Five years ago, a sudden and eerie phenomenon began: people started disappearing without explanation. Seojun was the first to vanish. As days passed by more individuals followed, and within just seven days, the world's population dwindled drastically.
Three days after the initial disappearances, when a massive crack appeared in the sky and Black holes everywhere.. From this tear in the fabric of the heavens and Holes, countless monsters began to descend upon Earth. The invasion was not limited to Korea; other countries were similarly overwhelmed. Humanity was pushed to the brink of extinction.
The next two days as creatures overwhelmed cities and towns. A massive white screen materialized in the sky, accompanied by a System notification that captured the attention of the surviving few.
[ATTENTION ALL SURVIVORS A CATASTROPHIC EVENT HAS UNFOLDED]
"What's that?!" one survivor shouted, eyes wide as the screen flickered on.
"The crack in the sky... It's getting worse, isn't it?" a man asked, his voice shaky with fear.
"We barely made it through two days of those monsters—what more could happen?" a woman said, clutching her head in disbelief.
"This can't be happening... Are we done for?" another survivor whispered, glancing around frantically.
"Is it gonna get worse? I don't think we can handle more!" someone cried out, their voice breaking.
"God, what is this?!"
[EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, TIME HAS BEEN HALTED FOR ALL MONSTERS.] the systematic voice echoed through the air.
For a moment, there was silence as the words sank in. Then, a wave of disbelief rippled through the survivors.
"Wait... did it just say the monsters are frozen?" one man whispered, peeking out from behind the barricade they had built over the past two days.
"Is it real? Are they really not moving anymore?" someone else murmured, too afraid to trust the announcement fully.
Inside one of the boarded-up buildings, a group huddled near the windows. They had been hiding for two days, blocking doors and windows with furniture, barely daring to breathe. Now, cautiously, one of them moved toward a crack in the makeshift barricade to peek outside.
"They're just... standing there," she said, her voice a mix of awe and hesitation.
"Frozen? Completely?" another person asked, scrambling to the window for a look.
Several survivors who had been hiding inside for days ventured out cautiously, looking at the screen hanging ominously in the sky. One by one, more people emerged from their barricaded shelters, some rubbing their eyes in disbelief.
A man outside, who had been watching a grotesque monster pace outside his door for hours, finally stepped out, eyes wide with hope. "It's not moving," he breathed, almost laughing. "It's not moving anymore!"
"You think it's safe now? Can we really walk past them?" a woman asked, eyeing a giant creature that had been terrorizing the area, now completely still.
"Maybe we should check..." a younger survivor said, inching closer to one of the monsters that had been blocking the street. He hesitated, then reached out toward it, his hand trembling. He paused, before pulling back quickly. "I can't believe it. They're... actually frozen."
A collective sigh of relief spread through the area as more survivors realized the monsters were halted. But relief was still tinged with doubt.
"How long do we have? What if they start moving again?" someone said, voicing the fear everyone shared.
"I don't know, but for now, we can finally breathe," another survivor replied, sitting down for the first time in what felt like forever.
"We've got to make use of this time while we can," someone else said, looking around. "Gather supplies. Reinforce the barricades. We don't know when this will end."
There was still fear, but for the first time in days, a flicker of hope pierced the suffocating air.
[THE SYSTEM WILL NOW ASSIST IN YOUR SURVIVAL], The loud systematic voices
As the system's message echoed across the sky, three men at the back of the crowd exchanged uneasy glances.
"Why should we listen to that thing?" one of them scoffed. "We've survived two days of this hell on our own."
The second man nodded in agreement. "This could be a trap. We don't know what that thing really is."
The third, more anxious, looked around nervously. "Let's get out of here. If the monsters are frozen, now's our chance to find somewhere safe. We can't trust this system."
Without waiting for a response from the rest, they turned and started to move, heading for a nearby alley, away from the screen and the crowd.
A few others called after them, "Hey! Don't go! You heard what it said! It can help us!"
But they kept walking, their fear driving them away from the growing group of survivors. One of them turned his head, sneering. "I'm not about to let some voice control me. We've been fine without it so far."
They picked up the pace, but just as they were about to disappear into the shadows of the alley, a loud warning came from the sky.
[YOU HAVE IGNORED THE SYSTEM'S DIRECTIVES. THIS IS YOUR FINAL WARNING.]
One of the men laughed nervously. "Final warning? Screw this. Let's go—"
Before he could finish his sentence, a sharp, blinding light shot down from the sky, striking him in the back. His body convulsed violently, his scream echoing through the streets as the laser burned through him, leaving a smoking, gaping hole in his chest. He collapsed to the ground, his body limp and lifeless.
The other two froze in horror, their eyes wide as they watched their friend die in front of them.
"W-what the hell—" the second man barely had time to react before another laser pierced through his skull, his body crumpling to the ground in an instant, blood pooling beneath him.
The third man, now completely panicked, tried to run, his feet stumbling over debris in his desperation. But it was too late. A final laser shot down, striking him directly in the head. His body hit the ground with a sickening thud, his head barely recognizable from the searing heat of the attack.
The rest of the survivors stood frozen in shock, watching as the smoke rose from the charred bodies. Silence fell over the crowd as they realized the system was not playing games.
The system spoke once more, its voice cold and merciless: [LET THIS SERVE AS A REMINDER. THOSE WHO DO NOT FOLLOW THE SYSTEM WILL SUFFER THE SAME FATE.]
Small, red laser dots hovered over the heads of a few others, a silent threat for anyone else who dared to disobey.
After the shocking scene of the three men's deaths, a heavy silence fell over the survivors.