25. Offering

25. Offering

Scenario: Offering

Objective: Tie the Saintess (Yoo Da Hee) to the center of the lowest floor.

Category: Sub

Difficulty: E

Time Limit: Until the next attack

Rewards: No more sudden green zone disappearances. A special event will trigger.

Seriously, what a disgusting taste. I meant every word.

It was always those who looked the most righteous who ended up being the most vile.

Those with nothing left to lose—sure, some of them did terrible things. Maybe they were evil by nature. But people like that were rare. Outliers.

Most humans, for better or worse, were bound by some sense of morality.

And yet, to those billions of "normal" people...

It was always the ones with something to protect who could commit the most unforgivable acts.

Superheroes got stronger because they had something to protect—maybe that line was true after all.

Because what I saw now?

It was the proof.

The moment the sub-quest appeared, everything stopped. Maybe it was guilt. Maybe it was the weight of their own selfish expectations. But this? This was always inevitable.

Those who were tearing each other apart just moments ago suddenly stood on the same side again. Why?

Because now they had a common goal.

It didn't matter which side won that earlier fight—sooner or later, this entire place would turn into a battle royale before the seventh day.

So instead, they found a shortcut. A scapegoat.

"Saintess, forgive us… we don't have any other choice."

The hypocrites said that as they slowly approached Da Hee, surrounding her in a loose ring. Cutting off her escape routes.

There was a dangerous glint in their eyes. They were prepared to break her limbs if she resisted. Everyone knew what the berserker Saintess Yoo Da Hee was capable of. They approached with cold sweat running down their faces.

But Da Hee didn't resist.

She let them tie her up and drag her down to the lowest floor, past the very wall they had once built together.

As for me…

I'm no better.

A hypocrite myself—because I'm the one holding NaRi back as she trembles with rage, ready to butcher every last person in this damn station.

"Oppa… release my hands," she said in a flat tone. Her eyes—God, those eyes—sent a chill down my spine.

"If I do, what are you going to do?"

She turned to me, smiled coldly.

"Of course, I'll do what needs to be done… cleaning."

"I see," I smiled back. "Then the answer is no."

I turned to the two kids beside us. "DaMi. JaeHee. Let's go."

Both of them looked downcast, their faces heavy.

Well, if they were happy in a moment like this, I'd be questioning either their sanity or their intelligence.

Even so, they followed me down to the lowest floor.

Not like they had much of a choice.

Once we arrived at the lowest floor, they were already busy tying Da Hee to the central pillar. She remained the same—completely unresponsive. No one could tell what was going through her mind.

Behind me, I felt the tight grips of both children as they watched their sister being bound by a mob. It was impossible not to feel afraid. After everything they've been through, this would undoubtedly leave a scar. Whether they manage to adapt or not is up to them. But if they can't… they won't survive in a world as twisted as this one.

At the same time, I had to exert even more strength to hold NaRi back. She instinctively tried to rush forward and help her sister. Honestly, I was surprised she didn't do more than struggle. With her stigma, she should be capable of electrocuting me to force her way out. Does she still trust me? Even now? Is she really that naive?

Well… she is naive. No point denying it.

On the other hand, the others eventually noticed our presence. They stole glances at us, murmuring among themselves.

"Hey, should we do something about them?"

"I'm not sure. What should we do?"

"It's the Saintess' family… maybe we should detain them too."

"But they haven't done anything."

"Then let's just wait and see. If they try to interfere, we'll act. They won't be able to do much anyway."

They whispered, but we could hear every word clearly.

Maybe they wanted us to hear. Was it a tactic to discourage us?

Honestly, I agreed with them—if I really wanted to do something, there's little they could do to stop me. After they finished restraining Da Hee, some of them returned upstairs to repair the damaged walls. The rest stayed behind to guard her, making sure no one helped the so-called Saintess.

And so, time passed.

Da Hee's right hand—the self-proclaimed prophet—was beaten black and blue upstairs. He hadn't foreseen this outcome. He and his two closest allies were the only ones who tried to protect Da Hee when the new sub-scenario was announced. I used to think he was just using her as a figurehead, a puppet. But maybe not. Maybe he truly believed in her. Whether it was admiration, love, or simply reverence for her charisma—I couldn't tell.

Even after being knocked out several times, he kept waking up and causing a commotion upstairs. Meanwhile, down here, it was unnervingly calm. Da Hee didn't resist. And with me holding back the only family she had left, nothing much could happen. Strangely enough, the station's people brought her water and bread. Even more oddly, they gave provisions to us as well.

It was surreal. A contradictory kind of kindness. Maybe it was just me, but NaRi's eyes looked darker, heavier—like the weight of realization was sinking in.

She understood. This was how they tried to soothe their own guilt. Even in the end, they remained hypocrites, trying to cast off their sins by projecting them onto Da Hee and her siblings.

Still, they were at least human. With faces like the ones these siblings have, it's both a blessing and a curse in a world where morality has long since been discarded. That's one of the few reasons I'm still here.

Another two or three hours, and the monster horde will come again.

"NaRi," I called, releasing my hold on her. "I'm heading to the railway for a bit. Will you be okay staying here?"

NaRi blinked, confused for a moment. After being restrained for so long, her now-freed hands felt almost foreign. She stared at them briefly, then looked up and met my eyes. Her gaze shifted toward Da Hee, still bound to the pillar.

She took a deep breath before casting me one last glance.

"It might be fine for you and Da Hee," I said, releasing the children's grips from around me, "but not everyone."

With that, I turned and headed toward the railway. There were two entry points—front and rear tunnels—where the monster horde was expected to emerge. I began spreading my threads throughout the area.

"What are you doing?" a voice called out.

I turned slightly and saw one of the people assigned to guard Da Hee. Naturally, he was suspicious. Only a fool wouldn't be, especially now.

"Setting up obstacles. Better than nothing," I replied curtly, then turned away, disregarding him. He lingered for a moment, watching me work, then eventually gave up and left me alone. After all, what I was doing benefited everyone.

I wove the threads into spiderweb-like formations across both entrances, creating a conspicuous barrier. It was eye-catching by design—because with enough distraction, you can hide anything.