My Talent Is Below Normal (2)

"Damn it...."

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"Hell...."

My mind was a mess.

Before I even had time to feel disappointed in myself, everything kept moving forward on its own.

From outside, I could hear the sounds of unidentified beasts.

Those who were terrified had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠begun inching toward the walls, and I could see a few of them arming themselves, probably just hoping to protect their own bodies at the very least.

I was no different.

There was no shortage of weapons.

Rushing over and grabbing a spear was only natural.

A sword was there too, but I had no interest in getting face-to-face with those beasts up close.

What do I do?

What now?

Thoughts came and went in a jumble.

Of course, I wasn't the only one panicking.

Shouts that were practically screams erupted from all around me.

The beasts howling outside, combined with the fact that we were trapped in an enclosed space, was feeding everyone's fear.

"Please, save us!"

"P-please, get us out of here. Please...."

"Quit screwing around and open the door already! I'll sue all of you! Sue you, I tell you! Open the damn door!"

"Waaah... please save us. Please...."

"I'm calling the police! The police!"

"Pick up a weapon! Can't you hear those sounds coming from outside? Pick up a weapon!"

"You pick one up! You do it! Everyone, grab a shield at least. Hurry!"

"What the hell are you doing! Right now! Stop stirring up this weird atmosphere and end this stupid prank already!"

"What prank? This isn't a prank! Didn't you all see the status window floating in front of you? Pick up a weapon, now! Hey, old man over there! Does this look like a joke to you?"

A large man who had been shouting as if he were about to tear his throat out lifted a wooden shield.

There were plenty of people yelling that we should fight, but he was a little more proactive than the rest.

Before I could even trigger anything, the man's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠overall information appeared in my sight.

Didn't need to tell me all that....

He looked impossible to believe for a twenty-three-year-old.

He was huge, broad, and fat in build, but he didn't really give off the impression of being overweight.

If anything, it was more accurate to say that his whole body looked covered in muscle.

Unlike me, whose strength and endurance points were both 10, his strength was 20 and his endurance 30.

It was easy to see that not only were his talent ratings dead last, but his basic stats were awful too.

Just like I'd read with the Mind's Eye, he could be useful as a warrior, as meat shield material.

If I blatantly tried to act friendly, it would definitely raise his guard.

For now, the first thing was to carry the spear and linger near him.

Sure enough, as soon as I made an action that said I was going to fight with a spear, this guy named Park Deokgu brightened up and opened his mouth.

"You gonna fight too, brother?"

"Yes. I think I should, at least for now. Something seems to be out there, and... I think it's better to do something than just sit here and collapse."

"That's a real refreshing way to put it, brother. You don't look too sturdy, though."

"Thank you. Let's get ready for now."

He didn't even seem to realize he'd just said something rude, and looked thoroughly satisfied instead.

Even saying a few words like that had an effect.

I opened my mouth again.

This time, I addressed the crowd.

"Denying what's happening right now won't change anything. We need to deal with what's already in front of us first, don't we? I can hear beasts howling outside. Whether this is reality, a hidden camera prank, or a dream, we need to do something. Everyone, pick up a weapon. At the very least, we need to resist."

"Stop this stupid joke already!"

"It's not a joke. I don't want to do this kind of prank either, and honestly, I'd rather it were a prank. But everyone, please just pick up a weapon for now. If it turns out to be a joke, then we can deal with it after that."

We needed as many people able to fight as possible.

We didn't know how many enemies were about to rush in, or what kind they were.

Someone muttered,

"R-right. Let's pick up weapons for now. F-first, we should deal with whatever's out there and then look at the situation. He... he said we could definitely win, so that's what'll happen."

"R-right!"

"Let's fight, for now!"

Of course, none of them were used to fighting.

But one by one, they began picking up swords.

Some were simply swept along by the atmosphere; others armed themselves to protect their own lives.

The mood gradually improved.

Not bad.

This kind of flow was good.

"You too, pick up a weapon."

"Huh?"

"I'm not telling you to go to the front and fight. We don't know what's going to happen. For now, you need to at least hold a weapon. Don't expect someone else to protect you. This is reality."

"Ah. Yes, yes...."

He must have understood what I was saying.

In the end, he picked up a weapon with an expression that clearly showed he wasn't happy about it, but that was all.

A few people still loitering at the back were definitely irritating to look at.

But there was no way to say that out loud here. In the end, they swallowed their objections and began waiting for the enemies to come.

Can we win?

Obviously not.

Still, we could hold out.

I didn't know how many people would die, but for now, protecting this base camp was what mattered.

Tutorial. He definitely said this was a tutorial.

The mood was good, and everyone had the will to fight. Their eyes were filled with the desperate desire to survive.

We can do this.

But thinking that we could somehow do it, that we could win, that we could endure this or maybe even see a miracle happen—that was nothing more than my own delusion.

"Aaaahhhhh!"

The stone door behind us, not the one in front, swung open, and a monster with a human-like shape bit clean through the throat of a woman who had been trying to back away.

Blood sprayed far enough to reach even this relatively rearward section.

Before the others' eyes even had time to fill with fear, monsters were surging in from every direction.

"Aaaah! Help me!"

"Run!"

Damn it!

Screams exploded across the room in an instant.

It was pure pandemonium.

Even that bastard Park Deokgu, who had been shouting the loudest about fighting, must not have actually expected monsters like that to appear, because he was just standing there, staring blankly ahead with his sword and shield in hand.

These were ordinary people who had never even held a sword before, let alone people experienced in fighting.

There was no way they could endure a situation like this.

None of them could believe the reality in front of their eyes.

Without realizing it, I shouted toward Park Deokgu, who was still staring dumbly at the front.

"What are you doing? You want to die?!"

"B-brother!"

My legs and the hand gripping the spear were trembling violently.

Still, I bit down on my lip and thrust the spear forward.

By sheer luck, it pierced straight through the monster's head.

Park Deokgu, driven by raw fury, shoved back the monsters with his shield.

Our formation collapsed in an instant.

In the blink of an eye, allies ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and monsters were all tangled together, and people started fleeing into the open space.

I need to run.

Staying here would mean death.

Death.

It was definitely annihilation.

We're going to die.

There was no time to think about anything else.

"Run!"

"Huh? Huh? Huh?"

"You damn pig! I said run! Are you deaf?!"

I shouted at the guy I'd marked out earlier.

Maybe the voice snapped him out of it, because he immediately lifted his shield and started bolting.

I threw myself forward too, trying to squeeze through a narrow gap.

Ah!

As I moved, I remembered the food and water.

They weren't far.

There was no way to know whether there were other shelters in here, so I had to grab them no matter what.

"Brother! Where to!"

"Get the water!"

"R-right!"

Even amid the tangled voices, the screams were unmistakable.

My eyes met those of a woman who had been bitten on the shoulder by a zombie-like monster.

"P-please... save me...."

"Damn it."

A brief hesitation.

But both of my hands wrapped around the spear betrayed the woman's hope.

I did not look into her eyes, which were full of despair. Instead, after grabbing two or three leather bags lying around at random and turning my head away, I could see the monsters piling onto her like a pack of dogs.

Thanks to her, I was able to live, so the proper thing would be to thank her.

I'm sorry.

After murmuring an apology that would never be answered in my heart, I moved my feet at once.

"Brother!"

When I turned toward the place Park Deokgu was shouting from, I saw a monster throwing itself toward us.

"Shit...."

Thunk!

"Gehk!"

Just then, a sword flying in from somewhere lodged itself in the monster's head.

I couldn't tell whether it had anything to do with luck, but for now, it was a lucky break.

For a brief moment, I felt as though my eyes had met those of the man who had thrown the sword, but I didn't have time to check his information.

What I could tell for certain was that he gave off an extremely strange feeling.

What was that?

It wasn't a face twisted by fear, nor eyes trembling with the terror of death. He did look desperate, but it wasn't an attachment to life.

Was that just my imagination?

He had an oddly memorable face.

As he passed out of my sight, I could see Park Deokgu waiting for me with his shield raised.

"Did you get the water?!"

No answer came back.

But when I saw the leather pouch in his right hand, it was clear he'd grabbed what needed grabbing.

He was the type who did what he was told.

"There still seem to be people inside!"

"Shut up and run if you don't want to die! You fat bastard! Can't you see the monsters behind us?"

"I-I understand, brother!"

Getting out into the open space with him was over in an instant.

People who were running and getting caught, and people who couldn't get out in the first place, all came into view.

When I glanced back, there were no monsters following us.

They were all focused on the prey inside.

Screams were ringing out from everywhere, as if people were still resisting, but I pretended I couldn't hear any of it and just clamped my ears shut.

"P-please save me!"

"Fight back, aaaaaah!"

"Gehk!"

"Aaaahhhhh!"

"Please save us. Waaah... please save us. Plea...."

"Aaaaaaah!"

Park Deokgu also seemed unable to help himself from squeezing his eyes shut, like the people we'd left behind were sticking in his mind.

"Don't feel guilty. There was nothing we could do."

"B-but...."

"There was nothing we could do. Nothing we could do...."

It had been an unavoidable situation.

He would have known that too.

"Damn it...."

But there was no way to stop the curses spilling out of Park Deokgu's mouth.