Chapter 3
Chapter 3
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Act 1. The Beginning of the End (3)
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“H-He killed that monster!?”
The people who had been busy fleeing paused and stared blankly at me.
But it was only for a moment. Urged on by shouts from behind, they quickly looked away and hurried their steps.
I wiped the purple blood from my cheek.
“Ugh!”
“Kyaaah!”
*Damn.*
Although Lee Seon-yul was guarding the apartment entrance, he couldn't do anything about the monsters that broke in through windows and then came out through the doors.
Casualties were still mounting at the very back of the group.
While I was dealing with the Death Bite, most people must have gone up the stairs, as more Death Bites came into my view.
I can't handle multiple of them at once yet.
After retrieving my pair of daggers, I joined the rear and headed up the stairs.
I felt like I'd met Lee Seon-yul's gaze, but I had no time to confirm it.
“Grrrk!”
“Karrng!”
For about ten minutes, I climbed the stairs, fending off the ones that charged at us.
Though it felt like over an hour had passed, the door to the rooftop finally came into view.
Normally, climbing ten floors would have left me panting and taken quite a while. The strength that comes from a crisis is truly astonishing.
“Hurry up and get in! Hurry!”
“Damn it, what are you waiting for!? Can't you see the monsters chasing that guy!? Close it, quick!”
“But I saw that man has the power to kill monsters too! We have to save him!”
One person tried to close the door, another tried to wait for me.
As the door between them slowly closed, I threw myself through the gap, then quickly turned to help shut it.
*Thud!*
Just before the door closed completely, a Death Bite charged and shoved its head through.
Its yellow teeth clacked right in front of my face.
Thankfully, it was stuck in the door and couldn't move further. If it had gotten any closer, it would have torn my nose off.
*Thwack!*
I swung my dagger with all my might and buried it between its eyes. Soon, it went quiet.
But the swarming Death Bites weren't finished.
“Th-They're still coming!”
“Close it! Hurry!”
People urgently moved their stiff bodies to close the door.
Suddenly, I thought of Lee Seon-yul.
What happened to him?
*Bang!*
Just as the door was about to close, a blood-caked hand grabbed it and forced it open.
At the zombie-like sight, a few people gasped and stumbled back.
“…Hah.”
It was Lee Seon-yul.
He casually pushed open the door that several able-bodied men were holding shut and stepped onto the rooftop.
Behind him, the state of the stairs was visible.
The stairs were splattered with purple blood.
Did he cut down all the pursuing Death Bites on his way up to the rooftop?
Lee Seon-yul looked at the frozen people, let out a small sigh, and bolted the rooftop door.
“Oh my god…”
“This is insane… Is this for real?”
Those who had reached the rooftop first were looking around in utter shock.
The world had changed in the blink of an eye, quite literally.
The commercial buildings in the distance had long since collapsed.
It was a scene straight out of a movie's CGI.
Just a short while ago, they would have said, 'Something like that could never happen in real life.'
“What in the world is going on…?”
“This is a dream, right? It has to be a dream.”
“M-Mom… Mom and Dad…!”
“Everyone! May I have your attention, please!”
The crowd, as chaotic as an unruly classroom, fell silent at once.
He was speaking with mana infused in his voice.
“I am Player Lee Seon-yul. I'm here as reinforcement to help you escape this dangerous area. I originally planned to eliminate as many monsters as possible before moving, but as you can see, the situation is not good.”
The arrival of powerful reinforcements hadn't changed the situation much.
There were still too many monsters, and the people were no match for them.
And the burden on Lee Seon-yul, who had to protect everyone while escaping, was even greater.
“A Player? What's that!”
“Explain it properly!”
“So, like in comics or novels…”
“Don't give me that fantasy bullshit, you son of a bitch!”
“…Technically, what's happening right now is pretty much a fantasy.”
Lee Seon-yul gave a bitter smile but didn't take back his words.
To gain people's trust quickly, it would have been better to claim he was from a fictional government agency with a plausible-sounding name.
Lee Seon-yul couldn't have been unaware of that. He's a smart character.
But the reason he didn't…
He was looking to the future.
Although this event was a disaster, it would be brought under control soon enough. In terms of danger, it was among the lowest class.
*'In about one or two weeks, when 'they' return.'*
Lee Seon-yul was aiming for that moment.
“He's just talking in terms he understands. He should explain it so we can understand.”
“How do we know he won't use that power to threaten us?”
Given the circumstances, people were on edge.
Thus, they showed distrust at the slightest hint of suspicion.
“Y-You shouldn't react like that!”
Unable to watch any longer, Lee Seong-chan stepped into the crowd.
“You need to think about what he just did! He was sweating buckets just now, holding the entrance by himself so we could evacuate into the building, and now he's offering to help us escape safely!”
At Lee Seong-chan's words, the people who had been reacting negatively flinched and glanced at each other.
It was true that Lee Seon-yul had dealt with the monsters.
It was also clear he possessed the 'power' to help them.
As that realization slowly dawned on them, their suspicion seemed to gradually subside.
Seeing this, Lee Seon-yul let out a sigh of relief.
He bowed his head slightly to express his gratitude, and Lee Seong-chan scratched his head, looking embarrassed.
Watching him, I slowly organized my thoughts.
*'A real person who didn't exist in the original game.'*
Lee Seong-chan was not originally a game character. He was a real person who existed in reality.
Variables created as reality was overlaid.
My head grew cold.
Unexpected situations must be eliminated as much as possible.
To do that, I needed to control the variables.
Of course, that wasn't entirely possible. I couldn't control variables in places beyond my reach.
Still, it was only natural to do what I could.
*'To do that, I either have to win him over to my side, or...'*
“So, we will be moving out immediately. Our destination is the Seoul World Cup Stadium. Other survivors have already gathered there, and a base is being established, centered around people like me.”
“Are you saying it's safe if we get there!?”
“It will be much safer than here, at least. Above all, this place is isolated.”
*Flick.* As Lee Seon-yul finished speaking, monster blood flew from his sword.
Naturally, the people recalled what had just happened on the stairs and shivered.
Would they stay here, isolated and near a gate? Or would they move to a place a little further away, but where a defensive base had been established?
Although it was a no-brainer, there were always people who took a different stance.
“I-I'm not going!”
Someone screamed desperately, their face filled with terror.
“If we go out onto the main road, who knows how many more monsters there will be, and there could be even more dangerous ones! He might be strong, but there's no way he can protect every single one of us! You guys might have the power to protect yourselves in an emergency, but I don't!”
He crouched down, tucked his head between his knees, and wrapped his arms around his head.
He had given up on moving forward and simply collapsed in place.
“R-Right. That's true.”
“There's no guarantee we can get there safely.”
“It might be better to just stay cooped up at home…”
Among the unawakened, the overwhelming opinion was not to follow.
It was the mentality of not wanting to take even the slightest risk when survival was at stake.
That itself isn't a bad thing, but…
“…How stupid.”
I heard that mumble from behind me.
When I turned my head, our eyes met.
The woman who had muttered awkwardly avoided my gaze.
She was right. Staying here was the same as giving up on survival.
*'That aside.'*
I checked the information of the people who opposed leaving and grew suspicious.
Some of them were Players.
The main quest must have told them they would die if they didn't leave this place within a certain time.
“Then how about this.”
All eyes turned to me.
The group that wanted to leave and the group that wanted to stay.
I had deliberately positioned myself alone in the middle, so it was easy to draw their attention.
“You are…”
“Kim Se-hyeon. I'm also a newly awakened Player.”
I glanced at the opposition.
When I revealed I was also a Player, I saw a few people showing outright hostility.
“Ah, that's the guy from before! The one who killed the monster!”
“What? Really?”
“I saw it! It was an ambush, but he killed the monster in one hit!”
As someone testified to what happened on the stairs, Lee Seon-yul's gaze changed too.
It was a situation where someone was bound to see. I guess one part of the plan succeeded.
I pretended not to notice and continued speaking.
“First, let me say one thing.”
First, I have to get these people out of the building.
Just as Lee Seon-yul wants.
And also, to make things go my way later on.
“Staying on this rooftop might keep you somewhat safe from those damn monsters. But is there any guarantee that flying monsters won't appear?”
A chilly wind swept past.
“I-If we go inside and stay put…”
“It seems you've already forgotten how the monsters we met on the stairs got in.”
“…”
“Those monsters will break through the windows with their powerful jumps. Even if you're on a relatively high floor, as I said before, it will be meaningless if flying monsters appear.”
That's not all.
Death Bites are among the weakest monsters.
If a slightly higher-grade monster appears, a door would be torn apart like paper, losing its value as a shelter.
“On the other hand, it's a different story in a place where a defense system is already established and there are more people like Lee Seon-yul-nim.”
I glanced at Lee Seon-yul.
He seemed surprised by the sudden mention and blinked.
“Lee Seon-yul-nim. At your best, how many of those monsters that just appeared can you handle at once?”
“If I go all out, I can handle dozens within a minute.”
As Lee Seon-yul spoke calmly, people looked at each other and murmured.
To them, these monsters were a disaster incarnate, yet he could handle dozens of them alone.
*'Of course, he can.'*
Lee Seon-yul is one of the top B-rank Players.
It's ridiculous to think he'd struggle against these Death Bites.
“Th-Then you mean there are more people like you at the Seoul World Cup Stadium!?”
“Isn't it worth going?”
“We'll be safe once we get there.”
“Honestly, it's not that far from here to the Seoul World Cup Stadium… and if he protects us, it shouldn't be too hard, right?”
Public opinion flipped in an instant.
There's no hope in staying here.
I succeeded in making them realize it was better to move, even if it meant taking a small risk.
“B-But still…”
The one who had first refused hesitated, unable to make a decision.
How frustrating.
If this wasn't a necessary act, I would have left him behind long ago.
*BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG!*
In that time, another Death Bite that had climbed the stairs started pounding on the door.
At that, the man broke down on the spot, whimpering.
“Eek! I'll go! I'll go!!”
Nice assist.
It was a situation that made it easiest for them to recognize this place wasn't safe.
“…At this rate, this door will be breached eventually.”
Lee Seon-yul looked at the dented door, his expression grim.
The people's faces turned pale.
Seizing the moment, I drove the point home.
“This is the rooftop. If that door is breached, there will be nowhere left to run. What will you do then?”
“Nothing left but to jump off and escape to the afterlife, I guess.”
A Player remarked nonchalantly.
It was a thoughtless comment, but it was effective.
The minds of those who had been against leaving were completely changed.
[Using skill, ‘Extreme Eye’.]
The outline of what's beyond the door slowly becomes visible.
Only one monster has reached the rooftop and is pounding on the door.
More are coming up, but they're much further down, so there's a considerable gap.
*'This is my chance.'*
The second part of the plan.
If I succeed in this, I can secure Lee Seon-yul's trust and my influence over the group of survivors.
“Lee Seon-yul-nim. Please open the door.”