Sitting against a wall, a little girl was shaking.
[The given time has run out.]
There was a loud sound and people's heads started to explode.
[Paid settlement will begin.]
Holding her knees, she quietly sobbed, the dead body of a dog in her arms.
[You have killed 1 living thing.]
[Kill History: One dog.]
More tears streamed down her face, her shoulders trembling uncontrollably.
[You have killed non-resistance living things, so the number of coins you have acquired is reduced by half.]
'I am a bad girl.'
[50 coins have been acquired!]
She had killed her beloved dog to survive. She was evil.
The girl continued staring down at the dog, frozen in place as she tried to repress her tears.
Tap. Tap.
The sound of footsteps was heard in front of her. Given that the scenario had ended, any survivor could only be a murderer.
The girl flinched and raised her head.
There was a man with gold-rimmed glasses, neat black hair and dark brown eyes, exuding a refined yet gloomy aura.
Meeting his gaze, the girl shuddered as his cold eyes settled on her. She was scared.
Then, she saw that he was blocking the hand of another man reaching toward her. On the receiving end of his glare, the other man clicked his tongue, "What's wrong with you, man?!"
At that, the scary gentleman looked at him with contempt.
"You shouldn't touch a young lady, that's basic courtesy."
"What nonsense-"
However, the other man was forced to take a step back.
The girl watched the scary gentleman approach. Then, he addressed her.
"You should live now. That's what your friend would have wanted."
The girl lowered her head.
Holding back a sob, the child nodded with difficulty. She wiped away her tears.
Soon after, something called 'Sponsor Selection' started. No constellation wished to be her sponsor.
[Sponsor Selection has ended.]
At that moment, the scary-looking gentleman started walking away.
Summoning her courage, the girl stood up and followed after the scary-looking gentleman. Although the gentleman noticed it, he didn't push her away. The girl thus came closer, innocently peeking up at his face.
"Hey, where are you going? We should stay in groups."
As a voice stirring up trouble called out to them, the girl hid behind the scary-looking gentleman.
The scary-looking gentleman looked toward the one who had provoked him and glared at him. Intimidated, the man shut up.
Then, the gentleman and the girl walked out together. When another scenario started and monsters chased after them, the gentleman even protected her from a monster.
'He looks scary, but.'
The girl looked up at the man.
'He's not a bad person.'
She shyly spoke up.
"Ahjussi, where are you going?"
Having made a divination to know where he should go, the 'scary-looking gentleman' looked down at her.
"Shouldn't you introduce yourself? That's basic courtesy."
Feeling his cold gaze, the girl was nervous. She gulped.
"I'm Shin Yoosoung."
The man nodded and turned forward.
As she followed after him, she heard his answer.
"Gehrman Sparrow."
She understood, 'That must be ahjussi's name.'
But he hadn't answered.
"So, where are we going?"
"Where fate will guide me."
Fate? Shin Yoosoung tilted her head in confusion. She didn't understand. However, she didn't ask further.
Soon, they reached an underground station.
[You have entered the safety zone.]
Although the first scenario hadn't ended since long, the people there were already clearly divided.
Leaning against a wall, Gehrman easily deduced the situation.
One group held power, the 'mainstream group', and the people who were protected by the mainstream group and had weaker wills were the 'marginalized group'.
A clear division between the weak and the strong.
"You are a new person."
Gehrman turned his head to the voice.
"Nice to meet you. Can I ask what your name is?"
The one who had spoken was a slim man with blond hair and narrow eyes, wearing a fake smile.
Scanning him from head to toe, Gehrman stared at him with contempt.
"You should introduce yourself first, that's only polite."
The man laughed.
"My bad. I am Cheon Inho, the leader of Geumho Station."
Cheon Inho held out his hand.
"You seem strong. Are you interested in joining our attack group? Of course, in exchange, you will also receive more privileges."
Food distribution was determined by the mainstream group, they thus monopolized resources. With enough time, the convenience stores and restaurants in the region would be completely robbed and they would start to lack food.
Gehrman examined the situation. It wasn't a bad offer.
Although he disliked the way they operated, being part of the attack group would let him take care of his food himself instead of being at the mercy of others.
Moreover, to a certain extent, rationing was indeed necessary in this apocalyptic world.
Gehrman thus accepted.
At that moment, new people entered the station.
It was a group composed of one beautiful woman, a boy, a soldier and a man in a suit, the four keeping a certain distance from a handsome man by their side.
A frown on his face, the handsome man's gaze swept over everyone in the station before stopping on Shin Yoosoung.
His eyes widened.
Flinching, Shin Yoosoung hid behind Gehrman. It was then that the regressor noticed the presence of the man by her side.
As he activated a skill, one of his eyes shone brightly. Gehrman felt as if something was peering through his very being. Then, the regressor looked even more surprised.
Approaching menacingly, Yoo Joonghyuk glared at Gehrman.
"You."
The regressor put his hand on the handle of his sword, ready to strike if he disliked the answer he received.
"Who are you?"
The two men stared into each other's eyes, both of them not backing down.
'Why is everyone so rude these days?' Gehrman lampooned.
As seconds ticked by, the tension in the room increased.
Gehrman could tell—the aura the man was emitting, it didn't belong to an ordinary person. This man seemed to have already killed many people before.
He was dangerous.
Someone who didn't have any qualms about murder… or someone who thought their opinions were right and wouldn't listen to anyone else. Someone stubborn who only believed in himself.
Based on experience, that was Gehrman's assessment of the person in front of him.
"Answer," the man demanded.
As Gehrman prepared to fight, his spiritual intuition sending alarms, the child behind him intervened.
Shin Yoosoung bravely stood in front of Gehrman, using her small body to protect him from the regressor. Then, she told Yoo Joonghyuk, "A-ahjussi isn't a bad man! Leave him alone."
She glared at the scary handsome man, not avoiding his gaze despite her fear.
At a loss, Yoo Joonghyuk paused, his face reflecting deep confusion.
His thoughts unknown, he mumbled, "Shin Yoosoung…"
The child blinked.
"Mister, how do you know my name?"
Yoo Joonghyuk didn't answer. After loooking at her face for a moment, he turned back and walked away.
"Huh?"
Shin Yoosoung looked back and forth at Gehrman and Yoo Joonghyuk, surprised that the latter had backed down so easily.
Gehrman didn't understand what had happened either but didn't show it.
Meanwhile, Yoo Joonghyuk was lost in thought.
'A prophet, and now Shin Yoosoung is here… Many things have changed.'