Episode 2 – Protagonist (4)

At this moment, Yoo Sangah shouted.

“Dokja-ssi! Behind you!”

I reflexively leaned forward as a bloody fist came flying through the air. It was a familiar fist covered with energy.

I felt something falling towards me and instinctively kicked out. I didn’t need to look back to know what was behind me.

A grade 9 human type, demonic person. Human mutants infected with black ether.

That’s why demonic people were classified as a high-risk species, despite being grade 9. Demonic people made from a normal human base were no different from zombies, but it was particularly dangerous if their hosts were different.

I saw the badge of the school student with a damaged head.

“…Kim Namwoon.”

The guy whose head burst a few minutes ago was now aiming for me as a demonic person.

Kim Namwoon’s vocal cords that burst out were in a bizarre shape.

“Kuweeeoooh.”

[Exclusive skill, Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint Lv. 1 has been activated!]

[This person doesn’t have any consciousness. The skill Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint will be cancelled.]

Damn, it was as expected.

Chwaack!

My thigh was scratched by Kim Namwoon’s overgrown black fingernails.

A pain that felt like a burn spread through my leg. The skin which hadn’t been cut by a knife was now torn by fingernails.

This was the main reason why demonic people were dangerous. The demonic people became several times stronger than when they were human.

“Yoo Sangah-ssi, immediately―”

I felt something as I spoke. Without looking back, I could see what was going on.

“Let me go! Let go! Dokja-ssi! Dokja-ssi!”

Han Myungoh, who had just been limping, was carrying Yoo Sangah over one shoulder and moving across the bridge at an astonishing rate.

[The constellation ‘Secretive Plotter’ admires how easy you are to fool.]

[The constellation ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ is impressed with your sacrifice.]

[100 coins have been sponsored.]

…Indeed. Planning to leave me?

By the way, the way he was running was a little strange. Despite being on one leg, he was running as fast as an Olympic athlete.

This couldn’t be the exclusive skill of Han Myungoh, who had a big belly. Therefore, it must be the stigma of his sponsor.

[The One-legged Swift Horse]

And I already knew the constellation who provided that stigma. I used Character List on the distant Han Myungoh.

[The information of this person can’t be read in ‘Character List.’]

Once again, Character List didn’t work properly.

If I remembered correctly, the stigma of ‘One-legged Swift Horse’ came from the constellation Lame Trickster.

Lame Trickster didn’t give any stigmas in the mental barrier system. In addition, Han Myungoh couldn’t possess such a skill from the beginning. In other words, my skill failed not because of Han Myungoh’s ability.

…I was stupid.

I looked at the message window floating in front of me and laughed.

[This person isn’t registered in ‘Character List.’]

I was thinking too hard when it meant literally that. Character List literally read the information of characters.

Yoo Sangah and Han Myungoh were characters who didn’t originally appear in Ways of Destruction. They were people who would’ve died if I hadn’t saved them. It was natural that I couldn’t confirm their information with Character List.

“Gruk! Gruk! Gruk!”

On one side, the incoming Kim Namwoon and demonic people were jabbering nonsense at me. On the other side, Han Myungoh had already halfway crossed the bridge. Lee Hyunsung and Lee Gilyoung had already entered the safety zone across the bridge so I couldn’t ask for help from them.

This was truly a predicament. I couldn’t cross the bridge alone.

My brain moved quickly.

Should I capture one of the demonic people and cross the bridge? It was worth trying, but the success rate was too low. Unlike the name, the demonic people were categorized as non-human, meaning they didn’t count as a person.

“Kuaaaack!”

Several demonic people lost their balance and fell down the bridge.

Kwajijijik!

The fallen demonic people became the food of the ichthyosaurs. Like piranhas, the ichthyosaurs broke the demonic people into dozens of pieces in an instant.

Distant fear came flooding back in. If the number of people on the bridge became ‘odd’ for even a moment, I would be like them. It was impossible to cross alone.

Then?

“…Let’s take it slow.”

I muttered as I attempted to control myself. Right now, I needed to remain calm. There were still a few usable methods, but the important thing was to handle matters in front of me. I controlled my breathing and walked to the demonic people.

“Kuweeok?”

Fortunately, it wasn’t difficult to make the fall down the bridge using inertia.

Kyaaaack – kwajijik!

I reduced the numbers by making them fall steadily. The dokkaebi’s stopwatch floating in the air was blinking.

The time remaining before the scenario ended was 15 minutes.

“Sigh…”

Nails flew from a blind spot and pierced my shoulder bone. No matter how calm my mind, no matter how much information I knew, I couldn’t help my untrained body.

“Kuwoooook!”

The wild Kim Namwoon’s attacks were becoming increasingly faster.

Left shoulder.

The right thigh.

The top of the head.

I had to break the flow. I barely avoided the flying fingernails and kicked his legs.

“Kyah?”

But this person lost all senses and wasn’t hurt at all. I stepped back, hitting a broken steel frame. I could hear the raging sound of the ichthyosaurs at the bottom of the pillars.

[A few constellations are rejoicing in your adversity.]

[The constellations have sponsored you 200 coins.]

It was a steady accumulation of coins. Now I held 5,000 coins. It was a significant number of coins for the beginning.

[Wow, you are quite good at surviving. Now now! Will any constellations help this poor friend?]

It was the dokkaebi’s merchant-like voice. I wanted to tear it apart.

[Geez, there is really nobody?]

Of course.

It would be strange for a constellation to support me after what happened during the Sponsor Selection.

[What did I say? You should’ve chosen well when you had the change. How pitiful.]

Kim Namwoon attacked me again and again, resulting in damage to my waist.

Of course, I also injured Kim Namwoon’s left side with the knife. Thanks to that, his stomach was hanging out like a skipping rope.

In order to kill a demonic person, I had to completely destroy the heart. But the skin of a demonic person was hardest near the heart. The Swiss knife wasn’t able to pierce it with sharpness alone.

Dammit, it wouldn’t be so hard if I had just one combat skill.

[The exclusive skill ‘Bookmark’ is activated.]

…Bookmark?

[‘Character Bookmarks’ is activated.]

[Available Bookmark Slots: 3]

[Bringing up the list of available bookmarks.]

[People Listed in the Bookmark Slots]

The Delusion Demon Kim Namwoon (Understanding 25). Steel Sword Lee Hyunsung (Understanding 35). Empty slot.

Bookmark. I’ve read over 3,000 chapters of Ways of Survival and I never saw this skill name before. But I intuitively knew how to use it.

“Activate bookmark number one.”

There was the feelings of pages turning in my head. It was the scenes of Kim Namwoon in Ways of Destruction.

「Hahahahat! I’m full of strength! 」

「Die! Die! Die! Die!」

「A new world requires new laws.」

Kim Namwoon’s memories crowded in and all of my muscle nerves started to tense up. The power of another person was spiking within me.

[The number one bookmark has been activated.]

[The level of the Bookmark skill is low, shortening the activation time.]

[Activation Time: One minute.]

One minute. That was enough.

[Your understanding of the character is low, so only a part of the character’s skill is activated.]

[Blackening Lv.1 has been activated.]

Kim Namwoon was breathing roughly as he rushed towards me. His body was covered with a black energy that was threatening me.

I firmly placed strength on the heels of my feet and rushed towards Kim Namwoon. If we had the same skill, I absolutely wouldn’t lose.

At this moment, I really was Kim Namwoon. I was the crazy killer who ruled the world of ‘Ways of Survival’ with the protagonist.

In a situation where Blackening was properly played, the Delusion Demon of the battlefield couldn’t be easily beaten.

“Kyaaack!”

The Swiss knife cut through uncomfortable sensations. It tore through muscles and flesh.

From the upper left arm to the heart. There was the sound of a whole human being cut up as Kim Namwoon staggered. If he still had eyes, he would be glaring at me right now.

“Kuoh, kill. Ohhh. D.i.e”

The young man who felt pessimistic towards the world and dreamt of breaking away from it. If Ways of Survival hadn’t started, he might’ve gone to university after sitting his CSAT and enjoyed campus life.

“…Don’t, want…to…die”

I watched Kim Namwoon falling down the bridge without saying farewell. Despite him being a hated figure, I couldn’t help feeling strange emotions.

[Your understanding of the character ‘Kim Namwoon’ has increased.]

[The number one bookmark has been disabled.]

A surge of fatigue overcame me as the power went away.

It was hard. Really.

“Kuwoooook!”

There was 10 minutes remaining. There were still many demonic people moving about.

It was unreasonable to take on so many even with Lv. 10 stamina. But from the beginning, I had no intention of taking care of them alone.

It was a little late. He should appear around now.

Kwajik! Kwajijijik!

There was a crackling sound like he had been waiting. I knew it. I thought he would do reckless things in order to gain achievements and donations.

Kwajijik! Crunch.

It was obviously the sound of a person’s flesh colliding with another body, but it sounded more like a mace crushing flesh.

In fact, I had collected this much coins and thought it would be worth challenging the protagonist.

But now I realized how mistaken I was.

From the stationary train, the demonic people were thrown away in a straight line, as if a tank had rushed through. Was this really a scene caused by a ‘human’?

“Kyaack?”

The headless demonic people realized that something was strange and started turning around. However, it was too late.

Kwajijik!

The man destroyed all the demonic people threatening me and appeared in front of me. An overwhelming force without any weapons. He beat the demonic people with only two fists.

I had prepared my mind in advance but sweat still flowed down my back.

Dealing with this guy? It was absolutely impossible. I couldn’t win even if my overall stats rose by more than double what they were now.

“You, who are you?”

The man’s cool gaze turned to me. I reflexively turned on Character List in order to overcome the fear.

[The exclusive skill, Character List is activated.]

[There is too much information about this person. Character List is converted to Summary List.]

[Character Summary]

Name: Yoo Jonghyuk.

Attribute: Regressor (3rd turn) (Myth), Pro Gamer (Rare)

Exclusive Skills: Sage’s Eyes Lv. 8, Hand to Hand Combat Lv. 8, Weapons Training Lv. 8, Mental Barrier Lv. 5, Crowd Control Lv. 5, Reasoning Lv. 5, Lie Detection Lv. 4…

The list of exclusive skills continued endlessly. Before I could get to the end of the list, a rugged hand appeared and grabbed my neck.

“You, how the hell are you alive?”

The ‘first way’ to survive in a ruined world. The one who proved that method was right in front of me.

Regressor Yoo Jonghyuk. The grand tragedy of this world began with this person.