Catch the Eat-and-Runners
A week had passed since entering Stage 3. In that time, I had succeeded in building an excellent system. The gym was packed with muscular zombies. I savored the tingling sensation in my lower body as I repeated weighted squats. Huff—huff— That feeling of muscles pulling taut. This was the taste of growth.
[W-what is all this?]
A message from Cat-nim appeared before my eyes after a long absence. I gave a short reply and continued my workout.
“If it’s not urgent, wait a moment. I have two sets left.”
[It’s not urgent, but…]
I finished the remaining reps and took the thermos from the zombie standing beside me. It was muscle-growth soup, sweet as honey water.
“Ugh… Disgusting taste. I love it.”
[Are you done now?]
“Still one set left.”
While I meditated, the assistant zombie counted the numbers.
“Kke-ruk. Kke-rok. Kke-ruk. Kke-rok.”
Every zombie trained in pairs. This one was my partner for the day. The same scene was unfolding across the entire zombie gym. We had perfected our system.
[What on earth is this…]
Once all sets were finished, I wiped my sweat.
“I have business with Cat-nim. Find yourself a new partner and finish the curriculum.”
“Ke-gek!”
The zombie left, and it was Cat-nim’s turn. I had been thinking about it throughout my workout—there was no reason for her to seek me out. I tilted my head and asked,
“What’s the matter? Wasn’t the next proposal after Stage 4?”
[Nyahaha… I came to give you a reward.]
“A reward?”
[It seems the company is competing with another… They’re handing out massive rewards to Stage 3 summoners lately. And the pressure to advance stages is intense too… Nyaha.]
‘Ah. That story.’
It was something I had seen on the community boards. News of the sponsors called the Rescue Team scattering rewards in Stage 3 had become a hot topic. And the side effect that followed: the so-called eat-and-run phenomenon was occurring in large numbers. Thieves who snatched the rewards but refused to challenge the next stage had begun to appear.
‘Wait a second… Does that make me an eat-and-runner too?’
I scratched my head. Strictly speaking, training was an act for combat safety, so calling it eat-and-running felt slightly unfair. But from Cat-nim’s perspective, it was clearly something to be furious about. I had become an eat-and-runner without meaning to.
“What, did you come to pressure me… Sorry.”
[Nyahahaha! No. Like I said earlier, I only came to deliver the reward that appeared. As long as you challenge within a month, you won’t be penalized. Probably…?]
Cat-nim’s thinking was already broken. Not receiving penalties was her standard. Within that line, she had no intention of pressuring me at all—a declaration that was the very picture of a salaried slacker.
“The reward is nice, but it’s a bit sudden.”
[Actually, the notice came out a week ago, but I forgot! Instead, I manipulated it into something good, as promised.]
Whistle of Calling
Targets the intended recipient and blows the whistle; the sound reaches them regardless of distance. The recipient can locate the whistle owner’s position.
It looked quite useful.
[It only works on beings in the same space, so even if you blow it, I won’t hear it. So don’t call me!]
I nodded with a face that said not to worry. I had no intention of calling her anyway.
“Got it. Anything else I need to know?”
[Nothing! Then I’ll be going.]
Having finished her business, Cat-nim left at once.
‘A month…’
I hadn’t planned on staying that long anyway. The food would run out in about ten days. The end of Stage 3 life was already in sight.
And exactly one week later, Cat-nim came looking for me again.
“What is it? I was planning to challenge soon. Has the pressure gotten so bad that I’m about to be penalized?”
[No. That’s not why I came. Or is it? Is it because of the pressure? I don’t know. My head hurts. Nya…]
My head hurt more.
“Just say what you came for.”
[There are too many summoners lately who only take rewards and don’t fight… So a special order came down.]
In the end, the eat-and-runners had crossed the line. I had known this would happen someday. The community was full of posts about receiving rewards, but almost none certifying that they had actually pushed through the stage.
“So you’re taking the rewards back?”
This was the part I had been hoping for. Since that day, the whistle had been hanging around Baengnae’s neck. And whenever she had a spare moment, she blew it endlessly without rhyme or reason. Even now, at this very moment, she was blowing it.
Whiririri—
I had no idea what was so fun about it, but she kept blowing the whistle and giggling. An odd toy had appeared, and I was the only one suffering.
‘Please stop…’
But contrary to my expectations, there was no talk of reclaiming the rewards. Instead, it was a different, intriguing story.
[A tournament has been planned among the Stage 3 summoners who received sponsorship. The boss said non-participation is not allowed.]
“A tournament?”
[That’s right! Still, if you achieve a high ranking, you’ll receive a performance bonus! But if your rank is low, you’ll be penalized…]
In other words, Cat-nim would be the one penalized.
‘Usually they tell you what you’re getting in these things…’
But there was nothing to worry about. I had already realized how to make use of Cat-nim.
“Is there a notice or something?”
[Ah, here it is.]
A single sheet of paper fluttered down in front of me. After checking the rules, I couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
“Is this what they call reaping what you sow? Works for me.”
The content of the notice made it clear just how angry Cat-nim’s headquarters was. It was outright blatant. The tournament was structured so that participants would compete against each other and seize the rewards they had received so far. It meant the eat-and-runners had to cough up everything they had taken and hand it over to proper users.
And when I looked at the list of participants who had received rewards afterward, I couldn’t help but be shocked.
‘Good grief… All these guys are eat-and-runners?’
The list exceeded three thousand users. It was a number that made the organizers’ fury understandable. Even if each sponsor had supported ten people, over three hundred employees had been eaten-and-run on.
‘It really was serious.’
But as I read the detailed regulations, I got the feeling the tournament might have another purpose. The clause dividing three thousand people into two hundred leagues. It seemed less like retaliation born of anger and more like an intent to give rewards to proper users. There was even an unusual clause stating that summons would be revived even if they died. It certainly felt generous to be called mere revenge.
‘This works out perfectly.’
I had been curious about how our kids’ level compared to other Stage 3 summoners anyway. This would be good warm-up practice before the boss fight. A fine stage had appeared to confirm the results of all the effort we had built up.
The news had spread to the community and caused an uproar. Stage 3 users were crying out in injustice, while higher-ranked users were busy mocking them, saying it was a fight between losers. Anyone who posted even a slight defense of Stage 3 users was immediately branded an eat-and-runner. Hundreds of comments telling them not to freeload and to work honestly. Higher-ranked users, accustomed to bloody real combat, had already found the Stage 3 slackers distasteful. Even though they had received large rewards relative to the difficulty, the perception that they had stubbornly endured only made the criticism harsher.
The Stage 3 tournament had become everyone’s laughingstock.
And as if responding to them, the organizers provided a video broadcasting system through the community. I clicked my tongue while draping the Cloak of the Fugitive over Baengnae’s head like a hood. The cloak was too large for her, so I put it on her head and pulled the hood down. Even so, it dragged slightly on the floor.
The tournament was in team format, allowing up to three summons to participate simultaneously. That was why I had already registered Baengnae, the dog, and Shinnip. The zombie dog was the leader among them.
“Then go on.”
“Arada.”
With a humming sound, the zombies vanished from sight. On the phone screen, Baengnae was sitting in the waiting room. Soon, a notification arrived that the opponent had finished preparing.
Rewards that each user would spit out began appearing one by one in the center of the screen. Most of the items Baengnae was wearing, including the Whistle of Calling, were included in my list.
‘Looking at it like this, I really did eat-and-run quite a bit…’
Compared to the opponent’s list, mine was very flashy. I had received the maximum difficulty plus additional rewards, so in a way it was only natural.
There was one thing worth noting here. The list on the screen was not the reward I would receive. Just as my items were zombie-exclusive, the opponent’s items were also configured to suit his summons. Upon victory, the rewards would be confiscated and converted into tokens.
‘In other words, this is the perfect opportunity to obtain Soul Engravings.’
As previously agreed, I summoned only Baengnae first. She rose smoothly onto the wide grassland. And beside the screen showing Baengnae, the spectators’ chat began pouring in like a flood.
There were only about ten viewers. Most spectators had probably gone to watch the battles of famous users who had stirred up aggro on the community. The users in my room were just random viewers who had clicked on anything.
A moment later, a rat about the same size as Baengnae was summoned from the enemy formation. Then another identical one. Finally, a ratman one head taller than the rats appeared, clad in rags.
Unlike the excited chat, I clicked my tongue.
‘This is…’
As expected, Baengnae was stomping the ground. Even without looking closely at her expression, I could tell she was furious.
3. 2. 1.
Ding—
With the sound signaling the start of battle, the transparent barrier dividing the map disappeared. At the same time, Baengnae shot forward. Two giant rats took the front, and the ratman drew a bow and pulled the string.
And the moment the giant rats lunged at Baengnae—
Swish— swish—
The rats’ limbs were severed and rolled across the ground. The physical difference was extreme. The flustered ratman hurriedly fired an arrow, but Baengnae dodged it lightly and closed in.
Thud—
The sword embedded itself in the ratman’s head. Baengnae cut off the twitching ratman’s head, hurriedly stuffed it into her mouth, and chewed noisily. Then she soon got angry and flung the head to the ground.
“Not tasty! Not tasty!”
‘This is bad…’
Baengnae had become quite the grump lately. I had been feeding her healthy food every day—good for the body but bad for the taste—and her temper had worsened. Then the tournament was held. I had explained that there would be unlimited delicious meat at the tournament. Using that as bait, I had brought out all the taste-test foods with extremely poor ratings that I had been holding back.
Baengnae had eaten them all while looking forward to the tournament. But the first course that came out was rat meat. Baengnae, claiming I had tricked her, stabbed the already-dead ratman repeatedly with her sword. That was the blade of fury.
And at Baengnae’s appearance, the chat began scrolling rapidly.
Baengnae’s spectacular debut had begun.