Apocalypse Survival Guide.
A webnovel by the user God028. It wasn't exactly a hit. The writing was clunky, the plot was cliché, and the updates were painfully inconsistent. But I still read it. Every arc. Every side chapter. Every inconsistency.
Not because it was relatable.
But because I envied them.
The world in that novel was brutal, sure. Earth turned into a cosmic playground for gods, angels, demons, and monsters straight out of nightmares. Civilization crumbled in days. Cities became tombs. Humanity was forced to claw its way up from the abyss.
But at least they were alive. Alive in a world that burned with purpose. Every breath, every step—meant something.
Unlike mine.
"Seolhwa-ssi! What're you reading again?"
I remembered my colleague's voice from the other day—cheery, clueless.
"Don't bother. You wouldn't know it anyway," I muttered at the time, waving it off like always.
But now?
Now I'm inside it.
I didn't notice the change immediately. One moment I was in my office cubicle, hunched over my keyboard, trying to meet a ridiculous deadline. The next, I was standing in the middle of a crowded street. Loud. Loud in a way Seoul never was. Too bright. Too real.
"Mom, look at the sky!"
A child tugged at his mother's sleeve, eyes wide with wonder. And then—I looked up.
There it was. A crack.
Not in a building, not in a screen.
In the sky.
A jagged, pulsing rift stretching from horizon to horizon like some celestial wound. And from it spilled thunder—not noise, but pressure. A weight that slammed into my chest and whispered, run.
At first, I thought it was some kind of prank. A stunt. CGI maybe?
But then the screaming began.
"What the hell—monsters?!"
Beasts poured out of the rift like water from a broken dam—hulking shadows, snarling fangs, wings, claws. People ran. Cars crashed. Sirens wailed—and then were silenced.
A system alert chimed in the air, a deep, droning voice that echoed in my bones:
[Dimensional Breach Detected.
Tier 8 Monsters Deployed.]
Tier 8… Just as I remembered from the prologue. The weakest class of monsters. The fodder.
And they were already killing people.
"Shit, shit, shit—MOVE!"
My legs responded before my brain did. I weaved between panicked civilians, dodging overturned stalls and shattered glass. My breaths came in short, sharp bursts. My heart threatened to crack open my ribs.
Instinct told me to find shelter. But not any shelter. Not tight, closed spaces—I remembered that lesson from the novel. Trapped spaces were deathtraps. Monsters were drawn to sound. To motion. To blood.
I kept to open paths, darting through alleys, ducking under broken signs. I didn't know how I was moving so fast, or thinking so clearly. Maybe it was adrenaline. Or maybe it was the knowledge screaming inside my head. The plot. The beats. The rules.
I know how this starts.
A wet thump behind me made me spin.
A beast—vaguely canine, but with a skeletal frame and sunken eyes—had landed right where I'd been a second ago. Its tongue lolled out, dripping a viscous black fluid. Its eyes locked onto mine.
"Ah… crap. I spoke too soon."
It lunged.
I twisted, narrowly avoiding the jaws aimed at my throat. My shoulder slammed into the corner of a nearby building. Pain flared, but I didn't stop. I kept running—harder, faster.
My lungs burned. My legs were screaming.
I spotted a bakery. Its glass front shattered, door hanging on one hinge. I dove inside.
The scent of blood mixed with sugar hit me like a wall. Abandoned trays, spilled flour, a fallen ceiling fan still spinning lazily.
I crawled behind the cashier's counter, curling into a ball, trying to steady my breath.
"Where the hell is my life headed…?"
I closed my eyes. Focused.
Okay. Think, Seolhwa. Think.
I know where I am. I know what this is. This is the beginning of the novel. The Dimensional Breach event. The one that kickstarts everything.
Which meant the protagonist was out there—probably fighting for his life in the subway station. If I found him, I'd survive.
But…
No. I can't.
If I approached the main character now, I'd mess with the timeline. I'd be a variable. And if things veered too far off course, then all the knowledge I had—every plot point, every twist—would be worthless.
No. I had to stay away.
"God, I feel like I'm shaving years off my lifespan…"
I needed another route. A hidden path. One the main character didn't take.
And then I remembered—an obscure mention from a side chapter. A sewer under maintenance near a bookstore. It wasn't dangerous yet. Later, it turned into a minor dungeon, but for now, it should be empty. Safe.
Bingo. Let's move.
"Grrr…"
I froze.
A low snarl. My eyes shifted left.
There it was. The same hound from earlier—or maybe a different one. Its ribs showed under diseased skin. Its lips curled into a snarl.
"Ahhh! Why are you still following me?!"
I bolted out the broken window, glass biting into my palms. The beast chased after me, claws scraping the pavement.
I ran. I ran like hell.
I took a hard right, dodged a collapsing sign, jumped over a body. The world blurred past me—screams, smoke, fire. Everything was chaos. A city folding in on itself.
This wasn't exciting anymore.
This wasn't fiction.
This was terror.
I spotted the bookstore ahead—"Min's Rare Finds." My eyes darted to the side of the building.
There. A half-covered maintenance grate.
I dove toward it, ripped the lid aside, and scrambled into the darkness. The stench hit me instantly—rot, damp, rust.
The moment I was in, I pulled the lid back over. Silence returned.
Almost.
Somewhere above, a monster howled.
I slumped against the sewer wall, chest heaving. My shirt stuck to my skin. My whole body was trembling.
"S-Safe… for now…"
Hours passed—or maybe it just felt like it. I wandered the tunnels, occasionally flinching at distant echoes. The screams above had dulled. Either people were saved… or they weren't.
Eventually, I found a ladder leading to another exit.
I climbed up slowly, every creak of the metal rungs making my skin crawl. I reached the top. Pushed the lid. Peered outside.
The street was empty. No monsters. Just… corpses. A lot of them.
I stepped out cautiously, scanning the area. Something squelched beneath my foot. I didn't look down.
I needed a weapon. Food. Somewhere to rest.
But just as I turned the corner—
"Ahh—help! Someone! Please—!"
A scream.
Female. Close.
I froze.
Ignore it.
You're just an extra.
Interfering leads to trouble.
But my feet were already moving.
Damn it, Seolhwa..