Chapter 4: Oksu Station;

[The Second Scenario has arrived.]

[Sub-Scenario – Escape.
Category: Sub.
Difficulty: E.
Clear conditions: get across the collapsed bridge and enter Oksu Station.
Time Limit: 20 minutes.
Reward: 200 coins.
Penalty for Failure: ???]

"Dokja, something isn't right... It says collapsed bridge, but the bridge isn't..."
Dokja started to run across the bridge, ignoring Sangah. "Don't worry about it and just run! Hurry!"

Everyone followed in Dokja's lead. Except you, you had hadn't stopped running, making you and Gilyoung further than everyone else by a bit.

'System, stamina level 16 to 20 for me.'

Ding!
[But that'll take 40 Player Coins... (。﹏。*)]

'I don't care right now, I can get them back. Just do it for me.'

[Alright Player-nim!]
[Stamina Level 16 to 20 purchasing...]
[Purchase complete! Player can now run without getting tired for longer distances!]

You ran faster as the other's stopped to see the Ichthyosaur rise from the water. You needed to get as far as you could before the zombies started to rise.

You ran faster as Gilyoung called for the others to come, Hyunsung by your side as you both arrived at Oksu Station. "Dokja!" Hyunsung called.
"Hyunsung you can't go over there," you said as the Ichthyosaur rose from the water and bit off the bridge.

"Dokja!/Mr. Dokja!" you hugged Gilyoung closer to you as he cried out for the man.
"He'll be fine." you said, determination in your voice.

"How do you know that, [Name]?" Hyunsung asked. It wasn't accusing nor mad, he was worried. What a kind man.

"Call it a gut feeling," you shrugged. Gilyoung spoke up, "I trust you," he said to you before adding to Hyunsung. "Mr. [Name] knows everything."

That seemed to calm him down a bit, but he still seemed worried.

Ding!

'Hm?'

[Many Constellations admire the trust you have that your partner will survive! You were gifted 100 Player Coins.]
[Lee Hyunsung trusts your word. Comradeship Level: level 4. You were gifted 10 Player Coins.]

You all watched as a new bridge appeared.
"Ah, they're safe!"

"No... there's a catch," you mumbled.

Ding!
[Deus Ex Machina – Bridge of Even Numbers.
A bridge of light created by the blessing of a constellation. Can be crossed only by an even number of people. The bridge will collapse if an odd number of people attempt to cross it.]

'Oho. Useful System...'

Ding!
[o(*≧▽≦)ツ]

 "'Bridge of Even Numbers'?" Gilyoung read out.
"Huh?"

"We can see each others screens," you informed Hyunsung before moving on, "it means that only an even number of people can cross the bridge."

"What? But there's three of them...!"
He looked back to the bridge in a panic only to see Han Myungoh picking up Yuu Sangah onto his shoulder as Kim Dokja fought off zombie Kim Namwoon.

"..........."
"........."
".........."

"I feel like that wasn't a decision everyone agreed to...."
"You are completely right Gilyoung. Smart boy," you pat his head as you three watched Myungoh run over the bridge with Sangah kicking and screaming.

You simply watched with Gilyoung as Sangah, who was now with you three at Oksu Station, and Hyunsung yelled for Dokja.
There was nothing you could do to help, if you tried to cross to help Dokja, the bridge would fall due to the uneven number of people, and if you brought someone over there to cross the bridge then you three would be stuck in the same situation of having to sacrifice someone.

Looks like you could only wait for Yoo Joonghyuk to 'deal' with this.. situation...

CRASH! CRACK!

'There he is.'
You inwardly grinned. 

The original protagonist of Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse, the story that came to life in Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint. 

'Hey System, once we get to a safe place, can I be given my quest to be granted my first Ancient Power?'

Ding!
[The Player is really eager huh? (☆▽☆) You could start now if you want!]

'No. I want them to be in a safe place after this Scenario is done. I'll leave once we get there and come back before Kim Dokja can meet the group again.'

[If that's what the Player wants, this humble System will comply! ( •̀ ω •́ )y]

'You're anything but humble.'

[Owh..... 〒▽〒]

"KIM DOKJA!!" Hyunsung and Sangah screamed as a barrier suddenly blocked our vision. 
Hyunsung tried to look through it but turned back to the group, "it's no use. I can't see a thing..."

Gilyoung stood next to you with a concerned look on his face. "I think it's like the barrier that was on the subway."

"There's not that much time left, we should move." you said. Gilyoung looked up at you, a shocked expression on his face.
"[Name]-hyung, I thought you said that Mr. Dokja was your partner..?"

"'Partner'?" Hyunsung and Sangah repeated.

"Yes, we did agree to become partners while doing the sponsor selection. And as his partner, I am confident that Kim Dokja will live. So don't worry so much," you told them.

'Wait, since when did I become that kid's hyung?'

[Some Constellations are looking at you two with cute expressions. You have been gifted 30 Player Coins.]
[Constellation The Privilege of Beauty asks what a 'hyung' is.]
[A Constellation of great knowledge says that it is a Korean term for younger men to use for older men.]

'Why the hell did I need to know about that interaction....' you deadpanned.

[Many Constellations are touched by the trust you have in your partner. You have been gifted 1,000 Player Coins.]
[Constellation Abyssal Black Flame Dragon says you are stupid and that he will die.]

You chuckled softly in response. "Why don't we make a bet then, Abyssal Flame Dragon? If he lives you give me 10,000 coins."

[Constellation Abyssal Black Flame Dragon scoffs at your proposal and refuses.]
[Constellation Greedy Cheapskate Hero calls him a pussy.]
[Constellation Abyssal Black Flame Dragon yells and accepts your bet.]

[Many Constellations are amused by your interactions. You were gifted 3,000 Player Coins.]

You smirked inwardly and started walking as your group finally decided it would be best to leave further into Oksu Station.

"Hyung... Why do you have to go..." Gilyoung tearfully asked while clinging to your clothes.

"I won't be gone for long.. I'm only going to check out the individual quest that I was given..." you sweat-dropped as Gilyoung, Hyunsung and Sangah surrounded you. You placed a hand on Gilyoung's head, lightly ruffling his hair.

You addressed your next words to Sangah and Hyunsung. "I expect you two to take care of him while I'm gone."

[Lee Hyunsung and Yoo Sangah are moved by your trust in them. Their loyalty to you has risen. Comradeship Level: level 6. Comradeship Level: level 3. You were gifted 30 Player Coins.]

After more convincing and prying Gilyoung off of you, you left Oksu station quickly.

Ding!
[Player, you have been exposed to the poisonous fog! Σ(っ °Д °;)っ]

"System, purchase poison resistant clothing for me and a mask."

Ding!
[Oh! This is the first time Player has actually talked to the System!! This humble Player System is humbled by Player-nims voice!! o((>ω< ))o]

[Purchasing items: Impenetrable Coat, Ever-Breathing Mask, Invisible Body Suit for 1,200 Player Coins.] 
[Purchase complete. Equip items?]

'Yes.'

Your body was suddenly coated with a thin layer of cloth, invisible to the eye. The Invisible Body Suit.
A coat appeared on your shoulders, the white fabric reaching just below your knees. The Impenetrable Coat.
A simple mask manifested on your face, but you could still breath perfectly, as if you were breathing in the most perfect air in the world. The Ever-Breathing Mask.

You smirked under your mask.
'System. Lead me to my first quest.'

Ding!
[If you say so Player!]

You had arrived in front of a large tree.

Ding!
[Personal Quest: Devour the Indestructible Shield.
To complete this quest, the Player must feed The Tree that traps the Indestructible Shield. After being satisfied, The Tree will gift the Player their first Ancient Power.]
[Rewards: Ancient Power Gifted by Luck: Indestructible Shield, ???]

'How do I feed it?' You asked the System, you couldn't feed it bread like the original Cale did, there's no food around you. In fact, the only things around you and The Tree were dead bodies. 

You had an uneasy feeling about the System's answer...

Ding!
[The bodies! What else?? ('･ω･')?]

"Haah... I knew it...." you grumbled.

Once you had gathered all the bodies you could find and put them into a pile in front of The Tree, The Tree moved.

[The Tree of Protection is looking at your gift with sparkling eyes. You have been gifted 50,000 Player Coins.]
[The Tree of Protection begs that you hand feed it.]

Huh? So The Tree is a like a Constellation? 'The Tree of Protection'...

"Alright, open wide then." you said.
When you said that, you did not expect The Tree to split into a wide grin of sorts and open its 'mouth'.

Crack, crack, crack.
The Tree of Protection had its 'mouth' wide open, a dark pit in the middle. It really did seem to be a mouth, especially with its split, spiky 'teeth'.

Carefully to avoid scratching yourself on the bark 'teeth' of The Tree's 'mouth', you started feeding it the corpses. Once they were all gone you asked it, "are you full now?"

The Tree's mouth spread into a smirk.

Ding!
[The Tree of Protection says that he is satisfied, and thanks you for feeding him. You have been gifted 100,000 Player Coins.]

You grinned.
'God damn, this tree is richer than A Father to All..'

The Tree of Protection started making strange gurgling sounds.
Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle....
BURRP!

You grimaced in disgust as The Tree burped right in front of you, but stopped when you saw a glowing light flew out of it. It flew towards you and struck through your heart, implanting itself next to your beating organ.

You gasped in shock, it was painful, but only slightly.

Ding!

'Hm?'

[The Tree of Protection says that he has more gifts for you.]

What? Was this the question marks reward on the quest page?

[The Tree of Protection has summoned his precious children forward.]

'Hah? 'Precious children'?' you thought in confusion before two children come forward, the taller one was holding a plant that wrapped itself around her hand peacefully.

The taller child was a girl with white hair and yellow eyes, wearing a simple, dirty t-shirt. She looked to be around 10 years old, same age as Gilyoung.

The shorter was a redheaded boy, also with bright yellow eyes, wearing the same thing as his older sister and he looked to be 7 years old.

'Ohn and Hong?' you thought in confusion. Ohn and Hong were the cat children Cale had 'adopted' in their novel. Why were they here..?

The two siblings walked up to.
Ding!

[The Tree of Protection smiles at you.]
[The Tree of Protection says that he trusts you to take care of his children.]

You crouched in front of them, "hello, my name is [Name]."

Hong shyly hid behind his sister, pointing his tiny finger at you, or more specifically, your hair.
"Noona look! He has the same hair as me!" he said with an excited smile.

"I see that," his sister replied cautiously. Just like TOTCF, Ohn clearly didn't trust him very much. Hopefully, just like TOTCF, Ohn would eventually trust and open up to him.

Hong, despite his sister trying to grab him back, approached you. You held out your hand for him to place his in yours.
And he did, looking up at you with wide, curious eyes.

"What's your name?"
"Hong! And that's my noona Ohn, and that plant is The Tree's child. Their name is Greeney!"
"What fitting names."

He smiled up at you widely, even though you were crouched down, he was still so small.

Ding!
[The Tree of Protection tells you that Ohn and Hong are children affected by the fog and mutated. Because of this, they have resistance to poison and it's even healthy for them. Ohn and Hong mutation from the fog is magical abilities, not like skills.]

Ding!

[The Tree of Protection tells you that Ohn has the ability to manipulate and create fog, having no limit to her power but not being able to control it well due to her young age.]
[The Tree of Protection tells you that Hong has the power of poison. He is able to increase the strength and type of poison depending on what poison he has consumed in the past and how much. His mostly uses paralyzing poisons and sleeping poisons as they are weaker poisons.]

"Thank you," you said to The Tree as you stood up, you pat Hong's head. His eyes sparkled at you and you smiled softly at him and Ohn.

[The Tree of Protection is proud of how you treat the children. You have been gifted 5,000 Player Coins.]

"Hmm... we should get you two some better clothes..." you mused before calling into the air, "System!"

Ding!
[Player!! This System thinks your new children are very cute!!]

'What the- They're not my children...'

[Whatever you say Player-nim~~~ ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)]

You mentally sighed and turned back to the kids. "The Tree told me you both benefit from the poison, so do you not want any protective clothing?"

"Nope! I like the poison fog!!" Hong replied cheerfully while clinging close to you.
Ohn was a little behind him, replying softly, "I'm fine without them, since Hong has been manipulating the poison away from me.."

"But do you want them?"

This made Ohn freeze. After some minutes, she slowly nodded.

"System, purchase some magic fitting clothes for Ohn and a small poison resistant coat."

Ding!
[Of the Player says so!]

[Purchasing items: A Fit for Everything x2, Invisible Body Suit x2, Impenetrable Coat (mini version) for 2,000 Player Coins.]
[Purchase complete.]

"Alright, give them to me," you held out your hands as the articles of clothing appeared in your hands.

You felt a tug on your coat, looking down, you saw Hong looking up at you with wide eyes. "Mr. [Name], why can't I see your blue screen..?"

Ah, he must've been used to being able to see Ohn's screen since they're siblings. Well, since they were going to be under your care now, you guessed you would have to show them.

"Because I haven't allowed you to see it yet. I'll do it once you guys get into these clothes, alright?"

His face lit up as he took the clothes you handed him, "ok!!"

Ohn went up to you as you watched Hong run away to a spot to change. "Hm?"
She held up the plant, Greeney, to you. The plant reached for you like a baby and you took him from her hand before she followed after Hong to get dressed.

They came back after a few minutes, both smiling as Ohn reached for Greeney again.

"Alright. Let's go back now."

They smiled, widely and softly.

[You have obtained Ancient Power Gifted by Luck: Indestructible Shield.]

(July 25, 2023.)