Taming the Territory (1)

One week earlier.

April 14th.

In front of JU University Hospital.

A man and a woman stood facing each other.

The man, flaunting a striking head of golden blond hair and a handsome face, wore a look of regret, making a show of his disappointment. The woman opposite him toyed with her wavy hair as if she had already lost interest, refusing to meet his eyes and staring off somewhere else entirely.

"Mina... are you really staying? For real? Seriously?"

The man forced the words out with difficulty.

His voice carried regret, sorrow, and a faint undercurrent of resentment. The woman receiving it scowled as if she ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠were thoroughly sick of this and answered halfheartedly.

"How many times are you going to make me repeat myself, Daegeon?"

"But... anyone can see it's reckless, don't you think? Mina? Just look at our side."

The man — Han Daegeon — jerked his chin toward the space behind him. There, a group of companions waited with their bodies and supplies piled into trucks. Waiting, of course, for their leader.

Though not without open discontent written across their faces.

"Daegeon, hurry up! Everyone's waiting!"

One of the women from the group approached the two of them. She spoke to the man while casting a look full of wariness at Mina — not the gaze of a fellow survivor, but something much closer to the way one looks at a romantic rival.

"See? Even your first girlfriend, Yeon Ju-hui, is nagging you. Wouldn't it be better to just go already?"

"Mina!"

"Hey, Yun Mina!"

Sensitive about the title, Yeon Ju-hui bristled and planted herself in front of Han Daegeon, glaring daggers at Yun Mina. Her eyes were packed solid with hostility.

"What's with that wording? First girlfriend? Can't even make it down the road without picking a fight, can you?"

At Yeon Ju-hui's outburst, Yun Mina absently brushed a finger along the corner of her mouth out of habit, then let out a little gasp of realization.

"Ah! Sorry, Ju-hui. You were the third girlfriend, right? The first was Jung Yun unnie, and the second was—"

"You insolent little bitch!"

"Ju-hui! Calm down!"

Yeon Ju-hui couldn't hold back any longer and raised her hand. Of course, her wish — to leave a bright red palm print on Yun Mina's cheek before they left — went unfulfilled. Han Daegeon had grabbed her arm from behind and stopped her.

Before April 1st, this would have been nothing more than an ordinary love triangle farce.

Not that Yun Mina harbored so much as a speck of romantic feeling on her end. One-sided affection was always more of a nuisance for the person on the receiving side.

"Daegeon. I really don't feel like repeating my ideal type to you again just because you're being annoying. But since you're an old friend of mine... if you want, I can explain it right here and then kick you out. How does that sound?"

Yun Mina's ideal type.

More precisely, her ideal man.

The moment that sore spot was prodded, it was Han Daegeon's expression that twisted. The resentment he had barely managed to hide surged back to the surface.

And seeing that face, Yun Mina snorted.

"Doesn't look like I need to explain after all. Take care. Try not to die, okay?"

Even as she offered the farewell, Yun Mina put no sincerity into it.

She turned her back and started toward the hospital entrance.

That ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was when Han Daegeon finally managed to open his mouth again.

"...Really, just because you're waiting there...! You think someone like that is actually going to come? Seriously?"

Yun Mina had already turned her back completely, so Han Daegeon ended up shouting at the back of her head.

And Yun Mina, even more coldly, didn't stop walking as she answered, continuing straight into the hospital.

"At least it's a lot more realistic than that brilliant plan of yours, don't you think, Daegeon?"

Yun Mina never heard Han Daegeon's reply.

Or rather, more accurately — she didn't listen. She vanished into the hospital, disappearing from before Han Daegeon and his companions.

"And that's how I ended up meeting all of you! So? What do you think?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...Come again?"

Relying on the light of a single lamp, occupying an empty guest room in an otherwise intact hotel, my companions and I listened to Yun Mina's self-introduction.

Or rather, something that could barely be called a self-introduction — a rambling, disjointed recollection that spilled out without structure. The moment I heard her story, questions flooded my mind.

Wait, what? Who? Who the hell is Han Daegeon? Who's Yeon Ju-hui? And who's this Jung Yun unnie?

They're driving trucks and cars up to Gangbuk? Rallying a huge number of survivors?

Why? For what? And more importantly — who exactly is the person talking in front of us right now?

Other than her name being Yun Mina and her being a grad student, I still know absolutely nothing.

In the end, I had no choice but to carefully pose a comprehensive question.

"Ahem... I still don't quite understand who Han Daegeon is, or what sort of relationship exists between that man and yourself."

It took less than ten seconds to realize that had been a mistake.

"Oh, come on, didn't I just say? He's a horny little mutt who tried every trick in the book to keep me by his side! I've known him since we were at university together, and the guy literally cannot be satisfied with one woman — he just keeps adding more and more and more, never giving it a rest. I really feel bad for Jung Yun unnie, who actually likes him. This is exactly why every manga and game says childhood friends only end up suffering, you know? Don't you think so, Jeong Hoon-ssi?"

"...What?"

Whatever else might be unclear, one thing was certain. The woman standing in front of me named Yun Mina had a communication disorder on par with Han Sora's.

The difference was that while Han Sora's communication issues stemmed from her characteristic stammering and shut-in nature, this one caused disharmony by simply running her mouth however she pleased, in whatever style she felt like.

People like this needed someone nearby to assist and organize their thoughts. In our party, for example — someone like Teacher Kim Seyeon.

"So in other words, you and that man Han Daegeon were classmates at S University, a national university, then parted ways when you entered graduate school, and happened to run into each other again because of this crisis. He asked you to go to Gangbuk with him, but you refused and stayed at the hospital waiting for us. Is that correct?"

The stifling feeling in my chest cleared almost instantly.

It wasn't a complete resolution, but just having the story organized like that made me feel better. Kim Seyeon really was something else.

"That's right, unnie. You're so smart! What's your name?"

"I'm Kim Seyeon."

"Wow, even your name is pretty! And next to you — your daughter?"

"Yes. So I'd appreciate it if you could keep your voice down a little."

Even as she answered, Kim Seyeon gently stroked the hair of Seo Minji, who was sound asleep on the bed.

We had decided to temporarily stay at this hotel while carrying out our plan to conquer Yeouido. It was a five-star hotel located a short distance from ◆◆ Bank. At first I'd considered claiming something like a suite on the top floor, but I quickly came to my senses and took a room as low as possible. If anything went wrong with the building, escaping from high up would be a serious problem — the elevators weren't working, after all.

Being a five-star hotel, even the lower-floor rooms were luxurious enough. More importantly, there were two department stores nearby, making it easy to obtain whatever supplies we needed. For free.

Opening the hotel room doors had been thanks in large part to the Rogue skill Lockpicking E. Electronic locking mechanisms all yielded to a skill of that level. Fortunate.

With the housing problem solved in an instant, we had arranged this little gathering to satisfy our mutual curiosity. All by the light of a single small lamp.

Which meant I needed to extract every scrap of information I could from this woman named Yun Mina — who, within mere hours of meeting us, had only multiplied the already baffling mysteries surrounding her.

"Why did you wait for us?"

I asked a question that seemed abrupt, yet cut straight to the heart of the matter.

It was important. Why had she waited for us? By any common-sense measure, it was a completely illogical thing to do.

"Hmm, Jeong Hoon-ssi. No, no... Oppa Jeong Hoon. That's what you were about to say, right? Why sit around waiting based on nothing but some admin bastard's blabbering when you don't even know for sure whether me and my companions would come to Seoul at all! That's what you wanted to ask, isn't it?"

This friend is ridiculously good at reading between the lines! Accurate, though.

I nodded expressionlessly. I had a feeling that carelessly shifting or revealing my emotions in front of this Yun Mina woman — though of course Lawful Good was preventing me from doing that anyway — would only put me at a disadvantage or leave me seething alone.

"Honestly... well... saying it like this right after meeting you might kill the mood, but... I didn't have high expectations of meeting you all either. I figured if it didn't work out, I'd just tough it out alone. Simple, right? Hehe!"

...Just as she'd warned, it was a confession that thoroughly killed the mood.

A look of deflation instantly settled over my face, Han Sora's, and Park Seeun's, while Kim Seyeon actually let out a sigh.

"But that doesn't mean following Daegeon up to Gangbuk would have been the answer either, right?"

Does this woman have to end every single statement as a question to feel satisfied? I took that cryptic remark and turned it back into a question of my own.

"Why do you say that following your friend to Gangbuk would not have been the answer?"

"Why? Because it's dangerous. I don't know if you all know this, but... that gloomy black cloud over Gangbuk, pouring out this sinister aura like some Demon King has descended — that didn't just start a day or two ago. From what I can remember alone, it started more than a week earlier! Did you know that?"

Ah, that.

"I am aware."

"Huh?"

I pulled a scrap of paper from my coat.

A note handwritten by my friend, Son Minsu. Not only Yun Mina, whose eyes went wide, but Han Sora, Park Seeun, and Kim Seyeon all turned their attention to the note in my hand.

I cleared my throat and carefully read it aloud.

"To whoever finds this note, please deliver it to a twenty-nine-year-old man named Jeong Hoon from XX District, Gyeonggi Province. Hoon, I can't wait for you any longer, so I'm leaving. I've joined a volunteer force organized by a man named Han Daegeon. I owe them a debt and couldn't refuse their request. If you want to see me, you can come to Gangbuk, but... you'd better not. Something's wrong with Gangbuk. Monsters and zombies have been pouring into that area for the past few days. No — if you've come all the way to Seoul just to find this note, just go back to Gyeonggi. P.S...."

I didn't read the postscript. That was private. The part I'd already read was enough. Everything that needed to be conveyed had been conveyed.

"My friend Son Minsu's note, your testimony, and the thieves' accounts all align... anomalous phenomena have been occurring in Gangbuk for quite some time, and no one seems to have guessed the reason. Am I correct?"

"Uh... is that so? Oppa Jeong Hoon — Orabeoni!?"

Yun Mina answered while mimicking my speech pattern.

This woman!

If it weren't for Lawful Good, I'd... aigoo!

"And yet... this Han Daegeon, your former classmate, gathered people, armed them with weapons, and marched hundreds of them up into Gangbuk. Is that also accurate?"

"Yes, that's right! He led a suicide charge right up there! Your friend really got the short end of the stick. Of all people to follow into Gangbuk. Doesn't Daegeon feel even a little sorry ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠for the people who follow him?"

W-what's with that wording? Is that supposed to be comfort, or is she just twisting the knife?

"Daegeon's been broadcasting this 'I want to be the protagonist' mindset nonstop since university. This is more of the same. He wants to gather people, become some kind of symbol of salvation, and save the world — that's the desire driving him. He believes he can solve it because he's the main character. Weird guy, right?"

How the hell would I know? I've never even seen this ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Han Daegeon guy's face.

Still, there was one detail in the description that bothered me. The part about him having a lot of women around him, and attracting even more.

If we meet later, are we going to recognize each other as the same species and instantly start stacking mutual hatred? Smiling on the outside while cursing on the inside — hoping some monster would just hurry up and kill that bastard?

Ah, but that probably won't happen. Judging by that ominous aura over Gangbuk alone, those people's fates are...

"That doesn't sound good. They swept up every weapon in Gangnam and left with all those people, and if there's been no word since... I don't think we'll be seeing them again."

Kim Seyeon murmured a highly plausible concern with careful restraint.

I had considered raiding the XX District police station myself to arm some of the survivors whose classes weren't suited for combat. The problem was that the station had been completely emptied out — maybe every officer had been dispatched to other districts. And I couldn't exactly venture outside the Clean Zone just to loot a police station.

Seoul being a major city, every district was packed with police stations, which naturally meant a massive number of firearms. If Yun Mina's testimony was correct, this Han Daegeon character had stripped them all bare under the pretext of reclaiming Gangbuk.

What a joke of a guy. The only reason he was even able to gather a force and arm them in Gangnam was because that aura flowing out of Gangbuk had drawn all the monsters and zombies north. Is this bastard's need to show off just that extreme?

Well, Field Bosses might be doable even at low levels if you gather enough numbers, like that Kim Jaehoon guy I heard about recently... but Area Bosses are almost certainly far stronger than even the administrators emphasized. So rather than that—

"It would have been better to simply block the bridges and subway tunnels connecting Gangnam and Gangbuk... did they really go through with such a foolish idea?"

"It's vanity, like I said. Han Daegeon has terminal protagonist syndrome. Ah, and the reason I say terminal is... because the only thing that comes after is death. Odds are Daegeon's already up in heaven by now. Fitting, right?"

Dealing with it the way Teacher Kim Seyeon suggested and taking a long-term approach would have been correct. But fitting, my ass! That was basically saying my friend was dead too!

"Th-that... could be interpreted as saying Oppa Jeong Hoon's friend is d-dead too, you know..."

Sora said what I wanted to say for me. Thank you, Sora.

Hearing Sora's words, Yun Mina at least had enough conscience to look stricken and bow her head toward me.

"Ah, right. Oppa's friend followed that idiot, didn't he? I'm sorry, Oppa. I'll... apologize on behalf of that dumbass. And for how I put it, too. Is that okay?"

Yun Mina really did have a way of packing one extra line into everything she said.

But... since I had no intention of charging off to Gangbuk to rescue my friend either — Minsu himself had written that he didn't want me to come — I wasn't particularly shaken or emotionally unsettled.

Besides... eleven days had already passed since I received the message. I'd had a feeling we'd miss each other. And more than anything, even if I rushed off to save him now, the odds that he was already dead were overwhelmingly high.

"It is fine. That fellow likely wrote telling me not to come precisely because he did not expect his own life to last long. He was a thoughtful friend."

So... I'm sorry, Minsu. I really am sorry.

"More importantly — you said you were a Mage. What of your subclass and level?"

Setting aside the grim topic, I asked with the intention of recruiting Yun Mina into the party.

But at my question, the others suddenly jumped.

Park Seeun and Han Sora in particular spoke up.

"O-Oppa! Are you s-seriously... trying to put this person in our party?"

"She's right! Why would you take in someone this suspicious...!"

They were pushing back harder than I'd expected, and I tilted my head. What was with these two?

I knew she was suspicious, but that didn't mean I could just leave a survivor to fend for herself. Being a beautiful woman would have been a huge advantage in peacetime — but in an era like this, it was no advantage at all.

Yun Mina had miraculously held out alone at the top of a hospital, but plenty of female survivors in XX District hadn't been so lucky. I still remembered the moment they were captured by orcs and gang-raped. And there was even a victim of an attempted assault right here among us.

I used those examples to persuade the two of them. Park Seeun looked a bit dissatisfied but seemed to accept it, while Han Sora stared at Yun Mina with open dislike before approaching me.

Then she quietly whispered in my ear.

"S-Seyeon unnie and Seeun are fine, but... that fox woman... absolutely not. Got it?"

"Hm? But we can't just send her off like this—"

"I'm not saying don't put her in the party. I mean something else. Oppa... you can't. Got it?"

Just as I was about to ask what exactly I was supposed to have gotten, I caught sight of Han Sora's eyes.

Huh? Did the lantern light just get weaker? Because I'm sensing... emptiness in Sora's gaze?

Under that silent pressure, I had no choice but to nod for now.

"Very well, then..."

"Oh! Yes, please!"

The party invitation went through easily, and Yun Mina seemed to accept without the slightest hesitation.

A moment later, we could all see the system window she pulled up.

"Looking forward to working with you all?"

It was a status window that made me wonder just how much invisible effort she had poured into herself.