Chapter 89
Chapter 89
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: -1
Chapter Title: All My Fault
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If we're assigning blame, it would probably all fall on me.
"Argh! M-My arm!"
"I can't see! Where is everyone... Please don't leave me behind!"
"The prophecy of doom has finally come! I believe in God... I-I can't breathe..."
Even all those countless screams...
Yeah, it was all a misjudgment.
Once that thing fully revives, no one—not even the Tale Management Bureau—will be able to stop it.
Now, my meager human connections in this place have completely vanished.
The past few months with Squad Leader and Do-hyun were pretty tough, but I still think they were happy times.
Well, the end was nothing but hardship.
"Now... it might just be easier to die quickly—"
"Young man! What are you doing standing there instead of running? The moment that thing lays eyes on you, you won't even be able to die!"
Right then, the hand that grabbed my dazed shoulder belonged to a familiar-looking middle-aged man I'd seen somewhere before.
"Huh?"
Before I could fully grasp the situation from the sudden call, the man seized my wrist and started running.
"W-Wait, over there?"
"Sorry, it might be a bit fast for you, but don't give up."
How could a man who looked over fifty have such strength?
My arm, like that of some pitiful heroine, couldn't even resist properly as I was dragged along by him.
I had no plan anyway, so I decided to just go along with it.
The man finally stopped running when we reached a subway station completely shrouded from the crimson sky.
Surprisingly, it was the most ideal spot for dealing with that outer horror.
Just as I was about to ask how he knew to bring me here, I realized who the man was.
"Headquarters Chief..."
I'd never seen him since joining the Bureau, but he matched the appearance I'd seen in the game to some extent.
The reason I said "to some extent" was because the current Headquarters Chief looked utterly wretched compared to the one in the game—beyond comparison.
"How did you know I'm the Headquarters Chief...?"
The Chief seemed flustered too, shooting me a wary glance.
"That watch... Ah, I was in such a hurry I didn't check. You're with the Bureau too, then."
The second hand ticking around my left wrist announced my identity.
"No need to call me Headquarters Chief anymore. As you can see, the Bureau... is completely finished."
"Pardon? But sir, your name..."
The Chief ignored my words and steered the conversation himself.
He'd always been a bit arbitrary in the game too, but meeting him in person made it feel annoying.
"Come to think of it, what's your name?"
"Ah, I'm Shin Jin-seong."
"Shin Jin-seong... Ah, the guy who joined a few months ago. For things to turn out like this for you... I'm truly sorry."
Could the Chief really be blamed for this situation?
Well, I couldn't say he bore none of it, but as I mentioned earlier, it never would have happened if I'd just done better.
"...You must be feeling pretty lonely too. To be honest, this world probably won't last much longer. So, how about listening to this old man's story for that brief time?"
"Pardon? Wait a second, that's—"
"Thank you so much. Take care."
I had no idea how he could keep that personality even in this messed-up world, but it didn't seem like I had a choice.
I couldn't beat him physically anyway.
There were angels, but dealing with them because of the Chief would just make me a madman.
Boom—!
"M-Monster!"
"Run! Don't look at those eyes—my friend saw it and— Aagh! My eyes!"
"Where is this? Where's the monster? Daddy?"
"Tch, looks like we have to run."
Muttering that softly, the Chief took a deep breath and shouted loudly.
"Everyone, follow me! I know the way!"
The Chief turned back to me.
"Come on, Jin-seong. Hurry and follow."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "That was already a month ago."
"Already? ...Honestly, I thought I wouldn't last a day before dying."
"Haha! The title of Headquarters Chief isn't just for show. Tsk, though everyone else except you died..."
As described in the game's lore, the Chief was superhuman, far beyond ordinary people.
When he shoved aside a massive monster blocking the way with one hand, I thought I was watching a superhero movie.
Even so, protecting the dozens of people who followed him was impossible.
Those who couldn't survive on their own like me gradually succumbed to the sky and turned into monsters.
Each time, the Chief just swallowed hard, but he seemed pretty heartbroken inside.
In the end, only the Chief and I remained.
"We're running low on food."
"Guess it's time to scavenge some more."
In the end, the Chief became the reason my shallow life was prolonged.
Not that we got close, but leaving this old man alone to die tugged at my conscience.
His profile was barely revealed in the game, but piecing together the fragments of info, I couldn't help feeling pity for him.
"So, when are you planning to tell me your story, Chief? You lured me in with that at first."
"What, Jin-seong? You're that interested in my tale? I figured you wouldn't care, so I didn't say anything."
The Chief kicked a rolling can on the floor to clear the path.
"Fine, then. I'll tell you while we gather food."
The place we headed for supplies was, naturally, the neighborhood supermarket.
By cliché standards, it should have been looted clean, but this damn disaster killed everyone before they could grab anything, so no worries there.
The Chief, leading the way, cleared his throat with a hem.
"Well... where should I start?"
The Chief seemed lost in thought.
"Haha, this is funny. I've never told this to anyone before. Now that the world's like this, my mouth's itching to spill it. Maybe because... that useless heavy title of mine is gone."
I couldn't respond and just stayed silent.
"I didn't join the Bureau for any special reason. It was just... the name 'Tale Management Bureau' hit me hard. Could call it youthful bravado."
We walked through alleys where flames soared and screams played on endlessly like music, and the Chief's story continued.
Joining the response team, wanting to quit out of fear, overcoming terror.
The tale rewound through his past life.
"Then, about ten years later, I ended up leading the entire response team."
The Chief seemed pretty excited.
"...Yeah, I remember every one of the dozens of faces in my team. Even now as Headquarters Chief."
The Chief suddenly stopped talking.
I checked ahead carefully, thinking a monster had appeared.
"There's the supermarket. I'll finish the story later."
We moved along a path hidden from 'that thing' in the sky while staying alert for surrounding monsters.
Fortunately, we made it inside without issue and found enough food for a week, though not a ton.
"Hmm... this is spoiled, this too... Ah, that one looks edible."
I carefully packed the good stuff into my bag.
"Got a lot, Chief?"
"..."
"Chief?"
"Shh."
I clamped my mouth shut at his signal.
Listening closely, I heard something from outside.
"...some... eat."
To my ears, at least, it was a human voice.
But among the hordes of monsters, some cunning ones mimicked human voices, so no letting guard down.
"That way... don't go!"
"Uh-oh. Big trou... thanks..."
"Someone's... there?"
As it got closer, it was definitely human.
Not one, but at least three voices.
By the time their silhouettes flickered into view, I pulled an axe from my bag.
Just in case of threats.
But the Chief, whose body might as well be a weapon itself, went out to meet them without any prep.
"Chief?"
"Wait a sec. I'll go greet them."
The two men and one woman who met the Chief stood off for a bit, then something clicked—they smiled faintly and all entered the supermarket together.
"This is Jin-seong, traveling with me."
The Chief introduced me right after, leaving me to greet them awkwardly.
"Uh... hello?"
Looking closely, the three seemed like friends.
But they all looked pretty weak—how had they survived this long?
The Chief shouldered his bag and checked mine.
"Hmm. Packed plenty."
Then he whispered very quietly.
"They seem to be from some community. I want to follow them— what do you think?"
"Pardon? A community?"
Impossible.
Under that outer horror, no communities could exist.
At best, small groups of two or three like me and the Chief.
The Chief seemed to think the same.
I wanted to dismiss it as ravings of the mad in this hell, but when three people claimed the same, it was hard not to believe.
"...Got it. Let's follow and see."
The Chief relayed our agreement, and they lit up, leading the way.
The path was quite far.
They'd come this far because nearby food had run out.
Soon, we arrived at a residential complex where countless people lounged openly under the sun—an utterly incomprehensible sight.
"The doctor will be out soon. Please wait a moment."
The woman from the group said with a smile.
And the one who soon came to greet us was...
"Hello. I'm the representative here."
A man who looked a year or two older than me.
"Ah, hello. I'm Shin Jin-seong, and this old guy... I don't know his name either."
"Haha, no worries. In this world, lots of people have amnesia."
The man smiled amiably, then widened his eyes as if remembering something.
"Ah, forgot to introduce myself. I'm Moon Woo-seok."