Living in a world that is destined for destruction
In a world destined for destruction,
acquired the ability to survive.
——-
＜ Prologue ＞
It was an uneventful day.
I received the request, and although I struggled a little, I was on my way back after sorting out the loot after handling the work neatly.
A man dying in the corner of a dark alley.
None of the limbs were intact, and seeing blood foam coming from the mouth, it seemed impossible to revive.
“Hmm.”
As usual, he would have stopped his breath lightly and searched for something useful, but he acted on a whim because several conditions were met.
That there was a pocket full of drugs obtained as spoils from annihilating a small drug organization.
thump.
It must be because the thin raindrops touched his feelings.
“This should do.”
The syringe was inserted near the heart of the man who was in a state of shock and his whole body was shaking.
“… gurgling.”
Fluorescent liquid, which looked very bad for the body just by looking at it, was vigorously sucked into the heart.
“… Big, kuck.”
A little light of life returned to the dying man’s face.
‘Although it won’t be long.’
It’s a dangerous item blended with clumsiness, and it’s garbage that’s hard to use as a drug, let alone a psychotropic drug, but that’s why the effect is dramatic.
“Are you out of your mind?”
The man will eventually die, but he will be able to leave at least a piece of his will, and he will no longer suffer.
“…Did you get help from the NPC?”
‘NPC?’
I reflexively opened my mouth as I watched the muttering man with muffled eyes, perhaps because of the medicine.
“NPC? What is it?”
“… Kkeukkeuk. NPCs are NPCs. Poor components made for players like me.”
His expression stiffened at the familiar words, but the drugged man didn’t notice and hesitated.
“NPC or player, sounds like a game?”
“The game is right! This damn world is a game! It’s a game with the absurd name ‘Future Cyber’!”
Just looking at the title, I thought it was a nonsense that shouldn’t be played, but I forced myself to smile and continued.
It was a completely unbelievable story, but it was hard to believe that the situation he was in right now was normal in the first place.
“Is it hard to believe? You mean this entire world I live in is a game?”
“Of course! If you listen to my story, you will understand right away!”
In a situation where his face was pale due to excessive blood loss, the man who had been hit with drugs began to speak gibberish, and several drugs and emergency potions were mobilized to listen to the story as much as possible, but it was not a waste at all.
There is a game called Future Cyber.
A game with detailed settings and extreme freedom that makes you feel paranoid in a vast open world.
Compared to the completeness of the game, it is not known to the public that much, but it is said that people who have encountered it at least once cannot let go of it.
and one day
Read at noblemtl.com
Many of the users who played Future Cyber were forcibly summoned into the game world.
And one quest given to them.
‘If you prevent the coming destruction, I will grant any wish.’
It was a story about the users who were summoned to prevent such a planned destruction, struggling in this future cyber world.
how much time had passed
Looking at the now speechless man, he rummaged in his arms.
Chick.
“···after.”
He lit a cigarette, took a deep breath, and looked at the dead body of the man.
“…it’s real.”
It’s nothing special to have corpses scattered one by one in a back alley like this, but this corpse, a self-proclaimed player, was different.
disintegrate and disappear
The man’s corpse began to disintegrate like a crude polygon breaking and disappeared from the world without leaving a single bloodstain.
All that remains are the clothes and equipment the man was wearing.
I’ve seen quite a few corpses, but I’ve never seen one disappear like this.
Literally disappearing, without feeling any superpowers or science.
It’s just a guess, but even if a person with psychometry or a shaman who can read the memory of the earth comes, you won’t be able to get information about the body that disappeared.
“Tsk.”
After rubbing the cigarette butt with his feet, he packed up the man’s things and turned around.
“It was wrong to sleep.”
It’s time for the sun to rise because I’ve heard quite a few stories, but far from being sleepy, I’m alert as if I’ve taken a stimulant.
‘It’s an absurd story.’
Even the residents of this city, where superpowers and science are mixed, would never believe it if they told me that the world they live in is a game.
“yes. I know a little bit now.”
In fact, he had reason to believe this story.
＜prolog＞ end
＜ Episode 1 ＞
“Yeah. The story is over.”
The appearance of making a phone call while digging through the crowds in the downtown area was no different from any other office worker.
“Yes. Okay. Then I go to work locally.”
After saying the magical words, he ended the call and sighed lightly.
“···Feel so good.”
Leaving work on the street in the afternoon when the sun is still shining is like a ray of light for an office worker, and it was no different for him.
As he slowly walked down the street with a slightly relaxed face, a light vibration sounded in his pocket, and he took out his smartphone and saw a text message in his eyes.
‘It must be spam.’
As if to protect personal information, he reflexively opened the text message while smiling bitterly at the reality of all kinds of spam text messages.
– We invite you to a new world! If you log in now, 100 free draws and 1000 diamonds are guaranteed! Beginner package support for new users! Don’t miss this opportunity!
1. Click the link below······.
“It’s spam.”
It was the time when I was about to delete the text, frowning at the content that did not deviate from expectations.
Took.
Someone tapped him on the shoulder, and a slipped finger brushed the link included in the text.
“Ouch!”
His mouth opened involuntarily at the pain that seemed to constrict his heart, and his body sank downward, and his vision was blacked out.
***
Under the yellowish stains on the ceiling and dimly flickering fluorescent lights, he slowly got up.
‘Did you sleep for a while?’
He sighed lightly, closing his eyes as he recalled the dream.
3 years ago.
He came to his senses with a pain that seemed to pierce his heart, and he found himself lying down in a dirty back alley, and since then, every day has been a rough life.
Though he thought he had gotten used to the city quite a bit after that time had passed, the truth he came to know by chance far exceeded his expectations.
“I guess it must be real.”
Sitting on the bed and organizing his thoughts, he picked up the tape recorder and notebook lying in the corner.
A drugged, muffled voice came out, and the hastily scribbled letters were barely recognizable, but more than anything else, they were convincing evidence.
“Destruction.”
His mouth twitched as he stared at the word destruction, which was highlighted in countless circles in the center of the notebook.
“Ku-k-k-k-k.”
Anger, astonishment, annoyance, collapse, etc.
A laugh filled with all sorts of negative emotions flowed from his mouth, and the strangely twisted corner of his mouth became greatly distorted before he knew it.
how long has it been like that
Barely controlling his emotions, he carefully examined the notebook.
The man soaked in all sorts of illegal drugs was a great speaker, and every word he spat out was like gold.
It was the first milestone for a man who fell into an unknown city and struggled only for survival, so he had no choice but to be cautious apart from his emotions.
His body was complaining of fatigue, but he looked at his notebook with a clearer mind than ever before, listened to the recorded voice, organized his thoughts, and got up.
The man with a notebook and recorder tucked deep into his arms muttered indifferently.
“Status window.”
According to the man who claimed to be a player, a translucent window should have appeared in front of him, but nothing changed.
“characteristic.”
Contrary to the words of the man who boasted that he had three unique characteristics, there was no change.
“···yes. It’s an NPC.”
It would be a lie if he said he had no expectations, but he abandoned his lingering feelings.
According to the player, entering this world was completely voluntary.
It was because I vaguely understood that I was in a different position from him, who had no intention of doing so at all.
Unlike the players who were strictly the main character, he was just an extra.
“But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a way.”
3 years.
Unlike the players who would have been successful with his blessed abilities, he lived a life of danger every day and thoroughly adapted to the city, and it was clear that it would make a significant difference to the players.
“Once you survive.”
You never know when destruction will come.
It may be tomorrow, or it may be decades from now.
The chosen players would struggle to prevent destruction, so there was no need to worry about that.
Read at noblemtl.com
More than that, it was too much to survive in this dangerous city day by day.
And it was clear that the information he had obtained the night before would tip his survival in a more favorable direction.
“Should I move?”
There was a lot to do.
***
The city’s name is Luna.
The city was splendid, worthy of the name of light.
The city, which spans an unimaginable area, never went out, and tens of millions of people were living a lively life.
But the stronger the light, the darker the shadow.
Unlike the center of the city, which is lined with huge buildings that pierce through the clouds, the city has become a slum as you go to the outskirts, and people’s eyes have lost their light.
A city where illegality and violence become the norm, and every shady desire imaginable comes true.
That was the true face of the city called Luna, and the alley where he came to his senses was also on the outskirts of such a city.
kid.
When I opened the door, which was stiff because I hadn’t oiled it, hot heat rushed in.
Even though it was still early, the people who were full were each holding a glass with a vicious glance, and the waitress was dragging the man covered in blood as he headed somewhere, but no one paid any attention.
A few eyes widened when he saw him enter through the door, but soon turned his head away, and the expressionless man deftly made his way through the crowd and sat down at the bar in the corner.
“Here you are.”
A bald giant with a large scar across his face spoke up, and with a light nod he took the object from his bosom and set it down on the bar.
When the ampoule containing the liquid containing the ominous fluorescent light was revealed, the eyes of some who were quietly watching this side shone dangerously, but the bald giant’s expression did not change at all.
“Right. Good work.”
A fishy smile appeared on the corner of the giant’s mouth as he looked around the ampoule with careful eyes, but then he put his hand behind his neck and touched something.
jing.
The device on his wrist vibrated lightly, and he confirmed the contents and nodded.
“How are they?”
At the bartender’s question, he opened his mouth in a dry voice.
“I can’t make medicine again.”
“I am satisfied. The client will be satisfied too. always neat zone.”
“Because that is my job.”
The bartender asked John, who got up from his seat.
“I have a job, do you have any thoughts?”
“I’m thinking of taking a few days off.”
“yes? I see.”
While the bartender’s eyes turned to the other men sitting at the bar, John left the store.
The image of the street entered John’s eyes.
A filthy street with all sorts of filth everywhere and a stench that looks very unhealthy.
In broad daylight, there were people lying down with distraught faces as if they were drugged, and I saw children hiding their bodies with their eyes shining to rob such guys.
All the people walking down the street were wearing weapons on the outside as if to show off, and each of them was wary of the surroundings with ferocious eyes.
A place where even a moment of inattention can take your life away.
In the outermost slum of Luna City, John moved slowly.
Based on the information obtained the night before, where he should go first now.
Fortunately, the destination was inside the slum, a place John knew too.
It was a completely unexpected place, but on the contrary, John, who believed that it was trustworthy, stepped into a dark alley.
It is easy to get lost in the slum, which is entangled like a spider’s web, and if you get lost like that, it’s obvious that you will be found dead, but John’s steps were unstoppable.
How long must it have been for him to hurriedly avoid the occasional corpses and filth?
John suddenly stopped walking and turned his head to stare at one place.
“come out.”
“Do you feel good?”
At John’s low voice, someone appeared from the shadows of the alley.
A skinny man with one arm covered in metal licked his lips with a mean smile, and at the same time two more men appeared from the darkness of the alley.
Scars all over his face and cheap implants all over his body were intimidating, but John didn’t bat an eye.
“It’s a face I haven’t seen before.”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
The skinny man laughed, and the other two men’s faces also had a wicked grin on them.
“I’m from ‘67. This is my first time in this town.”
“Right.”
John nodded as if he understood.
Luna, a mega city where tens of millions live, was unimaginably vast and growing even at this moment.
Due to the nature of the numbers increasing from the center of District 1 to the outskirts, District 67 is a messy slum comparable to District 63, where John lives.
Considering the lives of the residents who couldn’t leave the district for a while, it could certainly be said to be unusual, but John was able to infer the general circumstances by looking at the faces of the men.
“Crossing the area won’t be easy. I must have had a pretty big accident.”
The faces of the men who had been smiling fiercely at John muttering without any change in expression were cracked.
Even living a life at the bottom requires one’s own qualities.
It can be said that it is essential to have the mindset to be able to wield violence without mercy if necessary, as well as the determination to step back without hesitation if it is dangerous.
On top of that, living with violence as a business is, on the contrary, tantamount to being exposed to violence, so they should move more carefully, but the three men couldn’t afford it.
It was good that he got into a big accident and ran away, as John guessed, but the chase was constant, and his pockets were dry, so he had to fill them somehow.
In the meantime, John, who caught my eye at the agency, seemed like a good prey.
After work, he took money as if to show off, and the appearance of a pure human body that did not undergo any special treatment.
He could be a fixer because he had the skills, but that was not something to consider because the men were the same.
He might be someone who handles superpowers, but he couldn’t be in the 60th division.
As if to add confidence to that conclusion, the man with an implant planted in one eye and emitting red light nodded.
It was a cheap prosthetic eye, but it had a simple scan function, so it was an item that greatly helped the men survive, so it was clear that it would be the same this time.
And their conclusion was accurate, so John was a perfect living being with no special abilities, and in this case, those with implants would have an overwhelming advantage.
The men, who had even abandoned all suspicions, approached with a hideous atmosphere, and John’s eyes sank deeply as he watched them.
＜ Episode 1 ＞ End
Interesting