6 Episode 2 - Apocalyptic World (2)

[Sponsor Selection has ended]

I was silently listening to my own skill explaining everything it was capable of when the sound of a new message arriving was heard. I had finished making my choice long before anyone else, so I had taken the opportunity to consider what I was capable of doing, nevertheless, I still took a deep breath as I watched this message float through the air

[Some constellations are greatly surprised by your choice].

It was only natural that some of them would be taken aback by the choice I had finally made, but thinking about it for a moment, it wasn't as silly as it seemed. At least, I sincerely hoped so.

[The constellation 'Queen of the Darkest Spring' is greatly disturbed by your choice]

I felt no real surprise at this message since I had somewhat expected it, but in no way did I think that the Greek goddess Persephone, wife of the god of the underworld Hades, would have taken my refusal so well. Perhaps she was a thoughtful person and understood why I had finally decided not to respond to her sponsor proposal

[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' is disappointed in you]

[She will constantly monitor your justice during the next few scenarios]

Archangel Uriel. In this case, it was probably grieving or hurt that I did not want her as my sponsor constellation. It was certainly not a good thing to make myself an enemy of this person, but it was simply impossible for me to accept her request, for the same reasons that I had refused Persephone's request

[The constellation 'The Peaceful Dragon of Eternal Wisdom' is amused by your decision]

[The constellation 'Secretive Plotter' is intrigued by your choice]

[You have been sponsored 500 coins]

Now regarding the case of The Peaceful Dragon of Eternal Wisdom and Secretive Plotter, they didn't really seem to be mad at me for what I had done. In fact, it was as if they expected me to make a choice that would have been something no constellation could have foreseen or even imagined for a moment

I turned my gaze towards the ceiling of the subway train, remaining perfectly still for a few seconds before finally giving them a slight wave, accompanying it with a smile. Maybe I had made a choice that I would later regret or maybe I had lost a brilliant opportunity that had been presented to me, but it was my choice, and of course I took full responsibility for it

[You did not select a sponsor]

I probably didn't fully understand what it meant to have a sponsor behind you, however if the constellations were really the individuals behind everything that was going on. Then it was wise to simply have no connection with them, even though it could lead to my own demise. Also, the fact that my own skill could not tell me the exact identity of the Secretive Plotter did not necessarily help change my choice

[Well, well, well... It appears that some people here have made some particularly interesting choices. Anyway, you will have other opportunities].

My gaze instantly fell on the creature in the air the moment the dokkaebi's voice reached my ears, and then I began to stare at him without uttering a word. He began to manipulate something in the air that I suppose only he could see, and spoke again.

[Now that everyone here has had a chance to choose a sponsor constellation, I'm going to have to go deal with the next scenario. So enjoy this little ten minute break before I come back]

The dokkaebi's eyes met mine for a moment, before it disappeared as quickly as it had previously appeared, leaving the subway train in a heavy silence. According to what he had just said, we had ten minutes before he came back. I didn't want to waste a single moment of the precious time we had been given, so I turned to face the other survivors and approached those whose names I didn't know, holding out my hand

"Excuse me, this is probably not the time for introductions, but my name is Choi Jakga"

Among the two others survivors of the subway train massacre was a young girl, probably about 15 years old and still in high school, in uniform, and a man with a bear-like body and some scars on his arm. Curiously, the girl was the first to come up, shake my hand and speak

"You can call me Alice. Do you have any idea what we should do now that the dokkaebi is gone?"

To others, it was likely that she was just a simple girl who had managed to be lucky enough to survive the first scenario. However, supposedly because I was able to see her eyes and facial expression, it was easy to understand that she was trying to find out if I could be a person with whom she could expect to get through whatever might happen later

"We should leave the subway as soon as possible"

For a brief moment, I was not sure of the answer I had just given, although I had answered truthfully what I thought, but without delay, a confident expression appeared on the face of the person named Alice as she let go of my hand. However, the other two survivors did not seem to think the same way as we did

"Jakga, it's probably not a good idea to leave the subway"

It was Lee Seolhwa. It was understandable that she was not happy about leaving the subway because of what we had just done, and I understood it myself, but it was an important choice and I needed everyone who was still alive to understand it

"In that case, tell me how much longer you will stay inside this subway? Are you really going to wait for the dokkaebi to come back and then what? What would you do if the dokkaebi decided to kill you because you are useless? What could you do when faced with a being like him?"

There was a heavy silence before the man with the scars on his arm, who seemed to be somewhat reluctant to my proposal, in addition to having remained silent since the beginning of the conversation, looked at me and started to speak

"My name is Seon Chungho. I'm sorry for not answering earlier, I couldn't recover so quickly from what I had to do to continue living"

Without being able to read his current thoughts, I could easily understand what he was referring to, the killing in the first scenario. I thought about what I could say to support this man who seemed to have killed for the first time, but no words came to me.

"Let's find a way out of this quickly"

Everyone, including me, rushed to check the state of the doors of the subway train and obviously, the one I had gone to check could not let us go easily. I then looked briefly at the other people present, Seon Chungho, Alice and then Lee Seolhwa, but none of them seemed to have found a door through which it was possible to leave the subway train. So I went to a new door and luckily it was ready to open completely with the necessary force, nevertheless I preferred to pull the handle right next to it which made it open with a big noise

Without wasting a single second, we all got out of the subway train and then started running to put enough distance between the subway and ourselves. I was able to feel a cool wind caressing one of my cheeks as I ran breathlessly, while I counted in my mind the time we had left

Three

Two

One

[I told you to stay in the subway while I was away, didn't I? I thought you would react like that, but I still wanted to give you a chance]

The dokkaebi was in the air, looking at us with red eyes

[That will teach me to be nice... Too bad, I have no choice now]

The dokkaebi then snapped its fingers and a window appeared in front of us with a little noise I was beginning to know too well

[The second scenario has arrived!]

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[Second Scenario - Escape]

Category: Sub

Difficulty: D

Clear Conditions : Head to the nearest subway station, while avoiding the monsters you might encounter on the way

Time Limit: 20 minutes

Compensation : 200 coins

Failure : ?

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