Blood.
It soaked the pavement like spilled ink, warm and too real to be a dream.
I ran.
My boots struck broken asphalt as I sprinted through the ruins of the city — smoke curling around twisted rebar and shattered windows. The cries of the dying echoed behind me, but I didn't look back.
> [You have 70:47:31 remaining.]
"Still early…" I muttered under my breath.
This part of the Scenario was simple on paper: survive.
But anyone who read The Sword of Ruins knew the truth — the first Scenario was a slaughter. A filtering process. Of the 10,000 people dragged into this broken world during Scenario 1, only 3% lived to see Day 4.
And I was running straight into the chaos.
Ahead of me, through cracked concrete pillars and fire-scorched streets, a girl stumbled into view.
Her jacket was torn, one leg bleeding, her eyes wild with panic. She clutched a shard of glass like a dagger, barely conscious of the world around her.
> [Target identified: Lee Ga-eul]
Role: Future Scout
Fate: Death in Scenario 1
Change Probability: 41%
She wasn't supposed to survive this scene.
In the novel, her death was just another background casualty. Yin Sheo-han didn't even remember her name.
But I did.
I stopped a few meters away, hands raised.
"I'm not your enemy."
She flinched back, raising her shard with trembling hands. "D-Don't come closer!"
"I'm trying to help—"
"You're lying!" Her voice cracked. "You're all lying! That thing—those people—it's a dream, right?!"
I stayed silent.
There wasn't time to explain.
Not about the Scenarios. Not about the Constellations. Not about the fact that we were characters in a story… and that the story was falling apart.
But there was one thing I could say.
> "If you stay here, you'll die in two minutes."
She blinked. "What…?"
I pointed toward the wrecked bus behind her.
"The Ruin Beast wasn't alone. Another one's coming. This whole area will collapse when it triggers the trap inside that pharmacy." I glanced at my watch. "One minute fifty seconds."
"You're insane."
"I might be," I said calmly. "But you can follow me and live, or stay here and test your luck."
Her eyes darted between me and the blood-stained rubble.
> 1:32
"You have ten seconds."
She cursed, tossed the glass shard, and limped toward me. "If you try anything—"
"I won't."
We ran together.
---
We ducked into the shell of a subway station just as the explosion ripped through the street.
BOOM!
The shockwave flung debris through the air, shattering cars and snapping metal like paper. Dust and smoke billowed into the sky.
Ga-eul collapsed beside me, coughing, tears streaking down her face.
"That… That really happened."
"Yeah."
"…How did you know?"
I didn't answer.
She eyed me. "Who are you?"
I offered her a hand. "Someone who's trying to survive, just like you."
She didn't take it at first.
Then, after a long pause, she grasped it — fingers shaking.
"Lee Ga-eul."
"Ru Ryu-jin."
---
For the next few minutes, we sat in silence.
The sounds of battle faded, replaced by quiet sobs from deeper in the tunnels. Somewhere, others were still alive. Others were still dying.
Then came the system message:
> [Scenario Progress Update]
Survivors Remaining: 8,271
Time Left: 70:12:59
Hidden Objective Activated: ???
Observer Constellations Taking Interest...
I froze.
That last part—
> [Observer Constellations Taking Interest.]
I didn't have a sponsor. Not yet.
My profile was empty. My stat window blank. But someone — something — was watching.
And I knew exactly who.
---
Far above the ruined station, from the top of a crumbled skyscraper, a lone figure stood beneath the grey sky.
Long black coat. Two swords at his hip.
Unblinking gaze like steel.
Yin Sheo-han.
The original protagonist.
He watched the scene below with narrowed eyes.
> "That man… He doesn't belong here."