Now the two of us were left standing.
The endless silence shattered with a crackle in the air.
A small creature, no bigger than a child, floated casually—horned, imp-like, with a grotesquely cheerful grin. Every eye in the train locked onto it.
It was my goat. "Bihyung!"
"My god," it paused, then continued, "I only left for a few minutes and this is what happened?"
"This carriage is much worse than the other one, though that one was more annoying..."
Oh!
What the imp said caught my attention. From my perspective—and the panel notifications—it looked like our carriage was at the front of Kim Dokja and the others. They were already in the middle of their sub scenario.
Which meant—
"Oh well, that shouldn't be a problem. We should wrap this up since your carriage is late!"
"Now that that's settled, I have an important announcement to make!" the imp declared, spinning midair.
"With your current abilities, you won't even have an inch of a chance at survival! But—thanks to the generosity of our dear constellations~"
The way it emphasized that phrase made me chuckle.
"They've graciously given you an ounce of hope by offering their sponsorship!"
Another window appeared.
[ Sponsor Selection ]
Please select your sponsor.
Your sponsor will act as your reliable backer.
1 – Abyssal Flame Black Dragon
2 – The Strongest Among All
Our attention locked onto the list. The imp continued rambling, lavishing praise on the constellations as if kissing unseen gods' feet.
Now it was my turn.
Two choices.
That alone crushed my heart.
Being offered one sponsor should've been a miracle—yet having two was absurd.
But I was unsatisfied. I mean… Kim Dokja got at least four, and I… only two?
I will never be satisfied.....
" Sigh… am I really that bad? " I questioned sighing dramatically, my eyes drowning in comically fake tears.
Focus. I snapped out of it, cupping my chin, staring at the panel.
Two choices. Either they were genuinely interested in me—or they wanted something.
A leash disguised as a contract.
The latter seemed far more likely.
Which should I pick…?
The first option stood out immediately. Flashy. Overbearing. Power incarnate.
But dragons never gave power freely.
To a normal person, it would've been obvious who to choose.
But knowing the side effects… a trickle of sweat slid down my face.
The second option…
The Strongest Among All.
No embellishment. No grand title. Just a claim.
My senses prickled, as if something unseen urged me forward. That urge alone was terrifying. But above all, it was new. In the first chapter through the last, I'd never seen this name.
Which meant… the name was either fake, a product of false, or something truly powerful to be revealed.
In this world, anything that pushed you too strongly usually meant you were being led straight into danger.
I could not pick a constellation like Kim Dokja did—which, from what I remembered, was probably the smartest move.
It's better to hold your choice of sponsor, I thought. Later, a more powerful one might appear.
The imp noticed my hesitation and grinned. Eyes gleaming.
"Hoho~ indecision already? As expected of new incarnations. This choice will decide how entertaining your future will be!"
I ignored him and reread the names.
If the title was true, it didn't need to boast. And if it wasn't—
"No. I'll hold off for now."
I stopped my hand from touching the screen. My expression resolved.
The sponsorship ended, the panel disappearing from view.
[ You have selected a sponsor. ]
The panel reappeared. I blinked.
[ Sponsor: The Strongest Among All ]
[ Establishing contract… ]
My eyes widened in terror. My head snapped to Bihyung.
"Hey! Wait! I didn't pick any conste—"
I couldn't finish. A tug shot through me.
For a brief moment, the world went silent. Then—the interference flickered.
I felt it. A new presence connected to me, as if someone stood right behind me, watching every move. Not with malice, but quiet interest.
[ A constellation is gazing upon you. ]
[ The constellation The Strongest Among All is confused by this anomaly. ]
[ The constellation suspects a Star Stream malfunction. ]
[ Contract accepted. ]
I sank to my knees, holding my head in defeat.
"What the fuck… I'm doomed!"
[ Your sponsor looks at you with pity. ]
[ Donated 100 coins for morale: 'It's not that bad…' ]
"Don't try to reason with me! I don't even know you!" I yelled, tears in my eyes.
[ … ]
"Ugrgh…!"
For a moment, I just sat there, the train moving beneath me.
Then I relaxed, dragging my hands from my hair.
"You know," I said, voice firm, "I'm not a pussy. I'll make it out of this world even if my sponsor is trash!"
"You hear that? I have the power of God and anime on my side!"
I punched my own thin hair repeatedly, hyping myself up.
[ The constellation feels sad about your words… ]
Then I remembered the person next to me.
Oh no. I forgot.
There are bitches in this room.
I straightened up, eyes fierce, patting myself down to save what little aura remained.
"Cough… don't mind me, I was just looking for something," I said, trying to preserve a shred of pride.
[ Your sponsor says to cut the crap—you've already lost too much Aura. ]
"Shut up! You're not helping!"
I glanced at the girl, whose disgusted stare cut deep.
"Don't look at me like that! I got scammed, okay?!"
Nothing changed.
"I don't even care, baka… it's not like I like you or anything!" I added, puffing out my cheeks.
She remained unimpressed, a deadpanned expression on her face.
I coughed awkwardly.
"Okay, enough. At this point… I might turn gay or something."
Bihyung looked stunned, frozen. The imp snapped its fingers and vanished.
[ A new Sub Scenario has arrived! ]
[ Sub Scenario: Emergency Evacuation! ]
-Escape the collapsing train and bridge to enter the station.
Type: Sub
Difficulty: F
Time Limit: 5 minutes
Reward: 200 coins
Failure: ??? ]
As expected, it was an escape scenario—like Kim Dokja's—but we were still inside.
Countdown: five minutes.
Kim Dokja's interference was the reason. Now it was our turn.
Five minutes until we were trapped forever.
"Aight, I'm outta here, bitch. Every man for himself!"
I jumped out of a tract, sprinting. The girl ran too, now fully aware of the danger.
From a distance, I spotted someone choking another, surrounded by a horde of zombies forming a barrier.
Was this the stench of a main protagonist?
The zombies focused on them, giving us a narrow chance to escape the sides.
It was tough.
My hands were soaked with sweat, my feet burning from the relentless sprint. Every step sent a sharp ache up my legs, but I couldn't slow down.
I knew it—stopping for even a second meant losing another second of survival.
And in this world, seconds were the difference between breathing and becoming another corpse on the tracks.
Kim Dokja glanced toward us briefly, then returned his attention.
"Ahhhh! Did you see that? My goat glanced at me!" I said, startling the girl beside me.
"Are you an idiot? You don't even know him!"
Her cold tone hurt.
I struck a dramatic pose, hand on chest.
"Ouch… that hurt. You don't need to be that harsh, you know?" I smirked.
Deus machina still faintly flickered, giving us a way out. I spared the girl, saving my life once more.
Finally, we crossed the bridge with seconds to spare.
Looking back, I saw Kim Dokja's crazed expression, fading to a faint smile on Yoo Jonghyuk's face.
Watching this in person was surreal.
A tear rolled down my cheek. "Truly absolute cinema…"
Seeing this in the manwha was great. But actually being there in person was much more magnificent.
"You're really weird," the girl muttered, but I ignored her, watching the sunset paint everything in cinematic gold.