Chapter 30 : 2 Days later

The rooftop air was cold.

Not just the wind—but that creeping, nervous silence before everything breaks. Seo-Yeon sat beside the makeshift chimney, arms wrapped around her knees, staring at the sky.

In-Ji leaned against the wall across from her, fidgeting with the strap of his rifle. "You're sure about this?"

She didn't look at him. "She's just a kid."

"She's also not our mission," In-Ji said, softer than before.

"I know." Seo-Yeon finally turned to him. Her eyes were tired—not from lack of sleep, but from having seen too much. "But if you saw the way she held onto me last night… she's scared of waking up alone. I can't—" Her voice cracked. "I can't be the one to leave her."

In-Ji sighed, rubbing a hand through his cropped hair. "I'm not trying to be cold. I just don't want you to die because of guilt."

"And I don't want her to die because no one stayed."

They sat in silence for a moment.

The breeze lifted her bangs as she stared at the sleeping Eda inside through a cracked window. Her tiny fingers clutched that teddy bear like it was a life vest.

"I'll stay too," In-Ji said suddenly.

Seo-Yeon blinked. "You—what?"

"I can't fight this battle half-focused," he muttered. "I'll be worried about you the whole time. So if you're staying, I'm staying."

She laughed—just once. A short, shaky breath. "You're a terrible gunner."

"You're a worse babysitter," he grinned.

[After a few hours, Warehouse]

The warehouse hadn't changed.

But the man had.

He was twitchier now. Muttering to himself. His goggles were up on his forehead, his beard untrimmed, his eyes wild with sleep deprivation and something worse—obsession.

As they entered, he leapt from behind a barricade with two pistols drawn.

"WHO GOES THERE—oh. You again."

"Nice to see you too," I said dryly.

"Did you bring snacks?"

"…No."

"Then shut up and listen. THEY'RE COMING."

Mother sighed, stepping in. "Sir, please. Just listen to us and let's plan—"

"PLAN?!" the man barked. "I've made plans! I've made blueprints! This van is a tank! A castle! A rolling armory of divine fury!"

He patted the old van like it was a warhorse.

I stepped forward and showed him my Stat sheets UI. I gently asked him his.

"You are the guy who killed that Iron Rabbit. You are a strong man. Where were you when the army needed you men in the battlefield."

Then he showed his UI.

Name : Kim Hyun-Tae

Gender : Male

Age : 59

Level : 8

Nature : Talker

Class : Wild Card

Sub-Class : ( Unlocks after Mission 5)

Title : (Unlocks after Sub-Class)

Strength: 0080

Agility: 0080

Health Point: 0080

Magic point : 0080

Stamina : 0080

Nature : Talker

Description: Rare chance of a weapon gaining its own consciousness after talking with it.

I stepped forward. "Tell us about your class again. You said you were a jack-of-all-trades?"

The man beamed proudly. "Yes. My class is Wildcard. Everything and nothing. I know how to shoot, how to swing, how to cook an egg over a flaming tire while blindfolded."

Ye-rin raised an eyebrow. "And your Nature?"

He held up a finger like a professor. "Thinker. I talk to weapons. They talk back. Swords hum. Guns vibrate. That katana over there? It likes jazz."

"…Okay."

He handed us a couple of a walkie-talkie. "We stay in touch. When the wave comes, we defend this place at all costs. This sword—this memory—is too important. We're the last wall."

I turned to the others. "Let's go over and plan something ourselves."

"Let's Barricade the warehouse" Sang-woo spoke. As soon as everyone heard him, we got to work.

We spent half the day just dragging everything that could be remotely useful into place. Cement bags, forklift tines, twisted scaffolding poles—we made a barricade at the entrance sturdy enough to stop a charging truck. Sang-Woo reinforced the corners with bent rebar and duct tape. I used my beast-form strength to hoist crates too heavy for the others, while Ye-rin secured the gaps with barbed wire and broken glass. Mi-Sun etched hexes onto the windows with her bloodied fingers, whispering in that low priestess tone that always gave me chills.

Everything felt so final.

We all laughed. Nervously.

As we were done with our work, Seo-yeon and In-Ji came towards us.They stood and walked down to meet the rest of the group, who had already gathered near the warehouse gate for final preparations.

I frowned as they approached. "You're staying behind?" I knew that once Seo-yeon decided to stay with Han Eun-ha.. In-ji will follow her.

Seo-Yeon nodded. "We'll help . From the rooftop. If anything happens, we'll radio in."

I handed one of the walkie-talkies to In-ji. "We'll stay in contact. Just don't get yourselves killed."

"You too," Ye-rin said quietly, looking at Seo-Yeon.

They exchanged one last glance. Then the four remaining fighters—me, Yerin, Mi-Sun, and Sang-Woo—headed back toward the warehouse.

That night, I barely slept.

I kept thinking about the girl—Eun-ha, she said her name was. Eight years old and already living through this apocalypse. Seo-Yeon stayed with her in nearby building, along with In-Ji. They had the only safe building within line of sight of us. They were the only ones who wouldn't be here tomorrow.

Mother told us she'd carved weakening glyphs near the warehouse corners.

By midnight, we'd covered every window. Every entrance. Every blind spot.

And still… I felt cold.

2 days later.

A single line appeared on the system HUD, pulsing red:

GOBLIN ATTACK: 00:00:00

TARGET: FINAL MEMORY

The air tightened. Like the world was holding its breath.

I gripped the walkie-talkie. "In-ji, you there?"

crackle

"Yeah." His voice came through, rough but alert. "I'm on the roof with Seo-Yeon. The kid's still sleeping."

Then silence.

Then…

"…Guys."

"In-ji?"

"You need to get up. Now."

Ye-Jun stood, body tensing. "What is it?"

"…It's coming."

"What's coming?"

"Green."

"What?"

"A sea of it."

From the rooftop, In-jis voice came through the radio like a whisper from hell.

"It's the whole city. They're not walking. They're running. Climbing. Crawling. Goblins. Hundreds. Thousands. It's a flood."

I turned to the others. "Weapons. Now."

Mother stood, scythe in hand. "This is it."

Ye-Rin raised her axe. "Let's make sure they regret it."

Volt looks pleased by Ye-Rin's words.

The hyun-Tae climbed on top of his van, goggles lowered. "My children are ready. I am ready. Bring the pain!"

Ye-Jun clicked the radio once more.

"Everyone is in a position."

The warehouse hummed with silence.

Then, in the distance—

The drums of war began.