When was the last time I slept before midnight? Too long ago to remember. Momentarily, I stopped my endless scrolling to check the time.

3:23am.

They say you need around eight hours of sleep per night. But I've adapted to be functional by running on only four hours of sleep.

…

Cliffhanger. Man… And right when it was getting good too.

The various light novels, animes, mangas, and the like in my watch/read later list called out to me, begging me to pick them next. Some of them have been rotting in that list for years, resigned to the fate that they may never be read or watched. Others, newcomers, recently added recommendations, had glimmering hope in their eyes. Perhaps their premise may just be interesting enough.

3:38am. 22 minutes until server reset.

It's become a common occurrence for me to wait until four in the morning to do my gacha dailies upon server reset. Today was no different. But there was still 22 minutes until then.

So what do I do to entertain myself? Homework? No, that was out of the question. Porn and Hentai were always an option. But flexing my fingers confirmed the fact. I wasn't feeling it. Which leaves me with one option: start a new series.

I could pick out something from my watch/read later list. But which to choose?

Ping!

A notification from discord.

Twilight Living: Hey bro, you awake?

'What a stupid question,' I couldn't help but think to myself.

Hellastic: When was the last time I wasn't awake at this time of day?

Twilight Living: Fair enough.

Twilight Living: Can you send your notes for Chem?

With a couple of clicks, I had the doc opened. Dragging my mouse across the screen, I clicked the share button.

Hellastic: Yeah, sure.

Twilight Living: You're a lifesaver.

Hellastic: Are you pulling an all night? The test is today.

Ms. H's tests weren't easy. They often incorporated a lot of conceptual questions. Just plugging in formulas wouldn't get you far with her. Fortunately though, my memory has never once failed me.

Twilight Living: I'm doing some last minute studying.

Hellastic: Good luck with that.

Twilight Living: Thanks. I'll need it.

Twilight Living: What are you up to anyways? Reading manga I assume?

Hellastic: Yup. Though the one I was following just ended on a cliffhanger.

Twilight Living: Sucks.

Hellastic: Tell me about it. Got any recs.

Twilight Living: Well, since you've asked… Have you heard of Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint?

3:50am. 10 minutes until server reset.

Immediately, I was hooked, and was blazing through the chapters like there was no tomorrow. I was a fast reader. Each page I finished, my eyes hungrily devoured the next.

3:55am.

Everything from the plot to the settings and characters were compelling and interesting. The art style was, simply put, stellar. The whole premise of the story was fascinating. It had me wondering what I would do had I been put in the same scenario. What choices would I make? What would I do differently? Would I be a major character? A supporting character? Or some background character who wouldn't make it past his first obstacle?

Or maybe I could even be the protagonist?

3:59am. One minute before reset.

My body instinctively opened my numerous gacha games and prepared to launch them. My mind was elsewhere though as my body prepared to speedrun my daily quests. Maybe I'll set a new personal record.

4:00am.

Just as I was about to open Arknights, one of my many gacha games I played, I felt a tug. Next thing I knew, I was getting sucked.

And not the kind of suck a teenager would want to be getting

"A black hole? No fucking way—!?"

My body felt like it was being distorted, destroyed and annihilated. The pain was indescribable—my vision was white and my senses were overwhelmed.

'What the hell is happening!?'

The suffering was endless. Eternal and unending pain permeated throughout my entire body. Every fiber of my being was screaming out in neverending agony. It felt like a million burning hot needles were raking across every never in my body in perfect, hellish harmony.

Make it stop. Make it stop. Make it stop. MAKE IT STOP!

I felt something inside me snap. Humans are adaptable creatures. There's a reason why we're the dominant species on the planet. What was the saying again? Ah right, whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

Ahahahahaha. But who's to say it won't break you?

I was going insane from the pain, my mind barely able to form proper thoughts. Slowly, I felt myself descend into madness.

MAKE. IT. STOP!

"..."

The pain… stopped? Gingerly, with shaky hands like I had Parkinson's, I reached up to touch my face.

So wet.

These were… tears. My face was flooded with tears. The partially sticky fluid was streaming down my face like the floodgates had been opened.

Looking around, I wasn't in my room anymore. Rather, I appeared to be in some sort of dimensional subspace.

This wasn't a dream, was it? No, it couldn't be. Everything felt all too real. Especially the pain.

"Fuc—"

Just reminding myself about the excruciating suffering I recently went through had my body seizing up. And my voice…

"Help—" It was hoarse and raspy, almost like I had been screaming my lungs out for god knows how long.

Interesting.

My head turned towards whoever spoke. Who—?

Dokkaebi.

I'm surprised you survived the server transfer.

Hey hey hey. This isn't funny.

Ah, whatever. Channel 33418 could use a useless extra. I'll send you there.

My vision was blurry, but there was no mistaking the creature. This had to be a dream. A hallucination.

Huh? What do you mean more made it through? Did we underestimate… No, nevermind that.

I know I imagined myself in the shoes of protagonists, but this was just absurd. There's now way this was reality. Moments ago, I was just reading about this exact scenario.

"W-Where… am I?" I rasped out. My throat felt raw as I spoke. Speaking took immense effort, each word that left my mouth was painful and excruciating.

The creature grinned at me. It was an uncanny, unnatural, sinister smile that caused my blood to run cold.

Where? Why, planetary system 2770 of course—code name: Terra. But being here… is going to cost you.

Texas: Solo delivery complete. I'll return back to the rendez-vous now.

Exusiai: Sounds good~! I'm assuming everything went smoothly?

Texas: Yeah.

Closing and pocketing away her phone, the lupo gazed out the subway window, watching as the train sped through the underground. Every so often, there would be a light that zoomed by, illuminating her face in the reflection of the mirror.

Closing her eyes, Texas focused on her surroundings, honing her senses. A total of 16 people were inside the cabin including herself. 12 were sitting while four were standing up. In terms of gender, it was split 50/50 and the age ranged from infant to elderly.

Bump

When Texas opened her eyes however, she was greeted with an extra person in the reflection of the window—on the seat behind her no less.

Male. Around the same age as her. He had messy long white hair and eyes that spoke of better days. His presence put her on edge. The fact that he was able to get so close to her, within striking distance, without her noticing was worrying.

Assassins aren't uncommon in her line of business. Nor was the method of taking out your competition through forceful means. Off the top of her head, she could name half a dozen people who wouldn't hesitate to kill her and in turn their competition. Or at least attempt to.

The fact that he managed to appear so close to her whilst avoiding detection spoke volumes of his skill. If he truly were an enemy, he'd be a fearsome one. But who sent him? Certainly not the mafia. Otherwise, she'd recognize their kind immediately. Idly, she rested her hand over the hilt of one of her swords. A rival company then? Either way, any sudden moves and she was ready to activate the blade at a moment's notice.

In the end, all her conjecture was pointless. Judging by his body language and the way he conducted himself, he was just like any other Lungmen citizen. Perhaps she was being too lax, letting her guard down like this.

"..."

No, that definitely wasn't the case. His scent was different. Unlike anything she's encountered before.

How to describe it?

Otherworldly.

The rhythmic vibration of the subway and the clickety-clack sound of it running over the track almost lulled me into a false sense of security. At first glance, it seemed like I was back on Earth. But one look at the girl seated in front of me had those hopes thoroughly dashed.

Animal ears. In fact, I recognized those ears.

And it wasn't just her. All around me were people with animal-like traits—tails, ears, claws. There was no denying it now. All I can do now is adapt.

Where? Why, planetary system 2770 of course—code name: Terra. But being here… is going to cost you.

And survive.

[Notice: Sufficient requirements met. Unique Skill, 'Survival of the Fittest', has been acquired.]

However, there was one uneasy question that plagued my mind: was this really the world of Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint—there are arknights operators here after all and this was Terra according to the Dokkaebi that spoke to me—or was it just a world with a similar concept?

Screeeeeech!

The subway came to a sudden halt. A few people lost their balance from the momentum, some falling over. More than a couple of annoyed complaints were thrown around.

"Ow… the hell was that for."

"Why'd they stop the train?"

"A delay? At the worst time too. I'm going to be late to my meeting."

"Hey, why'd it get dark all of a sudden?"

"Is this a terrorist attack?"

Well, I suppose I'll find out the answer soon enough.

[Main Scenario One will begin shortly]