The bus was enveloped in a thick silence that honestly felt like something encroaching. As if it was reaching in through my mouth and stuffing my body whole. The air grew thick as the PA continued to babble about how everyone was going to die and stuff.
"This world is a stage, and you are the pawns. But what are we building toward? That's for me to know, and you to suffer through. Kekeke…"
I found the rant boring, especially since this wasn't the first time I was listening to it. Heck! It was boring during the read through too. My eyes turned to Jae-hyun. He on the other hand looked mortified. Well I guess that is the normal reaction when a seemingly cosmic entity tells you the hundred ways it has planned to kill you off in.
Didn't matter too much. Jae-hyun was just scared, nothing more nothing less. It would soon fade away once he realises that he has the ultimate cheat code next to him or at least that's what I thought.
Jae-hyun looked at me through teary eyes. "Ha-rin. If what you are saying is true…" he said, his voice trembling. "If this is really Survival 101…"
"W—what will happen to Se-yeon?"
My heart dropped.
Se-yeon was Jae-hyun's little sister. Still in high school. A little bratty but a good kid nonetheless. We had shared countless memories together, to the point where I essentially thought of her as my own sister.
A simple question rose in my head.
If I was here, then who would protect Se-yeon? Not just her. Who would protect our parents? Friends? Heck even our classmates?
Who would protect the ones I cared for?
They didn't have someone like me. They didn't have the stupidly lucky nerd who decided to read the one long ass novel that randomly decided to convert to reality.
They didn't have the cheat code like character next to them.
How would they survive?
The weight of the realization crashed down on me, suffocating. My parents, my friends, Hee Yeon—all of them were out there, vulnerable, and I was trapped here, powerless to warn them. My excitement curdled into guilt, a bitter taste in my mouth. What kind of person gets excited about the end of the world when the people they love are in danger?
Everything suddenly felt real. My stomach churned as my guts threatened to spill. Even if I survive. What was the point? By then everyone I knew and loved would be dead.
My pupils dilated to pitch black. The background noise of the PA's rant and the monsters screaming died down into a muffled chorus, banging in the back of my head like a constant reminder of what an asshole I had been. This was no novel. This was reality. There was no plot armour.
Everyone was going to die.
"Ha—"
Why did I ever think this was fun? Why did I even start reading that novel.
"Ha-rin?"
If I never read it, I would have never commented on it. If I didn't comment maybe this would have never happened.
Was I the cause of the millions of death about to happen?
"WAKE UP YOU FUCKER."
Jae-hyun's shout snapped me out of my spiraling thoughts like a jolt of electricity. His hands gripped my shoulders, his fingers digging in, shaking me hard enough to rattle my brain back into focus. His eyes were wide and wild, desperate for something—anything—from me.
I blinked, the fog of my thoughts lifting just enough to let the chaos of the bus seep back in. People were screaming, crying, some pleading with the air itself as if it would save them. Others sat stunned, trapped in their own personal hells, too overwhelmed to move.
The PA's voice, sharp and cutting, returned, louder, more forceful.
"So… It seems that none of you have realised till now. This world is a game and you are the players. Higher beings are looking at you from above in anticipation, ready to bet on the winning horse. I hope you will provide them with a good show. After all your lives depend on it. Kekeke".
The laughter that followed was low and hollow, crawling under my skin like ice. It wasn't laughter for the sake of humour—it was there to unsettle, to make us squirm under its gaze.
I swallowed hard, the knot in my throat tightening. What did they mean by bets? There was no betting system in Survival 101. By higher beings does he mean the NAs and WA? But those won't be appointed till the national games.
Forget about it. It doesn't matter right now. Worrying wouldn't help anyways. This world has changed, and there is no going back. The only thing I can do now is, move forward, to survive, and maybe, just maybe, save the few I can along the way.
The bus doors groaned as they opened, the sound dragging me back to the moment. Fog billowed in from outside, thick and unnatural, curling around the floor like it had a will of its own. The countdown had begun. Time was slipping away.
I grabbed Jae-hyun's hand and yanked him up, the urgency rushing through me like fire.
"We need to go. Now."
His grip faltered. "Ha-rin, what the hell are you doing?" He tried to pull back, but I wouldn't let him.
"Just trust me. Please." My voice was steadier now, the panic giving way to cold determination. "I'll explain everything later, but we need to move now."
He stared at me, the disbelief and fear warring in his eyes. Then, slowly, he nodded. A reluctant surrender.
"I'll trust you, but if you get me killed, you are going to look after Se-yeon. Got it?" Jae-hyun said, his voice dragging.
"You won't die, idiot."
As we neared the door, the PA's voice returned, low and mocking.
"Quite the early bird, aren't we challenger Z-1237? Are you sure you can handle the consequences? Kekeke…"
I didn't answer. It wasn't worth it. It was the PA's job was to keep us on edge, but I wouldn't give it the satisfaction.
Instead, I turned to the rest of the bus, to the pale faces staring back at me, frozen in terror.
"If you want to live, follow me," I said, my voice stronger than I thought it could be. "But know this—once you step off this bus, you're making that choice on your own."
I wasn't offering salvation. I wasn't a hero. I was just a kid who knew a little more than they did. Most of them wouldn't come. I knew that. They'd stay behind, clinging to the illusion of safety.
But to my surprise, the businessman and the mother along with her four to five year old daughter stood up. Drawn by my charisma? No, their decision was simple. Something I would have done too. It's human psychology, where one trusts someone else more than themselves. The world is about to end and someone shows confidence even in this chaos? They must be onto something. I'd be safer with them. This was one of the tactics Ji-hoon himself used during his third regression. Back when he still wanted to save others that is.
The PA sounded annoyed as it continued explaining the long ass list of useless rules, trying to waste as much time out of the ticking forty minute clock as possible, watching the five of us walk out. It wanted to interfere. To prevent us from going but it couldn't, after all this was still a part of the trial. A part that took Ji-hoon a good chunk of the first half and multiple regressions to figure out, but in my case all the hard work was already done.
The 30 minutes one would get if they sat for the entire explanation were hardly enough even at the speed of an athlete and we were talking about average people here. These ten extra minutes were way more important than they looked.
I turned and stepped into the fog, Jae-hyun at my side. This was just the beginning. The first trial had begun.
And we didn't have time to waste.