"Huh...?" I breathed, locking eyes with the notification.
There was a skill I hadn't read the description of—[Omnimimesis]. I skipped it earlier since I didn't have time. But judging by the notification, I got the gist. A copy-type skill?
The monster raised its club, ready to smash me, but I slid between its legs just in time. [Omnilexia] was still active, thankfully—it did have a time limit, though I wasn't sure how long.
"Sucks to be big," I muttered.
It roared, turned around, and charged again. Then suddenly, my right eye flared with unbearable pain. Blood poured out of it as I crouched down, clutching it in agony.
"FUCK!!" I screamed, the pain ripping through my skull—unlike anything I'd felt before.
The monster's club hit me dead-on. I flew all the way to the entrance, smashing through the remnants of the barricade it had destroyed earlier.
The pain in my eye began to fade, but the rest of my body felt like it was on fire. I lay there, broken and helpless.
Why did I think I could win?
I wasn't the main character. Why was I so damn cocky?
I kept forgetting—maybe because of some unknown skill. But the truth was: I wasn't special. I should've just given up.
Then a notification appeared.
「Warning: User [Sung Young] is approaching death. Recommended action: Activate [Mind Over Mortality] to prevent termination temporarily.」
"What? I completely forgot about that, but…"
I hesitated. But then I remembered how hard everyone else had fought—Suk Jung, Nari Bomi, even the other tenants.
I couldn't just die.
"Damn… I almost gave up my life for nothing," I said, slowly pushing myself to my feet. "Pretty pathetic."
「[Omnimimesis Lv.1] has assisted in activating the temporarily copied skill [Mind Over Mortality].」
My body instantly felt lighter.
I charged, dodging the monster's swing, grabbing the knife that had gotten stuck in its side earlier.
[[Mind Over Mortality (Lv.8)]
The mind overrides the flesh—pain, trauma, and death no longer hinder movement or thought.
You act with clarity even while dying.
Note: Damage still builds. Prolonged use risks soul burnout or permanent nerve failure.
"The body breaks. The will walks."]
"Level 8…?" I blinked, calmly avoiding another swing. Wait, I was dodging?
If I remembered right, Suk Jung was doing the same thing earlier.
"Ah, She leveled it up by getting hit over and over…" I muttered.
I scanned the area for another weapon to dual-wield with the knife. A glass bottle, one of the ones the others had thrown, caught my eye. I grabbed it, then dragged it against the wall as I ran, sharpening the edge.
I spun around, charging the monster head-on. It swung, launching me into the ceiling. I crashed down, readying my weapons mid-air.
"Got ya~" I grinned, landing right on its bald head. I stabbed into its eye with both the knife and the bottle.
It screamed in agony, slamming me into the wall. I wiped blood from my mouth, unfazed.
I wasn't backing down. Not with a skill like [Mind Over Mortality] on my side. It ran on willpower—and I wasn't running out of that anytime soon.
I charged again. This time, I aimed for somewhere less noble—the groin. Gross. Weird. But I couldn't afford to be picky.
I feinted left, then stabbed right into its groin.
"You gave me no choice," I said, trying to convince myself as it roared in pain.
Then its club smashed into my face.
"Shi—!"
I flew out of the apartment complex. My vision spun. I vomited what felt like more blood than I had in my body.
"Even if I don't feel it, my body knows—it's breaking." I whispered, exhaling slowly.
The monster emerged from the building, furious. It was still far off, so I had time to think.
Should I run?
No. I've been running my whole life.
Not anymore.
「[Omnilexia Lv.1] has been activated.」
My right eye glowed like a star, the light covering my pupil.
It hurt like hell, probably, but [Mind Over Mortality] was dulling all of it. With both skills active, I had a real shot.
I picked up the knife—I'd lost the bottle earlier. I breathed in.
I sprinted forward. This time, I was prepared. I'd calculated every possible path to victory.
「[Cerebrum Drive Lv.1] has been activated.」
{I'll break his legs}, I read.
It swung at my feet, but I jumped just in time. I slashed at its hand—didn't pierce deep, but it left a mark.
I kept circling, slashing again and again.
"Next time, be smaller," I smirked.
It roared, lunged to grab me. I shifted, climbed onto its back, and stabbed the same eye again. And again. And again.
It slammed its back against a wall, trying to crush me—but I kept stabbing.
It screamed louder, flinging me off.
"So fucking persistent…" I muttered.
I glanced toward the apartment—and saw Suk Jung, crawling forward.
She was alive? Barely, but alive.
[Mind Over Mortality]. Of course.
The monster screamed, hands covering its eyes. I waved to her.
She didn't notice. Instead, she reached under a table, pulled out its leg, then tore her sleeve and tied one of her earlier knives to the table leg like a makeshift spear.
She turned—and finally saw me. I waved harder than I ever had in my life.
Her eyes were dull but focused. She looked at me, then at the monster.
I understood.
"Suck my di—!" I shouted. Juvenile? Sure. Effective? Also sure.
The monster charged me, enraged.
Suk Jung staggered forward, blood dripping from her mouth, javelin in hand—and hurled it with everything she had left.
The makeshift spear pierced its chest.
The monster froze, shocked. It looked back in horror.
Suk Jung pulled out her middle finger.
I leapt in, slashing wildly at its throat until blood sprayed like a fountain. It staggered—and I didn't stop until it dropped.
Finally.
It collapsed.
"We won? We won!!" I yelled, exhausted and overjoyed.
Suk Jung dropped. So did I.
I crawled to her.
"You did good, Sung Young," she said with a tired smile. "At least our efforts weren't in vain."
"Yeah…" I nodded. "Let's get you to a hospital."
"Forget it. I'm already dead," she whispered, looking up at the sky. "Sung Young… don't forget what it felt like to try."
She smiled—but her eyes had gone lifeless.
I checked her pulse. Nothing. Heartbeat. Nothing.
"No no no no no—NO!!" I screamed, tears running down my face.
All those times we passed on the stairs… I barely noticed her. I barely left the house. I regretted it now.
「Assignment 0: Entrance Test — Cleared.」
Objective: Defeat the monster and survive.
Remaining Participants: 1
Reward: 1,000 Blings
A massive notification appeared. A black space tore open in the air, and out stepped a white being.
Completely white—but with visible facial features. Average-looking, aside from his black eyes with white pupils.
And a smug smile.
[Congratulations on successfully completing [Assignment 0], which was basically the tutorial. You will be given a series of tasks called [Assignments] which you must complete to advance. Failure means death or… something worse. You will be transferred to the orientation space shortly where more will be explained.]
It was him.
The one I'd been foreshadowing all along.
Juchoeja (주최자). The Host.
[Any questions will be answered during orientation. Ready to leave?]
"Yes… I am," I said, standing up and wiping my tears.
「[Mind Over Mortality (Lv.8)] has been deactivated and is no longer available for use.」
My knees buckled as reality caught up. Every wound screamed at once. The floodgates had opened—and I drowned in pain.
"So this is the real start," I thought, as darkness pulled me under.
The last thing I saw was Juchoeja walking toward me, still smiling—like he knew this was only the prologue.