Apocalypse: The echoes of Madness

Rose stood amidst the eerie silence, her heart pounding as the world around her lay still. Everyone had collapsed, leaving her the only one standing. A flicker of light appeared before her, pulling her from her thoughts.

A floating screen materialized out of nowhere, and Rose's breath caught. She already knew about the mission to Chuncheon, but the sudden appearance of the screen unnerved her. The glowing letters formed one by one, confirming what she feared.

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[SYSTEM STATUS SCREEN]

Mission Completed: First Mission

Reward: Unlocked

[You can now view your Status Screen]

[STATUS SCREEN]

Loading...

[Name: Jang Hwa-Young ]

[Code name:Rose]

[Level: 1]

[Age: 24]

[Power: Reality-Bending Psychic Power]

[Status: Memory Loss (Limited) | Preparing for Second Mission]

[Health: 90%]

[Mental State: Focused but Anxious]

[Energy: 80%]

[Skill Points: 0]

[Currency: 0]

[Mission Status:]

[First Mission: Survived (Subway Station)

Upcoming Mission: Second Mission in 1 Day] (Chuncheon)

[Third mission :Locked ]

[Abilities:]

[Reality Manipulation (Uncontrolled): Can bend reality under extreme stress, but the power remains unstable.]

[Psychic Awareness: Heightened perception of surroundings but still imprecise.]

[Memory Status:]

[Current Status: Rosette knows who she is and understands her psychic abilities but lacks memories of her past.

Memory Loss: Crucial events remain hidden, leaving her unsure of the origin of her powers or her true potential.]

[Notes:]

[Upcoming Challenge: Chuncheon will test her ability to face greater threats and adapt. Stability in her powers is crucial to succeed.

Weakness: Unstable powers and fragmented memories leave her vulnerable in unpredictable situations.

Growth Potential: Progress in Chuncheon could unlock critical memories and improve her control over her abilities.]

[Locked Future Mission:]

["Unveiling the Past"]

[Status: Locked]

[Objective: Recover fragments of lost memories and uncover the truth of her powers' origin.]

[Mission Requirements:]

[Gain control of psychic powers.]

[Encounter key triggers to unlock hidden memories.]

[Build emotional resilience to face the truth.]

[End Status Update]

[Preparing for next mission…]

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Rose froze, her breath catching as the glowing screen materialized before her, its presence crackling with an energy she couldn't ignore. Her heart thundered in her chest, her instincts screaming that this was no ordinary phenomenon.

"What... is this?" she whispered, her voice trembling with a mix of awe and unease.

The letters on the screen pulsed, glowing faintly, as if alive. The weight of their presence bore down on her, commanding her attention. She stared at the text, her mind racing, trying to comprehend its meaning.

"I've never seen anything like this before," she thought, her pulse quickening. "But... it feels important—like a message."

The air around her shifted, dense and electric, as though the world itself was holding its breath. The screen wasn't just words; it was something more. A warning. A challenge. A revelation.

Her fists clenched as a surge of determination rose within her. This wasn't a moment to doubt or fear—it was a call to action. Whatever this was, it was meant for her.

"This is no coincidence," she thought, her gaze hardening. "I'll uncover the truth, no matter what it takes."

The screen shimmered, almost as if in response to her resolve, leaving her with one unshakable certainty.

The screen didn't tell her anything she didn't already know—but seeing it laid out like this brought the gravity of the situation into sharper focus. Chuncheon. A city she was heading to in just a day.

"I know," she whispered, the word a reassurance to herself more than anything else.

Her gaze lingered on the words "Uncontrolled" and "Memory Loss." She'd known about her fractured past and unstable powers, but seeing her weaknesses so plainly written stung.

Turning away from the screen as it faded into the void, Rose exhaled slowly. Chuncheon wasn't just a mission. It was a step toward regaining what she had lost.And the book has already disappeared.

"I'm ready," she said under her breath, her voice filled with quiet determination. Even if the road ahead terrified her, she wasn't going to stop.

Today, Chuncheon awaited.

When they awoke, a strange stillness hung in the air, and there, in the distance, sat Rose, her figure like a shadow against the cold. They were covered in simple, ordinary clothes—an act of kindness, or perhaps something more, to protect them from the biting chill. Emily stirred, her voice shaky with confusion. "What happened to us?"

"I don't know," Rose whispered, her eyes distant. "I was holding my sword... against your neck."

Emily froze, her heart pounding. "What? You did what? Did you try to kill me?"

Rose's eyes widened in disbelief. "You... don't remember?"

"No," Emily replied, her voice fragile as if the very thought might break her. "Did that... did that really happen?"

Rose's face flushed with shame, a flicker of regret crossing her features. "No," she murmured, her words trembling as they slipped into the silence. "I... I must've been talking nonsense. But, Emily... do you see it? The screen?"

Emily blinked in confusion. "What screen?I Don't see anything.Are you talking about those strange screens that appeared in the game?"

"Game?" Rose repeated, her voice hollow, as if the word itself was foreign to her.

"Yeah," Emily said, her voice soft but certain, "those status screens that appear when you enter a virtual reality game. Aren't you talking about those?"

Rose's mind, foggy and lost in the weight of the moment, struggled to grasp the meaning of her words. "Yeah," she said slowly, her voice faint as she fought to make sense of it all. "What about them?"

Emily looked thoughtful for a moment before speaking. "Yuri… she used to play games, right?" Emily said, her voice soft. "She has more knowledge about them than I do. Maybe she could help you figure this out. I mean, if there's some kind of game-like system or something happening... she might know more about it than we do."

Her expression became more serious. "But... I still don't get it, Rose. Why are we talking about screens? Did something happen that I missed?"

Suddenly, in front of Rose, a glowing screen materialized, its edges flickering with a sharp, digital light, as if born from thin air. The screen hovered just before her, suspended in an almost surreal stillness. The words began to form, bold and urgent, each letter pulsating with a soft, electric glow:

[Second Mission Appearing

Time Remaining: 22:05:01]

The countdown echoed in her mind, each second ticking by with an almost suffocating weight. The numbers seemed to draw her attention, pulling at her like gravity.

Rose's heart raced, her voice trembling in panic. "We need to start our journey... now. Time is running out!.I wonder what will happen of i Don't go there by time."

Seeing her anxiety, Zane's expression shifted, his usual cold demeanor hardening into one of quiet resolve. He stepped forward, his voice steady and unwavering. "Let's go. Let's not waste any time."

The screen remained, its countdown steadily ticking down, a silent, glowing reminder that every moment mattered.

At first, Rose had thought she was lost in the pages of a novel, where reality blurred and dreams danced in the corners of her mind. The words had felt real, but they faded just as quickly as they came, slipping away like fleeting whispers. The world she had read about vanished, leaving nothing but an echo of confusion.

"Is this some kind of virtual reality game?" Rose murmured, her thoughts a tangled mess. "What kind of cruel bastard is playing games with me?"

Her mind raced, thoughts colliding in chaos, but still, she pressed forward. They had no choice but to walk. No choice but to continue in a world that felt both too real and not real enough.

As they moved, the weight of the strange, fractured world bore down on her, and suddenly, she stopped. Her gaze swept the horizon, searching. "Where is that kid?" Her voice was sharp, like a thread pulled taut.

Yuri turned to her, confusion in her eyes. "What kid?"

But the answer didn't come. There was no child. No trace of what should have been there.

The silence that followed was heavy, almost suffocating. It stretched around them like a vast emptiness, mocking their confusion, as though the world itself was hiding something they couldn't see, something just beyond their reach.

Rose's voice broke through the stillness, tremulous and filled with a strange, unshakable urgency. "A human child… we found him in the basement, in the tunnel…"

Cale's eyes narrowed in disbelief, his voice heavy with confusion. "What are you talking about? How could a human child survive here?"

Rose's gaze faltered, her mind momentarily blank, as if a veil had been lifted and suddenly dropped again. "What…?" she whispered, the words escaping her lips like fragile fragments of a fading dream. Then, a quiet realization seeped in, the fog clearing. "That's right… I must have been exhausted."

Lily stepped forward, her concern evident. "Rose, are you sure you're okay?"

A faint smile touched Rose's lips, one that barely hid the weight in her heart. "Yeah… I'm fine," she said, though the words seemed to hang in the air, heavy with unspoken truths.

In that silence, as the weight of the world pressed down upon her, Rose's thoughts turned inward, the truth becoming clear: Some mysteries of this world are not meant to be unraveled. Some things remain hidden, not because we lack the power to uncover them, but because they are destined to remain a secret, locked away by forces beyond comprehension.

As she turned away, the corners of her lips curled into a soft, knowing smile, a reflection of something she could never fully understand. Maybe you've found your freedom, she thought, her heart heavy yet strangely light. It was a freedom born from the unknown, from the things that never needed to be explained, that could never be contained by the limits of their world.

As they walked, Zane's voice cut through the air, heavy with an ancient weight. "Chuncheon... is a land carved by mountains, timeless and unforgiving. For centuries, the people of this land have made offerings to a god—an ancient and vengeful god—whose power keeps the peace and shields the land from destruction.There are no monsters, no chaos, because the god's wrath is kept at bay, bound by the sacrifices made in its name."

His eyes grew distant, as if he was tracing the contours of an ancient, hidden truth. "This land is protected, yes, but at a cost. A price paid in blood. And not everyone can enter the heart of the village. Only those chosen by fate may pass. We are not welcomed by the god, but we must enter. And when we do, we must tread lightly, for the mountains are alive with the god's watchful gaze. It does not forgive... and it does not forget."

Yuri, glancing at Arthur with a mischievous glint in her eyes, spoke softly, "Brother, you should protect me, okay?"

Arthur's lips twisted into a rare smile, but there was a quiet power in his gaze. "I would not dream of it," he said, his voice calm, yet fierce.

Zane's gaze turned sharper, his words becoming more solemn. "The people of Chuncheon believe that their god, in the beginning, was not a protector, but a force of pure destruction. A deity born from the fury of the earth, its rage thunderous and unstoppable. It would have wiped everything clean, ravaging the land until nothing remained. But the ancestors of this land made a terrible pact—they offered their blood, their lives, to the god, and in doing so, they bound it to the mountains, to the very earth beneath their feet."

He paused, the weight of the story hanging in the air like an omen. "Every year, a sacrifice is made to the god—a life given in exchange for peace. It is said that the god's heart beats in the depths of the mountains, and every drop of blood spilled in its name feeds its eternal hunger. The peace of the land is a fragile illusion, held together by a thread of sacrifice. And though it grants protection, the god never forgets what it is owed. It watches... it waits."

Zane's voice lowered, almost to a whisper. "This god, this force—its power is unimaginable, older than time itself. It has seen kingdoms rise and fall, it has witnessed the birth and death of stars. And the price for its favor is unyielding. We walk on land that is sacred and cursed, where every step is a silent tribute to the god's unspoken will."

He looked at them, his expression grim. "So when we enter this land, remember: the mountains are not empty. The god's eyes are always upon us. And its hunger… never satisfied."

The air around them seemed to grow heavy, the mountains standing like silent sentinels, their secrets buried deep within the earth, waiting for the next offering.

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(To be continued)

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