Ungrateful Survivors
"Shivaaaal... Did he go?"
After the man left, the women he'd left behind spat curses.
"He's really gone, right?"
"Yeah. The door just opened and closed again. He went to another room."
"Finally, we can breathe easy..."
They sprawled out in the safe zone, letting out deep sighs of relief.
"Fuck, that worthless prick struts around like his dick makes him king."
"All men are the same shit. That bastard I saw last time? Total lack of humanity."
As if they'd been waiting for this moment, they unleashed a torrent of abuse against the man.
It was a twisted smear campaign. At the very least, the guy they'd just met hadn't even ogled them—he'd only shown them kindness. Just for cleaning up the zombies, he'd split the dungeon rewards fifty-fifty and brought booze and snacks. On top of that, he'd given them fever reducers and medicine for free. In this harsh world, that was a massive favor.
"Look at that bitch doctor defending him, fuck. All that trash-talking she did in front of us? Total act."
"Fucking idiots always recognize their own kind."
"Who knows? That doctor's pussy might be prime real estate. Probably already been fucked raw."
"Fuck, if he had any dick left, he could've shared with us, but nah—leaves the ones slaying zombies like dogs with nothing—"
They dredged up every excuse to hate the man. For not letting them fuck him, or projecting past traumas onto him.
"Fuck..."
But the real reason—the biggest one—was the humiliation of having knelt before him.
Like any ragtag band of unaffiliated survivors, they usually held the upper hand. They could toy with, rob, or kill lone wanderers using their group's strength. They bowed their heads to other gangs or the rare massive hunter organizations, but against solos? They did whatever they wanted.
But not lately.
They'd bowed to the doctor, and now to this lone guy. It was a rational survival tactic. Yielding to unbeatable foes or fights not worth winning made sense. It saved their lives.
But rationality didn't salve their pride.
They wanted to wash away that shame. By any means necessary.
"Hey, Min-kyung. You feeling better?"
"Fuck... Fever's down a bit. I can move, but chugging more meds might help."
"Anyway, isn't slamming those fever reducers enough to pull through? Pop some antibiotics too."
"Dunno. I'll survive, probably."
"With that guy gone, no more leeching off him. Your full recovery's fucked. Fuck, how do we scrape up that cash?"
"Yeah. Fuck... But we can't just give up. It's not like fever meds grow from the ground."
"Then before we bail, wanna properly fuck up that shitty doctor bitch?"
Their eyes lit up.
"What?"
"Fuck, Min-jung's got stealth and terror skills. If we sneak in right, hospital means meds too..."
"Wasn't that just talk? She's the only solo doc around here. Piss her off and others might flip out."
"Come on, who likes someone living like that? If she croaks, they'll just say she had it coming. Think anyone's coming for revenge?"
"That makes sense."
Their plan took shape.
"Fuck, then Min-jung hides first... I'll take a stab wound and go in."
"Stab same as zombie bite? Doc's got sharp eyes."
"Then say I got hurt fighting other guys..."
"What if she asks who?"
"Fuck if I know. Zombies'll pop up on the way, right? No need for real wounds—just slash some blood, rip clothes."
"Yeah. That money-grubbing bitch won't suspect."
"...Wanna try?"
They exchanged sinister grins.
In this world, crime wasn't a big deal.
"Ugh... So hard."
I rubbed my eyes and sat up, my head on a makeshift pillow of bundled clothes, sore from the hard floor.
Checked my phone for the time. If I nailed the boss and got out now, it'd be about three days in the dungeon.
"Still... Made it this far."
A lot had happened. More like, I'd bulldozed down without rest, mechanically slaughtering monsters. No thrill, no rush.
Treasure chests gave decent cash, but it was fleeting. Back to the grind, wrapped in deep mental fatigue.
I just wanted to kill this thing quick and get back to Sua and Seohee.
Slept deep, body in top shape. Just the boss left.
I gritted my teeth and opened the boss room door.
"Let's see..."
The moment I did, I couldn't help but chuckle dryly.
"What the hell."
I was sure now. Roa's efforts? Pointless.
You needed my level. Or at least enough to laugh off every zombie I'd sliced on the way.
"All dungeon bosses this tough?"
A massive maggot monster filled my view. Rotting flesh everywhere, but no obvious weak spots.
"Hits hard, huh?"
Even in my old world, beasts this size were rare. If every dungeon nearby hid one like this—not just this one—the world wasn't messing around.
"Uwaaaaaah..."
A grotesque, babyish wail unfit for its size pierced my ears.
"Fucking gross."
Size of a normal house or shop—not my apartment, but close. Barely a lifeform.
If this roamed streets, even a non-apocalypse world couldn't win easy. Needed an army. Not handguns—tanks, cannons, machine guns.
Its sheer mass screamed threat.
"Gonna take a while."
But that was it.
I'm strong. No matter the powerhouse or nightmare waiting, I could cut it down.
The beast was tougher than expected, but so what.
"Here goes."
I poured mana into my staff and charged the giant worm.
...Focus.
It was huge. I could wrestle it, but no point clashing brute force. One slip from that bulk, and I'd be paste.
My patience was thin too. Hours of tag? Possible, but nah.
No variables.
The staff's just a trigger...
Even a real sword wouldn't scratch deep at arm's length. Smashing a building with a blade? Insane, especially a writhing one. Time sink.
So, bigger sword.
Mind.
Imagine a titan's blade matching the apartment's scale—brutal, massive.
Mind Blade wasn't some god-slaying artifact. Just efficient mana shaping.
And I'd hunted with it plenty.
"Here goes."
The giant formed. Shapeless, but its sword was real.
Blue glow from my staff filled the vast space.
"Die."
"UWEEEEIIIIIII!!!"
In a flash, the giant worm zombie's head severed.
I wiped sweat from my brow. Skill still active.
"UAAAAAAA!!!"
"Ha, creepy crybaby."
Its torso stump writhed hideously. Hundreds, thousands of tiny maggots swarmed the cross-section, reforming.
New face emerging.
"Full of tricks."
Not just torso—the neck stump too, maggots birthing new flesh.
"Didn't expect one-shot anyway."
I hefted another massive mana blade.
"Few more slices."
Charged the dungeon boss again.
Still, I was stronger.