Hide and Seek (1)
"-_- Aaaaaaaah!"
A continuous wail. But this wasn't the kind of monster screech I'd heard before.
"-_- Aaaaaaaah!"
It was human. A hellish chorus blending the voices of men, women, young and old alike—something you'd expect from the pits of hell. I stared at it, immediately preparing to summon an Ice Shield.
It can use something like Blink or teleportation.
The moment it attacked me, I'd trigger Ashes Veil and crush the bastard flat under an Ice Shield. It looked especially aggressive and dangerous—like a Ruin Remnant—so I figured a full-on assault from the start was the way to go.
Flash.
That was the instant. The sky lit up in a blinding flash.
"Ice Shield."
I summoned one right above me without hesitation. If it came at me head-on, it'd get smashed under it for sure.
But...
...It dodged?
The flesh orb vanished just like that. Aside from my instinctive first strike, it hadn't targeted me at all. The sphere, the size of a three-story building, gave me one glance before disappearing from where it hovered.
"Kieeeek!"
"......"
As the flesh orb vanished, zombies and faceless ones turned toward me with reactions.
Tsk.
I clicked my tongue and Frost Blinked straight to the rooftop of Mirae Apartment. Monsters swarmed the spot I'd just left.
===
Whoosh.
Rain suddenly poured down. The rain falling amid the black fog looked like black blood dripping from the heavens.
Clink.
...This is ridiculous.
I sighed as I overlooked the darkened city from the Mirae Apartment rooftop.
Don't monsters usually charge mindlessly, and people run away?
That's how it always went in movies or media. Why were all the monsters I encountered smarter than humans?
Everything I'd experienced in this world was the opposite. Humans targeted me, while monsters fled at the sight of me.
...I should've caught on from the second remnant.
...Those damn Liberation Army bastards targeted me just fine.
The things that were supposed to fight me avoided me instead.
Come to think of it, they never went after our Our Love Church base members either.
There had to be something else. Maybe something in my Status Window. Or in my abilities.
Not to mention, I was the only one with a Status Window, and the only one who didn't register on detection—that was weird enough.
Status Window.
I called it up after a long while.
Name: Kim Junyoung
Age: 29
Class: Mage (Advanced) [Proficiency: 0%]
Stats
Skill Points: 0
Skills
Ice Spear [C]: Summons and launches two 50cm ice spears. Mana Cost: 1
Ice Shield [E]: Summons a 3x3m ice shield. Mana Cost: 5
Ashes Veil [E]: Constantly occupies 2/4 mana to block fatal damage for 3/6 seconds. Mana Cost: 4 [Occupied]
Frost Blink [D]: Gathers mana for 3 seconds to teleport to a desired location within 50m. Leaves frost residue. Mana Cost: 5
Main Quest
Chapter 1: City of the Dead
NO.1 Find the Savior. [0/1]
Sub Quest
NO.1 Collect Ruin Fragments. [2/10]
Messages [2/10] [Y/N]
A lot popped up.
Stuff about the City of the Dead, and that the ninth remnant was close by.
"Ice Spear."
I dismissed the red text and eyed a spot on the 15th floor of the apartment across the way.
Boom!
A noise. But since it came from the 15th floor, it didn't draw much aggro from the monsters.
"Frost Blink."
I Blinked straight to the balcony there. Hunting the ninth remnant was going to take a while, after all.
===
It was afternoon, past two o'clock.
Click.
But outside was pitch black. Gloomy weather. Gloomy city. A city devoid of life. Glass shards crunching underfoot.
Whoosh.
Rain pouring in from outside. Chilly cold. I stepped from the balcony into the living room.
A family home. I scanned the dark, lifeless interior. Family photo in a frame. Sofa, TV, computer in the living room. Dusty table, air conditioner. Silence. Only the sound of rain in the apartment.
Splash.
Thud.
I wrung out my clothes once and leaned against the sofa.
Main quest. Sub quest.
I thought about it. Went to crush the Liberation Army, and a remnant popped out. Went to crush the remnant, and a main quest appeared.
What the hell is a Savior, anyway.
I sighed. Everything was a mystery.
Haa...
My head hurt. Nothing was going right.
But as always, I had to stick my neck out. Playing it safe wouldn't get me anywhere.
But not this time.
This time, I needed to take it slow.
First things first, that damn remnant.
I shook my head and sighed. Since the ninth remnant had chosen to run away like a bitch...
I had to hunt it down and crush it.
And while tracking it, find the Savior on the side.
City of the Dead. But I didn't think this was the city the Status Window meant.
That helpful Status Window said the fragment was nearby, not the city.
This black fog city—no, the City of the Dead was probably scattered across the world.
And one of them had this Savior.
Otherwise...
There'd be people here.
I checked outside. Mirae Apartment complex. Not a single sign of life. Even the lit windows showed only rain shadows and swaying curtains—no human silhouettes.
If only I had detection skills.
I couldn't bring others here. I had Blink, so I was fine, but the rest? Doubtful.
And those guys below aren't pushovers.
Faceless ones and zombies. Their numbers were nothing to sneeze at. Either ignore them like I could, or bring overwhelming firepower.
But if that ninth remnant showed up, everyone but me was dead meat.
What kind of monster uses Blink.
Haa. That's why tracking it was such a pain.
...No idea how many days this'll take.
Still, I got up. It was something I had to do myself, no matter how tough.
And since it wasn't going outside, I'd have to search and eliminate it personally.
...After the rain stopped, of course.
Could use a shower.
My body was already soaked.
Catching a cold would suck.
Of course, if Kim Yunjin's powers could cure a cold, I wouldn't give a shit and just move. But who knows.
Should've asked.
No, better not to get sick at all.
Haa...
I sighed and stood. Time to find a towel and dry off.
Living room. Walked through to the kitchen, then the bathroom in front. Entered the master bedroom next to it.
Stinks.
Poor ventilation. The smell was nasty. I stepped over the messy bedding, rummaging through the dresser.
"This is..."
That's when I spotted the family photo on top of the dresser. A man and woman in their 50s, a woman and man in their 20s.
Buzzcut ajusshi.
Didn't look like a professional studio shot. The man's outfit was a military uniform.
...Discharge day?
I could guess. Discharge day. Forced family photo. The 50s man forcing a smile, his wife giggling, sour-faced daughter, and the son grinning wide.
Probably all dead.
No time for sentiment. I set it aside and grabbed a towel.
Rustle.
Drying my hair, arms, and body, I thought. They were strangers to me anyway.
But still. What the hell were these things?
Turning the world to shit, eating people, turning them into faceless monsters, killing nonstop.
...Gotta go.
Even so, I stretched while eyeing the outside. Time to move.
Wonder where it went.
Drip.
Drip.
I pulled an umbrella from the entryway drawer, opened it, stepped onto the balcony, and Frost Blinked back to the Mirae Apartment rooftop. Rooftop of Building 103, across from 101.
Patter patter.
Hearing the rain hit the umbrella, I scanned the surroundings.
Station area... checked it first.
Best to start from where I first arrived, circle rightward around Mirae Apartment.
Check Mirae Department Store and the ogre district.
Confirm downtown. Follow Cheonggyecheon south, check it out, pass Cheonggye Market.
...Gotta see how far the fog goes.
If it's swallowed everything down to Cheonggyecheon, replan. If not...
There's an apartment complex down there.
Grab a place to crash, spend the night, check more tomorrow.
Good plan.
No clue why I was playing hide-and-seek with a monster bastard.
But no choice. Unlike expectations, that massive thing had fled from me...
Either I die, or that flesh orb does.
"Frost Blink."
I had to see it through.
Whoosh.
I Blinked away from the Mirae Apartment complex. The damp black rain of this cursed day kept pounding my umbrella.