Surviving Every Worldview

Chapter 24: Episode 1 (1)

The development is ready.

This fact was enough to seize our spirit, which was about to relax.

The day had arrived when we could finally put an end to the unreal events that had befallen us.

“You’re a good sister today.”

“I just came to hang out.”

“Well, we can do that another time. Yeah…….”

The corners of Do-yeon’s mouth turn up slightly.

I’m sure I’m not mistaken in thinking she’s relieved.

“But what do you want me to write?”

“I want you to decide how to fight the boss.”

“You didn’t bother to explain it to me in full……”

That’s true, but it was also a very clear explanation.

Whether to catch the mastermind, wipe out the supplies, or eliminate the summoning gate.

As long as it’s worthy of the final twist, we get to decide where the story goes from here.

“Then let Seon-woo write it. Make it as easily and efficiently as possible.”

“Can I just decide without saying anything?”

“Of course you can!”

At Do-yeon’s playfulness, Seorin agreed.

“Because we don’t really know.”

“Just in case, we can all start today, right?”

“Yeah, that’s what we talked about.”

“Well, then, what…….”

I pulled out a pen from the envelope.

In Dreams game, this was the point where you were presented with a few options and you chose the one you wanted.

But in the real world, the invitation was open-ended, and I could write anything I wanted.

There was no need to make myself wait three days.

I decided to write something like…….

[For no apparent reason, the undead are given a weakness called sunlight, which immediately resolves the situation.]

I know it’s a long shot but I had to see what warnings would pop up.

[Lack of plausibility.]

[Lack of realism.]

[The content doesn’t match the difficulty of the episode.]

[Please rewrite.]

It was as expected.

The proposal was rejected with three warnings.

Since I only wrote down the really ridiculous ones, it’s safe to say that those are the only three warnings I could easily see.

“There are so many things to pack?”

“It’s giving hints like in that game where you make Gohyang dumplings….”

“It’s okay, I wrote this knowing it wouldn’t work.”

Enemies don’t change for no reason.

You can’t introduce a weakness that has nothing to do with the undead we’ve seen, and there’s no “trial” or “reward” to this development.

You can’t write it this way.

It’s asking you to stack the deck in your favor, not cheat.

For example,

[A Necromancer’s lair has been discovered nearby, and defeating him will resolve the situation.]

No warning appeared when I finished typing.

This is because I built in room for trials and rewards.

If I make an intelligent body the culprit, there’s a chance I can get information.

[Do you want to start the development that will end the episode?]

But, is it good as it is?

Whenever I’m on a roll like this, I hesitate for some reason.

And then it’s like, “Here’s the thing.”

[You are presented with a choice.]

—

PAGE 5

Given your current situation you already know what you need to write to get the most out of it and reduce your variables.

Considering other options is usually a difficult thought to grasp.

If you still want to consider other options, we’re here to help.

If you’d like, we can add a little more to the story.

What will you do?

Don’t get help.

Add random things for no reason.

—

The plot I wrote is convenient.

I’ve made it so that we only have to deal with one enemy, the Necromancer, and everything will be resolved.

All the trials and rewards will be inside the hideout, so I don’t have to worry about harming other people or having my rewards stolen.

In other words, whatever I add now is superfluous.

The [Choice] is looking at me, encouraging me to do something pointless.

What am I supposed to do?

“You have to do this!”

Seol Do-yeon said, grabbing my body and shaking me.

“You’re supposed to choose the option that emphasizes the uselessness of something like this! It’s a skill you got from a game, so it must be the same here!”

“Maybe they’re trying to get you to think that way.”

“Yeah. We had that in our game.”

We made a game called Text Thief.

It had a choice or two that encouraged meaningless behavior, just like this one but there was no real reward, just a narration that says, “I told you it was a meaningless action, what do you want?”

I know how to play that kind of prank, but what’s the [Choice] trait going to do?

Well, at least…….

“I’m going to assume that all the weird stuff is because Seol Do-yeon encouraged it.”

“Huh? Me?”

No matter what’s added, the difficulty level will be the same F, so why should I refuse?

[A Necromancer’s lair has been discovered nearby, and you will be able to break in and resolve the situation.]

[However, from the moment you enter, the Necromancer will be on guard and will strengthen all undead.]

Soon, an irrevocable outcome has been set in motion.

The two women beside me, who had caught a glimpse of the results, stiffened.

“Ah.”

“Did you really pick number two like I said?”

“Never mind. It was just bad luck.”

I didn’t interrupt their conversation.

It seems like a bad outcome at first glance, but you never know how this variable will turn out until you experience it.

That wasn’t the problem.

“You two, you know what?”

“What?”

“You guys just started this thing so I can’t edit it.”

“…What?”

Seol Do-yeon’s pouty hair stood up like electricity.

“Oh, you’re saying it just started!? That thing you just wrote there?”

“That’s right, follow me.”

“What did it start like this all of a sudden?”

The paper and pen in my hand sparkled and scattered.

The plot I’ve written had seeped into the world, creating a black hole where there was none, and someone had discovered its abode.

Like revising a novel.

“Good thing I wore comfortable clothes…….”

And so began the final development that would end the first episode.

* * *

Finding the suspected hiding place was easy.

Just as I was stepping out of the house and wondering where to go, I received a DM.

-Lee Min-seo: Senior, can you please take me to the address I sent you?

-Lee Min-seo: My friend in the next neighborhood saw something strange, and I’d like you to go check it out!

The place in the address was a large general hospital in the neighborhood.

I had often seen it in passing but never went there.

When I was almost there, a red mist slowly began to surround me, obscuring the street.

“……!”

Seol Do-yeon gasped and covered her mouth and nose with her sleeve.

When I waved her away, she realized it wasn’t necessary and lowered her arms.

“Oh, you can just breathe. It’s not dangerous.”

“Can I trust you? I don’t want to die this far from home.”

“If I’m wrong, I’ll die first, so it’s okay, right?”

“What are you talking about…….?”

I led the way into the red fog like a man possessed.

As I went deeper, I could see the hospital clearly through the fog.

It was a large building with a 9-story main building and a 14-story new wing connected by a connecting corridor.

The place looked like a war had swept through it, half-destroyed and covered in gnarled tree trunks.

“How did this place come to be in the last few minutes?”

“The hospital itself was always there. It just happened to be affected by the events I wrote.”

“By accident?”

“Well, the undead come from places where a lot of people have died, and the hospital has a funeral parlor in the basement.”

In this way, the plot is fleshed out by association.

If there was a cemetery nearby, it would have been affected.

“…Wait a minute.”

“What’s wrong?”

“What happened to the people inside the hospital?”

In a rare moment of silence, sister Seorin asked.

This was an important part that needed to be said.

“We need to find them and save them. The hospital has suddenly changed, and they’re in danger.”

“…Is that because we used that power?”

“No matter how we used it, it would have affected this place.”

Seorin frowned as she looked up at the tall hospital building.

It was a hospital that operated on a daily basis, so there must be some people left.

But it had been affected by the development, so it would never be in good shape.

“…… Let’s go.”

“Okay.”

We entered the hospital through the main entrance.

It seemed as if the first floor had been untouched for several days, as if they had already escaped the undead.

But all the food and supplies in the ground floor canteen were empty.

People must have taken them, so they’re still alive.

So where are the people?

And where is the Necromancer hiding?

And which should we prioritize?

Upstairs, on the roof, or downstairs?

It’s times like this that it would be nice to have an option to narrow it down. …….

I wait a moment, but nothing happens.

Okay. I was getting my hopes up.

They don’t come up that often.

It would be nice to have a choice every time, but it would be a bad habit to rely on it every time.

It’s time to come up with a plan of my own.

“Why don’t we split up for a while? The hospital is too big for us all.”

“Can we go alone?”

“Why not, I’m prepared.”

I pulled a newly crafted weapon from my inventory and handed it to Seorin.

This was a weapon that Seol Do-yeon redesigned with reference to the main character’s weapon setting in [Death Wish].

It’s a weapon from a gory fairy tale, with a pair of scissors and a blade reminiscent of a cutter knife.

Despite Do-yeon protests about how to draw scissors to be cyberpunk, she managed to make it work by changing the shape of the handles and making the blades glow.

“This looks…embarrassing to carry around…….”

Instead, it became a unique design.

It’s the weapon of the game’s protagonist, the one she wanted to make, so it’s her karma if she’s embarrassed.

“There’s no other weapon that fits you as well as this one, accept it.”

“Ah… well, that’s the way it is.”

Seorin reluctantly accepted the weapon.

I expected her to be angrier, but she was surprisingly docile.

“We’ll talk about this later, how do you want to split up?”

“One of us will go underground, and the other two will take one building each.”

“Me! I’ll take the new building then!”

Seol Do-yeon raised her hand and led the way.

“You do know that the new building is in the 14-story building on the other side, right?”

“Yes, I know! I have a great idea.”

“…… Okay.”

I wasn’t sure what she was thinking, but I said yes.

Even though it’s a bit strange, she’s not the type of person to set out to do something useless.

“I’ll go underground, Seon-woo, do you want to stay here?”

“The underground might be the most dangerous place, are you sure you’re okay?”

“So I should go, right?”

Seorin was the only one who could fight head-on.

I’m good at hiding, but I don’t feel comfortable fighting head-to-head.

“…Okay, just see what you can find and join me.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

With that, our assignments were decided.

Seorin found the escalator to go down to the basement first, and Do-yeon went back outside to go to the next building.

I suggested it, but I’m a little worried that it might actually fall through.

……It will work out somehow.

* * *

Lee Seorin pulled a can of beer from her inventory and drank it as she made her way down to the basement.

Inwardly, she liked the scissors.

The two of them were just acting like elementary school kids pretending not to watch because they found the children’s show too childish.

[The story is enhanced when you wear a weapon with a “gory fairytale” tag.]

For her, it was a no-brainer.

It’s a weapon she put in the setting because she liked it, but it strengthens her story when she holds it.

If it weren’t a weapon, she’d be tempted to play with it like a toy.

Stories awaken based on the creations you make, the ones that define you the most.

And every creation reflects the world of its creator.

It’s like looking inside the artist’s mind through their past works.

It’s no wonder, then, that Seorin was pleased with the unusual weapons and traits in the game.

“Help!”

Seorin turned toward the sound.

There’s someone in the basement, she must go save them.

She placed a finger on the tip of her scissors, drawing blood onto the blade.

[Your story begins.]