Surviving Every Worldview

Chapter 8: First Incident (3)

—

PAGE 3

You’ve subdued a man named Choi Bum-soo and resolved the situation.

But…wait a minute, you don’t mean to leave it at that, because if you do, it’s bound to happen again.

However you don’t have much of a choice, since you can’t explain the batons or the story to anyone else.

The wall that kept outsiders out is gone, and the police will soon be investigating.

What would you do?

Find the victim.
Find a place to lock the man up.
File a report.
Leave no trace.

—

I chose the cumbersome but surest method.

Choi had already created several victims to make his story stronger.

I would rescue them and leave them somewhere easy to find.

That way, the police would find them later.

It would be for the best, since it would be difficult to reveal what I and Choi Bum-soo had done.

“Found it.”

A few minutes later, I found them lying among the piles of cement at the construction site.

Luckily they had no major injuries so I don’t need to give them first aid right away.

Choi Bum-soo may have spoken harshly, but he didn’t kill anyone.

Is it because he’s an ordinary person at heart?

Or is it because he’s afraid of punishment?

“……I don’t need to know.”

After making sure he wouldn’t wake up for a while, I placed several piles of cement on top of his body.

If he does wake up, he’ll be too exhausted to resist and will be captured.

…With this, I have done all that I can do.

This is how the first story since the Cognitive Revolution ended and just as I was about to go home with a heavy heart.

[Your story has turned a new page.]

[You can accept this page as part of a ‘Text Thief’, but you can also create a new story based on the page.]

[What would you do?]

The reward for me came faster than I thought.

A new story.

In other words, I can gain new abilities based on my actions in the real world.

It’s similar to the “boss weapon” system in Dreams.

When you clear an episode or chapter, you’re rewarded with a special story that symbolizes it.

However, only one story can be written by a single person.

If I create a new story, Text Thief will be erased.

So, I have a choice to make.

[Made the page part of the Text Thief.]

[Your skill level has increased by +115%]

[Text Thief is now Lv. 3!]

I wish I had a favorite story that came from such a small thing.

If it was a story about saving a city, it would be one thing, but this page didn’t seem to have much to offer.

Now, the real end.

I pulled out my cell phone and called the person who would be waiting for me.

“I’m done, where are you?”

* * *

“…Okay.”

Seol Do-yeon hung up the phone, smiled, and moved her feet.

The wall disappeared, and shortly thereafter, Yoo Seon-woo called.

Just as he had promised, he had solved the problem.

‘So I didn’t have to worry after all, did I?’

She was sure she hadn’t been wrong.

No matter how much he knew, he just casually went to a place and solved the problem within 30 minutes?

It’s obviously a regression.

It’s clear that he knows what’s happening, where it’s happening, and how to solve it.

He must also have some incredible trait that makes him a better fighter than others, even right after he regressed.

Otherwise, how could he come back in 30 minutes?

If it’s not a regression, it must be something special, at least something close to it.

She strolled down the main street, inflating her delusions, and then sighed.

‘I’m hungry.’

Seol Do-yeon reluctantly took a shortcut through an alleyway and sped home.

She hadn’t even eaten dinner yet and was still wandering around.

All she wanted to do was sit down and eat something good.

“Where is he?”

Seol Do-yeon quickly arrived in front of her house, but Yoo Seon-woo was nowhere to be seen.

She pouted and dialed his number on her cell phone.

“I’m home.”

Someone grabbed her shoulder from behind.

It was Yoo Seon-woo.

His body didn’t show any wounds, but for some reason, his clothes were even more stained with blood and dirt.

“Wait, why are your clothes…….?”

“You know.”

Yoo Yeon-woo asked, her voice slightly languid from a moment ago.

“…I’m tired, why don’t we just order a delivery?”

Seol Do-yeon was glad to hear that.

* * *

[You fled the scene without leaving a trace.]

[Skill level increases +1.5%]

I ordered delivery food and asked Do-yeon for new clothes and medicine.

My clothes are dirty and I can’t go home in them.

I could go to a clothing store, but if I ask her, they’ll be free.

“Is this good enough…?”

After a while, Do-yeon came out to the living room with a pale complexion and handed me clothes and other items.

She was so exhausted from writing stories back-to-back with no time to rest that she was now sitting up and making painful noises.

“Enough.”

I checked the items she had given me while Do-yeon lay on her stomach complaining of a headache.

For some reason, it contained items I hadn’t asked for.

—

[Recovery Item – Cyberpunk]

#undecided, #cyberpunk, #recovery

This is the default form that is only created when the story is ‘undecided’.

A sprayable remedy that heals wounds quickly, but is highly addictive and only treats trauma, requiring caution when used.

—

A very cyberpunk thing that’s addictive if you use it often, but you can’t help but use it often.

I’m obviously not injured, so I never asked for it.

“Why are you giving me drugs all of a sudden? That’s not my blood on my clothes.”

“……Look at your hand and tell me.”

Do-yeon looked away in disgust, and I checked my hand.

When I looked again, I saw a long knife cut running down the back of my right hand.

As soon as I realized it was there, I started to wince in pain.

“Oh, thank you. I didn’t realize.”

“Then maybe next time we meet, you should buy the food-”

“Whatever.”

I squirted the medicine onto the wound and watched it heal instantly, without so much as a tingling sensation.

I wipe away the remaining blood with a wet wipe, and it looks like the wound was never there in the first place.

Now all I had to do was change my clothes, pick up my delivery, eat, and go home.

I glanced over at the table and unfolded the clothes left on top.

“…?”

But then I gasped in horror.

The coat, top and bottom, was a blinding fluorescent color.

—

[Everyday Clothes Set – Cyberpunk]

#undecided, #cyberpunk

Even though the everyday clothes are made of high-tech materials, ensuring ample protection, the world-specific design will stand out in a “bad way”.

—

…I reluctantly changed into the clothes, since I had no other choice.

I approached Do-Yeon, who was lying on her stomach and looking away.

I slammed my palm down on her back as hard as I could.

“Ow!”

“Did you really give me this to wear, huh?”

“That’s the only thing that fits you!!! Really! Really……!!”

I slapped her back and listened to her excuses.

“It takes time to draw right now, so I went back and looked at my old drawings, and that was the best thing I could find for a guy to wear in the winter!”

“There are dozens of your drawings on the site, and this was the only one?! That makes no sense!”

“Hwa, check it out!”

I immediately checked her drawings on my phone.

At first, I looked at the screen with the intention of getting angry right away, but then I became increasingly speechless.

To my surprise, the clothes I received were actually pretty average.

The colors were unusual, but the garments themselves were something that could be found in modern times.

“…It’s real.”

“Well, cyberpunk clothes are usually weird…….”

“I guess so.”

I imagined a leather jumper or something, but it wasn’t there.

The only clothes men could wear in winter were glow-in-the-dark coats or biker outfits.

There are so many good clothes in the world, and this is the only thing she’s drawn.

“And I usually draw girls.”

“…Yeah.”

I gave up.

I’m only going to wear it until I get home anyway.

Besides, I should be grateful that I’ve saved my clothes.

“Oh, right.”

Perhaps because the tension had been broken, Do-yeon brought up a topic she’d been putting off.

“So is it settled? I’m a little nervous about the neighborhood.”

“You don’t go out much anyway.”

“…….”

Do-yeon glared at me with scary eyes.

I should stop teasing her.

“It’ll be okay, the same person won’t do anything else.”

I explained to her everything that had happened between the man in the alley and me.

She seemed interested at first, but I could tell she was losing focus.

Still, she didn’t seem to be listening.

[Your actions were specifically known to one person.]

[Your awareness has increased slightly.]

When I told her everything that had happened, my status window reacted like a ghost.

I guess she understood what I was telling her.

“…So it happened, and I left him in plain sight.”

“Is that okay?”

“I saw a lot of police cars on the way here, I’m sure they’ll take care of it.”

The cops have probably already taken him away.

He didn’t want to admit he’d done anything wrong, so I lunged, and when he wakes up, his head will be clear.

Even if he doesn’t, he’ll be low on blood and won’t be able to use his powers for a while.

‘There’s still something that’s bothering me.’

I’m still nervous about this whole thing.

Was it just a coincidence that I met Choi Bum-soo, or is there some other reason I haven’t thought of yet?

And even if he did have superpowers, does it make sense that a normal person would go straight to targeting civilians?

Is this all just a coincidence?

Or…is it the setting?

I don’t know if it’s a setting that would have an impact in real life.

[NEW GAME triggers the memory you want.]

The new traits reminded me of some of the settings I was trying to recall.

I don’t know if there’s an answer here, but I’ll think about it when I get home.

“Anyway, thanks to you, I got my proficiency up, and I think I know what to do in three days, so thank you very much.”

“Huh? Proficiency?”

“Uh. Why?”

“Well, I heard that mine went up too.”

Do-Yeon reached out to me, and my status window responded, displaying her information.

Behind the translucent window, Do-Yeon’s expression was like that of a child waiting to be praised for a job well done.

—

[Undecided]

Proficiency: Lv. 2

Awareness Rating: B

Traits: [TBD], [Weapon Creation]

—

In just half an hour, something had grown.

Talents can be gained while in the undecided state, so it wasn’t strange.

“Just, while I was waiting for you, it kept saying something like, ‘A weapon you created was used,’ and then at the end it said you’ve increased your proficiency.”

“I guess that’s because you contributed to it?”

It’s like assist experience.

The baton was a big help to my progress, so its creator is rewarded with mastery.

Do-yeon, who had a vague understanding of the law, smiled from beyond the status window.

“You did all the hard work, but I got the reward?”

Is that how it works?

You had to force yourself to make something even though it gave you a headache just because I told you to?

“You seem to be pampering me, which is fine. I’ll continue with this.”

“…Sure.”

I nodded in agreement.

I’m grateful that she offered to help.

In fact, if she just keeps making stuff, she’ll probably end up with a story that’s going to be titled that way, too……..

I decided not to tell her that.

Because if I did, she’d say, “Well, then I want to make a better story,” and then she wouldn’t make anything.

Instead, I kept my mouth shut and focused on eating my dinner.

I wasn’t hungry, but I was nervous, and as soon as I put food in my mouth, I felt a sudden rush of hunger.

“Did you say three days?”

Do-yeon asked.

“What happened then that made you ask me to help you?”

“You want to know specifically, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

I looked at Do-yeon, who was still pondering what I was about to say.

“I won’t know until I see it myself.”

“Ah…Then there’s no such thing as a tip? After all, monsters and such are real, just like in fantasy, right?”

“Well, yeah, but…….”

I was silent for a moment.

Just now, Do-yeon asked the question as if what was about to happen was more like a game than a disaster.

Even though the status window we’re looking at is itself a game, to say the least.

‘Like a protagonist who accepts the situation right from the beginning.’

The Seol Do-yeon I know would never be this careless or adaptable.

Maybe she’s just being mentally influenced by the ‘story’ she’s been given.

……In that regard, I may be the same as her, since I was not scared even though my life was in danger.

“In that case, just lock the door and don’t leave the house for a while. If you get a call from me, answer it. If you want to do something, ask me first.”

“Is that it?”

If Seol Do-yeon is under the influence of such an ‘unwritten rule’.

All I can do is try to keep her from getting swept away.

“You’ll have plenty of chances in the future, don’t you think it’s better to watch me do it than to get hurt in the first place?”

“Sure…….”

I trail off, unsure of my advice.

Not that it matters, since I’m pretty sure she’ll be hiding like a dead rat when the day comes.

“Remember what I told you, if I call, you answer. Tell everyone you know to take the day off. Okay?”

“Okay-”

It’s almost time for the subway.

I wrapped up the conversation before it was too late and left Do-yeon’s house.

[※ Story completion level: 0 → 1]

At that moment, the story completion that I had been trying so hard to figure out moved……

I couldn’t even figure out why it suddenly appeared, so I decided to think about it later.