Only One Knew

[12:03 AM | Seoul – Line 3, Express Train #1432]

[Main Scenario #1: SURVIVE]

[Time Limit: 20 minutes]

[Earn 100 Coins to survive. Failure = Death]

[Time Remaining: 18:41]

There were twenty-three people in the subway car.

Now there were twenty-two.

The hulking dog-like creature lay dead at Jae-hwan's feet, black blood soaking into the flooring. Its jaws twitched, still trying to remember how to bite.

People screamed, cried, some began to run to the opposite end of the car—but there was nowhere to go.

They were trapped.

Another monster appeared, this one smaller, leaner, moving faster than the last. It bounded across the seats.

Jae-hwan's fingers twitched as he raised his pen again.

[Skill: Inkblood Manifestation – 8 seconds cooldown remaining]

Too slow.

"Get down!" he shouted to a nearby woman.

She hesitated.

The creature leapt.

Jae-hwan grabbed the edge of the subway pole and swung forward, boot connecting with the creature's skull mid-air. It crumpled mid-pounce, rolling across the car with a sickening thud.

[Enemy Defeated – 24 Coins Earned]

[Total Coins: 71]

[Time Remaining: 17:58]

He was panting now.

The cooldown expired.

[Inkblood Manifestation – READY]

He scrawled a sentence through the air again, this time more calmly:

"The next monster's weakness is its left side."

A blur of red light rippled over his pen as the words engraved into reality.

Seconds later, the third creature crawled in through the broken window, snarling. Its muscles rippled, thicker than the others. The passengers backed away.

It charged.

Jae-hwan stepped sideways and struck.

The dagger formed from his pen caught the beast beneath the left shoulder. Its body convulsed as the blade sank into the precise location mentioned.

[Critical Hit – Vital Weakness Exploited] [Enemy Defeated – 35 Coins Earned]

[Total Coins: 106]

[Time Remaining: 16:49]

[Scenario Completed: Survive the First Attack]

[Congratulations. You have survived.]

[Reward: Bronze-grade Survival Pack received. Access it through your Inventory.]

The system window blinked and faded.

Jae-hwan collapsed onto a bench.

Sweat rolled down his temple. His hand trembled with exhaustion—not physical, but narrative fatigue.

Each sentence he wrote wasn't just action—it came from him, drawn from memory and intent. The emotional toll layered with the system's metaphysical weight.

The passengers around him stared in silence.

He could feel the shifting gazes.

A young man stepped forward.

"You... how did you do that?"

Jae-hwan didn't answer right away.

[Trait Activation Detected: Protagonistic Aura Suppression – Enabled]

He looked at the man and forced a calm smile.

"I just remembered something."

[System Message: Global Synchronization Detected]

[Multiple Users Across the Region Have Triggered Survival Scenario #1]

[Scenario Rankings Now Visible]

[Top 5 Scenario Completion Times – Seoul District]

[Han Yura] – 1:03

[Kim Woon-jae] – 1:14

[Unknown] – 1:29

[Seo Mina] – 1:32

[Kang Jae-hwan] – 3:11

[Note: Top-ranked survivors may receive early access to Scenario #2.]

Jae-hwan read the list quietly.

"Han Yura…" he murmured. "Still ahead of me, even now."

[Memory Fragment Triggered – Supporting Character: Han Yura] [Original Canon Role: Third-party Swordswoman – Died in Chapter 13]

He remembered. In the old story, Han Yura was a sharp-tongued A-rank swordswoman who died early due to poor cooperation and lack of intel.

Now she was top of the list.

That meant two things:

She was alive.

The story had changed.

Jin-hee's voice echoed in his mind: "Not everything will happen like before."

Jae-hwan stood.

[New Message Received – From System Moderator: Vaelith Host | Scenario Overseer]

"Player Kang Jae-hwan. Your early completion has flagged your profile. You have been selected for early preview of Scenario #2. Are you ready to proceed?"

A countdown appeared:

[Response Required – 60 seconds remaining]

He looked at the people in the train—tired, scared, confused. No one had any answers.

Except him.

He tapped YES.

[Accepted. Transporting…]

Light shattered across his vision.

[System Transfer Active – Entering Scenario #2: The Locked City]

[Difficulty: Intermediate]

[Players: 100 (Seoul District – Selected Pool)]

[Objective: Escape the 5th Ward within 3 Hours]

[Penalty for Failure: Immediate Execution]

[Bonus Objectives Available]

When the light faded, Jae-hwan was standing in the middle of a wide, empty street.

Giant rusted walls surrounded him. Cameras tracked his movements.

A bell tolled overhead.

[Scenario Begins Now]

And from the shadows, a familiar voice rang out:

"Well, well. Didn't expect to see a reader on the first floor."

Jae-hwan turned.

A girl with silver hair stepped into the light, eyes glinting with recognition.

Han Yura.

To be continue...