Karma (3)
"Hey, you. You the boss of that lot?"
...Judging by the cocky way he came at us from the jump, whatever business had brought him over was definitely not the friendly kind.
"I am serving as our representative, for the time being."
"For the time being? The hell is with that speech? You been binge-watching historical dramas or some shit!?"
This bastard's picking a fight from the first meeting?
What is this? Looking for a brawl? Did they all come here to commit group suicide?
"We know you cleaned out every department store, convenience store, and supermarket around here. What the fuck, you the only ones with mouths? You the only ones who get to live? You strip the place bare, you at least share with the neighbors. We've got old folks, women, kids stacked up over here, and you lot act like some goddamn upper class...!"
What...?
"You hole up in that little building — Haengbok Villa or whatever the fuck it's called, right? We heard you throwing rooftop parties, grilling meat, knocking back booze. Don't even think about helping the people living right next door, just stuff your own faces? And you still call yourselves human?"
Wait, they saw that?
Are these bastards stalkers? Why the hell were they watching!? We weren't putting on a show for you!
"That's right, that's right!"
"You just gorge yourselves on stolen goods and call it a day!?"
"You sons of bitches...!"
People who had looked half-dead a moment ago started hurling every kind of accusation at us. The reasons were so absurd I couldn't even find the words to push back.
"Please, everyone, wait! What on earth are you talking about all of a sudden? The Purification Zone has already been active for four days—!"
In the end, Kim Seyeon stepped forward to face the bewildering protest head-on. The moment she did, the expression on the man at the front of the other survivors twisted even uglier.
"How the hell are we supposed to know about some Purification Zone!? Hundreds of people went out thinking it might be a little safer and got themselves killed just days ago! You expect us to swallow that sugarcoated crap and stroll outside!? No — we did go out. We went out, all right! And when we checked the convenience stores and markets and department stores... you'd already stripped them clean, you garbage pieces of shit! You the only ones with mouths? You the only ones with stomachs? You the only ones who get to eat and take a shit!? You disgusting fucking bitches, give us our food! Hand it over!"
What kind of... they came looking for us just to force this garbage logic on us? Seriously?
It wasn't as if we'd stripped every convenience store, department store, and supermarket in XX-gu without a shred of conscience. We'd started near the villa, then the main roads, and only after that had we touched the department store and the supermarket.
Sure, XX-gu only had one department store and one supermarket to begin with... but they were close to our place, so what the hell were we supposed to do!? Stocking up properly in a situation like this was basic survival doctrine!
And more than anything... if they were hungry and suffering, they should have risked their lives and gone out for supplies themselves. Why the hell were they throwing a tantrum at us for getting what we'd earned fair and square, goddamn it!
"Jeong Hoon... I think these people may have heard a distorted version of our situation from someone and come looking for us because of it."
Kim Seyeon had already drawn close to my side and whispered. The moment I heard her, everything clicked into place.
Ah... those Kim Suhyeok bastards...
Couldn't win with force, so now they're going the public-opinion route? Trying to sabotage the hell out of us?
The survivors' logic was pure nonsense, but simply shutting them down wasn't the smart move either. What happens if you shut them down? One look at their eyes told you everything. That atmosphere of desperate resolve mixed with pure hatred said it all.
These people were past hunger. They were out here in a do-or-die frame of mind. If we refused them to the end, they would absolutely be willing to attack fellow survivors.
Of course we could fight back. This ragged band of maybe a hundred survivors almost certainly hadn't leveled properly. If they charged us, our people — averaging close to level 10 — and I would butcher them without breaking a sweat.
But... think about it. Neither I nor the people behind me were psychopaths who could kill other human beings without blinking. Barely two or three weeks ago, these were ordinary people who struggled even to beat an animal. Even after training, some of them still had a hard time putting down a single zombie.
Now imagine those same people killing other humans — even in self-defense. No, imagine them slaughtering dozens of living people with their own hands.
Could they really live out the rest of their lives intact after that? Could they easily shake off the guilt of killing humans who hadn't even turned into zombies — of cutting down fellow members of a species already reduced to a minority?
The answer was simple. Impossible. They would carry that guilt for the rest of their days.
On April 8th, that cursed administrator bastard had announced the introduction of the PK system in his disgusting voice. Kill a fellow survivor, and an alert goes out within a two-kilometer radius.
More than a week had passed, and I had never once seen that alert fire. Not once. Even the gangsters had lured people toward monsters rather than kill them outright.
That meant people still had their humanity left. The same humanity they'd carried before the world ended.
So what, we just hand over all the supplies we've stockpiled to these people? What a total slog of a plotline.
Someone might sneer at the conclusion I'd reached.
My answer to that sneer was simple.
Are we out of our goddamn minds?
Contrary to what those survivors claimed, every last scrap of supplies we'd obtained was the product of all our effort, without a single exception.
Who the hell do they think made the Purification Zone possible in the first place!? Me, Kim Seyeon, Park Seeun, and Han Sora risked our lives beating that goddamn Skeleton King into the dirt to get it!
These bastards didn't even bother rushing out when the Purification Zone appeared! They dragged their feet! Completely missed the timing! And now they have the gall—!
Who the hell do they think they are, sticking their noses in the air and demanding rice!? Absolute bullshit!
"I have nothing to say to you people. And nothing to give."
"What did you just say?"
"What the fuck did that bastard just spit out?"
At the words I'd let slip without thinking, the hostile stares of the ragged beggar mob in front of me all locked onto me at once.
Surprisingly, Lawful Good did nothing to stop me.
"The food and comfort we obtained... are the price of the effort we put in to secure this temporary peace called a Purification Zone. You had more than enough time and opportunity. The fact that you failed to seize it with your own hands is on you, is it not?"
"J-Jeong Hoon!"
"Oppa...!"
I threw out the provocation like pulling a trigger. Seyeon and Sora, pressed right up against my sides, went pale with shock.
"Th-this son of a bitch, what did he just—!"
"That bastard!"
"Kill him, kill the fucker! These goddamn bourgeois pieces of shit!"
"Kill them and take everything!"
The effect was spectacular. Just look at those faces — ready to murder me on the spot.
In particular, the man who seemed to lead the beggar survivors had fire in his eyes as he reached for me. Probably planning to grab me by the collar and start swinging.
Of course, I had zero intention of going easy. The second those filthy hands touched my skin...
I won't kill you. But I'll make you wish you were dead.
However—
"I'll handle this. Jeong Hoon? Please don't respond so aggressively. These people might become my territory's residents... no, my guild members, you know?"
Seo Hyejin stepped forward as if to mediate that razor-thin moment.
It was a move I hadn't expected at all — and at the same time, one that brought a rush of relief.
"Wh-who the fuck is this bitch!?"
...Did that bastard just say bitch?
The same man from before raised his hand this time as if he meant to strike Seo Hyejin instead of me.
You son of a bitch? Oh, hell no. This one needs a lesson. Naturally, I caught that hand with a sharp crack.
"Calm yourself."
"What? Fuck! You're the one who ran your mouth, and now you want me to calm the hell do— aaargh!?"
The man who'd tried to yank his arm free froze in bewilderment.
Of course he did. It wouldn't budge at all. It must have felt like his arm had been locked in a wooden post.
And that wasn't all, was it? It hurt. Just a little. (Not really.)
Crrrrack...!
"U-uaaaaagh! It hurts, it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts! Let go, let go! Let the fuck go!"
"Step back. Now."
I bit off each word with deliberate menace.
Then I let go. The man stumbled backward in the same posture he'd been trying to pull free with.
"Khuhk! Th-that fucking hurts...! H-he's just stupidly strong...!"
"What was that?"
I gathered every scrap of killing intent I could muster into my eyes and poured the most murderous glare I was capable of producing straight into the beggar bastard in front of me.
"H-hiiik...!"
He scrambled backward. The other beggar survivors who'd been spewing curses all flinched under the pressure I was radiating. Good. Complete control of the initiative.
Running away right then would have been their best option, but everyone's legs seemed frozen to the ground. No one moved any farther.
Ugh, you insect bastards...! A second ago you were full of energy dumping every curse in the book on me and my people, and now you're suddenly cosplaying as helpless survivors? Maybe I should put a fist in each of your mouths.
Instead of doing that, I carefully checked Seo Hyejin's expression behind me. She nodded and opened her mouth.
"All right, all right, let's calm down. Jeong Hoon. I just told you, didn't I? I'll handle this. As someone with the Lord class, I ought to show a certain degree of generosity, don't you think?"
Maintaining an easy tone, Seo Hyejin stepped in front of me again. Then she whispered in a voice so small only I could hear.
"Please go, Jeong Hoon."
Her meaning was crystal clear.
Get to the subway station and start the training, now — that was what she meant.
But I couldn't do that. Leaving Seo Hyejin alone to talk with these beggar survivors was far more dangerous.
So instead, I turned and called for Han Sora and Park Seeun.
"Sora, Seeun. I'm counting on you with the other survivors. I'll be staying by Seo Hyejin's side."
"Uh, uh, uh? Wh-why...!?"
"Hoonie oppa? You're staying behind? Why?"
Han Sora looked like she'd been punched — the color drained from her face. Park Seeun glanced carefully at Sora and asked the question with composure.
"Even if Seo Hyejin mediates with those people... I can't just leave her alone. You both saw what that guy tried to do a moment ago, didn't you?"
Seo Hyejin had hit level 10 and her stats were solid, true enough... but even she would be in real trouble if dozens of low-levels pressed her all at once. That was not acceptable.
"I see. Honestly, I didn't feel right about leaving Hyejin unnie alone either."
"S-Seeun too...!?"
Sora's voice cracked as if Park Seeun's confession were a deep betrayal.
As I'd somewhat suspected from our first meeting... Park Seeun was pretty mature. Completely different from Han Sora, who somehow managed to be both airheaded and overflowing with shut-in energy well past the age for it.
"Sora, I'm counting on you with the other survivors. You can do this."
"That's right, unnie! You've got me too!"
"U-uuuh... b-both of you... I can tell you're just trying to... brush me off...!"
Ugh, this girl only gets sharp at times like this! We needed someone else to weigh in.
And someone did.
"Sora, dear, I also intend to stay by Jeong Hoon's side and help Hyejin. We'll wrap this up quickly and join you, so run along now. Time is money, you know that."
Kim Seyeon stepped up in support of my position. With Seyeon joining the pile, Sora shrank even further and finally waved the white flag of surrender.
"U-uuuh... y-you have to come back soon, okay? E-especially... Jeong Hoon oppa, don't you dare stick too close to that f-fox... Hyejin unnie! Seyeon unnie? You watch him real close, okay? Promise!?"
"Understood."
Unlike my blunt reply, Kim Seyeon and Park Seeun clearly knew exactly how to soothe Sora.
"Oh, you. You know perfectly well you're the only one in Jeong Hoon's heart, and you still act like this?"
"She's right, unnie. You two are soulmates."
"Eh? S-soulmates? Ehehe..."
Sora grinning like that was definitely charming... but real worry was sprouting up like weeds. Was it actually okay to just leave Sora to handle things on her own?
"Everyone. I recently reached level 10 in the Lord class. That means I can now select and develop a territory. I'm sure you're all aware that this Purification Zone has only six days remaining. If I develop a territory, I can create a space that offers a similar degree of safety even after those six days are up. The reason we've stockpiled more supplies than necessary is precisely for that purpose, and—"
Ah, Seo Hyejin was delivering something like a speech to the other survivors. I needed to get to her side and back her up right away.
I gave the still-hesitating Sora one more bit of encouragement (she beamed when I patted her head), then returned to Seo Hyejin's side with Kim Seyeon.
Footsteps sounded behind us. Sora and Seeun had clearly taken the others and headed for the subway station.
"Was there any need for you to stay behind with me? It would have been better if you'd gone with the other two to lead the remaining survivors."
Standing slightly behind and to the side of Seo Hyejin, positioned as if guarding her, I carefully whispered to Kim Seyeon, who had taken up a similar post.
And Kim Seyeon hit me with a devastating fact-check straight to the solar plexus.
"Jeong Hoon, you're reliable, of course... but leaving only someone who talks like that behind felt a little risky. We're used to it, but those people aren't, are they? That hao-che speech of yours."
That hit way too hard. Ow. Right in the bones. The bones!
It was a cliché setup, but sudden encounters always had someone pulling the strings behind the scenes.
"S-Suhyeok. Suhyeok!"
"What!?"
"It worked! Those beggar bastards... they ran into the villa bitches!"
"Fuck... hey, why the hell does that matter!? I told you not to report until something goddamn decisive happened, didn't I!?"
"N-no... it's not just that..."
"What? Spit it out! If it ain't important, I'll deck you!"
"Uh, well... only three of the villa survivors stayed behind... and S-Sora and... that warrior-class girl next to her? Just those two took the rest of the survivors and left."
"...What? Hey, wait. So that means the cleric with the glasses and that mute bastard guy... got split off dealing with the beggars?"
"Y-yeah...!"
"Ha, fuck...! You dumbass, you should've led with that!"
Suhyeok shot up from where he'd been sitting.
His eyes were full of excitement and pure thrill.
Naturally, the look in Youngsu's eyes as he watched Suhyeok was nothing but dread.
"S-Suhyeok...!"
"Fucking round everyone up! We're going right now!"
And the dread became reality.
"Suhyeok! Going right this second is a little... isn't that too reckless!?"
When a person's excitement hits its peak, their judgment tends to shatter completely.
"Shut the fuck up, you piece of shit! When are we ever gonna get a better chance than this!? When else am I gonna get to kick that bitch's ass and fuck her until she's begging me to just kill her!?"
And right now, Suhyeok had nothing but Han Sora filling his head as he roared at the top of his lungs.
"Hey, you bastards! You wanted to fuck some women, right!? Today I'll let you fuck women till you drop dead! Follow me right goddamn now!"
The bait Suhyeok threw was more than enough to blow the reason clean out of every starved man packing the men's dormitory.
"Waaaaaah!"
"Those villa survivors! You mean those bitches, right!?"
"Fuck, how long has it been since we had women!?"
And just like that, the entire population of the men's dormitory was swept up in a frenzy, primed to charge straight for the subway station.
All except one person.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck! Suhyeok, that crazy bastard... fuck...!"
Youngsu, who had been serving as their eyes, could only desperately rack his brain for any way to escape this space of pure madness.
Beyond the subway station where Sora and Seeun were about to set foot.
Thud! Thud!
"Prrrrr...!"
Jeong Hoon's group's expectations had been running in a fairly optimistic direction.
The passages inside the subway station were wide open. There weren't that many stalled subway cars blocking the way. No — there was even enough space between the cars for people to pass through without much trouble.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
"Prrrr...! Prrrr...! PWOOOOOOOOOOOOOR!"
But they had been imagining an underground passageway from a far too modern point of view.
A massive body. A bull-like head with horns jutting from either side. And yet it walked on two legs like a human, its footsteps echoing through the station...
It was the creature from Greco-Roman myth — the one that had fulfilled a father's desperate wish to fly.
A Minotaur.
"PWOOOOOOOOOOR!"
That monster was roaming the subway station, radiating a pure instinct to kill every living thing it found.