Eat This? You Want Me to Eat This?

"Everyone, please gather. I have an urgent announcement to make."

"Given the situation, it seems we'll need more people for the 'scouting party.'"

"From now on, those who do not participate in the 'scouting party' will not receive food rations."

Look at that sly bat bastard.

Just watch how skillfully he toys with people using that silver tongue of his.

"Dokja, did you… somehow know things would turn out like this…?"

"I expected it. I thought about what those dokkaebi bastards would do first if they wanted to torment humans."

That was a lie.

Dokja had known from the very beginning that this was how it would go.

If keeping a perfectly straight face while ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠lying counted as a talent, then she had it in spades.

"Dokja—!"

"What do we do now? Should we join the scouting party too?"

"No. We're not going aboveground. Head that way and you're guaranteed to die."

"Then what are you planning? Do you have some good way of getting food?"

When I asked with a playful smile, she smiled right back and answered.

"The world's changed, so the way we eat has to change too."

"Wait a second, Dokja— don't tell me…"

"That's right."

"We're going to hunt monsters."

"You're saying you'll go into the railway tracks?"

"Well, looking at it regularly, we do need a team dedicated to clearing scenarios."

"Safe travels."

Cheon Inho surprisingly didn't throw up any obstacles, but I already knew exactly what that bat bastard was going to pull.

"If you're heading out anyway, would you mind taking one of our group members along?"

"Hiiiiiik!!"

"A-a corpse!"

"Y-Yoo Sangah! It's dangerous, so grab my hand!"

"…Manager, I think you're more scared than I am."

"Haa…"

A sigh escaped me all on its own.

Of all the countless people in the organization, it just had to be Han Myungoh.

Of course, knowing what was about to happen next made this practically good news for me…

But just being around that bastard was enough to sour my mood.

And seeing Yoo Sangah stuck with a guy like that made her look so pitiful that I walked over.

"Hayeon? Is something wrong?"

"Need a hand?"

"W-what?"

I didn't say anything more. I simply held out one hand.

Yoo Sangah hesitated for a moment at the gesture, then took it.

I led her past Han Myungoh at a quick pace and kept going.

Of course, the bastard still managed to catch up by running after us.

…But why did the gaze coming from Dokja's direction feel so prickly?

"Jung Heewon, will you be all right? You haven't fully recovered yet…"

"I'm more worried about Gilyoung than myself."

"It's really dangerous up ahead. You're not seriously planning to just keep going like this, are you?"

"To be honest, I've been concerned for a while now. It might be better to send Gilyoung and the women back even at this point…"

"I think both of you have forgotten something."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Dokja turned and looked at the group.

"A few days ago, the world we lived in completely changed."

"The idea that women and children are physically weaker is nothing but prejudice now."

"Anyone can raise their stats and become strong."

"Gilyoung. Show them."

Gilyoung nodded, then placed his hand on the ground.

He closed his eyes, focused, and soon a single cockroach crawled toward him from up ahead.

"My attribute is [Insect Collector]. I can have simple conversations with insects."

"They say there's nothing up ahead. We'll be safe for the next hundred steps."

"I appreciate the concern, but I didn't tag along just to freeload off hyung and the noonas."

Hell yeah— that's my boy.

Our Gilyoung is doing great! That's right!

"And Hyunsung. I'm the strongest one here, and I'm a woman. Should I turn back too?"

"Th-that's not what I meant…!"

"I know. I was just teasing."

Dokja smiled and lightly ruffled Gilyoung's hair.

Then Jung Heewon looked ahead and muttered in a puzzled voice.

"By the way… it doesn't look like there are only human corpses…"

"It's pitch black, like some kind of curtain is hanging there… ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hard to see…"

The moment Lee Hyunsung touched the black barrier, a blue window appeared before our eyes.

The black curtain before our eyes lifted, revealing countless corpses.

Grade 9 underground species: mole crickets.

Along the subway tracks, the bodies of mole crickets and humans lay tangled and scattered everywhere.

"Dokja. Couldn't we clear the scenario with these?"

"Hyunsung. Are you planning to eat these? They look like they've been dead for a while—probably already rotting."

"Th-that's not what I…"

"It said we have to hunt them personally, so it probably won't count."

"Yeah, it's a little gross. What about cooking? Just roast them over a fire?"

"More importantly, Heewon—you said you were good with a sword, right?"

"Uh, well, calling myself good might be a stretch…"

Hearing that, Dokja immediately began dismantling a mole cricket corpse.

While she worked, Yoo Sangah approached me.

"Hayeon."

"Yes? What is it?"

"Do you… also have something like an attribute, the way Gilyoung does?"

"Yes. I do."

"Then… that time your appearance changed…?"

"Yes. That was it."

At my words, Kim Dokja stopped dismantling the mole cricket and looked at me.

"An attribute? That?"

"Yes. It's called [Administrator]."

"Administrator…? There's nothing like that in Ways of Survival…"

Dokja muttered something under her breath after hearing me.

She was probably turning my attribute over in her mind.

After all, no such attribute should have appeared in Ways of Survival.

Soon she seemed to give up thinking about it and went back to work with her hands.

"…It suddenly feels like we've gone back to the Stone Age."

"You'll need to sharpen them more to make them useful. Try grinding the edges on nearby rocks."

Soon everyone held weapons fashioned from mole cricket bones.

I received nothing.

I could fight through Identities, after all.

"You all have coins saved up, right? Leave just enough for survival expenses and put everything else into Strength, Stamina, and Agility."

At those words I began ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠investing the coins I had gathered so far into my stats.

"This may sound cruel, but honestly I don't expect any of you to survive."

"Even so— all of you, survive."

Beyond the tracks, countless mole crickets poured out in a swarm.

"Identity Equipment."

The moment I equipped the Identity, the clothes I had been wearing vanished. In their place appeared a black suit beneath a red coat embroidered with golden thread.

A single Chinese saber settled into my hand.

"I'll burn every last one of you. Come at me, you monster bastards."