CHILD. SENDING LONG MESSAGES IS EXPENSIVE. WE'LL TALK IN DETAIL IF YOU ACCEPT MY OFFER*.]

[1. CONSTELLATION, MASS PRODUCTION MAKER (GAP), WILL PROVIDE TO THE INCARNATION, LU MIYU (EUL), ASSISTANCE IN FUTURE SCENARIOS IN WAYS INCLUDED BUT NOT LIMITED TO, COIN SPONSORSHIP AND STIGMA INHERITANCE.]

[2. INCARNATION, LU MIYU (EUL), WILL PROMISE TO PUBLICLY ENDORSE CONSTELLATION, MASS PRODUCTION MAKER'S (GAP) ITEMS IN THEIR JOURNEY THROUGH THE SCENARIO. BENEFITS ARE NEGOTIABLE.]

Oho. Now that was an interesting proposition. I didn't like being named the eul in the contract, but there were fifteen seconds left. I scratched my chin. Ah, screw it. I'm interested. Standing up, I made my declaration.

"Mass Production Maker, I take you up on your offer."

Chapter Text

>ATTRIBUTE WINDOW<

NAME: Lu Miyu

AGE: 17

ATTRIBUTES: Nepo Baby (General), Cheapskate (General)

SUPPORTING CONSTELLATION: Mass Production Maker

PERSONAL SKILLS: [Endorser, LV. 1], [Business Sense, LV. 1], [Exceptional Adaptability LV. 1]

STIGMA: --

OVERALL STATS: [PHYSIQUE LV. 10], [STRENGTH, LV. 15], [AGILITY, LV 5], [MANA, LV. 2]

GENERAL EVALUATION: The spoiled daughter of a wealthy tycoon. Your spending habit knows no bounds. Both of your attributes contain a latent evolutionary aspect.

[1227 coins currently in possession.]

I perused my updated attribute window once more. 1227... so the reward for that first main scenario must have been 300 coins. I'd spent more coins than I'd realized. I wasn't even sure which stats were worth upgrading yet.

Finished, I tabbed it out. Sitting on top of my capsule still underground, I addressed the sky.

"So, Mass Production Maker... what now? What kind of assistance are you gonna give me? Where do I go from here on out?"

Silence. What the heck? I tried again. "I accepted your offer, didn't I? How will we fix our terms if you won't even talk?"

[Constellation, Mass Production Maker, reiterates that back to back messages are an inefficient use of his coins.]

Still silence, then. I stood up indignantly, grumbling. "Whatever. I'll get out of this hole first."

[Constellation, Mass Production Maker, wants you to find him a suitable vessel once you emerge aboveground.]

"Vessel? Where the heck am I gonna find something like that? Talking through the phone would be so much easier, but sure."

[Constellation, Mass Production Maker, says that even a mannequin would suffice.]

"Sure..?" I didn't know what he meant, but he seemed reasonable. He made a contract and was seeking insurance, same as me. So I guess I'll trust him. With that, I began scaling the tunnel.

These stat investments were pretty handy. Pulling myself up was easy even without a ladder. In no time at all, I emerged back onto the surface. Before I could survey my surroundings, an indirect message redirected my attention.

[YOU HAVE CLEARED THE SECOND MAIN SCENARIO!]

[YOU ARE THE SECOND PERSON TO DO SO, THEREFORE THE FIRST CLEARER ACHIEVEMENT IS UNATTAINABLE!]

[YOU HAVE BEEN REWARDED 500 COINS!]

[Hahaha! How unfortunate!] The dokkaebi materialized into the air above me. [The first guy was an early bird too who cleared the scenario a mere five minutes before you did. Come to think of it, that one's a monster too... the incarnations on my channel are scary this time around...]

I crossed my arms up at it. "Who is that bastard? He must've gotten coins from that achievement. I'll claim them for myself."

[If you can find him and beat him, that is.] The dokkaebi laughed. [There's a reason the Star Stream's law of balance hasn't gotten you for those stats of yours yet.]

And with those indiscernible words, the dokkaebi disappeared to god knows where once more.

This wasn't good. It seemed that there was a lot of important stuff that I didn't know about yet. If I wanted to get some answers, I'd better procure that vessel.

As I finished that thought, the system followed up immediately.

[A NEW BOUNTY SCENARIO HAS ARRIVED!]

>BOUNTY SCENARIO - VESSEL SCAVENGING<

CATEGORY: BOUNTY

DIFFICULTY: F

CLEAR CONDITIONS: FIND A SUITABLE VESSEL FOR YOUR SUPPORTING CONSTELLATION TO INHABIT.

TIME LIMIT: UNTIL THE THIRD MAIN SCENARIO STARTS

REWARD(S): TIME TO CONSULT WITH YOUR SUPPORTING CONSTELLATION.

PENALTY FOR FAILURE: --

The grounds of the factory were deathly silent now. It was afternoon like when the first scenario had started, but I couldn't tell if it was even on the same day anymore.

Bloodstains and bodies littered the floor, and the earth was peppered with tunnels like the one I'd come from. Sure enough, I couldn't see or hear anyone else awake or clambering out of their own holes.

Further out, I surveyed the industrial complex. That is, if there was still an industrial complex to survey. Practically everything past the grounds leading to the exit gate had been leveled. In fact, it had been more than just leveled.

A truly ludicrous amount of land had been carved out, leaving a tremendous groove not unlike a valley that stretched on in either direction.

Debris like remains of the huge smokestacks and other infrastructure from the factory and the city was present, sticking out of earth on the sides and floor of the valley like bizarre plant outgrowths, but something else caught my eye.

Huge slates of sizes varying from just about as tall as me to building length were mixed among the concrete and metal, colored in a deep prismarine hue... it must be the snake's scales.

I walked right up to the edge of the valley, peering down at the one closest to me. The scale gleamed with a light that seemed almost dark, absorbing the sunlight instead of reflecting it.

If I remembered correctly, the nearest shopping mall was a little ways from the factory. In fact, if I followed the valley, I could probably run into it if it was still intact. With that, I began to make my precarious way down.
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Despite the investments I'd made into myself, this trip down was still precarious, It was hard to tell when viewing from the top, but I had a good fifteen, twenty meters to scale before landing on the ground.

It wasn't a smooth slide down, either. The earth, having recently been churned by that huge reptile passing through, was loose.

Coupling that with the huge chunks of industrial and urban debris precariously embedded within, resulted into huge masses crumbling off and sliding down if I'd made so much as a wrong step.

How did I know? That very situation had transpired just a couple seconds ago. So there I was, sliding down the side of the valley.

I rolled up into a ball, shielding my eyes and neck as I slammed into various chunks of debris. My hand tangled in what felt like ropes so I grabbed on instinctively, but I belatedly realized that it was a bundle of live wire from a split telephone pole.

The current coursing through my body clamped my hand shut and drove spasms through my body. I could only scream silently as only gravity dragged me away from the wire and I entered free fall, unable to move.

The breath was knocked out of me as my I slammed spread eagle onto the ground from no less than five meters up. I could only wheeze in pain, still immobile from having electricity flow through me.

[Constellation, Abyssal Black Flame Dragon, tells you to suck it up.]

"What do you know?" Is what I wanted to say. My jaw was still clenched shut and spasming.

After what felt like an eternity, I felt my fingers twitch. I pushed, forcing my fingers to slowly lift, and then clench. After that, the rest of my body followed. Other than pins and needles, I seemed fine for now.

Slowly, I sat up and looked around. I was now at the bottom, obviously. The other side of the valley was around about half of a small a city block away.

Looking up from where I'd come, it was an oddly breathtaking sight. It was as if a city had been built on the vertical plane of the valley's wall. Tearing my eyes away from it, I began my trek in the general direction I remembered the mall to be.

[Constellation, Abyssal Black Flame Dragon, is getting bored.]

"Can you be quiet!?" I finally called back up to the never-ending stream of indirect messages. "Who the heck even are you? Go watch someone else?"

He didn't reply. I realized that snapping at these 'Constellations' was probably a mistake. They were the ones I got coins from, right? I furrowed my brows. It'll probably be best not to sow any dissonance between me and them right now. I should try to talk to this guy. Even if he sounds like a total edgelord.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it." I tried making conversation. "Say. Abyssal Black Flame... Dragon?"

[Constellation, Abyssal Black Flame Dragon, is side-eyeing you.]

"Don't be like that, hehe..." My mouth was shut immediately. What do I even talk about with him?

A couple steps passed without either of us saying anything. In the first place, how is he talking to me right now?

How does he know what I'm doing? Come to think about it. That dokkaebi mentioned a 'stream' being in place. Was I being watched 24/7? If I was... then won't other incarnations, as they called us, be watched too?

With that, an idea came to me, though I didn't even know if this was allowed.

"Abyssal Black Flame Dragon. Do you know anything about that first clearer that the dokkaebi mentioned?"

[Constellation, Abyssal Black Flame Dragon, huffs smugly.]

[Constellation, Abyssal Black Flame Dragon, wonders what you want with one of his disciples.]

[Costellation, Mass Production Maker, notes that the Abyssal Black Flame Dragon has no affiliated contract with aforementioned incarnation.]

[Constellation, Abyssal Black Flame Dragon, tells the Mass Production Maker to mind his own business.]

This was a surprise. So they could interact with each other? Was this anything similar to a Twitch chat? How are they watching together, in any case? Were a bunch of these higher beings just sitting around a couch, watching from the same screen?

In any case, it doesn't seem like I'm gonna get anything from the Abyssal Black Flame Dragon. Which puts me back on track to the 'bounty' scenario at hand. Say, where was I now?

I've been walking aimlessly for the past half hour or so, but now, I was sitting at a dead end. Or not. There was a collapsed building in front of me. It was a huge window frame, with the windows obviously shattered.

It was turned on its side so it was kind of hard to check inside, but I realized that I recognized this building.

That's right. That designer clothes store, that musical instrument outlet, and the Mcdonalds branch that was just barely visible under the boulders that had caused it to cave in on itself.

This was all familiar to me. I'd arrived at the mall.

Yet, something was up. Despite it being very obviously a collapsed building, it was a little bit too neat.

Huge, immovable boulders were present, but not much else in terms of debris. Every shop was missing their windows, but there weren't any scattered shards of glass, like people had cleaned it all up. As I clambered through the huge opening of the mall's main windows, I heard a footstep behind me.

I swung around instinctively, spotting a heavyset man holding a pipe. He didn't look like someone with any particular intention, but he didn't look particularly friendly either.

Fine. If it was just him, I wasn't scared. But around me, there were more signs of life. Before long, I was surrounded by a whole group of middle aged men. All of them had various implements like crowbars, planks, and the aforementioned pipe.

"Now, 'lil miss." The first man I spotted called out in a sickly sweet, patronizing tone. "You a straggler? Come with us. We'll set you right."

Alarm bells started ringing in my head. My senses kicked into high gear. The dokkaebi says my stats are abnormally high, but how much of a difference will that make against this many thugs? I didn't want to find out just yet.

"Set me right? What does that mean?" I took a couple steps back.

They all looked at each other and started chortling. Man #1 spoke up once more. "I think you have the wrong idea. We're just picking up wanderers like you, so that you can join us. Haven't you heard of strength in numbers?"

"So, what's the catch?" I crossed my arms, taking another step back. "These settlements always have some sort of predatory catch, right?"

"Predatory? Well, that's one such interpretation." Man #1 muttered. "What do you know about rent, 'lil lady?"

I scoffed. "Rent? And who are you guys to enforce rent in a situation like this?"

"Well..." He gave me a devilish smile. It was a sly, greedy expression. "Have you ever heard of the Landlord Coalition?"

Chapter Text

Whatever they had going on here, it wasn't half bad. Not at all.

I was led into the mall's wreckage by the so-called Landlord Coalition's lackeys. There was quite a few people here, occupying their various separate nooks and crannies.

The mall had been connected to an IKEA, so their living conditions genuinely looked kind of comfortable as furniture had been scavenged.

They eyed the party escorting me as we walked past with varying levels of dissent. Of course, landlords were still landlords to the tenants, even in this world.

As we walked past one young man's abode--a bunk bed with a curtain was slotted into a hole in the mall's walls was enveloped in a green light. Floating a little above the ground was the message:

[GREEN ZONE 1/1]

Man #1 followed my gaze. "You interested in his room, 'lil lady? The highest offer will always be taken, you know?"

"N-No!" The man suddenly cried out. "I paid for this room fair and square! I got here first!"

With a panicked expression, he pointed a worn-looking iron sword at me with shaking hands. I slapped away the blade with a disdainful expression, snapping it in two. "Put that away. I'm not interested."

Kicking away the broken blade, I turned back to the landlords. "What's the green zone about, anyway?"

"Well, we aren't really sure." Fatso #1 scratched his head. "The boss said they started popping up yesterday. We reckon they'll be important for the upcoming scenario, so the boss naturally started hoarding."

I furrowed my brows. "And who exactly is this boss?"

Of course, I already had a hunch. The details were lining up. A landlord? Someone who hoards good property? Someone who can form an entire coalition of landowners?

There could only be one guy like that in Seoul. And I could make an ally out of him. Probably.

"Well, you'll see. Be patient." Man #1 grinned. Doesn't he know who I am? This guy's a landlord, right? How can someone who works in investments not immediately recognize me?

Talking to grunts like this was getting me nowhere. Only the boss would be worth talking to. I'll get to the point. "Is it Gong Pildu?"

A pipe's end was immediately leveled at my face. The landlords were standing ready with suspicious expressions. It seems that my hunch was right. "How do you know the boss? Don't try to lie now, we've got you surrounded."

[Constellation, Monarch of the Small Fries, eggs the lackeys on.]

Unbothered, I gripped his pipe. It collapsed inwards under my grip, leaving dents in the shape of my fingers. "How do I know him? Not much. Only the fact that I made him rich as he was."

The landlords had incredulous expressions as I bent the man's pipe inwards, wrenched it out of his grip, and tossed it away.

He roared in anger. "And who are you anyway? A nobody girl like you made Gong Pildu rich? Don't make me laugh! Men, kick this shady figure out of our property!"

I looked around at the goons closing in around me. The nearest one raised his crowbar and was poised to attack, when suddenly, it was intercepted.

[Gong Pildu has activated the stigma, Militarized Zone LV. 3]

With a mechanical whirr, four turrets rose from the ground and a dozen bullets were let loose.

One knocked away the crowbar that was flying towards me, while the others shot at the ground near all of our feet, dissuading any movement that was to be conducted.

"Who do you morons think you are!?" A gruff voice that I recognized roared out. "You call yourselves landlords, yet lower your own property value by acting like thugs!"

The landlord lackeys all took a step back to make way for a wide man in a beige coat. He was a bearded, paunchy man that hid his abysmal hairline under a fashionable golf cap.

Despite his appearance, he carried himself with the poise of an expert businessman. His distinctly sharp eyes landed on me. I locked eyes with him. Now this guy, he definitely knows who I am.

"And you. Don't use daddy's name like that." I swallowed back a retort, eyeing the turrets. "You didn't make me rich, don't get it twisted! I don't like brats like you who flaunt your surname. Didn't your father teach you how to conduct yourself?"

As the landlords looked back and forth at me and Gong Pildu, the latter scoffed. "You really don't recognize the daughter of one of Seoul's most land-hungry conglomerates?"

He gestured towards me. "Take a proper gander at Lu Enterprises' heir, Lu Miyu. This girl probably owns shares for most of the land you fools hold."
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It was funny, really. The second Gong Pildu introduced me, the landlords cleared out like roaches under a light.

They followed at a very respectful distance as Gong Pildu led me to the Green Zone that he designated his base of operations. Unlike the man's green zone.

Gong Pildu's was sizeable. Of course it was. Why wouldn't it be? It occupied the mall's concierge area, where even more of the landlords were crawling about like ants.

There were bedrolls and folding chairs scattered about on the floor, but behind the concierge's counter, it looked a little bit more luxurious.

From what I could make out, there was a small bed from the IKEA, chamber pots, blankets, pillows, newspapers and magazines, and more. He was living it up, even in a situation like this.

Gong Pildu moved behind the concierge as I leaned over the counter. Despite the rough encounter earlier, we seemed to be on good enough terms based off our good business standings in the past, as there were no turrets in sight. He sat down with a slight grunt.

Gong Pildu cleared his throat. "So, your father. Is he perhaps..?"

"Died immediately. He tried to fulfill the first scenario by shooting the dokkaebi."

"Moron." Gong Pildu grunted. "Incredible business sense, but terrible street smarts."

"You tell me." I sighed.

I leaned over the counter, surveying the man in front of me. I wouldn't say he's kind, just that he knows how to treats those in business with him.

He was making a lot of eye contact. It was unsettling, like he was searching for something. I stared back.

Something changed in his gaze. It was deeper, in a way I couldn't quantify. I felt self conscious. Come to think of it, he'd survived the first scenario, same as me. He knows what I did. I wonder what he thinks.

I shook my head. We all did what we had to do. This wasn't a problem. He did it too. Who was he to judge me? I gotta change the topic. "So, what are the green zones for? Someone like you doesn't hoard for no reason."

"For now, no idea." He admitted. "But the damned dokkaebi don't put these things out just for the fun of it. I'm just investing."

"Hm. Then it'll probably be a good idea to buy now?" I crossed my arms.

Gong Pildu grinned slightly. "You're a smart girl, Miyu. Always have been. One person Green Zones usually go for a rate of 250 coins a day. Are you willing?"

There's the language I've heard him speak since I was little. I can't let him have all the fun. "Don't start. You don't even know what it does, but you're gonna set a price like that!? 100, take it or leave it.

"175." Gong Pildu's expression stiffened. "I told you. We don't know what it does now, but they must be preparing for the next scenario. It's an investment."

"And what if it does nothing? 100. I'm not budging."

Gong Pildu's eyebrows furrowed in anger. "150, or you get nothing. You seem to forget where you're standing."

[Constellations who love business are enjoying this interaction!]

[500 coins have been sponsored.]

I gulped. He wouldn't do anything. Despite the turrets standing ready, I know he won't fire on me. I know he isn't that kind of person. But since earlier, I'd been receiving system alerts since the first time I'd stepped onto his zone.

[You are currently trespassing in private property!]

[You are currently suffering a debuff for trespassing!]

"Well, fine." 150 was what I was aiming for, anyway. Not worth making him mad. And the constellations sponsoring me right now meant I would've made it all back anyway. "I'll take 150."

"Transfer the coins, and you can pick any 1 person room you like." Pildu extended his index finger towards me. "Don't even think about occupying anything you haven't paid for."

"How do I..." I touched my index finger to his, but nothing happened.

"Think about how many coins you want to transfer."

"Ah. Thanks." I thought about 150, immediately prompting the exchange.

[150 coins have been transferred to Gong Pildu.]

[1577 coins left in possession.]

"Thank you kindly." Gong Pildu nodded as he confirmed the exchange.

I glanced at my remaining balance for a second before closing the window. "Likewise. Well, thanks. I'll be seeing you."

As I walked away, like they had for Gong Pildu earlier, the landlords gawked at me and cleared the way.

The second I stepped out of Gong Pildu's Green Zone, they retreated into the ground and I felt the debuff fade.

I curled my lip, slightly impressed. That geezer's doing way too good for himself. Glad he's still interested in transactions, though. As long as I have coins, we're definitely staying friends.
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[YOU HAVE OCCUPIED A GREEN ZONE!]

[GREEN ZONE 1/1]

I glanced at the indirect messages, before clicking them off. The latter stayed floating in the air above my zone, like it did for that other guy.

I glanced around. Overall, I'd say that I found a good spot. It wasn't that far from the main commons area of the mall.

In fact, I was still in sight of Gong Pildu's base. It was beside a boulder with its back to a wall, so I only had to defend the two sides on the front.

And best of all, it was right near the connecting corridor to the old IKEA. Potentially acquiring furnishing was definitely on my list, but there was something that came first.

I checked the scenario window. Yup. I still had my bounty scenario.

>BOUNTY SCENARIO - VESSEL SCAVENGING<

CATEGORY: BOUNTY

DIFFICULTY: F

CLEAR CONDITIONS: FIND A SUITABLE VESSEL FOR YOUR SUPPORTING CONSTELLATION TO INHABIT.

TIME LIMIT: UNTIL THE THIRD MAIN SCENARIO STARTS.

REWARD(S): TIME TO CONSULT WITH YOUR SUPPORTING CONSTELLATION.

PENALTY FOR FAILURE: --

The Mass Production Maker had said earlier that a mannequin would be enough, so that's what I'm going to do.

Without further ado, I trekked into the corridor. The building was collapsed, so technically, I was walking on the walls.

It was disorienting, but I mostly still recognized it. After a bit of walking, I reached the front steps of the store. I clambered through the now-horizontal door and emerged into the department store.

Well, not the department store yet. First, it was the bistro. I actually quite liked the food here, but unfortunately, there was none to be found. All the food was picked clean, most probably by those landlords.

I won't be surprised if Gong Pildu was reselling them somewhere. Moving on, I crossed to the department store area. Immediately, there were mannequins. Huh, it was that easy?

Right next to a collapsed display of a bedroom, there was a mannequin near me poking out from under the debris. I gripped its hand and wrenched it out easily.

It was dressed up in an IKEA worker's uniform. It had a namecard on the breast pocket atop where the heart should be, with the words 'Hi! My name is ▯▯.' written in an ominously red ink.

I paid it no heed. I slung it across my shoulders and began to make my way out, but something rustled behind me.

"Attentio-o-on... The store is now closed." A garbled voice rang out. "Please vacate the p..remises."

Of course, it won't be that easy. Turning around, I spotted the other mannequins moving in mechanical, erratic puppet-like motions. How cliche.

One was reaching towards me. I took a step back and launched a kick infused with all 15 of my levels into strength. Air whooshed as it was displaced by my leg, and my foot landed squarely on the mannequins face.

Yet instead of the sensation of wood splintering, a dull shock traveled up and down my shin.

The mannequin's head was bent at an unnatural angle, but it simply snapped its head back into place. With a jolt, I realized that these things could survive my attacks at the moment.

As the others shuffled over to my position, I made a break for it, but I'd forgotten that I had one on me right now. The mannequin I was carrying locked its arms around my neck and began to tighten its hold.

I coughed and spluttered as even splinters started digging into my throat.

Scrambling madly with my hands trying to wrench the mannequin's arms off me, I made a mad dash back to the entrance. I tripped over all manners of things as I struggled with the mannequin choking me out.

After a long struggle, the mannequin's arm finally splintered off. I took a long gasp of air before dragging my disabled assailant out of the department store, through the bistro, out the IKEA and back into the mall.

I collapsed on the floor inside my Green Zone, tossing it to the floor where it tried to grab at me with nonexistent arms. Panting, I cursed at the air. "This consultation better be worth it, Mass Production Maker!"

Chapter Text

[Your supporting constellation has gifted you the item, 'SSS Grade Transmitter'!]

[Constellation, Mass Production Maker, instructs you to attach it onto the vessel.]

I stared at the messages for a while, still panting. It hasn't even been a minute since I came back, yet he's already ordering me about.

The rest of Gong Pildu's tenants were staring at me funny as they went about their business. How else would you react to a girl lying beside a stolen mannequin alone in her Green Zone, anyway?

After a bit of fumbling with the device--a small little rectangle with an antenna, I clipped it onto the mannequin's breast pocket.

It zipped from my hand as if it were metal to a magnet, adhering automatically to the mannequin's breast pocket. As I watched, red sparks enveloped the mannequin's figure, emitting an energy that blew my hair back.

I'd seen this before. Wasn't this the same thing that happened to the snake on the dokkaebi's broadcast? Then did it mean that something was being restrained by... what was it called... probability?

I crossed my arms over my face, blocking out the bright light. Once the storm of sparks stopped the mannequin slumped down as if electrocuted, then bolted upright, its head snapping towards me.

As my throat throbbed from the earlier sensations of the mannequin's attack, I instinctively swung a fist. Calmly, it raised the stump of an arm that I'd broken as if to intercept.

The next second, a polymer prosthetic sprung out from seemingly nowhere on the mannequin's stump. It stopped my attack mid arc, barely even moving. It was solid, as if I'd hit a telephone pole.

A dull pain arced up and down my entire arm as my force was reflected back at me. Quietly cursing as I held my wrist, I took another step back.

"What the heck..?" Still perplexed at the sudden healing, I failed to notice the mannequin stand up before its faceless head was suddenly level with mine.

The sound of static turned my full attention back towards the doll. It was coming from the device that I'd attached to the mannequin.

[#%$%@%$%...llo? Hello?] The voice of an old man came from the speaker with a grainy quality as the dancing red sparks surged tenfold all over the mannequin's body. [Ah, there. It's working.]

An unnatural shiver ran down my body as I listened to the voice that emanated some sort of power. If his words sent through such an indirect manner could give me such goosebumps, then he could only be...

[Hello, my chosen incarnation.] The mannequin bowed with a jointed polymer hand atop its heart as my supporting constellation greeted me. [We meet at last.]
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[The low grade dokkaebi of the Seoul dome are shocked by the Mass Production Maker's actions.]

[Numerous dokkaebi are demanding probability checks.]

[Multiple constellations are now interested in your scenario.]

"Shouldn't you be..?" I shot glances at the numerous messages popping up around me. Not to mention, the dokkaebi floating above us right now, rubbing his hands together.

[Hm? Oh, those pests?] The mannequin nonchalantly swatted something away, probably Mass Production Maker's own cascade of indirect messages. As I watched, intermittent showers of red sparks shot out from its body, with the mannequin twitching every time they did.. [Don't worry. Nobody really cares.]

"Um, I think someone does care." I pointed all around us.

One look around my Green Zone proved that. At the mention of a constellation's direct involvement, the various stragglers had poured in to eavesdrop.

Even the clueless ones couldn't have missed that lightshow. The more they whispered and pointed, the more irked I got. What were they all looking at?

The dokkaebi finally dared to come in closer. [E-Erm... Mass Production Maker-nim... I don't know why someone like you is in my channel but-]

[What's your name, storyteller?] The mannequin gazed up at the dokkaebi.

[Bihyung, sir.] The dokkaebi named Bihyung obediently answered.

[I see.] The mannequin pulled out a timer. [Do you know what this is?]

[A clock..?]

[Correct. And what's on it?]

Bihyung was getting visibly confused. [It's ticking down from fifteen minutes.]

[Good. It seems this storyteller is literate.] The constellation's voice was dry. [If you understand what it means, then please, step back for a bit.]

[But, sir!]

[The plausibility check? I'm sure it's been rejected.]

[How do you-] Bihyung manipulated a screen and viewed the information on it. [How did you know?]

[I'm just an old man with a lot of coins. What kind of probability does my direct influence violate? I'm not giving them away, am I? Nor do I have any useful stigmas to pass down. Nor am I revealing information that isn't privy to the earlier scenarios, not that I know much anyway. Thus, I can stay as much as I want.]

[But- The storm around you right now-]

The sparks dancing around the mannequin intensified, but they were immediately quelled as the Mass Production Maker's voice hardened. [Do you think a someone like me can't handle a small probability storm like this?]

Finally, Bihyung got the hint. [I-I'm sorry. I understand. Forgive me.]

Taking the hint as well, I grabbed the nearest spectator by his collar. "Show's over! Clear out, all of you!"

I shoved him back towards the rest, and they dispersed. With no more distractions left aside from the dokkaebi who was hovering above us nervously, I faced my supporting constellation's vessel.

He checked the timer. [Eleven minutes left. I assume you remember our initial contract. If you have any questions child, raise them now.]

[Exclusive skill, Business Sense LV. 1 is activating!]

I eyed the continued 'probability storm' around his vessel. They keep mentioning it. Not knowing was getting on my nerves. "What exactly is this probability?"

The mannequin's head cocked, almost in an annoyed fashion. [I meant questions about our contract.]

He seemed to notice my expression, though. [Probability is a way to ensure the scenarios remain fair. There.]

The answer was vague and I wanted more, but I held my tongue. I didn't have time to waste. "Well, what does 'publicly endorsing' your products mean? And how are the benefits negotiable, in this sense?"

[Child. You have the 'Endorser' skill, correct?]

A quick check of my attribute window confirmed it. "Yeah. Why?

[That skill, in fact, is what caught my eye about you in the first place. It's a skill that boosts the efficacy of items that you're fond of and publicly endorse.]

I nodded. "I'm following. You're literally named the Mass Production Maker, so you want me to use your stuff and make them look good."

[Of course, it's not without its rewards. Unlike other constellations who give coins out, you'll have to work for your keep with me. Keeping it straight, you'll earn me money.]

He paused, as if to gauge my reaction. It was fine with me and he sensed that, so he continued.

[But because of this, what you can earn has the potential to be an amount larger than any incarnation can hope to even see in their lifetime. And unlike other constellations who inconsistently gift items, you can send the appropriate amount of coins back to me and request what exactly you wish to purchase at any time, which I definitely will find a way to acquire.]

This guy has a way with words. "Okay. Next. So I can only use your brand? No other items?"

[Well, the majority of your main equipment has to be mine, yes. But you will definitely acquire powerful star relics affiliated with other constellations down the line. That's unavoidable, so I'll allow it.]

Seems fair enough, but I have to be frank. "Forgive me for being so direct, but can your brand be trusted? I don't know about you, but where I'm from, mass produced items are usually cheap and of low quality."

The mannequin raised his arms, as if to let his products speak for themselves. He didn't sound offended at all, thought a bit tired. Like he was always asked this question.

[You see these? I'm aware that you have a strength level of 15. Yet, not even the slightest of dents are present. These are simply S-grade prosthetic prototypes. They're unfinished. My usual mass produced products are SSS-grade. So, yes. You can trust my items. Though the only downside I can see is that they're exceedingly common. You'll have a well known set of equipment, for better or for worse."

I coughed slightly. S-grade? SSS-grade? What was this, a game? A fantasy novel? So corny... But at the same time, this seemingly unfinished product did resist my blows, so I guess there was some merit to his claims.

A quick check of the timer revealed that we had a little under five minutes left.

"Okay. I understand. Now what about the benefits?"

[You get to keep the items you successfully endorse, and you get commission from sales after you've used them in a scenario. You're also entitled to warranty for life.]

"For real?" I laughed slightly. "How often will I have to advertise?"

[Once per main scenario. Of course, you can always ask for more.]

"I guess I'll see how much cash it rakes in first. Say. You won't give me anything dumb to tote, right?"

[Well, define dumb.] The mannequin scratched its chin. [I produce probably every product you can think of, so there could be some unusual items. But if it bothers you that much, we can also negotiate on this once you receive the product.]

Under two minutes left. Well, I've had enough. "I'm done. When will we start?"

[Sooner than you think.] The sparks of the 'probability storm' were intensifying once more as the sound of the speaker deteriorated further. [One last thing, before I leave.]

A red storm storm raged around the mannequin's body as it reached out towards me, a rolled up scroll dispensing out of a compartment that opened out of the prosthetic's palm.

Splintering wood was heard as the mannequin's structure collapsed under the energy of the probability storm. True enough, the S-grade products seemed to be untouched.

The prosthetics, without stumps to attach to, clattered to the ground. The transmitter fell to the ground beside them, emitting deafening static before shooting sparks and black smoke.

It seemed this one couldn't escape the 'storm', being directly used as a medium by a constellation.

With that, the meeting with my supporting constellation drew to a close. And right on time, I heard a ding in my ear as a new indirect message appeared before my eyes;

>MAIN SCENARIO #3<

[GREEN ZONE]

CATEGORY: MAIN

DIFFICULTY: C

CLEAR CONDITIONS: OCCUPY THE 'GREEN ZONES' SCATTERED ABOUT THE RUINS AND SURVIVE THE MONSTERS THAT EMERGE EVERY NIGHT AT MIDNIGHT FOR A WEEK.

TIME LIMIT: 7 DAYS

REWARD: 1000 COINS

FAILURE: ---

Chapter Text

I sat back as the landlords started mobilizing around the derelict mall. Gong Pildu's hunch was correct. The Green Zones were indeed going to be an important part of the upcoming scenario.

Thus, he had instructed his Landlord Coalition to promptly collect the rent of newcomers, and subsequently kick out any squatters. Gong Pildu had already received my dues, so I was exempt from this abrupt shakedown.

After paying him 150 coins, I had 1428 coins left from the first two scenarios. Was this a good amount? I couldn't really tell. The reward for this current scenario was a 1000 coins flat, so maybe.

Currently, I had 10 points into Physique, 15 into Strength, 5 into Agility, and 2 into Mana. Would it be good to spend on my stats now, or would it be important to save them for later?

If this was anything like a fantasy game, which these past few days have really been feeling like, then my stat composition would be important to keep balanced.

I effortlessly beat the worker from the factory and snapped a slightly rusted sword with ease... but would it be enough?

The Mass Production Maker said that he could help me buy items... but would they be any good? He also mentioned Star Relics, and there are these S grade and SSS grade items... argh! What a dilemma!

"I need more coins." I decided, whispering my thoughts. The exact moment I did, a soft ding filled my ears.

[Constellation, Mass Production Maker, has gifted you 5000 coins!]

[Constellation, Mass Production Maker, has gifted you item, Starter Pack!]

[All of your stats increase by one level!]

[You have gained the skill, Weapons Proficiency LV. 2!]

[Constellation, Mass Production Maker, has gifted you items, Growth Package I, Growth Package II!}

[The growth packages have raised your stats.]

[Due to the average level of your stats reaching 10, the Starter Pack will no longer take effect.]

[Constellations who care about their incarnations look glumly at your gifts, then at their wallets.]

"Wait, seriously?" I had to stand up and check. This was a ridiculous amount. Aside from the fact that I now had 6000 coins, 5 whole points to each stat is no joke. I'd saved over 3000 coins!

"Couldn't you have done that in the first place?" I called up, tabbing away the messages.

[Constellation, Mass Production Maker, tells you to consider it a token of the sealed contract.]

[Constellation, Mass Production Maker, has gifted you the item, 'SSS-Grade Iron Tent'!]

[Constellation, Mass Production Maker, is expecting good things.]

A suitcase suddenly appeared before me. The SSS seal stamped on its lid signaled to me that this was the Mass Production Maker's product. As I sat down to unclasp it, I suddenly heard voices approach my Green Zone.

Turning my head, I saw a bunch of people looking at me expectantly. Feeling brave, a man cautiously stepped forward. I recognized him as the one whose sword I'd snapped.

He opened his mouth but seemed to swallow his words. After a bit, I got impatient. "Spit it out."

"Well... your supporting constellation is the Mass Production Maker, right?"

"How did you know that?" I narrowed my eyes at him.

[Constellation, Mass Production Maker, scoffs.]

"My um, own constellation told me." He admitted sheepishly. "And I was just wondering if..."

This guy was getting on my nerves. "I told you, spit it out."

"You receive a lot of coins from your supporting constellation, correct?" He finally spoke in a direct manner.

I already had a hunch of what he was going to ask. How typical.

I scanned the group he was with. There was a young woman, a middle aged man, a mother with a child and a couple elderly.

All in all, there were seven of them. They were those just scraping by, surviving just barely. They most likely weren't proactive in the scenarios, and thus, haven't received any coins from the constellations that watched them.

The man gestured toward a Green Zone off in the distance, with a maximum capacity of eight people. "The landlord says that a room of that size would cost us 1000 coins. It's a ludicrous amount, right? It's a highway robbery! Doesn't he feel pity seeing the children and elderly?"

He was trying to appeal to emotions, following the moral route of caring for those weaker than himself. He even already had a room for himself.

He could already afford a room, and the fact that he was acting like an angel despite being here in this third scenario... I bet he was putting on a show for his own constellation audience.

I crossed my arms. "Hypocrite."

"Excuse me?" The man's expression froze.

"What's your name?" I fiddled with the suitcases clasp as I sat cross legged on the floor.

"It's Yoon Kang-dae. What about y-"

"Mr Yoon." I nonchalantly looked up into his eyes. "Did you feel pity for whoever you killed so that you could be here?"

He blinked twice with a stupid expression. "Well, I-"

"No, right? It was a matter of survival. That's what you're gonna say."

I opened the suitcase. Within was a couple iron poles and a stiff fabric that glistened in the low light slotted into indents in the styrofoam packing.

A placard was situated on top of the components:

'SSS-GRADE IRON TENT.'

'10 SECOND SETUP, 10 YEAR DURABILITY!'

"That's because it was!" Said the man named Yoon Kang-dae. "Surely you killed someone too!"

"I did. And I'm taking responsibility for it in my own way. So is Gong Pildu. We all need to survive, we all need coins. You people aren't special. You most especially aren't. You already have your own room, mind your own business."

I took out the poles, and hoisted out the fabric of the tent. It was all surprisingly heavy, which was saying a lot.

"Now, see here!" He put a hand on my shoulder and turned me around. It seems he was getting desperate. "You haven't answered my question! You get a lot of coins, no? Then you must have much to spare!"

"Don't touch me." I clamped a hand around his wrist.

It wasn't even that tight of a grip, but his face immediately contorted in pain. This level 20 strength was no joke, unlike his physique stat. I threw his hand off and stood up, glaring at all of them as I held the tent poles in my hands.

"For your information, starting from now on, my supporting constellation has vowed never to gift me coins again."

I didn't let them speak. It was weird. Though I had nothing to prove, I still felt like I did.

"Unlike all of you freeloaders, I will not wait for handouts." I spat. "I will work for every coin that I receive. Why should I give consideration to your lack of initiative? Will you pay me back? Is this a loan situation?"

Yoon Kang-dae had an incredulous expression on his face. "What does that even mean? You work for your coins? What kind of nonsense-"

An alarm cut him off. It came from the smart watch at his wrist. A quick check revealed that it was currently 11:30. He bit the inside of his cheeks, before turning to his companions. "We're getting nothing from this girl! Come on, let's go. Quick."

I watched as they departed one by one with defeated expressions. All, but the mother with her child.

The little girl looked up at me. She couldn't have been any more than six. But she had survived up to this point.

I swallowed a bitter taste down my throat. This child has cleared the first scenario, same as the rest of us.

Even with this realization, they still looked like such a sweet mother and daughter pair... I pursed my lips. The little girl kept looking up at the mother whose leg she had wrapped her short arm around, and back to me.

I sighed, tearing my eyes away from the child's gaze. I glanced to see if Kang-dae Yoon's group had disappeared from view. Biting my cheek, I made a decision.

"Ahjumma, come here." Resignedly, I held out my index finger to the mother. "There won't be a next time."

Her face lit up. "Really? Thank you! Thank you so much! I'll be sure to pay you back!"

"No need." As 700 coins were transferred, I gestured towards an unoccupied two-person room. "Over there. Go on. Don't let those other beggars see you."

[Constellations who favor neutrality are agreeing with your decision.]

[500 coins have been sponsored.]

As they walked away, the child turned back around and gave me a little bow of thanks, before the mother scooped her up and held her lovingly in her arms.

Watching on, I couldn't help but feel just the slightest twinge of longing, deep, deep in my chest.

Chapter Text

It was currently 11:50, 10 minutes from the first midnight of the 3rd scenario.

Everyone who could afford one from the Landlord Coalition had settled into their rooms. The majority were nervous, clinging to various weapons or trying their best to cower in place.

On the contrary, the Landlord Coalition was bustling in their 70 person room. They had even taken most of the AC units and were relaxing in its cold air. Gong Pildu himself was sitting with his legs up on the counter, magazine in hand.

How about me? Let me tell you. I was frustrated. Beyond frustrated, even, and tangled up beyond saving in the iron fabric after the poles of my tent had fallen into itself for the third time.

[Numerous constellations are dubious about the advertised 10 second setup.]

[Constellation, Mass Production Maker, clears his throat awkwardly.]

I gulped, realizing that I was making his items look bad. I fiddled with the poles with a guilty conscience, a cold sweat running down my back. I wiped my forehead, cursing myself some more.

I'd frequently gone camping as a kid, but I guess this is what happens when you leave pitching the tents to someone every single time. I refused to do any manual work, now look where it got me.

I pursed my lips. Determined to pitch this thing properly, rolled up the sleeves of my windbreaker and got back to work. That was when I noticed the instruction manual sitting at the bottom of the suitcase.

My cheeks flushed a bright red as I sheepishly picked it up. It was a single laminated sheet of paper, with clear and concise instructions for the advertised 10 second setup that even a novice like me could understand. I covered my face in shame.

Equipped with this newfound knowledge, I grabbed every pole and began to screw them together as followed. My nails kept clacking against the metal and made twisting the little bolts hard, but I'd just gotten them done before the first scenario.

I was definitely going to preserve them.

...was what I was saying as one of my extensions snapped right off as it got caught between two poles. With tears in my eyes, I picked up the nail, placed it into my pocket and got back to work.

[Constellation, Mass Production Maker, sighs.]

After a minute more, I stood up triumphantly. Before me stood the tent's completed framework. All that was left to do was to drape the iron fabric over it, and I did exactly that.

Magnets in focal points of the framework attracted the fabric's material and in a blink, a full tent had been completed.

"Ta da!" I presented the tent with my arms, feeling more proud of it than I should've been.

[A constellation who doesn't want to be rude claps.]

[100 coins have been sponsored.]

This wasn't good. I wonder what the Mass Production Maker was thinking of my performance. There was no message either, so I don't think that my Endorser skill was taking effect. I

exhaled sharply. All these gifts had been given to me and I had talked big so far, but I haven't been delivering on my end of the deal. This can't continue. I had to make myself more productive.

On the floor outside the completed tent lay the suitcase and the prosthetic arms that the mannequin had left behind. I scooped them up and stepped inside.

Surprisingly, the tent had well adjusted temperature. Something about the material was offsetting the slight warmth of the summer evening, allowing for a cool environment.

I made a big show of laying spread eagle on the floor. "Ahhh, it's so cold! How refreshing!"

[A constellation who hates to sweat is listening.]

[A constellation who lives within a fridge nods in agreement]

There was a translucent patch on either side of the tent wall that served as its windows, with blinds of course. If they were closed, the sound of the people outside had also been muffled by the fabric, so I made sure to embellish just that. "How convenient! It's quiet in here too. I can't hear anything! It's like a portable bedroom!"

[A constellation who values individual privacy is listening.]

Bingo. There they are. Just you wait, Mass Production Maker. I'll make myself useful. I just have to learn how to do this properly and once I do, you'll have no choice but to give me all the coins I want.

As I organized my things, my attention was caught by one of the S-grade prosthetics. I had forgotten about it temporarily, but there had been that rolled up paper in a compartment just before the meeting ended.

I carefully pulled it out of the prosthetic's storage. It was about the size of my forearm. I unrolled it, revealing illustrations of a giant continent, with huge valleys spanning all across its surface like branches of a tree.

In the corner was a compass that dictated the four cardinal directions and in the top center was a carefully lettered name: 'Ubergaea'. Right below it was another phrase, but in print this time; 'SSS-Grade Map', because of course.

That was when I realized that it was of course, a map. Of the world, no less. But why did it look like this? Why was it all condensed? Ubergaea? Shouldn't it be Pangaea?

Ah. Of course. The snake. Didn't the dokkaebi Bihyung also say something about the serpent encircling the world? This must've been the first scenario's catastrophe. It squeezed the entire Earth together somehow. Then those valleys must be the imprints of the snake's movements, like the highway that I'd followed here.

I would study this map tomorrow. I didn't feel like it. It's been a long day. Right on time, I heard the ding that accompanied an indirect message. It carried a single sentence:

[THE THIRD MAIN SCENARIO HAS BEEN ACTIVATED.]

The ground under me slightly rumbled, as if a lot of things or one very big thing was treading about. Screams were pouring in from the distance, and I heard Pildu Gong's turrets whirr as they appeared from the ground.

In the distance, I saw tens, maybe hundreds of mannequins pouring in from the connecting hallway. I could just barely hear their garbles as well. So this was the third scenario. Fitting. The mall was closed and the security was here to kick the squatters out,

Suddenly, a fist was beating on the translucent window that I was looking through. It left a trail of blood on the fabric.

"Help me! Please!" A desperate voice was yelling from the other side of my tent.

A man's bloody face that I recognized was shoved against the iron fabric by a wooden hand. I made eye contact with the dying Yoon Kang-dae. Idiot. Did he give his room away? Did he think he could survive a night against monsters?

As the mannequin pressed his head against the walls of my tent, I wondered if he could see me too. But as his head splattered against my tent, I knew he probably couldn't see anything anymore. I closed the blinds, sealing away the distasteful sight.

I exhaled uncomfortably as I tapped a knuckle on the walls of iron fabric. Despite flowing as if it were real fabric, my knuckle responded with a hollow thunk as if knocking on real metal. It was definitely hard.

"Hard enough to bust heads. Nothing's getting through this" I whispered to what seemed like myself. But obviously, I had an audience. I got maybe one or two comments from the constellations from that statement, but there were no coins or interest in my tent.

I guess they'd be watching everything else more exciting that was going on right now. Hm. Whatever. I already got a fair bit of attention today, anyways.

A sudden wave of fatigue washed over me. I'd been moving for almost an entire day, and it was just now catching up to me. The tent was definitely safe, and I could bundle up my windbreaker to act as a pillow.

Frowning as I lay my back down on the cold-hard floor, I stared up at the ceiling. The screams from elsewhere were starting to recede.

My neck was already getting stiff. I miss my bed. I miss my headphones. I miss listening to my audiobooks.

Would the constellations be able to watch me even as I sleep? They probably won't, though. It'll be boring.

I wonder who that incarnation the dokkaebi mentioned was. The first clearer. Where was he right now? Would I ever encounter him?

What would be ahead? Was I prepared?

Countless thoughts raced in my head as I stared up at the ceiling. Yet, before I realized it, I'd drifted off into sleep.

Chapter Text

[Constellation, Mass Production Maker, has gifted you the item, SSS-Grade Accounting Ledger!]

Groaning, I squinted through half-closed eyelids at the indirect message. In fact, it was what had woken me up in the first place. Without sugarcoating, I felt simply horrible.

My neck and back were killing me. My hair that hasn't seen a shower in days was starting to dry up, and I'd left every single one of my skincare products in the purse that I'd lost in the first scenario, and there were still those horrible screams echoing from outside my tent. I wish the next product that the Mass Production Maker had me test was a proper bed.

I gave myself five more minutes of feeling bad for myself before sitting up and checking the booklet that had appeared on top of my suitcase. Flipping it open revealed my performance for yesterday documented in neat handwriting.

I had attracted a total of seven constellations to the product, three of which ended up buying.

The full amount was 9000 coins, so the Mass Production Maker made 27000 in profit. My cut was supposed to be a third, but a footnote commented on my initial performance. My face burned once more as I remembered the plight of the tent poles.

In the end, I made 5000 coins, which put me at around 11000 coins as of now. That made me happy. There was even an even littler note under the footnote that told me that for my first time, I did good.

11000 coins and an encouraging message immediately washed away my morning blues, simple as it was. A big smile now on my face, I stood up and stretched, before picking up my windbreaker and whipping it across the air to get rid of the wrinkles.

I put it on and hummed a tune as I unzipped the door to my tent. Immediately, the stench of dead bodies hit my nose. I was a bit disgusted, but just this much wasn't gonna wreck this good morning! In fact, nothing probably can!

Those were words that were quickly eaten. As I stepped out with the ledger in hand, someone I couldn't even sense had snuck up behind me.

Before I could even realize what happened, my arm was pinned to my back and a katana's blade was pressed to my throat. In the very corner of my vision, I noticed a red keychain swinging from the sword's hilt.

I gulped. This threat felt different from those that I'd fought before.

"Who are you? What's all this about?" I said carefully, though I still felt the blade's edge dig into my neck from the slight movement.

They stayed quiet. I tested my waters and wriggled my arm slightly. This person's hold on me wasn't strong. Or maybe it was, just that I was stronger. Was a Strength level of 20 that outstanding? Regardless, my hand flew to my assailant's and I wrenched the sword away from my body.

They struggled, but couldn't overcome my grip. I pushed away and turned around. I realized that it was a girl, not that much younger than me. She was still wearing her school uniform underneath a gray hoodie.

I threw a punch straight to her face. With gritted teeth and both hands on the hilt, she parried my fist with the flat of her blade. It was shaking violently beneath my knuckles.

When it felt like I was gonna break her guard, she retreated with quick footwork that I couldn't follow with my eyes, and blocked my advances with swings of her long sword.

"Hey, aren't you way too strong? Master! Someone formidable has appeared!"

[Constellation, Abyssal Black Flame Dragon, is on the edge of his seat.]

[Constellation, Abyssal Black Flame Dragon, doesn't know who to watch.]

Master? I scanned the area with my eyes, trying not to move my head even a single inch. The floor was covered with blood, a single splintered mannequin, and dead bodies.

The dokkaebi, Bihyung, had appeared. That usually wasn't a good sign.

He was watching the events unfold with a delighted expression as around his horn antennae, there was a golden glow as tiny stardust danced around; a lot of constellations were currently watching with him. I paid him no heed.

Some of the dead bodies on the floor even belonged to the members of the Landlord Coalition. But weren't they safe in their massive room? What happened? There were even some bodies with wounds so clean that it was as if it was done with a masterful cut.

The rapid gunfire of Gong Pildu's stigma was erupting. I followed the origin of the sound with my eyes and discovered a tall man with a wide, imposing physique with his back to me, staring down the injured landlord.

He was dressed in an all black coat that flowed as he moved purposefully. A long sword's scabbard was holstered at his waist. His arms were long and well built, tipped with strong hands, his long fingers almost spider-like in nature. His head was tilted up as if to look down on the world.

Gong Pildu was panting heavily, blood dripping from his head and mouth as he was backed against the concierge desk. His golf cap had been knocked off, revealing a nasty bruise on his bald spot.

I can't believe that there was someone who could challenge this guy. He had not one, not two, but four guns and an array of gangsters. The man's arm moved in fluid motions, effortlessly deflecting every single of the dozens of bullets that were fired at his body.

With a single sweep, black lightning appeared around his sword as the nearest turret was cut down. It was as if a blow was dealt to Gong Pildu who physically recoiled at the destruction of a construct made of his stigma. He fell to the ground, the remaining three turrets deactivating with a quiet whirr.

The man was merciless. Despite Gong Pildu's incapacitated state, he delivered kicks to his chest and face, ensuring that he was completely unconscious. The glow of his stigma's militarized zone dissipated and all turrets disappeared.

Blood splattered onto the floor as he gave his sword a flick with his wrist to clean it off before sheathing it. As he turned towards me and the girl, my arms went slack. Every cell in my body was screaming at me to escape.

It was like I was looking at a supermodel. Agencies would have killed each other over this guy. His features were a work of art, to put it straight. Well defined and in perfect harmony. His jet black hair was tousled over his eyes, yet his gaze pierced me all the same. He was a pretty face, probably the most handsome I've ever seen. No one wouldn't swoon in his presence.

Even still, I felt it instinctively. This man could end me and everyone here if he so wished.

[The thrill seeking constellations are cheering loudly.]

[Constellation, Mass Production Maker, watches intently.]

The man took a single heavy step forward, his boot echoing in the quiet mall. The rest of the survivors were cowering a ways away. I froze as his eyes met mine.

His right eye was glowing a bright gold, almost as if it were a headlight, and I the deer. The glow washed over his face, and it felt as if every fiber of my being was being scrutinized.

Wordlessly, he took another step forward with a scowl on his face. Then another. Then another. He surveyed me up and down, as if making a difficult decision. He looked at his colleague and nodded. Whatever he was thinking, he seemed to come to a conclusion.

Those long fingers wrapped around the hilt of his sword, knuckles pushing against skin as his grip strengthened as the muscles in his arm rippled, ready to lash out.

My heart was racing as the world seemed to run in slow motion. The blade glinted in the morning's light as it flew from its scabbard in a perfect arc, yet I was still frozen in fear. The blade's edge was two, three, inches from my neck when I finally reacted.

My knees bent, though they buckled more than I was actually moving them. It still wasn't fast enough. The blade was at eye level still. If I didn't do something, my face would be split in two. What could I do?

Intercept the blade? No, it was too late. Dash back? But then his colleague would catch me. Block? There was no way I was blocking an attack like that. So what..?

Ah. Of course. It was that simple. When there was something I couldn't do, this will always cover me as long as I have enough of it.

[2000 coins invested into Agility!]

[Agility LV. 10 -> LV. 15]

[Your movements become more fluid.]

[One of your attributes is resonating with your actions.]

[One of your attributes want to blossom.]

In the blink of an eye, I had bent over backwards. The sword harmlessly passed over my face with lots of clearance. I followed up the position with backwards handsprings and pushed myself back upright, panting.

The man raised his thick eyebrows, looking unamused as he surveyed me. The sword's point was still leveled at my head. I took a step back, and felt my tent behind me.

I assessed my situation. Behind me was the tent. In front and to the right was my enemy and his colleague. To my left was the Landlord Association's room, with a collapsed Gong Pildu who was bleeding from his mouth.

[Constellation, Defense Master, is getting desperate.]

[Due to the will of the Defense Master, a bounty scenario has been issued to you!]

>BOUNTY SCENARIO - DEFEND THE DEFENDER.<

DIFFICULTY: A

CLEAR CONDITION: INCARNATION, YOO JOONGHYUK HAS LAUNCHED AN ATTACK ON THE LANDLORD COALITION. KEEP INCARNATION, PILDU GONG SAFE UNTIL HE AWAKENS.

TIME LIMIT: --

REWARD: 2000 COINS, DEFENSE MASTER'S GOODWILL.

PENALTY FOR FAILURE: --

I clenched my fists. I was gonna do that anyway. There was no way I was winning this on my own. I needed Gong Pildu.

With a sense of unease, I stared right back at Yoo Joonghyuk. This was a man who warranted a difficulty of A. Everything else that the dokkaebi had thrown at us up until this point didn't exceed C. Could I really hold out?

Chapter Text

I steeled myself. For the love of everything good, Gong Pildu had to wake up within the minute. I had accepted the bounty scenario, but I didn't even know if I myself would live this encounter.

In fact, why were they even attacking us? What was the point? Surely incarnations this strong won't have a problem paying rent? Was it worth massacring this much people just because they didn't want to pay?

Something was strange. There were dead tenants, but they were rough injuries. Probably the attacks from wooden hands and dull mannequin parts. But only the bodies from the Landlord Coalition were marked by the slashes of a sword.

Their bodies were even fresh, still. It was almost as if they'd come just to eliminate Gong Pildu's gang. Just what was their agenda with this organization?

Yoo Joonghyuks cold gaze was still fixed on me. I tried to shoot a strong look back, but I'm sure my eyes were trembling.

"That must have costed a lot of coins. Can you afford to keep this up?"

He suddenly spoke, seeming to know immediately that I'd bought stats. How?

Gosh, even his voice was imposing. It was almost like listening to the Mass Production Maker talk through the radio. Almost.

I chuckled dryly. "Who even are you to ask that? Stop worrying about my wallet. I've got lots to spare."

"I bet you do." His eyes narrowed coldly. This guy... did he know my supporting constellation?

Yet, I remembered that it was a bad time to be thinking. he dashed forward at such a speed that it was as if he'd teleported in front of me.

Yoo Joonghyuk was fast, unnaturally so. But unlike earlier with the girl, I could now just barely read his moves. I ducked under his attack, feeling a couple of the tips of my hair being sliced off.

The blade sparked against my tent as it scratched the surface of the fabric behind me, but with a quick movement he had already repositioned and threw another slash.

This time, I swatted the hilt away with my forearm, misaligning the trajectory. Yoo Joonghyuk's frown deepened, brows furrowing as if no one had ever opposed him like this before.

He raised both his arms above his head with a two handed grip on his sword and with a heave, he brought it straight down with an aim for my head.

My hand flew backwards, finding purchase on the tent's iron fabric. With a quick tug, I ripped all of it off of the support pole's magnets. Holding the fabric between two hands, I caught the sword bound for my skull.

[The thrill seeking constellations are cheering as loud as they can!]

[Constellation, Mass Production Maker, is observing the use of his product.]

[Constellation, Abyssal Black Flame Dragon, is glued to the screen.]

[Constellation, Secretive Plotter, is watching you with a careful eye.]

Metal screeched against metal and sparks flew. My grip was shaking under the immense weight from blocking the attack, but I held the fabric taut. I already knew that it was a strong item, but not this strong!

Despite this, my arms were feeling like they were about to snap as the clash of weapons continued. My jaw had clamped down so hard my face was turning red and my teeth were at risk to being ground to powder. Just how strong was this man!? Every second it felt like my hands were being pushed back.

A sudden indirect message made its entrance in front of my face. I realized that as naturally as movement or breathing, almost reflexively, even, I was starting to spend coins to compensate for my struggles.

[2000 coins invested into Strength!]

[STRENGTH LV. 10 -> LV. 20]

[Power is overcoming the weakness in your body!]

[One of your attributes is strongly resonating with your actions]

[One of your attributes is preparing to blossom.]

Yoo Joonghyuk's eyes widened as with a heavy grunt, I pushed his sword back. Not only was I defending from his strikes, but I followed up with a spin and a kick. He effortlessly blocked it with his forearm, but he looked shaken regardless.

He swung his sword at my outstretched leg, but I pulled it back. I twirled, the fabric billowing out around me as I whipped it out, wrapping around Yoo Joonghyuk's blade and deflecting it.

This feeling was exhilarating, scarily so. I was too elated as I kicked off from the ground again and again, launching attacks at Yoo Joonghyuk. Unease and a heavy sense of dread clawed at the back of my mind. Why?

[One of your attributes is almost ready to blossom.]

[One of your attributes demands more coin investments.]

There it was again. That message. Ever since I'd first upgraded my agility and engaged in combat, it was erratically appearing. Every time I received it, I had to fight the overwhelming surge to pour more coins into my stats.

Why was I stopping myself? If I dumped all my coins here, I'd be stronger. Faster. More durable. As strong as he though he was, I'd be able to kill him with ease!

[One of your attributes is almost ready to blossom.]

[One of your attributes demands more coin investments.]

Wait. Kill him? Was that... really what I wanted to do right now? I mean, sure, they'd shown up out of nowhere and attacked all of us at the mall... but...

I wasn't a stranger to killing. I didn't regret doing it back then in the first scenario. It was to survive. It was almost as if I had no choice. But this time, was willingly choosing it the right decision?

"Hypocrite." The words that I had coldly spat at the group earlier was echoing in my mind. Was I one, too?

The ghost of Yoon Kang-dae seemed to appear in front of me. My heart raced. My breaths became shallow. My movements dulled. And in that exact instant, I had messed up.

The vision of Yoon Kang-dae faded as the sole of Yoo Joonghyuk's boot phased through his chest, landing squarely on my nose.

I lost my balance and fell backwards, but a large hand gripped my collar. Yoo Joonghyuk pulled me back up into his waiting fist. It crashed into the side of my face. I spun onto the floor, seeing stars.

Coughing, I struggled to get up, but my arms collapsed under me. My heart was pounding in my throat. T-There was no choice, was there? Fine. I had 7228 coins left... it's time to...

[YOU HAVE CLEARED THE BOUNTY SCENARIO, DEFEND THE DEFENDER!]

[Gong Pildu has activated the stigma Militarized Zone LV. 3!]

[Gong Pildu has activated the skill, Private Property!]

[All trespassers will have an applied penalty!]

My eyes widened as I wrenched my hand away from the stat window. Salvation had come on its own.

"I don't know what a bastard like you wants..." Gong Pildu muttered in a murderous tone, scooping his golf cap from the floor. "But if you aren't interested in being a tenant, then get out!"

Four turrets rose from the floor as the militarized zone returned in full force. The turret that Yoo Joonghyuk had cut down was even repaired. All of them trained themselves onto Yoo Joonghyuk, who immediately moved into a defensive stance.

"Master!" The girl cried out to him as she dashed to her colleague, pressing her back to his. She was only holding her sword with one hand, seeming to have something in the other. " I found something good! Let's go!"

The remaining members of the Landlord Coalition were surrounding the battlefield, despite their injuries. They brandished their various weapons with a renewed vigor.

A member of the Landlord Coalition hoisted me up and helped me limp next to Gong Pildu, who wasn't in much better shape.

Yoo Joonghyuk clicked his tongue as he assessed the situation. Despite how I struggled against him, he was only now starting to sweat. He slightly nudged his colleague as he carefully aimed his sword. Wordlessly, the girl nodded.

She stayed alert as the pair maneuvered their way out of the range of Gong Pildu's skills and parried attacks from the landlords following their exit.

As Yoo Joonghyuk passed me by, he gave me one last knowing glare. As soon as the both of them stepped outside of Gong Pildu's stigma, they abandoned all caution and dashed away. I was the only one fast enough to even try to catch up, but they knew I was incapacitated.

Gong Pildu watched them leave with anger in his eyes, but as soon as they disappeared, he collapsed onto his bum with a sigh.

There was silence for a count of five. Then suddenly, someone spoke.

"T-They retreated!" A landlord yelled. "Yeah!!!"

It set off a chain reaction. The previously grim atmosphere was seemingly washed away in an instant. The crowd of middle aged men cheered loudly, despite their injuries. They helped their boss up despite his complaints, and they raised his fist up high as Gong Pildu made an exasperated expression.

"You, too, young lady! Don't think we didn't see how you fended that monster off singlehandedly!" With a yelp, I was propped up by landlords and made to join in the revelry.

Amidst the sea of men, I locked eyes with Gong Pildu, the only one I could consider myself familiar with. I did a double take at the sight. He was being hoisted up by his underlings against his will.

"Gong Pildu!!!" They all yelled as they threw the fat man up into the air with tremendous effort.

For some reason, I let out a laugh. Hearing the celebration around me, I got engulfed in it myself. Why not!? I deserve it! As the landlords scooped me up as well, I saw the dokkaebi flying up high. An idea came to me as I grabbed the iron fabric of my tent from the floor just as I was thrown up in the air.

As I was thrown up with a loud cheer, I waved the my tent's fabric up in the air at the dokkaebi. It was turned away from me, but I know what he, and all the constellations were seeing right now.

Right in the middle of the glinting metal fabric scratched by Yoo Joonghyuk's sword, was the seal of the Mass Production Maker. Visible to everyone watching, the golden 'SSS' emblazoned on the side of my tent's fabric glowed bright as the sun.

Chapter Text

Alright. The haze of victory had worn off. My tolerance was long spent. I was back to reality. These landlords were definitely pigs. I don't know how I deluded myself for a second that I could get along with them. I held my breath among the stench of booze and angrily swatted the hands of the landlords away. Why did this kind of guy have to ruin everything? I was just starting to warm up to them after the victory earlier.

Abruptly, I stood up, knocking over several plates and bottles. They had thrown a party for the victory over the attack earlier, but I was done. There was no one I could make friends with here. A couple of drunk geezers groaned as I left, holding onto my legs and arms as if to keep me there.

Disgust welled up within me. "Don't touch me, dammit!"

I yanked my arm back and kicked the one closest to me. The next second, the one holding my arm was sent flying across the room, and the other had his nose inverted into a cavity in his face. They groaned in pain where they lay, as all the others went deathly silent. The other tenants were watching me from a distance. I cursed under my breath.

Gauging my strength was hard. I was at level 30 right now, accounting for the additional from my growth packages. I could kill someone easy as breathing with this. This was too dangerous. I knew I shouldn't, but they were forcing my hand. Breathing heavily, I glanced around at the men surrounding me.

"Alright, that's it!" To my surprise, Gong Pildu was yelling angrily. "Clear out, you fools! Now!"

As I walked past them to the standing framework of my tent, I could've sworn that Gong Pildu shot me an apologetic glance. Seething, I threw my iron fabric over the framework and ducked inside as the magnets pulled everything into place.

The blinds were quickly shut as I say down, knees to my chest and staring blankly.

[A handful of constellations are indignant.]

[Constellation, Monarch of the Small Fries, is tempted to start a bounty scenario.]

[Constellation, Mass Production Maker, clears his throat awkwardly.]

[Constellation, Mass Production Maker, has topped up your tent kit.]

"Thanks... I guess." I sighed as I went to check what he gave me.

I moved over to the suitcase that it had come in. There was stuff in jars. They were all stuff like polish and tools for maintenance. Seriously? But I guess I appreciated the gesture. If nothing else, it was funny. But as I searched through the items, I realized that something was wrong.

Number one, why was my suitcase open in the first place? I know that I'd closed and locked it before the events of this morning. And hey... wasn't there something missing? Panicking, I took everything out. Even the styrofoam that the poles and fabric had came in. Nothing. There was nothing. Yet I knew I'd left one thing in there. It was the map that I'd received. My hands flew to my head. I'd been robbed!

Belatedly, I recalled the words of the girl before she and Yoo Joonghyuk had run off. It was something along the lines of 'I found something good!' Argh! Dammit! I haven't even read it yet! I threw the suitcase to the ground in a fit of rage. Nothing was going right today!

[Constellation, Mass Production Maker, purses his lips.]

"Can't you get me another one?" I addressed him personally.

[Constellation, Mass Production Maker, says that he can try.]

Blue light began to formulate shapes before me. It manipulated itself into a rectangle and begun to color itself the tarnished brown of the map's parchment, when it suddenly stopped. The half-formed constellation gift held for a few seconds, before it began erupting in sparks of red.

The probability storm tore it apart, and the part that had formulated into paper burst into embers. Right in front of me, it disappeared completely.

[Constellation, Mass Production Maker, shakes his head.]

"Ugh!" I stood up.

It wasn't even that serious. What purpose did that map even serve to me, for losing it to make me this mad? I don't know. Perhaps it was just the last straw. I quickly strode out of my tent with no particular destination in mind. As I moved carelessly, I crashed into someone on the way out. The cushioning on impact led to the conclusion that I'd bumped into someone's large stomach. Therefore, it was Gong Pildu. I looked up at him from where I'd fallen onto my butt on the floor. He cleared his throat as I got up, pretending that nothing happened.

"What's this about?" I noticed that he had a group of people behind him.

"These are tenants who can't afford another day of rent." He declared. "They're gonna scavenge the retail unit for food."

I crossed my arms. "And that concerns me, why?"

"If these idiots all die, we're not getting the supplies. I figured someone capable like you would appreciate getting up and out to pull your own weight." He placed his hands into his pockets.

Okay, Gong Pildu. I'm picking up what you're trying to say. I appreciate it, I do. But of course. "I don't do charity, you know?"

"Do you think I'm an idiot? You'll obviously be repaid."

I grinned slightly. "Thanks, geezer. I'll do it."

"Then get to it. It's midday." He put a hand on my shoulder and gently shoved me after what felt like an attempt at a pat as he walked away.

This old guy just couldn't say things straight, couldn't he? That old fart. I wonder how his family's doing.
.
.
.
"Alright, everyone." I walked back and forth as Gong Pildu's measly little group lined up in front of the connecting hallway. "Which one of you has a supporting constellation?"

They were all silent. Seriously? Not a single one? "Well, how much coins do you guys have?"

"538." Piped one. The others followed. 331. 404. 565. No one breached 600. They can't be serious. Well, I guess Gong Pildu did say that these people were getting desperate for rent money. I sighed.

"Well, whatever. We aren't going far anyway. You guys know what's in there, right?"

A scrawny little boy eagerly raised his hand. "The third scenario's monsters reside there!"

"There's no prize, you know." I turned to the connecting hallway. "Well, let's go."

I pointed forward into the darkness. Nothing happened. "Do you guys seriously think I'm going first!?"

Still, no one budged. I grabbed the person nearest me and pushed them in. "Go on! I'll follow a couple steps behind. I can pull you away if something happens."

"This is unfair!" He cried out. "Are we any less important than you? Why should we go first?"

"Well, I can afford rent and you can't. If you don't want my help, I can leave at any moment." I huffed.

They all turned white. All of them knew what I was capable of. The man before me bit his tongue and hung his head. "Fine."

With that, the young man stepped reluctantly into the hallway. True to my word, I followed him at an arm's length. The last time I'd been in here, I'd only had 15 levels in Strength. Now that my stat had doubled, I wonder how I'd fare against the mannequins this time. In fact, what was the point of scavenging in here? Weren't the canteens already raided? I called out to the people behind me, tossing aside a splintered mannequin that I almost tripped over. Huh. Someone had killed some of them.

"The one that has been here the longest, answer. Do you guys go far into the IKEA to scavenge?"

"Well, no, not really. The nearest canteen restocks every Monday and Friday. No one knows why. And traveling far isn't really a good idea." A woman spoke out.

"And why is that?"

"Well, the landlords tried to explore the area before. Yet no one who has lost their line of sight to the exit has ever come back." She shuddered as she recounted. "They've even tried to map it out with landmarks, but all their efforts seem to be erased every day. It's like the layout shifts indefinitely."

An infinite IKEA? Wasn't this too familiar? There was also the letter grade system. Why did the current situation have to be based off of such corny fiction? In any case, we'd reached the canteen. Like the woman had reported, the food definitely had restocked. The warmers and the display cases were full once more. I watched the people as they looked for carts and began to load them up with plates.

It was quiet. Too quiet. The last time I was here, I was bombarded with mannequins. Now, there weren't that much, and the ones that I could see seemed to want to stay inanimate. In fact, I've been seeing a ton of dead mannequins. I crouched over one at my feet. This cut was way too clean. Those two definitely crossed this area. Tsk. I couldn't catch them.

Once every tenant was pushing a loaded plate, I decided that we were done. "Alright. Good work. Let's go."

Just like that, we began walking back to the mall. It didn't really matter at this point, so I took the lead. I stayed on guard, all senses surveying the surroundings. Yet nothing happened. I didn't see, hear, or feel anything wrong. The mannequins were staying still. Did Yoo Joonghyuk traumatize them that bad?

We had arrived at the entrance of the connecting hallway in no time at all. The accessibility ramp was broken, so the carts would be hard to raise. We all stepped up into the hallway with some staying to hold each cart up on both sides. We were making good progress, but suddenly, there was a loud crash.

Someone had dropped their cart. The food crashed to the ground amidst broken porcelain. I furrowed my brows. "Hey. What's wrong?"

The person was unresponsive. He was staring into space, as if terrified. He clutched his head. "N-No!"

"What's wrong with you people..?" Behind me, similar situations were occurring.

People were bent over double, muttering things only they could hear. The common denominator was an expression of fear or despair. I gulped, a cold sweat making its way down my back. What was happening? Who did this? Why was it... so cold?

There was a peculiar breeze. It didn't feel natural. My hair and clothes flew out as the draft blew continuously. It was deathly cold. Suddenly, migraines struck my head. I brought my hands to my temples and groaned. Was this what the others were experiencing..? I screwed my eyes shut. My head was killing me! I controlled my breaths and counted to three. My head was still pounding, but otherwise I seemed unhurt. Once my breathing stabilized, I opened my eyes.

Before me was a familiar sight. I was in a different place. A place I knew all too well. A place I didn't expect I could return to any time soon.

[A NEW SUB SCENARIO HAS APPEARED!]

>SUB-SCENARIO - ILLUSORY PRISON<

CATEGORY: SUB

DIFFICULTY D-F

CLEAR CONDITIONS: ESCAPE THE ILLUSORY PRISON WITHIN THE GIVEN TIME LIMIT.

TIME LIMIT: 1 HOUR

REWARD: 300 COINS

PENALTY FOR FAILURE: ???

Chapter Text

[A NE!!!!!!! #$%@%RI0 HA$ A&$#PEARED!]
S#$E#$@#$NARIO - ILL&$#@&N<
CA#&$#&@RY: SU&&&&&&&&&&
DI$%Y D-F
CL$%#$#@AR CO$#%S: ESC#$E THE ILL&@$&Y PRI#% WITHIN THE GI&%&N TIME LIMIT.
TIM$ L#@$&IT: 1 HO%#%
REWA#$a@: ___
P$@%#$TY FOR F$ILU$%#RE: ???

..?

The toys in my hand clattered from my hands down to the floor. My hands were small, and my fingers were stubby. I was barely taller than the footstool at the huge bed’s side… That was… a big blue square! How interesting! What was it?
Gah! What was I thinking? Why was I speaking like this? Like… a child? My head started pounding, but the headache dissipated as fast as it came.

The square was floating next to the table beside the bed. I looked up, trying to decipher the funny words written on it. A grin on my face widened as I stood up. It was turning on and off… can’t take my eyes off… huh? I shook my head. What was wrong… with me?
Somehow, I felt that it would disappear if I left it too long. I felt that it was… important? Why?

I took a little step forward, but I collapsed under my own weight. My knees hit the ground. It wasn’t even that painful, but all I wanted to do was cry. My face screwed up as tears welled up in my eyes. With a wide open mouth, I wailed and wailed. From the top of the bed that I couldn’t see came the rustling of a blanket.

“Miyu? What’s wrong?” A woman’s voice called out. I stopped crying at once.Who… was this? I knew her. How did I know her?

I needed to find out. I needed to see who was lying in the bed. Corresponding to my wishes, it felt as if I was growing in size. Slowly but surely, I started to see over the bed. Shining in the early morning sun seeping in through the windows, locks of long, golden hair were shimmering like golden threads. A woman was lying with her face turned away from me.

Looking at her felt warm, yet unknown, like a feeling I’ve forgotten.

My hand reached out as if to turn her face, but a sudden headache struck me once more. My hands flew to my face, and I realized that tears were streaming down my cheeks.

“...why!?” I sobbed, screwing my eyes shut as thousands of hammers pounded on the inside of my skull. “Why!? What is this!?”

I grasped at the darkness, my hands flailing about. They landed on something. Was it her face? Breathing heavily, I kept my hands grounded. I was certain. I was touching her. I’ll find out who she was. My headache slowly abated after what felt like hours. When I was ready, I opened my eyes.

What I saw was a completely different scene. The hands that I thought were cupping the woman’s cheeks were placed firmly on a closed case situated upon a table. Suddenly, a wave of exasperation flooded my head. My mouth moved on its own,mouthing words that I realized that I remembered saying before.

“Dad. You said you wouldn’t.” My tone of voice was curt.

“Oh come on, Miyu!” The voice of my father whined. “We landed a good deal, and I haven’t touched it in months! Just this once!”

The warm lighting of our living room suddenly registered in my eyes. I was sitting at our couch. The grandfather clock in the corner was ticking away. The fireplace was crackling. It was a cold winter afternoon.

Without waiting for my response, Father flicked my hand away from the case. Whistling a tune, he pulled out a 50,000 won bill from his breast pocket and rolled it up. At the same time, he unclasped the case and extracted a bag of what looked like powder from inside. He opened it and sprinkled a bit onto the surface of the table, organizing it into lines.

I looked straight down, arms pinned to my sides as my hands balled into tight fists. He wouldn’t. He said he wouldn’t. He hasn’t! Not since…

“Ahh!! That hits the spot!” Father shook the won bill, scattering the evidence of his use away.

The case was right there on the table, within reach. He said he would stop. He said he’d go clean. The fireplace was right there. We could just… forget about this. In a sudden fit of rage, I brought my hands up. I was going to smash this table, and throw Father’s vices away. I brought my fists down and slammed with all my might, but they landed on a clean, white floor.

The lights were suddenly a blinding, sterile white. The steady beep of machinery was heard in the background. Outside the room, there were people whispering. A breathing machine droned on. Again, tears were falling from my eyes. My sobbing was uncontrollable. Fat teardrops were falling onto my hands, which were again no bigger than a saucer. I was kneeling in front of a hospital bed. I couldn’t see who was lying on it. Yet again, I doubled down. The migraines had returned. My vision was simultaneously dimming and swimming with infinite colors.

Where was I? What was wrong with me? God! Why! What’s happening!?

W… Why..? Why did there have to be someone in this bed..? Huh? Wait. Who am I talking about?

The taste of bile filled my mouth and stung my throat as I threw up the contents of my empty stomach. Bubbling stomach acid spilled out onto the hospital’s clean floor. It persisted for an agonizingly long time. I retched and retched until there was nothing left, but my stomach kept pulsing, trying to pump out something that wasn’t there. I couldn’t breathe. Someone…

“...help!” I sobbed. “Help! Please! Somebody!”

My hands flew to my throat, nails scratching at the flesh in an attempt to stop the vomiting. I was starting to choke on my own spit and bile. My head was splitting open. A never-ending series of stars was flashing in my vision in all sorts of colors.

Through the sound of my agony, there were… footsteps? I folded inwards, clutching my torso. There it was again. Shoes were tapping against the hospital’s sterile floor. I could hear faint voices. The hospital room’s white light was blinding. I tried to open my eyes, but they stung if I even tried. There I stayed on the floor, curled in the fetal position.

The light was blinding. It was piercing through my closed eyelids. Tears were pooling. My eyes stung. I threw my arms over my eyes, but then there wasn’t anything to cover my ears. Voices were talking in the background, but I couldn’t understand anything. Footsteps intermittently echoed. The machinery of the hospital beeped and whirred. Something was rustling on the bed behind me. I wanted to check, but I couldn’t. So I stayed. I lost track of time. The pain was gone. Or was it? Had it just gotten dull due to prolonged exposure?

All of a sudden, it was deathly quiet. Not even the quiet ambiance of the hospital was heard. And gradually, the blinding glow subsided. As if a switch was flipped, my splitting headache dissipated. Tenderly, I opened my eyes that stung from crying. The first thing I saw were system messages.

[The Illusory Prison has been dispelled.]

[The condition of the sub-scenario has been fulfilled.]

[You have received 300 coins!]

I breathed in and out. That was right… I was caught in a sub-scenario. That was terrible. I never want to do that again. Slowly, painfully, I got up. My body felt funny. It felt as if I was still having an out of body experience. I was dead tired, as if I’d pulled an all-nighter. My head had stopped hurting, but I was still lightheaded.

What kind of trap did I get caught into? I was completely defenseless. I didn’t sense it at all. With hands on my head, I became so lost in thought that I didn’t notice the pair of hands until they pushed me over.

“Watch out!” A man’s voice called out as they pushed me to the side.

“Wha-” I crumpled to the ground not a second too late, as a ghastly hand swiped across where I’d stood earlier.

An apparition in a cloak was floating before me. It was bathed in a purple glow, and I couldn’t see under its hood. It began floating towards me, but an arc of light bisected it. With a poof, the specter exploded into purple particles. The cloak fell to the ground, revealing my savior behind it.

Brandishing a long, white sword, there was a man before me. A backpack was slung across his back, and he wore a simple black tee and jeans. He smoothly sheathed his sword in the scabbard at his side. His voice sounded friendly enough. However, something felt strange about this man. I couldn’t pinpoint it. Was his nose off? Was it his hair?

Wait. No. That’s not it.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t pinpoint any of his features. Not the shape of his eyes, not the lines of his nose. Nothing.

It was as if there was some kind of blur over this man’s face.

Chapter Text

“Our oath!” I jumped. A huge voice suddenly yelled out.

My savior turned to the direction of the voice, away from me. Did I really see his face correctly? What was wrong with him?

I followed his gaze with my eyes and found one bear of a man. He was huge, almost twice my size. His arms, legs and chest were exceptionally large. His clothes had to fight against the pushing flesh to stay on his body. He was holding a ridiculous bow, arms behind his back and held up only by his head and feet.

“One! We are soldiers of the army of the Republic of Korea with a duty to faithfully serve our nation and our citizens!”

Ah. So he was a soldier. That explains his amazing physique. He was trembling ever so slightly. So he was caught in the same illusory prison as I was. Looking around, I realized that there were more people.

There were those tenants that I came with, clutching their heads and talking to themselves. Then there was a little boy crumpled up into a ball in a corner, the soldier, and two other women. I didn’t recognize the latter people. Were they a new group?

One woman made eye contact with me. She was in a dirty office uniform that matched the color of her light brown hair. Her eyes were focused as she looked into mine, so I knew that she had escaped too.

In fact, how did I get out? I wracked my memory, but I couldn’t remember anything. What visions did I see? What happened to me?

“Lee Hyunsung?” The man suddenly called out, reaching out to the planking soldier. He turned to the boy. “Gilyoung? Everyone! Get a hold of yourselves!”

A hand landed on my shoulder. I turned my head and saw the second woman. She was breathing heavily as a red glow enveloped her irises. With surprising strength, she tossed me aside and blew past me. As she passed, I saw tears welling in her eyes as a sword made of bone was drawn.

“I-I’m going to kill you all..!” She sobbed. Her movements were erratic as she thrusted at the man as if he was the enemy.

I guess I should help out. In the blink of an eye, I dashed to behind the woman and clutched her arm just as the point of the sword was going to pierce his face. The man’s brows furrowed for a second as he observed my movement.

Looking up, I realized that he was about to evade it as well, regardless of wether I’d helped him or not. This woman was fast, and I could tell that she had good skills associated with swordplay.

This man wasn’t your ordinary incarnation, it seems.

“Thank you.” He bowed slightly as he delivered a swift chop to the woman’s nape to knock her out. He gently caught her and held her up.

Now that I was looking at him up close, there was definitely something wrong with his face. I couldn’t explain it. I could see him kind of clearly in my peripheral vision, but the longer I stare at him head on, the more his features distort. I could ‘recognize’ him, somewhat. I could also read his facial expressions in a way, but you can’t tell me to specifically describe any of his features.

As I was assessing him, he was assessing me back. There was something about his expression as he looked at me. He wasn’t making eye contact. In fact, his irises were moving back and forth in lines as if he was reading something as he looked at me.

For a second, his eyes carried a shocked expression. His eyes scanned something as if to read again, but nothing registered in his eyes like he wasn’t reading anything that would be of use. He tried once more, but it seemed that there was still nothing. He blinked, and then he was composed again. It was a strange feeling. Not unlike the scrutinization that I felt before Yoo Joonghyuk’s gaze.

This man was strange. What kind of skills and stigma did he have?

He broke the silence first, turning to the office lady. He extended his arms, as if to hand over the unconscious woman. “Yoo Sangah, please take care of her for me."

The woman named Sangah nodded quickly as she accepted the unconscious person. With both his hands free, the man unsheathed his sword once more.

On cue, I heard deathly rattles sounded out from behind us. I turned around and spotted even more of the specters floating from out of nowhere.

“You can borrow that for a second.” He suddenly spoke, pointing towards a spear made of bone at the army man’s side. “Can you fight?”

“Excuse me.” I bowed to the trembling army man before moving to the spear. I kicked it up and caught it mid-air.

He nodded at me. “Let’s go.”

We faced the specters and brandished our weapons.
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“Private Lee Hyunsung, reporting for duty, sir!!!” Reported the army man, Lee Hyunsung as he woke up from his stupor.

This guy had an insanely loud voice. I jumped, dropping the spear that I was supposed to set beside him. It fell down, whacking that man who had just become conscious on the head before hitting the ground.

“Sorry!” I exclaimed.

“It’s fine.” Lee Hyunsung rubbed his head as he stood up. He blinked, then seemed to register my face. “Ah. I’m sorry, but, who are you?”

“I’m Lu Miyu.” I bowed my head slightly. Lee Hyunsung started to get up, so I offered him my hand. He looked ashamed.

“Are you sure?” He asked hesitantly. It was a fair assumption, as several of my hands could fit in his.

Nevertheless, I rolled my eyes. I gripped his hand, and pulled him up. It was a ridiculous sight, seeing a little girl like me haul up this enormous soldier. He looked at me with an expression of surprise.

“That’s what I’m talking about.” The man with the sword addressed the soldier. “You have to let go of your prejudice. Even women and children can become strong in this world.”

Lee Hyunsung scratched his head. “I guess so. I’m sorry.”

After that, Lee Hyunsung awkwardly joined Yoo Sangah against the wall where they’d propped the groggy boy and the unconscious woman. With no other distractions, I turned to the peculiar man.

“Say, what’s your name? I didn’t catch it.” I addressed him.

His eyes were calculating, but not in a cold way. He reached out a hand. “Kim Dokja. You’re Lu Miyu? I overheard your conversations earlier. Sorry about that.

I took his hand. “Nice to meet you, Kim Dokja.”

As we shook hands, we both looked at each other. Under my grip, his hand faltered slightly, like he didn’t anticipate its force. I caught a twitch in his brows. I let go, shooting him a quizzical expression.

Kim Dokja cleared his throat. “So, are those others with you?”

I glanced at the tenants that he was gesturing towards. “Yeah. I suppose they are.”

As I walked over to the tenants, Kim Dokja’s group gathered around him. They were talking amongst themselves, but I couldn’t hear.

After I made sure that the majority of them were fine, Kim Dokja addressed me. “I hate to ask, but are you part of a group?”

“Yeah, why?” I carefully propped up a collapsed food cart. There were still edible parts. “Do you guys need me to lead you there?”

I didn’t know if Gong Pildu was fine with me taking them there. They seemed strong, but not particularly hungry for an altercation. If nothing else, they could become more tenants. They could pay, probably.

“That would be appreciated.” Kim Dokja looked lost in thought for a second. His eyes scanned the surroundings, as if he were looking for something.

“Say, have you seen a man…” He cut himself off, seemingly deciding not to continue.

I tilted my head. “A man… what is he like? Someone strange? Someone scary?”

“You could say that.” He shook his head. “It’s nothing. Don’t mind me.”

He pursed his lips. What was this guy’s deal?

He seemed to notice my expression, because he quickly changed the topic. “Shouldn’t we get going?”

I nodded. It was probably none of my business, anyway. It was decided then.

While I closely escorted the group of tenants, Kim Dokja’s group followed us back to the mall.

Chapter Text

[#GIR-8761 CHANNEL IS LIVE.]

[#BIR-3642 CHANNEL IS LIVE.]

[#BI - 7623 CHANNEL IS LIVE.]

Those messages appeared as soon as our entire party stepped foot onto the mall. A quick survey revealed two unfamiliar dokkaebi in addition to Bihyung circling the airspace. In fact, there were a lot more people here than I remembered. Was there so many new people that two entire other channels had arrived?

How long was I out, exactly? I’d lost track of time.

A couple of the landlords noticed the envoy with me and hauled the goods away. I glanced back at the party that I was left with.

“Here we are.” I announced.

“You brought newbies, heiress?” A couple of landlords strolled up to me. They were still drinking? “Where’d they come from?”

Before I could respond, I noticed them eyeing Yoo Sangah and the unconscious woman. I recognized them as one of those that were getting touchy earlier.

“Say, they don’t have a room yet, don’t they? What’s your name, miss? I know of a cheap room. We can come to an agreement.”

“Room?” Yoo Sangah pointed at herself. “I’m sorry, what do you mean?”

“You don’t know how things work here, don’t you? You have to make a living somehow, you know?”

I noticed Kim Dokja reaching for the handle of his sword. Too bad, I’ll beat him to it. Why do these louts think they could just do anything? Without Gong Pildu, these 'landlords' wouldn't mean squat. They're riding off of his stigma and reputation. They're the worst kind.

I took a step forward and twisted my torso to swing a fist, burying it into one of the landlord’s stomachs with no warning.

Dirty bastards. Thinking with nothing but their heads down there. I hated it. “Quit mouthing off. Pigs.”

“Let’s go.” I was steaming as I gestured towards the party, stepping on the unconscious landlord as I went.

[Constellation, Demonic Judge of Fire, glares at the landlords.]

[Constellation, Secretive Plotter, is surprised to see you again.]

[Constellation, Prisoner of the Golden Headband looks at you in passing.]

[Constellation, Abyssal Black Flame Dragon, is glad he doesn’t have to use two screens anymore.]

[Constellation, Mass Production Maker, looks at the newcomers with slight surprise.]

The constellations were getting noisy. In fact, these nicknames sounded powerful. Were they the ones that followed Kim Dokja around?

“Mass Production Maker? What’s he doing here so early..?” I heard Kim Dokja mutter quietly to himself again.

I moved my gaze away as he looked up so that he couldn’t tell that I was listening. He knew who the Mass Production Maker was, too?

“Lu Miyu?” Yoo Sangah called quietly.

“Just call me Miyu. You’re older than me.”

She looked a bit flustered. “Erm, Miyu? What exactly do they mean by the rooms?”

“It’s the third main scenario? It’s been going on for a couple days now.”

“It just started for us.” Kim Dokja said as he clicked away the window that had appeared in a timely manner. “I suppose our area was a little late, or we had to arrive here first before receiving it.”

Yoo Sangah read the contents of the main scenario message, same as the rest of Kim Dokja’s party.

“Do you already have a room?”

I turned towards Kim Dokja. “Yeah, I do. Last time I checked, there was a lot vacant. How many coins do you guys have?”

“Coins?” Lee Hyunsung pondered as he carried their unconscious party member.

“Yeah. How much can you guys afford?”

“Why?” Kim Dokja’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“Well-”

“Wait, I know. Is it that guy?”

I scratched the side of my cheek. Did he know what I was talking about? I played along. “Yeah. It’s that guy?”

“This entire area is owned by the Landlord Coalition? It’s still a full organization?”

“Yeah? Why wouldn’t it be?” I was perplexed at Kim Dokja’s darkened expression. So he knew that it was the landlords. Huh. This guy knows more than he lets on.

He was deep in thought again. Yoo Sangah bowed embarrassedly. “I’m sorry. He gets like this sometimes. Come on, Dokja. Let’s look for a room.”

They all bowed to me slightly as they walked past. What a peculiar group. Even the little boy they had with them seemed like he was sharper than he looked like.

“No problem.” I crossed my arms as I watched them leave.
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[Constellation, Mass Production Maker, is issuing several warnings.]

[Constellation, Mass Production Maker, is advising you to exercise caution.]

“...what does that mean?” I muttered half to myself and half to my supporting constellation as I tabbed away the indirect message that was blocking my view of Kim Dokja’s party.

They’d been searching for rooms, but with the amount of people that had arrived, it seems it was getting scarce already. The amount of fights over rooms were starting to increase in number. If they wanted to, they could probably take the five man rooms with ease, but it didn’t seem like they were the type.

At least, that’s what I inferred from half an hour of monitoring their movements.

I watched them regroup at the center near Gong Pildu’s room, which was pretty much unoccupied at the moment. It was just a couple of goons and the man himself. A lot of the landlords were busy hassling the newcomers. The little boy was saying something, then pointed into the landlord’s room. It was… one of the chamber pots in Gong Pildu’s collection? Did he need to use the bathroom?

I think he did. The boy’s posture was urgent. Without waiting for Kim Dokja’s response, the boy dashed right into the landlord’s room clutching his crotch. Poor kid, but what an idiot!

In no time at all, a landlord cornered him. He said things I couldn’t hear with a nasty expression. I got worried, so I started moving over. As I did, Kim Dokja stepped into the room himself as the rest of his companions guarded the still unconscious woman.

This is bad. Kim Dokja said something to the landlord that put an incredulous expression on his face and in the corner, Gong Pildu had looked up from his magazine. The turrets went up. This is way too bad! All this just for a kid? I pulled off the fabric of my tent and began to run over but when I arrived within earshot, I stopped.

“...can’t afford that, but maybe we can pay using intel.” Kim Dokja was talking to Gong Pildu with a careful tone.

Gong Pildu scoffed with a smirk on his face. “And what kind of intel would you have?”

Kim Dokja’s face was dead serious. “Intel about Yoo Joonghyuk.”

The fabric in my hands went slack as Gong PIldu's face scrunched up in rage.

Kim Dokja... this bastard. He was suspicious. He knew more than he let on. Now you're telling me that he knew Yoo Joonghuk? Just who is this man?

Chapter Text

“Yoo Joonghyuk!? That bastard? How do you know him!? Gong Pildu! This guy is suspicious!”

The landlords began to clamor around Kim Dokja, brandishing all manner of implements. They formed a ring around him with suspicious faces, while the man himself seemed unperturbed by the goons.

The fact that he didn't see them as a threat wasn't a surprise. A lot of them were still sporting injuries. It seems the memory of Yoo Joonghyuk’s assault was still fresh.

Gong Pildu’s turrets started whirring louder, responding to the landlord's cautious nature as his expression darkened.

“How do you know Yoo Joonghyuk?” The landlord stared the younger man down.

Kim Dokja glared right back. “We are companions, separated by life and death.”

Gong Pildu had an incredulous expression. “..?”

He was waved off by Kim Dokja. “Well, the point is that he’s a close friend of mine.”

Gong Pildu’s expression darkened for a bit, before suddenly guffawing. “Hahaha! What a funny guy!”

Kim Dokja watched Gong Pildu laugh in his face with a confused expression. A thousand thoughts seemed to run through his mind as he surveyed the location of his companions that were surrounded by landlords.

Meanwhile, Gong Pildu’s laugh was petering out. He let out a couple more chortles, before turning to Kim Dokja with a suddenly serious expression once more.

“That’s a real funny offer, but I’ll have to refuse. I don’t need to bargain for intel.”

Kim Dokja seemed like he’d been getting hit by surprises left and right all day. He cleared his throat, continuing to attempt to bargain.

“And why is that? If I’m not wrong, I know that he’s caused a ruckus sometime around now. Don’t you want to learn how to beat him?”

“He did. There’s no denying that.” Gong Pildu rubbed his bald head with a bandage. “Too bad, your ‘companion’ holds no threat over us.”

“How exact-”

Gong Pildu pointedly locked eyes with me before cutting Kim Dokja off. “The Landlord Coalition boasts adequate manpower to drive off Yoo Joonghyuk.”

[Constellation, Secretive Plotter, is listening to the conversation.]

Kim Dokja followed Gong Pildu’s gaze, and spotted me amongst the crowd. His eyes widened as they darted to me.

It was an expression of pure shock, as if there was something about me that he couldn’t possibly believe. It was more than just the implication that I’d beat Yoo Joonghyuk.

What was it? Was it the tent fabric draped around my shoulders? Did I really look that stupid carrying it around?

“You mean to say that she was able to drive Yoo Joonghyuk away?” Kim Dokja’s voice was shaking ever so slightly.

I was suddenly caught off guard. What was this old guy saying? What the heck?

We were defeated by Yoo Joonghyuk! They only retreated because they decided that robbing me was enough of a reward! As I was about to object, the landlords started piping up.

“Yeah!”

“You should’ve seen how she was kicking that punk around!”

“He stood no chance against our heiress!”

What were these idiots saying? Kim Dokja was starting to look at me with an expression that looked like unease. I didn’t want it. I didn't want this outcome.

In fact, if I had to choose between teaming up with either party right now, I’d definitely choose Kim Dokja’s group due to the events that transpired earlier this morning.

I didn’t want to stay here, let alone allow them to parade under my reputation.

“Shut up!” I yelled out over their praise. “Stop speaking, now! What right do you think you have to hide behind my name!?”

The landlord’s shouts fizzled out as I let loose my outburst. Gong Pildu’s eyes widened, as if he’d failed to anticipate this reaction from me. He pursed his lips as he turned away as if to deal with me later.

“Since when were we allies!? Do you know? Because I don’t! I don't remember agreeing with you pigs! Seriously! I should kill you all right now!”

As I mouthed off, Kim Dokja was taking steady steps backwards, taking the kid along with him. It seemed like he was counting on Yoo Joonghyuk’s name as a bargaining chip but now that it wasn’t going to work, he had to bounce.

Gong Pildu didn’t fail to notice this fact.

“Wait!” The landlord called. “Where do you think you’re going? Don’t tell me you forgot about your trespassing fee."

Kim Dokja chuckled nervously. “How much was it? 100 coins?”

Gong Pildu wasn’t amused. “No. It’s 1000 coins. 500 for you, 500 for the kid.”

“That’s too expensive.” Kim Dokja said indignantly.

With a dismissive wave of a hand and a smile, Gong Pildu smirked. “Well, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

The turrets roared as they burst into action, bolts grinding and barrels spinning as they trained onto Kim Dokja and primed to fire. My heart started pumping as I brandished my tent fabric.

I now that I only met these guys today, but I really wasn't trying to see them turned into swiss cheese right away. Despite me being a complete stranger, they had still released me from the illusory prison.

“Dokja!” Yoo Sangah yelled in desperation as she held their unconscious companion amongst a sea of landlords, unable to do anything from so far away.

“Run towards the crowd.” Kim Dokja whispered to the child as he tossed him away careful as he could.

Wasting no time before the turrets could finish priming, I dashed towards Kim Dokja’s location and threw up my fabric right as the bullets began to fire. It waved in the wind as impact after impact of the shots glanced harmlessly off of the surface.

[Constellations are cheering for the Mass Production Maker’s brand!]

[500 coins have been sponsored.]

As usual, the fabric was facing to the side where all the action was occuring. Right about now, the SSS seal was blazing amongst the sparks and glints of the bullets deflecting off of the surface.

When the gunfire had stopped and I lowered my guard, I saw Gong Pildu looking at me with confusion in the corner of my eye. Behind me, there was the sound of two other people panting heavily.

“Thank you, Lu Miyu, Lee Hyunsung.”

Kim Dokja breathed a sight of relief. As I rolled up my tent, I caught Kim Dokja staring incredulously at it. I was seriously getting self conscious now.

I looked back, seeing the huge army man brandishing a rusty shield peppered with bullet dents. His stance was firm as he glared at the agitated landlords, his natural physique imposing a status upon the rest.

Kim Dokja bit his lip as he surveyed the situations, before turning back to Gong Pildu. The latter looked up with a bored expression.

“What is it now, kid? You ready to pay?"

“I don’t think that it would be wise for you to fight right now.” Kim Dokja smirked slightly. He was still feeling cocky in a situation like this?

“And why, do you reckon?”

“Because if you do,” Kim Dokja smiled faintly. “You’ll die right where you’re sitting.”

A gust of wind blew through the station, as if to announce the arrival of someone imposing. All heads turned in that direction, prompting Gong Pildu’s calm and confident exterior to crumble on sight. Kim Dokja calmly assessed the situation, viewing the two newcomers with a sense of familiarity.

“Master! It’s them! The ones I told you about! I heard them talking about you a while back while patrolling.”

I bit my lip as two familiar individuals brazenly made their entrance.

“Damn it.” I heard Gong PIldu whisper to himself as he put on his golf cap and stood straight up.

The girl who had put a sword to my throat was indignantly pointing at Kim Dokja. “It was him! He claimed to be your friend!”

Right beside her, walking as if he had no care in the world, was none other than Yoo Joonghyuk, surveying the situation with a cold gaze. I don't know how it was possible, but he seemed even more handsome than I'd remembered. Admitting it was getting on my nerves.

He locked eyes with me for a quick second and frowned intensely, but then he belatedly recognized who I was standing beside.

“A close friend of mine is making his way here right now.” Kim Dokja declared, almost as if he were bragging.

Yoo Joonghyuk had frozen in place, eyes widened slightly and mouth just barely ajar. He was looking straight at Kim Dokja.

The latter’s lips curled up into a shit-eating grin as he waved at Yoo Joonghyuk in a stupid manner.

“Hello, Yoo Joonghyuk! Long time no see! How are you? Looks like you’ve been doing well! These people don’t seem to believe that I know you, can you please convince them?”

Everyone in the room had a stupid expression on their face. Gong Pildu and Yoo Joonghyuk’s assistant’s jaws were glued to the ground as they looked back and forth at the two men.

The landlord lackeys were starting to look uneasy. Between me, Gong Pildu, Kim Dokja, Lee Hyunsung who was able to defend against the gunfire and of course, Yoo Joonghyuk, they didn’t know where to hide without getting caught in the crossfire.

[The constellations are holding their breaths amongst the tension.]

[Constellation, Demonic Judge of Fire, is watching to see if incarnation, Yoo Joonghyuk will keep his word.]

Yoo Joonghyuk seemed like he was about to say something, but Kim Dokja rudely cut him off with that same ridiculous expression. “And can you please ask them to let us borrow their extra chamber pots? Thank you!”

I didn’t know how the atmosphere could get even more tense, but Kim Dokja proved that he could push it even further by angering Yoo Joonghyuk. With a shadow over his eyes, Yoo Joonghyuk gritted his teeth and put a hand on his sword.

“Wait, Yoo Joonghyuk-”

“Yeah! Kill him, master!”

Gong Pildu's array of turrets whirred threateningly. Kim Dokja’s hand was on the hilt of his sword. Lee Hyunsung’s bone spear and rusty shield were held at the ready. Yoo Joonghyuk's attendant drew her sword. I slung my iron fabric over my arms.

It was a four way standoff. With an imposing glow in his eyes and an electric blue sword aura coating his blade, Yoo Joonghyuk pointed his sword’s tip at us all with a spiteful posture.

Chapter Text

Surprisingly, Gong Pildu was the first to yield. WIth a quiet whirr, his turrets were unprimed. A fire was still lit in the landlord’s glare, but he couldn’t hide the beads of sweat coursing down his face.

Despite all his talk, he seemed to know that engaging Yoo Joonghyuk would always be a terrible idea. As much as he despised him, he knew his guys would get slaughtered. He can’t have a Landlord Coalition if it was just landlord, singular.

I shot Gong Pildu a quick glance before taking a few steps back. I threw the tent back over my shoulders, wrapping it around like a scarf.

Yoo Joonghyuk was a rude bastard who tried to kill me, yes, but there’s no reason for us to fight right now. There was no need for some cliche desire like revenge. If I get out of his way, he’ll surely leave me alone right?

Anyways, he seemed to have business with Kim Dokja. I looked at the man in question. Please. Take that gangster away from here.

Taking the initiative in the unwinding situation. Kim Dokja pushed past the ring of landlords and collected his companions. Gong Pildu seemed to want to make a move, but Yoo Joonghyuk’s sword stayed level to his nose. Thus, carrying the unconscious woman, Kim Dokja without much obstruction removed himself from Gong Pildu’s skill area. With careful glances around, they inched back toward the retail unit.

With a scoff, Yoo Joonghyuk sheathed his sword. He turned around with an exaggerated flourish of his coat, following behind Kim Dokja’s party. His aura alone was enough to part the sea of bodies.

As he disappeared into the connecting hallway a couple steps behind Kim Dokja’s party, I heard the people of the mall breathe a sigh of relief.

Welp. That’s that. Nobody was hurt. I threw Gong Pildu one last glance before heading back to my room.

There wasn’t an altercation today and I don’t wish for one, but the fact is Yoo Joonghyuk was here. I had to prepare accordingly.
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[You have used the item, SSS-Grade Accounting Ledger.]

[A job request has been filed.]

[Please await your supporting constellation’s response.]

[You have unclaimed commissions. Would you like to claim them?]

Oh. Unclaimed commission? Really? But I hadn’t accepted a new gig yet? Where did it come from? Was this from the last one?

Though I guess I was still using the tent up until now. It was like I was a walking advertisement. That was convenient for me. Without wasting another second, I clicked on the claim button.

[You have received 50000 coins.]

My jaw dropped. Was this thing broken? Not 500, not 5000, but 50000 coins!? There was no way! This is a ridiculous sum! All this for a tent? Was this fine? Won’t the constellations think I was conning them?

I flipped open the ledger. On my most recent performance review, it showed that I’d attracted 97 constellations! Just from one fight? Seriously? Yoo Joonghyuk was that popular?

As I reviewed my commission over and over again, the indirect messages that I hadn’t been able to check yet due to the happenings over the past few days flooded my vision.

[Numerous constellations are turning to the Mass Production Maker’s brand.]

[The constellations watching are compelled by your unconventional use of the product.]

[The constellations are interested in the product that resisted incarnation, Yoo Joonghyuk’s onslaught.]

[Constellation, Mass Production Maker, laughs heartily.]

[Constellation, Mass Production Maker, is applauding your performance.]

[...]

There were too many messages to read through all of them. However, it seems that the Mass Production Maker’s iron tent was selling like hotcakes.

“Well, if that’s the case!” I sat up. “I don’t need the other request anymore! Rescind my request!”

[Constellation, Mass Production Maker, pouts good naturedly.]

[The job request has been rescinded.]

“In any case, I’m extremely rich right now.” I rubbed my chin as I sat cross-legged in my tent. “Mass Production Maker, can’t I take a look at the item shop?”

As soon as I asked, the thing named Bihyung sparked into existence beside me in my tent. With a shriek, I swung my arm and smacked him, sending him spinning.

…

I’d just attacked a dokkaebi. Was I dead?

“Wait! I’m sorry!” I started to back up. Why did I do that!?

Bihyung stopped himself from spinning mid-air and shrugged it off. “Normally I’d blow your head off, but I’ll give you a pass right now.”

“What? Why?”

“Are you kidding?” The little goblin had stars in his eyes as his voice took on a dreamlike tone.

“Between you, that gangster, and that upstart who knows too much, my channel is growing exponentially! Do you know how many constellations your support contract is drawing in!?”

The dokkaebi was too full of himself to let me speak. His horn antennae were sparking with arcs of gold. A ton of people were definitely connected right now.

“I’m in an excellent mood! Here. Your supporting constellation asked me to let you peruse the shop.”

It manipulated a screen and quickly disappeared without a trace. Well, that was that? No point questioning it. Wth a sigh of relief, I expanded the projection.

It was aptly named the dokkaebi shop. What do you know? This layout was quite convenient. There were even tags to sort items and a nice search bar. So this was how the constellations provided incarnations with gifts. I clicked onto the tab that contained the products for incarnations.

There were buffs… hey, there’s my growth and starter packages! The function for sending coins was also here… not much point. Next. Ah, there they are. Skills and items.

Needless to say, there were a bunch of things that I had no idea about. These items sounded straight out of an RPG or some isekai anime. Too bad I wasn’t the regressing protagonist who knew what to do with everything. Plus, a bunch of this stuff was graded below C. They’re probably garbage.

There were mana potions, though. And this stuff called Ellain’s Forest Essence. The description said it had excellent medicinal properties, so I decided to stock up.

[You have spent 3000 coins.]

[You have received Ellain’s Forest Essence x20.]

A bunch of crystal-like things spawned in my arms. I’m guessing I had to cook them up before I could take them? In any case, I put it all in my suitcase.

Next, I checked out the skills. Again, there was a bunch of odd stuff. Why would you pay to move where your nose is on your face? Or to add a single toe on one foot?

What kind of trash were these dokkaebi trying to peddle? Who was buying this stuff? As I finally scrolled past the muck of F and D grade skills, I finally saw stuff worth buying.

Search Attribute. Allows me to see the attributes of other incarnations. Purchase.

Averaging. Could work. Gives me the general stat average of an incarnation. Bought!

Lie Detection! Buy! Definite buy! But when I went to click, an error occurred. A message informed me that the skill was currently out of stock. How does a digital skill go out of stock? These guys were definitely conmen!

I was redirected to a different skill that was related to Lie Detection. Poker Face? It nullifies the effects of opposing Lie Detection. Sure. That works.

Another skill caught my eye. Mental Barrier. I read its summary. It defends against all manner of mental attacks… ah. Like these skills I’d just bought. Sure! Why not!

[You have spent 6000 coins.]

[Your new skills have been applied.]

I quickly checked my attribute window. Sure enough, they were added. Nice. As I closed the dokkaebi shop, my eyes glided once more through the skill options.

‘Preserve Humidity’... locks in the moisture on your face. I need that actually! I’m glad I didn’t miss it!

[You have spent 500 coins.]

[Your new skill has been applied.]

I touched my fingertips to my face, immediately feeling the difference. Ahh! Finally! I can start feeling like myself again! Next, I just need to find a damned shower.

Finished for real this time, I clicked off the window. I had just under 45000 coins left. I could upgrade my stats, but I didn’t think it was worth it at the moment.

As I organized my items in the suitcase, a couple curt knocks befell the side of my tent. Through the translucent window of the tent, I saw Gong Pildu standing outside my door.

What was he doing here? I asked him just that as I opened the flaps.

He cleared his throat awkwardly. “A lot of things are happening. We need to talk.”

Chapter Text

I leaned against the side of my tent with my arms crossed. My back was pressed to the SSS seal on the side as Gong Pildu stood just outside of my room. He was still bandaged up, but otherwise he seemed to be getting better. He rubbed the back of his neck with his palm as he prepare to speak up.

Come to think of it, I have all these new skills now. I guess I was a bit curious. How strong was this guy to command all this respect, exactly?

[You have used the skill, Search Attribute.]

[You have used the skill, Averaging.]

[Target: Gong Pildu.]

[This incarnation has a general stat average of 12.]

[This incarnation possesses attributes Landlord (Rare), Land Owner (Rare).]

These messages flashed before my eyes. He had two attributes, like me. They were graded as ‘rare’, though. Mine were… both general…

Did that make such a difference? Were attributes important? Though he only had a stat average of 13. That means his stats only danced around the mid 10’s. Maybe even just below 20. Was that an impressive number? It doesn't feel like it.

What do I know, though? Mine are most definitely inflated beyond reason. It seemed that I was just that rich by the standards of an ordinary incarnation. Have these people even seen more than 20000 coins yet? Maybe Gong Pildu is strong by ordinary measures. Especially with that kind of stigma and skill. That was undeniably strong.

“You must be earning a lot, huh?” He finally broke the silence. “Taking after your old man?”

I laughed dryly. “If you’re looking to increase my rent, stop right there.”

His serious expression flickered the slightest amount. “You’re complaining like you can’t afford it even if I did.”

“So you’re really looking to scrape off the top of a kid’s income?”

“Something like that.” Gong Pildu laughed bitterly. “We need you, Lu Miyu.”

“Huh?” I was taken aback at his direct approach. “Need me for what?”

“Good land is hard to come by.” Gong Pildu frowned. “Sometimes you pick a property and invest in it as well as you can. Yet if you aren’t careful, one little mistake can cost you the entire thing.”

“The amount of punks in the area is starting to increase. We've all already suffered losses. The morons that help me run this place are too weak and can't be counted on. We've been involved in transactions since the beginning. Can't we come to an agreement? "

“So you want me to work for you?” I furrowed my brows.

Gong Pildu shrugged. “You’re young. You have a lot of time to kill. Tons of places to go. Tons of risks to take, too. But sooner or later, you’ll have to tie yourself down to something you can commit to.”

“Even if it’s a terrible environment?” I looked him dead in the eyes.

He pursed his lips. “Sometimes, it can’t be avoided. The benefits may outweigh or at least balance them, though. Sometimes, we have to take what other people say into consideration.”

I couldn’t stifle a laugh. Was he really saying this to me right now? Brazenly in my face too? When he knows what’s been happening to me lately?

All things considered, I don’t think it was a bad offer objectively. Me staying here in his claimed land to drive off strong incarnations is what he was getting at, no?

If it was just Gong Pildu himself I would’ve considered, but the rest of the landlords were a heavy dealbreaker. Leeches and lechers had no place being put under my protection. I refuse to accept this kind of offer if it entails covering for those louts.

“A commitment that I have to tether myself to, huh?”

A commitment. As that thought flew through my head, my eyes noticed something scurrying about with urgency in the background. Not something, actually. Someone. Multiple people.

Kim Dokja’s party members were darting around the mall, checking occupied room after occupied room. Come to think of it, midnight was nearing. Didn’t they have their own yet? They might be in trouble. There’s no way they could handle the onslaught of monsters. So why did they look so calm?

Yet as I watched them, something in my hand was suddenly feeling heavy. My hand gripped tighter around the accounting ledger, the relic from my supporting constellation. The source of my coins.

“I’m sorry, Gong Pildu. I think I already have something in mind. You alone should suffice for this operation, I presume.”

The corner of his mouth twitched. He looked like he had something more to say. Yet he seemed to decide against whatever he was going to tell me, as he shot a glance at the watch on his wrist. It was 30 minutes to 12.

“We’ll talk about this again. Please choose well, Lu. 'Cause if there’s one thing I hate…” Gong Pildu grumbled as he walked away, yet I could still hear what he was saying under his breath.

“It’s leaving damn debts unpaid.”

I could only watch him leave, puzzled.
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These guys were seriously in trouble. From my tent, I was watching Kim Dokja and company regroup in the commons as none of their searches returned positive. It was twelve minutes to midnight. They seriously haven’t found a room yet?

There was that, even. I know that it's a drastic measure, but they do know that they can kill for rooms, right? They were going to fall under an onslaught of monsters that would last until dawn. Yet they still didn’t look fazed at all. It was as if not finding a room was just a minor inconvenience to them.

“Are you guys seriously going to be fine?” I called out to them.

“What do you think?” Kim Dokja turned to me with a dry smirk that irritated me. His eyes darted to the line above my head.

I shook my head at him. “For one person only. You’re fresh out of luck.”

“I guess so.”

“You do know that a wave of monsters spawn every scenario night? Shouldn’t you be getting a move on?”

“I’m getting to it.” He turned to his colleagues, holding up two fingers. “We have two options.”

The faces of his party lit up, but then soured once more as he pointed to a five person room filled with shaking tenants. Before Kim Dokja even opened his mouth, they already knew what he was going to say.

“Our first option is to kill them and take it.”

This guy was seriously nuts, wasn’t he? But what surprised me even more was the kid. Without hesitation, without so much as even the slightest falter, he spoke up.

“I’ll do it.” He stepped forward, brandishing a club made of bone. “I’m up for it if you guys are.”

Yoo Sangah was appropriately horrified. “No! Gilyoung, stop!”

The woman who was unconscious earlier grabbed Kim Dokja’s collar with a fierce expression. “Don’t you think we already thought of that?”

Kim Dokja’s face was blank. “They probably killed to claim it as well. Can we really progress through the scenarios while holding onto this sense of morality? What will we get out of staying moral if our peers play by the rules of barbarians?"

“Kim Dokja.” She said with conviction. “I killed back then. I didn’t regret it, as it was to protect us. But that doesn’t mean that I enjoy it! I don’t want to become a monster!”

…this scene was shaping up nicely into something like a late night television drama. It even came complete with the cliched lines. Then again, I could see where she was coming from. All the while as this conversation went on, midnight crept closer and closer.

“Kim Dokja, I want to hear the second option first.” Came the man named Lee Hyunsung.

“Very well.” Kim Dokja grinned at his companions. “We’ll go with the second option.”

???

“Ha!” Kim Dokja was slapped multiple times in quick succession by the woman. “I knew it! Don’t test us like that!”

“Hm? But I would’ve respected any choice you guys made?”

How were these people satisfied with following someone like this? This guy was missing some kind of screw somewhere, I was sure of it. What a ridiculous image. This blurry faced guy really liked to play games with his friends.

Though when I looked at him, he didn’t seem nervous in the slightest. He looked sure of himself like he had some sort of plan in mind.

[5 minutes remaining until the scenario begins.]

I can’t lie. I was interested. This guy came out of nowhere, dispelled a sub scenario by himself, shook the landlords up and declared himself as a follower? No, companion of Yoo Joonghyuk.

That wasn’t even to mention the amount of constellations that followed him. Every time I talked to or interacted with Kim Dokja, I was flooded with indirect messages. Being in his proximity alone was generating income.

While near Kim Dokja, I was seeing a lot of the Bald General of Justice, Demonic Judge of Fire, Prisoner of the Golden Headband and that dratted Abyssal Black Flame Dragon. Another familiar name was there, the one named Secretive Plotter. He was watching even before Kim Dokja, but was more active when he was here. I was kind of jealous. I only had the Mass Production Maker to talk to most of the time.

What kind of guy was this? I had to find out. And so, I stepped out of my tent.

“Can I join?” I called out to the group.

“Join?” All heads turned to me. “But you already have a room?”

“I’m bored.” I lied through my teeth.

“Weren’t you telling us about the monsters just a bit ago?” Kim Dokja deadpanned at me.

“Be quiet! I just want in! Please?”

Kim Dokja sucked in air through his teeth. “But this will only work with five people.”

“Then someone can stay behind. You guys are tired, right?”

“That is true…” Yoo Sangah spoke up. “Jung Heewon, aren’t you still feeling down?”

“N-No, I’m fine!” The woman named Jung Heewon brandished her sword halfheartedly. Her face betrayed her fatigue. “It doesn’t feel right.”

“No, it isn’t that bad of an idea actually.” Kim Dokja rubbed his chin with a thoughtful expression. “You have to be well rested for tomorrow, Jung Heewon. Sit this one out.”

She pouted. “I’m fine, I swear!”

“Look at the tent, though.” Lee Hyunsung thought aloud. “You won’t get another chance to rest like this for a while. She’s letting you borrow it, you know?”

Her expression visibly softened under the constant coddling. She whistled conspicuously with a ridiculous look on her face as she tried her best to avoid eye contact with me and the rest.

“Well, if you guys really insist, I can’t turn down your concerns, can I?”

Without waiting for further questioning, she slid into the tent. Lee Hyunsung was left dumbfounded.

I scratched my head. Was everyone in this group as eccentric as their leader? Did I make the right decision to venture out into the night with them?

“She was more tired than she was letting on, huh?”

“Let’s hurry up.” Kim Dokja said with urgency. “We have less than three minutes left.”

With a single flourish, I ripped the tent fabric off of its stilts, much to the disdain of Jung Heewon who was already spread out on the floor.

“What gives!?” She whined/

“This is my weapon, you know?”

“The tent? What kind of-"

“Nevermind that!” Kim Dokja waved for us to follow quickly. “We don’t have time! You guys have to do as I tell you, without fail. I won’t be able to confirm your safety if you deviate even slightly.”

I slung the fabric around my shoulders as we started running, blindly following Kim Dokja's back. I looked around at my new group and saw that they were listening intently to every single word with determined expressions, as if they’d done this all before.

“You guys have to trust me. Lee Hyunsung, please take charge of Yoo Sangah and Gilyoung.”

“Will do!” The army man nodded as Kim Dokja whispered what sounded like a detailed set of instructions into his ear. Lee Hyunsung's expression was grave, but I could feel that he trusted Kim Dokja.

Once he was done with his own members, Kim Dokja turned to me. “You don’t trust me yet, I presume? I’ll take charge of you.”

He really did speak like a leader, like he knew everything that was about to happen. He was even taking charge of me! He was gonna keep me safe! It was almost enough to reassure me, how nice!

...except I wasn't reassured. It would've worked if I didn’t see where we were going at the very last second. Why the hell was this idiot leading the entire party into the connecting hallway with a minute left on the timer!?

What is this suicidal idiot doing? He’s gonna get us all killed! Why did I have to be so curious, dammit! I should've stayed in bed!

[Constellation, Mass Production Maker, has his face in his hands.]

Chapter Text

“Please repeat it. One more time. What exactly is your plan of action? I don’t think I was deranged enough to understand the first few times.”

“I’m getting annoyed now, you know?” Kim Dokja sighed.

“Well, who the heck would trust these words blindly!?”

We were standing around in front of the IKEA’s staff room with less than a minute left on the main scenario’s timer. Kim Dokja had had Lee Hyunsung shatter the wall for ‘easier access’, and I could see hundreds of the dormant mannequins inside.

Kim Dokja had explained his master plan, the one that would definitely allow our entire party to survive the night without a room rented from Gong Pildu with absolutely zero casualties. Could you guess what it was? That’s right!

CLearly, as soon as the scenario started, Lee Hyunsung’s trio was supposed to run right into the staffroom, while I was to follow Kim Dokja to find some sort of ‘Hidden Piece’! All the while we'll be doing this while being swarmed by the hordes! How exciting!

“They trusted me before, and they’re still alive.” Kim Dokja argued, like what he was saying made any kind of sense.

I was too tired to speak. This guy was impossible, what the hell? Was it too late to turn back? With nothing better to do but prepare, I whipped the fabric off my shoulders and wrapped it across both of my forearms. Again, Kim Dokja looked at my weapon with a complicated expression. I was even more irked and kicked his scabbard.

“Not everyone has a fancy weapon, you know?”

He looked at me like I was the one who was odd. “There's nothing wrong with that?”

“Then what?”

As he was about to speak, he was cut off by a system message.

[THE THIRD MAIN SCENARIO HAS BEEN ACTIVATED.]

A deafening cacophony of rattling resounded in the building, echoing around as the mannequins churned to life, limbs and bodies twisting unnaturally as far as the eye could see. Hundreds of heads snapped to our direction with unnatural squeaks and clicks.

“Now!” Kim Dokja roared, drawing his sword.

And like madmen, his party actually followed. Without a single word, the three dashed right into the staffroom. This is ridiculous! The writhing mass of mannequins was coursing towards them. If they were engulfed, they were dead.

“Over there!” Yoo Sangah shouted, pointing towards something.

Something was glowing amidst the bodies. A singular matted and mildewed three seater couch. It was glowing faintly, as if it were a special item.

The first to slip through the mannequins was Gilyoung. He tripped over a mannequin and reached out to touch the couch. Before him, a system message appeared.

[Somebody has activated IKEA's secret area.]

[Hidden Piece, Refuge of the Brave, is activated!]

The dirty couch was suddenly engulfed by the bright green light that characterized the rooms that Gong Pildu had taken control over. A system message floated over the couch, entailing that it could contain three people.

So it was real? How did Kim Dokja know these things? Yet I didn’t have time to sit and think.

“What are you sitting around and watching for?” Kim Dokja yelled as he positioned his sword to cut down the mannequins approaching us.

Behind the ranks of mannequins, there were mighty roars and a myriad of grunts and calls that were unfamiliar to me. There were now huge bear-like things with scales and horns beneath their matted fur. It was like there were searchlights as their red eyes surveyed the area. Every time they roared, I could feel vibrations deep enough to pierce my bones.

Around their feet, there were disgusting, pink-skinned things with wrinkles all over. Its head was all nose and gaping mouth, but it was fast and came in groups of three to five. As ugly as they were, they couldn’t be ignored as four knife-sharp canine teeth stuck out of their huge mouths.

More types of monsters had appeared. Did this scenario get harder as the days progressed? Damn it!

I wrapped my tent around an entire arm and threw a punch with all my might, ripping through a bear and shattering a mannequin with the fist that came through the other side. Behind me, Kim Dokja was slashing wildly, limbs and flesh flying into the air wherever the arc of his blade passed.

Yet no matter how many monsters we bludgeoned or ripped to shreds, even more seemed to take their places. The waves were never-ending, and I was starting to lose my breath.

“Do you really know where you’re going!?” I yelled as I used a mannequin as a mace, bashing in several of the rat-like monsters. “We can’t hold out like this!”

“Just a little more!”

“Argh! Why on earth did I ever decide to go with you fools!”

A bear monster clamped its jaws down on the arm wrapped with my tent. It didn’t pierce through, but the immense pressure through my armor onto my flesh was still excruciating.

I shrieked in pain as I waved my arm, lifting the bear off the ground and flailing it around. Despite all that, it still wouldn’t let go. It crashed through monsters in a wide area as I thrashed around, screaming bloody murder.

[Constellation, Abyssal Black Flame Dragon, is cackling.]

“Get it off me! Get it off me!”

Finally, Kim Dokja sliced the bear in half. It let out a death rattle as it finally released its clamp-like jaw. Still enraged, I unfurled a bit of the fabric around my arm and swung it. The tent billowed out like a flag yet with all the weight of the metal, tearing off chunks of whatever was in its path. I heard heavy breathing as Kim Dokja pressed his back to mine.

“Are you sure you aren’t a monster yourself? We might be able to hold out like this, you know?”

This guy still had time to joke, huh? I kicked a dead rat up into the air and smashed it like a volleyball, sending it crashing onto the back of his head. My plan was foiled though, as he reacted and sliced it in half mid-air. With practiced cuts and thrusts, Kim Dokja turned the wave in front of him into mincemeat. Between the outline of the monsters, there was a faint glow like the one with the couch earlier. Neither of us missed it.

“There!” We yelled in unison.

With a consensus reached, we focused our efforts on forging a path to the Hidden Piece. When Kim Dokja slashed in the front, I denied the entire area behind him with a flourish of my heavy fabric. Then as I took the time to pull my weapon back, he would slash at any enemies that got into my guard until I had time to cast it out once more. It was a surprisingly efficient system.

This guy was excellent at identifying and covering for my weaknesses, and I guess I wasn’t doing so bad myself.

I tossed out my fabric, wrapping an arm that a mannequin had reached out to me. With a tug, I crushed it within the tent, filling it with splinters.

“Duck!” I yelled to Kim Dokja, before spinning the fabric like a sling, unleashing a shower of splinters moving at high velocity towards everything in the vicinity.

The final wave of monsters was pierced through and collapsed, revealing the green area of the hidden piece. With a renewed vigor, we cleared out the last few monsters and had a clear shot to the hidden piece.

“Get in..?” Kim Dokja’s triumphant declaration was suddenly cut short. He lowered his sword, standing there shocked.

“What are you waiting for!?” I swiped another wave and turned to check what was wrong.

Ah. I understand That was definitely a problem.

Why now, of all times? This goddamn bastard!

The hidden piece was right there. It was a rectangular shape overlaid on the wall. It was perfectly fitted for two people, so it should’ve been enough. Yet the fact of the matter was, it wasn’t. Why, do you ask? That’s because one guy was already occupying it.

I saw Kim Dokja’s hand twitch as he gave a disbelieving smile. A vein was popping on his temple as he called out.

“Can’t you get out? I know you can survive without that room.”

His face was blank as usual, but I could swear that his dark eyes carried the faintest smug light. With his arms crossed, leg kicked up and head tilted down as if to rest, taking his sweet time as he watched the two of us fight through wave after wave, Yoo Joonghyuk was sitting in the room’s area.

Chapter Text

“I don’t know… I’m kind of tired today.”

Yoo Joonghyuk spouted bullcrap while eyeing us through his peripheral vision. He even went so far as to leisurely crack his back and stretch his arms while maintaining full eye contact.

Veins were popping on Kim Dokja’s temple and neck as he stared incredulously at the man sitting in the room that was supposed to be ours. All the while, I was still sweeping away monster after monster. Yoo Joonghyuk pointed his chin at me.

“You’ve found yourself a strong ally. I’m sure you two can manage. You’ll probably even receive the ‘Endless Dawn’ achievement.”

“Is that any excuse, dammit!?” Kim Dokja threw out an arm in frustration as he slashed the monsters who were approaching.

“Either step aside, or help us fight!”

The bastard even had the audacity to yawn.

Biting his lip, Kim Dokja joined me as we continued to fight back the waves. He’s seriously just going to sit there? I know he wasn’t a pushover! He has to be kidding!

“Tsk.” Kim Dokja was naturally pissed off. “What do you think? Do we hold out?”

“Quit trying to be funny.”

“We can’t force him out though.” Kim Dokja said through gritted teeth. “That’s just the kind of guy he is.”

I cast out my tent and ripped off several heads. “Aren’t you his companion? Tell him to get out here!”

“He won’t listen to me! What about you? Didn’t the landlords say you drove him away before? Just do it again!”

“Quit your pointless drivel.” Yoo Joonghyuk grumbled from the sidelines.

“You have no right!” We yelled in unison.

There was no way to tell how much time passed while we fought off the horde. It could be minutes away from dawn, or it could be that barely even an hour has passed. I was going deaf from the snarls and growls of the monsters, and sore in places where mannequins struck me. Each sling of my tent was getting more sluggish by the minute as my arms grew heavier and heavier.

Kim Dokja was in a similar position. He was running out of breath, his black dress shirt torn to shreds and soaked through with sweat. His stabs growing more inaccurate, cuts and slashes getting shallower and shallower. The onslaught of monsters wasn’t abating. Not even a little bit.

If I was confident earlier that maybe we could’ve genuinely held out until dawn, now all of that confidence was shattered. I was seeing stars.

[Constellation, Abyssal Black Flame Dragon, looks forward to Yoo Joonghyuk’s decision.]

[Constellation, Prisoner of the Golden Headband, clutches at his hair.]

[Constellation, Mass Production Maker, is glaring at incarnation, Yoo Joonghyuk.]

“Mass Production Maker again…” Kim Dokja muttered again.

As I swept my tent out once more, I saw Kim Dokja’s eyes flit to my weapon. His eyes glossed over the SSS seal, but refocused and did a double take. I noticed his eyes widen as if finally putting two and two together. I pulled the fabric back in to prime it to whip back out as Kim Dokja’s epiphany, whatever it was, was buried under an expression of focus.

He turned back to the monsters. He was silent, but there was an undertone of determination, as if he’d decided on something. With wide arcs, he stepped forward. He was clearing out a ton of monsters. Where did this second wind come from? One of his hands was rummaging inside a pocket as he moved further and further away.

He was moving away from the hidden piece? What was this guy doing now?

I tried to follow, but the path was getting more and more obstructed.

“Yoo Joonghyuk!” He yelled out of nowhere. “You know what she is, right?”

“Huh? Me?”

Yoo Joonghyuk scoffed. “It took you too long to notice.”

“I’ll leave it to you, then?”

Yoo Joonghyuk didn’t respond.

Kim Dokja glanced back at us as he parried scratch after scratch with the flat of his blade. Something was hidden within his clenched fist. He shot Yoo Joonghyuk another sarcastic smile as he forged onwards.

“Get back here!” I yelled out to the man who was moving further and further with every step. “What do you think you’re doing? Help me out!”

“Don’t worry about me.” He waved me off. “Get in the room. I’ll find a way.”

“No you won’t! Are you stupid? Pull back, Kim Dokja!”

As I moved to fight through the waves to pull him back, a vice grip suddenly clamped over my shoulder. I yelped as it felt like my arm was getting crushed. Yoo Joonghyuk was pulling me back towards the room.

“What do you think you’re doing?” I beat at his hand with my fist, but it only seemed to anger him.

“Stay put.”

He forcibly pressed me to the surface of the room. As the occupant limit shifted from 1/2 to 2/2, every single monster that was fixated on me lost interest and turned around to where Kim Dokja was still fighting.

“I said let go of me!” I tried to dash back out, but Yoo Joonghyuk tripped me up and threw me back against the wall. “What the hell is your problem!?”

I could barely even see Kim Dokja through the sheer amount of monsters swarming him. Desperate, I aimed to sock Yoo Joonghyuk square in the chin. His thick brows furrowed as he moved a hand to intercept, yet it got pushed back. His palm hit him square in the nose, prompting a slight recoil.

Not wasting the distraction, I made to step out of the room, but stopped. My throat dried up, arms falling flat to my sides.

Kim Dokja was falling. Overwhelmed by the monsters, his guard had broken and he was about to be crushed. Sweat was falling down his face as he looked up at me with his signature knowing grin. His off hand was open. There were two small red crystals there as he moved his palm to his mouth. I heard Yoo Joonghyuk behind me quickly stifle a confused breath.

“I won’t die, you know?”

He let those words fly as he disappeared under a pile of monsters. My mouth was slack open in an aghast expression. Did he really just..?

“Kim Dokja!” I yelled out into the darkness.

“Don’t-” I knocked Yoo Joonghyuk’s arm away as I jumped out of the room a little too late.

I was hyperventilating. I didn’t just let him die, right? My arm swung, the heavy fabric trailing behind it. Monster after monster fell. Heads flew. Blood splattered. I wrapped the fabric around a particularly large bear and swung it around, clearing a huge area. Damn! Where was he!?

No matter how much of the floor I cleared, I couldn’t find Kim Dokja anywhere. There’s no way he disappeared, just like that! They couldn’t have eaten all of him, right? Not that fast. No! This can’t be it! Again, an iron grip forced me back to the room. Enraged, I turned towards Yoo Joonghyuk.

“This is all your fault! Why did you stop me!?”

He didn’t respond. His eyes were cold, as if to ask me why he had to answer anything. This guy was seriously pissing me off!

I swung the arm wrapped in my tent straight at his chest. He drew his sword lightning fast, intercepting my blow as sparks flew from the clash of metal against metal.

“This is pointless.” He growled as his sword shook ever so slightly.

“Pointless, my foot! You killed Kim Dokja!”

“Killed? I think not.” With a push, he deflected my arm.

“You saw it right there! Why’d you stop me!?” I was yelling so loud my throat started to hurt.

I wound up another fist, but then Yoo Joonghyuk straightened up. His feet were spread apart and his arms were primed as an orange glow engulfed his entire body. He looked down at me with that judging right eye that glowed a bright gold. Once again, I started to feel small before his presence.

[Yoo Joonghyuk is using the skill, Tiger God Aura, Lv. 5.]

[Yoo Joonghyuk is using the skill, Eye of the Sage, Lv. 8]

[Personal skill, Mental Barrier Lv. 1, is taking effect!]

[Skill, Eye of the Sage, pierces through your Mental Barrier!]

A headache affected me as the system notified me of my skill being pierced. How was this fair? How were his skills at such a high level? We started out in the scenarios at the same time!

A single hand rested on his sword as a wave of intimidation coursed through my very being. I matched him before, but that was when I was at full strength. Even now, I was struggling to catch my breath. I took a single step back, but he took one forward. I was right at the edge of the room now. If he really wanted to, he could push me and keep me out.

Tsk. What should I do? I couldn’t beat him right now in my condition. How can I escape this situation? I was backing up inch by inch, and now I was right in front of the room’s boundary on the wall.

Wait a minute. On the wall? That’s it! I can get back at this bastard now!

I held up my arm wrapped in the fabric. Yoo Joonghyuk took it as a threat and pulled his sword out of its scabbard, but he was never my target. His eyes widened as he saw my elbow lash out, predicting my trajectory. A single strike was all I needed. My fist landed right in the middle of the rectangle, turning the wall into rubble. The green glow of the room flickered, and slowly began to dissipate.

Yoo Joonghyuk gritted his teeth. “What did you do that for!?”

[Constellation, Secretive Plotter, is taken aback.]

“Watch your six, mister!” I yelled in a mixture of satisfaction and spite.

He let out an enraged growl as the glow of the room dissipated fully. Every single monster in the area fixed their gazes on the pair of us. He had no choice but to help me clear out the monsters.

This bastard was the most petty that I knew. He was clearing them out at a rate that was more destructive than me and Kim Dokja combined. None of this would have happened if he’d helped out in the first place!

Very well. This is your labor. This is your repentance, Yoo Joonghyuk!
.
.
.
Stars were clouding my vision. I could barely raise my arms. My legs were trembling. Everything was sore. I was caked in blood and guts. On the contrary, Yoo Joonghyuk was simply sweating profusely. His sword skills weren’t letting up, even though I was sure that we’d been here for hours.

To add insult to injury, Bihyung had appeared some time ago and was chatting up the constellations. For hours, I had to listen to his detestable voice while I fought tooth and nail against the scenario.

[Oh my!] He was crying out. [Get a load of these two, constellations! They actually did it!]

[Constellation, Prisoner of the Golden Headband, looks at the time.]

[The constellations are cheering.]

Right as a monster was about to clamp its jaws around my face as it broke through my fatigued defenses, it dispersed into pixels. I fell flat on my back onto the ground, panting. The mannequins ceased all movement and all straightened up in a uniform line. Like puppets, they all marched back in the direction of the staffroom.

[Congratulations! You and two others have acquired the achievement, ‘Endless Dawn’!]

[You have received 1000 coins.]

[The constellations are impressed with your feats of endurance!]

[5000 coins have been gifted.]

I couldn’t stand up. I couldn’t even appreciate the coins I’d received. My vision was blacking out, but I fought to maintain consciousness. Someone was walking beside my head, just out of my line of sight.

The footfalls were heavy. Who else would it be? Yoo Joonghyuk’s ugly- Argh! Even now, I can’t call him ugly! Yoo Joonghyuk’s face loomed into view. He surveyed my crumpled form on the ground with a blank face. Something was slung over his shoulder. He saw my eyes move, and seemed like he was satisfied. He roughly tossed the thing slung over his shoulder beside me. It had black hair, a black dress shirt, a scabbard at his waist… wait.

“Kim.. Dokja?” I croaked as the unconscious man was deposited beside me.

He was alive? How? He didn’t even look injured. What did he do..? My breathing was ragged. My vision was swimming. The fatigue was crashing into me.

“Kim Dokja!” Several voices yelled from further down the hall. Running footsteps were heard.

The last thing I saw before passing out were the hazy figures of Kim Dokja’s party, looking down at the pair of us on the floor.

Chapter Text

“...really fought until morning? This girl?”

A voice was saying. There were people talking around me. It seemed that they were talking about… me? Who were they?

It was warm, and I felt well rested and snug. I couldn't focus on the questions I had about my situation due to the comfort. My head was resting against something beside me, feeling almost like a shoulder. How refreshing. This beats sleeping on the floor…

Wait. Where was I? A bit of consciousness resurfaced, and I forced myself to awaken. My eyes shot open as the events of the last night shot through my head. Where was Kim Dokja? Yoo Joonghyuk?

I couldn’t move. My arms were bound to my sides, and my legs were stuck together. I wriggled in a panic, and fell sideways to the floor. What was this? Why was I captured in such a claustrophobic binding?

The more I struggled, the more it seemed to constrict around me. Breathing heavily, I blinked my sleepy eyes and looked down, spotting a familiar gray fabric that glinted in all colors like a prism where it was hit in a specific way by light. I was wrapped in my tent. The gray wrapping especially left me feeling like a microwave burrito. Who did this?

“Ah. She’s awake.” Came the voice that was speaking earlier.

Turning to the side, I spotted Jung Heewon. She was sitting against the wall beside me with her sword on the floor, so was I sleeping on her shoulder? She propped me up and started unwrapping me with an awkward grin.

“Was it too tight?”

The feeling started to return to my limbs. “A little.”

“You were shivering as you slept. We had Lee Hyunsung wrap you, but I guess he used the technique for equipment.”

Yoo Sangah said as she bowed slightly in apology, but I waved her off. “Thank you.”

I eyed the sleeping military man as my tent finally came undone. In a similar condition, I saw Kim Dokja sleeping on Lee Hyunsung’s thigh. So he really was alive! Then that also means Yoo Joonghyuk really did put him next to me too, when he could have easily killed the both of us right there.

He attacked me, ignored or glared at Kim Dokja, yet when push came to shove, he didn’t show any signs of serious aggression. So what did this man really want?

Shortly after, Kim Dokja came to. With a slightly miffed expression once he found out who he had been lying on this entire time, he slowly got up.

“Kim Dokja!” The two women greeted him. With a raised hand and a smile, he acknowledged them.

“How did Lee Hyunsung’s thigh feel?” Jung Heewon snickered at Kim Dokja as he threw her the straw mat that he was sleeping on.

Kim Dokja didn’t respond. Probably because he wanted to be polite. He rubbed the back of his neck and seemed to spot me.

“Ah. You’re here too, Lu Miyu? Thanks for last night. You were a big help.”

“Don’t mention it.” I sat cross legged as I folded up my tent into a square. “By the way, how did you survive getting crushed?”

“Oh, that? An item I picked up helped me.”

“Really? What kind of item?”

He shook his head. “I don’t recommend anyone other than me to use it.”

“What? Why?”

Ignoring my question, he looked around. “Where’s Gilyoung?”

Yoo Sangah wordlessly pointed to the side. All heads turned, and we all saw the little boy being interrogated by a familiar figure as his sidekick listened closely behind. Yoo Joonghyuk was talking down to him with his eyes closed. The discussion seemed to be getting quite serious as Gilyoung looked like he was hanging onto every word. I tried my hardest to listen, but I couldn’t intercept any words.

Whatever Yoo Joonghyuk was saying though, the boy didn’t seem to be agreeing. The former’s left brow was twitching as the latter shook his head. With a scowl, he seemed to let it go as Gilyoung turned his head to our party.

“Hyung!” He cried out as he noticed Kim Dokja’s awakening. Turning his back completely to Yoo Joonghyuk, he ran towards us.

Without another word, Yoo Joonghyuk turned and left with his hands in his pockets. The girl gave us one last glance backwards before following her ‘Master’.

I pursed my lips. “What’s his problem? Seriously. I can’t figure him out.”

“That’s just how he is.” Kim Dokja sighed.

Jung Heewon yawned. “So, what’s the plan? Are we repeating last night until the end of the scenario?”

“No way.” I cut her off immediately. “I’m using my room this time. Sorry.”

As Jung Heewon was about to interject with a disappointed expression, Kim Dokja made a bold declaration.

"No. We will be ending the third scenario tonight.”

“Huh? What do you mean?” We all turned our heads to him.

Kim Dokja stood up and cracked his back. “First, let’s track down that landlord.”

Gong Pildu? So he was their target from the start? Did he want to bring down the monopoly? What was he going to do? What I did last night flashed through my head. Oh. Was that his plan? I don’t think he saw me shatter the hidden piece last night.

Though the fact that he was alive right now makes that unsure. In any case, I didn’t want anything to do with this. I raised my hand.

“Can I see myself out, then?”

Kim Dokja looked at me. “I’m sorry?”

“You guys are planning to take Gong Pildu down, right? I’ll see myself out.”

His expression was a peculiar one. “You don’t want to overthrow the Landlord Coalition?”

That wasn’t my question. He was deflecting with a second question. I thought a bit before I answered.

“I don’t. Though I don’t want it to stay intact and ruling either. Whatever happens will happen.”

Kim Dokja observed me with a serious expression. He had big plans, and six allies. No, four. Yoo Joonghyuk and his disciple were too flippant to be named definite allies. Could he do it? Just to make sure, I turned to each person present here and used my skill.

Using Averaging, I deduced the following. Lee Hyunsung had a stat average of 14. Jung Heewon had 13, while both Yoo Sangah and Gilyoung had 11. Next was Kim Dokja. I activated the skill on him, but nothing happened.

What? Why wasn’t it working? As I tried to use it again, I could’ve sworn that Kim Dokja started to glow an electric blue. Sizzling pops began to fill my ears as a splitting headache attacked. I screwed my eyes shut and looked away to turn off the skill, and only then did it subside.

When I turned back to Kim Dokja, he was looking at me with a purposefully blank expression as if he knew what I was trying to do. Even this, he has an effective contingency plan against? Was it Mental Barrier? But I didn’t get any messages notifying me of the Mental Barrier. Even when Yoo Joonghyuk pierced mine, I was informed. So… were his skills and stigma just that exceptional?

What else did Kim Dokja have up his sleeve?

I turned back to his allies and tried to use Search Attribute, but the skill wouldn’t come up. A quick check of my stats showed me that I was out of mana. I was level 7! Were the penalties for peering into Kim Dokja that severe? There’s no way that I ran out that fast!

In any case, I was done here anyway. No point sticking around. I don’t need to be educated on them if I wasn’t going to help or oppose them. They could do it. Probably.

With nothing else to say, I turned and left them to themselves.

.

.

.

This old guy was really perceptive. Or did businessmen just have an innate sense for knowing that their stocks are about to drop? Whatever the case was, Gong Pildu was now back at my room with a disheveled composure after running all the way from his large room.

“You know what those punks are up to, right? Tell me everything!” He roared.

I smacked my lips. “Even if I did, are you sure you can do anything to stop them?”

“Don’t play games with me now, Lu!” He roared. “Are you going to help me or not!?”

“I don’t know?”

If he still had hair, I was sure he’d be pulling it out right now. He pointed an accusatory finger at me as his face turned red, reaching all the way up past his forehead and onto his scalp.

“Argh! You damned brat! After I mark down a room for you-”

I touched my finger to his outstretched index, transferring 10000 coins without a word. As his mouth gaped at the sum, I started speaking.

“There’s my rent, landlord. And a little extra on the top. You’ll need it.”

“What the hell do you mean?-”

He suddenly became quiet. I did too. That’s because there were now new noises echoing throughout the abandoned mall. I pushed him out of my room with a single finger. All around us, there were agonized screams and the sound of crumbling rock. The mall was getting steadily darker as the green lights scattered amongst the area were being extinguished, one by one.

Green zones were flickering out of existence as the floor beneath them were destroyed, and the landlords trying to stop it were getting snuffed out by Jung Heewon’s blade. Her eyes were glowing a deep red as she looked this way.

I heard Gong Pildu draw in a panicked breath as he started to run back towards his base of operations. I leaned on my tent with my arms crossed, observing the chaos.

“It’s starting. I wish you good luck, ahjussi. Thank you for everything.”

Chapter Text

I can’t say I felt bad as I watched everything the Landlord Coalition built up to this point crumble before their eyes.

Yoo Sangah, Jung Heewon, Gilyoung and to my surprise, Yoo Joonghyuk’s disciple were demolishing the rooms one by one, leaving landlords and tenants alike without their green zones.

True to my word, I helped nobody. I was an observer.

From behind me, there came heavy footfalls. I turned and saw Lee Hyunsung and Kim Dokja himself making their way to Gong Pildu’s room. I crossed my arms as they approached.

“You really aren’t coming?” Kim Dokja stopped just short of my room.

I laughed in his face. “Shattering the rooms? Is erasing the supply really your way of abolishing the monopoly?”

“Why? We can leave your room if you want to keep it that bad. Do you have a problem with this plan?”

“Not really, no. It seems that some certain others do, though.” I pulled up the recent bounty scenario that had popped up in my feed.

[A bounty hunt scenario has arrived!]

Category: Sub

Difficulty: C

Clear Condition: The constellations of channel #BIR-3642 have put a hit out on the incarnation Kim Dokja.

Time Limit: 10 minutes.

Reward: 2000 cons.

Penalty for Failure: None

Kim Dokja looked at me. “You aren’t gonna try to claim it, right?”

“Tempting, but 2000 coins isn’t enough to interest me.”

“Naturally, it wouldn’t. It’s you, after all.”

I crossed my arms. “You two figured out my supporting constellation real fast, didn’t you?”

Kim Dokja’s lip twitched. I guess I wasn’t particularly hiding it, what with my weapon of choice being emblazoned with his symbol. It was the fact that he seemed to have an idea on who my sponsor really was.

That thing he said to Yoo Joonghyuk was bothering me slightly.

‘You know what she is, right?’

That’s exactly what he said. It was rubbing me the wrong way. It wasn’t just a simple cry for him to protect me out of kindness. For all I know, I was going to be made an unwilling participant in his plans soon. Kim Dokja was a man with ambitions. And what did all ambitions use as fuel? Starting funds.

I’ve been buddying up with him and his party so far, which only confirmed my feelings. This guy was extremely unpredictable. A lot of things aren’t lining up, or at least, are lining up in ways that I can’t understand yet.

How did he know so much? What was his relationship with Yoo Joonghyuk? What does he see that we can’t? In quite the literal sense, mind you.

Once again, he was ‘reading’ something that was in the air in front of my head. And once again, his face scrunched up like the results weren’t what he expected. What could he ‘read’, and could he not ‘read’ whatever it is from me? There were a ton of questions that I wanted to ask despite the situation. But right there, Kim Dokja was saved by circumstances.

“There! Kill that dipsh*t!” Countless incarnations were yelling while brandishing weapons.

The people who they had forcefully evicted were unhappy and were searching for the one responsible for their current predicament.

“Talk to you later!” Kim Dokja ran off with an expression that was a smidge too relieved. “Word of advice, you’d better group up with the rest of them soon!”

“Hm? Why?!” I called out to him, but they weren’t looking back.

Running as fast as he could, Kim Dokja barreled straight into the landlord’s room, knocking over several as he went. In an instant, the turrets whirred to life and all trained on him,

“Kim Dokja!” Lee Hyunsung roared as he tossed his shield like a frisbee, which the former caught.

A millisecond later, the barrage of bullets began. The shield’s metal creaked and groaned as dent after dent was peppered into its surface while the bullets fired, but Kim Dokja held firm. Eventually, the bullets ran out and the smoke began to clear, revealing Gong Pildu with a sour expression.

“If it isn’t the squatter.” He scowled at the man. “You aren’t here to pay your rent, I presume?”

“I’ve decided to give up this informal settlement.”

“So your solution is to not settle at all!?” Skill windows were cropping up around Gong Pildu as he augmented his turrets and his skills. “There aren’t any rooms left in this place! You’ll pay for all this property damage!”

The turrets began to whirr once more as Gong Pildu’s rage grew. Kim Dokja tossed Lee Hyunsung back his shield and roared.

“It’s now, Lee Hyunsung! Give ‘em hell!”

Lee Hyunsung had an indiscernible expression as he gazed at his large hands. A moment later, they balled up into tight fists. A gust came out of nowhere, causing Lee Hyunsung’s clothes to billow out dramatically as he began to be bathed in a golden light. It was almost like there were projections of armored hands clasping him gently, supporting him as he roared out with immense power.

[Lee Hyunsung’s attribute is blossoming!]

[A new stigma has been unlocked with the blossoming of his attribute!]

His already struggling sleeves were torn to shreds as his entire arm bulged with muscles four to five times their usual size. Veins popped and pure beef rippled as he drew his arm back and slammed it right into the floor. With a great sound and dust flying up into the air, Gong Pildu’s room, along with his Militarized Zone was brought down with a single smash.

[Gong Pildu’s Private Property has been demolished.]

As the dust was settling, I noticed the movements too late. In a flash, Lee Hyunsung was in front of me. The muscles on his legs deflated rapidly as he was finished using them in a burst of speed. With a pop, both of his arms swelled several times their size as he raised them over his head.

“This isn’t personal, Lu Miyu!” He cried out while looking away as he brought his fists down.

[Incarnation, Lee Hyunsung, has activated the stigma, Great Mountain Crush LV. 1!]

Even as I made to grab my fabric, I knew it would be futile. I threw it out in front of me, but Lee Hyunsung’s attack folded it as if it were regular fabric. I knew I was suspecting them earlier, but I didn’t know that they would move this fast! Why!? What was the point!?

Even though he was still aiming away from me, I was dragged down onto the crumbling floor. Around me, the glow of my room was dissipating along with the views of the mall. I was falling through the floor?

Suddenly, my free fall was interrupted. Lee Hyunsung had grabbed onto the fabric that I was gripping with his monstrously large hands. I was swinging above pure darkness. There was a section underneath the mall this entire time?

Come to think of it, there was a connection to the subway on the basement level of the mall. It had been part of the destroyed portion and was unrecognizable under rubble, which was why I’d never recalled it until now. Lee Hyunsung dragged me up by the fabric. Once I was back in safety, I remembered that I was fuming.

“I know what it looks like-” Lee Hyunsung began explaining, but I didn’t wait.

I spun and slung my tent, its trajectory aiming straight for Lee Hyunsung’s jaw. There was nothing to explain. They had turned against me.

Yet just as the iron was about to strike the army man, it sparked as it was intercepted. A long blade had blocked it, altering its trajectory.

“Hold on now!” Kim Dokja himself had arrived.

“Hold on!? You guys are really saying that to me!?”

Without waiting for a response, I bundled my fabric around my forearm and brought it down like a hammer onto Kim Dokja’s face, which he blocked and clashed against. I pressed down on his blade, pushing him back inch by inch.

“Do you really think you should be fighting me right now?” He said through gritted teeth.

“What are you saying now!? Stop stalling!”

Yet right as those words left my mouth, a soft ding was heard. Multiple pops were heard above us as the dokkaebi appeared one by one. Those damn dokkaebi were grinning evilly. This couldn’t be good. I stopped my attack. Several new windows had appeared.

[All the Green Zones in the scenario area have been destroyed. The Main Scenario system has become overloaded.]

[The difficulty of the current Main Scenario has been adjusted according to the remaining scenario duration.]

[The current scenario has been updated!]

Category: Main

Difficulty: B+

Clear Condition: All Green Zones in the area have been destroyed, spawning the remaining monsters all at once. Survive the onslaught of monsters for the remaining duration.

Duration: 8 hours.

Reward: 1000 coins.

Penalty for Failure: Death.

The entire mall was deathly quiet as we processed the messages one by one. Tenants and landlords alike were despairing, and rightfully so. Yet before anyone could react, another message appeared,

[Emergency Defense has begun!]

Around us, the roars of a giant horde of monsters were echoing.

Chapter Text

The floor was rumbling. Pebbles up to the size of half my palm were bouncing up and down from the vibrations. The cacophony of monsters was growing nearer and nearer. There were even screams from those who were positioned further out. Meanwhile, Kim Dokja and his party were peering down at the crater that used to be Gong Pildu’s base.

“Now,” Kim Dokja looked down with an anger-inducing smile. “Let’s go back to a time where private property didn’t exist.”

The landlord who had only just healed from his recent wounds was crawling out of the hole with new cuts and bruises. “Damn you!”

Yoo Joonghyuk’s disciple was standing there without a care in the world, her sword propped up on her shoulder. She grinned at Kim Dokja as she nodded towards the angry tenants rushing to the scene.

“I’m not going to help you this time, you know?”

“I don’t need your help.” He grinned back as he waved off his companions who began to surround him in a defensive stance.

“Get down the hole before the monsters get here. I’ll join you in a bit.”

“What will you do?” Jung Heewon was reluctant to leave as she glared at the oncoming people.

“I have one last bit of business with the landlord.”

She bit her lip. “Fine. Let’s go!”

As his party ran past me to jump down the hole where my room had been, I stared Kim Dokja down. All my possessions were lost. The poles to my tent. The suitcase where I kept my items. Even my only jacket. And now the main scenario had changed completely.

I balled up my fists. “What do you intend to do!? You’ve just killed us all!”

The man was silent. Instead, he propped up Gong Pildu and cleared his throat. Then suddenly, there was a sound. Almost like the faintest sound of pages flipping rapidly. The ding of the system came, and Kim Dokja spoke. When he opened his mouth, a sudden wave of persuasion washed over me, but it was quickly intercepted.

[Kim Dokja has activated the skill, Incite Lv 2!]

[Personal Skill, Mental Barrier, has nullified the effects of Incite!]

“Everyone! Don’t you want to live!?” Kim Dokja yelled out to the regrouping survivors.

“There are no more rooms left in this scenario area! What are you going to do!?”

Everyone had froze and was looking at Kim Dokja with unbelieving expressions. Naturally. He was the one who had put them in this situation in the first place. Yet it seemed that with his skill, he was sounding more persuasive. Instead of blind anger, they were listening to his words.

“One man here has the power to get all of us through the scenario!”

As Kim Dokja raised the confused Gong Pildu’s arm, the monsters finally breached the walls of the connecting hallway and were spilling out into the mall complex. The terrified people were fueled further, and seemed to catch on to Kim Dokja’s suggestion.

“Why you-” Gong Pildu began to interject, but he was quickly interrupted by the masses.

In droves, they had surrounded Gong Pildu. “Please help us! Landlord! Please!”

He was chewing the inside of his cheeks in frustration. He knew it was some kind of trick that Kim Dokja had set up. It was a trap. He must have sensed the skill that Kim Dokja had used to influence the masses. But on the other hand, what could he do about it?

His skill denied a large area, applied debuffs to trespassers was easily defensible, not to mention his turrets. He was reasonably the only way the people of this scenario area could clear this Emergency Defense. If he stubbornly refused to set up his Militarized Zone, he would die along with the rest of these fools.

With that, he came to a decision, casting out an arm and taking up an assertive tone of voice, throwing away the tenant-landlord dynamic, even if it was only for now.

“My zones take time to set up!” He roared in frustration. “Defend me for 10 minutes!”

As the tenants surrounded Gong Pildu with their weapons, Kim Dokja eyed me through his periphery as he crossed his arms. He was willfully oblivious to the monsters that were growing nearer and nearer.

“Where will you stay?”

It was a careful question, with no connotations. He wasn’t telling me to go with them as if we were allies. It seems this guy was self aware after all. As the monsters finally reached the outer lines of the defensive ring and were picking off tenants one by one, I came to a decision. I pulled my fabric off my shoulders, and wrapped it around an arm.

Recognizing the statement, Kim Dokja nodded.

“Yoo Sangah, Lee Hyunsung!” He yelled down the hole.

Instantly, golden threads lashed out from within and wrapped themselves around Kim Dokja. At the same time, my suitcase filled with the Ellain’s Forest Essence threw itself back up to the surface. Did Yoo Sangah have such a useful skill before?

As the red glow of Gong Pildu’s zone billowed all around us, Kim Dokja said one thing before Yoo Sangah pulled him down.

“Good luck.”

As his form disappeared down the hole, Lee Hyunsung let out a great grunt. An enormous piece of debris flew up from the darkness and plugged the hole with a crash. I sighed through my teeth. Another one of his contingencies succeeded. The next second, the plugged hole all but disappeared under the tide of monsters that was approaching.

Sounds of gunfire, screams, and heavy breathing were paramount as the people held defensive positions around each turret, hitting and stabbing at monsters that were able to get past the bullets. With grim determination in their eyes and Gong Pildu at the center, the incarnations of this mall began the emergency defense.

.

.

.

Damnit. It was almost looking good for a second there. We were beating back the monsters, and Gong Pildu’s skill was working overtime. It was almost enough for us to turn complacent. Almost. We had forgotten about one crucial thing. Skills ran on mana. Gong Pildu had to sustain this for 8 entire hours.

It had been one hour since the emergency defense began. Gong Pildu was beginning to slow down, something that was made painfully clear when his turrets let up for a fraction of a second. In that fraction, a heavily injured bear made it into the zone, tearing a couple women to shreds before it was exterminated. The panic was instantly renewed as people stood back on alert.

“What’s wrong!?” They were yelling. “Gong Pildu? Keep your skill active!”

“You try taking my place, moron!” He screamed back. “See how you hold up!?”

I took out huge swathes of monsters with a flourish of my tent, but even more took its place. It was like last night, except worse somehow. We were fighting four days worth of midnight in one day. No matter how many I tore to shreds it was like I was battering a wall.

With shaking hands, Gong Pildu extracted something within his jacket. It was a small ampoule filled with a thick blue liquid. He downed it in one sip, and instantly looked rejuvenated.

Of course! Mana potions! I could buy this old fool mana potions! Even with such a small replenishment, his turrets were back to peak condition. I had an incredible fortune to spend, surely there would be bigger potions!

“Mass Production Maker! Give me the shop!” I yelled as I cleared out the perimeter one more time.

With a quick response, the dokkaebi shop appeared in my window. I searched the mana potions immediately and clicked buy on the biggest option without hesitation, but there was no feedback. Almost like I couldn’t afford it.

Haha. That’s not possible. Surely I’d gotten that 50000. With the coin sponsorships I’d received from watching constellations, I even made more than what I’d initially earned. I tried again. This time, I received a response from the shop that simply wasn’t possible. I clicked it off and tried again. XL Mana Potion x10 for 9500 coins. That was dirt cheap.

So why did I receive an insufficient balance message whenever I tried to purchase? In a panic, I checked my coin balance.

[Coins currently in possession: 1870.]

…how? What did I buy? I haven’t done anything! Where did all my money go? This can’t be real! Now, of all times? There’s no way I could’ve been robbed, right?

[Constellation, Mass Production Maker, is wide eyed at your coin balance.]

[Constellation, Mass Production Maker, is lamenting the loss of profits.]

Suddenly, a series of messages that I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I didn’t request overtook everything else that was flashing in my vision.

[5000 coins invested into Mana!]

[Mana 20 -> 30]

[Your Mana stat has reached the limit set by the scenario!]

[Your body resonates with energy.]

Level 30!? Wasn’t I level 2 before? How was I suddenly at level 30? There was no way I spent on mana. I haven’t upgraded my stats since I fought Yoo Joonghyuk. What was going on?

Suddenly, a splitting headache attacked. I doubled over. The world was black, until it faded into a deep red. I realized I was going blind with pain. I could hear sparks dancing, filling my ears with electricity. My vision returned, but was swimming in a crimson haze. I breathed out heavily as bright red lights flickered in my vision. My vision focused a bit, and I registered that I was seeing the red sparks of a probability storm.

Why was it… around me? As each spark arced across my body, I doubled down in pain. I didn’t know if I was actually screaming or if it was all in my head. The world around me faded out into a red haze, interrupted only by the white-hot sparks.

Through it all, I could only see the system messages appearing one after the other.

[One of your attributes is almost ready to blossom.]

[One of your attributes demands more coin investments.]

[Attempted to invest coins into Mana.]

[Your Mana stat has reached the limit set by the scenario!]

[Attempted to invest coins into Mana.]

[Your Mana stat has reached the limit set by the scenario!]

[Att$mpted t0 1nv3s7 co#ns i#nto M$n@]

The message was unstable. It was flickering intermittently, and the words were scrambled. Or was it my vision?

When I read it, the pain doubled as the sparks coursed around my entire body twofold. I was definitely screaming. I couldn’t take it anymore. The agony began to fade as my consciousness slipped away.

[Your Mana stat has reached the limit set by the scenario!]

[...]

[60 coins invested into Mana!]

[Mana 30 -> 30.1]

[One of your attributes is almost ready to blossom.]

Chapter Text

[Constellation, Mass Production Maker, is sharing your burden of probability.]

The ding roused my consciousness. I bolted awake, and was immediately greeted by an intense surge of pain. A groan flew from my lips, but it was nowhere near the level of pain that I’d experienced earlier. The sparks all over my body dissipated, and I could feel again.

I was out of breath, drops of sweat, big as beads falling from my face. My hair was hanging down like a curtain as my sore body complained under the effort of carrying itself. A ding filled my ears as I collected myself. A new system message appeared before my eyes.

[Main Scenario #3 - Emergency Defense has ended.]

[You have received 1000 coins for your achievement.]

Ah. So it was over, huh? I was passed out for all eight hours? Beside me, Gong Pildu was on all fours as well, coughing out blood and spit as his militarized zone came undone. He had held out for the entire duration…

Wait. There were empty mana ampoules around his feet, and they were thrice the size of the ones he was chugging. That was the biggest size that I’d wanted to buy. Someone had sponsored him.

[Gong Pildu’s constellation has revealed his modifier.]

[Constellation, Defense Master, thanks everyone warmly.]

[Constellation, Defense Master, thanks Kim Dokja profusely.]

Kim Dokja..? I shakily got to my feet and saw him and his entire party clambering out of the hole. It seems that they’d removed the rock they blocked themselves with.

He waved the messages off with a warm expression. A constellation was thanking this guy? For what? There’s no way that he was the one who sponsored Gong Pildu with those ampoules, right? In any case, I was too tired to confront them. My fabric lay discarded beside me, so I bent over and picked it up. That was when a loud sizzling pop was heard, as the red sparks of probability exploded around my hand. With a yelp, I let go of the fabric.

Bihyung descended from the group of dokkaebi observing the scenario with his tiny little arms crossed.

“What gives!?” I yelled up, but was answered by the system.

[The dokkaebi of Seoul Dome have requested a probability check against incarnation, Lu Miyu!]

[Constellation, Master of Steel, recognizes your equipment.]

[Constellation, Mass Production Maker, protests that this should have been an impossible outcome.]

“What’s going on?” I looked around as the dokkaebi were looking down at me from above. The constellations were getting even noisier as the survivors of the emergency defense were circling around me.

[We didn’t recognize it until now, but you’ve been using an item that no incarnation in the early scenarios should ever have access to.]

What did this thing mean?

Ellain’s Forest Essence? My coins? Is that why they were confiscated? But the Mass Production Maker proposed a fair contract. If it was deemed unfair, I should have been struck by the storm much earlier. So is it my tent? I tried to grab it on the floor once more. It sparked against my hand, but I was expecting the pain.

I clamped my hand around it, and the pain slowly dissipated the longer I gripped onto it.

[Constellation, Master of Steel, is convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt of the tent’s material.]

[Constellation, Secretive Plotter, is agreeing with Master of Steel’s deduction.]

[Constellation, Mass Production Maker, purses his lips.]

“No, seriously. What’s wrong?” I held up the tent, and immediately realized what was wrong.

It had been a dull gray this entire time, but with that underlying faint prismatic sheen that it always had when the light struck it just right.

“Let me try.” Kim Dokja suddenly walked up behind me with a serious expression as he stared down Bihyung.

I handed it over to the man, placing it carefully in his arms. Kim Dokja was looking at the fabric with a jealous expression.

However, the longer it stayed in Kim Dokja's arms, the more its sheen faded. In no time at all, the fabric was a flat grey.

[Hm?] Bihyung floated down and picked it up. It stayed gray and seemed light. [That’s weird. Wasn’t it…]

He turned to me. [Hold it.]

The dokkaebi tossed it to me. The second I caught it, my fingertips started buzzing. A message I’ve never noticed before appeared before me.

[Personal skill, Endorser Lv. 5 is taking effect!]

Simultaneously, the fabric lit up in the prismatic colors once more. The dokkaebi looked perplexed as he checked his various screens.

He took it away, and it faded. He gave it back, and it lit up. Rinse and repeat a couple times, with his expression shifting over time. He was understanding it.

After a while, the dokkaebi gave it back and floated up to his companions to discuss amongst themselves. Kim Dokja was watching by with an unreadable expression as he watched this all transpire.

Could he have known this entire time?

“What’s going on? I’m getting freaked out.” I decided to confront the source directly.

Kim Dokja rubbed his chin. “This type of thing should not be possible to obtain as early as now.”

“So what is it?”

He seemed to think hard before answering, considering what he could say safely. “I’m not entirely sure, but it may be something called fable metal.”

“Hm? What’s that?”

“Ah. Well, it’s a very strong material. I’m sure you deduced that from your time using it. So strong that we shouldn’t have it early on.”

This guy was being vague as usual. “So, what’s going to happen to me?”

“These scenarios are governed by balance. Who knows? It all depends on the outcome of the probability check.”

Right on time, Bihyung descended once more.

[The outcome of the probability check has concluded. Your unprecedented equipment will be dealt with, and the unknown bug in your stats has been corrected.]

[Mana 30.1 -> 30.]

[60 coins have been refunded.]

The fabric in my hands floated up into the air and right in front of me, the weapon that carried me through the past two scenarios was sliced up into long ribbons.

It fell back into my arms in a heap as I accepted it with a heavy feeling in my heart. Bihyung cleared his throat, and continued speaking.

[As for that equipment… it will be disposed of accordingly as this is a special case.]

Bihyung continued to speak, but it sounded different. It was almost as if he was talking directly into my head. His mouth wasn’t moving, and it seemed that noone else was hearing it.

[I’ll let you into a secret since you’re a third of the reason my channel grew exponentially recently.]

Private communications? He was in front of a group of his coworkers. The goblin really had a nasty expression on. What a shady guy…

[If the Star Stream deemed it improbable, it would have taken your tent right there. This isn’t a case of an actual probability violation. The dokkaebi of this area are complaining, that’s why they demand probability checks. If enough dokkaebi agree, it can be enforced.]

“So-”

[Shut up!] His private voice was panicked, but he seriously looked composed on the outside.

[Why do you think I’m talking to you in private!? If the others find out I’m saying these things, I’ll be exterminated!]

[Stay quiet and listen. Your tent has fable metal slag, just trace amounts that are extracted from wastes of the fable metal production plants in that outer planetary system, I think you humans call it Oss? Bah, whatever. It doesn’t matter.]

[Usually, trace amounts do little else but strengthen alloys just the slightest bit. Maybe having a sheet of metal bend under a punch to resisting a couple.]

I looked around, trying to make myself look busy as he continued to explain. The other dokkaebi were discussing in the air. It seems that this channel was Bihyung’s jurisdiction alone, so they were leaving it to him.

The other stragglers were dissipating, tending to their equipment and wounds as there was respite between scenarios. Even Kim Dokja’s party was back there, talking amongst themselves again.

[However, in very rare cases, fable metal activates. An entire sheet or a single fragment, it doesn’t matter, as long as the conditions are met. Usually those conditions are only met in the factories, but somehow, your skill is special.]

My skill? Come to think of it, how did Endorser get to level 5 without me knowing? Was it because I’d unconsciously been using it on my tent this entire time?

Is that why I kept running out of mana at random times? But that still doesn’t explain why my coins had disappeared. Even if I jumped from 2 to 30, that would only total to about 20000 coins. What happened to the rest of the 40000?

[In any case, you’ve been allowed to keep these fragments by the Star Stream. But if you continue to possess it all, the other dokkaebi will hound you. I suggest dispersing the fragments. Hide them, throw them away, give them to someone, whatever. That’s all. Good luck.]

Bihyung rejoined the other dokkaebi as he let fly those final words. With a pop, they all disappeared off to who knows where.

At the same time, a new message appeared in front of every incarnation.

[The 4th Main Scenario is starting!]

Chapter Text

With a sizzling pop, Bihyung reappeared once more after disappearing with his colleagues as if he had something else to say. It seemed that he had freshened up somewhat, as there was a spring in his step? Hover? Bah.

Whatever. He was energetic as he greeted the incarnations for the start of the 4th main scenario.

[How is everyone!? Enjoy that short break?]

Amidst the cacophony of complaints, Bihyung continued to speak up.

[The 4th main scenario is starting. Before that, there’s actually a prerequisite scenario! Things are chaotic in a lawless land, so what better solution than to elect a leader!]

Something sparked into existence right below Bihyung. It stood right in the middle of the Landlord Coalition’s ruined base, where the concierge would have been.

It was a simple brick pillar that barely rose to just above my waist. On top of it was a digital flag that fluttered in the wind.

[As such, here are the rules!]

Bihyung cried out as a new sub scenario window appeared.

Sub Scenario - Leader Election

Category: Sub

Difficulty: C

Clear Condition: Take the White Flag installed at the center of the platform.

Time LImit: 30 minutes.

Reward: 1000 coins, winner is elected as the area’s leader.

Penalty for failure: -

*You will be granted absolute authority over others that reside within the area when elected as the leader.

Before I even finished reading the window, I heard the commotion of someone rushing. A fat man was running the fastest he could. Gong Pildu was dashing for the flag with a desperate expression. If it wasn’t for the sheer desperation in his expression, it might have been comical.

Funny as he looked, he was a genuine contender. All he had to do was hold that position for five minutes. If he sets up his Militarized Zone around the flagpole, it was as good as his. He was just about to reach it, when he suddenly froze.

“Gong Pildu.” Kim Dokja said with a cold voice. “Down.”

Like a wrecking ball, Gong Pildu flopped onto the floor. He struggled against some unknown force, as if Kim Dokja’s will was physically holding him down.

This was alarming. Seriously. What happened while I was out? How did Kim Dokja manage to subdue Gong Pildu in this way?

Not only had he taken almost complete control of this station, but he seemed to be even more geared out than before he’d left. Not only was he wearing a brand new set of armor, he had an ornate golden shield on his arm.

Kim Dokja stepped over Gong Pildu’s back, leaving a footprint on his expensive suit as he moved to collect the flag.

This man was a master of manipulation. A man of many plans. Should I really be leaving him with this much power? Everything I had and knew was in this area. Would it be safe to leave him like this?

In a blink, I appeared behind Kim Dokja. Right as his hand closed around the flag, mine snapped over his. I gripped his wrist. Both of our fingers touched the flag as our arms shook, vying for dominance.

Kim Dokja looked up at me with an unnerved expression. “What’s wrong, Lu Miyu? Do you not trust me?”

“I can’t say I do, sorry.” A bead of sweat traced its way down my face.

I could always move to a different area. I didn’t have to stay here. But I would become a wanderer. Someone alone. At least with other incarnations in the area, the scenarios would become easier for me. If anything, I could piggyback off of such a strong group.

Who knows what I’d have to do alone? Or without a team I could stand in the sidelines of? I want to take the flag, but I didn’t want to lead anyone. I just don’t know if I should really let this guy do it.

Last night was THE prime example. I’d gotten concerned all for nothing during the onslaught of monsters I survived with him. Even after all that, he turned on me the second that I got in the way of his plans.

I wouldn’t be this upset if he’d just told me that he needed to break my room for his plan to work. The more I thought about it, the more I didn’t want him to hold the flag.

[15 minutes left.]

Kim Dokja was an enigma. I want to be on his good side. I want him under control. I’d fight alongside him if I had to, but dread the moment I’d have to fight him. What should I do?

The flag was creaking under both our grips. I was noticing movement behind me. Jung Heewon, Kim Dokja’s sword, was holding a brand new blade at the ready, unsure what to do. Tch. This guy wasn’t alone either.

“Give me one good reason I should leave you with this much power.”

He looked me dead in the eyes. “Give me one good reason I should leave it with you.”

Slimy bastard. “Should we give it to Gong Pildu, then?”

“If this is about your room, I’m sorry, okay? It had to be done.”

“Did it have to be done the way you did it? I would’ve moved, you know?”

He let out a sigh. “What can I do to make it up to you?”

“You’re a funny guy, you know that?”

I tugged, shifting the flag towards me. My grip was winning. Kim Dokja was getting nervous now. There were seven minutes left on the scenario timer.

[Constellation, Prisoner of the Golden Headband, is watching with bated breath.]

[Constellation, Abyssal Black Flame Dragon, is yelling for either of you to snatch it already.]

[Constellation, Secretive Plotter, looks wistfully at the flag.]

[Constellation, Mass Production Maker, is calculating the profits that come with being an area leader.]

“What will you do with this area if I let go of this flag?” I continued to pull the flag towards my chest.

Kim Dokja gave up on his pride and put two hands on the flagpole, tugging with his entire body. “I need it for the next scenario. This is something I can’t negotiate upon.”

Veins were popping on my hand as I slowly but surely dragged the flag closer and closer. If brute strength was the point of this contest for the flag, I’d easily win. I really didn’t want it, but I could take it easily.

To be completely honest, will I even be able to maximize owning something like this? I don’t even like the people I’d be taking control over.

However, I should have known that strength wasn’t the game that Kim Dokja wanted to play. He quit trying to pull against me and changed the direction of his force. I sighed, unclenching my fist. The flagpole slid vertically right out of my hand where my grip wasn’t as strong.

[Kim Dokja has taken the white flag.]

[The area’s leader has been elected.]

He held the flag up high over his head, in disbelief that I had relinquished it that easily.

[If the ownership of the flag doesn’t change in the next five minutes, Kim Dokja will remain in command.]

[If the ownership of the flag is changed, a new leader will be elected and the 5 minute timer will be reset.]

“Take the flag!” Gong Pildu roared. “We have five minutes!”

As what remained of the Landlord Coalition dashed towards Kim Dokja, Gong Pildu’s stigma whirred to life.

[Gong Pildu has activated the stigma, Militarized Zone Lv. 6!]

Hey, that was fast. His stigma’s level had doubled, too. This guy was really put through the wringer, huh? His turrets were taller, thicker, had bigger barrels. Not to mention the fact that they had doubled. He now had eight turrets.

I think that he should thank Kim Dokja, honestly. He had gotten exponentially stronger.

“Kim Dokja!” Lee Hyunsung yelled.

With a nod, Kim Dokja tossed the shield he was holding to the army man, who looked at it like it was the best thing in the world.

[Lee Hyunsung has used special skill, Area Defense.]

A holographic shield expanded out in front of Lee Hyunsung’s form, blocking off everything running or flying towards him.

“Gong Pildu. I don’t think I told you that you could get up just yet.”

I flinched as Gong Pildu fell to the ground like a rock.

“Stay down until I tell you to get up. And get rid of these turrets.”

LIke clockwork, Gong Pildu followed his orders.

“Y-You son of a…”

“And shut that mouth of yours too. Stay quiet for 30 minutes.”

Kim Dokja stretched as his party members surrounded him behind Lee Hyunsung’s shield. I took a step away from the group and crossed my arms.

“Now that the housekeeping is done, all of you are at a crossroads. I’ll keep it frank.”

He eyed me carefully before making the next statement.

“You have two choices. Stay here under my lead, or leave.”

It was an easy decision, really. If Kim Dokja was going to let me leave, then I was leaving. I was afraid that I’d have to move under his instruction but that was all fixed. Everyone’s happy!

I didn’t stick around to listen much, but I got the general gist of Kim Dokja’s administration. If you didn’t like him, you could up and leave. Those who stay would be under his command. Simple as that.

He didn’t intend to play the King. No over the top rules, or taxes. He wouldn’t mingle in internal affairs. All that he was going to do was secure the area from outside threats. His conditions were of course, to follow his command, and for Gong Pildu to be left behind, as the landlords who didn’t want to stay attempted to take their big boss.

As soon as his debrief was over, the ones who were going to leave were decided. There was me, and there were five cranky landlords who were upset about not being able to take their leader. The crowd had dispersed and were organizing their own objects.

Taking notice of the completed sub scenario, Bihyung had returned.

[You have an elected leader, I see?] He looked around with his hands on his hips before snapping his fingers. [Let’s start the main event then!]

[The 4th Main Scenario has been activated!]

Main Scenario #4 - Capture the Flag

Category: Main

Difficulty: C

Clear Conditions:

Each station is given a flagpole where a flag can be planted. (*The flag can only be held by the leader of each group.)
You must defend your flagpole from the other groups. If another group’s flag is planted, your station will be taken over by the group that has planted their flag and the fate of your group will be left at their disposal.
You can plant your flag at the flagpoles in other stations. Only the leader has the power to plant flags. If your leader dies, the next person to take the flag will be the new leader. If the other group takes the flag before a member of your group does, the fate of your group will be left at their disposal.
You must plant your flag at a specified target flagpole within the given time limit or your entire group will die.
The target stations for your group will be [Changsin Station].

Time Limit: 12 Days

Reward: 2000 coins

Penalty for Failure: ???

It was a wordy one. This was the longest scenario window that we’d received so far. It sounded quite fun, even. I always enjoyed playing capture the flag for gym as a child. It almost made me want to stay within this group.

Yet, I stood at the mall’s exit. Kim Dokja’s party came to see me one last time.

“So, you’re really leaving?” Kim Dokja came forward.

I’d spent the last week indoors in the mall. In a way, it felt good to be under the daytime sky again. I didn’t realize it, but it was stuffy inside. Maybe leaving would be good for my constitution.

There was a lot that I didn’t notice, even during when the scenarios started.

One was the giant dome that surrounded the entire city. I can’t believe that it took me this long to realize that we’d been enclosed under a shimmering barrier, as if we were little figures inside of a snow globe. It seemed to both be designed to keep us in, and to keep anyone else out.

The map that was stolen from me came to mind. It seemed like so long ago that I’d fought Yoo Joonghyuk, but it was just three days ago.

I tried to recall what it looked like. If its representation was correct… almost all of Asia was… smushed together? It looked as if most everything was smashed into China’s side and formed a crescent that created a landlocked ocean.

Who were our neighbors then… China to the west, Japan to the east, and the Philippines to the south.

Argh. I really want it back. Now that I was a wanderer, I needed to get my bearings established more than ever. Information should now be my greatest strength!

I waved all those thoughts off for now. “I’ll see you people around. We’ll all still be in Seoul, right?”

“I guess you will be.” Kim Dokja put his hands on his hips with a peculiar expression again. We’ll all still be in Seoul, right?

[Constellation, Mass Production Maker, clears his throat awkwardly.]

“So where will you go?”

“Who knows?”

I’m not telling you my game plan even if I had one at the moment, fool.

“Well, stay safe.”

I hoisted my pack over my shoulders. It was fashioned out of metal ribbon that I’d tied around my suitcase. It wrapped around my body like a messenger bag.

With preparations complete, I was ready to depart.

I looked back at the group I was leaving. Lee Hyunsung. Jung Heewon. Yoo Sangah. Even Lee Gilyoung, and last, Kim Dokja.

I was sure that this won’t be the last I’d hear of these names. They breezed past the scenarios leading up to now, and dismantled an entire association.

Though we were leaving on uncertain terms, I couldn’t wait to see where they'd end up. Chills ran up and down my back.

Anything was possible now. The future was spreading out in front of me.

My foot took a step forward, passing through a curtain-like hologram. I passed through, and a system message greeted me.

[You have left Kim Dokja’s area.]

[You have become a wanderer.]

Chapter Text

[You are currently a wanderer.]

[Due to the Mass Production Maker’s request, a previous bounty scenario has been reopened.]

[A previous bounty scenario has been updated.]

[A new sub-scenario has opened.]

Sub Scenario - Vessel Scavenging

Category: Sub

Difficulty: D

Clear Conditions:

Find a sufficiently mobile vessel for your supporting constellation to utilize.
*Hint: Search for the cracks.
???
???

Time Limit: 5 days.

Penalty for Failure: Confiscation of your fable metal fragments.

I guess the Mass Production Maker has sent me a second mission. My bounty scenario had been upgraded to a sub-scenario, so it must be more important this time.

Considering the penalty for failure, this was probably about the complaints from the other dokkaebi that Bihyung had been telling me about.

I see… but there was something weird.

“Why are the details hidden?” I tapped on the screen several times, trying to see if that would clear it up. “And what does it mean by ‘the cracks’?”

[Constellation, Mass Production Maker, says that it is out of his control.]

“Aren’t you the one who assigned this quest?”

[Constellation, Mass Production Maker, says that other parties have influenced the quest to avoid spoilers.]

Hm? Spoilers? For what? Did they think that this was some sort of show?

I kicked my feet up as I lay in the cushy backseat of a totaled convertible. It had been around 2 days since I left Kim Dokja’s area. Life as a wanderer wasn’t that bad.

Most of the time, I was alone. Though I’d heard sounds of screams in the distance, or otherwise any other commotion. Capture the flag was proceeding nicely, it seems. I didn’t realize that there were that many groups in Seoul.

Personally, I haven’t met anybody except the occasional straggler, or monsters. 5 days to complete this scenario, hm? I guess I have time to kill.

This area seemed to be a shopping district as despite the area being wrecked, it was still giving off a festive vibe. I wonder what kind of celebrations they were holding here as the scenarios started.

Multicolored streamers were hanging from the power lines and the building awnings. There were a bunch of stores and stalls, though all of the edible food was picked clean as far as I could see.

There were even fair games. I saw kids games as I walked past. Ddakji, jegichagi, darts, ringtoss. Masks were being sold. It was almost a surreal feeling, walking through this kind of thing alone.

The blood splattered across everything was ruining the vibe, though.

A huge artificial pond lay abandoned, plastic nets scattered about. The goldfish that were meant to be caught were swimming sadly inside, with some already floating with their bellies up.

It came to my realization that a tear was making its way down the side of my cheek. I quickly wiped it off.

There was a bag of open crackers at my feet. I picked it up and crushed the leftover pieces in my hand, casting it out into the pond. The goldfish swam up, avoiding their dead companions as they came to greedily gobble the bread.

I knelt at the pool’s side, smiling slightly. That was when a pair of sharp talons suddenly disturbed the surface of the water.

A small winged monster that I didn’t notice swooped in and grabbed a goldfish, flying it off into the distance. My smile instantly faded. I emptied the rest of the bag into the pond and picked up my stuff.

A sign across the pond caught my attention. After a turn, I’d arrive in Heunginjimun Park? Isn’t that Jong-ro road, too? And then after a turn I’d be on Daehak-ro. If I followed that road in turn, I’d arrive at…

I didn’t realize that I had been in the area. I should visit. Wouldn’t be right not to.

Though before I did, I should find something to leave. I recall there being a shop that sold flowers around here, that should do. I hope it still has stock.
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A bundle of flowers were held in my closed fist as I strolled through Daehak-ro’s road of theaters. An equal amount of red carnations, white lilies, and gladioli lined flowerboxes on the sidewalks, as if I were the only member of a procession.

It was nice the first few times, when I was a kid. After the fifth, sixth times, it had gotten stale. I suppose Father insisted on passing by every single time because he didn’t want to think too much.

Coming up to the National University, my walking pace slowed down. There it was. I was here once more.

It was an expansive building. Tall, with a V shape facing towards the road that was almost like it was a welcoming embrace for those who needed to enter.

Seoul National University Hospital was pristine as ever. It looked like it was barely affected by the apocalypse. Aside from a few crashed cars in its lot, it looked as if it was just another day.

I stopped just outside the parking lot, looking up at the building. Now that I was here…

“I really don’t want to go in.” I whispered, thinking out loud.

[The constellations are curious about your past.]

I scoffed. Of course they were. I almost forgot that I was being watched. Now I had even less reasons to go in. Kneeling to the floor, I laid the bundle of flowers down.

With a slight bow, I paid my respects to the one who was left behind within, years and years before the scenarios drove people to kill each other.

The second I finished, I turned and left, ignoring the flood of messages beside my head.