Cold sweat dripped down my collar, soaking the cheap fabric of my dress shirt. My heart beat like a trapped bird inside my ribs, heavy and erratic. Every instinct yelled at me to run, but there was nowhere to go on a speeding subway car. Seoul Subway Line 3 was packed with tired commuters staring blankly at their phones. Everything felt suffocatingly normal, yet I knew the world was about to end. Across the aisle, a man sat quietly, his eyes glued to his smartphone screen. He had thin features, a somewhat pale complexion, and wore an unremarkable suit. Kim Dokja. He was the main character of the web novel I had been reading just moments before I woke up in this body. I had transmigrated into the world of Omniscient Reader\'s Viewpoint. My new identity was Han Ji-woo, a nameless extra who didn\'t exist in the original story. --- Suddenly, a bright blue screen flashed before my eyes, blinding me for a split second. This wasn\'t the Star Stream system. [Welcome, User Han Ji-woo.] [The \'Universal Template System\' has been successfully initialized.] [To aid your survival in the impending apocalypse, a random character template is being selected...] My breath hitched in my throat. A system of my own? Before I could fully process the words, the digital roulette wheel on the screen stopped spinning. [Selection complete.] [You have acquired the template: Toji Fushiguro (Jujutsu Kaisen).] [Current Synchronization Rate: 10%] [Acquired Passive: Heavenly Restriction (Partial) - Your magic power capacity is locked at zero. In exchange, your physical strength, agility, and sensory perception have been multiplied significantly.] An intense wave of heat surged through my veins. My spine popped with a series of sharp cracks. Muscles I didn\'t even know I possessed coiled like steel springs beneath my skin. My dull headache vanished, replaced by an electric, hyper-aware energy. I could hear everything now. I heard the rapid, nervous heartbeat of the woman sitting next to me. I heard the low, metallic hum of the train\'s motor beneath the floorboards. Even the tiny, dry rustle of insects inside a plastic box at the far end of the carriage sounded incredibly clear. --- 6:59 PM. Static hissed violently through the train\'s speakers. A distorted voice echoed, cutting through the murmurs of the commuters. "Announcement to all passengers..." The voice cracked, replaced by a high-pitched, agonizing whine that made everyone wince. Then, the train braked violently. Metal ground against metal with a deafening shriek. Sparks exploded outside the windows, illuminating the dark tunnels in brief, violent bursts. People screamed as they were thrown from their seats. Thanks to my new physical stats, my feet remained glued to the floor, absorbing the impact effortlessly. Beside me, a young woman stumbled. I caught her by the elbow, stabilizing her easily with one hand. "Are you okay?" I asked, my voice sounding deeper and more grounded than before. She nodded frantically, clutching her purse to her chest. Lights flickered once, twice, and then died completely. Pitch blackness swallowed the carriage. --- Silence fell over the crowd, thick and terrifying. Then, a soft, mocking chuckle drifted from the front of the car. A small creature materialized in mid-air, glowing with a faint, eerie light. It had white, fluffy fur, tiny horns, and ruby-red eyes that gleamed with malicious amusement. Bihyung. He was the low-grade Dokkaebi who would broadcast our struggle to the constellations. "Ah, ah. Can everyone hear me?" Bihyung spoke, his voice translating directly into our minds. "My, my. Look at all these fresh incarnations." Panic erupted instantly. "What is that thing?" someone yelled. "Is this some kind of promotional stunt?" another demanded. "Hey! Let us out of here!" An angry businessman in an expensive suit marched toward the floating creature. Han Myungoh. I watched quietly, my enhanced vision easily piercing the darkness of the carriage. "Quiet," Bihyung snapped, looking thoroughly annoyed. With a lazy flick of his wrist, the head of a nearby passenger who had been screaming exploded. Blood and brain matter sprayed across the glass windows. Screams of pure terror shattered the silence. The reality of the situation crashed down on everyone like a physical blow. This wasn\'t a game. This was the Star Stream, and survival was the only law. --- [Main Scenario #1 – Proof of Value] [Category: Main] [Difficulty: F] [Clear Conditions: Kill one or more living beings.] [Time Limit: 30 minutes.] [Compensation: 100 coins.] [Failure: Death.] Blue holographic screens hovered in front of every passenger. People began looking at each other with newfound horror in their eyes. "Kill... one or more living beings?" a man whispered, his voice trembling. My eyes immediately darted toward the kid, Lee Gilyoung, who was clutching his insect box. Kim Dokja was already moving toward him. I needed to act fast. If I wanted to survive, I needed a kill, but I had no intention of murdering a human if I could avoid it. My enhanced senses swept the floor of the carriage. There. Near the emergency door, crawling out of a small crack in the metal paneling. A cockroach. Actually, there were three of them. I moved silently, my boots making absolutely no sound against the floor. Heavenly Restriction made me feel light, almost ghostly. I knelt quickly. My hand shot down with blinding speed. *Crunch.* I crushed the insect beneath my palm. [You have killed a living being.] [100 coins have been acquired.] [You have cleared the Main Scenario #1.] A quiet sigh of relief escaped my lips. I was safe, at least for now. [Your synchronization with the template \'Toji Fushiguro\' has increased to 12%.] [Physical strength has increased.] [Agility has increased.] Another surge of raw power flooded my muscles. My density increased, making me feel incredibly solid. --- Across the carriage, the situation was rapidly deteriorating. A muscular man in a leather jacket stepped forward, his eyes wild with desperation. Cheon Inho. He was already trying to rally a group of thugs to take control of the carriage. "Listen to me!" Cheon Inho yelled. "We don\'t have to kill each other! There must be another way!" He was lying, of course, setting up a trap to sacrifice the weak. At the same time, another panicked passenger lunged at Lee Gilyoung, trying to snatch his insect box. "Give me that!" the man screamed, pulling out a pocket knife. Kim Dokja stepped in, blocking the man\'s path, but he was still just a normal human at this point. If Dokja died here, the world was doomed. I couldn\'t let that happen. Before the passenger could drive the blade into Dokja\'s chest, I moved. I didn\'t run; I practically vanished. To the normal human eye, I was nothing but a blur. I grabbed the attacker\'s wrist. My grip was like an iron clamp. Bones in his wrist groaned under the pressure of my fingers. "Drop it," I said, my voice cold and flat. The passenger shrieked in pain, his fingers spasming involuntarily. The pocket knife clattered to the floor. Kim Dokja stared at me, his eyes wide with shock. I could practically see the gears turning in his head as he analyzed my physical capability. He was trying to remember if someone like me existed in the novel. --- Dokja scrambled back, holding the insect box tightly against his chest. "Thanks," he muttered, his eyes darting to my hands. I let go of the passenger, who fell to his knees, cradling his broken wrist and whimpering. "Keep your head on straight," I told Dokja, leaning in slightly. "The real fight hasn\'t even started yet." I pointed to the insect box. "You have enough in there to save a few people," I whispered. "Use them wisely." Dokja\'s eyes narrowed. He realized I knew exactly what the insects were for. He realized I had already cleared the scenario. "Who are you?" Dokja asked, his voice barely audible over the screams in the carriage. "Just someone who wants to live," I replied. Behind us, Kim Namwoon was grinning like a psychopath, preparing to start his slaughter of the elderly. I watched him, my hand resting on the metal handrail. I could easily stop him, but I had to be careful not to change the story too much yet. Suddenly, a massive shudder ran through the entire subway train. The heavy metal door at the far end of Carriage 3807 began to warp inward. A terrifying, dark aura began to seep through the cracks from Carriage 3707. My heart skipped a beat as the temperature in the car plummeted. Someone was kicking the door from the other side with monstrous, superhuman strength. It was him. Yoo Joonghyuk.

Chapter 1: The Apocalypse and the Template