Plans That Keep Going Awry

There are essentially two reasons someone would ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠deliberately take on a quest that requires killing people.

First, the rewards are excellent relative to the difficulty.

Whether the objective is escape, survival, killing zombies, or rescuing people, quests of the same difficulty level generally offer rewards of roughly the same caliber — the details may vary, but the overall value stays consistent.

Killing people is different.

You get better rewards. Same effort, same risk, superior payout. For anyone with half a brain, that advantage is hard to ignore.

Second, you can run ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the quest safely.

Monsters — zombies, Lickers, insects — give you nothing to prepare for. Quests involving them tend to drop on you without warning, forcing you to improvise your way through whatever is right in front of you.

A quest to kill people, on the other hand, lets you do what Kim Hyeonsu did: adjust the difficulty, carefully verify whether the quest is even clearable, and make thorough preparations if anything looks insufficient or dangerous. You don't even have to face anyone head-on. If you lack confidence, poison their food and drink. No poison? Sleeping pills will neutralize them just fine. And unlike monsters that treat every human as an enemy on sight, people can be lulled into dropping their guard once you've earned their trust and intimacy.

That is why killing people is the safer quest. Of course, it still depends on who the target is.

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!!!!!

The reaction was immediate. A personal safety alarm — the kind that screams the moment you pull the pin — blared its warning through the building.

Five people had already died that day. The survivors were too anxious to sleep, glancing out their windows at every little sound. One of them spotted the outsiders climbing over the wall and raised the alarm at once.

Bang! Bang!

The people who had returned to the first floor after Kang Juhan's group left threw open the front doors and poured outside.

"Get out here, now!"

"Hurry!!"

"Move!!"

"Shut it! Shut the door!!"

They shouted for everyone still inside to come out. The villa residents had already made some preparations against an outside attack, driven by their own unease. The high walls, sturdy main gate, and vehicle entrance had always been enough to keep zombies out completely — so they had never needed to barricade the shared entrance before. Now they had. The underground parking entrance was sealed the same way. They had even removed the front-door handles and reinstalled them in reverse, so the doors could be locked from the outside rather than the inside. Corridor windows were blocked with heavy cabinets. And they hadn't stopped at flipping the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠handles.

"Push!"

"Ugh..!!"

"Nngh..!!"

Before sealing the shared entrance, they had hauled a heavy refrigerator through a large veranda window and shoved it against the front door as a second barricade. Even if outsiders smashed through a first-floor window and got inside a unit, there was no longer any way for them to reach the corridor that held the elevators and stairs. While that bought time, people from the other floors would come down to the first and prepare for a possible fight.

— The doors are opening.

Bang!!

The sound of elevators arriving and the emergency stairwell door swinging open brought a wave of relief to the people who had just finished shoving the refrigerator into place.

Then their faces went blank with confusion.

The faces coming out of the elevators and the stairwell door were strangers.

"You've been working hard~"

"Aw, this is almost embarrassing~"

"Heh heh...!"

"Look at them thrashing around just to avoid dying~"

"How did you..."

Every possible entry point from outside had been sealed. That only made the shock worse. What the villa people didn't know was that there were collaborators already inside — and it wasn't just Kim Hyeonsu.

"Sorry about this."

"Think of it as fate. The fate of dying."

"You— you bastards..."

"Don't tell me the people who died today were your doing too?!"

"That's impossible..."

"That wasn't us. Our colleagues handled that."

"Why the hell are you doing this to us?!!"

"Why? So the ones who are supposed to die die, and the ones who are supposed to live live. And while we're at it, we get to sample what high-class pussy from a place like this tastes like~"

"Heh heh..!"

"You insane sons of bitches!!!!!"

"You think we're going down that easy?!!"

Besides Kim Hyeonsu, two more collaborators had already infiltrated the building. They had posed as survivors in need of help, been rescued by Kim Hyeonsu and the others, and lived among them for over ten days.

"H-honey!!"

"Ghk..!! Guh....!!"

"Urgh..!!"

"No..! Stay with me! We'll get you treated, just please— Kyaah!!"

"Aaaah!!! Let go of me!! Honey! Honey!!!!"

Six people died in an instant. Husbands. Beloved partners. They fought with everything they had until the end, forced to watch their wives and lovers being dragged away by the hair, their hearts breaking as they died.

While their colleagues poured in through the parking entrance the collaborators had opened and slaughtered the residents, the two infiltrators cleared the barricaded shared entrance. Then they welcomed Park Junggeon — his upper body covered in tattoos.

"Boss!"

"You made it?"

"Good work."

"We really suffered for this. Ten days stuck in here without even getting any action — we were going stir-crazy~"

"Right~ So don't forget to take care of us!"

"This is because of that Seo Hayun girl, isn't it?"

"Heh heh heh~"

"Well, not entirely — but if you take care of us, Boss, we'll gratefully accept!"

"Fine. Do whatever you want with that bitch. It's not like idol pussy is coated in gold. I couldn't care less."

"Thank you, Boss!"

"We'll serve you with everything we've got!"

"Ah — but ask Hyeonsu first. If he says no, there's nothing I can do about it."

"Boss..!"

"Ah..!!"

Park Junggeon was their real leader — the strongest, the cruelest, and the hungriest for power. Kim Hyeonsu came next. Park Junggeon was the muscle; Kim Hyeonsu was the brains. That was why Hyeonsu always tried to prepare for every possible situation.

"Hamin!"

"Hyeonsu! Something's wrong on the first floor!"

"Stay here with Hayun. I'll go check the situation."

"I'll come with—!"

"You need to protect Hayun."

"....Please be careful."

Even with the plan all but complete, Kim Hyeonsu was still concealing his true identity. A lingering unease kept him cautious.

Am I worrying over nothing? No. There's no reason to reveal myself until the quest is finished. I'll watch a little longer.

Having kept Seo Hamin from leaving the apartment, Kim Hyeonsu raced down the emergency stairs.

"What's going on?!"

"Hyeonsu!"

"Looks like the first floor's been breached!"

"Hey~ hey~ just give it up already~"

"Stay back!! Come any closer and you die!!"

"Yeah, right."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Seeing people locked in a standoff on the emergency stairs — weapons swinging, one group above and one below — Kim Hyeonsu said he would check the outside situation first and stepped onto the second floor.

Damn it..! These idiots..!!

Every elevator that should have been usable was held on the second floor. Someone stood in each one, blocking the doors so they couldn't close.

"Hyeonsu! The people on the first floor are already done for..."

"I'll check outside first."

"Huh?? Uh..."

He went into an apartment and out onto the veranda. What he saw through the window made him scowl — exactly the situation he had been dreading.

So they left on purpose after all..!

His worst fear had come true. Kang Juhan's group — the ones he had even put a tail on — had come back to the villa. And they had arrived the moment the plan started, as if they had been waiting for it.

"Kill them all."

"Yes."

"Let's go."

"Hey~ you thugs over there, come on over~"

The words had barely left Kang Juhan's mouth before Yang Jaeyeol, Cha Suho, and Won Gihun started walking toward the people gathered at the shared entrance.

But those three weren't the ones who started the fight.

"Those crazy bastards are talking shit—"

"What the hell?!"

"It's a bow! Watch out!!"

"......"

The fight began with an arrow from Han Nari.

A man collapsed with a shaft buried in his forehead before he could finish his sentence. Before his body even hit the ground, Kim Jaemin and Lee Yeonghun charged into a crowd of more than twenty people.

Taat!!

Kim Jaemin chained together his nimble movement and quick-strike skills, launching himself into the air and driving a kick into a man's face. A half-beat behind him, Lee Yeonghun used his charge skill and slammed a shoulder into another man, sending him flying backward. Both of them looked in the same direction and spoke at once.

"You two! You're coming too."

"Time to finish what we started this afternoon."

"Hah.. those bastards didn't get hit hard enough..!"

"This time I'll kill you for real!!"

Hungry for payback after the ambush earlier that day, Kim Jaemin and Lee Yeonghun took on four men between them. Then someone burst from the crowd and thrust a spear straight at Cha Suho.

Shiiiiiik!!!

A spear user, just like Cha Suho. The same man who had confidently told Kim Hyeonsu that Suho was nothing special — that he could handle him alone. And the thrust lived up to that confidence: fast and powerful.

But he had overestimated himself. Or rather, he had been far too arrogant.

Pook!!

Cha Suho tilted his head and casually slipped the attack, then drove his own spear into the man's chest. He glanced back at his companions.

"We need to be a little careful. These guys are a lot stronger than those gangsters."

"That fucking idiot..!!"

Watching from the veranda, Kim Hyeonsu couldn't hold it in and muttered the words out loud. One man dead in a single second, and even with a two-to-one numbers advantage his side was clearly losing. The sight made him more anxious by the second.

He forced himself to think calmly.

Even if Park Junggeon and Kang Juhan are evenly matched, that doesn't reverse this situation. Junggeon has to completely overwhelm Juhan for anything to change. Can he? No — I already know the answer.

He had fought Kang Juhan himself. He had watched Park Junggeon up close this entire time. Evenly matched was possible. Overwhelming him was not.

Once the judgment was made, the action was swift.

Park Junggeon ends here. I'm cutting him loose.

Kim Hyeonsu burst out of the apartment, ran to the emergency stairs, and shouted.

"Kang Juhan's group has come to help us!"

"Is that true?!"

"We're saved!"

"I knew it! I knew those guys had loyalty!!"

Relief lit up every face — except Kim Hyeonsu's.

"This is no time to celebrate! We need to push down from above and hit them from both sides! Kang Juhan's group alone isn't enough!"

"Alright! Let's go!!"

"Use the elevators as well as the stairs — hit them all at once!"

A pincer attack from above and below. Having decided to abandon Park Junggeon, he needed to eliminate the rest cleanly so nothing came back to haunt him. And he had a clear reason for making that call.

Their quests were different.

Park Junggeon and the people who had climbed the wall had received a quest to take over the villa. But before Junggeon and his men came over the wall, Kim Hyeonsu had received a different one.

The rewards were enormous — and so were the penalties for failure. That was why he had made this decision: to clear his own quest, at the very least.

"Gahhk!!"

"Gyaaah!!!"

"Stand aside! I'll handle him!"

Kim Hyeonsu rode the elevator down and charged at Park Junggeon — who was casually cutting people down — swinging his blade. He wasn't about to show that he had already decided to abandon him.

Kaaang!!!

A harsh clang of metal. As Park Junggeon frowned, Kim Hyeonsu whispered fast and low, for his ears only.

(Go up to the eighth floor and kill Seo Hamin and Seo Hayun. I'll try to control the situation outside.)

(Why not just kill everyone?)

(Just do what I say for now. Have I ever been wrong?)

(Fair enough.)

Finished speaking, Kim Hyeonsu left his chest open just enough. Park Junggeon kicked him square in the torso, then cut down a few more people on his way into the elevator.

"That monster bastard..! Where's he going..!!"

"He's going after Hamin and Hayun, isn't he..?!"

"Damn it...!!"

"Ugh..!! No...!!!"

Kim Hyeonsu sprawled on the floor, pretending he couldn't get up. Once the quest was complete, he would pick his moment and run. And if the situation started looking favorable, he could always switch back to Park Junggeon's side.

Then another variable appeared.

"It's fine. I'll handle that side."

"......"

Kang Juhan had arrived. The man who should have been fighting outside was casually walking through the fallen people. Kim Hyeonsu, still faking injury, had no choice but to scramble to his feet.

"K-Kang Juhan! The situation outside first—!"

"What? You look fine."

"Ah... well..."

"If you're worried, why don't you go check outside yourself, Kim Hyeonsu."

Kim Hyeonsu's face twisted so hard anyone could see it. If Kang Juhan went upstairs now, Park Junggeon might fail to kill Seo Hamin and Seo Hayun. Under no circumstances could he afford the failure penalties.

Kill Kang Juhan with Park Junggeon, then escape this place. Without Juhan, I can get away. If it comes down to it, I'll use Junggeon as bait.

The constantly shifting plan had Kim Hyeonsu irritated to the point of screaming. But he had no other options, so he started racing up the emergency stairs.

Meanwhile, as Kang Juhan and Kim Hyeonsu climbed toward the eighth floor by elevator and stairs—

Puhk!!!

A flying kick caught Seo Hamin and sent her tumbling backward, limp.

"Oh~ you blocked that?"

"Nngh...!!"

"Unnie!!"

She had managed to cover her stomach with her arms in that split second, but her face was twisted in pain. Even so, she clenched her teeth, charged forward, and swung both daggers.

Whoosh!! Swish!! Shiiik!!!

The relentless assault was fierce enough that even Park Junggeon struggled to keep dodging — but stopping it was well within his power.

Kaaang!!

Puhk!!!

A short hand axe knocked the daggers aside. In the same motion, his shin drove up under her open right arm and slammed into her side.

"Urgh....!!!!"

Just one hit. After pouring out that ferocious barrage of attacks, Seo Hamin crumpled from a single kick. Durability was a stat most people neglected — and she was no exception.

"That's better. Now die."

"Ugh..!!"

"No!!!!"

Seo Hayun's scream couldn't stop the descending axe. But the black steel rod hurtling through the air could.

Hoooooom!!!!!!!!

Mook tore through the air with a sound that made the knees go weak, smashed into the wall, and buried itself there.

Kwaaaak!!!!!!

If a body had taken that hit, it would have been punched clean through. Park Junggeon stepped back to avoid the flying rod, then fixed a sharp gaze on the front door.

"You, huh? I was saving you for the next quest."

"You know me?"

"Of course. I've been watching."

"What are you, a stalker?"

"How about you just turn around and leave? Let's save our fight for later. You don't want to fight me without a quest either, do you?"

"Who the hell are you to decide that."

Kang Juhan spat the words out flatly and charged straight at Park Junggeon.