Chapter 1: Prologue

Bzzzt. Bzzzt.

My phone was buzzing in my pocket. There was no need to look. It was probably an emergency alert for another creature spotting. These texts didn’t bother me anymore, as I’ve gotten over 20 of them just today. At this rate, who would know what could happen to this world.

[Vicinity of Haeundae, Busan. Two creatures spotted. The creatures are moving in the direction of…]

It was Busan this time. And the fact that the creatures had reached here meant they had infiltrated the entire country.

Bzzzt. Bzzzt.

This one was a guide to response measures against the creatures.

“First, check for the underground shelter sign. If one cannot be found...”

I had reached the point where I could recite it perfectly from top to bottom. But still, I didn’t understand the significance of these response measures. Speaking as someone who’d actually met a creature, there was not much one could do in this situation other than pray...

..that the creature has already had its meal.

After returning home in one piece, I tried to rest my tired body on the couch. Suddenly, my eyes turned to the flowerpot on the living room table.

“Strange,” I murmured to myself.

I planted the seed this morning before leaving for work, but it had already sprouted, with the stem being almost 8 inches tall. As I got closer, I saw that it was also bearing fruit in the shape of a pill. And as if this wasn’t strange enough, the most surprising part was...

“Huh?”

There were words near the fruit, and not some kind of a sign though. The letters were floating in mid-air, like a hologram or something.

Magical Pill of the Silver Goblin

Silver Goblin? It didn’t sound familiar, but I had an idea of what it meant. The creature I met in the mountains yesterday was silver, and I could imagine its name being Goblin. Just the thought of what happened the day before gave me the creeps.

The creature was dripping with blood with nine bullet wounds on its back. Judging by its large stomach, I could tell it was a female. The creature pleaded with its desperate eyes, so I used a branch to dig out the bullets buried in its back with my shaking hands. In return, the creature handed me a seed, which turned out to be the “Magical Pill of the Silver Goblin” that was now before me.

You’ve got to be joking. What is this? A folk tale?

Needless to say, I didn’t tell anyone this story. Who knew what would happen to me if people found out I helped a creature? Anyway, what was I going to do with this pill? That was the real question.

Bzzzt

It was the phone buzzing again, followed by another emergency alert.

[Unidentified massive structures appear simultaneously across the globe!]

[These structures are in the shape of towers…]

I quickly pressed the power button on the TV remote. There was no need to switch the channel with every single one of them airing the same broadcast.

My thought process stopped the moment I saw the screen. It was like a real-life edition of a fantasy sci-fi movie. My mind went blank for a while. Had the world gone mad? First, creatures, and now, massive structures? It felt like an apocalypse was just around the corner.

At that moment, my eyes turned back toward the flowerpot. Suddenly, I felt a strange dream-like sensation taking over my body.

I was very aware of how insane this was, but my hand had already picked the fruit from the plant. And I knew I wouldn’t have the courage to do something this crazy if not for this strange sensation.

Gulp

Not knowing what came over me, I had already swallowed the pill.

A wave of dizziness rushed in, but the feeling wasn't so bad. Then out of nowhere, I felt something enormous had entered my mind.

[You have acquired the Wiseman’s Status Window.]

A voice ringed in my ear. And a strange hologram appeared before my eyes.

[The end is near.]

[Time remaining: 15 days 4 hours 12 minutes 52 seconds]

[Please prepare for the end.]

[Recommended Quests: weight training, cardio exercise, kendo]

What is going on? With the world in shambles, something big had to be coming.