For a moment, my mind refused to process what I had just heard.
Star System? Fables? Main Stories?
These words belonged to fiction—concepts completely detached from reality that seemed illogical, yet they felt unsettlingly familiar.
Why? Where had I encountered those words before?
"Did you hear that? I'm not going crazy, right? You heard it too, right?"
Angelica's voice trembled beside me, but her words barely registered.
My focus was elsewhere, my fingers flying across my phone's screen as if my life depended on it.
Impossible. This couldn't be happening. It wasn't possible.
The words echoing inside my head were straight out of a novel I'd read—a story, nothing more. But the unease creeping in my chest told me otherwise.
If only I had listened to Angelica, I might've realized this wasn't just my imagination.
My heart pounded as I opened a live feed of Hongdae and checked the current situation.
Multiple voices poured into my ears.
ㄴWhat's going on?
ㄴDid you hear that just now?
ㄴSo I wasn't the only one who heard it.
ㄴIs this a prank?
December 31, 2023,
It was the last day of the month of December year and the end of the old year. Hongdae was teeming with people celebrating the holiday. But there was another reason I was fixated on the live feed.
In Song of Nightmares, Hongdae had been the epicenter of the first announcement.
If what I was witnessing wasn't some twisted illusion or prank, then that person would be arriving soon.
As I feared, the air shimmered for a moment, distorting like a glitch in the fabric of reality.
And there she was.
A tiny girl floated in mid-air, small enough to perch on a delicate flower, with her four delicate wings fluttering behind her dark dress. Her dark-pink hair, styled in pigtails, drifted weightlessly around her.
「 Fairy (妖精). When she first appeared, someone called her that, but her true nature was that of a Dokkaebi (小恶魔). 」
"What is that? A pixie? Am I seeing this right?"
Angelica murmured, rubbing her eyes in disbelief. She was probably watching the live feed on her smartphone too.
I could barely hear her. My mind raced with uncontainable thoughts. Why? Why? Why is this happening?!
Reality and fiction were colliding right in front of me. This had to be a lie, a sick joke. Was this just another hallucination created by my imagination?
No way.
There was no way this was real. The small creature caught on the live feed was undeniably a fairy—a being destined to trigger the beginning of All Stories and lead thousands to their doom.
Maybe because I was one of the few who had read the novel, I already knew what was coming next.
[A#@!&... A#@!&]
The fairy's voice echoed. They were clear, but incomprehensible words. Confusion spread quickly through the crowd.
ㄴWhat the hell is that?"
ㄴIs this a prank by the government?
ㄴI think it's trying to say something. And why a fairy? Was there a problem with the development team?
Whispers scattered through the people. The pixie's expression grew irritated. She tried again. This time, her voice was much clearer, and she spoke fluently in Korean.
[Finally, this is much better. Though there was a slight delay, it seems the world language has finally synced with this reality.]
ㄴHey, what are you doing?
[Hmm?]
ㄴWhat's going on? Are you filming? Is this some kind of prank? Whatever it is, you're interrupting the bell-ringing ceremony!
A young man, brimming with boldness, shouted from the crowd. His face was hidden from the camera, but I knew exactly who he was.
He would be made an example of.
[Filming? Prank? Neither. Wait… don't tell me you don't know about the Fables?]
ㄴFables? What the hell are you talking about? Are you referring to a short story?
[Tch! Tch! What a hassle… Now I have to explain everything. Why didn't the administrators handle this? How irritating.]
ㄴWhat the hell are you talking about?
[Damnit, I hate it when this happens. Sigh... since it has come to this, everyone gather around. I have something very important to say.]
ㄴThis brat, did you hear what I said?!
The bold young man in the crowd marched toward the fairy, trying to grab her out of the air.
He must have been frustrated, especially with a woman holding his arm just before he stepped out. Was she his wife or girlfriend? I couldn't say. Perhaps he was eager to finish the bell ceremony and get 'busy' later in the night.
But there was one thing I knew for certain: that man had made a very big mistake.
The story always begins with that one foolish person who dares to defy the will of a higher power. In this case, that higher power was nothing more than a messenger.
[Tck.]
The pixie clicked her tongue in annoyance.
And then, it happened.
Splat!
Without warning, the young man's head exploded like a balloon, blood and gore splattering across the crowd in a horrific spray.
It happened so quickly that it took a moment for the people to process what had just occurred in front of them.
Then, screams erupted from those close to the cameraman, the one recording.
ㄴKyaaah! That guy's head exploded!
ㄴMurder! Murder!
ㄴRun away! That thing is a demon!
[Who gave you the right to touch me? You moron. You motherfucking…]
Even as the young man crumpled lifeless to the ground, the pixie continued to curse at him, with evident disdain.
[Eh? Why is everyone running? Stop running!]
She shouted.
But no one was listening. Panic set in, and people scattered in every direction, trying to escape the unfolding nightmare.
It was a mistake. A fatal mistake.
The pixie's eyes narrowed, and grinded her teeth like canines before she shouted with a loud voice.
[STOP... RUNNING!!]
Splat! Puok!
One by one, those fleeing were met with the same gruesome fate. Their heads burst open, their bodies crumpling to the ground like marionettes with their strings cut. The crowd thinned rapidly. It was a one-sided massacre.
I heard Angelica gulp beside me. I didn't react. I couldn't. My gaze was fixed on the scene unfolding before me.
[If anyone dares to run or try and touch me, I will blow their brains out, you hear me? Now shut up and listen!]
More than half of the people in Hongdae had already perished. Lifeless, headless bodies lay sprawled on the blood-soaked ground. The remaining survivors stood frozen, as if paralyzed by fear, shaking uncontrollably.
It was the animalistic fear that emerges when one had been cornered by an apex predator.
Aurora suddenly turned her head like an irritated cat and pointed her finger at the cameraman.
[You there! The gloomy man with the camera! This is going live, right?]
ㄴAh! Y-Yes.
[Good. This will make things much easier.]
The pixie cleared her throat, preparing to speak again.
She spoke with a firm voice:
[My name is Aurora, and I am a Moderator sent to this World oversee the Fables. Your world has been registered in the «Soul Link». There are 100 billion worlds—countless others currently in the same boat as you.]
Alternate worlds?
The very thought was mind-boggling. The existence of other dimensions was something no one could have fathomed. But no one could deny it, not after what we were witnessing.
However, this was just simple information.
[The rules are simple. You will be given Stories to complete. If you succeed, you will given substantial rewards and if you don't, there will be consequences.]
Aurora's voice echoed coldly in the now-silent crowd.
[There are one hundred storylines in total. The theme of each mission may differ. Sometimes it will be defense, other times survival. And sometimes, you'll have to conquer other worlds.]
ㄴSo it's basically a survival game with a predetermined set of rules?"
Someone from the crowd asked.
[That's correct. Oh, and raise your hand if you have a question. Otherwise, I'll blow your heads off.]
The man who spoke flinched and quickly fell silent, visibly trembling. Aurora was asserting her dominance over the crowd with terrifying ease.
[But be warned: with every Fable you clear, the challenges will become increasingly difficult. Some of you might even die before you reach the 10th Fable.]
ㄴWait...
A voice raised, breaking the silence. Someone finally had the courage to speak up.
[Yes. You may speak.]
ㄴCan we choose not to participate?
The question was expected. No one sane would willingly participate in a death game where survival was uncertain. However, Aurora only laughed at that question as if it was ridiculous.
[Pfft! Did you think you have a choice?]
ㄴWh-What?
[Once this world had been selected by «Soul Link» to participate in the Stories, you have no choice but to participate or you will die. Not even I can help you.]
Despair swept across the crowd, the reality of their situation sinking in. They had realised that they were being forced into a fight for their lives.
ㄴWait, so we're forced to fight?
ㄴThat's not fair!
ㄴWhat did we do to deserve this?
ㄴWhy did this have to happen on my birthday?
The crowd's voices rose in frustration and panic. Their protests filled the air, but there was no answer. They were being dragged into a nightmare they hadn't chosen.
[Now, now, I know you feel cheated. I understand. You were living your normal, mundane lives, and now you're thrown into a survival game. But if it makes you feel better, the people in Korea are not the only ones participating. People all over the world are facing the same fate.]
Aurora's cruel smile widened. At that moment, no one saw her as a cute fairy. Instead, they saw a demon—a harbinger of death from the darkest depths of hell.
Yes, that was the true nature of the Lackey. A being of pure malice.
[Now then… Let's get started, shall we?]
Suddenly, the pixie's figure began to blur, distorting as it slowly faded from view.
At that moment, a message echoed in the air.
[#XT–5306 channel has opened.]
[The Constellations have entered the world channel.]
[The Spectating Function has been enabled.]
A red window appeared before my eyes, and the system interface gave off a horrible premonition
[The Main Story has been generated.]
+
[First Narrative – Crown of Sacrifice]
✧ Type: Main
✧ Difficulty: F
✧ Clear Conditions: Prove your qualifications by killing a living being and becoming a murderer.
✧ Time Limit: 30 minutes
✧ Rewards: 500 coins
✧ Penalty: Death
+
[Good luck, everyone. Put up a good performance and try not to die miserably. The gods are watching.]
ㄴHey, wait! What does this mean?!
ㄴDon't disappear now!
The crowd erupted into even more frantic chaos, but amidst their noise, no one noticed the strange phenomena unfolding before them.
It was starting.
The moment that would plunge this world into nothing but pain and tragedy.
Zzzzzt—!
A loud noise rang from the receiver.
It was so loud that I had to temporarily cover my ears. It was the same for Angelica and she screamed. But it would be worse for the people in Hongdae.
[✧The corruption has begun.]
[✧The world is being overtaken by the dark element.]
[✧The dead will rise as nightmarish terrors.]
Kkk—gukuk—
Crack! Kkk—
The ground split open with an earsplitting crack, and creatures like nothing seen before crawled out from the depths. Hideous, monstrous beings with rotting flesh and a foul stench.
"Guuuuahhhh—!"
"Gyaaaa—"
The nightmarish terrors began to prowl through the crowd, and terror swiftly spread like wildfire.
ㄴMonsters!
ㄴZom—Zombies... No way! it's fucking zombies!
Creatures, born from the depths of nightmares, hunted the people in a savage frenzy. Fathers, mothers, children—none were spared.
Hongdae descended into a massacre, and the landscape transformed into a blood-drenched battlefield.
With one last, desperate scream, the live feed went dark. The cameraman, too, had fallen victim.
BOOOM!!
The ground trembled violently, and the deafening roar of destruction echoed through the city, rattling the walls.
I moved slowly toward the window, with Angelica following close behind. Together, we gazed outside.
The terror had arrived. The screams, the cries, the death, the despair. This was the world I knew—the world that had been foretold, a world of agony and tragedy.
The Main Stories had begun. And there was no turning back.