011: An Ambush!

It's been a few days since the players arrived in this world, and two days ago, they achieved an impossible feat by defeating an S-Grade monster with Zero's help.

Jaeha suffered an internal injury from the battle, while Taegeuk and Noah emerged unscathed. Since that day, their bond has grown strong, and the D-Grade mission has become a permanent challenge.

Every day, The Three Musketeers return home with minor bruises, finding solace and relaxation near the campfire, even when exhaustion weighs heavy on their bodies.

Noah, always eager for a bit of friendly competition, He often races Helio to the campfire, despite regularly losing due to Helio's surprisingly swift legs. Noah couldn't help but wonder how the little infant could run faster with those short legs of his.

As everyone prepared for dinner, a system window appeared before Zero, detailing a new mission:

[New Mission issued.

A mysterious threat is lurking near Eden.

Missions: Investigate the danger in 67th Street Avenue Magnolia. 

Reward: 5 ES coins.

Duration: 5 days

Requirement: Administrator level.]

Zero read the mission intently, lost in thought. Seoyeon, noticing his distraction, asked, "Zero-nim, what's wrong?"

Everyone's attention in the campfire turned to Zero, who quickly dismissed their concern, "It's nothing. I was thinking it would be nice to have a different meal for once."

Noah chimed in, "I 100% agree! Zero-nim, I love rabbit stew. But I got tired of it." His comment revealed his honest anticipation for the dinner session, a welcome break after their daily missions.

Joining the conversation, Taegeuk asked, "Zero-nim, do you know of any other hunting grounds besides rabbits?"

After a moment, Zero replied, "I know of a few, but they're quite far from here. I don't think it would be safe for you to travel there alone."

He continued, "At least not until you're strong enough. I won't allow you to risk your life."

Taegeuk nodded, understanding that Zero's concern stemmed from a genuine desire for their safety.

Unknown to The Three Musketeers, Zero diligently ensured their safety during their missions. He woke up early to scout nearby areas for D-Grade monsters. He aims to prevent any unexpected events like their previous encounter. 

With no revive system in the game, Zero knew that once a player died, they were gone for good.

Despite the system's unreliability, especially in life-threatening situations, Zero took it upon himself to protect the players from harm.

The next morning. Everyone woke up as usual, except for Noah. When everyone had finished breakfast, Noah woke up only to find the meat inside the pot was gone, leaving only stew and a few vegetables.

Noah complained, "Everyone is so cruel. You guys didn't even leave me any fats."

Hyuna said, "That's because you're a heavy sleeper. Taegeuk-ssi tried to wake you up, but you kept saying 5 minutes more," mimicking Noah's pleas.

Noah felt embarrassed and said, "Alright, just stop there. This is so embarrassing. You didn't have to mimic that," as he cried, feeling embarrassed.

Jaeha seemed to hold back his laughter.

Noah might come off as annoying and childish, even more so than Helio and Elio, but Jaeha now thought it wasn't that bad.

Jaeha, Taegeuk, and Noah were preparing to do their daily mission. But Zero stopped them and said, "Can you guys stay in Eden for today?"

"Is there something wrong, Zero-nim?" Jaeha asked, as Zero always told them not to miss their daily mission. But this time, he wanted them to stay.

Zero didn't explain in detail, saying, "I have to go somewhere today. I might not come back until dinner time. I need you guys to protect Eden while I'm away."

Hearing this. Seoyeon impulsively asked, "Where are you going, Zero-nim?" Helio also asked the same thing, showing his worry.

It seemed he made everyone worry. Zero thought he couldn't leave them until he assured them.

"Don't worry. I'll be back by tomorrow. I need to check on something," Zero tried to reassure them without giving away too many details.

It was Taegeuk who said, "Zero-nim, leave Eden to us. You've been helping us and making our new life easier here. Just let us know what we need to do. We will listen."

Taegeuk looked charismatic as he spoke. Among the players, his appearance was more mature. Somehow, his beard gave the impression that he was already in his mid-30s.

Hyuna also joined, her expression as stoic as usual, "I don't know what it is. Just make sure you come back in one piece. Seriously. We're not even close yet. But if something happens to you. Everyone here is going to go crazy."

Zero chuckled and laughed it off. It hadn't been a week. But Zero felt everyone was getting along well.

Hyuna still treated him like a stranger, while Seoyeon seemed to follow him around. Jaeha and the rest treated him like a senior.

These made Zero feel a little happy. Zero wished everything would stay peaceful like this. Zero would do anything to make Eden safe from danger.

 When it came to danger or threats to Eden, mutated monsters were not a problem. If the mission stated that there was a mysterious threat near Eden, it only meant that the threat the system mentioned was coming from other humans.

Zero never invited other survivors he met to Eden. He only wanted Eden to host future players who hadn't arrived yet. He had learned his lesson from the past. 

Monsters were dangerous because of instinct. But humans are far more treacherous. It's because humans could choose to be good or evil. The most treacherous humans were those who pretended to be good while concealing their wicked intentions, waiting to stab from the back.

Zero left Eden after reassuring everyone that he would come back. Everyone was honestly worried about Zero. Jaeha thought. That Zero might be just an NPC, but he couldn't imagine living without him. NPCs like Zero played a crucial role in the plot story.

If something happened to him while everyone was still weak, it would make the game difficulty harder. Jaeha thought this was a game but also not a game at the same time. Jaeha remembered that he had died. So, this was a second life for him.

Jaeha didn't know about the others. Judging by Noah's reaction, who seemed unaware of Jaeha's death, it was clear that Noah didn't know. It wasn't until Zero explained that everyone who became a players had most likely died in their previous world.

He just needed to accept this fact and move forward, Jaeha thought.

Everyone was deep in thought after Zero left them. It was Noah who broke the silence,

"Since Zero-nim told us to stay, why don't we use this time to do fun things?"

Noah continued, "I heard the river down there has a lot of fish. Right, Elio?"

Noah looked at Elio, who nodded.

Elio had told Noah that if he was tired of eating rabbit meat, Noah could go fishing in the river. Elio had mentioned that Boss wasn't skilled at catching fish, which is why Boss only stocked rabbits for meals.

Helio joined in, challenging Noah, "Mister, would you like to duel? I'm an expert at catching fish, haha," Helio snorted as he laughed.

Noah felt pumped up and accepted the duel.

"You don't know what my nickname in my hometown is, right?"

Noah bragged. Helio then asked curiously, "What's your nickname, mister?"

Noah answered, "I'm the King of Fish! Every fish will come to me and kneel, begging to be taken by me."

Helio replied shortly, "What? That's a plain nickname. I thought it might be an okay name, but that one is lame. haha."

He then ran toward the river below, "I'm going to win. The loser must do what the winner asks."

Noah didn't want to lose and ran after him, saying, "Wait for me, you... You can't cheat, okay?"

Noah and Helio left the scene. Hyuna looked toward Taegeuk and Jaeha as she spoke, "Are you guys not going with them?" referring to Noah and Helio.

Taegeuk was about to answer, but Jaeha was much faster, "I'm just going to follow them."

Taegeuk was surprised. He thought. Jaeha is going to say he wasn't a kid or something.

Jaeha left to follow Noah and Helio, while Seoyeon went with Elio to the garden in the mansion.

Now Taegeuk was left with Hyuna. Taegeuk started the conversation,

"Noona, what are you going to do now? Everyone just left."

Hyuna was shocked and asked, "Who did you just call 'Noona'?"

Taegeuk pointed his finger at her and said, "You are 'Noona.'"

Hyuna was in disbelief and said, "Don't call me 'Noona.' Just call me by my name. Aren't you older than me?"

Taegeuk said, "I think I am younger than you."

Hyuna argued, "How do you know I'm older than you?"

Taegeuk asked, "Then may I ask your age, Noona?"

Hyuna couldn't believe it as she said, "You don't ask a woman her age casually. Anyway, I won't answer. Just go with your friends. I'm going to take a walk around."

Taegeuk apologized and smiled. He said, "Let me join you, Noona. It's much safer together."

Hyuna sighed, "Suit yourself."

Hyuna and Taegeuk took a walk around Eden together.

Back to Zero's mission. Around noon, Zero arrived at 67th Street Avenue Magnolia. This place used to be a residential area for people to live in. Some apartment buildings were still intact.

Zero walked in the middle of the street. Zero could sense someone observing from a hidden place. There were no mutated monsters around this area. The monsters seemed to have been wiped out by this group.

Three people were in the building on the left side, while the others were well hidden.

A woman hiding on the left side observed Zero's movements. She held an L11543 rifle, ready to strike Zero upon instruction.

Through her zoom scope, she could see Zero more closely. The appearance of a young man with grey hair and red eyes was unusual. Was he a new variant of mutation? She thought. His ears were also unlike a human's, with pointy tips.

She waited for instructions to shoot. Her group was around after dealing with the nest of Deathbringers. They planned to sterilize this area and establish a new settlement.

She spoke into her walkie-talkie, "Captain, 088 Viper requesting permission to shoot."

The voice from the walkie-talkie answered, his voice deep, "Permission approved."

The permission to shoot the target was approved, and she prepared to strike the target. But she noticed the man looking at her. A drop of sweat fell from her forehead. Had she been discovered? She thought.