Chapter 63: If you pray earnestly, will someone come to save you?

Disaster-class Urban Legend.

After ‘that incident’ where the urban legends first appeared, Disaster-class ranks second among the five established danger levels.

****

[Illusion-class]: The weakest class.

Urban legends that primarily induce psychological fear.

They rarely inflict physical harm, making the survival rate the highest among urban legends.

[Disaster-class]: A class capable of physical harm.

Urban legends that commonly have ‘rules’.

One can survive by following the rules, but precisely because of these rules, the risk of death is highest with these urban legends.

[Calamity-class]: Urban legends capable of manifesting the Underworld.

From this class upward, urban legends can deploy their domains.

Humans trapped in the Underworld cannot escape by conventional means, and the chance of survival from Calamity-class onwards is extremely slim.

[Ruin-class]: Urban legends that can escalate into a national threat.

Urban legends whose Underworld scope and coercive power are incomparably stronger than Calamity-class.

Until the next class, which will be described later, these were the most dangerous urban legends.

[Annihilation-class]: Incomprehensible.

Urban legends at a level beyond human understanding.

The first urban legend class to appear in Korea.

Only two urban legends, ‘The Collector’ and ‘Phantom’, have been assigned this class.

Neither their purpose, power, nor anything else about these urban legends can be understood.

****

Various Calamity-class and Ruin-class, and astonishingly, even Annihilation-class urban legends have recently emerged.

Therefore, many people might think, ‘Isn’t Disaster-class still manageable?’

However.

—Bang!

“Not at all. You surely know that more people die from small traffic accidents than from major disasters, don’t you?”

At a famous bakery located in a corner of the food court, a girl with light blue hair, who had been sitting with her friend, stood up, hitting the table hard.

Her name was Yoo Shina.

Shina, who had just become a university student this year, was visiting the department store with her best friend Yeonwoo after a long time.

“Um, Shina… I haven’t said anything yet…”

“Lee Yeonwoo, that’s your problem! You almost fainted in high school because of ‘The Watching Woman’ at the convenience store, and now an urban legend has appeared, and you can still eat bread? Seriously?! If it weren’t for ‘that man’ back then, you would’ve really died, so how can you be so unguarded?!”

“Wh-why are you bringing up that story again all of a sudden…?”

The girl beside Shina, who was munching on bread in a small, hunched posture, was named Lee Yeonwoo.

Unlike her bold and strong-willed friend, Shina, she had a quiet and small, hamster-like personality.

Shina sighed and pinched Yeonwoo’s cheek.

—S-t-r-e-t-c-h.

“Yeonwoo, you heard it too, didn’t you? A Disaster-class urban legend, ‘The Prankster’, just appeared right next to us.

We need to get the hell out of here right now.”

“Huuuaaah… Sh-Shinaaa.

My ch-cheek hurts so muchhh…”

“Ah, I couldn’t help myself.

Your cheeks, Yeonwoo, are just so fun to pull and stretch.”

“Huuuh… But if an urban legend appears, aren’t we unable to escape?”

“That’s only for Calamity-class urban legends or higher, ones that can manifest the ‘Underworld’.

Disaster-class urban legends don’t have an Underworld.

We need to escape quickly before we get caught in their rules.”

Shina’s deduction was accurate.

Disaster-class urban legends are those that cannot manifest the Underworld.

Precisely because of this, if one was not caught within their rules or targeted by the urban legend, it was entirely possible to escape and survive.

—Dash!

Shina quickly snatched Yeonwoo’s hand from where she sat and began to run towards the stairs leading to the first floor.

“We have to go fast!

Everyone else is running too!

Don’t let go of my hand, Yeonwoo!”

“Mhm…!”

Not only Shina and Yeonwoo, but everyone in the food court started fleeing in a hurry as soon as they saw the red text indicating an urban legend had appeared.

‘If you don’t get caught in the rules, you can survive a Disaster-class.’

‘It’s an urban legend with a relatively high chance of survival.’

Everyone thought the same thing and quickly moved away from the group of mascot costumes.

However.

—Screeeech!!

[Ah~ Oh dear.

I only wanted to play some pranks and have fun together, but you’re all so heartless~~¿?

Tears simply won’t stop flowing from my eyes~ sob sob sob.]

The Disaster-class urban legend, The Prankster, began to speak to the people without revealing itself.

An unpleasant voice, as if someone was forcibly scraping a knife against vocal cords.

“Everyone run!

We have to escape quickly before the urban legend states another rule!”

“Hey!

Don’t push!

Are you the only one in a hurry?!?!”

“Damn it!

An urban legend appeared, and you expect us to queue up?!

Don’t get in the way, just get out!”

People ignored The Prankster’s words, focusing solely on escaping.

However, it was precisely the people’s actions that provoked the urban legend.

—Screeeech.

[Why so serious, everyone?

Why so serious?

This is just a prank, you know.

It seems swapping children’s heads with balloons wasn’t a fun prank after all!

For an entertainer like me to make such a mistake!

I guess I’ll have to end the first prank here!]

With those words, the clown mascot costume, standing alone among the others, snapped its fingers once.

Snap!

At that moment, the heads of the children, which had turned into balloons, began to burst.

—Pop!

—Pop!

—Pop!

“Ahhh!!

No!

My child…!”

“M-my baby…!

My baby…!

N-noooooo!!!”

“My daughter…!

If only Daddy hadn’t brought you here…!”

The screams of despair from the parents.

The cries of mothers and fathers who had lost their beloved children began to fill the entire basement floor.

[Ah… Ahhh…!

This beautiful music…!

No matter how many times I hear it, I never tire of it.

It’s a sound that truly moves the heart.

No symphony or requiem can compare to ‘the despairing screams of parents who have lost their children’.]

—Hehehe.

The mascot costumes continued to convulse and mimic laughter, as if representing The Prankster’s sentiments.

“Ahhh…!

Please!

Please, not my daughter…!

Stop it!!”

Thud!

Parents whose children’s heads had not yet burst began to plead, banging their heads against the floor.

They continuously begged the urban legend not to burst their children’s heads.

The sight of parents bleeding from their heads, yet pouring out tears and desperately pleading, was too pitiful to behold.

Snap!

At that moment, as the clown snapped its fingers once more, the phenomenon of children’s heads bursting stopped.

[Ah~ I truly am touched by your parental love, everyone!

Those eyes that look like you’d do anything for your beloved children!

I like it very much.

As a reward for moving me, I’ll tell you how to save your precious children!]

Along with The Prankster’s words, music began to flow from the speakers, and the mascot costumes started performing some kind of synchronized dance.

♬~ ♪~♩~

The bear mascot costume placed a flag on its head and began to pretend to run away, while the clown and lion mascot costumes acted as if they were chasing it.

[The Prankster’s second prank begins.]

[Sacrifice Catch: Bring a sacrifice to replace the children who have turned into balloons.]

As the rule echoed, white flags appeared above the heads of an unspecified number of people.

“Wh-what is this?

Why is this thing on my head?”

“The mascots’ actions just now… Could it be…?”

“Don’t talk nonsense!

I don’t know what it is, but we can probably survive if we just run!”

As the crowd was flustered by the sudden change,

a man clutching his daughter, who had turned into a balloon, walked somewhere with a pair of scissors in one hand.

‘Sacrifice… Sacrifice…! I need a sacrifice for my child!’

He was walking towards a male student who stood bewildered by the flag that had appeared above his head.

‘I have to kill him.’

If I kill him, my child can live.

Although the rule simply stated to ‘catch a sacrifice’, the man interpreted the meaning of the word ‘sacrifice’ differently.

‘If I kill the person with the flag above their head, my child might live.’

It was nearly impossible for the man to think rationally in a situation where the urban legend could kill his child.

He slowly, stealthily moved behind the male student, then began to mercilessly stab the student’s neck with the scissors.

“Guh-guh-guh-gurgle…!!”

“Die, die, die, diiiiieee!!!!!”

—Splatter!

—Thwack!

The scissors pierced the student’s skin, tearing arteries and spilling blood.

“Kyaaaah!!

This man is insane!!”

“What are you doing?!

Have you lost your mind?!”

“Let goooo!!

I have to kill this guy…

If I kill this guy, my daughter can live!!”

Despite the gestures of those trying to stop him, the man paid no heed and simply focused on killing the male student.

“Die, diiiiieee!!”

“Gurrrrgh…”

With a final, gurgling death rattle, choked with phlegm and blood, the innocent male student’s breath ceased.

“Haaah… Haaah…”

The blood-soaked man only then realized what he had done.

‘I killed someone…’

He had taken the life of an innocent male student to save his daughter.

“Ah… Ahhh… Wh-what have I done…?”

Just then, he heard the voice of his beloved daughter from behind him.

“Oh, Daddy…?”

His daughter’s face, which had been transformed into a balloon, had returned to normal.

“Ahhh…!!

My daughter!

Come to Daddy!!”

“Daddy…!”

—Cling!

The man, covered in blood, hugged his daughter, sobbing.

“I was right…!

My daughter came back to life because I offered a sacrifice!!”

Those who had witnessed his every action now clearly understood what the second rule meant.

“If you kill the person with the white flag above their head, our child can live too!”

“There’s a flag on that old man’s head too… Sacrifices like that will be easy to kill.”

“Ah, but still, to kill someone for a child…”

Just then, The Prankster’s final message, which poured oil onto the parents’ hearts, was heard.

[Did you all see it?

The drama of a man who unhesitatingly committed murder for his child!!

I was truly moved!]

[Come on now~ What are the other parents doing?

I told you, you just need to catch a sacrifice, and I’ll bring your children back to life!

To save my own child with my own hands!

How simple and easy is that?!]

[You’d better hurry~ There are far fewer sacrifices than there are children.

Oh, and the sacrifices cannot escape this place, so you don’t have to worry about them running away!

Hahahaha!!]

As soon as The Prankster’s words ended, the parents of the children who had turned into balloons simultaneously searched for and grabbed deadly weapons, such as knives and scissors, that could kill people.

“My baby… Mommy will definitely save you…”

“Son… Just wait a little.

Daddy… Daddy will definitely…”

Only one thought filled the parents’ eyes.

‘Find and kill the sacrifice with the flag.’

—Thump-thump-thump!!

Parents began to run, searching for the sacrifices caught within the fleeing crowd.

People blocking their way were merely obstacles; anyone who resisted was mercilessly stabbed and cut down as they searched for sacrifices.

“You crazy bastards!

You’re going to kill innocent people for your children?

Are you even human after that?

How are you any different from the urban legend?!”

“Everyone run quickly!

These bastards are killing anyone who gets in their way, not just the sacrifices!!”

Hundreds, even thousands, were already entangled and fleeing, causing many to be trampled and die, and now, mad murderers wielding knives were chasing them.

“This is why I hate Disaster-class urban legends…!

Those vile bastards who try to drag people into their rules and kill them!”

The girl, Yoo Shina, who was fleeing, squeezed between people, struggling to break through the blocked path.

Ahead was a wall of people, and behind, mad murderers were approaching.

It was a situation where saving her own life was difficult enough, but Shina continued to flee, looking out for her friend Yeonwoo until the very end.

“Yeonwoo!

Lee Yeonwoo!

Where are you!

I told you not to let go of my hand!”

“Sh-Sh-Shina…

I-I…”

“Stop stuttering!!

Come here quickly!

I’ll break through the exit somehow!”

“I-I…

On my head… there’s something strange, Shina…”

“What?!

What in the—”

What caught Shina’s eye as she turned her head back to look at Yeonwoo,

was a white flag resting on Yeonwoo’s head.

“I… I’ve been caught in the rules… Hic!”

“Damn it, don’t cry!!

Hide behind me.

If even a single strand of your hair shows, you’ll get your cheek pinched later!!

Just stay still, I’ll protect you!”

“Hic…!

U-Uh-huh…”

Even in this situation, Yeonwoo looked at Shina’s back, who hadn’t abandoned her, and prayed desperately in her heart.

‘P-please… Please save Shina and me…’

Yeonwoo desperately wished for ‘the man in black’, the being who had saved her at the convenience store, to appear just one more time.