The air was thick with murmurs. Unease spread like a virus among the people in the cafeteria.
"What's going on?"
"What was that sound just now?"
Before anyone could answer, a massive screen materialized in midair — a glowing, transparent panel that floated before every person present.
[Tutorial Scenario #1: Proof of Value]
Category: F
Clear Condition: Kill & Survive
Description: You will be given a mark above your head. There will be two types of marks: red and green.If you receive a green mark, you must survive until the scenario ends.If you receive a red mark, you must kill at least one living being before the scenario ends.
Time Limit: 20 minutes
Reward: 500 coins
Failure: Death
I stared at the scenario window, breath catching in my throat.
It was exactly like the novel — The Endless Scenarios.
And just like in the story, the moment the details appeared, the panic began to spread.
"W-What is this?"
"What does it mean?"
"Is this some kind of prank?"
"Somebody call the police!"
Voices overlapped in confusion and fear. A man in a business suit pounded at his phone, while another woman was already trying to break one of the windows.
Yoo Shin Ah stood close beside me, visibly shaken.
"What's going on, Dokja?" she asked, her eyes darting nervously across the room.
But how could I answer her? How could I say this was all from a novel that only I had read? That this world, this terrifying new reality, was something I had already seen in fiction?
I stayed silent. I pretended I hadn't heard her.
[The scenario begins now.]
As the voice echoed once again, glowing symbols appeared above everyone's heads.
Red. Green.
Roughly half of the people in the cafeteria had red marks. The rest — including myself — had green.
Yoo Shin Ah looked down at her phone and frowned.
"Dokja. It's not working."
I turned to her. "What?"
"I can't contact the police. The phone! I can't find any network."
She was panicking, her breathing uneven.
The scenario had officially begun — and I knew exactly what was coming next.
Chaos.
Violence.
Death.
I glanced up — her mark was green.
So was mine.
That gave us a chance. But not for long.
"Shin Ah... Don't panic. Just do as I say. Stay by my side. We need to leave this place. It's not safe now."
Her eyes searched mine, unsure.
"But— O-Okay."
Honestly, I wasn't sure if she'd listen. And if she hadn't… maybe I would've left her behind.
Maybe.
Or maybe not.
But she didn't argue — so we moved.
We stepped carefully toward the cafeteria exit, pushing past overturned chairs and dropped trays. The next system message wasn't far off — and when it came, it would push everything off the edge.
We had to hurry.
[This is the final warning for those with red marks above their heads.]
[If you do not kill anyone before the scenario ends, you will die when it ends.]
The moment the announcement finished, everything snapped.
Those with red marks stiffened, their eyes wide — and then, glowing red.
They turned, one by one, toward those with green marks.
Faces twisted with desperation.
The air thickened with killing intent.
Screams rang out.
People backed away, trying to create distance.
But it was too late.
Before we reached the door, the chaos exploded.
The red-marked participants lunged at those with green marks, attacking with whatever they could find. A man stabbed another with a broken spoon. Someone else grabbed a tray and smashed it across a woman's head. Others used chair legs, metal forks — even bare fists.
It was brutal. Mindless.
But our position at the edge of the room kept us unnoticed.
I grabbed Yoo Shin Ah's wrist and pulled her along, slipping out of the cafeteria while the chaos raged behind us.
We ran.
Down the stairwell. Past the blood-curdling screams echoing behind the doors. We had to find a safer place — somewhere away from the slaughter.
But if TES was right… there was no truly safe place left in this world.
Only places that were less deadly.
Still, with Yoo Shin Ah beside me, my options were limited. According to the novel, the first floor of the Sungah Industries building had the lowest risk during the first scenario.
So we aimed for it.
We ran down the stairs, floor after floor, until we reached the lobby level.
But what we found there—
It was wrong.
All wrong.
The first floor was supposed to be the safest.
Instead, it was a massacre.
The marble floor was slick with blood. People lay collapsed, some still twitching, others clearly gone. The air reeked of death and something sharp — metallic, acidic.
I stood frozen.
This wasn't how it happened in the novel.
Something had changed.
Something was very wrong.
And then — ding.
A soft chime.
I flinched and checked my phone. There shouldn't have been a signal. No network. Nothing should have come through.
But one notification had arrived.
An email.
[1 Attachment]
Subject: "The Endless Scenarios" – New Version Full Copy
Sender: Unknown (Author)
I stared at it, throat dry.
What…?
The novel.
A full copy?
From the author?
[Tutorial Scenario #1: Proof of Value]
Category: F
Clear Condition: Kill & Survive
Time Limit: 20 Minute
Reward: 500 coins
Failure: Death
[Time Remaining: 14:26]