A meteor shower streaked across the crimson sky, leaving trails of fire in its wake. In the old world, someone might have snapped a photo, captioned it with something witty, and shared it online. It might have gone viral, becoming a fleeting spectacle, a moment of humor. But now, there was nothing amusing about it.
This meteor shower wasn't a trival event. It was a harbinger.
A cannon event etched into the narrative, signaling the irreversible end of the old world.
Seoul would be the first to fall, and its key districts would crumble into ruin, just as the story had foretold. The city's fate was sealed, but to focus solely on Seoul's destruction would be shortsighted.
The end wasn't limited to one city. This was the prologue to a chain reaction that would engulf the world.
[Some constellations are reminiscing about their stories.]
The constellations, too, had once begun from humble origins before reaching "Transcendence."
But there was no point in dwelling on that now. Whether this world was doomed for destruction or not didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was my survival.
I began my descent down the stairs of the eight-story building. The zombie horde had already done the heavy lifting, breaking through the barricades, so escaping was the least of my concerns.
Stepping outside, I was greeted by the sight of a ruined road. Fortunately, no monsters lingered in the immediate area. At least, not yet.
What should I do now? No, the real question was, where should I go? There were no safe zones in the immediate vicinity, except for one.
At the onset of the Second Main Narrative, multiple safe zones had been established across Seoul.
Much like in a video game, those zones offered protection from the monsters. If you could find one and make it inside, surviving the second narrative was at least possible.
Even with my knowledge of the narrative, recalling all the safe zones in Hongdae was difficult. But there was one that stood out.
A safe zone sat at the heart of Hongdae's sector. I had been heading there with the others before we got separated. Speaking of my party, they might have already made it there.
I can only hope that there were no accidents along the way.
Kyahh—!
As I made my way toward the safe zone, a bloodcurdling scream ripped through the air. A monstrous shadow loomed closer, accompanied by a sharp, grating sound.
"Shit!"
Without hesitation, I dove into a nearby store, pressing myself against the wall and holding my breath.
Thud— Thud—
The heavy footsteps grew louder. Were they even footsteps?
Each step reverberated through the air, and the ground trembled as if something massive and jagged was scraping against it.
Then, I heard it.
A sound that wasn't quite a growl or a roar, but something far more horrifying. The piercing, guttural noise dug into my eardrums like a thousand needles, sending an icy chill racing down my spine.
"Where is... everyone?"
"Why did everyone... leave me..."
"So... lonely..."
"Someone... give me a hug."
"Mommmy..."
The creature's voice was disturbingly peculiar, a haunting blend of multiple tones layered together—a man, a woman, a child, and an elderly grandmother. It mimicked human speech, yet it was far from human. It was a twisted amalgamation of countless souls, and fragmented voices bound in a gruesome symphony.
The monster lumbered past the store where I was hiding, one of its writhing tendrils brushing against the building with a tremendous scrape.
A shiver crawled down my spine as goosebumps prickled my skin.
The mere thought of being caught and absorbed into that abomination filled me with an overwhelming, primal dread. But it continued on, oblivious to my presence.
I wasn't caught.
A sigh of relief escaped me as the tension in my body eased.
I waited until the creature's lumbering steps faded into the distance before cautiously stepping out from behind the shattered remnants of the store and resuming my journey.
The sudden interference of the Plant Nightmarish Terror had thrown me off the main route, forcing me to find an alternate path to the sector center. If I kept up my current pace, I should be able to reach the safe zone in under ten minutes.
But there was a problem...
Crunch— Munch—
Monsters blocked the path ahead, but their numbers were small, and they didn't pose much of a threat.
These were minor creatures, scavengers feasting on lifeless bodies. They weren't worth the effort or risk, so I decided to ignore them and pressed forward, focused on reaching the safe zone.
Time was of the essence, and I urgently needed supplies. A quick supply run was a must.
First on my list: new clothes. It couldn't be avoided. The hospital gown I'd been wearing had been torn to shreds by the zombies that had feasted on me, so replacing it was a necessity.
I ducked into a ruined clothing store, but to my dismay, most of the garments were damaged and torn, just like the rest of the store.
The only items left were either women's clothes or corporate attire—plain white button-up shirts, black pants, and leather corporate shoes.
Of course, there was absolutely no way I was going to wear women's clothes! Just imagining the unsavory looks my party members would give me sent a chill down my spine.
In fact, why was I even entertaining such a scenario?
I had no intention of becoming a pervert or some cross-dresser!
Shaking off those ridiculous thoughts, I quickly grabbed a few fitted pieces and changed into them.
Afterward, I headed to a nearby fast food restaurant, hoping to scavenge something edible.
"Ah! Isn't this interesting?"
All the food stands were empty. It seemed that someone, or rather, a whole group of people had thoroughly looted the place before I arrived. They were likely survivors from other safe zone.
Staying in the safe zone kept survivors protected from monsters, but it offered no relief from hunger or thirst. As a result, forming food scout groups and scavenging for supplies would quickly become their top priority.
Considering the current situation, it was safe to assume that all the food stores and fast food restaurants had already been looted. But no, I couldn't jump to that conclusion just yet.
It would be impossible for every food and convenience store to be completely cleared out. There had to be at least one place that was untouched. The real challenge was finding it, especially in a place crawling with monsters.
There were only two choices.
Option one: continue my search for food. Option two: abandon the search and head to the safe zone. Both choices had their own risks.
If I kept searching for food, there was a real chance I wouldn't find any, given that other survivors had likely already looted the area. Even if I did manage to find something, there was always the danger of being surrounded by monsters.
No matter how strong you are, being surrounded by monsters meant it was game over. Of course, there were exceptions—like the frontrunners with strong Star Contracts and Divine Authorities, who could likely survive such a situation.
The same couldn't be said for me. I didn't have a Star Contract, and I wasn't confident enough to take on an entire horde of monsters alone. I'd only survived before because I was prepared, and even then, I'd come close to dying.
If I chose to abandon the search and head to the safe zone, I might be able to exchange my coins for food. However, given the number of survivors already there, I doubted anyone would willingly share their limited supplies.
I was torn between two difficult choices: continue searching for food or go to the safe zone empty-handed. Neither option seemed ideal.
I sighed, weighing the consequences.
In the end, I made my decision.
"Let's continue."
I decided to continue my search for food despite the risk.
***
Time passed slowly.
Now, I was making my way toward the safe zone, three plastic bags of food in hand.
After about 20 minutes of searching, I finally found a conference store that hadn't been looted and quickly gathered some supplies.
"Is that the safe zone?"
In the distance, I spotted something.
I squinted my eyes. Hundreds of people were gathered inside a massive red dome in front of me.
It seemed I had finally reached my destination. Taking a deep breath, I took slow, deliberate steps toward the safe zone.
"L-Look! Over there!"
"A person?"
"Someone is coming this late?"
As I drew closer, the people inside the dome began to notice me.
Their faces lit up with surprise. It was understandable—those who hadn't made it into the safe zone on time had been consumed by monsters. It was unusual to see someone approaching the safe zone so late.
Because of this, I quickly became the center of attention. Eyes from all directions were fixed on me, and the weight of their stares was uncomfortable.
It happened when I got closer to the safe zone....
Rumble— Rumble—
The ground below began to shake as if something was moving. A few people noticed this change and shouted at me.
"Look out!"
"Quick! Run away!"
Multiple black silhouettes shot up from the ground at once. They were around five in number.
Black skin, sharp claws and the body the size of German shepherds. They were called Man-eating rats. Monsters with the danger rating of intermediate grade 9.
"Screek—!"
"Squeak—!"
They made strange noises and rushed toward me. Any normal person would have been terrified and tried to run, but I stood there, staring at the approaching creatures with a blank expression.
It felt strange. These creatures could easily tear a human apart, yet I wasn't afraid. The sensation was similar to when I killed Shin Jinhyuk.
A deep sense of indifference.
When did I become like this? Was it after the start of All Stories? No, that wasn't it. Looking back, I realized I had always been this way.
I heard the survivors shouting for me to run, but I ignored them. Running away would only lead to certain death.
Man-eating rats were unnaturally fast, so fleeing would be futile. Plus, there was no real need to run.
[The Skill 'Eagle Eye' has activated.]
[Your perception will temporarily increase.]
The man-eating rats, charging toward me, seemed to slow down drastically. It was as if each of their steps took an eternity.
With this skill activated, time around me slowed, and the affected creatures were trapped in its effect. I, however, was able to move at my usual speed.
To be more precise, my perception improved to the point that time seemed to slow down around me.
That was the effect of the Eagle Eye.
Calmly, I drew the Silver Magic Gun and pulled the trigger five times.
Bang— Bang— Bang—
Blue energy erupted from the barrel, and the heads of the man-eating rats exploded in unison.
Monsters, apart from night crawlers, had tough hides that normal bullets couldn't penetrate. Yet, the magic bullets easily pierced their skulls and shattered them.
The power of the magic bullets was truly impressive.
But that wasn't entirely accurate.
Magic bullets were a skill typically used by walkers with the mage attribute. However, walkers with the ranger attribute could also harness the skill through their ranged weapons.
The item I wielded was the Silver Magic Gun, a weapon that could compress the user's magic power and unleash it in devastating bursts. It also had the ability to charge attacks based on the amount of mana provided.
Overall, it was a very good weapon that suited me best.
Thud— Thud—
The bodies of the Man-eating rats powerlessly dropped and blood splattered on the ground.
At the same time, multiple notifications popped up.
[You have killed an intermediate grade 9 monster.]
[100 coins has been given as compensation.]
[You have killed an intermediate grade 9 monster.]
[100 coins has been given as compensation.]
[You have killed an intermediate grade 9 monster.]
[100 coins has been given as compensation.]
[You have killed an intermediate grade 9 monster.]
[100 coins has been given as compensation.]
[....]