“Winter.”
I murmured K’s words softly.
Winter has tormented living beings for a long time.
Winter has brought harsh cold and death to living creatures.
Insects perish before winter arrives, and some mammals spend winter in hibernation.
Even until modern times, and still in some regions today, winter remains a season of death.
My life is no different.
With the water pipes freezing or the heating not working, I sleep in a padded jacket and under several layers of blankets.
Or I leave the faucet running to prevent the pipes from freezing.
What about the elderly?
Winter is even harsher for them.
The mortality rate for elderly people living alone is highest in winter.
Thus, winter signifies death for living beings.
I cautiously extended my hand.
A small snowflake landed on my finger and melted.
The streets were filled with frozen corpses.
A woman dead in her car, holding her child.
A young man buried in snow, having used a streetlight as a heater.
People frozen in place for reasons unknown.
And even a body hanging from a streetlight.
Whether it was murder or suicide, I couldn’t tell.
But I doubted anyone would climb a streetlight to commit suicide.
At the same time, I thought there might be a ‘Gunjoo’ in this street too.
“Haa-.”
As I exhaled, a white breath dispersed into the air.
Noticing a rustling sound, I looked down to find a finger.
The finger was so frozen that it crumbled easily underfoot.
It’s been seven days since we stayed in the mall.
In that time, the world had drastically changed.
“This winter will be brutal and tedious.”
K said as she stepped onto the snow-covered asphalt sidewalk.
She then turned around to meet my gaze.
“Anyway, you’ve all successfully passed the first round. Now, let’s officially start the second round. It’s similar to the first, but this time there’s a goal. It’s to survive in the frozen city.”
Crunch, crunch.
K moved forward.
With each step she took, the snow sank deeply.
“Did you know? In the distant past, when the concept of time wasn’t established, ancient humans couldn’t even guess when the season of winter would end.”
K stood in front of a frozen statue of a boy.
The boy had his mouth open, and his right hand was extended forward, lost in thought.
“That’s why winter approached as a disaster. Perhaps winter is a trial from Earth. Only those who can survive, those who are worthy, can greet the spring.”
Then K leaned against the boy’s head.
“Can you endure it? You who’ve lived in cozy warmth, within the safety of your comfort zones.”
Crack!
At that moment, the boy’s neck, unable to bear the weight, broke.
The boy’s neck fell to the ground, shattering into pieces.
The cross-section of the neck was clotted with frozen blood.
“Oh my, it’s so fragile.”
K casually approached the opposite side.
This time, she leaned against a car and continued speaking.
“Let’s unlock the Artifacts. Starting from the second round, each Player’s Artifact will be unlocked.”
Vroom-.
A small cube box floated above K’s right hand.
The cube box hovered above her hand and began to spin.
“Artifacts are gifts from the gods that only chosen Players can receive. They range from S-grade abilities to F-grade abilities. But don’t waste your abilities too much; there’s a cooldown period.”
At that moment, K’s cube box split into several smaller square boxes and floated into the air.
The divided boxes scattered high into the sky, and one of them approached me.
“Artifacts will be distributed to the selected Players within the Area within a week from the start of the second round.”
Beyond the box, I saw K with her hands tucked into her pockets.
I turned my gaze to her.
K smiled slightly and said,
“Then, good luck, Player.”
The box in front of me naturally entered my inventory.
As K finished speaking, her body began to dissolve like mist and disappear.
It was then.
Whooosh-!
At the familiar sound, I placed the cube box in my hand and looked up at the sky.
There was a giant whale flying.
Its body was that of a whale, but it had eight fins.
The fins fluttered like a butterfly’s wings as the whale soared through the sky.
The whale’s eyes.
They were the same black eyes I had seen reflected in the windows covered with black smoke at the mall.
It was a terrifying presence there, but at this moment, the whale was astonishingly beautiful.
I had never seen such a beautiful creature in my life.
Its cries and appearance, everything about it was beautiful.
The whale flew between the buildings and then disappeared over the opposite mountain ridge.
We all watched it in awe until it vanished.
* * *
The survivors from the mall went back inside.
Each of them dressed in thick clothes and gathered the necessary supplies.
Zion wore several layers and then put on a white padded jacket.
It took about an hour to get ready.
And as if by agreement, they gathered again on the first floor.
Lee Juyeon wrapped a red scarf around the surviving middle school girl and spoke.
She was the young girl who had killed the Blue Team Mister.
“Do you want to come with me?”
The girl shook her head.
Juyeon fell silent for a moment, looking a bit regretful, then gently patted the girl’s head.
“Okay. Do you have somewhere to go?”
The girl nodded.
Juyeon smiled at the girl’s determined demeanor.
Se Beom picked up a thick padded jacket and slung a sports bag over his shoulder.
All were items from inside the mall.
Then he spoke to Juyeon.
“Let’s go, sis.”
“Oh, okay. I’ll go.”
Juyeon approached Se Beom but couldn’t take her eyes off the girl left behind.
The girl silently wrapped the red scarf around herself and watched Juyeon from there.
Se Beom handed another sports bag he was holding to Ju Yeon.
Ju Yeon silently accepted it and set off.
Zion Kang and Jae Hee were there.
Se Beom approached them and said,
“We’re heading north. Our home is in Seoul.”
“Okay.”
Zion replied indifferently, as if he wasn’t particularly interested.
In truth, he just wanted to part ways quickly.
He needed to find his brother.
Se Beom looked between Jae Hee and Zion and nodded.
He felt a bit deflated by Zion’s indifference.
“We’re leaving.”
With those words, Se Beom departed with Ju Yeon.
Their footprints left two parallel tracks.
Soon, the siblings disappeared down the opposite street.
It seemed they planned to follow the highway.
Zion glanced back at the girl with the red scarf left at the mall entrance and then continued walking.
Jae Hee silently followed him.
* * *
I was crossing the bridge along the road.
Though it was called a bridge, it was a two-lane road built to cross the railroad tracks.
But the middle section of the road had completely collapsed, and snow was piled up on top of it.
Until I took a step forward, I couldn’t be sure if there was solid ground beneath me.
I walked cautiously, one step at a time.
With each step, I heard a voice from behind.
“There will be a ruler of the streets.”
Jae Hee continued speaking, regardless of whether I responded.
“So, the groups caught on the streets instead of buildings during the first round. They’ll likely be the strongest force in the second round. Honestly, walking openly like this can be dangerous, so keep that in mind.”
I listened to her words as I walked through the snow.
Or rather, I let them pass in one ear and out the other.
“First, we’ll need to secure a base. It’s better to choose a small villa as a base rather than a large building that’s hard to defend. It’s best not to compare the second round to the first; the dynamics will change completely.”
Suddenly, my foot sank deep.
I lost my balance and fell forward.
In front of me was a sheer drop.
My heart sank.
But my body was suspended in mid-air, not falling.
“…….”
After catching my breath, I turned my head.
Jae Hee was holding onto my arm, keeping me steady.
Judging by her voice, she seemed to have been following from quite a distance.
Yet somehow, she had reached me and held me up.
Jae Hee continued speaking as if nothing had happened.
“Be careful. Don’t think of this as the world you knew. I’ll tell you things one by one, but even after years, you won’t uncover all the secrets of this world. Not even your past self.”
I stood up, guided by her hand.
Then Jae Hee walked ahead of me.
Probably to clear the path.
“Think of the city as a wild jungle. You must never let your guard down. From the moment the league started, we humans are at the bottom of the food chain.”
Jae Hee forged ahead through the snow, clearing the way.
Thanks to her, I could follow comfortably behind.
But I didn’t thank her or feel grateful.
My mind was consumed with thoughts of my brother.
As Jae Hee continued her explanations (most of which I didn’t really listen to), we trudged through the snow.
Suddenly, something flew at us from the left.
Swish, slice-!
I could sense it, but I couldn’t see it.
When I turned my head to the left, a vine-like plant, resembling octopus tentacles, was writhing and bleeding.
With every twitch, blood splattered across the white snow.
Jae Hee had already drawn her sword.
Before I even realized what was happening, she had sensed the danger and sliced through the monster that had lunged at me.
Swish- snap.
Jae Hee sheathed her sword and explained.
“Snow Nepenthes. They hide in the snow and lash out with their tendrils when prey appears. They go crazy for shiny objects. Most people wouldn’t even be able to react.”
“…….”
Then, Jae Hee stood right in front of me and tore off the zipper from my jacket.
Rip.
Her grip was so strong, she removed it as if she were opening a can lid.
Rustle, rustle, rustle…
The vines began to retreat back into the snow.
If Jae Hee hadn’t been following me, I would have died here before even reaching home.
A fierce snowstorm raged, and visibility was poor, barely extending 10 meters ahead.
The world had changed so drastically in just a few days, it was hard for even the most adaptable humans to accept.
Winter.
Suddenly, the word filled me with a wild fear.
My steps toward the villa grew heavier.
The scenes of slaughter I had witnessed at the mall kept flashing in my mind.
My brother Junho must have played the game too.
More than the vague hope that he was alive, I feared how I would feel when I found out his condition.
“……I need to hurry.”
I trudged ahead of Jae Hee, crossing the bridge.
It wasn’t far to the house.
After crossing the bridge and walking about three blocks through the alley, the villa came into view.
Its name was Sarang Villa.
“Phew…….”
I was out of breath.
Though it should have taken only 10 minutes, it had taken me 2 hours.
The entrance was filled with snow, and several unfrozen corpses lay near the villa.
The closer I got to home, the more my heart pounded wildly.
I stopped in my tracks.
All the survivors from the mall had scattered, but one woman was still following me.
Jae Hee.
She was approaching slowly, as if observing me from about three steps away.
I didn’t pay much attention to her.
I looked ahead.
Cracks ran through the building, and white alien vines wrapped around its exterior.
In the distance, some small animals were grazing.
They were strange creatures, unlike anything on Earth, resembling deer but with horns that glowed brilliantly.
The deer didn’t threaten me, but when I took another step closer, they scattered.
Before entering the villa, I sighed and turned to her and said.
Jae Hee didn’t seem to have any intention of leaving.
“Don’t come in here.”
My voice trembled, lacking strength. She probably couldn’t hear me well, but Jae Hee nodded anyway.
After confirming her nod, I descended the stairs.
At the bottom of the dimly lit staircase was the home I shared with my brother.
Unit 101.
I turned the doorknob, but it was locked.
I opened the flowerpot on the left to check for the spare key.
The key was still there.
Grasping the key, I unlocked the doorknob.
Click.
The lock disengaged, and I cautiously turned the knob.
With a bit of tension, I pushed the door open.
Creak-.
The hinges screeched loudly.
And through the slightly open door, a foul smell wafted out.
My anxiety intensified.
(Continued in the next episode)
