Acknowledging Each Other's Existence - 4
The people of the settlement had been granted a brief vacation. The settlers returned to the apartment—their home—for some much-needed rest. There was still a risk of supplies or facilities being destroyed, but there was no helping it. With all combat personnel leaving the base, I couldn't guarantee their safety otherwise.
And in the meantime, I'd dove back into the dungeon.
"Hoo..."
By now, taking down zombies was no longer a challenge for me. It wasn't even boring anymore. Like a seasoned carpenter sawing through a log, I methodically sliced through them with precise, restrained movements, one by one.
I gazed at the Goliath in front of me, its arms and legs severed in an instant, then called out to the people behind me.
"Who wants to take this one?"
"M-me, sir!"
One of the mercenaries shot his hand up. I nodded.
"Gun or sword?"
"Gun!"
"I'll tear it up just enough for you."
The mechanics of gaining EXP were a bit complicated, but the one landing the killing blow got the lion's share. I slashed open the Goliath's forehead with my sword, setting it up perfectly for a single bullet to finish it off.
"Thank you, sir!"
Bang! The gunshot flashed, and the bullet shattered the Goliath's skull.
"Let's go."
The followers might struggle a bit, but lingering in this dungeon forever was worse than a few tough days. I opened the door. Another zombie appeared. I drew my sword again.
After a brief swing, the room held only zombie corpses—and zombies soon to be corpses.
"This should be the last one on this floor by size. Soi, your turn."
"Got it!"
Soi pulled out a lighter from her hand. A massive flame erupted from her palm in an instant. I herded my slaves toward the exit. The fire roared, devouring the zombies. Before the smoke could thicken too much, I quickly ushered the women into the next room and shut the door.
"Hm..."
A treasure chest. Inside were some money and a single drink—a recovery potion. The status window informed me it restored a good amount of HP. Not crucial info right now. I pocketed it and headed down to the next floor.
I needed to get stronger, fast.
"It's nice having so many people. This dungeon seemed like it'd take forever, but we wrapped it up somehow."
"..."
Soi and the mercenaries exchanged serious glances.
"What's up?"
"It's not that, but..."
Soi reluctantly spoke up.
"I can't help thinking... is it really okay to get this strong so easily?"
"Why wouldn't it be?"
Seohee let out a hollow laugh.
"I felt it last time too... Not many people can just farm EXP like this."
"Hmm..."
"Speaking of, you don't level up?"
"No word on that."
Of course, I wasn't disappointed. I still had empty skill slots for emergencies, and level-up stat boosts weren't a huge deal for me anyway. Still, I wouldn't ignore levels entirely. Stat growth wasn't something to dismiss.
Someone around level 50 might not beat me, but to others, they'd look roughly on my level in movement.
"...Should be plenty, right?"
I'd cleared out zombies that might've breached during downtime. Amassed a fortune too. But those weren't the real goal of this dungeon run.
"You're already over-specced. Planning to conquer the whole peninsula?"
Soi stuck out her tongue. I chuckled dryly.
"That much, huh..."
Sua nodded vigorously.
"Exactly that much! I've met tons of people running around, but at this scale, this firepower... even without you, Master, it's terrifying!"
Sua wouldn't lie to me. But it was still hard to believe.
"Yeah..."
Seohee nodded.
"Half the organization's ex-mercs with real combat experience. Decent gear, solid levels."
"Hmm."
"The rest aren't super high-level, but arm 'em decently and they'll earn their keep. Me and Soi are here. Sua fights pretty well for a scavenger too..."
Seohee tilted her head, then burst out laughing.
"What the hell. On paper, we look like a damn bandit crew. Half captured slaves or civilian collaborators, half fighters—perfect fit."
"Crazy..."
Anyway, this felt sufficient. I could rest easy. I looked at Seohee silently.
"You ready?"
"...Of course."
Her expression turned serious. I'd rushed into the dungeon to hunt monsters and boost everyone else's levels—for times when I wasn't around, so they could protect themselves.
"Then let's head out."
To face her issue together.
A few days later, I watched Seohee fidgeting in my room, a faint smile on my lips.
"Still tense?"
"Honestly, I don't even know if this is right. What kind of slave asks her master for this? Any sane person wouldn't!"
"Technically, you didn't ask. I told you to speak up."
"Same damn thing!"
Despite appearances, Seohee was surprisingly strict with herself. Slaves had to do this much as a given, or she had to laugh off awkward spots since she'd tried to kill me once. She held herself to standards I couldn't quite grasp.
"First, before we start, let's clarify something."
"..."
Seohee calmed herself and listened.
"I'm going to find those women you were with. Can't take forever, but if I really try, it'll be quick."
With people already searching, clues were out there. Talking to them would yield something. That'd be enough.
"You still haven't decided what to do when we find them, right?"
"...Sorry."
"No need. Anyway, once I find them, I'll drag 'em to you. Whatever you choose, it'll matter."
Seohee listened without a word.
"And there might be clashes along the way. I won't kill them first, but they could get hurt."
"I know. Neither me nor those bastards are kids... Whatever happens, they earned it."
"Finally, those women killed people, right?"
"..."
"If that group—Seven Seed, was it?—wants punishment for those deaths, I won't stop them."
I wouldn't shield them just because Seohee knew them. Honestly, her lingering complex feelings didn't fully make sense to me. But the judgment was hers. The emotions were hers, not mine.
"Got it. You're stricter than you look."
"Not really..."
Still, that covered everything.
"Let's go."
Prep was done. Leaving the base too empty was risky, so it was just me and Seohee this trip.
"Where to first?"
"Seven Seed. Your old crew, right?"
Seohee averted her eyes, mumbling softly.
"...Yeah. Sorry. Should've told you sooner."
"That so?"
"I-I didn't wanna reveal it. Thought you'd hate it or something—"
"Enough."
I shook my head with a smile.
"You know I don't even know what Seven Seed does."
I wasn't obsessed with her past. Didn't wanna pry into who she was or what group she ran with.
"Old stories? Tell me when you feel like it. Over drinks maybe?"
"That... sounds good."
"I asked 'cause we gotta go there. To Seven Seed's base."
"In person?"
Seohee stared at me in shock.
"No, they're... guys, right? The boss too. Going to another org with just me is... dangerous..."
She trailed off, realizing how foolish it sounded.
"Not really."
"It won't be dangerous."
Wherever I went, danger didn't follow. No matter what they thought of me or wanted, I had the power to handle it.
"We'll start there. You said people died, right? Someone handled the bodies or saw it. They'll be there."
Humans were rational. That made them so easy to grasp. I had no intention of letting them slip away.