Episode 2
That was ridiculous. To enter the game… there was no way that was possible.
“Yeah, this must be a dream.”
I’d been playing the game so much recently that it had obviously crept into my dreams.
“…”
That must be it… Yet somehow, I felt like my desperate self was turning away from reality.
‘…Get your act together. You have to focus on surviving right now.’
While I was thinking that, I sensed a sign of movement behind me.
“…!”
Startled, I quickly turned around and took a step back, and paused at what I saw before me.
There stood a person, not a zombie. No one but the protagonist character of the game.
I was so surprised that I forgot to breathe, just scanning him with wide eyes. He looked exactly like the illustrations in the game.
Wow… I never thought I’d see him in real life. It felt like my eyes were purified while seeing the protagonist infused with the heart and soul of the developers after looking at those horrifying zombies.
“Excuse me… you’re a survivor, aren’t you?”
“…What? Oh, yes.”
Crazy. Even his voice sounded crazy good. I hadn’t known that since there was no VA for the game, but his voice was so pleasant to the ears, maybe because he was the main character.
“This is no time to be like this. Let’s get inside the building for now.”
Saying that, he grabbed my arm and pulled me along. I was taken aback by his sudden action, then, after a moment, realizing why he was doing this, I followed him.
In the game, he’d come all the way here while being chased by zombies. I followed him and glanced back. A horde of zombies was coming this way from beyond the front gate. The protagonist’s visuals were so great that I was distracted and almost got into serious trouble.
I turned my head again and looked at the back of the protagonist running ahead. My heart was racing at the fact that I actually met the character I adored, but at the same time, remembering the challenges he would face in the future made me want to shake off his hand immediately. Being around him would definitely give me a hard time.
“Sorry for dragging you along out of the blue. I was being chased by zombies, so I had no choice.”
Before we knew it, we’d entered the building, and he let go of my arm and apologized.
“That’s alright.”
More importantly, what should I do now? Until just now, I couldn’t tell if this was reality or dream, but after seeing the protagonist, I couldn’t deny this place was in the game.
He had a special ability, one that would help him survive in this world. However, the catch was that he could only get that ability after clearing this stage.
Currently, he was just an ordinary civilian like me, without any remarkable abilities…
‘Oh, he’s got regression.’
But since his regression ability was similar to knowing the future, maybe it was better to just come out and say it? I had the same thing to an extent. While I was running a circuit of hope in my mind, he suddenly apologized again.
“I’m sorry… Are you upset?”
“What? No, I’m not upset.”
“But your expression looked off…”
“Ah… I’m just trying to figure out what to do now.”
I awkwardly smiled in response, wondering if I had a bad expression
“I was worried you might be upset since I grabbed you suddenly.. If not, that’s a relief. I’m also unsure of what to do. I suddenly found myself in this situation…”
Seeing him relieved upon hearing my words made me feel a little uncomfortable. Unlike the him I played as until recently, this pure and unblemished character felt… awkward.
But this demeanor would surely disappear soon. It was because his ability to revive would lead him to multiple deaths and make his mental health deteriorate drastically.
“Excuse me… Would you like to stick together? I believe it’s better to be a party of two than be alone…”
“Huh? Well, that’s a bit…”
Caught off guard by his sudden suggestion, I reflexively made my reluctance obvious. Then he became crestfallen, seemingly disappointed.
“Oh… If you don’t want to, it’s okay to refuse. It’s understandable, it’s a little hard to trust someone you’ve just met…”
He was probably trying to hide it, but his emotions showed a little too clearly on his face. Well, even this would naturally fade after he died a few times.
“I’m sorry. It’s not that I don’t want to. It’s just… the situation is so confusing, and I need some time alone to gather my thoughts.”
While declining politely to avoid hurting his feelings, I added my concerns about knowing what might happen to him in the future.
“Look for someone else instead of me. But… if possible, I recommend not trusting anyone and moving alone.”
Because if you trust someone in this stage, you’ll likely be betrayed and killed.
“Then, I’ll go this way. I wish you safety.”
“Wait, just a moment…”
It seemed like he was saying something from behind me, but I ignored it and quickly left the place. Otherwise, I’d end up entangled in some troublesome situation with the protagonist.
As I recalled, shortly after, the protagonist encounters a group of survivors coming down to the first floor. Even if he were to move elsewhere before they came down, the encounter with the group of survivors was bound to happen somehow as the story progressed.
From here on was the beginning of the challenging phase. Initially, traveling with them might seem advantageous and convenient for survival…
‘But after a few days? They’ll want to escape from here, and that’s when their true colors will start to show.’
As provisions and weapons gradually become available, they too start thinking. Resources were limited, and if instead of helping, people become a burden by hoarding supplies, things could turn ugly. It was human nature to be selfish, afterall.
Eventually, division occurred, and the group of survivors split up. It was only natural that the weak ones were eliminated quickly.
Then, a second division occurs driven by futile greed. If there’s a group, inevitably a leader emerges. Those eager to take the lead made a fuss about taking the role, and then they formed factions, fought and caused turmoil…. In this process, the protagonist gradually breaks down, eventually getting betrayed and killed.
The problem was that the protagonist was so nice that he ended up dying several times trying to prevent this breakup from happening. In the game, you had to die about five times in this manner even if you didn’t want to before the option to abandon the group appeared.
Just thinking about it made me shudder. If it were me, I’d never go with such people, but for the protagonist who hadn’t experienced that before, it was obvious he’d stick with them.
Well, it wouldn’t hurt to join the protagonist who’d travel solar later after breaking away from the group of the survivors. By then, he would have died a few times and abandoned his weak mindset. Moreover, the abilities he would gain after this stage would greatly help with his future survival.
For now, I’d just save myself and plan to join him later. It might seem a bit cold-hearted, but I had no other choice if I wanted to survive.
“Oh?”
Wait, but what happened when the protagonist died?
His death was such an obvious fact that I hadn’t thought about what would come after.
In the game, when the protagonist dies, he respawns at the beginning of the stage or a save point. That’s from the player’s point of view, and from the protagonist’s point of view, it’s like a reset. But that was inconsequential to me. What mattered right now was what happened to me. Me.
If there was no protagonist… How would the story progress?
My anxiety surged at the sudden question.
If… the world stopped because the protagonist died, what should I do? Would I be trapped alone in a world that’d stopped…?
“Oh, damn it…!”
I hurriedly turned back the way I came. Please, don’t let him have met the survivors yet. He’d meet them while he was on this stage anyway, but not right now. I ran back like crazy and reached where I was earlier, and I could see the protagonist’s back in the distance.
Oh, that was a relief, he hadn’t met them yet-
As soon as I got closer, however, people who had been hidden by the angle of the wall came into view.
‘Ah, I’m too late.’
But I couldn’t just go back just now. I grabbed the protagonist’s arm and pulled him back, rushing to catch the breath I’d been holding onto while running. Then he looked back at me with eyes widened with surprise, and the people he had been talking to on the other side also stared at me in astonishment.
“Who’s that…”
“Come with me. Now that I think about it, it’s better if we both stick together. Alright? Let’s hurry up and go.”
“Huh?”
I urged him to go with me, pulling his arm recklessly to separate him from the survivors. I was trying to drag him away, but the problem was his reaction. It was understandable – just a moment, I said I didn’t want to go with him, and now I suddenly re-appeared and was insisting him to come with me – I must’ve looked like a madwoman.
But there was no other way. It wasn’t like I could say, ‘The thing is, If you stay with them, you’ll die. That’s a big problem for me, so I’m trying to save you.’
I couldn’t say, ‘Hey, you’ll be betrayed later and die. Especially because a junior close to you will ruin your reputation with his dirty politics and vindictively cast you aside.’
As if he’d believe the words of a stranger…
Moreover, the protagonist had just recently graduated from this high school and was acquainted with the group of survivors. He was even close to some of them like brothers or close friends.
On top of that, what I was saying was about something that hadn’t even happened yet, so no matter who heard it, it would sound absurd.
“Excuse me, who are you to suddenly interrupt our conversation like this? We were talking first.”
“He’s with me. We’re in a hurry, so…”
“Hyung1honorific used by younger males to refer to older male friends or brothers, do you know this person?”
They looked at me suspiciously and soon demanded an answer from the protagonist.
This wasn’t working, but it wasn’t like I could cover his mouth!
I held onto his arm tightly, looking at him with an anxious expression. Oh, please. Can’t you just go along with what I’m saying? But with his current demeanor, there was no way he would tactfully understand me or comply.
“No, who are you to do this? We’re close, what’s it to you? Mind your own business.”
“Are you sure you’re close? Doesn’t seem like it. If you’re together, why were you separate until now?”
“He’s with me. Why are you prying into our business? That’s really annoying, you know?”
“That’s what I was going to say. Suddenly barging in and trying to take our friend away doesn’t look good on you.”
Wow… this guy didn’t lose a word.
To be honest, I couldn’t refute what that guy said. It felt more like I was being unreasonably forceful from my side.
What should I do…
While I was agonizing over the situation in my mind, I heard the main character’s voice.
“This person and I are a party.”
“…Really, bro?”
“Sorry, but I’m going with her. I can’t stay with you guys.”
“What? But… it would be better if she just joined us instead. In times like these, it’s better to have as many people as possible…”
“No, we’ll move around separately.”
Huh? What was this?
I looked back and forth between him and the group of survivors with a bewildered expression. The survivors also seemed embarrassed by the protagonist’s response. Regardless of the reactions around him, the protagonist took my hand and walked us back the way we came.
This wasn’t… right, was it? No, it was right, but- something was wrong.
This isn’t right, or is it? No, it’s right, but something’s wrong.
I looked back at the group of survivors staring blankly at us from behind, and then I turned to the protagonist. He briefly met my eyes and flashed me a beautiful smile
Something felt wrong in that appearance.
The ml is suspicious af, I love it
Hyung is a honorific word for brother used to refer to older male friends by younger males. It’s also used by actual younger brothers for their older brothers.
