Beyond the Eternity

Everyone looked at me as If I had gone mad. Maybe my words were that unreasonable form their point of view.

"... Wh-What? You want to go outside?"

"That's right."

"Are you insane? Don't you already understand the situation outside?!"

"Jakga, he's right. Please reconsider."

Kwangsun and Angelica were completely against my decision while the others remained silent, but it was clear they agreed with their reasoning.

Realistically speaking, going outside right now was completely unreasonable. The streets were crawling with unspeakable horrors and creatures hiding in the shadows, waiting to devour anything that moves and breathes. There was even a great possibility that we would be torn apart the moment we step outside.

I also didn't want to step outside if I had a choice. Did I become courageous just because a novel became a reality?

Of course not.

Naturally, as a local writer, I had no experience in combat or handling weapons—aside from maybe firing a gun. Even then, I had no experience with handling a gun so my aim would be average at best.

However, what they failed to realise was the fact that staying locked up here, cowering in the hospital, was also completely unreasonable.

I asked impatiently. "How long do you plan to stay here? Do you think this place is a sanctuary?"

They flinched at the bite in my words, but I pressed on. "We can't hide here forever. Sooner or later, we'll have to go outside. Do you think staying inside would magically change that?"

"But that doesn't mean we have to go outside right now. Why don't we wait for the situation to calm down right?"

"That is actually a good suggestion, but answer me this. What are we going to do about food? What about your relatives? How are you going to find them if you stay trapped here. Surely, you aren't just worried about your own safety, right?"

Her gaze shifted and doubt creeped into their eyes. But they didn't looked convinced just yet. I needed to push the final nail on the coffin.

... Ah. That would work.

I thought about a reasonable way to convince this people and something flashed inside my head. I spoke with cold voice.

"Do you truly believe we're safe here? If there was a first wave of monsters, what makes you think there won't be a second? And this hospital—filled with corpses—do you really think it's the best place to hide in a situation like this?"

Everyone was quiet. Slowly, they began to realise the meaning behind my words.

Even though the hospital was built to withstand storms and earthquakes, that didn't mean it was impenetrable. Certainly, there were many useful things that could be found in a hospital, but there were no weapons here and if a horde of monsters break in, we will be left unarmed to fight back and be forced to run away.

Not to mention, there was a place in the hospital where dead bodies of people were kept. If those corpses suddenly started moving when we let our guard down...

Everyone looked like they received a strong mental shock. It seemed they had finally reached the same conclusion

"On second thought, maybe staying here is not the best idea."

"Quick! Open the door!"

"Help me move this out of the way."

Together, we tore down the makeshift barricade, furniture and supplies clattering to the door. The door creaked open, and one by one, we stepped into the world outside.

The moment I stepped outside, I couldn't help but frown.

It was exactly as the image I conjured inside my head.

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A world that had fallen into a nightmare.

It was complete devastation. The streets was unrecognisable— vehicles overturned, buildings reduced to rubble, the remnants of civilisation scattered like debris. Torn bodies littered the ground, limbs askew, with blood seeping into the cracked earth. The stench of death clung to the air, thick and nauseating.

Truly, anyone would have horrified if they saw this site.

I found myself gazing upwards, where the sky had turned a sickening shade of crimson, as if it had been soaked in blood. The sky was no longer a sky. It was a tapestry of nightmares that reflected the horrors that had taken over this world.

Those horrors were the Stories.

"... Oh god...." Angelica whispered with a shaky voice.

"W-what... what is this?" Kwangsun's face was drained of colour, with his eyes widened at the destruction.

This was no longer the word I knew. Earth had become a ruined world. It was nothing but a miracle that the hospital was still standing intact.

They were not joking when they said the building was built to withstand natural disasters.

Turning my head, I saw Angelica, Kwangsun-ssi, and Lee Jongho-ssi desperately trying to connect to the internet using their smartphones. But it was futile. All lines were dead. Or should I say that all lines were blocked by a supernatural force. But they did not know that.

"Tch! Damnit!"

Angelica's frustration boiled over as she instantly hurled her smartphone to the ground, and the device shattered upon impact.

That was understandable. But if you're going to throw your phone, you should at least hand the battery to someone else, Yes?

BOOM!

A loud impact reverberated through the air, and I felt the vibrations in my bones.

Something broke through the sound barrier and sliced through the air at incredible speed.

I covered my ears, fearing my eardrums would burst.

Several objects zipped through the air at supersonic speeds.

They were fighter jets. However, it was clear that the survivors were not their intended target, as the aircraft were headed in a different direction entirely.

Were they going to the Blue House?

"The fighter jets?"

"It's the Air force!"

"Where are they going? Hey!"

I already knew their destination, and their efforts would prove futile. For the moment, it was wiser to disregard their presence entirely.

"Let's move and gather supplies. We don't know what kind of challenges we'll face, but it's always better to be prepared."

I began issuing orders to each party member one by one. Everyone had a role to play.

"Yunhee, look for anything that can be used as weapons. Angelica, check the convenience stores for salt and gather as much as you can. Jongho-ssi, search the bodies of the fallen soldiers for anything useful, and Kwangsun, see if you can get a signal on your smartphone."

"I understand."

"And make it quick; we don't have much time."

With that, everyone scattered in different directions. I headed into the convenience store and helped Angelica load multiple bottles of salt into a backpack.

After a while, everyone returned to our original spot. The first to approach was Lee Kwangsun.

"Any luck?"

"No, I couldn't get a signal. It seems all lines are down for now."

"That means we're completely on our own, huh?"

Calm down, Kim Jakga. You were already expecting this.

"Jakga-ssi."

Next, Lee Jong-ho stepped forward.

"What about you? Any luck on your end?"

"It's not much, but I found some leftover grenades."

"How many?"

"T-three."

"Just three?"

"Um… I'm sorry."

Lee Jong-ho nodded, and I stifled a sigh. Three grenades wasn't a great number; at best, they could only slow down the enemy temporarily.

Nothing was going our way. I didn't know what would happen next.

"Don't feel bad. It can't be helped."

"I wish I could do more in this situation."

"I'm sure your moment will come."

After I said that, Lee Jong-ho's expression seemed to perk up a bit. He was a straightforward guy.

Step— Step—

Then Yunhee came this way, with her hands full.

"Here," she said, dropping what she was holding.

Ting! Ting!

With a heavy thud, the items she was carrying clattered to the ground.

"I brought these."

Everyone gasped.

Knives, machetes, axes, metal pipes, baseball bats, slingshots, and more lay scattered on the floor—a plethora of dangerous items. It was arsenal of dangerous weapons that could get one arrested if they were stopped by the police force.

The group stared at Jung Yunhee in astonishment, but she maintained her usual poker face.

"… Yunhee? Where did you find all this?"

"Shop."

When Kwangsun asked, her response was vague. I had anticipated something like this.

"What kind of shop would sell—"

"Kwangsun, stop. Does it really matter where she got it? What's important is that we're armed now."

"But…"

"Now everyone pick a weapon. Quickly."

At my command, everyone moved into action. Lee Jong-ho grabbed a metal pipe, Lee Kwangsun chose a slingshot, and Jung Yunhee picked up a sashimi knife, dropping blood-stained scissors at her feet.

Did she use that on the people in the hospital?

As I picked up a machete, Angelica approached me, offering more salt, which I quickly stashed in my backpack.

"If you don't mind me asking, what are you planning to do with all that salt?"

I expected such a question. From an outsider's perspective, my actions might seem illogical. Why carry multiple bags of salt in such a dangerous situation?

Some might consider it foolish. In fact, carrying unnecessary load of items would just slow me down considerably and might even get me killed. But surprisingly, salt was incredibly useful in this situation. Anyone who had read Song of Nightmares would know I was right.

"I'm going to use it to hunt zombies."

"What? How is salt going to—"

Angelica wanted to protest, but before she could speak further, she was interrupted by a system message.

[The Main Fable has been generated.]

[The Second Story will begin in a few moments.]

Damn. It was starting already. That stupid fairy, she was really not giving us anytime to recover.

I opened the system window and read the contents of the Second Fable.

+

[Main Fable ##2 — Safety Zone]

Category: Main

Difficulty: E

Story conditions: Avoid the monster horde and reach any safety zone close to your location.

Time Limit: 30 minutes.

Rewards: 500 coins

Failure: Death

+

It seemed the Second Fable was starting. I could only hope that all the preparations I had made would be enough.

"Look, something is happening,"

Lee Kwangsun said while pointing towards the hospital entrance we came out from. The torn bodies scattered on the floor were slowly rising. A dark energy began to swirl from their shoulders.

"Grrrr…"

"Grrrr…"

Zombies, creatures with a danger rating of grade 9, were staring at us. Soon, they began shuffling toward us, driven by an intense hunger.