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CHAPTER 4: EP. 1 – THE PAID SERVICE, III

"Time is an illusion, a construct made out of human memory. There’s no such thing as the past, the present, or the future. It’s all happening now."

This is a quote I once read in a book I really liked, and it made me wonder ever since. If time actually was only a human-made construct, wouldn't that mean a person would be psychologically affected if the normal, known concept of time was fundamentally changed?

It is something important to everyone, after all.

I like to think the past is an accumulation of present events that lead up to the future. By reflecting on the past, and living in the present, you can shape your future.

Past, present or future. It doesn't matter. All three are equally important.

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The Dokkaebi was still glaring at me, urging me to take the coat.

I couldn't stop staring, I was perplexed about what was happening.

–Cyril: Take it, cocky bastard!

After hesitating for a second, I reluctantly took and put it on once again.

#CY-9635 channel is open.]

[Constellations have entered.]

[The main scenario has arrived!]

It was happening again. The channel opened, the constellations entered, and the main scenario window popped up again. Even the people's reactions were the same.

It was my second time experiencing this moment.

Was that my stigma? Turning back time? Was there a constellation like that?

[The access of attribute windows is still restricted.]

I clicked my tongue in frustration.

Then a thought shot through my mind, I frantically looked around, almost panicking. Where was the old lady? I can find another way!

I felt my body tensing up, I clenched my fists and my hand felt hot. A sting ran through my hand, and it started to feel damp. I noticed blood dripping onto the floor. My hand was bloodied, and I felt my stomach turning. This... this couldn't be the old lady's blood, could it? How?

But then I felt something in my clenched fist. I almost had to force it open, my grip was that strong, cramped even.

I noticed, it was my own blood.

After wiping away the blood, I couldn't believe what I held in my hands.

It was the hair ornament the old lady gave me. The very hair ornament I killed her with. But why did I still have it?

"What was that thing?!"

"What happened?"

"You know something, don't you?!"

"What is this window?!"

"Answer!!"

There they were again. I didn't want to look at them. I couldn't blame them anymore, I killed someone. That made us the same.

[You have achieved the 'First Kill' achievement!]

"What."

[100 coins have been earned as additional compensation.]

[ERROR.]

The people in front of me saw the first kill notification, looked at my hand and backed away.

This was convenient. I didn't have to deal with them.

But from where did I get the 'First Kill'? And an 'error', did anything like a system error ever happen in 'Ways of Survival'?

But now wasn't the time to think too hard about it, I wouldn't get an answer anyway.

I stored the ornament in my coat's inventory.

At least I didn't need to kill anyone anymore. The old lady was nowhere to be found, as if she never existed to begin with. Deep in thought and scanning the area, I noticed the child still crying in his mother's arms.

I at least wanted to save them.

In one of his regressions, Yoo Joonghyuk pointed out that 'creatures' did not only entail humans but any living thing. I just needed to find anything other than a human for the child and mother to kill. But where...

I searched every nook and cranny of the damn train carriage, ignoring the fighting all around me. I didn't have the time to concern myself with them.

"Why do these trains have to be kept so damn clean?! Not a single bug..."

This was the first time I ever wished something to be dirty and infested with bugs. I was frustrated until...

I heard a small whimper and jerked my head towards the sound.

There it was. A small dog, it was thin and most likely a stray that sneaked onto the train.

I let out a sigh and felt my lips curl upwards. This was it. This was exactly what we needed. I didn't question why and how a stray dog sneaked into the train because that'd be unfair to my luck.

[Some constellations are looking at you with disgusted eyes.]

"Don't worry, I have a plan."

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

[Some constellations are asking about your plan.]

"Wouldn't it be boring if I told you already?"

[A constellation clicks its tongue.]

[Some constellations agree with your judgement.]

The dog didn't resist me picking him up, it didn't have much strength left. Poor little guy.

Since everybody was focused on their own survival, I had no problem going back to the child and mother. But upon seeing me, they looked terrified and tensed up.

"Stop! Don't come any closer!"

It was an obvious reaction. My hand was still sullied with blood –even though it was my own– and I was holding a dog that was half dead. I wouldn't trust myself in their situation either.

"Stay away!"

The woman was now shielding her son with her own body.

I didn't want to frighten them.

"I want to help you."

Of course, the mother was still hesitating and untrusting.

I turned my back towards her and slowly walked backwards in hopes of showing her I'm no threat.

I couldn't see her, but the fact that I was still walking and didn't hear her say anything meant she was believing me, at least that's what I thought.

After a few steps, I signalled her that I'd turn around once again.

"I'll take no answer as an 'okay'."

The woman was still shielding the boy but looked a little less tense. Her eyes were still piercing through me, though. She was definitely one of those 'if looks could kill' people. I felt a shiver run down my spine.

"Here. Hold that."

I held out the dog. She protested:

"What– No, we can't!"

[Some constellations are smiling at your cruelty.]

[Some constellations are disappointed.]

These bastards, always judging and jumping to conclusions!

"No, you got it wrong. Please hold it for me."

She looked at me with confused eyes but decided to hold the dog anyway.

I put down my bag and rummaged through it. Why was my bag so unorganised? It took a few moments till I found what I searched for.

"Ah, here it is."

The woman looked genuinely bewildered at what I was holding in my hands. A sausage and a can of deodorant.

I first gave the sausage to the dog, who greedily gobbled it up.

"No hesitation, huh."

I smiled and gave him a pat. Animals are the best.

Then I turned the head of the deodorant to unlock it.

"Stretch out your arms."

The woman, still puzzled, followed my order and stretched her arms as far as she could.

With my fingers, I brushed through the dog's fur while spraying deodorant all over until not a single drop of deodorant was left.

"Do you have a comb?"

The woman nodded, and it seemed like she understood what I was working towards. She handed me her comb, and luckily it was one of the fine-toothed ones.

Little black dots trickled down onto the floor as I brushed through the dishevelled fur.

"Fleas!"

Now the woman understood. I nodded and urged her to stomp on them. After that, the child. I sighed with relief. They could live for now. I knew fleas wouldn't die with simple deodorant, but I hoped it'd at least stun them. And luckily it worked and the stomping finished them off.

[A few constellations are amazed by your plan.]

[A handful of constellations hoped for more action.]

[Some constellations say that this solution feels unoriginal.]

They never shut up, do they?

The woman hugged her child, and then me. I didn't expect that and didn't know what to do, so I awkwardly put my hand on her shoulder blade.

She was trembling, but she was still breathing. That's what was important.

I continued to comb the dog since not all fleas were dead. A stray dog could probably have a lot of fleas living on it. I think I once even read a single dog in Spain was infested by over 900 of those little pests, it was a very extreme and rare case, but I was still hoping for the best.

Just thinking about it made my whole body itch.

Lady Luck was really generous today. I didn't count, but it were a lot of fleas, I wouldn't have to worry about coins for the time being.

I wonder if that last reader of Ways of Survival also used this information from Yoo Joonghyuk's regression and found something other than humans to kill.

"I hope he's still alive."

--Cyril: Ladies and gentlemen! Hahahha! Your time is almost up. Did everyone have fun? Damn, what happened here? You guys are crazy!!

He still used the chat simultaneously to help me understand. I was somewhat surprised. The Dokkaebi looked over to the child and woman, and noticed what happened.

–Cyril: You used the little bugs? It seems like the constellations are interested in you.

Before I could think of something cheeky, a woman's scream penetrated my ears. It was the woman who fell on her knees before the scenario began.

–Cyril: So you're the only one who is going to die? Too bad, if only you killed someone yourself!

The Dokkaebi laughed hysterically, mocking the woman's resolve not to kill, or didn't she kill because she was stunned by her fear? It didn't matter.

The Dokkaebi's mouth formed another obnoxious smile and he approached the woman.

–Cyril: Do you want to know how you'll die?

Cyril spread his arms and spun around, to show the whole train carriage. I didn't notice until now, but corpses were everywhere, their faces were smashed in, their bones were broken. The stench of death filled the air. Blood dripped down the windows and ceiling. It was a splatter fest, a literal slaughterhouse. What happened here? Who could do such a thing?! It was a nauseating sight at which the mother tried to cover her child's eyes, but it was already too late.

Then, a door with the label 'WC' flung open and a man stepped out. It was the man with the suit who tried to help me before time was rewound. His white shirt was stained with blood, it looked like he tried to wash it off.

Was he the perpetrator of the massacre, he didn't seem like a bad person before? I had to keep my distance.

–Cyril: It's a worse death than this! HAHAHA! Your head will explode, and your brains will become ceiling decoration! Isn't that fun?!

The woman started to cry uncontrollably and broke down completely.I hated this Dokkaebi. I wanted to punch it. Kill it even. I wanted to put a stop to this madness. That bastard wanted to see the young woman suffer and fully break her before he killed her.

–You: Stop this!

[The given time has run out.]

I closed my eyes, awaiting the sound of a bursting head, but nothing happened.

[Paid settlement will begin.]

[You have killed 353 living things.]

[Kill History: One %!#?&, 246 fleas, 106 flea eggs.]

[You have killed 352 non-resistance living things, so the number of coins you have acquired is reduced by half.]

[You have killed too many non-resistance living things, so the number of coins you have acquired is reduced by half.]

[ERROR.]

[8,900 coins have been acquired!]

[You have a total of 9,100 coins.]

[The 'Mass Murderer' achievement has been gained through excessive killing.]

–Cyril: Did you... just tell me to stop the scenario?

Cyril's aura was changing, he was furious. His eyes were glowing, his teeth ready to rip out my throat. The pressure he was exuding was crushing, but I couldn't back down.

"Let her live."

I intentionally didn't use the chat window anymore, I wanted the constellations to hear.

–Cyril: And why exactly should I do that?

The Dokkaebi was still both talking out loud and sending me messages.

"I will buy her life."

Cyril couldn't believe what he was hearing.

–Cyril: You.. what?!

"I will buy her life with coins."

[Some constellations support your goodwill.]

[500 coins have been sponsored.]

Great. Talking out loud seemed to work.

"How many coins do you want to have in exchange for her life?"

The Dokkaebi's anger didn't fade, and his voice became harsher and more ominous.

–Cyril: You bastard. She failed the scenario, so she will die! I won't allow you to interfere in the scenario! And if you do that again, I will kill you too!

[Some constellations are cussing at the Dokkaebi Cyril.]

Cyril was flinching at the constellations' discontent, his channel was at risk. He was forced to follow my request.

–Cyril: Fuck! Only because the constellations want so. Give me 9,000 coins then.

He was shameless. That's almost all I had.

[You have a total of 9,600 coins.]

"That's too much! What are you? A Dokkaebi or a loan shark?!"

Cyril shrugged and had a smug expression.

[A constellation claps at the Dokkaebi's heartlessness.]

–Cyril: You said, you wanted to buy her life. I think, this is a cheap price for a failed scenario!

The Dokkaebi floated around the carriage, mocking me with various poses and gestures. I was pissed off and wanted to jump him. How many times did I have the urge to end that bastard yet? I had to hold back for the sake of the woman, I couldn't win anyway.

"Fine."

[Do you want to pay the fee of 9,000 coins?]

Just the thought of parting with all these precious coins, shortly after earning them, hurt me. But it was necessary to save that woman. I don't know why I was that dead set on saving her, maybe it was the guilt. Maybe I did it for me.

With a bitter feeling, I pressed the button.

Ting!

[Yes.]

[ERROR.]

[The needed amount of coins was already paid.]

What? I quickly checked my coins... I still had all 9,600 left. Not a single coin was missing. I was thankful to whoever paid for me because this was the best outcome I could've hope for. Some rich constellation was helping me out.

It seemed like Cyril didn't notice and smiled, satisfied. I played along.

"Here, you have your coins. Now let her pass the scenario!"

–Cyril: Pleasure doing business.

The woman held her hands together and looked at me with teary eyes. I could barely make out what she was saying, but I think she was thanking me.

[Main Scenario #1 – Proof of Value has ended.]

[300 coins have been acquired as a basic clearance reward.]

[100 coins have been reduced for the channel usage fee.]

[Additional compensation settlement will begin.]

Not a single head exploded, but a foul stench of blood still dominated the air, and not even an eighth of the passengers survived. The scene that lay in front of us was something only a Dokkaebi or the cruellest constellations would enjoy.

The young woman was still unable to get a hold of herself.

The businessman stood silent. The mother had to stay strong for her now traumatised child.

My heart beat loudly in my chest, I felt hot but strangely enough calm at the same time. Maybe it was the adrenaline that rushed through my veins, or maybe I had already reached the point of insanity.

Whatever it was, I knew the future to come was not easy.