A Different Route

'Likely this woman will die, and so will I.'

It was a pessimistic chain of thought. Why was I thinking like this right now? Now wasn't the time to be suicidal. I tried to collect my thoughts but my thought process was broken by a man's heavy voice.

"Everyone calm down. Control your breathing and please listen to me."

A large sturdy man stood up from the crowd and began to calm everyone down. He tried to answer the people's questions. "In the state of a national emergency, it is best if we cooperate to reduce the casualties."

"A national emergency?"

"I've gotten a message from my chief and a level 2 national disaster has been imposed."

A level 2 national emergency. I could hear the loud gulps of the people around me. Everyone was terrified, of course, I had expected this. I was more surprised by the man that was talking from the crowd. If my memory served me right he should be...

"For now, I will take control of the situation."

"What? Who are you?"

The man pulled out his police card. His name was visibly displayed on it. "I'm currently an inspector serving in the Seoul metropolitan police."

Park Hyungseok. A police officer from the game 'The Doomed Regressor' and one of the main supporting characters in the story. After the fall of the world he was the only police officer whose integrity and morals remained intact. Even before the fall he was a morally righteous officer.

"I'm Park Hyungseok."

"A police officer...!"

Now that he had said his name I had to acknowledge the situation. The game had undoubtedly become a reality.

But, something was weird. Why was he here? The protagonist didn't meet Park Hyungseok until the end of the second calamity, and was this really how he made his debut?

Some of the elements were different from the story I knew. Was it due to an external factor? Because of me...? I cautiously watched the man trying to quell down the infuriated and terrified crowd.

"Officer-nim, Call the blue house!"

"I'm just an ordinary policeman so I cannot contact the president. But I assure you the government will do something."

"What the hell? This guy is useless!"

The government would do something. That was the mentality of the masses at the beginning. It only took three calamities before reality finally settled In for them. I checked the time on my smartphone. By now...

"Everyone the prime minister is making a speech!"

Everyone flocked to the boy that was streaming the prime minister's speech on his phone.

"But why's it the prime minister?"

"Where's the president!"

Amidst the confusion someone silently said something. "I heard the president has already been killed."

"...Where did you hear that?"

"Someone in the comments said it..."

"Y-You idiot! It was definitely a troll."

Of course, it wasn't a troll.

-To all my residents. We assure you that the military has the situation under control and your cooperation in this situation would be helpful. We will use full force against this terrorist attack.

Terrorist attack. Yes, this was the best way to calm the people down. Now that I had heard it, a terrorist attack was the lightest term he could've used.

I knew the contents of his entire speech so I didn't worry about listening to it more. It was about what would follow...

A few gunshots were heard and everyone collectively dropped their smartphones. The gunshots were heard from inside the screen, everyone looked at the screen and the prime minister could be seen laying with his head smashed on the table. His face had become bloodied with his brains sprawled out.

"The prime minister is..."

The prime minister had died.

Someone took hold of the camera that had been filming the prime minister's corpse, it was the pygmy.

[You damned rats. Haven't I already told you? This isn't some game.]

Some people were visibility hyperventilating, while some had already lost all hope. I was unusually calm for some reason, the first calamity had already started. Park Hyungseok that wasn't supposed to be here was here, but the biggest question was, where was 'he'? The street number was 18, I couldn't remember which street the story began for 'him'. If I could play the game one more time I would clearly remember it.

[Based on our information, the people of this country are really good at games. How about I raise the difficulty a bit?]

[The time duration has decreased.]

[There are 5 minutes left until the first calamity finishes.]

[Failure to kill a single being in the next 2 minutes will result in the death of every person in the domain.]

The final message was the nail in the coffin. They had to act now.

"No! I want to get out!"

Screams could be heard from the street right next to this one. Someone was mercilessly killing everyone. The street next to this was Street 19... It was him.

"They've already begun over there..."

"W-What if that person comes here?"

That wouldn't happen as in the next moment.

"What the hell is this wall?"

The four pygmies that were floating summoned an invisible barrier that separated the people in this street from the other streets. As long as this barrier was up no one could enter... Or leave.

"Shit shit, open this up!"

"I don't want to remain here!"

The fear-stricken people started banging on the wall. Some tried to punch it while others used weapons. Nothing worked, the wall was indestructible.

"Heh, cowards, this is so easy."

In the middle of the crowd two young men could be seen kicking an elderly man that was sprawled on the floor. The men seemed to be twin brothers... Shit.

I knew their identity. The 'demonic twins', one of the biggest adversaries during the start of the protagonist's journey. A lot of the players quit the game after losing to them repeatedly. Why were they here...

"That grandpa!"

I grabbed Yoo Mia by the shoulder. Her righteousness was still active even now, but it wasn't the time for foolhardy justice. If I let Yoo Mia out of my sight she'd instantly die...

The twins mercilessly stomped on the old man, some people watched the tragedy playing out in front of them with heavy hearts, someone seemed as if they were enjoying it. Even the righteous Park Hyungseok watched the murder playing out in front of them with a clenched fist. I understood his feelings, and how helpless he felt.

"Why are you all silently watching?"

One of the twins began to speak.

"Wake up people! This isn't the world you know of! Didn't you listen to that pygmy? You'll die if you don't do this. Are you still going to hold on to the morals and laws of the previous world? This is a new world! And a new world requires new laws."

His grandiose speech came to an end and there started a shift in the crowds attitude. Some people distanced themselves while fearing for their lives, while others began to attack each other. It only took a few seconds before everyone was at each other's throats.

Some people joined the twins and stomped the old man. Some chose to kill their friends or the person closest to them. In the midst of this frenzy I saw a little boy gazing at the corpse in front of him with dead eyes. The corpse seemed to be that of his mother. The boy held a jar full of red ants... Weird hobby.

"Haneul-ssi, what do we do?"

I lightly smiled at her question. I slowly made my way towards the boy.

"Do you want to survive?"

He didn't answer, instead, he simply nodded. I took the jar full of red ants from his hand and killed one of the ants inside.

[You have killed a living being.]

[You have cleared the first calamity.]

[You have received 100 coins.]

This was something even the pygmys would've never thought of. It was the method the protagonist used in his 100th regression, why did he took so long in using this method? I didn't know, but I was glad I played that game now.

The boy killed one of the ants and cleared the calamity as well. I handed an ant to Park Hyungseok and Yoo Mia. Han Dowan... I never liked the guy but now, I felt a bit sad.

I put the lid on the jar and approached the group.

"All of you! Stop it."

I felt a bit weird since it was my first time addressing a large group of people. I had to make my speech persuasive enough. My voice was shaky, my breathing was ragged. Come on dammit, now wasn't the time.

"Who the hell? Are you going to give a speech telling us we're wrong?"

"No, I understand the gravity of the situation."

"Then?"

"Everyone, do you really think by killing that old man you'll clear the calamity? Didn't you read the details properly? Only the person who delivers the final hit will survive."

"Then what are you proposing?"

Finally, the twin approached me. He took the bait...

"In my hand, is a jar filled with red ants. The clear conditions are to kill a living being, it didn't specifically say it had to be a person."

"Don't tell me..."

I lightly grinned.

"Give that jar to me!"

Everyone from the crowd rushed at me. I scoffed at their helplessness. How pitiful. I threw the jar in the air and ran through the crowd to approach the twin.

"Ack! Where'd the insects go!"

"Hurry up, find them!"

Like beasts that had lost it's prey the people scavenged the whole street. They got under cars to find a single ant or got on the electricity poles to see if they could find one.

"Found it! Ack!"

The ones that were lucky enough to find one and the ones that were unlucky to not find a single one all suffered the same miserable fate.

One of the twins had tried to take the jar while the other remained, he was the smarter one.

"Why did you do that?" I looked around to see him raise his body. He approached me while cracking his fingers.

"What?"

"The jar. Why did you throw it? You could've given the ant to everyone."

"There are approximately 40 people in this street. There were only 3 ants remaining."

"40 to 3..." He looked at me for a few seconds before breaking out in laughter. "Hahahaha, I see, that's how it is. You're crazy Ahjussi."

Ahjussi?! I was in my mid twenties bastard. Do you think your youthfulness would last forever?!

"Stop joking with me."

"What?"

He had an annoyed look on his face. I could feel the killing intent that oozed out from his blue eyes. "No one with common sense would do that. Just say the truth, you wanted to see this scene didn't you?"

"You have the wrong idea."

Park Jiho. One of the earliest villains in 'TDoomedmed Regressor'. Unlike his brother he was a genius, proving to be the biggest hurdle in the protagonist's journey. Currently, that man was proposing to join hands. "How about it? Why don't we team up?"

It was a sweet offer for anyone. Anyone could've seen how strong Park Jiho was. If I hadn't played that game and knew his identity I would've accepted his offer, my survival would've been guaranteed. But I wouldn't do that.

"I'm fine. I like to be left alone."

"Is that so... It's regrettable"

I was conflicted about whether to make an enemy out of Park Jiho or not.

"Alright, well move aside, I have unfinished business with that old man on the floor."

I grabbed his shoulder.

"What the. Are you going to be a SJW now?"

"No."

"Then move aside dammit."

"I can't let you go, Park Jiho."

"What? How do you know my name?"

"That's not important. But I can't let you go."

"So be it."

A dark aura emerged from around him as he swung his fist at me. This bastard, don't tell me... He already got a Lunal? Wasn't that too quick? Or was he simply awakening...?

I didn't know, but right now I had to think of a way to win against him.

I clenched my left hand.

[You have killed a living being.]

[You have killed a living being.]

The messages kept piling up. Right, there were dozens of red ants in that jar, of course, I wouldn't be so generous to give them away.

"Keke, I was wondering why you didn't move you left hand. So this was it, huh? What are you going to do with those coins?"

[You have invested all your coins into endurance.]

[Endurance Lv.3 -> Lv.9]

I felt the muscles of my body strengthen and noticed the mass of my body increase. Now I could fight.

Park Jiho rushed at me with a black aura surrounding his fist. Unfortunately for him, he had no hope now.

The fist landed on my chest. There was no damaged, instead my shirt got torn.

"...What? How are you so strong?"

"Jiho, what are you doing?"

His brother was here. This was troublesome. Jiho's brother's eyes shifted between me and Jiho. Before he finally had an expression that said he understood what was going on.

"That's how it is."

He pulled out a knife from his back pocket. Shit, I'd forgotten these twins were maniacs and had an obsession with weapons.

But I didn't have anything to worry about. He rushed forward with the knife in his right hand. His expression was that of ecstasy, these guys were enjoying this whole thing. In the original game, the reason they were annoying to deal with was because they adjusted to the world too quickly, almost at a terrifying rate.

But for a no-lifer like me who spent countless hours memorizing their attack patterns, it was going to be child's play.

The knife stabbed me where Jiho had earlier punched. But it didn't go through, the knife stopped after it hit my chest. At least a C-grade weapon was needed to damage me now.

"What the hell is with this ahjussi...?"

"Nothing's working on him..."

The twins got together and simultaneously began to attack me. How futile. How much time had passed? For what felt like an eternity to them was mere seconds for me. My face, chest, torso, legs, no matter where they attacked it was pointless.

I could hear the screams of the people behind me.

[1 minute left.]

Their attacks became more desperate.

"Shit! Die already!"

"Bastard! Why aren't you hurt!"

[40 seconds left.]

"Ahhh! Jiho what do we do!"

"Don't ask me! Keep attacking."

[20 seconds left.]

Finally, their attacks seized.

"No...NO! I don't want to die!"

"Ahjussi! Please save us! Do something!"

It was time to plead, huh?

"Why should I?"

If I let them live here, countless tragedies will be caused by these two brothers.

"Didn't you say a new world requires new laws?"

Their living in and of itself was a sin. I would never let them live.

"It's a pity. Isn't it?"

"A-Ahh..."

Their voices were trembling. They couldn't speak.

And finally.

[The first calamity has ended.]

One by one, people's heads started bursting. Now it was the turn of the brothers in front of me.

Baap—! The street fell silent.

I silently stared at the two corpses that laid in front of me. Why was I so calm? Even now it felt surreal.

I plopped down to the ground.

"It's over."