Let's Charge to the 20th Floor (1)
After completing the quest and still pounding my aunt three more times that night, morning came with the sunrise, and I immediately opened the MILF Collector.
I searched for the Reinforced Jumpsuit (C-grade) I currently had... '100 MP? Did they learn how to rip off newbie item prices from those shitty games... But considering the performance, it's worth it...' For a moment, I hesitated at the suit's price, nearly double what I'd expected, but my finger, frozen on the screen, soon tapped the purchase button.
You have purchased Reinforced Jumpsuit (C-grade) for 100 MP. The item has been stored in your temporary inventory.
The reason I splurged 100 MP on the Reinforced Jumpsuit right after waking up was simple: insurance against a potential backstab. Unlike yesterday when I searched floors 6 through 8 alone, today I had to scour the upper floors with Catherine, whom I didn't fully trust yet. If she turned on me, it'd be far better to have my aunt providing backup from the side than going solo.
That's why I'd bought the proven protective gear for my aunt, who was joining the search. 'It's still a bit iffy, but I'll keep her behind me and Catherine anyway.'
The door hissed open.
"How's it feel, Aunt? Any discomfort when you move?"
"It's perfect—snug but with a little room, so it's comfy. But how much did this cost you?"
"Don't ask about the price. It's for your safety, so forget about the cost."
"Still... it's points you earned the hard way, Minwoo..."
Lee Hye-yeon, my aunt, had overheard my casual slip earlier about buying it for her and now wore a guilty expression as she asked about the price. This was already my third don't ask about the price when the intercom screen lit up with a soft chime.
"Catherine must be here."
"Yeah. I'll get the door. Aunt, double-check if anything feels off."
"Got it."
Confirming Catherine's striking Western features on the intercom screen, I approached the front door just like yesterday—knife half-drawn but hidden from view. At the same time, I checked the Betrayal Detection window I'd gained last night.
Betrayal Detection is active.
Characters within 10m radius: Lee Hye-yeon (0%), Catherine (12%)
'Aunt at 0% means it's reliable, but what's with 12%?'
Catherine's betrayal rating—small enough to dismiss, yet annoyingly ambiguous—soured my mood right away as my left hand opened the door.
Click. Hiss...
"Hellooo. Sleep well? Ah, no... Slept good?"
"Yeah, slept well. But Catherine, isn't that a puffer jacket you're wearing?"
"Nope. Layered clothes underneath, then the puffer—bite me, won't hurt. See? Uh... See?"
Her pitch-black long puffer jacket wrapped from neck to knees. When I questioned it—it's almost summer, why the jacket?—she demonstrated its defensive prowess right there.
Chomp!
"It doesn't hurt at all, see?"
She nodded vigorously, eyes sparkling, unharmed after gnawing on the puffer. There was an innocent charm to it.
'A girl like this with a 12% betrayal chance... So damn ambiguous.'
After a quick breakfast of near-expired bread, our final checks complete, the three of us grabbed our weapons and headed out. Me with the crossbow and knife like yesterday. Aunt with her kitchen knife spear and spare. Catherine with a hefty fire axe.
Honestly, handing an axe to Catherine when I still wasn't sure about her felt risky, but...
"My best weapon after guns? Axe. Farm girl. Axe master."
When I asked what she handled best, her answer—axe after guns—followed by a masterful swing worthy of her self-proclaimed axe master title left me no choice.
'Put Catherine up front, and if shit hits the fan, handle it from behind...'
With Catherine leading, me in the middle, and Aunt at the rear, we passed the 8th-floor barricade and entered the 9th.
Scanning confirmed it empty inside. I hacked the door lock, and Catherine's eyes widened in shock.
Hiss. Click!
"Oh my... How'd you open it?"
"Ah, this..."
She geeked out like a tech nerd at a new gadget, asking how I'd cracked the lock. Unable to reveal the MILF Collector, I bullshitted that it was a hacking app I'd made myself. Her expressive foreign face lit up with admiration.
"Wow, cool. Hacker... Oh yeah, the barbed wire—you installed that too, right? Real ability user."
"Haha... You think?"
Noticing my awkwardness, Aunt smoothly changed the subject.
"Dual-income couple here too, huh? Everything's intact, no mess."
"Looks like it. We can grab what we need on the way back, so next house?"
"Yes, good."
All four apartments on the 9th and 10th were zombie- and survivor-free. But on the 11th, an elevator door greeted us—stuck open and closed repeatedly on something jammed inside.
Thud... Rattle. Thud... Rattle.
The object in the doors was striking: an arm, severed above the elbow, exposing white bone, dangling veins, and a ragged stump.
"Ugh..."
"Hng..."
Aunt and Catherine stifled groans, lips tight. Meanwhile, noting the two zombies on my scan map, I examined the arm closely. Thick forearm, large hand—likely male. It explained why the elevator had been stuck on the 11th for days. I whispered to Aunt, pointing at 1103.
"Aunt, two zombies in there. Catherine and I go first. If anything happens... you know."
"Yeah..."
Referring to our pre-discussed appropriate measures for Catherine's potential betrayal, she nodded tensely, grip tightening on her spear.
Ignoring the jammed arm for now, Catherine and I prepped to breach 1103.
"Catherine, sounds from inside—stay sharp."
"Yes."
Hiss! Click!
The hacking unlocked the door. We flung it open, spotting two zombies wandering the living room: a middle-aged male missing one arm, and a female in black leather costume.
'Whoa, no way?'
Her outfit reminded me of the three male zombies on the 6th yesterday. Some connection? Before I could dwell, Catherine, axe on her shoulder, charged yelling her target.
"Arm! Cripple! Man!"
'...Her word choice is something.'
Pre-apocalypse, that shout would've offended plenty. But learning curses first in a language is rule one—and yeah, the zombie was a one-armed cripple. I nodded slightly, raising my crossbow. As the sight aligned with the costumed female's forehead...
Smoother, crisper than yesterday.
Twang! Thwip! Splurt!!
In a blink, the bolt sliced air and buried between her eyebrows as she lunged. A watermelon burst echoed as she toppled backward.
While I sniped the costumed one, Catherine closed on the one-armed male. Dodging his flailing right arm, she slipped inside his guard and swung at his empty left side.
Horizontal axe blade plunged through his gaping jaws, cleaving straight through to split the skull from behind.
Whoosh! Crunch!! Drip...
Something split with a crack. The zombie's head neatly slid off and hit the floor.
Thud!
About two seconds later, the headless body crumpled. Catherine shouldered her axe again, grinning.
"Axe work good, right?"
Awkward smiles from me and Aunt as we nodded. She even threw up a thumbs-up.
Probabilities shown in the Betrayal Detection skill: For non-special relationships, 10-20% is typical. Start worrying at 50%+ for your mental health.