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nChapter 0 – Living Mannequin

nOne day, a mechanical but distinctly feminine voice was heard by all humans. This is the voice who later introduces herself as the “Operator”.

nA hunt will soon begin. Prepare for combat.

nAnd the moment they heard the sentence, every man, woman, and child were teleported to a blank white room alone. The room itself was not large; just slightly over 66 m^3. And in the middle, a large hologram appeared.

nChapter 0 – Living Mannequin

nTime Limit: 30 Seconds

nA simple information about the enemy appeared, and then

nAnnihilate the enemy. If you cannot, you will die.

nA simple ‘rule’ is explained.

nFor the first Chapter, just this once, you will be provided with a weapon. Select your weapon.

nClub, Broad Sword, Katana, Hand Axe, Long Spear,

nLong bow and Short Sword, Spiked Gauntlets

nWhen Sungjin saw this, he said out loud,

n“…Katana.”

nAnd in the next instant, a katana appeared in his hands. It was a Japanese curved single edged sword. Inspecting the weapon, he whispered to himself.

n“Wow, it’s been a long time since I last saw this.”

nOnce the weapon was selected, the operator began a countdown.

n10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0

nAfter 10 seconds, the billboard disappeared, and the ‘enemy’ described in it was summoned. Chapter 0, Living Mannequin. An eerie doll hung on a cross-shaped wooden stand.

nAs promised, it was a living Mannequin. It stood there unmoving. Sungjin left the Mannequin alone and gazed at his weapon.

n“I have to do this… all over again…?”

nSungjin’s memories flashed before his eyes. Never ending series of battles, constant pressure to kill, and a steady stream of the death of irreplaceable comrades. While Sungjin was preoccupied with his thoughts, the Operator continued to speak.

n20 seconds remaining. Annihilate the enemy. If you cannot, you will die.

nRows upon rows of sharp steel spikes appeared from the ceiling.

n“I can’t do this anymore…”

nSungjin hung his head, shaking it as he stood there. The Operator spoke again.

n10 seconds remaining. Annihilate the enemy. If you cannot, you will die.

nThe ceiling, which was now covered in spikes, began coming down. There was no place to hide and nowhere to run. The operator began countdown once more.

n10, 9, 8, 7…

nThe ceiling was now low enough to touch by jumping up, but Sungjin did not move. He watched the ceiling approach closer and closer, and thought to himself.

n‘This is it? Is this the reward for being the last human to die? I’d rather…’

n6, 5, 4

nBut before he finished his thoughts, he recalled a promise he made with someone.

n“Swear to me! You must…”

n3, 2

nSungjin frowned. And then

n1

nHe swung the katana he held.

n‘Shing’

nThe blade cut through the air and drew a red line on the neck of the mannequin.

n0 You have…

nThe moment the Katana cut the mannequin’s neck, the Operator’s voice became garbled as if bugged. The ceiling also stopped in its tracks. In a happier tone than earlier, she announced:

nAll monsters eliminated. Closing the chapter.

nFollowing the announcement, a hologram appeared.

nCompletion Reward: Status Point 0

nKill Reward: Black Coin 0

nSungjin spoke to himself when he saw the message.

n“Yeah… maybe, this time, it will be different.”

nOnce Sungjin was finished, he was summoned somewhere else.

n*

nThe place he was summoned to was an enormous hall of an unknown size. And within it was an uncountable number of people.

nRegardless of race, all ethnicities were present in the hall. The only interesting fact was that an overwhelming majority were ‘adult men’. The people who were summoned looked panicked and confused.

n“What’s going on?”

n“Where am I?”

n“What is this?”

nSungjin watched with his arms folded over his chest. He reacted the same way as those people the first time he was here.

n“Is this some sort of a reality tv show?”

n“Alien abduction?”

nAnd then, people realized that they could understand one another.

n“You know how to speak Chinese?”

n“How did you learn Arabic?”

n“Hey, are you aware you are all speaking English?”

nAnd the Operator’s voice was heard once more, interrupting everyone’s thoughts.

nWelcome!

nThis time, the voice wasn’t coming from inside their head, but coming from above. People naturally gazed upward to see who was speaking.

nAbove, a beautiful woman’s face appeared.

nMy name is Operator. I am here to welcome you all for becoming representatives of mankind.

nSungjin smirked when he heard her words.

n‘Welcome… what a farce.’

nRegardless of what Sungjin thought, the Operator continued to speak.

nThis place is called ‘The Hunter’s Hall’. It is where the hopes and dreams of hunters are gathered. (See notes)

nYou are all here as a result of completing the Chapter 0

nAnd thereby earning the right to become hunters who will represent all of humanity.

nThe reaction from the audience was varied.

n“Hunter? What does she mean?”

n“Is she talking about that… that thing I just killed?”

n“Did you kill that too?”

n“Yes. I suppose you saw the same thing?”

nChapter 0 is something akin to a tutorial. Faced with the threat of imminent death, are you able to land the killing blow on the mannequin?

nNaturally, elderly, children, and disabled are unable to pass. That’s not all.

n“It was much harder than I thought. It kept on screaming so loudly…”

n“Yours as well?”

nLiving Mannequins scream for their life once attacked. Because of this creepy life-like behavior, those with difficulty in taking a life are also eliminated from Chapter 0.

nPhysically weaker women, and also a small portion of men are part of this group. Someone comments in hindsight.

n“I should have stabbed its heart first.”

nDefinition of Hunter:

nStrongest representative of the entire species, living proof of the species’ strength.

nWith that said, the image of the Operator changes with that of another location. The image is filled with countless women, children, and elderly.

nThis place is the Purgatory. Neither heaven nor hell.

nGathered here are all the people eliminated from Chapter 0.

nThis is only a guess, but the image on the screen was probably different for every person because people started screaming and shouting once seeing the screen.

n“Mother!”

n“My love… why are you…”

n“My Daughter! Give me back my daughter!”

nThe Operator was showing everyone the people most important to them.

n‘Sick bastards…’

nSungjin swore under his breath, but he didn’t become upset like the others. He was an orphan. The only ‘close’ people he knew were several employees at the orphanage he grew up at, but he didn’t feel emotionally connected to them or their fate.

nHunters who perish during the hunt will also be moved to the purgatory.

nIf someone completes all objectives and clears the challenges

nEveryone contained in the purgatory will be returned alive. However,

nIf all hunters fail and are moved to the purgatory

nAll of humanity will be purged.

nSungjin doubted those words.

n‘Purged? If that’s the case, then why send me back?’

nOthers continued to stare blankly as the Operator continued her explanation. They have yet to understand the gravity of her words.

nProve your power by overcoming any and all obstacle that stands in your way.

nAnd with your own strength, prove the worth of your species.

nIf you fail to do so, Humanity as a specie will be made extinct.

nWhispers among the crowd grew.

n“What? Extinct?”

n“Us? All of humanity?”

nSome were expressing anger.

n“Who is this bitch?”

nBut the Operator’s indifferent tone of voice remained unchanged by the people’s reactions.

nNow, the explanations are over.

nI pray that we will meet again.

nThe hall is now completely inundated with insults and expletives.

n“You **ing whore!”

n“What the ** did you say?”

n“Mother **er!”

n“Fuck!”

nDespite the abuse pouring out from the audience, the Operator continued her indifferent speech.

nHunting will begin shortly. Prepare for battle.

nDespite the deafening roar of insults being thrown at the Operator, Sungjin kept his calm and planned his next move.

n‘If things are the same as before…’

nSungjin bit his lip and lifted his katana up to inspect the sword. The blade reflected his gaze back.

nLooking into the eyes reflected on the blade, he vowed to himself.

n‘This time, I will perfectly clear every chapter.’

nSungjin fixed his grip on the Katana and prepared himself. Moments later, he was teleported away from the Hunter’s Hall.

n(Translator’s note)

nThe part about “hopes and dreams of ________ are gathered” is reference to Magical girl anime, like Sailor moon. It is a very hopeful and lighthearted way to say that the place is special, which is funny because this place is where people come to kill or face extinction.

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