The Rent Must Be Paid

Well, it was about time for guests to arrive.

“Hey... are you sure this is the right way? It’s so dark...”

“I’m telling you, it’s right! The community said Safe Zones are usually in public facilities like this...!!”

Voices drifted through the darkness. Slowly, their silhouettes emerged. Three men and two women. They were dressed in a mix of university varsity jackets, and each held a baseball bat or a kitchen knife.

As the group rounded the corner of the waiting room, they spotted the blue light and stopped in their tracks.

“Holy shit... I think this is it. This is insane...”

The man in the lead scanned the inside of the magic circle. Yu-ah and Lee Seol-ah were sleeping peacefully in their sleeping bags. Then, he locked eyes with me, the one guarding them.

It wasn’t some grand, malicious intent. It was just the kind of thought anyone might have. But that ordinary rationalization was the most terrifying thing of all.

“Hey, you.”

Choi Jun-ho stepped forward, dropping his voice to sound tougher. “It’s pretty obvious you guys got here first, but why don’t you just vacate the spot while I’m asking nicely?”

A short, dry laugh escaped my lips before I could stop it.

“Pfft...”

His clumsy attempt at intimidation made Choi Jun-ho’s brow twitch violently.

“What’s so funny?”

“Go back.”

I glared at them and gestured with my chin. “This place is already at capacity. Don’t waste your time and go find somewhere else.”

A firm refusal. Choi Jun-ho flinched, perhaps intimidated by my tone, and stepped back. The baseball bat in his hand trembled slightly. But it only lasted a moment. He soon glanced back at his group. His eyes were filled with anxiety as he looked at his companions—specifically, his gaze lingered on the two women before returning to me.

The Spoiler window revealed his inner thoughts. It seemed he had a crush on one of them. My lips curled up a bit further.

“No, you fucker...”

Choi Jun-ho cursed and tightened his ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠grip on the bat. It seemed he had decided to save face after all.

“You think I’m a joke because I’m being nice? Huh? If you don’t want to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠see blood, you’d better crawl out while I’m still asking nicely!”

He pointed a finger at the air and shrieked.

“Challenge accepted!”

— *Beep!*

With his shout, the color of the magic circle shifted. The light flickered into a blood-red hue.

System messages flooded my vision. I stared at the notification window calmly. So that’s how it works.

The two men behind Choi Jun-ho raised their kitchen knife and wooden plank. Their hands were trembling, too.

“Whew...”

I stood up without a word. I glanced back at the sleeping Yu-ah once.

If I make too much noise in here, she’ll wake up.

I pulled my gaze away and looked at my opponents. Then, I slowly walked toward the boundary line.

— *Step.*

Their eyes scanned me up and down. Their faces were painted with bewilderment. Did they really not expect me to actually come out?

“Th... this guy really wants to do this?”

Choi Jun-ho flinched and adjusted his grip on the baseball bat. His movements were clumsy. I didn’t even need to pull out my Shadow Fangs.

“I don’t want to make a scene.”

I warned them dryly. “Last warning. Just leave. I won’t touch you if you do.”

I could clearly see the three men hesitating. They must have realized my demeanor was different from theirs. Choi Jun-ho’s pupils wavered. Just as he was hesitating on what to do—

“Oppa!! What are you doing!! Where are we supposed to go if we leave now!!”

One of the women snapped at him with a sharp voice. It was Min-ji, the one who had appeared in Choi Jun-ho’s Spoiler window.

“That’s right!! We barely made it here by avoiding the monsters outside, and now you can’t even beat one guy!? There’s three of you right now!!!”

“No, that’s...”

“I’m really scared, I can’t go back outside. Jun-ho oppa, you said you’d handle it!”

The resentment and goading poured out from behind him. At those few words, Choi Jun-ho’s face turned bright red. His retreat had been cut off.

The moment the Spoiler window changed, Choi Jun-ho lost his reason and screamed.

“Aaaaaah! I told you to move!!!! You bastard!!”

He rushed at me, swinging the baseball bat over his head. He was swinging with his eyes squeezed shut. The two men on either side also rushed in, clumsily swinging their wooden plank and kitchen knife.

“Haa...”

I let out a short sigh. I didn’t even need to look at the Spoiler window. The gap between us and ordinary people was already clear. I lightly kicked off the ground and dove into Choi Jun-ho’s guard. It was before his bat could even cut through the air.

— *Thud!*

“Guh...!”

I lightly jabbed my fist into his solar plexus. Choi Jun-ho dropped the bat and collapsed to the floor. Immediately after, I twisted my body. I struck down sharply with the edge of my hand toward the wrist of the guy holding the kitchen knife.

— *Crack!*

“Aaaah! My hand!”

With the sound of twisting bone, the kitchen knife rolled across the floor. Only one remained. I ducked to avoid the wooden plank and delivered a kick to the guy’s stomach.

“... Ugh!”

The man’s knees buckled as he collapsed.

Only a few seconds. In that short time, three men had been taken down.

“H-hic...!”

“What...!! Oppa!! Oppa!!!”

The two women screamed, covering their mouths. I looked down coldly at the cowering Choi Jun-ho.

“That’s why.”

My dry voice echoed. “You should have left when I told you to.”

A brief silence followed. Choi Jun-ho was lying face down, his body trembling. His attitude changed instantly. He started begging while clutching his solar plexus.

“P-please, spare us...! We were truly out of our minds, please, just this once...!”

The guy whose wrist I’d hit and the one whose knees were ruined were also watching me nervously. The two women just stood there, not knowing what to do, watching the situation unfold.

Man, seriously...

Ending their lives here would be a breeze. But was there really any need to?

I didn’t want to show anything gruesome near where Yu-ah was sleeping.

... But it’s awkward to just let them go, too.

“Open your bags.”

At my command, Choi Jun-ho’s shoulders jumped.

“Y-yes?”

“Everything except the clothes you’re wearing. Coins, food, water. Empty everything you have onto the floor.”

“Th-that’s...”

He looked at me with a trembling voice. His pupils were shaking.

“Or do you want to die?”

The hesitation was short. Choi Jun-ho opened the zipper of his backpack with trembling hands. I turned to the others who were just standing there.

“Are you guys not going to move?”

The four of them began frantically rummaging through their pockets and bags. Junk spilled onto the floor in a heap. Bottled water, chocolate bars, ramen. And then, the notification sounds rang out one after another.

Oh ho...

Coins could be transferred. A new fact learned.

“... That’s 60 total.”

I muttered to myself. The daily maintenance cost for the bathroom and water supply was 50 coins. That meant I’d covered the cost and still had 10 coins left over. Even if it didn’t seem like much, I’d gotten water and emergency rations for free, too.

Sweeter than I thought.

I swallowed a dry laugh.

I thought it was an annoying penalty, but I felt a little better now.

“W-we emptied everything... C-can we go now...”

Choi Jun-ho said in a voice that was barely a whisper. His face had completely lost its color. The others were also struggling to get up, hands clasped together. My gaze shifted to the top of his head.

To think a person could be this transparent. I nodded nonchalantly.

“Yeah.”

I kicked a bottle of water and a chocolate bar toward them.

“Take this. You shouldn’t starve to death.”

Their faces twisted with shame. But there was nothing they could do. Choi Jun-ho snatched up the water bottle and the chocolate bar.

“If I see you in my sight again.”

I added coldly to their backs as they turned to flee.

“I’ll really kill you next time. Keep that in mind.”

They didn’t even have time to answer before they ran off into the darkness. Their hurried footsteps echoed. The waiting room was once again plunged into heavy silence.

“Tsk.”

I gathered the items and returned inside. The magic circle returned to its blue light.

“It’s a hassle, having to do this three times a day.”

Just then.

“Mmm...”

Yu-ah shifted slightly in her sleeping bag and curled up. Her face was slightly scrunched. A laugh escaped my lips before I knew it.

“Ha... yeah, I have to. What else can I do?”

I leaned my body against the wall and closed my eyes. It was to take a light nap in preparation for any unforeseen situations. That day, fortunately, no one else came looking.

And so, morning came.

As light began to seep in from somewhere above ground—

— *Ding!*

A cheerful notification sound broke the silence. I woke up naturally. A red system window flashed loudly in the air.

“Retroactive application?”

The system was even more vicious than I thought. Retroactive application? It was essentially forcing everyone to come out.

“... This is insane.”

Had it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠been 10 minutes? — *Kwooooong!!*

“Aaaaaaaah!!!”

Noise flooded in through the stairs and ventilation shafts. The piercing screams of people. The roar of something being destroyed.

“Please help me!!! Help me!!!!”

“Fuck!! What is this!!!!!”

The quiet surface had completely changed. Countless survivors were now facing reality. Dull rupturing sounds and the roars of beasts echoed one after another.

“U, um...? O, Oppa...?”

Startled by the horrific sounds, Yu-ah sat up. Lee Seol-ah also looked up at the ceiling with a pale face.

“Re... retroactive application...? Isn’t this just nonsense...?”

It seemed she had just checked the notification window.

“Then these screams...”

“What’s wrong, Unnie?”

“No...”

Lee Seol-ah hesitated, glancing at me. What should I do? The deliberation didn’t last long. I’d have to know eventually, whether I wanted to or not. I opened my mouth, looking at Yu-ah.

“The people who were outside are being driven out.”

“Driven out? By monsters?”

“Yeah. The system made it so people can’t hide in one place for a long time anymore. It made it so that if you hide for too long, monsters will swarm you.”

Yu-ah’s pupils wavered violently. Fourteen. It might have been too cruel for my young sister to handle. Because she already had such a soft heart, it was even more so.

“Th... then, those people... are they all going to die?”

Yu-ah’s voice was wet. I looked at my sister and gripped her shoulders firmly.

“Yu-ah.”

At my call, she met my eyes.

“You saw me kill someone the other day. And you saw the monsters, too.”

“... Yes.”

“The world has changed. It’s a place crawling with monsters and people who want to kill us. If I go out trying to save someone recklessly, I’ll be the one who dies.”

I put a little more strength into my hands.

“Oppa isn’t a hero. I don’t care if thousands of people die outside. I’m going to risk my life in this hell to protect only you, my sister. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

This was my sincerity to my sister. In case she grew soft-hearted and tried to save someone else. In case I couldn’t overcome Yu-ah’s request and we ended up in danger instead.

A silence flowed for a moment. What was she thinking? Her eyes grew a little moist. And then, she bit her lip and nodded.

“Yes, I understand, Oppa. I won’t act like a child.”

I could feel her resolve in her trembling voice.

“... Thank you.”

I wiped the corners of my sister’s eyes with my hand. Moisture came off on it.

“Eat this. At least while we’re here, we don’t have to worry.”

I handed her a chocolate bar with the wrapper torn off and a bottle of water. But then, I felt a stinging gaze from the side. Lee Seol-ah was staring at me as if she found it strange.

“What.”

At my blunt question, she shrugged.

“No, it’s just an unexpected side of you. You seem like someone without blood or tears, but then you’re like this with your sister...”

“If you’re going to say something useless, just go to sleep.”

I ignored her lightly and turned my gaze away. I heard her dry laugh.

Anyway...

How should I move now? The full-scale 12-hour rule had begun. Originally, I had intended to leave to find another opportunity, but—

If I go too far and a challenge for ownership comes in while I’m gone...

The remaining daily challenge count was 2. There was no way they could endure it if only the two of them were left.

For now, today... let’s not go too far, and just hunt nearby.

There was some regret, but my top priority was Yu-ah. I organized my thoughts and looked up. The horrific screams were still ringing out. At that moment—

— *Ding!*

A blue Spoiler window covered my vision.

“... Huh?”

What a stroke of luck. I hadn’t planned on going far anyway. I lightly stroked the small sword at my waist.

“Yu-ah, Oppa is going to step out for a moment.”

“Huh? O, Oppa, where are you going...! You said it was dangerous outside...!”

“Don’t worry, I’m not going far, I’ll be right above. You know Oppa is strong.”

“Wh... what about me?”

I looked at Lee Seol-ah and said firmly.

“Keep a close eye on my sister. If anything happens... you know, right?”

“Y-yes!!!”

Her reaction was a response in a trembling voice. I curled the corners of my lips up and stepped up the stairs. The time to become stronger had come again.