Beginning of Tragedy

[The first calamity will shortly commence.]

'The first calamity was mankind's original sin.'

I didn't know why but that sentence had been replaying in my mind. It was what the protagonist of the game had said after experiencing the first calamity in his countless regressions. Even so, why? It was ridiculous. Wasn't it impossible?

Some men from the crowd slowly approached the portal in front of us. But I knew the true identity of it, it wasn't a portal...

Yoo Mia that had been silently standing beside me lightly muttered something. "Pygmy?"

My eyes gradually shifted to the four pygmies floating in the sky. The four of them formed the shape of a square and were chanting something. I knew what they were doing.

I was trembling uneasily. I tried to compose myself, but how? The game and the reality that I knew had overlapped. How could something like that happen? I was confused.

As the people were too busy discussing with each other about the current scenario a fifth pygmy appeared and presented itself before us. Everything was exactly as I had played it.

The time was 6:30 pm, outside a grocery store, the crowd murmuring the same sentences. It all gave me a sense of Deja Vu. But there was one aspect missing, the protagonist. According to the game, he should be here, but he wasn't. I tightly held my chest and began to recall all the events of the first calamity.

I silently watched the pygmy that stared at the crowd with intense eyes. My chest became puffy and it felt hard to breathe. I knew what its first words would be. It finally began to speak

[Can you understand what I'm saying?]

As the creature in front of them began speaking a language they could understand the expressions on the crowd's faces began to relax a little.

[I apologize for the delay. There was a bit of a problem trying to complete the integration.]

The pygmy continued to speak before it was interrupted by someone. I knew that person very well...

"Hey, what the hell are you doing right now?"

It was Han Dowan. That idiot...

[What?]

"What are you doing in front of my store? Is this an augmented reality experiment by the government?"

[An experiment, right. Currently, you're all similar to lab rats in an experiment.]

"What?"

I closed my eyes and readied myself for what would happen next. A strange red aura surrounded the pygmy as its eyes glowed red. Shortly there was a bursting sound.

Han Down light staggered before falling. He was dead. His head was burst open by the pygmy and he fell into the pool of his blood. Soon, the crowd exploded

"W-What the hell!"

"Is this some kind of prank!"

"I don't want to be a part of this experiment!!"

The crowd's emotions encapsulated the area. Yoo Mia that had been standing beside me slowly started to talk. "Should we try to negotiate with it?"

"...What will you say? It's best to not do anything."

I was aware of the entity in front of us more than anyone. Negotiating with it was useless. The entity that held the highest power of persuasion was currently deciding our fate

One...Two... one by one the people that showed even the slightest frustration or hostility to the pygmy had their bodies blown apart. The area outside the store was now covered with blood and guts. Now, no one spoke a word, everyone innocently watched the pygmy speak.

[Now is everyone quiet? Good.]

[Listen up. You've all been living so peacefully for so long, right? You've lived for free your entire life. Eating, drinking, and everything you did was at no expense.]

It wasn't true. Peacefully? I lightly scoffed at the pygmy's words. I knew more than anyone here what a treacherous life was like. But I didn't have the guts to dispute the pygmy's words, at least not now.

[Isn't it time you start to pay for these services? I mean, nothing is free forever, right?]

Someone from the crowd nervously raised their hand. It was a man with an average built but equipped with a suit that scream high class. He looked like the executive of a giant conglomerate. "I-Is it money you want?"

The man took out his wallet and pulled out large sums of cash. "How much do you want? five big ones? Or ten?"

He pulled out an enormous sum of cash. For someone like me acclimating that much money seemed like a distant dream. I could never hope to have that many cheques in my wallet...

[Hmm, you're bribing me?]

The man's face lit up. Indeed it radiated a 'money can fix everything' feeling. How pitiful.

"Yes! It's not a lot, but if you let me get to my car I can give you a briefcase filled with money."

[It holds no value in the vast universe.]

The pygmy lit up a small flame and the man's wallet was burned to crisp.

[Try to do that one more time and your head will be blown off.]

The man shut his mouth. Fear once again permeated through the crowd. Their last ray of hope had been shot down. It was easy to read what they were thinking because the development was exactly how it was in the game.

'What is going to happen?'

Of course, only I knew the future.

[Phew, the complaints have been piling up in the time you all kept protesting.]

[Rather than me explain it a hundred times over it will be best if you see it for yourself.]

The pygmy flicked its fingers and a system window appeared in front of us.

[The Broadcasting has been started.]

[The barriers will be set up.]

[qtube channel Py#1987 has opened.]

[The Lunals are entering the channel.]

[The first calamity is beginning.]

+

[The First calamity - Original Sin]

Category: Main

Difficulty: A

Clear conditions: Kill one living being.

Time duration: 10 minutes

Reward: 1000 coins & 50 ethos

Failure: Death

+

The pygmy became transparent and vanished with a large grin.

[Please show us something interesting!]

Then, the crowd erupted.

"Is this some kind of joke!"

"W-What is the government doing!"

"Don't worry, the military will save us!"

Everyone voiced different opinions. Of course, everything was currently futile. Yoo Mia was panting and hesitantly dialing something on her smartphone.

"W-Why?! Why isn't the police picking up!"

"Yoo Mia, calm down."

"But Haneul-ssi..."

"I want you to closely listen to what I'm going to tell you, alright?"

"...right."

This wasn't the time to panic. If we lost ourselves right now we'd become the victims for those damned beings.

"Yoo Mia, have you played any storytelling game? You must be familiar with a game where you cultivate, right?"

"Right..."

My words sounded foreign to her. Of course, it'd be weird if someone was thinking of games in this situation.

"Think of our situation as a game."

"A game..."

"You understand? Now you have to listen to what I'm going to say."

"Understood."

"For now, stay still."

I controlled my breathing and collected my thoughts. Right, now wasn't the time to cower in fear or panic.

I separated myself from the reality in front of me and suspected everything. I inspected every detail of our current situation and recalled everything that had happened.

'Four pygmies that made up a barrier.'

'One powerful pygmy that opened the gates for the tragedy.'

'A street outside a grocery store smeared with blood and guts.'

'A terrified office worked that tried to bribe the pygmy.'

Yes, it matched every detail. I didn't know how it happened, but the game that I had played, 'The Doomed Regressor' had undoubtedly become reality.

I didn't know how it happened but I had to survive somehow. In the original development not that many people survived in this area...

I looked back at Yoo Mia and thought to myself.

Likely, this woman would die and so will I.