Chapter 0: Welcome to the Rift World

That day, no one could have expected it.

No one could have imagined, not even for a single second, that what was supposed to be just a simple school trip would turn into a descent into hell — and change our lives forever.

"Fire... In some beliefs, this element is a symbol of life. It gives light, warmth, protection, purification.

But in an instant, it can devour everything, consume all... and reduce the world to ashes.

That day, it showed me only its cruelest face."

It was everywhere my eyes landed.

In every corner, every compartment of the train, it was the only source of light in that morbid train, in that dark night.

Devouring everything in its path, like an unstoppable plague.

With each passing second, the flames rose higher, as if trying to swallow everything whole, spreading quickly throughout the train.

Those flames were the only silent witnesses to our desperate fight for survival.

The heat kept intensifying, becoming more unbearable with every second.

The air in the carriage was almost unbreathable.

Thick black smoke rapidly filled the space, carrying with it a sickening stench — burnt flesh, rot, and the metallic tang of blood.

An unbearable mix, making every gasping breath a struggle.

Groans of monstrous agony and loud explosions echoed from all parts of the train.

The flames crackled, roared, howled.

It was chaos.

That day... it felt like hell itself.

And yet, amid that chaos, that inferno, right in the heart of the flames,

you could see the silhouette of a young man.

He stood tall in the center of the carriage — unmoving, imposing, dark.

At his feet, the corpse of a grotesque, terrifying beast — the kind of creature you only see in your worst nightmares.

It was charred, its entire body being consumed by fire. A metal rod pierced through its chest.

Its twisted limbs frozen in their final gasp.

From its scorched flesh, a black mist rose, evaporating like a curse refusing to die.

---

Suddenly, a translucent blue screen appeared before him.

But he didn't pay it any attention, still panting, mind dazed from the fierce battle he had just endured.

[BING]

[Congratulations. You have defeated the S-Class Corpse King]

[Name: Ken Jiheon]

[Race: Human]

[Strength: 9]

[Agility: 15]

[Luck: 7]

[Intelligence: ????]

[Charm: ?????]

[Skills: ???]

[Title: Demon King]

[Traits: Cold-blooded, Mental Analysis, Mental Resistance, Critical Thinking, Genius Strategist, Manipulation, Bloodlust, Psychopath, Pyromaniac, Multilingual, Domination, Cruelty, Hostility ?????]

[New Trait Acquired: Curse Resistance]

[SYSTEM UPDATE IN PROGRESS...]

---

"What the hell is going on? I don't understand anything.

Can someone explain this to me?!

This was just supposed to be a regular school trip to Busan, goddammit!"

I thought, breathless, struggling to catch my breath, eyes wide open.

"None of this makes any sense.

Even I don't get it, damn it.

What the hell is happening on this damn train?"

My name is Ken Jiheon, and people usually call me a genius.

But to me, that word is nothing but a curse — not an honor.

I've always succeeded in everything I did, without even trying.

So much so, it became boring.

I was the kind of guy who could say:

"On Earth and in Heaven, only I deserve to be worshipped."

Born with a beautiful face, and rare ruby eyes caused by a never-before-seen genetic mutation — a whole new type —

I was taller, stronger, faster than the average person.

My body imposed itself whether I wanted it or not.

Academics, martial arts, sports, social relationships...

Everything came easy. Without any real challenge. Tch.

You can imagine — I even dabbled in illegal stuff.

And still... nothing.

Same result, every time.

No matter what I tried.

In every field, every discipline...

whenever I reached the top,

what little joy I had was always replaced by an abyssal void.

A feeling only the strongest would ever know.

I had no real opponents. No rivals.

Everyone who tried to challenge me eventually gave up and walked away.

My talent was so overwhelming they eventually all started calling me:

"The Demon King."

So, in the end, I shut myself off.

Nothing had taste anymore.

Nothing had value.

No one understood me.

My world turned black and white.

Absolutely nothing could stimulate me.

Now, I have a question for you:

Tell me —

Is a life without challenge really worth living?

And what is a warrior without a war?

The answer?

Nothing more than an empty shell.

---------------------------------------------------------

In another train carriage...

--------------------------------------------------------

"The train won't stop… and the fire is surrounding us.

If this keeps going, we're all going to die..." said one of the survivors, voice trembling with panic.

"Get ready to evacuate — we're all jumping off this train!" shouted Kim Seojun, his face serious, addressing the three remaining students beside him.

"Where's Rose?" someone asked, worried.

"Huh? She wasn't with you?" Kim replied, clearly concerned.

"I couldn't see clearly because of the smoke, but I think I saw a silhouette heading toward the rear door right before the flames hit."

"Don't tell me she went back there... Damn it, she's injured... Kang, climb to the roof with the others — I'm going back for her!" Kim shouted.

He splashed water on his face, tied a damp cloth over his mouth, opened the carriage door, and dove into the flames.

Explosions were getting louder.

"Kim, come back! It's too dangerous!" the others cried out in panic.

----------------------------------------------------------

"Ken… Ken… cough... cough..."

I heard a voice calling my name from behind, again and again.

"Huh? Rose! What are you doing here? You should be with the others," I said, clearly surprised, my tired and wounded face showing genuine shock.

Rose's eyes widened in disbelief.

She clutched her injured arm and stared at the massive monster behind me.

"You really did it… you actually killed it."

She closed her eyes, shook her head lightly to compose herself, and added:

"That's not the most important thing — we need to evacuate. The train is about to—"

She didn't have time to finish.

A massive explosion, caused by a gas leak, ripped through several carriages, sending the train off the rails like a serpent flying through the air.

The blast was deafening.

The whole train seemed to lift off the ground, as if we were weightless.

In that frozen instant, I could see and hear Rose screaming my name, holding my hand.

The impact was brutal.

And just when we thought it was all over...

[BINK]

[System Update Complete!]

[Selection Trial Complete!]

[Number of Survivors: 7 / 300 passengers]

[Calibrating...]

[BINK]

[RIFT WORLD]

[Auto-Teleportation Engaged!!!]

---

A blinding light engulfed us.

A few seconds later, when I opened my eyes…

We found ourselves in an enormous open plain, bathed in the cold light of the moon.

All around us stood thousands of people from every corner of the globe — men, women, even children.

All looked as lost and terrified as we were.

Suddenly, a chilling voice echoed above the chaos:

"Welcome, everyone."

A being stood still in the sky — massive bat-like wings stretched behind him.

The moon hung just behind his figure, casting a pale glow that concealed most of his features.

He wore a luxurious black suit, with elegant black shoes.

A pocket watch chain hung from his chest.

He had to be over six feet tall.

But looking closer, through the moonlight…

His face was—

Nothing.

No eyes. No nose. No ears. No mouth. No hair.

Just a pale white head, completely featureless.

---

"A demon!" many in the crowd screamed in terror.

"Silence. Listen carefully until I'm done speaking..." the demon said, his voice cold and calm.

He hadn't even finished before people started shouting over him:

"What do you want from us?!"

"Send us home!" a woman screamed.

"This isn't real — it's just a prank, right?!" said a frightened man.

"If it's money you want, I can pay!" another shouted.

Then a portly man in a white suit, wearing a cowboy hat and loaded with gold rings and watches, stepped forward and shouted:

"Do you know who I am?!"

The demon said nothing, visibly irritated by these fools.

Suddenly, a piercing sound rang out — the man in white exploded like a bomb, his flesh and organs splattering across the crowd.

Screams erupted in horror.

The air turned hotter, heavier.

The demon raised his voice:

"This is why I despise humans.

Didn't anyone teach you that interrupting someone is rude?

Well... I believe silencing a few disruptive elements won't be held against me."

No one dared speak again.

Even breathing too loudly became taboo.

Fear paralyzed the entire plain.

"Now then... clap, clap."

He clapped his gloved hands together.

Behind him, the white moon began turning blood red.

The sky darkened, as if a veil of blood had covered the heavens.

The blood-red rays now bathed the plain in a sickly light.

His voice, too, began to change...

Stronger. Colder.

Like it was piercing into our very souls.

"I don't think you quite understand the situation you're in...

Nor the honor it is to have been chosen."

The demon — whose face had until then been smooth and blank — suddenly revealed a terrifying smile.

A twisted grin that could freeze the blood of a corpse.

Two red eyes slowly opened on his face, with star-shaped pupils, staring at us with absolute contempt.

"My dear little humans with your uncertain futures…

Know this:

The world you once knew... no longer exists."

He opened his arms wide, like a crucified god welcoming us to his hell.

Behind him, the bloody moon throbbed like a heart, casting a crimson glow.

The scene was both mesmerizing and horrifying.

"No more carefree life.

No more comfort.

For too long, you've lived in peace, lulled by the illusion of progress — forgetting what true terror is.

But that... is about to change."

---

"What's going on...?

What is this hell?" I thought, eyes wide, staring at the surreal nightmare before me.

A cold sweat rolled down my forehead.

And in that moment, I realized —

the world I once knew… was over.

It had turned into hell.

All around me, people were terrified, crying, screaming in horror.

Some were weeping, finally realizing the gravity of the situation.

A baby screamed as his mother tried in vain to calm him.

A girl tore at her hair, sobbing and calling for her mother.

"Why…?"

"Why…?"

But me… why?

Why is my heart pounding so fast?

Why am I so excited?

Why can't I feel fear?

Whether on the train, or now…

Why do I feel so alive?

And why can't I stop smiling…?"

A tense but passionate smile curved across my face.

"I have to admit…

It's been a long time since I felt this alive.

Since I was this... stimulated."

---

"My dear little pathetic humans, your lives now shattered...

Cling tightly to your miserable existences."

The demon's grin widened, twisted by manic joy.

His eyes burned like two black suns.

And then, he shouted — a wild, mad, gleeful laugh bursting from his throat:

"Let the first stage…

OF RIFT WORLD… BEGIN!!!"

Then, in a deathly silence, his voice thundered like a god's decree:

"Let the Survival Game… COMMENCE!!!"