Beyond the Eternity

"What... is this?"

Angelica muttered beside me. Her shoulders were shaking. She was horrified by the scene unfolding. The monsters were one-sidedly slaughtering the citizens.

The police had arrived and were desperately trying to hold the line. It was pointless. Their bullets were worthless against the beasts; soon enough, they met the same fate as the citizens. It was all a senseless massacre. Yet strangely, I felt… calm.

I expected to be just as horrified as Angelica. But I wasn't. I was almost disturbingly serene, and that frightened me more than the monsters did.

Was I seeing this as some kind of surreal fiction? Maybe. Now that reality had collided with fiction, everything felt bizarrely hollow.

I hope the viewers are enjoying this scene.

I clicked my tongue. If this world was truly a stage, then there had to be an audience somewhere. An audience watching from the black clouds, reveling in the unfolding destruction.

"Jakga, what's going on? Do you have any idea?"

"Sort of. Ever played Dark Souls?"

She blinked, caught off guard. "No, but I've heard about it. What does that have to do with… this?"

"Everything," I replied. "Because right now, it feels like we're in a world just like that."

I closed my eyes, recalling the first scenes of Song of Nightmares. Each nightmare was seared into my memory:

[A rampaging Fairy in Hongdae]

[The Infection of monsters]

[The lifeless bodies scattered like discarded dolls]

[The military's panicked retreat]

It was all playing out exactly as it was written. There was no doubt now. This was the story I knew.

"Come on. We're getting out of here."

"Wait! Where are we going?!"

Ignoring her protests, I pulled Angelica out of the room and into the stairwell, joining a flood of people scrambling toward the ground floor. There was only one goal in mind:

The exit.

I could feel the desperation around me—everyone was thinking the same thing. We had to get out, and fast. Because...

If the monsters manages to invade the hospital by accident, everything will go to shit.

Every last person here would be slaughtered if such a possibility occurred.

To avoid that fate, people would pile chairs, vending machines, and anything heavy in front of the entrance in a frantic attempt to barricade it.

But not everybody will be thinking the same. Some will still try to leave the hospital and try their luck. After all, people won't be able to make rational thoughts during this crisis.

We are talking about the end of the world here. Surely, nobody will think straight in such a moment.

After pushing through the crowd and climbing down the stairs, we finally reached the ground floor. However, the place was noisy.

"What's the matter with you? Do you want to die?!"

"I should be asking you the same."

"The city is being attacked by demons and you still want to go outside!"

"Like staying here will do us any good. What if the monsters get in here? How are we going to escape?!"

"Damn it, why is my phone not working!"

Just as I anticipated, a commotion had formed on the ground floor. Some wanted to leave the hospital while others wanted to stay inside.

Two choices. Each of them has their disadvantages.

I looked at the entrance. It was currently blocked. It had been sealed with numerous heavy items such as chairs and vending machines. It was a wonder how they could act so quickly.

Just like it was written in the novel.

I frowned.

The barrage won't last for long. But It's not like they could go outside. There are monsters outside the hospital. So the safest option would be to stay inside.

The world is currently filled with Class 9 Monsters. They were the weakest among the bunch, but that didn't mean they should be underestimated.

Monsters of this grade weren't individually strong, but in packs, they were relentless. Sooner or later, they would break through.

Yet, leaving was no better. The streets outside were crawling with them; stepping outside would be like throwing ourselves to the wolves. For now, staying seemed like the only viable option.

At least, for now. There will be a time when we will be able to go outside. But now was not the time.

What should I do now?

I was torn between two choices. Should I stay inside the hospital and hope for the best, or should I try my luck by running outside? But if I run outside, where will I go? That was another problem.

The most favorable choice became more and more apparent as time slowly ticked by. As I thought, staying inside was the better choice.

"Everybody, listen here!"

A voice cut through the panicked murmurs. It was a doctor—Doctor Kwangsun, if I remembered correctly. He looked exhausted like he had been trying to maintain rationality in the chaos.

When he noticed everyone turned his way, he began to speak again.

"As you already know, the country has entered a state of emergency. So right now, the safest thing we can do is stay here and wait for the military to secure the area."

His words offered a sliver of comfort to some, but I knew better. The military wouldn't be coming. They were too busy fending off monsters in the streets to stage a rescue operation for us.

The sooner they realized that cruel truth, the better their chances of survival would be.

Someone shouted."Someone, turn on the TV! I heard the prime minister is addressing the nation."

"The p-prime minister?!"

"Quick! Find the remote!"

After a few frantic moments, someone found the remote and switched on the television mounted to the wall. The screen lit up with the prime minister's face. I knew what was coming—yet somehow, it still made my skin prickle.

But spoilers were no fun.

"Greetings, my fellow citizens. Unidentified attackers are active in multiple major cities, including Seoul. But do not be afraid. Our military forces are mobilized, and they're working tirelessly to restore order. Until then, we urge you to remain indoors."

Terrorists? Now that was a peculiar name to be calling monsters. It's not like the government would notice they were currently being attacked by monsters.

"Wait, why is the prime minister giving a speech? Where is the president?"

"Don't tell me he got caught by the monsters?"

"No way! It's the president we're talking about here."

Murmurs naturally spread among the crowd. Most people didn't want to realize it, but the fact that the prime minister had to give a speech instead of the president could only mean one thing alone.

KABOOM!

Just then, a loud explosion cut the broadcast short. The screen went black. There was a collective intake of breath. The prime minister, blown to pieces on live TV—there was no way he'd survived.

I took a deep breath. This was happening, just like in the novel.

"The prime minister is dead?!"

"That can't be, right?"

"Quick! Change the channel!"

Someone frantically flipped channels, but it was useless. Every station was the same—chaotic footage of monster attacks. The reality was beginning to settle in, thickening the air with dread.

Some people tried to call their families; others sobbed, clutching their phones uselessly. The towers were down.

"Everyone calm down. Just because the connection is lost, doesn't mean the prime minister is dead. I also don't think the president is dead. The army is handling the situation as we speak. So no one is allowed to go outside until the army handles the situation."

The doctor tried his best to calm down the restless crowd. But there was one thing that everyone was forgetting. It was that the Fable was currently ongoing.

And that bastard will act anytime soon.

The objective of the first scenario was to kill. But the people will soon realize that the monsters are not the only enemy.

"Ahhhhhhh!"

Suddenly, there was a scream.

"Murder! He's… oh God, he killed her!"

Heads whipped around, and everyone caught sight of the scene. At the same time, they drew a breath.

A man stood over a woman's body, with a bloodied knife in his hand. Blood pooled on the floor around her, seeping through her clothes as the life drained from her eyes.

A deep wound slashed across her throat, and blood poured from it in a relentless stream. One look was enough to tell— there was no saving that woman.

The man smiled. It was a twisted and cruel smile of a demon that won't hesitate to spread misfortune without remorse. It was obvious he was a person that enjoying killing, and he seemed proud of it too.

A serial killer that used the destruction of the current world to commit atrocious crimes against humanity.

I felt my jaws tighten. Just as I feared, a character from the novel had made an appearance. But he was not a character from the righteous or good alignment, but one with a villain role.

The monsters outside were terrifying, but this— this was a different kind of horror. In a world without order, humans would be the most dangerous predators of all.

This was serious bad news.

If the serial killer was here, It meant that everyone in this hospital was in danger. Stay here would spell my destruction.

Let's see here. How do I survive?

Desperately, I pulled out my smartphone, my last hope. If I could read through Song of Nightmares which contained the events of the Apocalypse, then I might find a way to survive this deadly situation. That's right. Everything will be alright if I read the original novel. However, there was a big problem when I opened my library.

"??!"

There was nothing.

The novel had vanished.

I tried searching the original site, but it was not there, then illegal sites, even mobile downloads, shares and recommendations. But the every link read Book cannot be found.

It made no sense. I was sure I had a few file downloads in my library, but It was currently empty. It was as if the novel was removed from existence.

Truly, I was dumbfounded.

"What the fuck! What kind of bullshit is this?!"

I cursed under my breath. The one lifeline I had left was gone without a trace, ripped away just when I needed it the most like a cruel joke played by the universe. Without it, all I had were 'fragments' of memories, hazy recollections that wouldn't help me in my current situation.

Looking at things realistically, there was no way for someone like me to survive in such a scenario.

I was barely recovering from a six month coma, so my body was in no shape for physical violence. I bet even a high-schooler could defeat me at the moment.

But what about a grown-average man? A solder from the military? Or an experienced serial killer?

Truly, everything seemed like a joke.

My head dropped in frustration. "Tch. Damnit it all!"

Then, suddenly, a small flash appeared in my vision. A red window, hovering just at the edge of my sight.

[You have received the basic privilege as a player.]

[The status window can be activated.]

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