Walls Have Ears (1)
Tadaaa! Hello hello, surviving friends still kicking on Earth — men, women, young and old, no exceptions!? Your beloved Admin Uncle is baaack! Not that I'm an uncle! Hahaha!
Wow...
Of all the goddamn times to pop up! This miserable piece-of-shit administrator!
A loud, grating voice slammed into our ears. Who else could it be? That administrator. The very bastard who'd shoved us into this hopeless nightmare and forced us to scrape by day after day in extreme survival!
The root cause of root causes — the one who'd twisted the entire world into some kind of zombie apocalypse story!
That goddamn admin bastard!
Why the hell barge in at a moment like this, of all times!? We were finally one breath away from our second... undertaking!
"Ahem..."
"O-oh my... The administrator is speaking to us. W-what could it be about?"
We hurriedly put distance between ourselves, our lips having been a hair's breadth from touching. Embarrassment flooded in all at once.
Damn it... Thank god nobody saw that. Now that reality's hit, my face is burning up.
So what fresh garbage was that admin bastard about to spew after making things this awkward?
Enjoying the full survival life experience today? Ah, not sure how the translation function is holding up, but... I'm being a little Young and M... Z? Is that right? Anyway, I'm talking to you all following the latest trends. Super MZ, right?
...
WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I genuinely wanted to scream every curse I knew straight up at the sky.
Don't tell me you blasted our eardrums just to spit that garbage — interrupting me and Kim Seyeon... I mean, just to make that noise? If that's really it... I will do everything in my power to find a way to kill this administrator. I am not joking!
Whoopsie! Oh dear, look at me! I was supposed to be delivering information via a global notice, wasn't I? Nearly forgot. Aigoo, for young, bouncy little me to make a mistake like this! Ehehe!
"Ugh..."
"That's a bit..."
A sound of pure disgust slipped from my mouth. Beside me, Kim Seyeon didn't look any happier. No — her face was thoroughly uncomfortable. Mine was probably the same.
Young and bouncy, my ass... It sounded exactly like some forty-something guy trying to act like a twenty-year-old to get chummy with people.
My mood soured even further. I'd barely eaten anything today, and for a second something nearly came back up.
Alright then! There was a little commotion, but... why have I come to speak to you after ten whole days!? You're curious, aren't you, survivors? Amazingly — truly amazingly... I'm here to deliver shocking news once again after ten days! It's really shocking! Because, well... it's a shock...!
Would it kill you to just get to the point already?
Why was he suddenly dragging this out like some Japanese politician? This was the furthest thing from Young and MZ.
First things first — number one! Please don't be alarmed, everyone! Last time I told you a Clean Zone had appeared in XX-gu, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea, right? From defeating a Field Boss? Well, it has happened again! Kim Jaehoon of XX City, Chungcheongbuk-do, along with thirty-eight others, have defeated the Field Boss 'No-Head Rider' and claimed a brand-new Clean Zone! Everyone, a round of applause — waaaah! Clap clap clap!
Huh, what?
A new Clean Zone? In Chungcheongbuk-do?
"Wow... Other people must have worked incredibly hard. Defeating a Field Boss and securing a Clean Zone..."
"Indeed. It seems there is still hope."
This was genuinely good news.
It proved that even survivors without irregular powers like mine could band together and earn the same benefits I had.
But thirty-eight people? They'd somehow grown strong enough to challenge a Field Boss with that many. No-Head Rider, was it? Was that one on the weaker side?
The Clean Zone's duration is the same as before — 240 hours! Please enjoy the benefits you've earned to the fullest! Ah, whoopsie... almost forgot. Alongside that, in order to defeat the No-Head Rider... I must also inform you of the noble sacrifices of Kim Jaehoon and thirty of his fellow survivors. Please offer your condolences!
Ah...
Right. Of course it wasn't a Field Boss that went down easy.
It would have been nothing like our four-person strike team. That survivor group in Chungcheongbuk-do had earned their reward through sheer blood and sweat — an enormous sacrifice.
They'd given up far more than the benefits seemed to justify.
"...I'm suddenly worried about Hyejin and the others."
"I am as well."
Kim Seyeon was clearly thinking of the people we'd left behind in XX-gu, Gyeonggi-do. So was I. Hearing that had sparked a sudden knot of worry.
What if a new Field Boss appeared after we left? And what if Seo Hyejin, believing they could win the way we had, recklessly threw every guild member at it?
Of course, remembering Hyejin's leadership, she probably wouldn't do anything that reckless...
Ah. Speaking of Field Bosses... did defeating the Minotaur mean absolutely nothing?
The admin's been running his mouth this whole time without a single word about it. Was that thing just a regular mob? That level-65 powerhouse bull-head was actually just trash!? Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!?
Which is why... unlike 'Jeong Hoon,' to whom you previously sent messages, Kim Jaehoon will not have the messaging function available. Can't receive them if you're dead, after all! Right? And with that, the first piece of information is complete!
Was that admin bastard offering condolences or making a dead-person joke?
Even delivering facts in the most unpleasant way possible seemed to be a talent of his.
So everything he'd blathered so far was just the first piece of info? Then, don't tell me...?
Alright alright alright, next up I'll deliver some equally fascinating news! You remember XX-gu, which earned the world's first Clean Zone last time, right? And you surely remember Jeong Hoon and his four companions who defeated the Skeleton King there! So, what happened was...
Oh, ohhhh?
Don't tell me, don't tell me!?
Their leader, Jeong Hoon, recently defeated a sort of mini-boss dwelling inside a subway station — the 'Minotaur'! Please send a round of applause! Unlike the folks earlier, this one is still fresh and alive! Waaah, clap clap clap!
What a disgustingly unpleasant way to congratulate someone, you bastard! Even when you try to be nice, you pick the creepiest possible phrasing. Makes a guy's skin crawl.
Now then, for Jeong Hoon, who defeated that powerful Minotaur all on his own, we ought to bestow an incredible reward, right? Hmm, I've given this quite a bit of thought. Because... ahem ahem ahem~! Ah, should I say this or shouldn't I~?
"Why does it have to be an administrator like that governing our fate?"
Kim Seyeon muttered beside me, her voice laced with a sigh.
Beyond agreeing with her from the bottom of my heart, I had no way to comfort her. Damn it...
Alright, alright! You've all achieved such incredible feats in just a few days! I'll be generous. One spoiler, coming right up, everyone!
...A spoiler?
Suddenly a chill ran straight down my spine.
Originally, you see... the moment May kicked off! I was going to introduce a Dungeon System! And give you all a real suuurprise! That's right, hahaha! I'd even been making the preparations step by step! The Minotaur that Jeong Hoon defeated was originally part of that dungeon system! I was planning to build an underground labyrinth dungeon! But Jeong Hoon took it down first and ruined everything! Good heavens!
That felt like a backhanded dig at me. I'm not imagining that, right? You son of a bitch!
But a dungeon system... So they really intended to turn Earth into some kind of fantasy world.
Linking a specific game's system to the real world was already plenty fantastical as it was.
At this rate, are we going to get a Tower of God situation too? Some mission to climb a hundred-floor mega-tower?
Anyway, credit where credit is due... for defeating the Minotaur single-handedly, Jeong Hoon will receive a special item. Once this announcement ends, you'll find something special inside your bag! Be sure to check it. Ah, you can't see my face, can you? Be sure to check it? *wink!*
Urgh... damn it, narrating his own wink out loud. I almost actually threw up just now!
Still... at least he was giving a reward. Good. A shred of conscience remained after all.
"Congratulations, Jeong Hoon."
"My thanks. I should check it at once."
Without waiting another second, I dug through the Feather Bag. Ah — there it was, something I'd never seen before nestled inside. It was even glowing. Practically advertising I am a reward item at the top of its lungs. Time to pull it out.
"...Hmm?"
"H-huh? G-gloves...?"
What I pulled out was a pair of white gloves. No — correction. White gloves with red paint on the palms.
Ah, screw it. I'll just say it straight. They were the kind of cotton work gloves you'd see all the time at a construction site. Work gloves! Hell, you could drop these on a building site and nobody would bat an eye! Why the hell give me something like this!?
◈ Description: Gloves once favored by a master craftsman who had mastered countless tools and equipment. Simple in appearance, yet an extraordinarily rare item steeped in a craftsman's touch. Transforms any weapon, tool, or piece of equipment held into a Common (90% chance) or Rare (10% chance) grade item for 24 hours, and grants it permanent durability. This buff can only be applied once per specific weapon, tool, or piece of equipment.
...Huh? This was way more useful than I'd imagined.
I handed it over for Kim Seyeon to check, and her eyes lit up as she whispered,
"This is quite good. It'll be especially helpful for Sora."
Sora still hadn't been able to find a proper bow — there were no archery specialty shops around. And yet she remained our party's strongest ranged dealer (well, our only one, technically), which said everything about her skill. Handing her this would be like giving wings to a tiger.
And if we ever managed to get her a truly excellent bow on top of that, I had a feeling she'd show the real world what an arrow storm looked like.
Anyway, I'd received a good gift. The gift was good, even if everything else was still infuriating.
And with that, your long-awaited Admin is going to go truly dark until the next update! Calling for me won't help even if you miss me? I won't be back before May!
Whew. Finally leaving, looks like.
Yeah, get the hell out of here. I won't miss you one goddamn bit in May either—
Whoopsie-daisy! Look at me, look at me! I almost forgot an important announcement!
What?
There's more? This noisy bastard.
Alright alright alright! To all survivors living in capital cities across the world — Seoul of the Republic of Korea, Washington of the United States, Tokyo of Japan... and so on and so forth! Attention! The Field Bosses of your nations' capitals — no, the Area Bosses that surpass even those — have officially begun their activity as of yesterday! What's that, you ask? Not telling~! Kyaaahahahaha!
Wh-wh-wh-wh... what?
A boss? An Area Boss? What the hell is that!?
Survive and have fun, survivors! Especially those of you who lived in each nation's capital! Living in the capital felt pretty good, didn't it? Made you feel special, right? Through the Area Bosses, I hope you'll experience an even greater 'specialness'! Kyaaahahahaha! Byeee~
Leaving that bombshell of a declaration hanging, the administrator's grating voice cut off with a sharp click.
Kim Seyeon and I looked at each other.
All the earlier grumbling and resignation had vanished. We stared at one another with faces gone cold and rigid.
Because the last thing the administrator had thrown at us was information far too shocking to dismiss with mere annoyance.
A mouse flew through the night sky.
People commonly called such a creature a bat.
But this bat, colored far more fittingly for the darkness than any ordinary one, drifted endlessly through the moonlit night.
Above the capital of the Republic of Korea — Seoul. And within it, over the skies of the wealthy districts known as the Gangnam Three...
It flew at an altitude absurdly high for a bat.
...!
Then the bat's eyes locked onto something.
Through vision that defied any ordinary bat — vision that shouldn't have been possible — it drew something into its gaze.
The bat began to descend. Lower, and lower still.
Until it skimmed so low it nearly slammed into a building's rooftop.
At last, the bat clung upside-down beneath the railing of a tall building.
Eyes of crimson light.
And within them, something was held.
Burning corpses.
And before them... a man and a woman, deep in conversation.
The strange bat gazed endlessly at those two figures.