(6:50 PM)
Ten minutes...
I couldn't help glancing at my phone again.
Fuck.
I can't waste time.
Shit, think. Think...
'What should I be looking out for? How did things go in the novel again? Kill a living organism...'
My eyes wandered around the cabin before landing on the carriage number.
3207
Never heard of it.
Then again, I didn't even remember Kim Dokja's carriage number.
Okay...
'Uhm... System?'
I called out in my head.
Nothing.
Well, that's weird. Didn't I get a system?
'Chaos Gacha? You there?'
[Ding]
[What query may the user have?]
Okay.
So it IS here.
'Are you not sentient?'
[Negative. The Gacha only replies to complaints or questions concerning the Gacha itself.]
'...Isn't that contradictory? You just answered me.'
[Basic artificial intelligence does not equal sentience, user.]
Hmmmmmmmmm... (¬_¬)
Sure. Sure.
While conversing, or whatever this counted as, I looked around the cabin.
A teenager with earbuds in. Generic.
An old man nodding off. Gramps must've had a long-ass day.
A young couple holding hands.
A mother trying to calm her restless child.
A pretty normal atmosphere.
Too bad most of them would probably be dead soon.
'Me included, if I didn't get my shit together.'
No bugs... Great.
Would killing fleas count? What about bacteria? Should I ask Buhyung? Bihyung? Bihyoung? I forgot its damn name.
I shook my head.
'Focus. Lock in.'
'Hey, Gacha. How exactly does this work? Isn't this whole world supposed to be some kind of story? How the hell can I just barge into it? And how do these abilities even fit into the system already established here? The levels and stats and all that?'
[Ding]
[The first five Gacha rolls that were pulled will be adjusted as your exclusive skills, with their levels set according to their corresponding luck values, rounded as necessary. They will become available once the first scenario begins. All future Gacha pulls will be leveled based on the user's understanding, intimacy, ability, and instincts.]
'Okay...'
That's something, I guess.
'You ignored my first question, thou—'
Oh. Right.
Only questions related to yourself. So I have to figure that out on my own?
Great.
I haven't even finished the novel, and now I have to figure out how the world is allowing an existence like me to... exist.
I looked down at my phone again.
(6:55 PM)
Across from me, the mother adjusted her child's jacket.
The kid couldn't have been older than six.
He was clutching a small dinosaur toy.
And once again, I was hit by the dilemma I'd been desperately trying to avoid by distracting myself with thoughts of game mechanics and survival strategies.
Do I really have to kill someone?
Maybe I could—
Shit. Yeah. No. I don't have a choice, do I?
I don't see any insects. No rats. Nothing.
And this world is unpredictable. Especially for a half-asser like me. I let my guard down for one second, and I'm dead.
The dinosaur toy squeaked softly as the child squeezed it. His mother smiled down at him, completely oblivious.
I looked away.
Focus.
What do I actually know?
(6:58 PM)
Not much.
Would acting too rashly get me hit with that Probability stuff? I vaguely remembered it being a pretty big deal. That Outer God got screwed over by it in the world with the tiny people...
Right? Was it even an Outer God?
I can't remember…
Goddammit.
(6:59 PM)
I-I don't know what to do.
Can I even kill someone here with Ice Age?
Would that count?
Would it be allowed?
And how the hell would Heavenly Restriction even work in this setting?!
My leg bounced anxiously against the floor.
One minute. One minute until the world ended.
And so I sat there.
Thinking. Contemplating.
Panicking.
Until—
Kiiiiiiiiik—!
...Time's up, huh?
At that moment, the subway lights shut off. Darkness swallowed the cabin. The train lurched violently. The entire carriage shook as metal screamed against metal.
Several passengers cried out.
Others stumbled from their seats, desperately grabbing poles, handrails, or whatever they could reach. The shaking continued for several agonizing seconds before the train finally ground to a halt.
Immediately, panicked whispers erupted throughout the cabin.
Questions, confusion. Fear.
The old man who had been enjoying his five-minute nap rubbed his eyes and muttered something about suicide rates getting worse in this country.
Poor guy. He had absolutely no idea.
And then, right on cue—
"—𝕋𝕖𝕝𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕡𝕒𝕤𝕤𝕖𝕟𝕘𝕖𝕣𝕤𝕠𝕟𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕥𝕣𝕒𝕚𝕟. 𝕋𝕖𝕝𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕡𝕒𝕤𝕤𝕖𝕟𝕘𝕖𝕣𝕤𝕠𝕟𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕥𝕣𝕒𝕚𝕟."
A second voice suddenly cut through the announcement.
"—𝔼-𝔼𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕪𝕠𝕟𝕖... 𝕣𝕦𝕟𝕒𝕨𝕒𝕪... ℝ𝕦𝕟...!"
[The free service of Planetary System 8612 has been terminated.]
[The Main Scenario has started.]
[Ding!]
[Exclusive Skill, Chaos Gacha Lv. ?, has been activated!]
...
...
...
Spectacular.