The cracks didn't close.
They spread.
Like invisible glass shattering in slow motion, the air at the end of the street twisted and bent, forming jagged lines that didn't belong to reality.
People noticed.
And they panicked.
"What is that?!"
"Is this some kind of explosion?!"
"Run!"
Someone dropped their groceries. A bike crashed. A car screeched to a halt.
Alex didn't run.
He couldn't.
His eyes were locked on the cracks.
"…This is the 'next event,' isn't it?"
His phone vibrated again in his hand.
He didn't even look at it this time.
Because something stepped out of the crack.
A foot.
Covered in worn leather.
Then another.
A man emerged—dressed in rough, ancient clothing, holding a long spear. His beard was messy, his eyes sharp and alert like a hunter.
He looked around.
Confused.
Then—
More figures came out.
One.
Three.
Five.
Within seconds, a small group of armed men stood in the middle of a modern road.
Complete silence fell for half a second.
Then chaos exploded.
"ARE THEY ACTORS?!"
"THIS IS REAL—RUN!!"
"WHY DO THEY HAVE WEAPONS?!"
One of the men shouted something loudly in an unfamiliar language.
Another pointed at a car… and jumped back in shock as it honked.
Alex blinked.
"…Okay."
He slowly rubbed his eyes.
"…This is officially insane."
One of the men cautiously approached a parked motorcycle.
He poked it with his spear.
The horn suddenly blared.
The man nearly dropped his weapon and stumbled back, shouting loudly.
Alex couldn't help it.
He laughed.
"Okay—okay—this is actually a little funny."
A woman next to him stared at him like he had lost his mind.
"Funny?! THEY HAVE SPEARS!"
"Yeah, but they're more scared than you," Alex pointed.
And he was right.
The "invaders" looked just as terrified—if not more.
One of them pointed at a tall building, speaking rapidly, clearly confused by its height.
Another touched the road, rubbing the asphalt between his fingers like it was something unnatural.
"…They don't belong here," Alex muttered.
His brain started working.
Fast.
Too fast.
"These aren't actors… they don't even understand anything around them…"
A sharp scream cut through the air.
One of the men had accidentally pushed someone while backing away.
The crowd reacted instantly.
Fear turned into aggression.
"Stop them!"
"They're dangerous!"
A group of people picked up sticks and rushed forward.
"Wait—!" Alex stepped forward instinctively.
Too late.
One of the armed men panicked and raised his spear.
Everything slowed down for a moment.
This was it.
First real conflict.
And no one understood anything.
"THIS IS BAD," Alex muttered.
Before anything could escalate—
The world glitched again.
Harder this time.
The ground shook.
The air cracked louder.
The figures flickered—
Like unstable images.
And then—
They vanished.
Just like that.
Gone.
The street returned to normal.
People froze mid-motion.
The sticks dropped.
Silence fell again.
"…What…"
A man looked at his empty hands.
"They… disappeared?"
Alex stood still.
Breathing slowly.
Processing.
"This isn't random," he whispered.
His phone buzzed again.
He finally looked at it.
ERROR LEVEL: 5
MULTIPLE ENTITY TRANSFER DETECTED
STABILITY: DECLINING
Alex's eyes narrowed.
"Error level increased…"
"Multiple entities…"
"Stability declining…"
He looked back at the place where the cracks had been.
Nothing now.
Just a normal street.
But he knew better.
"This is going to happen again."
His grip tightened around the phone.
"And next time…"
His expression darkened slightly.
"It won't be this small."
The phone flickered one last time.
A new line appeared.
PATTERN INITIALIZING
Alex stared at it.
For the first time—
He didn't feel confused.
He felt something else.
Curiosity.
"…Pattern?"
A slow smile formed on his face.
"Good."
He looked up at the city around him.
Still noisy. Still normal.
Still completely unaware of what was coming.
"Let's see what kind of game this is."
Far above the city—
For just a split second—
The sky distorted.
Like someone… watching.
🔥 End of Chapter 2