Challenger Of The Underworld

Chapter Five: The Diner

They left the apartment without looking back. Neither Elijah nor Rean said anything, but the silence felt different for each of them.

For Elijah, nothing had changed. The world outside still looked exactly as it had from the window — gray skies, wind-tossed streets, and devastation stretching as far as he could see. If anything, the wreckage looked even worse now that he was walking through it.

Rean, on the other hand, felt like she’d stepped into a waking nightmare. Everything was hazy, unreal — like she was trapped in a dream she desperately wanted to wake up from, but couldn’t. It reminded her of sleep paralysis, where you could see and hear everything but were powerless to escape.

Elijah walked a few steps ahead, hands buried in the pockets of his long black leather coat. The wind caught his hair, tossing it across his face. He didn’t slow for her, didn’t glance back.

Rean felt awkward. The only words they’d exchanged since meeting were earlier in the apartment. She didn’t know him, and he didn’t seem interested in changing that.

Elijah, unlike her, had already adjusted — or maybe forced himself to adjust — to this new world. Where Rean saw horror in the blood, charred remains, and grinning skulls scattered across the streets, Elijah saw something else entirely. To him, this wasn’t a nightmare; it was the start of something he was ready to face.

She tried to match his pace, but the ruined streets made it difficult. Still, after a moment of hesitation, she decided to break the silence.

“If you don’t mind me asking,” she said, carefully stepping over a skeleton’s shattered skull, “what do you think actually happened here?”

“You were there,” Elijah replied without looking at her. “You saw what happened. Why ask the obvious?”

“I know what happened,” she said quickly. “I’m asking what you think the reason was.”

“Seems like we’re being invaded.”

“Invaded? Like… by aliens?” She wasn’t sure she’d heard him right.

“No,” he said flatly. “By a K-pop group. What do you think?”

She rolled her eyes. “I thought aliens were supposed to be green, ugly, three-eyed freaks. That thing we saw wasn’t an alien. You think it was their spaceship?”

“Maybe,” he said, though the uncertainty in his voice was obvious.

The conversation faded. They walked in silence for a long stretch, but Elijah’s mind wasn’t quiet.

He’d said “invasion,” but the truth was he didn’t believe it himself. Something about that stone head felt familiar — its voice, its claim that humanity was now enslaved to the underworld. He knew he’d heard that before, somewhere deep in his past, but the memory was stubborn, refusing to come into focus.

Hours later, they were far from the building, wandering into another part of the city. Here, the damage wasn’t as extreme. Sure, there were bodies, burned-out cars, and wrecked buildings — but it was more like the aftermath of a riot than the total destruction they’d left behind.

Rean finally caught up to him, scanning the street for anything useful. “We should find food,” she said.

Elijah didn’t answer.

“I mean,” she tried again, “what are you in the mood for?”

“Huh?” He sounded distracted, his eyes elsewhere.

“You know what? Forget it,” she sighed. “From now on, I decide what we eat. You can keep playing the cool main character in whatever video game you think you’re in.”

She spotted something across the street and jogged toward it without waiting for his reply.

Elijah didn’t follow immediately. In fact, he looked relieved to see her go. “Finally… some peace,” he muttered.

He used the quiet to scan the area for anything that might help him understand what was happening. But every time he tried to think, his head would throb, or his mind would go completely blank.

“This is pointless,” he muttered, giving up.

“Hey!” Rean’s voice broke through the air. “I found us something to eat!”

Elijah grinned faintly and walked toward her.

The building she’d found was a diner — empty, silent, but still standing. Inside, Rean rang the bell on the counter repeatedly.

“Hello? Anyone here? We’d like to order some food!” she called.

No answer.

“Where do you think they went?” she asked.

Elijah shrugged.

“Probably ran when the invasion started,” she guessed.

“Unlikely,” he said, nodding at the counter. “That coffee’s fresh. Still hot.”

Rean didn’t care. She was starving. Without hesitation, she vaulted over the counter.

“I’ll make us something. What do you want?”

“I—”

“Never mind,” she cut him off. “I’m in charge of food. You can keep playing detective.”

Elijah just stood there, speechless, and let her go.

Alone again, a glowing notification flickered into his vision:

[ FIRST LEVEL COUNTDOWN: 01:02:18 ]

He’d almost forgotten about it. Instinctively, he reached out, trying to touch the holographic display. He didn’t understand why, but something deep inside told him this message mattered — that he needed to obey it.

From the kitchen, the clatter of pans and the smell of cooking filled the air.

“Need any help?” he called.

“No thanks! This is my me-time. Stay away!” she yelled back.

The aroma hit him like a punch to the gut. His stomach growled, betraying the fact that, despite his earlier act, he was just as hungry as she was.

“Now I’m starving,” he muttered, rubbing his stomach.

When Rean finally emerged, she didn’t bring the food to him at the counter. She set it at a table and sat down.

“Well?” she said. “Come eat.”

Elijah didn’t bother arguing. He sat across from her and eyed the plate — toast, scrambled eggs, sausages, grilled tomatoes. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen a breakfast like this.

Rean ate neatly, cutting small bites with her fork and knife. Elijah watched for a moment, then copied her — until impatience got the better of him and he started eating like a starving animal.

“Wow,” Rean said. “You must’ve been hungry.”

He didn’t answer. He just kept eating.

Then Rean stopped mid-bite, her gaze fixed on the diner’s front window.

“What is it?” Elijah asked.

“People,” she said softly.

“What about them?”

“They’re coming here.”

Elijah turned to look — and froze.

For a moment, hope flared in him. Survivors.

But that thought shattered as another message appeared before his eyes:

[ FIRST LEVEL COUNTDOWN HAS BEEN ELIMINATED ]

[ FIRST LEVEL IS NOW ACTIVE ]

Elijah’s gut went cold.

The system had cheated him again.