Chapter 6
What had just happened was enough to throw people into shock and fear.
Some gagged, others vomited everything they had eaten. Some trembled, crying with tears streaming down, while others screamed out people’s names.
It was a natural reaction—because they realized that death here was no different from death in reality.
The video had shown seven capsules being designated. The blinking lights on those seven capsules turned from green to red.
And the seven people in the banquet hall, corresponding to those capsules, showed abnormal symptoms and then died.
Everyone here had already killed at least three people with their own hands to make it this far.
If anyone acted unfazed, that would be stranger.
Of course, I was no exception.
“If that video was real… then the people who died in the warehouse because of the speaker I threw… did I really kill them myself?”
My hands and body trembled uncontrollably. No matter what I did, the trembling wouldn’t stop.
I had come to play a game, only to suddenly become a murderer. Maybe this whole situation was a disaster caused by my greed for a wish ticket.
But regardless of whether we were in shock or not, that damn crow kept applying handicaps.
Those with orange and green spotlights at least didn’t die. Instead, the abilities they gained this time could only be used at 50% and 75% power. Luckily, it was only for this quest, which was at least some comfort to them.
“Impossible! It must be fake!”
A man’s shout rang out across the hall.
“Everyone! Calm down and think clearly! This isn’t reality—it’s virtual reality! You shouldn’t believe it just because they showed us such a video! Look around you, this space is so meticulously crafted it feels real. So of course they could fake a video like that!”
“Y-Yeah! With deepfake and advanced editing, making such a video would be nothing!”
“Then what about the people who just died?”
“…Maybe it’s just according to the rules of this place? In other VR games too, there are death scenes with blood, but nothing happens in reality.”
“Right! They might have just logged out and gone home already!”
The people who had been lost in shock slowly began to regain their composure.
Whether it was genuine composure or simply denial of reality was unclear, but either way, their words weren’t wrong.
There was no physical evidence proving that what we saw in the video was real.
“But on the other hand… there’s no proof that it was fake either.”
And there was one more reason to think it might be real:
“3. Laurel takes no responsibility whatsoever for anything that happens during the tester process.”
It was one of the notes in the recruitment announcement. I had dismissed it at the time as just a warning about bugs during the game. The others probably thought the same.
But if they had written it with this kind of situation in mind…?
If that were true, then they weren’t just crazy—they were monsters. There were 35,000 testers participating.
Saying they couldn’t take responsibility for the lives of all of them—did that even make sense?
No matter how this test ended, Laurel would definitely be sued and have to pay the price. Though whether there was even a way to pay the price for lives lost was questionable.
“Damn it… this isn’t about wish tickets anymore.”
At that moment, my eyes met with Ms. No-eun’s beside me.
She stared at me for a few seconds, then took out a small notebook with a pen tucked inside from her jacket pocket and wrote something down.
Tear.
[For now, just focus on surviving.]
That was what the note she handed me said.
She was right.
Whether this death was real or not was something I could only figure out if I survived what was coming.
I shook my head vigorously, then slapped both cheeks hard.
“Caw! Silence!”
The crow’s cry silenced the hall.
“If you don’t believe me, you can test it yourself. If someone dies here but wakes up back where they started, then the video I showed you was a lie. So, anyone want to volunteer?”
Nobody stepped forward.
Of course not.
The fear of death was one thing, but more importantly, regardless of whether it was real or not, dying here meant losing your wish ticket.
Who would be crazy enough to risk that?
The crow looked around and continued:
“There’s no need to overthink it. Just think of it as a one-coin arcade game. Life in reality isn’t so different—it’s a one-coin game too. Fail there, die. Fail here, die. So relax and enjoy.”
As soon as it finished speaking, five pillars of light rose around the central stage.
“Anyway, the handicaps for latecomers are all finished! Finish your meal, and then use these light pillars to go to the test floor of your choice. Oh, and sharing information about each floor is forbidden. Everyone must enjoy this fairly. If you break the rule… you know what happens.”
Nobody needed the rest explained. After what we had just seen, the implications were clear.
“Then, I wish you all good luck! Caw!”
Seriously, that crow had a talent for ruining people’s appetite.
“Anyone want to go to the 89th floor? We’re two people short!”
“Looking for someone for the 86th floor!”
“If you want to go to the 87th floor with us, you have to reveal your ability first.”
“What? Why should I tell you my ability when I just met you?”
“Fine, then find someone else. Or go alone. The only limit is the number of people—not that you must be with a group.”
People started actively recruiting teammates for the different floors.
At first, everyone was hesitant, since the crow had just handed death sentences to latecomers. With death possibly being real, nobody wanted to move rashly.
But the mood changed after one team cleared the 85th floor and returned—without a single casualty.
Naturally, the thought spread: “Maybe it’s possible to clear quests without dying?”
That hope suppressed the fear of death, and the current lively atmosphere was the result.
Meanwhile, I was busy checking my own information.
[Status]
Name: Joo Jin-young
Gender: Male
Nationality: South Korea
Age: 24
ID Code: KM24-AEMT13119
Strength: LV3
Agility: LV3
Endurance: LV5
Wisdom: LV3
Dexterity: LV3
All Status Ailment Resistance: 30 (Passive: 1.5x effectiveness)
Mutation Rate: 15% (Good)
Mutation rate?
Everything else looked like standard RPG stats, but that one was strange.
Mutation means deviating from normal traits.
So having 15% meant something was already happening, even if I hadn’t noticed it.
Could it be a gauge showing how close I was to becoming a monster? Like if you get bitten or wounded by them, it rises?
But I hadn’t been bitten or wounded yet.
“…Forget it. No point thinking about it now.”
[Abilities]
General Ability
First Aid – If an external wound is treated before too much time passes, you can reduce its severity (serious → minor). Requires tools or medicine.
Special Ability
It’s an Emergency! – To perform rescue, you must risk yourself by rushing into danger. That requires speed and endurance.
Adapt faster and last longer in special environments. (Passive)
Resistance stats are 1.5x more effective. (Passive)
If a party member is seriously injured or diseased, all your stats temporarily increase by LV2. (Passive, party system only)
The system really had modeled everything based on personal info—it felt too real.
Of course, testing the abilities wasn’t easy. I’d need special environments or injured people, which wasn’t something I could force.
For now, I’d have to wait until inside a stage. Hopefully, I wouldn’t need them at all.
Still, with empty ability slots remaining, there would probably be more to gain later.
Knowing myself objectively was critical. To survive, I needed to know my strengths and weaknesses.
The tutorial had given me nothing—but now they were giving me these tools, meaning they would matter.
And since there were only people here, that meant abilities must be diverse too. Understanding others’ powers would be just as important.
“Excuse me, brother.”
“…?”
Someone called out to me just as I closed my status screen.
“You alone?”
“Yes. Why?”
“Don’t be so wary. I just came to recruit teammates.”
It was an East Asian man in sunglasses and a suit. He pointed to four others nearby.
An agile-looking old man in a red changpao.
A plain young woman in black shirt and beige cardigan.
A sturdy young man in a collared shirt and cargo pants.
And a small girl in a black-and-white dress with gray socks and black shoes.
All Asians.
“Don’t tell me you’re recruiting an ‘Asian-only party’ or something?”
“Of course not. It just turned out this way. Anyway, want to join? Better to be with others than alone.”
The recruiter was Sasaki Kenta from Japan.
The old man was Liu Wei, the young woman Wang Rui—both Chinese.
The sturdy young man was Kittichai, from Thailand.
And the small girl, Takao Ka Rei, was Japanese.
So these five became my companions.
“Let’s move quickly. Better to go inside and wait than waste time out here.”
Since hundreds were competing for only five locations, once a stage filled up, others had to wait for the next to open.
When we emerged from the pillar of light, we found ourselves in a space like an entire department store floor transplanted here.
Famous brand stores lined the area—names both familiar and unfamiliar.
“At least it looks similar to the scenery I explored before the tutorial. That’s a relief… though who knows about the details.”
“Strange. I was ready for monsters, but there’s nothing here.”
Kenta frowned, scanning the area.
“The lights are even on. Doesn’t look scary at all.”
Wang Rui sighed in relief.
Indeed, the bright lights made it feel like an ordinary department store. After the chaos of the tutorial, it felt almost peaceful.
Except for… the scattered bloodstains and clothing strewn in some places, and the eerie silence.
[Welcome to Floor 87: Sports & Outdoor Department]
[The maximum capacity has not yet been filled, so standby time is given.]
[Capacity: 8/20]
[Quest objectives will be provided when the quest begins.]
So we had spare time.
I suggested splitting up to scout and regroup later. Last time, my gains came from not wasting downtime.
Everyone agreed to regroup at the MontX store when 15 people arrived.
Inside one shop, I found dried bloodstains and discarded clothes. No bodies.
If there were bloodstains, there should’ve been corpses. Were they moved somewhere? Perhaps to fitting rooms or storage?
The fitting rooms were empty. The storage room was locked. Hunting for keys alone was pointless, so I decided to search elsewhere.
Near another shop, I found golf clubs.
Swing! Whish!
The weight felt good. Strong enough to smash a monster’s skull.
I put three in my inventory, along with a padded jacket—just in case of entering a freezing area.
…Or maybe because it was an expensive brand I had always wanted but couldn’t afford.
When we regrouped, we shared findings.
Wang Rui had found hiking sticks, useful as weapons. Liu Wei had noticed that most shop entrances had colored tape—black, white, red, yellow, blue, green.
Everyone gave their reports.
I took out my notebook and pen, recording the info.
“Are you mapping this area?” Kenta asked.
“Yes.”
“…No offense, but your drawing skills are pretty rough. Hard to tell anything if the notes fade.”
“…Then you try?”
Kenta declined, and so did the others.
Finally, Rei shyly offered to redraw.
Five minutes later, she had produced a clear, cute, yet effective map that impressed everyone.
I gave her a thumbs up; she blushed and looked down.
“Strange. The pathways between the shops look like a running track. But instead of white and red lanes, they’re divided into squares of green, yellow, blue…”
That was when the announcement came.
[Welcome to Floor 87: Sports & Outdoor Department]
[Maximum capacity of 20 reached. Quest will now begin.]
Our smartwatches vibrated, showing the quest description:
<Quest Objective>
Find the Runner and stop them.
Time Limit: None
Basic Rules:
The Runner will run along the track, stopping at intervals. The place where they stop will cause certain changes.
The Runner usually stays on the track, but not always.
Anything in the shops may be used.
Additional Info:
Only the Runner and testers may stand on the track.
But there is no invisible wall preventing you from seeing or crossing.
Compared to the tutorial, the rules were simple.
And yet…
“…why do I feel such dread?”
Clang!
A heavy switch seemed to be thrown somewhere, echoing through the floor.
