PVCNC 07

Chapter – 07

“I’m sorry, sis… is it really okay? This is all because of me…”

The sand in the hourglass kept falling endlessly, and now there was barely any time left.

I pushed away the increasingly desperate requests from others and headed toward the direction where I had seen them earlier.

“It’s okay. Let’s just look a little longer, just a little more, Lilia.”

At this rate, even I was starting to get anxious…

Should I just team up with anyone at this point?

While I was worrying about that, I suddenly heard a familiar voice from afar.

“Why do you keep following me?”

“In a world like this, it’s hard to find someone as good as you.”

One voice was cold and blunt, the other warm and gentle.

Thank goodness. They were together.

“Over here, Lilia!”

I quickly grabbed Lilia’s hand and ran toward them.

“Hey, you two haven’t found a team yet, right?”

Two pairs of eyes turned toward me as I rushed over. Found them. My Plan B.

[Xenon]

[Constellation: Master of the Black Star]

[Stigma: Dragon’s Song]

[Stigma: Sword Strike]

[Trait: One Who Trains Among Ten Thousand Swords]

[Yeriel]

[Constellation: The Abandoned Child]

[Stigma: Tricolor Flower]

[Trait: Benevolence]

“I’ve been looking for you.”

These were the new companions who would help continue my story.

“Were you speaking to us?”

“Who said us? You’re the one who followed me without permission.”

Yeriel tilted his head with a bright smile, while Xenon remained as blunt as ever. I nodded with a cheerful smile.

I didn’t know how two people with such opposite personalities ended up together, but either way, this worked out well.

That saves me some trouble.

“There isn’t much time left. Shouldn’t you be forming a team soon?”

Xenon’s irritating attitude bothered me.

But his abilities were far too impressive to just kick him aside.

The constellation called Master of the Black Star didn’t appear in the original story, so I had no idea what kind of being it was.

Still, if someone carried the title of master of a star rather than just a star, it had to be a high-ranked entity.

Most importantly, his stats were already almost superhuman despite it still being the early stages.

“What are you staring at?”

Also… he was quite handsome.

At first, I even mistook him for the male lead. Not only did he have perfectly sculpted features, but his black hair shimmered with a faint blue tint like the night sky.

His well-built body and pale skin alone were enough to draw attention.

Why hadn’t a character with these abilities and looks appeared in the original story?

Did he get eliminated during the early team selection mission?

“It really is getting urgent. No one has asked us to join their team…”

And the real jackpot was this one.

Unlike Xenon, who reminded me of the dark night sky, this man reminded me of brilliant sunlight.

Golden hair like the morning sun, green eyes like fresh forests, a gentle smile, and a kind voice.

Yeriel possessed all the traits of the classic kind male lead. On top of that, his magic and intelligence stats were absurdly high, and his constellation was unbelievable.

“Do you really want to team up with us?”

Yeriel’s constellation was called The Abandoned Child.

At first glance, it sounded lowly and insignificant, but its true name was Baridegi from Korean mythology.

The ancestor of all shamans and the first being to connect death, heaven, and humanity.

A supreme deity governing life and death.

In the original story, this constellation belonged to one of the final survivors, a major character…

But somehow the story had twisted, and now this person possessed it instead.

Well, lucky me. Maybe not the gloomy guy, but Yeriel definitely seemed like he would follow my lead.

“Of course. I ran all the way here to find you.”

Maybe my words moved him, because Yeriel smiled brightly and extended his hand.

I grinned and shook it.

“Ah, hello. Please take care of me.”

Lilia, who had been nervously watching from behind me, also greeted them shyly.

A gray light wrapped around the three of us as a message appeared in the air.

[Your party has been formed.]

[Members]

<Wendy Porcelain> <Lilia Porcelain> <Yeriel>

After reading the message, I turned toward Xenon, who was watching me with wary eyes.

“There isn’t much time left. Are you planning to just stand there like an idiot and die?”

His brow furrowed at my words.

But the hourglass now had less than ten percent of its sand remaining.

No matter how much he glared, he didn’t really have a choice.

“We can be far more helpful than you think. You need to survive. There’s nothing more foolish than getting swept away and dying in this rotten world.”

He clearly had a strong pride and a strong sense of caution.

Which also meant he would hate a powerless death more than anything.

“Damn…”

His expression tightened.

The slight lift of his eyes made it look like he hated being dragged along by this helpless situation.

But what choice did he have?

Muttering a quiet curse, he stepped forward. I grabbed his hand before he could object.

“I’m Wendy Porcelain.”

“Xenon.”

Perhaps he realized there was no better option, because he joined the party without much resistance.

[A party member has joined. Member: Xenon]

Wait…

We were missing one person.

“By the way… wasn’t there one more person with you?”

I was sure I had seen a boy around Lilia’s age earlier.

Where did he go?

That boy also had a fairly high-ranking constellation…

“He left to find his twin sister. If fate allows, perhaps we’ll meet again.”

Yeriel said calmly with a bright smile. My eyes widened.

“What did you say?!”

“Oh… come to think of it, we needed five people, didn’t we?”

…We’re screwed.

I hurriedly looked back at the hourglass.

Only about five percent of the sand remained. I screamed.

“Why are you only saying that now?!”

My Plan B was about to collapse spectacularly before it even began.

My face turned pale as paper as I scanned the surroundings in panic.

As expected, aside from a tiny number of people, everyone had already formed teams.

Two people there, three over there…

Naturally, there was practically no one left alone.

I hadn’t expected this.

With so little time left, of course no one would still be alone.

– KimWalWal: We’re screwed.
ㄴ RofanFan: Seriously lol

– Junyoung: Thank you for reading my 312-day survival journal.
ㄴ PossessionTruckDriver: Please correct that to a 3-day survival journal.

– Enoch: A legend has ended…

[You have gained favor from 3 observers.]

[Total Favor: 5]

Grinding my teeth, I glared at the constantly popping comment window.

It’s not over yet, you idiots.

[Everyone, team formation will end in one minute. Those who have not completed their teams, please hurry.]

Elistin’s voice echoed across the area.

Those who had formed teams sat together with relaxed expressions, discussing the upcoming mission.

Those who hadn’t filled their numbers either lay on the ground in despair like people given a death sentence,

or ran around frantically like animals with their tails on fire.

“Big sis!”

Ignoring Lilia’s call, I rushed into the noisy crowd.

Then I spotted a shabby boy standing alone not far away.

He looked about Lilia’s age.

His youthful face, messy ash-gray hair, and empty gray eyes seemed to embody pure emptiness.

Now I see why no one teamed up with him.

There was a large brand mark on the back of his hand.

A rose wrapped tightly in chains — a crude mark used for slaves from the back alleys.

No wonder no one wanted to team up with him.

Just as not all nobles were equal, not all slaves were the same either.

Sadly, the boy didn’t seem to have any will to live at all.

Even when he heard my footsteps approaching, he didn’t move.

He just lay there staring into space, as if he were nothing more than discarded trash.

The only moment he reacted was then.

“You’re seriously amazing.”

I suddenly grabbed the boy’s hand and smiled before he could pull away.