Surviving Every Worldview

Chapter 23: Abduction (3)

Somehow, I managed to organize the situation.

First, I sent Seorin back and then I got out of the car with Seol Do-yeon.

Luckily, when I was the only one there, she obediently put the blanket away and listened.

“What did you freak out about back there?”

I asked a question on our way out of the parking lot.

Do-yeon, who was dragging her suitcase behind her, replied.

“No…You should have woken me up when you arrived, if you were meeting someone you knew!”

“I woke you up, but you went back to sleep.”

“Did I?”

“Yes.”

“Did I…..?”

She doesn’t really remember.

In the past, if I called during the day, she would answer in her sleep because her days and nights were intertwined, and she would just forget about it.

Still, perhaps because she was so surprised that she couldn’t sleep, Do-yeon didn’t look tired anymore.

“What happened earlier?”

“I woke up suddenly and your senior was staring at me.”

“Why didn’t you just say hello.”

“That’s why it’s so awkward! You can’t empathize because you’re an insider!”

I wonder how long she’s going to keep up this insider thing.

…Not when other people are around.

* * *

“Oh… Hi. I’m a friend of his…….”

Ugh.

Seol Do-yeon clumsily bowed her head and greeted everyone.

Her eyes had already lost their focus and she forgot to say her name.

“She’s Seol Do-yeon and I brought her here for help.”

“How far did you go to get her? You left in the morning and came back in the middle of the day.”

“Songdo.”

“I thought you were just going to the next town when you said you were borrowing my car for a bit……”

“Ahaha…….”

I didn’t dare to meet Hyunseok’s eyes properly.

I quickly bowed my head slightly and then left with a heavy sigh.

I should really pay him back somehow.

“How old are you-?”

“I’m the same age as Seon-woo…….”

“I see, you’re friends. What brings you here?”

“What? Oh, that’s…….”

Next to her, Seorin was showing interest in Seol Do-yeon by herself.

The members only said hello, but they seemed to take care of her because she was my friend.

In fact, Seol Do-yeon seems to be overwhelmed.

“He asked me to help him before…He said he was coming to pick me up, so I followed him.”

“He asked you to help him too?”

“Yes…if my memory isn’t wrong……?”

After hearing her answer, Seorin put her hand on my shoulder and asked.

Her face was expressionless, but her eyes made me feel like she was prying.

“Did you ask others?”

“Yes. Didn’t I tell you the other day that there are others?”

“Did you say……?”

I remember keeping the conversation short on purpose because I realized she was drunk.

I’m glad I did, because she forgot about it.

I pointed to Seol Do-yeon, who was staring at us.

“But enough about that, you’ll be seeing her a lot, so be nice to her. She’s really shy.”

“I’m just one drink away.”

“Not like…….”

“Why, that’s the surest way in the world!”

Finally, she let go of me and changed the subject.

“Right. Seon-woo, I need to talk to you about something!”

“What’s it about?”

“It’s a little long.”

I looked around and made a decision.

It would be better if we didn’t have any interruptions.

“If that’s the case, let’s talk about it somewhere private. Follow me.”

“Okay-”

“Do-yeon, you too.”

“Huh? Oh, okay.”

We walked straight into another building adjacent to the terminal.

This building was also crowded, but the crowds thinned as we went up the floors.

It wasn’t until we reached the bookstore on the fourth floor that we found an empty space and huddled around a desk.

“So, what did you come here to talk about?”

“Oh…what the…….”

“I thought you said you wanted to talk to your sister…….”

“Ah! I remembered, I got it.”

Sister said, slapping my back.

It hurt a lot because she was drunk and didn’t control her strength.

“I’m worried about the people. The mood is good right now…but you never know when it’s going to get worse.”

“Once you’re down, you’re never out.”

“That’s why I think we need to end the episode quickly, do you think it’s possible?”

She was right.

It’s the same situation wherever you go, so it’s hard to expect any help.

The longer we wait to finish the episode, the worse the atmosphere here becomes.

It would be so much more relaxing if it wasn’t an apocalypse from the first episode…….but I can’t help it.

“It’s okay, this will be over in a week.”

“What, really? I thought it was going to be months, and you said that with such weight?”

“Please just make it quick so I can go home!”

I decided not to respond to Do-yeon’s comment.

“I can do it. Look at this.”

I opened the status window and showed everyone.

[We have confirmed your capabilities.]

[A suitable development will be prepared for you soon.]

This message appeared last night, while I was leading the bus.

As soon as the development this message is talking about is ready, we can end the episode and get back to our lives.

A week is a long time to wait for this development but that’s a generous estimate, and most likely it will be ready sooner.

Note that the phrase “waiting for the right development” is just that, a phrase.

It’s a deliberate pause because I already know what’s going to happen, and it’s not dramatic if it’s too easy and the episode ends in a day.

…… When this was in the game, it was a simple difficulty adjustment, but in real life, it’s unpleasant.

Let’s just get it over with.

“So, what exactly is the development, anyway?”

“Just a big ordeal? A boss fight or something? Clear it and the episode is over.”

“Exactly. The story ends as the episode progresses.”

I went on to explain how an episode works

The episode starts according to the slot machine’s predetermined content.

‘Development’ comes to a small number of people who show outstanding performance.

Once the episode is cleared, the surrounding area is freed from the episode’s influence.

There were many narratives in the game I received from Dreams, but this process somehow kept repeating itself and I don’t see it changing much now.

“It was noticeable that we were driving the bus. It was like a movie.”

“I also noticed that sister was walking around drunk.”

“It’s polite to keep that stuff to yourself. Be polite to your elders.”

“Anyway, that’s kind of embarrassing, and I didn’t mean to.”

I just followed the path the options presented to me, and before I knew it, the story had spread.

I thought it was an important choice.

“By the way, when you say ‘the surrounding area’, what level do you mean, like a city?”

I shook my head at Seol Do-yeon, who had asked the question.

“No, it’s a lot bigger. Like a country?”

“Countries come in different sizes, you idiot.”

“……I couldn’t think of an example because you asked me out of the blue.”

“Of course.”

I pretended not to hear and racked my brain.

It turns out that the scope of the episode’s clearing was never specifically described in the game in the first place.

Like, you clear an episode and the whole country is safe.

On the other hand, there are mentions that in the U.S., even after clearing it, there were still cases of damage in the same state.

I couldn’t really answer the question because I only had a vague idea.

Fucking Dreams.

“I’d say it’s roughly the size of a US state…? Maybe New York?”

“Why are you sounding so confident?”

“Shut up, Seol Do-yeon.”

Anyway, when we finish the episode, the whole country will be completely safe.

I’ve built awareness and gathered people for that.

All I need now is time to wait.

“So don’t worry. I’ll finish it before they start fighting each other like in a real apocalypse.”

“So now we just have to wait?”

“I’ll tell you when I’m ready, so just rest.”

“Yeah, as long as it doesn’t take too long…….”

I didn’t have a clear answer but that was enough for now, and she looked relieved.

“Let’s go home for now. It won’t be long before it gets dark.”

“Aren’t you going to play? You said you wanted to get acquainted.”

“Do you have something to play?”

“Well, I, I, I’m not ready for today…No, I’m tired…….”

“Well……then I’ll see you next time.”

Sister got up from her seat with a disappointed look on her face.

I stood up as well and walked out of the terminal with Do-yeon.

It was mid-December, just before the end of the year.

On the way back, the Christmas decorations that had been put up a week earlier still glittered.

“……But where am I going to sleep?”

“I thought about it, but I couldn’t provide you with a safe place to stay in this situation.”

“Don’t lay the groundwork. Where am I going to sleep?”

I walked back with Seol Do-yeon.

Of course, I couldn’t find another place to stay, and it couldn’t be far away but I was really, really lucky.

I had a guest room in my house.

* * *

-Lee Seorin: I’m on my way to your place.

-Yoo Seon-woo: We’re bored, so bring something to eat.

-Lee Seorin: But where did she sleep?

-Seon-woo: In the guest room

– Lee Seorin: Hmph

-Yoo Seon-woo: ?

Three days later, on December 22nd.

We had been living freely for a while since we couldn’t solve this disaster until the Cognitive Revolution System was ready to move forward.

For example, Seol Do-yeon researched her story at my house, while I and Seorin went to the shelter to spend time.

Other members also helped out and shared their knowledge as if it were an unwritten rule.

There was one thing that happened separately that I was following up on…….

I’ll have to watch that one a bit more.

Anyway, today was the day we were supposed to gather at my house.

We decided that it wouldn’t be weird if things were ready to unfold at any moment, so we’d just gather there for the time being.

While sister was on her way, I continued my conversation with Do-yeon.

Seol Do-yeon kept trying to peek at my phone from the side.

“Where were we?”

“We were talking about the drone I made.”

“Oh, you made that wrong.”

“……?”

She frowned, as if her pride had been momentarily scratched.

“I did what? You said I made it well?”

“That’s because you drew a good picture, not wrote a story.”

I put two things on the desk. Seol Do-yeon’s drone and my event reward, a statue.

“Think about it. A drone like this isn’t that unrealistic, right? It doesn’t have guided missiles and it doesn’t teleport.”

“Is that possible?”

“It’s possible. You saw the car noise decrease yesterday.”

A superpower should be able to do a lot.

This was also true for Seol Do-yeon, whose story was still undecided.

Making a drone with a gun that already exists is something you can do with a D-rank story if you’re good enough at drawing.

If she’s good enough, she can create a special ability that’s useful enough with her drawings alone.

“You can do more unrealistic things with the right settings, and that’s the story.”

“Like invisibility?”

“Oh, that’s great.”

I hovered the drone over the statue from an angle that would be visible to Seol Do-yeon.

The statue stuck to the drone like a magnet, and in an instant, the drone disappeared before my eyes.

When I removed the statue, the drone became visible and returned to its original form.

“Ohhh……!”

“The higher the awareness rating, the better the setup, and the event rewards are just a catalyst to help you do that. Do you understand?”

“I must have made a really bad drawing……?”

“You thought I was saying you couldn’t draw?”

Seol Do-yeon nodded her head repeatedly, her face showing her happiness.

Now that I’ve taught her something important, she’ll make something better next time.

For now, I’ll have to use the weapons I made last night.

In particular, the riot baton, which I finally had the time to strengthen with the power of the statue.

I don’t have a use for it right now, but the time will come.

-Ding, ding, ding.

Just then, I heard a knock on the front door.

There’s only one person who would come to my house at this hour.

I quickly got up and opened the door, and as expected, there stood sister Seorin.

Luckily, she wasn’t drunk today.

I guess she’s not so addicted that she doesn’t have a single day without drinking.

“You’re early.”

“I came early so we could talk.”

Maybe that’s why she came sober.

But the ‘friend’ sister had mentioned was nowhere to be seen in the living room.

When I turned around, she was in my room, peeking at us through the crack in the door.

It wasn’t like she was wary of strangers.

“What are you doing, stop fussing around and get back to the living room…….”

It was then.

A piece of paper fluttered down and hovered in midair in front of my eyes.

It was a letter envelope with an old-fashioned beeswax seal that looked like a movie prop.

[The plot is ready to unfold.]

[An invitation is being sent to you.]

At the same time, the status window called out to me.

It was as if someone had been waiting for the three of us to get together.

Do-yeon, who was watching me through the crack in the door, asked.

“What, what was that? It just appeared out of nowhere……”

“Everyone, gather around and look at this.”

“What? What is it?”

Seol Do-yeon came out into the living room, and sister stood next to me with her arms crossed.

In front of everyone, I tore open the envelope and looked inside.

It wasn’t a letter but as if the status window was made into an object.

It was a very thin, translucent plate with a special inscription.

[Insert your desired plot here.]

[You get to decide how the episode will end!]