The kobold stepped forward again and bowed—with elegance and mockery.
[{"Hello, humans. I am Agathe—host of your new batch of players…
in the Chronicles Stories Stream."}]
Its thin mouth curled into a wicked smile.
[{"Let's begin your first Chronicle."}]
As those words echoed through the station, a collective shiver ran down everyone's spine.
[Who is this creature? And when he snapped... where did the front rioters go?]
Yeonnie stared in silent panic as Claire grabbed her shoulder.
"Focus! We can't lose our composure right now," Claire said sharply.
Agathe raised his hand and snapped his fingers again. A system notification flashed across everyone's
panel.
{ First Chronicle has been decided. Get ready.
Current Chronicle: Survival of the Fittest
Kill one or more organisms
Or eat the fruit of the Exile Tree
Time Remaining: 30:00
Current Kill Count: 0
Exile Fruits Consumed: 0}
Gasps spread across the crowd at the new message.
Agathe adjusted his posture, growled softly, and spoke again.
[{"Now listen carefully—this is your first Chronicle.
Your first chance to earn a story for yourself.
Let the Chronicle… begin."}]
With another snap of his fingers, the ground shook, and a massive tree burst forth from the center of the
subway platform.
It was unrealistic, almost mythical.
The tree pulsed with energy—its fruits glowing faintly with a strange, dual light: half luminous, half
shadowed.
They didn't belong to this world.
Everyone gulped. They could feel it—
Whatever trap they'd fallen into… it was real. It was spreading. It was chaos.
Agathe snapped again, and tiny stars appeared around him, twinkling mid-air.
[{"Hello, watchers~ We've just started the new batch of players' Chronicles!
Make sure to send us as much sponsorship as you can!"}]
The stars twinkled brighter in response, and Agathe cackled joyfully.
[{"Yes, celestial watchers!
Shower this channel with your blessed sponsorships!"}]
Then, his eyes snapped toward the crowd.
[{"Now go. Do your Chronicles.
Or die.
You've already wasted five minutes.
You only have twenty-five left."}]
His tone turned annoyed as he waved them off.
People were stunned. No one knew what to do.
Then, one young man stepped forward.
"It's better to eat fruit than to kill someone," he muttered.
And just like that—everyone rushed toward the tree.
"But there are only five fruits!" someone shouted.
Panic erupted.
A few mothers shielded their children, holding them close.
Yeonnie turned to Claire in fear.
"What should we do, Claire?" she whispered, trembling.
Claire remained still, rereading the mission again and again.
{Current Chronicle: Survival of the Fittest
Kill one or more organisms
Or eat the fruit of the Exile Tree
Time Remaining: 23:37
Reward: ???
Current KillCount: 0
Exile Fruits Consumed: 0}
People were pushing, shouting, fighting for the five fruits.
Only a few succeeded. The rest—mostly elderly and children—were left behind.
Among them were Claire, Yeonnie, and a handful of others.
[This situation is a mess... what should we do? AHHH!]
Yeonnie clutched her head, overwhelmed.
Claire remained silent, eyes glued to the screen.
Suddenly, one man grabbed a fruit.
"Haha, suckers! I got one!"
He bit into it without hesitation.
{ First Chronicle completed.
You are now eligible to continue.
You ate the Fruit of the Exile Tree.
Bonus: +3 AGI, +1500 Coins. }
One by one, the fruits disappeared.
People fought. Some were injured. But in the end—only five obtained the fruit.
Then, one furious man stepped toward Agathe.
"This is unfair! Only five fruits?! We're not going to kill anyone.
I refuse to play your sick game!"
Agathe narrowed his eyes, looked toward the stars, and muttered:
[{"No no, watchers, don't go!
They'll start soon—trust me, it'll be fun… And as for him…"}]
Agathe walked forward slowly, eyes fixed on the man.
[{"…Die."}]
Snap.
The man's head exploded.
Blood poured from his neck as his body collapsed.
Agathe turned to the others, expression cold.
[{"Anyone who refuses to participate in the Chronicles…
will die like this at the end of time."}]
Another snap.
{ Penalty Applied.
Time has been reduced to 10 minutes.
Current Chronicle: Survival of the Fittest
Kill one or more organisms
Or eat the fruit of the Exile Tree
Time Remaining: 10:00
Reward: ???
Kill Count: 0
Exile Fruits Consumed: 0}
Everyone gasped.
They turned toward the elderly and children—the ones who hadn't fought at the tree.
Then someone shouted:
"At least kill them! They're old anyway!"
The air turned cold.
A group began approaching them slowly.
Tension rose.
Then—Claire stepped forward.
Her voice was calm. But loud.
"Everyone. It says kill an organism.
But it doesn't specify the species."
She grabbed an insect box from one of the children—someone who had been standing beside their
mother or guardian.
Inside, a handful of crickets.
She held it up.
"This is an organism, too."
The crowd froze.
Yeonnie whispered sharply. "Why did you show them that?! You could've used it for yourself!"
Claire didn't hesitate.
"If I didn't, they'd kill those elderly people."
Her voice was calm. Certain.
"I have a plan. Stay alert, Yeonnie."
Yeonnie nodded, still in shock.
But before they could say more, a group approached—eyes locked on the cricket box.
Claire gripped it tighter.
"…Let's do this," she whispered.