The wind howled outside as Jin-woo and Seojin exited the Oracle's stronghold, their minds heavy with the burden of what they had just learned. The world felt different now—every street, every shadow seemed more ominous, filled with hidden threats lurking just out of sight. Jin-woo’s heart pounded in his chest, and despite Seojin's presence beside him, the overwhelming sense of danger was undeniable.

Seojin broke the silence as they walked, her voice cutting through the cold air. “Jin-woo, are you okay?” She sounded concerned, her eyes searching his face for some reassurance that he wasn’t completely overwhelmed.

Jin-woo forced a small smile, but his expression betrayed him. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be okay again. Everything we thought was real—it’s all fake. And now we’re being hunted.”

Seojin’s gaze softened, and she placed a hand on his shoulder. “We’ll figure this out. Together.”

Jin-woo appreciated her optimism, but it did little to quell the growing dread within him. He knew that the agents wouldn’t rest until they had erased him from existence. Every moment felt like borrowed time, and the weight of responsibility was suffocating.

Suddenly, a flicker of movement caught Jin-woo’s attention. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a figure cloaked in black, standing still at the edge of the alleyway. His heart leapt into his throat. “Seojin, run!” he shouted, grabbing her hand as they bolted down the narrow street.

The figure moved swiftly, and before they knew it, three more agents appeared from the shadows, their black suits and sunglasses marking them as enforcers of the simulation. The agents wasted no time, pursuing Jin-woo and Seojin with inhuman speed.

“Damn it!” Jin-woo cursed under his breath. He had heard stories about the agents’ abilities—superhuman strength, speed, and precision. But facing them in real life was terrifying in a way he hadn’t anticipated.

Seojin glanced back, her grip tightening on Jin-woo’s hand. “We can’t outrun them!”

“We don’t have a choice!” Jin-woo yelled, turning down an alleyway and ducking through an old building’s door. They found themselves in an abandoned warehouse, the air thick with dust and decay. Jin-woo’s mind raced as he scanned the room for any means of escape.

The sound of footsteps echoed in the distance, growing louder by the second. Jin-woo could feel his pulse hammering in his ears. “There’s got to be a way out,” he muttered, frantically searching the room.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

“Over there!” Seojin pointed to a rusty ladder that led to the rooftop. Without hesitation, they climbed it, desperate to gain some distance between themselves and the agents.

As they reached the roof, the city sprawled before them—cold, metallic, and endless. For a moment, they stood there, breathing heavily, taking in the gravity of the situation.

But the reprieve was short-lived.

The rooftop door burst open, and the agents emerged, their movements cold and mechanical as they advanced toward Jin-woo and Seojin.

Jin-woo’s mind raced. They had no weapons, no plan, and no idea how to fight the agents. He glanced at Seojin, who was clearly trying to stay calm despite the fear in her eyes.

“We’re out of options,” she whispered, backing up toward the edge of the rooftop.

Jin-woo looked at the agents, then at the street far below. A crazy idea flashed in his mind—a dangerous gamble that could either save them or end everything. “We jump.”

Seojin’s eyes widened. “Are you insane?!”

“Trust me,” Jin-woo said, his voice steady despite the pounding of his heart.

Without giving her a chance to respond, Jin-woo grabbed her hand, and together they leapt off the edge of the building. The world seemed to slow as they fell, the wind rushing past them, the ground looming closer and closer.

But before they hit the pavement, something extraordinary happened.

A surge of energy pulsed through Jin-woo’s body, and suddenly, the world around them warped. The simulation’s code—visible only to Jin-woo—began to shift and bend to his will. In an instant, they were no longer falling, but floating mid-air, suspended by Jin-woo’s newfound ability to manipulate the code.

Seojin gasped, her eyes wide in disbelief. “Jin-woo, how…?”

“I don’t know,” he replied, just as shocked as she was. But there was no time to dwell on it. The agents were still after them, and now they knew that Jin-woo had unlocked something far more dangerous.

With a wave of his hand, Jin-woo directed the code to set them down safely in a nearby alleyway, far from the agents’ reach.

As they landed, Seojin stared at him in awe. “You can control the simulation… just like The Oracle said.”

Jin-woo looked down at his hands, still tingling with the residual energy of the code. “Yeah. But I don’t know how, or why.”

Seojin placed a hand on his arm, her voice steady despite the fear in her eyes. “We’ll figure it out. But right now, we need to get to safety.”

Jin-woo nodded, still trying to process what had just happened. They had escaped the agents—for now—but things were only getting more dangerous. With his newfound ability to manipulate the simulation, Jin-woo knew that he was now an even bigger target.

And somewhere, deep within the heart of the simulation, the system was already preparing its next move.

Chapter Ending:

As they hurried away from the scene, a shadowy figure watched from the distance, unseen by Jin-woo and Seojin. The figure smirked, pulling out a device and speaking into it. “Target confirmed. He’s unlocked the code. Initiate Phase Two.”