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Chapter 2

[ 100 coins have been earned as additional compensation. ]

[ You have killed a living thing. ]

[ 100 coins have been earned as additional compensation. ]

.....

"Huff..." Panting from exhaustion, Kim Jihun quickly steadied his breathing before raising his head, staring at the corpses surrounding his feet.

Kim Jihun stared down at his blood stained hands with dull eyes. His mind, which has gotten used to the peace from past years, had yet to process all the events that had just occurred within the span of twenty minutes.

Unfortunately, he was not given time for a breather as another ding soon rang out.

[ The given time has run out. ]

[ Paid settlement will begin. ]

[ You have killed 25 living things. ]

[ Kill history: 25 Human beings. ]

[ 2500 coins have been acquired. ]

[ You have a total of 2900 coins. ]

[ The 'Mass Murderer' acheivement has been gained through excessive killing. ]

[ Many constellations are impressed at your brutality. ]

[ You have been sponsored 1000 coins. ]

...

[ Whoa, how brutal. Don't you think so dear constellation-nims? ]

The Dokkaebi appeared once again and commented. There were stars floating above his head and he seemed to be talking to some people. The scene greatly reminded Kim Jihun of a streamer trying to appeal to their viewers.

Shaking the thought away, Kim Jihun ignored the Dokkaebi and looked out the window. His eyes slightly widened at the sight of the many varieties of ferocious looking monsters roaming around the streets. His pupils shook slightly as he finally took the time to let reality sink in.

However, contrary to what one might expect, his first thought was not to despair about the state of the world or his future but rather:

'Is hyung okay?'

Kim Jihun couldn't help but worry about his brother whose strength, in his eyes, was equivalent to that of a twig's.

'I have to find him, fast.'

Clenching his fists, Kim Jihun's eyes shone with determination, unwilling to let his brother suffer alone. His eyes drifted towards the floating screen.

[ Survivors from XXX High School, Classroom X: K̷͕̏͑́͆i̷̳̗͂ṃ̷̨̼͇̜͘̕ ̴̛̻̘͒͐ͅJ̷̲̘̆͂͑̔̾ị̷̡̠͓̓̆͜h̵̛̜͓͓̪͖̄̔͛̕ǘ̸̫̫̜̈́͆̂ņ̴̹̰́. A total of one survivor. ]

[ Huh? That's strange... why is it glitched? ]

The Dokkaebi looked at the glitched name on the screen in a mixture of puzzlement and wariness. But he quickly hid his suspicion-- a meaningless act as Kim Jihun had already caught it-- and continued speaking with fake enthusiasm.

[ Well, be grateful human for as a reward for surviving the first scenario, you are entitled to the sponsorship of the 'constellations'! Isn't that great? ]

'Constellations? The beings that he was trying to appease just now?'

The Dokkaebi looked at the neutral face of Kim Jihun and clicked his tongue.

[ Tsk... how unenthusiastic. This is a really big deal, you know? ]

'No, I really don't.' Kim Jihun sarcastically thought while holding back the urge to roll his eyes. 'He could be more detailed, he really sucks at explanations.'

Despite his nonchalant demeanor, Kim Jihun still took the Dokkaebi's words to mind as he stared at the multiple options displayed on the screen before him. Suspicion and doubt rose in his heart, he completely did not believe such a good thing would come for free and he was unsure of the severity of the cons. Not to mention, there was still his brother who took priority above everything else.

It should be known that Kim Jihun was a controlling person.

And from what the screen was telling him, his sponsor was essentially his backing and there was the possibility that he would not be able to change later on, meaning he would be stuck with said sponsor until his death. With his current state, his sponsor would definitely be the dominant party in their relationship and he might be stuck having to follow their orders even if against his will.

Kim Jihun absolutely could not allow that.

As of now, he lacked too much information. He was unsure whether or not his current strength would suffice if he needed to battle those monsters outside, unsure of the details about the sponsorship contract, unsure of the personality of the constellations, and completely in the dark about the motives of this whole ordeal in general.

Overall, he was simply too weak.

And Kim Jihun hated being weak.

Kim Jihun balled his fists, eyes flashing in new found firm resolve and determination.

He has made his decision.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: i didn't know if i wanted mc to have a sponser and even if i did idk which one or a made up one so my indecisive ass may change it in the future