Finally Joining Forces

No matter how badly Yu Eunseol wanted to kill me, I couldn’t just leave her behind alone.

Baek Sihyeon might have the protagonist buff letting him casually wipe out two mantises plus a swarm of ants and still have ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠energy left to jerk off, but there was no guarantee Eunseol got the same broken freebies.

Still—killing me was important and all, but maybe wiping the cum dripping down her thighs should come first?

Clang!!!

Drip—

Even Eunseol, mid-swing with her Japanese sword, finally seemed to notice. Her pupils trembled.

"……"

"Hold on a second. Don’t swing that at the back of my head."

"W-where are you going?!"

"Looking for wet wipes."

"……"

I stepped into the store and rummaged behind the counter. Wet wipes turned up without much trouble.

"Give them here!"

"……"

"Turn around!!"

"……"

I did exactly as furious Eunseol ordered. A moment later, a spent wet wipe smacked the back of my head.

"You bitch!!"

"Why the hell would you throw that filthy thing?!!"

"That filthy thing…!!!!"

"……"

I clamped my mouth shut, out of things to say. Eunseol set her Japanese sword on the counter, strode over, and seized me by the collar.

"Panties first… hand them over…!!"

"I didn’t take those."

"What are you talking about?! You were the one who took them… off…!!"

"That’s true, but I didn’t take them with me, okay?!"

"Don’t lie to me..! They’re not in there..!!!"

I couldn’t exactly tell her Baek Sihyeon had used her panties to jerk off while watching us have sex, so I just kept insisting I didn’t have them. Eunseol started patting me down.

"I really don’t have them."

"How am I supposed to believe you!! You even had my necklace…!!"

"Sigh… Fine. Search all you want."

I spread my arms and let her dig through everything. Naturally, the panties Sihyeon had taken never turned up.

"You bitch..!!!"

"Aagh!! Stop biting me already!!"

"Uuuuugh!!!!"

Unable to contain her rage, she sank her teeth into my trapezius this time. I blew a hot breath against her ear.

"Haaaah—"

"Kyaaah!!! Wh-what are you doing?!!"

"I really don’t have them."

"How am I supposed to believe that?! You even had my necklace..!!"

"……"

"You said you wouldn’t lie..!!"

Ah. I had said something like that, hadn’t I.

What a load of nonsense I’d spouted.

"I honestly didn’t know it was your necklace…"

"……"

"Fine! Okay! I lied because I wanted to have sex with you! Happy now?!"

"Is that supposed to be an excuse?!!!! I’m really going to kill you..!!!"

I needed to change the subject. And there was a very simple way.

"Aren’t you worried about Baek Sihyeon?"

"Ah…. S-Sihyeon oppa..! Where’s Sihyeon oppa?!"

"We should go look."

"Don’t tell me…."

"He’s not dead. I didn’t kill those things."

I pointed at the two mantis corpses and the dead ants visible outside the store. Eunseol snatched up her Japanese sword and bolted out.

"Sihyeon oppa…"

"Let’s try that way. I’ve got a feeling."

"……"

I pointed in the direction I’d last seen Sihyeon sprinting with her panties in hand. Eunseol shot me a murderous glare.

"Trust me. It’s definitely that way."

"How am I supposed to trust you?!"

"What are you gonna do if you don’t?"

"Wha… F-fine, let’s go together!!"

If he’d been heading to the third floor where people were gathered, he should have gone the opposite direction. He knew that and still came this way.

Did some quest pop up? Or was he just so panicked he ran blindly?

And honestly—does this even make sense?

"Ah…."

"……"

Only a few hours ago the guy had decent stats but couldn’t handle a single mantis alone. Now the path Sihyeon had taken was littered with insect corpses—how many protagonist buffs had he stuffed himself with?

Thanks to that trail, finding him was easy.

"Sihyeon oppa!!"

"E-Eunseol…."

"Kieeeeeeeee!!!!!"

"Ugh!!! Stay back! This is my quest! I can do it alone!! I will…! I’ll clear it by myself…!!"

"You can’t! It’s too dangero—"

Eunseol’s steps, ready to rush in and help, froze. He looked like he was struggling, yet the atmosphere around Baek Sihyeon right now was so intense that even offering help felt wrong.

Kaaaaang!!!!!!

I still didn’t know exactly what quest it was, but Baek Sihyeon cleared it alone.

It wasn’t the shared “kill ten insects” quest everyone got. Just the corpses we’d confirmed on the way here already numbered well over ten.

The second quest from the department store.

What kind of reward did he get?

I was curious, but this wasn’t a situation where I could just ask outright. He was looking at me like I was basically a zombie.

And is that pure love? Being that gentle with a girl who just had sex with another guy?

"Sorry for making you worry.."

"It’s fine. Are you hurt anywhere?"

"I’m okay. And I’m sorry.. I got chased by the insects and couldn’t help you, ended up running all the way here.. Are you hurt? Are you really okay?"

"….Yes. I’m fine."

"Thank god… I’m so glad you’re safe…. From now on I’ll protect you. I’ll help you. I’ll get stronger."

"……"

At Sihyeon’s vow, Eunseol lowered her head without a word, as if guilt was eating at her.

But why is that bastard’s pants pocket bulging like that?

Don’t tell me he still hasn’t thrown the panties away??

"That perverted son of a bitch..!"

Baek Sihyeon was a pervert. And clearly one with some very special tastes.

I didn’t know how big the rewards were, but after clearing two quests Baek Sihyeon had definitely gotten stronger.

Strong enough that, before sunset yesterday, the remaining members of the protagonist’s party cleared their quests with almost no help from us.

Of course it wasn’t just Sihyeon—everyone else had also figured out how to fight the insects, which helped a lot.

"A company-sized force is scheduled to arrive shortly."

"Thank god.."

"We’re saved! We’re actually saved!!"

"Phew…."

"So once the soldiers get here, we clear the quest and leave?"

"Yes."

Word that the military was coming wiped the worry from Captain Son Gijun’s face—and from the faces of everyone who’d barely slept through the night.

"Then we’ll be taking our leave."

"Could you wait just a little longer?"

"Don’t worry. By now the armored insect corpses blocking the entrance will have been completely eaten, and since we’re leaving rather than entering, the zombies won’t come inside the department store."

"That’s not it—I’m saying the insects might ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠escape the department store."

"The insects already left."

"What? What do you mean?"

I’d thought Captain Son Gijun was a sharp guy, but apparently not that sharp.

"Just because the survivors clear the quest doesn’t mean the penalty is canceled. Breeding Expansion—that’s already underway."

"Ah… I see…"

People who entered the department store and died failed the quest, so the insects would head outside and start breeding.

No—breeding had already begun.

If another turning point hit after this, Yeouido would become a place where powerless people simply couldn’t survive.

Of course the insects’ breeding rate wasn’t as fast as the zombies’, and we’d already wiped out the Spawning Ground that was supposed to fail its raid, so it would stay safer a little longer than in the webtoon.

"I’m going too."

"Eunseol!"

"What are you talking about?!"

"Where do you think you’re going??"

"Don’t tell me, Eunseol, you…"

"I’ll be moving with these people from now on."

"Why all of a sudden?!"

Baek Sihyeon, Choi Junseok, Lee Jeongcheol, Kim Seojeong—even quiet An Gyeongsu—all shouted at once.

But Eunseol’s will was firm.

"The reason… I can’t tell you. Thank you for everything until now."

She even bowed as she said goodbye. Baek Sihyeon shot to his feet.

"Captain Son Gijun, I’ve been in your debt."

"Baek Sihyeon."

"I’ll be going with Eunseol and these people."

"Hey, what’s wrong with you too?!"

"Sihyeon, if you leave as well, what are we supposed to do?!"

"What the hell’s going on all of a sudden…"

"Baek Sihyeon, think carefully. This isn’t something you decide that easily."

"I’ve already decided. I’m not going to force any of you—or hyung—to choose the same."

"This is insane, seriously…!"

"Haa…"

"Well, if it’s come to this, no choice."

Lee Jeongcheol stood up and walked straight toward me.

"If it’s not an imposition, would it be all right if we joined you as well?"

"……"

This was the sea I’d been waiting for.

Ever since I realized this was the world of the webtoon, this had been my top priority.

So why did it feel so damn uneasy?

Especially the way Eunseol and Sihyeon were staring at me—it was a lot of pressure.

Even so, my answer was already decided.

"Of course."

"Thank you. Then we’ll be in your care from now on."

"Then drop the formal speech, hyung. The age gap’s only a few years and the honorifics feel weird."

"Haha..! Even if the first digit’s different, you know it’s only four years, right?"

And just like that, we finally joined forces with the protagonist’s party.

Our original twelve plus Sihyeon’s six made eighteen total.

Way more than I expected.

Looks like the remaining points would have to go toward that first priority.

The first place we headed after leaving the department store was, of course, the shop that was scheduled to disappear today.

"Hey, the insects might already be outside—shouldn’t we check the apartment first?"

"He’s right! What if people are in danger?!"

"This is more urgent. We don’t know how long it’ll stay here."

"What do you mean?"

"You’re saying the shop might disappear?"

"It might."

It was information I could share without looking like I knew everything, yet I still didn’t spell it out.

By the way—is she seriously planning to assassinate me??

Why is she staring like that?!

"……"

I glanced back. Our eyes met. Eunseol’s left hand rested on the scabbard; her right moved toward the hilt, ready to draw at any second, glaring even harder.

I’m going crazy, seriously..!

Whatever! Let’s finish this first.

Just the points I was holding came to a full 2,580P.

Even the three college girls with the least each had over 1,000P.

Our current total: 17,570P.

Add whatever Sihyeon’s group was carrying and we’d easily clear 20,000P.

Whether they planned to share points with us was another question.

"Share points?"

"Yeah. From now on, any items we’ll use jointly get bought by splitting the cost evenly."

"What are you planning to buy?"

"Safe Zone Setting Ticket, Water Purifier Filter, Solar Power Generator."

"How much is all that?"

"16,970P."

"Heeek!!"

"That expensive??"

"So that’s a thousand points each…"

"You don’t have it?"

"W-well, it’s not that we don’t… it’s almost everything we have…."

"Juhan hyung, can’t we just buy Skill Reinforcement Tickets instead? Getting stronger comes first, right?"

I shook my head at Choi Junseok’s question.

"This comes before skills. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to share."

"Really??"

"But since we’re buying it with our points, only ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠we get to use it. You understand that much, right?"

"Ah…."

"O-oppa…"

"You take no risk and still want the benefits. Did you follow us just to freeload like that? Jeongcheol hyung, is that fair?"

"N-no! Let us think about it a bit first…"

"Five minutes."

"How are we supposed to decide something this important in five minutes?!"

"We’re short on time."

"Augh, seriously..! Everyone gather up!"

The moment Lee Jeongcheol called his group together, two voices immediately agreed.

"I’ll pay the 1,000P."

"Me too."

"Eunseol! Gyeongsu, you too?! At least discuss it first…"

"Safe Zone Setting Ticket, Water Purifier Filter, Solar Power Generator. I don’t know exactly how effective they are, but just from the names you can tell we absolutely need them. House, water, electricity."

"That’s true, but… Sihyeon, what do you think?"

"……"

After a short pause, Baek Sihyeon reached his conclusion without much trouble.

"Gyeongsu’s right. Getting stronger right away is good, but we never know when water and power might cut out, and having a secured safe place lets us rest easy."

"Huu… Junseok, Seojeong?"

"What choice do we have at this point? It’d be weird if only we sat out, and even if hyung and the three of us pool our points it’s only a little over 3,000P—not enough to do anything useful. Even if we bought a Skill Reinforcement Ticket, the three of us would still have to watch everyone else’s faces."

"Seojeong agrees too?"

"Yes, I agree."

"Then I agree as well. Juhan, how do we hand over the points?"

"Everyone touch the shop once. I’ll handle the rest. Explanations later."

"Got it."

Everyone touched the shop in turn, and I left the actual purchases to Nari.

We’d just stick them in Inventory and use them later anyway.

"Proceed."

"1,000 points."

We bought them one after another, starting with the Safe Zone Setting Ticket.

Done.

Next up: a Level 1 Skill Reinforcement Ticket.

"We’re reinforcing Nari’s skill—why do we have to chip in points?"

"This feels like it only benefits one person…"

"No. Nari’s skill helps all of us."

"What do you mean?"

This time Baek Sihyeon spoke up first. He’d seen Nari pull a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠gun out of her Inventory back at the church.

We’d each put in 1,000P for the shared items, then another 150P toward Nari’s Skill Reinforcement Ticket.

Nari herself paid 200P, calling it her own skill, and the rest of us covered 115P each to finish the joint purchase.

Awkward leftover amount.

A little short for a 2,000P Level 1 Skill Reinforcement Ticket, and nothing else really worth buying.

Maybe borrow a bit from the others?

Except everyone was looking at me like they wanted to borrow points instead…

"Juhan, can you lend me your leftover points? Then I can buy a Skill Reinforcement Ticket.."

"Hyung! Lend them to me and Mingu! We’ll pay you back with interest!"

"I’ll give you an extra 200 points!"

"I can do that too!"

"Gihun hyung! If we pool ours it’s 600 points!"

"Oh yeah! Hey! Lend them to me! I’ll throw in an extra 300!"

Suho, Jaeyeol and Mingu, Gihun and Jaemin and Yeonghun—three-way war broke out over my remaining points.

Then, out of nowhere, a very bad sound reached my ears.

Click!!

Click! Click! Click!

The sound of guns being racked.

"Hand over everything you just bought!!"