CHAPTER 39

Assembly (3)

"Damn it."

Baek Seung-yeop had been in a foul mood all day since yesterday.

"They're gone!"

When he woke up, the standard-issue spear he had received from Kim Jae-hyun and the orc's spear he had luckily acquired had disappeared.

On top of that, all his hard-earned wealth was confiscated. He had gone to sleep, only to wake up and find that all the money he had painstakingly saved was gone.

And he wasn't the only one who had experienced this.

"You guys lost your stuff too?"

"Yeah. Everything was gone when I woke up."

The twins who were with him, Moon Ji-hoon and Moon Sang-hoon, had also lost their weapons and entire savings without a trace.

Moon Ji-hoon spoke in a frustrated tone.

"I looked into it, and a lot of people went through the same thing. But do you know what all of them, including us, have in common?"

"What is it?"

"They didn't show up when the military veterans were summoned at the front gate. Shit. Even the guys who went but came back seem to be fine."

Moon Sang-hoon let out a deep sigh of regret.

"Ah, we should've just gone back then."

Hearing that, Baek Seung-yeop immediately grabbed Moon Sang-hoon by the collar and growled.

"So you're saying this is my fault? Huh?"

"N-No, that's not what I meant…"

"Bullshit! You guys agreed too! You were the one who said only idiots would follow orders like that. Am I right or not?!"

Moon Sang-hoon, terrified, quickly answered.

"Y-Yeah, you're right. Sorry, Seung-yeop."

"Tsk."

Baek Seung-yeop clicked his tongue and let go of Moon Sang-hoon's collar.

He knew the truth.

The one who had confiscated their weapons was undoubtedly Kim Jae-hyun. But he couldn't be angry at him.

It wasn't just that they had been in the wrong first, making their opponent's actions justifiable. More than that, he was simply afraid of Kim Jae-hyun.

"I could be expelled."

It had happened once before.

According to rumors, a guy had been expelled for attempting to assault a minor. Not long after, his body was found on the street.

He had been killed by goblins.

"If I go against them, the same thing will happen to me."

Getting expelled from here was essentially a death sentence. The idea of rebelling against Kim Jae-hyun was unimaginable.

And so, he took out his anger on Moon Sang-hoon instead.

"Damn it, we should've escaped outside the complex instead of hiding in the underground parking lot."

Although it wasn't confirmed yet, those who had gone out hunting when the giant appeared reportedly weren't punished.

People who had no choice but to avoid the front gate had been lucky enough to escape punishment.

If he had run outside the apartment complex instead of into the underground parking lot when the giant attacked, he probably wouldn't have been punished either.

"This is fucked up."

What made him even angrier was the fact that his own younger brother, Baek Seung-min, had answered the summons at the front gate.

Kim Jae-hyun had even rewarded him with a pistol.

Honestly, the urge to steal that gun burned inside him, but he couldn't even imagine what would happen if he dared to touch something that Kim Jae-hyun had personally given out.

Now, he was stuck at home, even having to watch his little brother's mood.

"Hah… How did things get this bad…?"

But Baek Seung-yeop still didn't know.

Everything he had gone through so far was only the beginning.

He had no idea how survivors treated those who had been 'punished' by Kim Jae-hyun.

And—

***

"Quest"

Quest Objective: Hunt Goblins. (0/20)

Time Limit: 24 hours 00 minutes 00 seconds

Reward: Small amount of experience points.

Failure Penalty: Extreme pain for one minute.

"…What the hell? Extreme pain?"

He had no idea what kind of responsibilities he would have to bear to survive in this safe zone.

***

Primordial Vitality.

It was one of Owen-joo's A-rank skills, which drastically increased regeneration in proportion to the severity of injuries.

"So the Trust Level 100 reward turned out to be the target's skill."

It wasn't immediately useful.

I wasn't going to fight, and as long as I had no reason to leave home, there was little chance I would get hurt.

But the fact that I gained a skill from a Trust Level 100 reward was worth noting.

"Moon Byung-ho's Trust Level is close to 100. If I get his awakened ability…"

Teleportation.

A skill that allowed movement to any visible location.

"If I activate the forward base, then use the Absolute Eye to teleport?"

Theoretically, as long as I had enough mental energy, I could travel there.

"I need to start increasing my mental energy."

It seemed that from now on, instead of skill proficiency, mental fortitude should be given as a quest reward.

That way, I could strengthen my mental resilience through daily quest rewards.

Around that time, Oh Won-joo, who had stopped crying, spoke with a determined expression.

"Jaehyun, please send me now. I will personally go and rescue your family."

"Right now?"

"Yes. Originally, the operation should have started yesterday, but I know it was delayed by a day because of me. Thank you for giving up your precious time. I want to repay your consideration."

I was both grateful and slightly embarrassed by how accurately she had seen through my thoughts.

"Did I show that much impatience?"

"No, it's just that if I were in your position, I would have been impatient as well. After all, one's family is always the most important thing."

Perhaps it was because I had met Siwoo once, albeit in an incomplete way, but instead of the raging anger that had consumed me before, a firm trust now gleamed in her eyes.

"That's why I understand very well how valuable the extra day you gave me is. Thank you once again."

Her sincere gratitude brought a smile to my face.

"Thank you for understanding. Then please wait in Room 2901 with Ha Dong-geon's party. I will join you soon."

"Understood."

There was a reason I hadn't sent them directly to Seomyeon Station right away.

'A part of the tracks at Seomyeon Station has collapsed because of the giant.'

Not only the subway tracks but also most of the underground area of Seomyeon Station had been destroyed.

Considering how that massive giant had rampaged, it was an inevitable outcome.

'I'll have to create a new route.'

For that purpose, Seo Ye-jin had been diligently commanding her mice since yesterday.

Thanks to a full day of exploration, they had roughly secured a path.

'Absolute Eye.'

Focusing my vision on Seo Ye-jin, I immediately shifted to one of the mice she was sharing senses with in real-time.

'Huh?'

Something seemed off about the mouse.

— Squeak, squeak!

It was running away at full speed as if being chased by something, and it looked almost as big as a small dog.

[Tamed Giant Rat (Lv. 7)]

As expected, the name displayed by Absolute Eye had changed.

'It evolved.'

One of the abilities that appeared when Seo Ye-jin was registered as a retainer was "Evolution," and it seemed to be the reason for this change.

"Uuurrgh!"

There were entities chasing after the evolved giant rat.

Vacant eyes, limp limbs, bodies drenched in blood—walking corpses.

[Zombie (Lv. 11)] [Zombie (Lv. 13)] [Zombie (Lv. 11)] [Zombie (Lv. 9)] [Zombie (Lv. 9)]

Dozens of zombies were pursuing the rat.

— Squeak!

Zombies weren't just chasing from behind; they were closing in from all sides, naturally forming a blockade around the rat.

The rat stopped and glanced around.

There was no gap in the thick crowd of zombies for it to escape through.

If it had been smaller, it might have been able to slip away using the darkness, but because of its evolution, there was no suitable place to flee.

It was ironic.

'It's over.'

Rather than letting the rat die meaninglessly, I considered using a gas explosion to wipe out the zombies.

But just then—

The giant rat, which had been standing still, suddenly sprinted toward the zombies at full speed.

I thought it was making a desperate last attack, but then it twisted its body through the gaps between the zombies' legs, successfully breaking through the encirclement.

'Oh.'

Coincidentally, the area it escaped to had an exit, and the giant rat rushed up the stairs.

There—

[5 Nampo]

A sign indicating Exit 5 of Nampo Station came into view.

'No wonder this place felt familiar.'

It had been too dark to recognize before, but this was where the Busan Gwangbok branch was located.

'So that's where all these zombies came from.'

That day had been a Saturday— the weekend.

The department store must have been extremely crowded, and if zombies had appeared, they would have spread at an incredibly fast rate.

The underground shopping mall was also likely packed with people, making it clear that a great catastrophe had unfolded there.

'Giving up on heading to Jagalchi Station and coming back up means the subway tracks must be in the same situation.'

Just as I was seriously contemplating whether to abandon the route from Central Station to Jagalchi Station—

Zzziik—!!

A monster suddenly appeared in front of the giant rat.

Smooth skin and menacingly protruding teeth.

It was a shark.

"Land Shark (Lv. 23)"

Chomp!

Before it had any chance to react, the giant rat was caught in the land shark's jaws.

At the same time, the Absolute Eye was forcibly shut off.

'…'

This was not a good sign.

The distance from Nampo Station, where the department store was located, to my home was only a few kilometers.

And if a dangerous creature like that was roaming around, there was a high chance that similar monsters were lurking near my home as well.

'I need to hurry.'

I stopped by Unit 2402 to pick up Seo Ye-jin and then headed to Unit 2901, where Ha Dong-geon's party was waiting.

"Hello, my name is Seo Ye-jin."

Although Ha Dong-geon's party and Seo Ye-jin had seen each other before, this was the first time they were being properly introduced.

Up until now, they had been too preoccupied with the chaos to formally exchange greetings.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Ha Dong-geon."

"I'm Kim Ga-young!"

"I'm Oh Won-joo. Nice to meet you."

Since they already knew that Seo Ye-jin controlled rats, they quickly warmed up to her.

Especially Kang Deok-soo, who showed great interest in Seo Ye-jin.

"I'm Kang Deok-soo! I look forward to working with you!"

"Yes."

"You're really beautiful!"

"Th-Thank you."

After the brief introductions, I addressed the group.

"We'll now begin our strategy meeting. As you all know, due to the appearance of the giant, passing through Seomyeon Station has become impossible."

Seomyeon Station had been completely destroyed by the giant's footsteps.

"However, abandoning the subway tracks entirely would be a waste."

Only the area near Seomyeon Station was destroyed, while the route from Beomnaegol Station to Choryang Station remained intact.

Using Seo Ye-jin's rats to scout, we confirmed that no monsters had taken over that section yet, meaning it was still a free passage.

"Therefore, our first objective is to secure a route to Beomnaegol Station."

I turned to Seo Ye-jin.

"From here, Seo Ye-jin will explain the details."

"Okay."

Seo Ye-jin pulled out a crumpled A4 sheet from her pocket and spread it on the living room floor.

It was a hand-drawn map.

Kang Deok-soo gasped.

"Wow! You drew this so well!"

"…Thanks."

Strange.

To me, it looked only slightly better than an elementary school summer project.

Regardless, Seo Ye-jin pointed to the map and continued her explanation.

"This is our apartment. This is Jeonpo Station. And this is our destination, Beomnaegol Station. The recommended route follows the main roads."

Monsters were relatively less common on the main roads.

Even if they appeared, they could be spotted in advance, giving us time to prepare.

'And by now, most monster hordes are no match for Ha Dong-geon's party.'

Before the giant hunt, I had spent a fortune to level up Ha Dong-geon's party members as much as possible.

This was to make fighting the giant even slightly easier.

Thanks to that, everyone had now reached Level 30.

The only ones below Level 30 were Choi Hyung-jun and Yoo Hye-rin.

"Before reaching Beomnaegol Station, we need to be cautious of this location. Orcs have taken up residence in the Homeplus building here, and their numbers are estimated to be at least 500."

Ha Dong-geon asked, "Is there any reason for us to engage with them?"

"Not at all. Our goal is simply to enter Beomnaegol Station and use the subway tracks."

"But there could be monsters in Beomnaegol Station as well."

Ha Dong-geon's concern was valid.

"You don't need to worry. There are quite a few of them, but they're only goblins. We'll clear out any we encounter and quickly move past the ticket gates."

Seo Ye-jin pointed to the map again and continued.

"Once we enter the subway tracks, we can safely reach Choryang Station without any interference. The real problem starts at the next station—Busan Station."

Hearing about the destruction at Busan Station, Kang Deok-soo shuddered.

"D-Does that mean the giant is there too?"

"No. There are only remnants of its destruction. It seems the giant has already left. I believe it's the same one that came to our apartment yesterday."

"T-That's a relief."

Hearing this, everyone's tense expressions softened slightly.

"Anyway, just like Seomyeon Station, Busan Station has been destroyed, so we'll have to exit at Choryang Station and cross from above. But there's no need to worry about the Busan Station area. Since the giant rampaged there, most of the monsters have disappeared."

"But after that, we should find another route instead of continuing along the subway tracks."

"Why?"

"The subway tunnels ahead are packed with an overwhelming number of zombies. Just dealing with them would waste a lot of time."

Seo Ye-jin muttered with a dark expression.

"Unless we have an ability that can wipe out a huge number of monsters in a confined space, this route will only be a disadvantage."

At her words, the entire Ha Dong-geon party turned to look at one person.

"Huh?"

Taken aback by their sudden stares, Yoo Hye-rin stammered.

"I-I already decided not to go outside anymore…"

Seeing the group's disappointed faces, Yoo Hye-rin hesitated before changing her stance.

"…But, Ye-jin."

With a trembling voice, Yoo Hye-rin spoke to Seo Ye-jin.

"M-Maybe… my ability could help with this…"

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