Chapter 4: Chapter 3: The Other Side (1)

A/N: Next 4 chapters are pretty boring, so if you want to just pop in whenever (when you have exhausted all your options I guess) and pop out whenever when you can't take it anymore go ahead XD

Also, someone put a 5-star rating and the other a 1-star rating. More specifically, this is really a first draft, so tell me how to improve the story if you can! I would have liked to read that one-star rating and 5-star rating review, but they didn't post one soo

Anyways, have as much fun as you can in reading :)

 

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I forced my attention onto the window, not allowing myself to slip into a daze, so I read the words carefully.

...I feel like my self-esteem just took a hit when I discovered I was an uninteresting human being. Then again, I was just a random human floundering to survive, so why would they pay attention? And perhaps, this was for the best.

None of the constellations sent any indirect messages through the whole scramble either, so it seems they were content to just sit back and watch for now.

Except for perhaps one.

I looked at Lee Jihye. If all carried on like that novel, her sponsor would be "Maritime War God". Currently, though, she was consulting with Na Bori.

Na Bori was not supposed to survive, but here she was now.

That made me feel slightly less guilty now.

Turning my attention away, there was still one thing I wanted to look at.

"Attribute window." I whispered under my breath, and another panel popped up.

[Attribute Window]

Name: /Please enter your name/

Age: 17(?)

Attribute: None

Sponsor: None

Exclusive Skills: /collecting information/

Overall Stats: physique lv. 3, Strength lv. 4, Agility lv. 4, Magic Power Lv. 0

Description: /Please tell me about yourself/

...

I'm sorry, what was this? I looked at my attribute window for a while, batting my eyes in disbelief. Was an attribute window supposed to look like this? Or was it just me?

Was it even possible to have a lv. 0 stat? And what was with that questionable (?) beside my age?!

"Hey you."

A pair of shoes entered my vision. I looked up from reading my attribute window to see Lee Jihye.

"I'm in the same class as you, but you don't remember my name?" I think I tried to smile, but it was a weak one, and my face surely didn't look too good, but I tried.

"Oh, oh, is crybaby Jihye finally trying to make a new friend?" Na bori poked her head out from behind her, hands on Lee Jihye's shoulders.

It was clear Na Bori was straining herself to act normal for her friend. Or perhaps, she was only able to act normal because she had her friend.

But we all put up pretenses here, to prevent losing ourselves.

"...Thanks." Lee Jihye muttered.

"Pardon?" I instinctively said, trying to understand why she said "thanks" out of nowhere.

Irritated, Lee Jihye awkwardly said, "I'm saying thanks because you helped us out."

"Oh, uh, you're welcome." I said as a reflex, suddenly embarrassed.

"Yes, without you, we would have..." The fingers on Lee Jihye's shoulders trembled as Na Bori sincerely spoke.

Then we all fell silent, absorbing the situation anew.

"...Things are never going back to the way they were, right?" Tears welled up in Na Bori's eyes. She had reached her limit.

And I too, felt something constricting in my throat, but I wanted to say something.

"...Yeah." I managed to spit out.

"What happened to my parents, my, my..." Na Bori's voice softened, and then she began to sob quietly.

Lee Jihye's eyes were also red, but this time she held strong and pulled Na Bori over to cry on her shoulder.

And like that was the trigger, everyone who survived the madness in this class began to bawl their eyes out after hearing the cries of someone else as well.

We were all 17, on the cusp of adulthood, but we all knew we were not ready, and wanted someone to lean on.

But the Dokkaeibi's expression to these 17-year-olds was displeased. The constellations wanted exciting scenarios, not this kind of sob story.

It circled around the humans, tapping on their shoulders mischievously to get their attention. The crying mass hiccupped, tears still plip-plopping down their cheeks and onto the ground, and the Dokkaeibi now faced the nine pairs of puppy eyes.

[...sigh, you earthlings really are...] But it held no sympathy, only disgust. It was not our species, so of course it couldn't understand, nor did it want to sympathize.

[Some Constellations are saying this is boring and want to leave the channel]

The dokkaeibi hurriedly switched its expression into a positive one.

[N-Now, now, constellations, the next Scenario is on the way! How exciting, something you don't want to miss!]

Like that, the hurried scenario floated above everyone's eyes.

But, gosh darn it, the tears were making everything blurry and hard to see.

I wiped the tears onto the clean part of my sleeve, taking a good look at the next scenario.

If I recall correctly...

[Sub Scenario #2: Escape]

Category: Sub

Difficulty: E

Clear Conditions: Enter Geumho Station

Time Limit: 4 hours

Compensation: 200 coins

Failure: ???

+

...Yep, I knew it.

Honestly, I wanted to take the easy way out. Take some supplies and then enter the Geumho Station before the poisonous fog would erupt in four hours.

However, to survive, there was something else we had to do, even if it was dangerous. A cold, hard gleam filled my eyes.

"Lee Jihye, Na Bori, let's get out of here." I spoke to them, my voice coming out nasally after crying. After getting a load off my chest by venting those emotions, all that was left was a serene calm that I needed to take advantage of.

"Ok, I trust you." Lee Jihye replied, nodding. It seemed she was going to take her meter stick -cough, sword- with her as she held Na Bori's hand with the other.

Na Bori's eyes were red and puffy, but her smile was a relieved and friendly one as she nodded towards me.

Getting to my feet, I surveyed the room, at the six others.

They watched as we went to the door and some cried out, "You're leaving? Take us with you!"

Another said, "We should stick together, as classmates."

I paused and turned around, scoffing. As someone who knew myself best, I knew I was too weak to save them. If I didn't have the strength, then it is best not to be irresponsible. After all, if you wish to help someone, you must see it through, or else you would cause more trouble instead.

And I also did not trust my classmates aside from Lee Jihye and Na Bori, not after the fiasco.

"You know as well as I do that to survive, you need to do whatever you can. However, if you are to leave with me, can you say for certain that you will put yourself in danger, potentially get killed, so save me? If you can't answer this question, then I can't leave my back to you." I coldly looked at them, straight into their eyes.

They avoided it, feeling guilty.

This would be my last saving grace.

"My advice right now is to stock up on a few non-perishable food items, because you will need them when you get to the station. And as a warning, you should never show the fact that you have food to others."

Then looked back up incredulously, but I had already left the room with Na Bori and Lee Jihye, sliding the door behind me closed.

I left them behind, perhaps leaving them to die. Even if I felt the throbbing of guilt, this would still be the action I take.

"Um, that..." Na Bori spoke up.

"Do you think I'm heartless?" I spoke to her concerns.

Na Bori bit her lip.

"Do you think you can help them?" I looked at Na Bori firmly, who fell silent.

She knew too, more clearly then ever, that she lacked the strength to save anyone, even herself.

Lee Jihye looked thoughtfully at me.

"That reminds me, you went around grabbing supplies and was the first to find a solution to the scenario. Do you know something about the situation?" Lee Jihye pressed.

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Bu-bump.

I didn't think I was being watched at the time, and this caught me off guard.

"Well I, I-" Flustered, I tried to explain myself, but Na Bori saw my discomfort.

"Jihye, let's not ask that question now." Na Bori tapped Lee Jihye, and so Lee Jihye stopped, scratching the back of her head,

"Ok, I get it. Everyone has a few secrets to keep. Any plans now, smart one?"

"Well, you said you trusted me, right?" I gingerly asked Lee Jihye, asking for permission on what I would do next.

Lee Jihye gave me a look that read, 'just shut up and do it', so I finally went ahead.

"Lee Jihye, place your hand on this door and activate your stigma."

"How did you know I had a stig-" Lee Jihye was startled, but then decided the question was redundant so she just activated her stigma instead.

[Stigma: Ghost Fleet lv 1 has activated!]

The moment when the stigma activated, the surroundings changed. Now, the school looked worn, old, and abandoned, with water soaking the ceiling, leaking down the walls and dripping to the floor, forming a thin layer of water.

The sky outside no longer resembled dusk, but a dark, oppressive cloudy body of gloom.

"Where-" Lee Jihye was startled along with Na Bori, whose face didn't look good at the creepy atmosphere the school was now screaming out.

[The hidden dungeon, "The other side" has been discovered!]

[You have gained the first discovery achievement]

[1000 coins have been received as the achievement award]

Well, this hidden dungeon had been found in one round when the protagonist had come to recruit Lee Jihye. In fact, Lee Jihye had been the one to find the hidden dungeon after using her stigma, that had the word "ghost" and was connected to the water.

In here, the time in the dungeon to the outside was at a 2:1 ratio. Meaning, time ran two times faster inside than the outside. Although I wasn't sure how such a thing worked, it was a thing.

However, this dungeon was useless to the protagonist as the rewards did not help him at all. So this was a dungeon that was never mentioned again in [Three ways to Survive in A Ruined World]. I guess I had to thank myself for re-reading that novel dozens of times (even if I normally stop after a while) so some parts stuck with me. After suffering trials comes the sweetness, right?

Anyways, for the current us, this dungeon's rewards would make a future scenario a little easier to deal with.

[Hidden Scenario: The Other Side]

Category: Hidden

Difficulty: D

Clear Conditions: Survive for 6 hours

Time Limit: 6 hours

Compensation: Dispel Evil lv. 1, Mental Fortitude Lv. 1, 2 000 coins, ???

Failure: ---

+

[You are currently in a safe zone. Preparatory Time: 5 minutes]

[4:59]

"So, I guess you know how horror movies go?" I read the scenario and looked at the two stunned figures.

Na Bori was shaking as a sieve again, her words dislocated, "ha. ha. Crybaby Jihye. Goodbye. My soul. Has. Ascended."

...Was Na Bori really this afraid of horror? Now I was worried. Perhaps it was my mistake to bring her along. I wasn't sure if she would die of fright before dying from the ghosts.

"Bori, get a hold of yourself!" Panicked, Lee Jihye was shaking Nabori's shoulders back and forth like she was a ragdoll.

Meanwhile, I when back into the classroom and retrieved three oil lamps and some match sticks bringing them back to the group.

[You have obtained the scenario props Oil Lamp x3 and Matchbox x1]

"Clearing this scenario isn't as hard as you might think. In this place, the Ghosts are afraid of light and fire."

"G-Ghosts? Ah. I. Really. Am. Done. For." Na Bori's eyes turned blank. She was focusing on the wrong part.

"Noo! Bori, snap out of it!" And then there was also Lee Jihye freaking out.

I felt exasperated and anxious. If they didn't cooperate with me, then we would all really die.

"CALM DOWN AND LISTEN TO ME!" I roared.

Shocked by my outburst, the two others temporarily settled down.

"Take this, and take this." I lit the lamps and handed it out to Na Bori and Lee Jihye.

[Prop: Lit Lamp]

Rating: Common (F)

Use: Has a deterring effect to ghosts.

*Note: 20 minutes of usage is left

Observing their quiet-as-a-chicken expressions as they obediently, I sighed, feeling the irritation leaving me.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have shouted like that. But see, we need to work together to survive. Panicking won't help us at this point." I apologized.

Na Bori made out a smile on her face and said, "No, I'm just surprised...I've never seen you ever get worked up like that..."

Hm?

Lee Jihye chirped in, "Yeah, Yeah, actually, you've been acting different since the scenario started. Normally, you almost have no presence, and you kind of just keep to yourself."

Me? I almost couldn't believe what they were talking about. Sure, I was more introverted than extroverted, but I was never someone with no presence, nor did I always keep to myself.

Something about this felt very, very off.

[2:39]

But this was not the time to think about it. Our first and foremost goal would be to survive. All other luxuries could be considered later.

"Listen, these lamps can only last for 20 minutes, as you have seen in the description. There should be oil refills located all around this area. Unfortunately, those are also limited. Therefore, we are going to need to depend on Lee Jihye." I spoke loudly and clearly.

"Me?" Lee Jihye pointed at herself, looking a little confused.

"Yes, we will need your stigma, [Ghost Fleet]. By the way, how long would you be able to keep it up?" I asked. We could have no loopholes.

"Um...I don't think I can last for very long. Maybe 20 minutes at least, and if I push myself, one hour?" Lee Jihye placed a hand under her chin and thought to herself.

I nodded my head, keeping this information in mind.

"Na Bori, do you have any light or fire attribute skills?" I turned to Na Bori, trying to get to know her better. After all, she was a character who was not written extensively in the novel.

"I-I think I do." Na Bori replied, not expecting me to ask her a question.

"Would you be comfortable with telling me its effects and how long you would be able to keep it up?"

Na Bori pondered, and then replied, "It has an effect similar to exorcising, I think. As for keeping it up..."

She hesitated, inhaled a bit, and then bit the bullet,

"...I'm not sure."

There wasn't much to go on, but a definite point struck out: It would have an effect on ghosts.

"Ok, finally, I'm going to say that I have no skills or stigmas. Anyways, that's not important. I'll explain our plan as we go, but before that-"

I glanced at the timer.

[1:14]

Although we all spoke as quickly as possible, there still wasn't enough time.

"We have one minute, so state any ideas you have now." I turned to my companions, quietly waiting for their reply.

Although I had a general idea, it wasn't perfect. So many variables I didn't think about may show up, so I wanted to depend on my companions to take over at any time.

In fact, I looked strong right now, but my hands were trembling. Again, the shadow of death, the reality of my life being possibly reaped creeped into me. Doubts threatened to swallow me, drag me into its depths.

I never thought I could be a leader, but at least I could be a listener. It was a cowardly move, but the burden of being responsible for another person's life was too big for my thin shoulders to bear.

"I'm a good fighter, so you should stay behind me. I can protect you, trust me." Lee Jihye's face was solemn.

I nodded, then turned back to Na Bori.

"It may not be much, but I really know my way around the place. I know a bunch of shortcuts. And I can drive." Na Bori added.

"Ok, Na Bori, lead the way to the National Folk Museum of Korea." That would be our first stop, and the first place to upgrade our gear.

I looked at the timer ticking down, anxiety mounting with each ticking second, knowing full well what it would mean, and having nothing I could do to stop it.

[0:01]

[0:00]

My heart stopped along with the timer, a dizzy spell coming over me for a second. The absolute security the safe zone gave me was now over.

[Safe zone has been deactivated.]

There would be no where to hide anymore, no where to run.

[In 5 hours, the Scenario area will be flooded.]

In these potential last 6 hours, the outcome of my life and death would be decided.

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