A “scenario” where you can’t even trust the scenario contents.

This is why everyone calls entering the Horror Realm a suicide act.

If I hadn’t known even the early-stage strategy, I’d probably be in the same state as the first-run Horror Realm expedition by now.

Still, which one of these guidelines is false?

I reread the guidelines from the beginning and checked what it would mean if each one were “false.”

First, the first guideline.

―To complete the Main Scenario, you must successfully complete the “Horror Realm exploration”.

If this guideline is false, I can think of one possibility.

That to complete the Main Scenario, I don’t need to successfully complete the “Horror Realm exploration”.

The fact that a guideline is “false” doesn’t necessarily mean only a bad result.

If an interpretation like that is possible, then if this guideline is false, it’s actually beneficial to me.

Because it would mean “there is a way to complete the Main Scenario without filling the exploration progress all the way.”

Next, the second.

―The Horror Realm is divided into the “Entrance Area”, “Mid Area”, and “End Area”.

If this guideline is false, it would mean that the Horror Realm has additional areas besides “three areas”.

According to the records of the last Horror Realm expedition, the Horror Realm’s areas were only three, so the possibility of this guideline being false didn’t seem very high.

The problem is the next guideline.

―You are currently located in the Horror Realm “Entrance Area”.

If this guideline is false, the problem becomes a bit serious.

If where I am right now isn’t the “Entrance Area”...

For some reason, the back of my neck felt cold, so I looked around. I couldn’t see anything in particular, but because I couldn’t see anything, it felt even more terrifying.

I checked the fourth guideline.

―Your current exploration progress: 10%

If this guideline is false, the problem is that I can’t know my exact exploration progress, but it’s not like the exploration progress itself disappears, so it still isn’t a major problem.

Lastly, the fifth.

―All “fears” have interpretations. Find plausible interpretations to raise your fear exploration progress.

If this guideline is false, it would mean that “uninterpretable fears” exist.

The more I read it, the more I thought it really could be false.

The world of <Star Stream> is wide, and the Horror Realm still hasn’t been interpreted.

There are many fears left that neither “Annihilation Law” nor the “Horror Realm expedition” could record, so maybe it wouldn’t be strange if “uninterpretable fears” existed.

After finishing my thoughts, I slowly lifted my head, and I saw a side path stretching out into the hazy darkness.

Maybe because I kept thinking that a threatening fear could appear anytime, my neck stiffened without me realizing it.

「Stay calm.」

For the first time in a while, I thought using corner brackets.

Right now, it felt like if I didn’t think in a special way, I wouldn’t make it.

「Just because you entered an unfamiliar place doesn’t mean you should cower.」

Just because you can’t trust the scenario doesn’t mean you should be scared. The scenarios I’d broken through until now weren’t all that different.

Even the “Recycling Center” was a scenario that didn’t have a complete strategy. But no matter how difficult a scenario was, in the end there was always a solution.

The history Kim Dokja lived through—and the history I lived through—proved that fact.

「Let’s go.」

I slowly took my first step toward the side path.

*

【It came.】

*

Quite a bit of time passed after I confidently took that first step. I couldn’t tell exactly how much time had passed.

What was certain was that I’d walked quite a lot.

Another fork?

I stopped for a moment, looking at the fork in front of me. Countless footprints were left on the fork.

The reason these footprints hadn’t vanished even though a long time had passed was because this road itself was a “fear”.

A disaster-grade fear, 「Eternal One Step」.

The “footprints” left on this fear never disappear. Because this fear existed, expedition members who jumped into exploration could easily determine the direction the expedition from the previous run had gone.

I calmly began counting the footprints.

「The survival rate of the Horror Realm expedition rose as the runs repeated.」

As time passed, the Murim people found a “route with a higher probability of survival.” In other words, for a while, just counting this “number of footprints” could help estimate a safer route.

「Go in the direction with more remaining footprints.」

A simple but sure method.

I planned to follow that method this time as well.

But.

「There are slightly more footprints on the left path.」

This time, I felt a little uneasy.

If the number of footprints were clearly different, that would be one thing, but the difference was slight.

That meant that no matter which side I chose, I’d have to accept some risk.

I hesitated for a moment, then examined the more recently made footprints. Looking closely, most of the relatively recent footprints had formed on the left path.

So, the left?

After a long hesitation, I took a step.

And at that very moment. In the very distant darkness, I saw something long and slender wavering.

I literally only caught a glimpse. But just that glimpse made alarm bells ring in my head.

「Something with a long neck is looking at me.」

No separate message appeared, but I could tell at least that it was some kind of “fear”.

Damn it, did I choose wrong?

The moment I turned my back to belatedly turn around.

[‘Nameless Fear’ looks at you.]

I barely managed to take one step.

[‘Nameless Fear’ looks at you!]

[‘Nameless Fear’ warns you!]

Instinct was warning me.

It was already too late to go back.

If I go back now, there’s a high chance I die.

I turned back again and looked forward. The long-necked thing was still standing in place, looking at me.

I tried moving one step at a time toward it.

It didn’t react. It seemed this was the correct action.

Looking closely, on the side path leading toward it, something like a pure-white ladder was drawn. I started walking along that ladder drawing.

How long did I walk?

The long-necked thing’s eyes blinked.

[‘Nameless Fear’ looks at you.]

[‘Nameless Fear’ warns you.]

I reflexively stopped. Where I stopped was ground without the ladder drawing.

The long-necked thing’s blinking speed became abnormally fast, and then the color changed.

Ah.

Only then did I feel like I knew what this “fear” was.

The “long-necked thing” visible through the dim darkness.

Its identity was.

「A traffic light.」

No doubt about it. It was a “traffic light.” A traffic light where a red light and a blue light turn on.

I also understood the ladder drawing I’d walked on.

「A crosswalk.」

I don’t know why a traffic system exists here, but what’s certain is that this, too, is a “fear”.

[‘Nameless Fear’ looks at you.]

In my head, the pages of “Annihilation Law” I’d read until now flipped over.

Was there a fear related to a “traffic light” in the Horror Realm?

「The ‘fears’ of the ‘Entrance Area’ introduced in ‘Annihilation Law’ total 14.」

Among the 14 fears I know, there is no fear related to a “traffic light”.

That meant that this “fear” was a fear created relatively recently.

I took a light deep breath and thought.

Whatever that fear is, anyway, that is a “traffic light.” And there is also the symbol of a “crosswalk.”

So there’s a high probability this “fear” follows rules I already know.

「Stop at red, cross at green.」

The traffic light visible far away was “red.” Then the light that blinked earlier was probably a green light.

「Follow the signal.」

Since there was no “crosswalk” where I was standing, this was probably the area where you wait for the signal.

I counted ten in my head, then a hundred. Two hundred. Three hundred. Four hundred. Five hundred.

By the time I would have counted to a thousand, I started to feel that something was off.

Why isn’t the signal changing?

I couldn’t figure out the reason. Was my approach wrong? Is that not actually a “traffic light”? If it isn’t a traffic light, then what is it?

That was when I heard murmuring from behind.

“Waaaaaah!”

A scream that sounded like something was breaking. Urgent footsteps.

I instinctively placed my hand on my sword hilt.

A group of incarnations was running toward me.

“S-save me! Save me, please!”

They were Murim people. It seemed there were people who, like me, chose to run into the “Horror Realm” in the face of Murim’s crisis.

“Aaaaaaah!”

They looked frantic, as if something were chasing ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) them.

“Move! Right now!”

One Murim person, who rushed right up to me with fast light-foot technique, shouted at me.

Waving my hand at them, I said.

“Wait a second! I don’t know what’s going on, but first, stop—”

It was already too late. The dozen or so people who brushed past my shoulder had already rushed into the crosswalk. As they crossed in a pack, their footprints stamped one after another onto the crosswalk.

The signal was still red.

And.

“Faster! Run faster!”

Nothing happened.

They were crossing the crosswalk at high speed.

I stared blankly at their backs as they grew distant.

Was it actually fine to cross?

I didn’t get it. No, if that’s possible, then why is there a “traffic light” and a “crosswalk” here? In a place like this where no cars even run—

「There are no cars.」

A small realization flashed through my head.

If there are no “cars,” isn’t it safe to cross on a red light? If this “traffic light” is a fear made using that situation—

The moment I reached that thought, a numb chill spread under my ankles.

「Then all the more, you must not cross the crosswalk.」

Crunch.

The sound of flesh being crushed, bones breaking. The sound of organs bursting. The sound of blood vessels tearing. Nearly every sound capable of pounding the human body into paste rang out right in front of my nose.

Even I, who could fight a Great Person–grade Constellation, couldn’t observe the instant of that impact.

[‘Nameless Fear’ looks at you.]

The sound disappeared, and only me and the traffic light remained again.

The red light of the traffic light illuminated the silent crosswalk. On the crosswalk that had been boiling with people until just now, only footprints and dark-red skid marks remained.

[Exclusive Skill, ‘Fourth Wall,’ activates.]

The rule of following the signal wasn’t wrong. Then the problem was “when does the signal change?”

No matter how I thought about it, there was no way to figure out that rule. Do I really just have to squat here and wait for the signal to change?

[Exclusive Skill, ‘Fourth Wall,’ activates strongly!]

At that moment, somewhere, I heard the sound of teeth clacking together.

It was a familiar sound.

A beat late, I remembered that the people had been running as if something were chasing them.

【TeethTeethTeethTeethTeeth】

This fucking—

【SlowDownSlowDownSlowDownSlowDownSlowDownSlowDown】

When I turned around, I saw the shark-head outer god charging recklessly through the distant darkness. As expected, it had chased me here from Murim.

The size of its body, now showing its complete exterior inside the Horror Realm, was absolutely enormous.

The moment I saw the Murim people’s heads caught between its teeth, I judged.

I have to run, no matter what.

This wasn’t like Murim.

This place is the “Horror Realm.” A place where that outer god can run wild while ignoring the scenario’s plausibility.

【TeethTeethTeethTeethTeethTeethTeethTeeth】

Behind me is the shark head, in front of me is the traffic light.

There’s only one way to survive.

「You have to interpret the fear.」

I recalled the logic of a traffic light in my head.

Traffic light.

A traffic system where the signal changes after a fixed amount of time. A fixed amount of time. A fixed amount of time—

「Time.」

In that instant, a light flashed through my head.

「A traffic light that doesn’t change even when time passes.」

Maybe I already knew the answer.