["If you want to enjoy happiness, isn't it common sense to pay the price?"]
[Exclusive Skill, Observation Haki Lv. 5, has been activated]
And suddenly, I was overwhelmingly aware of it all. Intentions, emotions, presences, everyone. Within almost the entire city.
Funny thing, actually. Apparently, when you take one busted ability from a somewhat balanced verse and shove it into an even more busted verse, it causes the ability to adapt to the other's power system. Level 5 exclusive skill? And it's observation haki? This early into the story, it was bound to do some weird shit to my mind. Then why was it taking so long to process the pain I should be feeling right about now?
[Exclusive Skill, Thought Acceleration Lv. 1, had been activated!]
Ah. I see. So that's what it is… gives me more time to process the pain that's about to come. Where did this skill come from though? Let's turn off Haki first.
[Exclusive Skill, Observation Haki Lv. 5, has been Deactivated.]
I sat back in my seat in the now chaotic cabin, I pondered. How much should I stick to canon? Should I just leave Korea as a whole? With a level 6 Spatial Skill that doesn't even require mana, it would be easy peasy. The probability storm that will strike my ass after, will not be so easy. Hmm.
[#BI-7623 channel is open.]
[Constellations have entered]
[The main scenario has arrived]
—_____________________________________—
[ Main Scenario #1 – Proof of Value]
Category: Main
Difficulty: F
Clear Conditions: Kill one or more creatures.
Time Limit: 30 minutes
Compensation: 300 coins
Failure: Death
—_____________________________________—
[Due to low level, Exclusive Skill 'Thought Acceleration', has been deactivated]
"HEUK-BLEURRRGH," I suddenly coughed up a copious amount of blood. The metallic flavour in my mouth made my eyes water. I felt like I was drowning. Fuck.
I sat hunched, still in my seat. Only a few people seemed to notice my sudden outburst. But they were busier panicking about the prime minister being killed. Wai-
[The remaining time has been decreased by 10 minutes.]
[Ten minutes are remaining.]
'Fuckin Hell'
Still reeling from getting mind fucked by hundreds of thousands of suffering souls throughout the city, I couldn't help but curse the little white fluffy piece of shit who lowered the already limited time I had.
'Why is time moving so much faster now…is it a drawback?'
I had noticed that perhaps, having too many abilities with this strict ass skill system, was not a very good thing for me…
["Haha, there are some places that are quite fun, while other places haven't started yet. Okay, this is a special service. I will show you what will happen if nothing occurs in the next five minutes."]
I didn't even bother paying attention to the display screens that had suddenly appeared in the middle of the cabin. Though the same couldn't be said about the other people
"H-hey, isn't that the Daepong High sch-"
—[The given time has run out]
[Paid settlement will now begin]—
And the people in my cabin began to panic once again. Makes sense, they did just witness a bunch of high school girls' heads explode.
"W-what the fuck is going on?!?!!?"
"What is this!?!"
"W-we need to get out of here!!!"
'Shut up…'
"L-l-look!! People are killing each other on the screens!"
"That could be fake…?"
"Mommy whats going on?
"Shut…up." A feint Whisper barely escaped my lips, my face covered by my blood-soaked hands. No one noticed or heard.
[A few Constellations pity you]
[Constellations have sponsored 100 coins]
"Should- should we be…"
"What, you're going to kill another person just because you saw others doing it???"
"But…"
"Fuck man. The police aren't picking up."
''What the hell is the army doing?!''
"SHUT UP!"
[Exclusive Skill, Ice Age Lv. 5, has been activated.]
[Due to low mana level, the effect has been greatly reduced.]
In a mere five seconds, a blistering chill spread across the cabin before its surface was entirely engulfed in a thin layer of ice. The temperature went below freezing, causing the people nearest to me to instantly get frostbite, while the people further away just froze, covered in ice.
•••
[You have achieved the 'First Kill' achievement!]
[100 coins have been earned as additional compensation.]
[You have killed a living thing.]
[100 coins have been earned as additional compensation.]
[You have killed a living thing.]
[100 coins have been earned as additional compensation.]
•••
"Haaah…haaah…"
I stood there. Heaving. In shock. I would have been covered in sweat from the exertion, but the cold made it hard to perspire. I could tell the people encased in the ice were still alive…so how did..?
"If this is what I think it is…Open Attributes Window"
————————————————————
Name: Ethan Callas
Age: 19.
Sponsor: None
Exclusive Attributes: Nerd (Legendary), Soft Hearted (Uncommon)
Exclusive Skills: Chaos Gacha Lv. ?, Teleport Lv. 6, Observation Haki Lv. 5, Heavenly Restriction Lv. 5, Ice Age Lv. 5, Material Absorption Lv. 4, Thought Acceleration Lv. 1, Logical Deduction Lv. 1, Info Gathering Lv. 1
Overall Stats: Physique Lv. 1, Strength Lv. 2, Agility Lv. 4, Magic Power Lv. 2
————————————————————
What kind of a fuck ass name is that?! And why the hell do I have a legendary attribute called 'Nerd'?!?
My face was blank, but I had already cursed whatever force had brought me here 9001 times. Did they not have any creativity?
[Coins: 11,950]
That's…a lot. But this doesn't make sense. What exactly did I even kill? How did I check again?
[Kill History: 237 Dust Mites]
[You have killed non-resistance living things, so the number of coins you have acquired is reduced by half.]
[The 'Mass Murderer' achievement has been gained through excessive killing.]
'...Dust mites??? Really???' My face scrunched up in frustration. All of that, and I hadn't even killed actual PEOPLE???
•••
[You have killed a living thing.]
[100 coins have been earned as additional compensation.]
[You have killed a living thing.]
[100 coins have been earned as additional compensation.]
•••
And just like that. The few people still alive succumbed to the suffocating cold.
I stood still while taking in the sight before me. It was sickening, really. Frozen bodies lay on the cabin floor. Some exposed parts showed black flesh. Frostbite to an extreme degree. I almost threw up at the sight. I was a normal ass kid before all of this. The worst I had seen in real life was an animal getting butchered. Not...This.
---ＢＯＯＭ---
An explosion originating from a few cabins ahead shook the whole train. I stood completely still. Unbothered.
-Bzzttt-
[''Whoa! What on earth happened here? Did I miss something fun?'']
I slightly glanced at the floating abomination. My emotions were already in turmoil. Yet my expression remained blank. Maybe it was because of my new attribute.
''Did you do this? Maybe you've been able to develop your skills. Ice-related huh? What do you think, dear constellations?''
I didn't even bother to respond.
[2,700 coins have been invested into 'Physique'.]
[Physique Lv. 1 -> Physique Lv. 10]
[900 coins have been invested into 'Magic Power'.]
[Magic Power Lv. 2 -> Magic Power Lv. 5]
If someone were to ask me, 'Currently, what is your most powerful skill?', my answer would probably surprise them. I was not fully aware of what the limits of my skills were or what they exactly did down to the last detail; I only instinctively knew how to use them. However...
[Logical Deduction Lv. 1 has been activated]
{ℍ𝕖𝕒𝕧𝕖𝕟𝕝𝕪 ℝ𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕃𝕧. 𝟝: ℂ𝕒𝕟 𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕥 𝕄𝕒𝕟𝕒 / 𝕄𝕒𝕘𝕚𝕔 ℙ𝕠𝕨𝕖𝕣 𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕥 𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕠 𝕡𝕙𝕪𝕤𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕝 𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕥𝕤 𝕕𝕚𝕣𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕝𝕪 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕟𝕝𝕪. ℂ𝕦𝕣𝕣𝕖𝕟𝕥 ℝ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠 𝟙:𝟝.}
In other words...with my current Magic Power at level 5. I could instantly gain 25 stat points in ALL my physical stats. Physique, Strength, and Agility, respectively. I could probably be able to beat the current Yoo Joonghyuk with some difficulty. Maybe...His stats might be in the low 20s or barely 20 by the time he throws Dokja off the bridge. I could probably catch him off guard, actually. The presence negation that comes with Heavenly Restriction is no joke. It might even be able to bypass Joonghyuk's Eye of Sage. I mean, that Skill is a detection skill of sorts, right?
[You have killed 278 living things.]
[Kill History: 237 Dust mites, 41 Humans.]
[You have a total of 14,873 coins after stat deduction.]
["It would seem something interesting is happening in the other cabins too."]
The Dokaebi continued its yap session despite me completely ignoring it.
[The given time has run out.]
[Paid settlement will begin.]
The train started moving all of a sudden. And the view finally changed from dark and gloomy to light and-
'Is that thing seriously dogging on a tank?'
Ok…maybe not so good.
[Main Scenario #1 – Proof of Value has ended.]
[300 coins have been acquired as a basic clearance reward.]
[100 coins have been reduced for the channel usage fee.]
[Additional compensation settlement will begin.]
The subway abruptly stopped halfway on the bridge. It gave me a better view of the ruined city. Even the river was...bloody. Filled with serpent-like monsters.
[Compensation settlement is delayed due to an unexpected scenario check. Please wait.]
Hmm.
[A handful of constellations are shocked by your scenario.]
[Constellations have sponsored you 500 coins.]
[Survivors from the 3434 Train to Bulgwang, Carriage 3207: Ethan Callas. A total of one survivor.]
''Constellations...'' I muttered while looking around. I wondered who would sponsor me and whether I would know the names of any of them. Would I even get sponsored in the first place?
I looked down at my bloody hands. Even though it was my own blood, I couldn't help but imagine it as the blood of everyone I just killed. My outburst earlier was mostly due to feeling the overwhelming negative emotions of thousands of people all at once. The moment the free service of Earth had ended, all my skills had been activated. And while the others were mostly just there, Observation Haki was different. It did not require mana; it was the extension of one's will.
Wait...Could I use Haki while having Heavenly Restriction on? And yes. Heavenly Restriction was toggle-able. Truly broken. The only downside was that I had a cooldown on when I could toggle back and forth. A full 5 minutes.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
[Sponsor Selection]
–Please select your sponsor
–Your chosen sponsor will be your strong supporter.
1. One-Eyed Father
2. One Who Stands Alone
_____________________________________________________________________________________
'I'm sorry...WHAT? IS THAT FUCKING ODIN???' I stared down at the screen in front of me for a full 5 seconds.
As much as I was interested in why someone like him would pick me. I couldn't pick any constellation. I didn't need them after all.
[Sponsor Selection has ended.]
[A few Constellations are greatly affected by your choice.]
[The constellation 'One Who Stands Alone' understands your choice.]
I don't know who this was, but thankfully, they didn't get pissy like a certain Black Dragon.
[The constellation 'One-Eyed Father' nods in approval.]
I slightly sweat drop. 'Okay Gramps.' Thankfully, he seemed like a chill guy, unlike the one in GoW.
[You haven't selected a sponsor.]
[''It seems another one made an interesting choice.'']
I turned to stare at the fluffy creature floating in the air. He has a few stars floating above his head. Seeing me not giving any response, the Dokkaebi huffed in annoyance and vanished, likely to prepare the next scenario.
Ignoring that, I walked towards the window of the cabin to look outside. I managed to catch my reflection in the glass. I looked like a young male with a slim build and pale skin. I had messy, medium-length black hair that fell naturally around my forehead and ears, giving me a slightly tousled look. My facial features were soft and smooth, with a straight nose and a neutral, calm expression. My eyes weren't clearly visible due to the ice shards covering the glass, but my overall demeanor felt quiet and reserved.
I was wearing a high-collared black inner layer (a turtleneck-like collar) underneath a loose, light-colored hoodie. The outfit is minimalistic and modern, with clean lines and a monochrome palette. It looked comfy. It was.
I sifted through some memories that had assaulted me when my skills had activated. Apparently, I had come to Korea a year ago to study at...a random ass college. This life reminded me of my past life. No DanTDM tho. Or any of the famous YouTubers I used to watch. This world is truly a tragedy.
-SLAM!-
I could hear someone slamming on one of the cabin doors a few cabins ahead of me. 'Hmm, what to do...' I had no idea how to go about this. Should I meet up with the others and run with them to the station? Should I intervene when Joonghyuk drops Dokja off the bridge?
-SLAM!-
''What to do...''
=-________________________________________________________________________-=
(AN: I would sincerely appreciate what you think MC should do. Should he just TP over to the safe zone and interact with the main cast AFTER Dokja gets dropped, or run WITH them while hiding his power and reveal it slowly later on? Also, would Yoo Joonghyuk ignore the MC? I mean, he hasn't really done anything attention-worthy yet. I don't really understand how the two would interact. I hope you can tell me before I make the next chapter tho T0T.)
__________________________________________________________________________