I'll be damned

"Bleugh."

I couldn't stop vomiting. Previously, the protagonist bastard used Shunpo to get us both to the nearest district. The terrifying speed gave me motion sickness and I couldn't stop vomiting.

His expression had me worried for a moment. I thought he was going to leave me there. If I had failed the calamity... I wouldn't know what would happen. In the game, whenever you failed to clear a calamity you had to regress. But, what happens if someone who's not Yoo Jinsun fails a calamity?... I wasn't sure.

"Was I wrong of you? You can't handle that speed?"

"Bastard..."

Yoo Jinsun had taken me to Gangbuk with him with two minutes left on the clock. I couldn't find my party anywhere. They probably escaped to Gangseo. Why'd this bastard bring me to Gangbuk...

"Yoo Jinsun, wouldn't Gangseo have been closer?"

"I guess even the storyteller's skill falls short sometimes..."

"What...?"

Was he implying there was a reason for coming to Gangbuk? I thought for a while. My memory of the early stages of the game was hazy.

Ah. Right. The first dungeon appeared in Gangbuk. But that didn't happen until after the fourth calamity. Then, why did he bring me here?

"You still don't get it? I never said I'd made you a companion. I only trusted you being an Apostle."

"...Right."

Now that I recalled our final moments in the museum, he never made me a companion... Cautious bastard.

"Show me you're worthy of being a companion."

"How?"

"That's for you to figure out. We should go our separate ways now."

"Hey, wait—!"

Before I could finish my sentence, Yoo Jinsun disappeared like the wind. I needed that Shunpo skill...

"What to do now?"

I was stranded in the middle of Gangbuk. My party was somewhere in Gangseo. I was unsure of what to do. The eerie atmosphere made the situation even creepier.

I slowly got up and started to search the area. A dull splash sound could be heard with each step I took. The streets had become a sea of blood with broken buildings serving as its islands. A deep sense of guilt gripped my heart. Just yesterday, I had been enjoining this misery and suffering, but I never minded it. It was all a game to me. Now that it had become a reality, I wasn't sure how to feel.

I made my way into an apartment while watching my steps. The periodic sound of water drops heightened the tension in the atmosphere and my steps began to feel heavy as time passed.

Wait, heavy steps?

"You have to be joking with me."

[A personal trial has been activated.]

[Personal trial - Sticky situation.]

Category: Sub-Calamity

Difficulty: B

Clear conditions: Defeat the boss monster that is residing in the building and save the survivors.

Time duration: 2 hours

Reward: 3000 coins & 100 ethos

Failure: Death

+

Fuck. It wasn't a good sign when the reward was big. Defeating the boss monster would prove to be difficult but it would be doable. The worrying part was saving the survivors. If a survivor gets killed during the boss fight, do I fail the trial...?

I wasn't sure of a lot of things. But I didn't have the time to dwell on them. With the Sky Splitting sword in my hand, I entered the lion's den.

I silently opened a few doors waiting to be jumpscared only for nothing to pop up.

"Where are the monsters?"

Originally a boss fight first consisted of minions popping up. But it had been 10 minutes since I had been exploring and I hadn't found anything. Did someone come here before me? If it was the latter, there was someone as strong as Yoo Jinsun... I didn't want that to be a reality.

"Kwak!!"

A shriek from upstairs interrupted my thoughts and caught my attention. If I go up there, my questions would be answered.

Without a second thought, I dashed towards the stairs. Who was it? Some mysterious savior? Or was it one of the survivor's last stand?

My eyes widened at the sight in front of me. The head of a goblin rolled on the floor and stopped at my foot. A chill went down my spine as I looked at the distorted face of the goblin. What the hell was going on?

A lone woman could be seen in the center of the rivers of blood. Equipped with a rusty sword, the woman mindlessly cut down the monsters in front of her.

"She's... Already passed out."

Her subconscious? That was the probable answer. What was she protecting to have such a strong will? A soft whimper from behind the woman answered my question. A little girl was shriveled up and glued to the wall. Her eyes contained horror and fear.

Now, I understood everything. I also understood what role I had to play now.

Bam—! A heavy sound resounded throughout the run-down building as I stomped the beheaded goblin's head. The monsters' attention fell on me and the unconscious woman fell to the ground.

"I'm your opponent."

I pointed the sword at a goblin and taunted him. The simple-minded creatures took the bait and rushed at me.

[You have gained 100 coins for killing a goblin.]

The goblin's torso got separated from its leg and the other goblins stopped their movement.

I took the chance and lunged onto the horde. A strange feeling of strength spread throughout my body. It was a rather cool feeling. Blood sprayed on my face and the sky-splitting sword was covered with a bright red.

The goblins' desperate cries captivated the area as they bled to their deaths.

[You have gained 100 coins for killing a goblin.]

[You have gained 300 coins for killing a goblin chief.]

"Huh? A goblin chief? I was in a trance to notice what I was cutting down..."

One by one the goblins fell to the ground. I gained a lot of coins from killing them. They were like a coin farm.

I walked up to the woman that was unconscious on the ground. I lightly tapped her face to wake her up, it was too dangerous to be asleep right now.

The woman slowly opened her eyes. Her fiery blue eyes gave a strange sense of ambition.

"Save... the child..."

"Ah."

I turned my head to look at the child that was composing herself after hyperventilating. Was the child related to her? Otherwise, it wouldn't make sense to protect someone else's child.

Maybe my morals were too fucked up.

"It's about time now."

The floor shook violently as the presence of a large creature permeated the area.

The behemoth hiding in the darkness unveiled itself. A giant fang dripping with its saliva, a wooden club covered with the blood of its foes, and a body that had been hardened over countless battles.

[The boss monster 'Goblin Warlord' has appeared.]

[Your attribute 'Separation' is currently negating the fear you feel.]

Park Hyungseok would lose his shit if he found out this was the closest representation to his attribute...

I tightly gripped the sky splitting sword and stood up. The woman and the child were at a safe distance... hopefully. The warlord silently observed me with a fiery gaze. Was a goblin warlord capable of showing intelligence? I wasn't sure. It was a bit different than what I originally knew.

[Coins owned: 1000]

[500 coins have been invested into Strength.]

[300 coins have been invested into Agility.]

[200 coins have been invested into Vitality.]

[Strength Lv.3 -> Lv.8]

[Agility Lv. 5 -> Lv.8]

[Vitality Lv. 4 -> Lv.6]

I invested my few coins into my stats and prepared myself for the fight.

I was locked in a staring competition with the warlord as both of us got into our stances.

Soon, the massacre would begin.