Road Movie (1)

"Hmm? Ohhh, ohhhh! This gentleman has claimed yet another first achievement? And he took down a Minotaur in the blink of an eye — inside a Clean Zone, no less! Ohhhhh!"

"My, my... We hadn't even designated it as a Field Boss yet, and the dungeon hadn't manifested either. We did send it down there to clear out the underground before turning the place into a dungeon, but he killed it far too quickly. Is it because he's the Chosen One? Is that what makes him different? Hmm, hmm..."

"Hmm, hmm... What to do about this... Hmm..."

"Ah, screw it!"

"Just give him one slick weapon and call it done! Something with permanent durability — that ought to shut him up, right?"

"Jealous? If you're jealous, go buy one from the shop with your own money! I can already see you've bought one, though! Hahaha!"

"I'm a genius, a true genius! Haha! Hahaha! Hahahaha! Wahahahahahahaha!!!"

April 19th.

Three days had passed since I'd delivered my merciless reckoning upon Kim Suhyeok.

Clomp, clomp...

I walked the streets as if nothing were amiss, glancing up at the sun hanging overhead. It was blinding, so I shaded my eyes with one hand.

The Clean Zone. Tomorrow at 5 p.m., its time limit would expire.

Soon enough, monsters would come pouring into the quiet, peaceful streets of XX-gu. And the people who'd grown soft on that peace would once again get a bellyful of what it meant to be hunted.

I've done everything I can.

Of course, I'd taken every measure I could to keep that from happening.

The villa survivors' training was finished. We'd stopped using the subway and switched instead to sweeping every last monster and zombie off the Clean Zone's perimeter in XX-gu.

Team One was under me; Team Two was led by Han Sora and Park Seeun. Between us, we'd cleared out as many of the surrounding monsters and zombies as humanly possible.

My Team One alone had slaughtered five hundred zombies, two hundred fifty skeletons, one hundred twenty goblins, and one hundred orcs. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠In pure experience points that came to 22,750, plus 2,913 gold.

Naturally, it wasn't a feat I'd pulled off alone. The survivors who'd climbed to Level 10 had thrown every spell and skill they had into the hunt. The alchemist survivors, in particular, had somehow scraped together materials and brewed explosive potions — and nothing beat a bomb for mass hunting.

Still, I'd pushed myself pretty hard. Over those three days, the other survivors had fretted over me constantly.

"Jeong Hoon... are you really all right? You've already gone out hunting six times today without a break... I'm worried you're going to collapse. Please rest a little."

"She's right, Jeong Hoon!"

"Lord Jeong Hoon, I beg you — grant that noble body of yours some rest..."

"I appreciate the concern. But every time I remember that the Clean Zone expires in mere days, a fire fills me to keep moving. My mind holds nothing but worry for all of you. So for now, I wish to push myself — even if it means overdoing it."

"Jeong Hoon..."

"Lord Jeong Hoon..."

"God, god, god... just what are you...!"

One of them was sending me a brand of devotion that was slightly off-target, but I decided to ignore it.

At any rate, for three days I'd rampaged through the area around XX-gu like a runaway locomotive, wiping monsters and zombies off the map. The survivors' levels had climbed considerably, and my own growth had benefited as ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠well.

My HP had climbed all the way to 2,400. That meant I could take five or six hits from something like yesterday's Minotaur charge — the kind of attack that would kill any other survivor instantly — and still walk away alive. (It still hurt like hell, though!)

A little more hunting and my Mage level would rise too, letting me learn one more 3rd-level spell. And if Warrior hit Level 9, I'd pick up another Warrior skill.

If my guess was right, it would almost certainly be an upgraded version of the skill I'd learned at Level 6. The real question was when I'd ever fill that 120,000 EXP bar.

Meanwhile, Han Sora and Park Seeun, leading Team Two, had racked up impressive results over three days — including the zombies they'd killed at the subway station. Three hundred fifty zombies, one hundred eighty skeletons, sixty goblin warriors, and forty orcs.

Kim Seyeon joining Team Two and laying on the buffs had helped enormously, but the two of them had also found a new rhythm after the incident at the station. They hunted with far better coordination and real fire in their eyes.

As expected, Han Sora had taken Mark Prey, Kim Seyeon had learned Minor Heal for better recovery, and Park Seeun had picked up Berserk as a last-resort ace for emergencies. Each of them had chosen something useful, so I didn't interfere.

Yes — everything was going smoothly. This ruined world was still full of variables, so the anxiety never fully left me... but still.

Except... killing the Minotaur and getting absolutely nothing extra for it had been pretty damn disappointing.

That thing's raw power was straight-up boss-tier, and its level had been sky-high! No reward at all? Come on, that's just cheap!

Carrying that minor grievance and nothing more, I was headed somewhere specific. An auto repair shop.

Hmm? Weren't all the shops shut down after the collapse? Correct.

The shop I was walking toward was one being run without its owner — free of charge. The guy was already dead, so... it was fine. If anything, leaving a facility like this unused would be more disrespectful to the deceased. That was my story and I was sticking to it!

"Ah, Jeong Hoon! ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Welcome!"

Inside the shop, a woman in a hard hat was draped over a car. She was the only person in our entire survivor group who held an auto mechanic's certification.

Her name was Jung Miju. She straightened up from the minivan she'd been working on, squared her shoulders, and called out to me with a look of pure pride.

"The battery and gas are a little low, but it'll get you to Seoul no problem! It's not even a two-hour drive from here! Oh — and with no other cars on the road, you might get there even earlier!"

She had a bright, lively personality. Her class was Blacksmith. Apparently, when she'd received it, she'd muttered bitterly, "So they gave me Blacksmith just because I have a mechanic's license, huh?"

Even after the collapse, wrecked cars had littered the streets — but she'd never shown the slightest interest in touching them.

Things were different now. There were four people who needed to ride.

"Thank you for taking such care. I shall treasure it."

"You're welcome! As for the fee... well, after everything you've done for us? You don't owe me a thing!"

She winked, one eye scrunching shut, and it was so cute I couldn't help smiling. She flushed a little and grinned bashfully, looking almost pure.

Well. I was used to this kind of reaction by now.

Every villa survivor was an adult woman — grandmothers included — with just two exceptions (the two kids). Some had had husbands or boyfriends, but given the state of the world, most had been torn apart by misfortune.

And in that situation, with a reliable man at their side who protected them and led the charge against every monster... what kind of attitude and gaze were they going to send his way? Nothing but goodwill, obviously.

Some of that goodwill had mutated into full-blown religious devotion and was making my life complicated, but still.

"Um, but..."

Hm? Jung Miju seemed to have more to say. She looked a little lonely. Why?

"Do you really have to leave here and go to Seoul? You could just stay... Honestly, this place has gotten incredibly safe, hasn't it? Way safer than anywhere else. Do you really need to head into dangerous Seoul?"

Ah. This again.

For the past few days, the other survivors had bombarded me daily with pleas not to leave. Seo Hyejin — who'd formally established the base and taken the leader's seat — had laid it all out honestly.

Han Sora, Kim Seyeon, Park Seeun, and I would be leaving for Seoul. Personal reasons, and for the future of the guild and the survivors.

April 20th, midnight. Exactly seventeen hours before the Clean Zone expired, we would set out for Seoul. In this repaired minivan sitting right in front of me.

"...I understand the unease. But for a better future, this is something that must be done. If we can reclaim even a portion of Seoul and establish roads and defensive lines connecting it to XX-gu, our safety will be far more secure. And of course — I mean to rescue my friend as well."

I meant every word. If I could push into the heart of Seoul, reclaim even a foothold, and restore the transportation network enough to link it with XX-gu in Gyeonggi Province, we could properly gather survivors and lock down a safe zone through the guild and territory systems.

Well... I had a few other motives too.

"Th-that's not what I... Ugh, come on. I'm not good at this kind of thing. I'll just say it."

"Hm?"

Apparently I'd completely missed the point.

Jung Miju scratched her head with an embarrassed look, then met my eyes.

"Everyone in our villa... no, everyone in our guild... they've completely lost their hearts to you, Jeong Hoon. You gave them homes, you beat back the monsters, you helped them grow strong enough not to die... They're all just... head over heels for you! Head over heels! How do you think those people feel? If you just up and leave... never mind the anxiety — the heartbreak is going to be huge."

"..."

Ahh. So that was it.

Come to think of it, over the past few days, starting with Seo Hyejin, people's eyes had gotten a little strange.

More and more of them had been looking at me with this resolve that said, "I wish he wouldn't leave, but if he does... at the very least!"

"Divulging such information leaves me no choice but to conclude that your own thoughts differ from the others'."

"Oh my... is that how it looked?"

Suddenly, Jung Miju pressed closer. Looking up at me, her expression carried a wistful ache. Moisture gathered in her eyes.

...I really am a sinful man.

"I am sorry."

"I know. You've already got... that short-haired girl."

Right. It was already public knowledge. Han Sora and me.

"And on top of that... Seeun and Seyeon unnie have ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠been having a great time with you every single night, too."

"That is entirely untrue."

This woman, I swear...!

We hadn't gone that far yet!

Not. Yet!

After parting ways with Jung Miju at the repair shop, I set off again.

My eyes turned toward our newly chosen base of operations — the guild headquarters of Seo Hyejin's "Hope's Wings," and the territory of Baron Seo Hyejin herself.

"...At this elevation, it should be more than adequate."

With every step up the hill, I felt in my bones just how prime a base that bastard Kim Suhyeok had seized and then wasted. The fact that he'd held a place like this and still managed nothing but horniness before dying almost felt like a talent of its own.

But he'd thoughtfully driven himself and his underlings straight into the grave and handed this excellent stronghold over to us free of charge... so the dead man at least deserved a word of thanks.

Suhyeok, buddy — thank you! And thanks even more for dying so well!