Episode 1 - Starting the Paid Service (1)

Choi Jakga (=writer)

Jakga. This name was given to me by my parents, who wanted me to become a strong and respectable man on my own. Although I never said it in front of them out of respect, I always thought that this name was something totally ridiculous, even silly...

My name was Choi Jakga, and I was a simple twenty-seven-year-old office worker who had been working for several years in the same company located in the center of Seoul, simply because it was the only one that had wanted me. Sociability was not really my strong point, and for this reason, I had no friendships with anyone, but only a few vague acquaintances. Outside of work, I spent most of my time playing video games, watching videos on the internet or reading novels online

"I should have some time to read the new chapter..."

No sooner had I set a single foot on the subway train I usually took home after working all day, a notification buzzed my smartphone, which I promptly unlocked as I sat down in an empty seat. I would normally wait until I got home to read this new chapter in the best possible way, but I was so eager to find out what happened next in this story

"Hey how are you?"

"Why didn't you come to the party yesterday, man?"

I took my eyes off of my cell phone to watch the few people that could be heard conversing in the entirety of the subway train I was on. They were all so smiling and seemed to be enjoying the moment without worrying about tomorrow, to the point where I began to envy them a little. However, I quickly shook my head and went back to reading the chapter without waiting. How could I envy them when I wasn't doing anything to change that? The life I was currently living was my fault, and only my fault

"What an idiot I am..."

For a few moments, my mind flashed back to memories from my past that I would have preferred to forget. I remembered the incessant bullying I was subjected to when I was still in school. I remembered the university entrance exam that I was not able to take at the same time as the others because of medical reasons, and that I had to take it later and finally ended up in a low-ranked university in the provinces. I remembered my compulsory military service that I had to do for two years as part of the country's efforts to protect itself and that I ended up being assigned to the army corps on the front line. Damn, I really didn't have any good memories

[The Beginning After The End]

[Author: TurtleMe]

[Only I Level Up - Solo Leveling]

[Author: Chu-Gong]

[Lord of the Mysteries]

[Author: Cuttlefish That Loves Diving]

[Classroom of the Elite]

[Author: Shogo Kinugasa]

While continuing to scroll through the list of different novels online or even in dematerialized format that I was reading and that I had read before, I sighed. Closing my eyes for a moment, I tried to clear my mind so that I wouldn't have to think about bad things anymore before resuming reading the new chapter of the novel that was displayed on my cell phone. At that moment, without anyone being able to foresee it in any way, the lights of the subway train started to blink with small intervals to finally come to extinguish completely and plunge all those present inside in the most total darkness

Without even giving us a moment to adapt to what had just happened in the subway train, several shocks were felt, causing several people to fall to the ground head first, including myself. In a short time, some people started screaming, others started clinging forcefully to whatever was near them to try to stay upright, and the remaining people did both things at the same time. Once that was over and everyone was recovering from what had just happened, I lifted my head off the ground before coming to look around

"Huh? What?"

"What's that?"

On both sides of the subway train, voices as confused as the faces of the people they belonged to were heard. I didn't pay any attention to them, at least for the moment, because I was focused on something else: finding my smartphone. It might have seemed silly for me to worry about such things when the passengers on the subway train and I had just been shaken in all directions, but with a phone, I would have the possibility of being able to call for help in case of an emergency, or to use it as a lamp so that I could see ahead if we ever had to get off the subway and start walking in the tunnels

"Where is he? He can't have fallen far... Ah, there he is!"

Probably due to the powerful force we had been the victims of, my smartphone had initially fallen to the ground before being, I imagine, sent flying under one of the passenger seats of the subway train. By some stroke of luck, my cell phone did not have even the slightest crack in it. To tell the truth, it would have been hard not to find it strange, but I was far too happy to ask myself any questions about it

"I hope nothing bad happened..."

"They better not make me late for home!"

My gaze then fell on the various people in the subway train who seemed to be looking for a logical explanation for what had just happened, having slightly frightened or even anxious expressions in light of the situation. I was not like them. Of course, I was also curious to know what had just happened, but when anything happened, there was a sound announcement followed by information to explain what was going to happen. It was only a matter of waiting a few dozen seconds. Yet, I felt my smartphone vibrate in my hand, and instinctively I unlocked it and instinctively had a strange feeling that an instant messaging application had opened without my asking, and that someone I didn't know had sent me a message

- Can you read this?

I stared at my phone with stunned eyes before I finally managed to regain control of my thoughts. There was no name, no information that could help me know who I was talking to and even though I tried so hard, the only strange thing on my smartphone was this message. What did it mean? Was I the target of a phone scam, or maybe a hacker? I took a deep breath to put my worries on hold and started typing several words in a row

- Choi Jakga: Who are you, and what do you want from me?

For a moment, I was afraid that he would not answer my questions and would simply disappear the way he had appeared on my cell phone screen. However, only several seconds had passed before the smartphone I was holding vibrated again

- I don't want to hurt you in any way, on the contrary, I only wish you well. You'll have to make sure you're strong soon, because I'm afraid your life will be at stake, as well as the lives of countless others

A lot of questions went through my mind the moment I finished reading his message. I didn't know if I could trust this person whom I didn't know anything about except that he had managed to remotely open an application on my cell phone. However, after what we had just experienced with the subway, it was impossible for me to tell myself that it was just a coincidence that I received such a message. That's when I noticed a message right in the middle of my cell phone screen

- This conversation does not exist, or is no longer available

I tried to find the conversation I had just had several times, but the result was always the same. Everything was gone, and there was no trace of this person I had just exchanged messages with. It was strange. I was about to search again, but a beep was heard before a deep male voice was heard: it was definitely the subway conductor

- To all passengers on the train. I repeat, to all passengers on the train

Everything became silent, as if no one dared to disturb the silence in any way. I swallowed a little of my own saliva while looking at one of the loudspeakers of the subway train and waited for the next message

- Run away! Everyone run away!

What?

In a moment, I felt like everything around me was slowing down, getting slower and slower. My body seemed to have petrified in the space of a few seconds and despite my many attempts, I didn't move a millimeter. Then I heard a voice different from all the others

[The free service of planetary system 9405 has just ended]

[The main scenario began]

That's when my life changed