The Instinct for Genetic Preservation

Crackle, crackle.

The center of the Subway Station Lobby. It was a quiet night, with only the crackling of the campfire echoing through the space.

After dinner, the survivor group had dispersed and returned to their respective sleeping quarters.

Currently, only two sentries were awake, guarding the area near the ground-level exit.

On the surface, it looked like a peaceful camp where everyone was sound asleep, but the truth reflected in my eyes was entirely different.

Hiding myself with Stealth, I leaned against a lobby pillar and opened my status window.

"Prey Search."

A translucent holographic map unfolded in the air.

Red dots representing the players' locations appeared on the map.

First, I clicked on the dot for Yoon Seongcheol, the leader of the survivor group who had worn a genial smile during the day, to examine his detailed information.

Next, I scanned the information of Kim Taeho, the man who had been pushing up his glasses next to Yoon Seongcheol.

. . .

After that, the skill lists and histories of the rest of the survivor group kept popping up.

Using the safe subway station as their base, they were vile scumbags who lured in survivors from the outside to turn them into sex slaves.

Judging by the sheer depravity of these pieces of trash, I wouldn't feel a shred of guilt beating them all to death.

Which skills should I steal...

I formulated a battle plan while looking through the skills they possessed.

The total number of targets to deal with was eight. Nearly three times the number of opponents I had faced so far.

It wasn't a number where a simple ambush would suffice. I would need a more definitive countermeasure.

Having finished my planning, I approached the worn-out tent where Lee Jihye and Seo Jisu were lying down.

This was to sneak the two of them out while no one was wandering around outside.

Approaching the tent, I spoke quietly to the two who were pretending to sleep.

"Get out."

"...!"

The two flinched and sat up as I tapped them on the shoulders.

I set up alert traps around the tent and commanded Seo Jisu in a low voice.

"Set up illusions of the two of you inside the tent. Disguise it so it looks like you're still sleeping."

"..."

Seo Jisu looked at me with a slightly suspicious gaze, but for now, she followed my order and created the illusions.

With the preparations for battle complete, I took them toward the station's restroom. Then, I informed them of the plan to fight the survivor group.

"I plan to eliminate them tonight. There are a few useful skills among the ones they have. I'll decide the list of who to kill first and who gets the last hit to absorb their skills, so remember it well."

I then explained the types of skills the enemies possessed, the order of elimination during combat, and the points to watch out for during the fight.

Lee Jihye listened to my words in silence, but Seo Jisu asked in a dissatisfied voice.

"Do we really have to fight? They're good people who gave us food and a place to sleep."

"Good people?"

"Yes. Unlike you."

Seo Jisu's eyes seemed to hold a hint of hostility toward me.

I let her gaze slide off me and shrugged.

Well, I suppose...

From Seo Jisu's perspective, not knowing the ugliness those bastards were hiding, I might actually look like the bad guy.

Compared to them, who had provided food and shelter, I had forcibly taken her bow and was now plotting to kill other players.

So, I chuckled and firmly gripped the shoulder of Seo Jisu, who was glaring at me.

"You're more naive than you look. Their true nature will be revealed soon, so keep your eyes wide open and watch closely. See what kind of bastards they really are."

"...There's no way."

Seo Jisu snorted and shook her head, but the time to face the truth arrived quickly.

Not long after, the cautious footsteps of several people began to approach from the opposite side of the lobby.

It was the leader, Yoon Seongcheol, who had shown a gentle smile during the day, and the men following him.

In their hands, they held ropes and gleaming, sharp weapons.

"..."

Seo Jisu was lost for words, unable to believe the situation unfolding before her eyes.

I whispered softly into her ear.

"Why do you think they're heading toward the tent where you two are sleeping, carrying things like that in the middle of the night?"

"That's..."

She tried to answer but quickly shut her mouth.

Because there was only one reason why men would barge in with weapons in the dead of night.

As Seo Jisu watched their movements with bated breath, the sound of the men chuckling and talking drifted into her ears.

"The bitches who rolled in this time are top-tier quality. They didn't even bring a troublesome guy along."

"The problem is we don't have room for more collars. We're already full with the bitches we have."

Listening to their conversation, Yoon Seongcheol pushed up his glasses and gave instructions in a dry, flat voice.

"Use the remaining slots to force the Team Member Covenant on the pretty ones in the tent and turn them into sex slaves. Since those other two bitches are useless now, we'll dispose of them at dawn after we've had our fun. Toss their corpses onto the tracks like last time; the zombies will clean them up."

"...!"

Hearing the conversation from the darkness, Seo Jisu's eyes shook with shock.

It was now confirmed that the kind hospitality they had shown earlier was merely a mask to lower their guard.

These were demons who used the safe subway station as a base to violate, murder, and prey upon helpless women driven in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠from the outside.

It was the moment her trust in humanity—and her own naive judgment—crumbled.

I shrugged, looking at the shocked girl.

She should get the picture by now.

With this incident, Seo Jisu would no longer question my judgment or commands.

As a gesture of trust, and to utilize her as a combat asset, I handed the confiscated bow and quiver back to Seo Jisu.

"You can do it as planned, right?"

"...Yeah."

Her gaze hardened as she tightly gripped the bowstring.

Meanwhile, the men had drawn close to the tent's entrance.

Yoon Seongcheol gave a short signal, gesturing toward the tent with his chin.

"Grab them!"

The moment the command fell, the men surrounding the tent lunged inside all at once.

However, what they grabbed was nothing but the illusion Seo Jisu had created.

"What the hell! Where did they go?!"

"Fuck, it's an illusion!"

The moment the men tangled together, cursing and rolling on the ground.

"Die!"

Just as planned, Lee Jihye stepped forward and threw a fire bomb.

Bam!

"Argh!"

"What the fuck is this?!"

The bastards flailed around, completely disoriented by the sudden fire attack.

But the attack didn't end there. The alert traps I had pre-installed around the tent went off with a sharp warning sound.

Beeeeep!

High-frequency waves swept through the inside of the tent, delivering a heavy blow to the men's eardrums and bodies.

"Aaargh!"

Hit by the fire bomb and reeling from the alert trap's attack, the bastards rolled on the floor in agony.

Watching the enemies writhe in pain while clutching their ears, I gave Lee Jihye the order.

"Now. That guy with the glasses. Kill him with magic."

"Got it."

Lee Jihye, who had been waiting, stretched her hands forward.

Blue mana condensed at her fingertips, beginning to take the shape of a sharp arrow.

Whoosh!

Soon, the blue Mana Arrow tore through the darkness, flying at high speed.

The arrow struck dead center in the head of Kim Taeho, who was staggering on his knees from the trap's impact.

Crack!

Along with the sound of his skull shattering, red blood splattered across the tent.

Kim Taeho's body slumped limply to the floor.

As she landed the final blow, the Team Member Covenant skill entered Lee Jihye's remaining skill slot.

Just as Kim Taeho drew his last breath—

Rustle.

Two women in their thirties, who had been crouching in the corner of the lobby pretending to sleep, stood up.

I had approached them beforehand and encouraged them to join the fight.

The women, who had been forced to weep in silence while being violated by the men every night, unleashed their pent-up rage.

"You demonic bastards!"

Screaming, they picked up iron pipes and rushed forward.

Next, the iron pipes ruthlessly struck the backs of the heads of the bastards who lay trembling on the floor.

Thwack! Thud!

"Aaagh!"

The men, their heads split open, collapsed while spewing blood.

"Die! Die!"

With tear-streaked faces, the two women wildly swung their blunt weapons, crushing the men.

"...!"

As the situation turned out like this, Yoon Seongcheol's face turned deathly pale.

Due to the fire bomb explosion and the alert trap, five of his men were instantly rendered combat-incapable, and one of them had his head blown open by a Mana Arrow.

On top of that, the two women they kept as slaves had rebelled.

Realizing that the situation had spiraled completely out of control, he revealed his true colors and stretched both hands into the air.

"You fucking bitches, I'll burn you all to ashes!"

As Yoon Seongcheol extended his hands, the flames of the campfire burning in the center of the lobby flared up violently, stretching in the direction he pointed.

Whoosh!

"Not on my watch!"

Just as I had instructed beforehand, Lee Jihye deployed a barrier to block Yoon Seongcheol's fire attack.

Bam!

Blocked by the blue barrier, the flames could advance no further.

Meanwhile, I had been waiting in Stealth near the stairs leading to the surface.

"W-what's going on?!"

"Leader!"

I smashed the heads of the two bastards who had been standing guard outside and were now rushing down.

Thwack! Thwack!

Hit on the head by my telescopic baton, they collapsed and tumbled down the stairs.

I scoffed as I looked at the limp, dead bodies of the bastards.

With this, everyone except Yoon Seongcheol had been dealt with. Once I killed that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠guy, the situation would be over.

Smooth sailing.

I had been a bit worried because there were too many enemies to face at once, but as expected, they were no match for me.

As long as I had my skills, Prey Search and Stealth, I could handle any enemy.

I wiped the sweat from my forehead and relaxed for a brief moment.

And right then—

"You rat, so you were hiding there!"

Having noticed the enemy's presence after the sentries were suddenly taken out, Yoon Seongcheol redirected his flames and shot them toward me.

Since his attacks weren't working over there due to the barrier, it seemed he was trying to concentrate his offensive on me.

"!"

Whoosh!

The flames spread across the floor in an instant.

Even if he didn't know exactly where I was because of my Stealth, he could still guess my general direction.

"Tsk."

Even if it couldn't hit me precisely, a wide-range fire attack that burned the entire surrounding space was the most suitable skill to suppress me.

Damn it. I should have moved immediately after smashing the sentries' heads so he wouldn't know where I was.

I had let my guard down for a split second.

Whoosh!

The flames enveloped my surroundings in an instant. A searing pain transmitted to my skin.

Soon, crackle, sparks caught onto my clothes, and my Stealth was canceled.

Spotting me, Yoon Seongcheol screamed in a voice laced with madness.

"You miserable rat! Because of you, the empire I built is...!!"

Having pieced together the sequence of events, it seemed he realized that I was the mastermind pulling the strings behind Lee Jihye and Seo Jisu.

Veins bulging on his neck, he roared,

"Die!"

"Tsk."

Just as he extended his hands to pour the blazing fire over me—

Whoosh!

With a sharp sound of tearing through the air, an arrow flew through the flames.

And it struck precisely—

Thwack!

"!"

It pierced through the back of Yoon Seongcheol's head, protruding out between his eyebrows.

"Gurgle..."

At the unexpected blow from behind, Yoon Seongcheol's eyes, which had been glaring at me, widened enormously before he collapsed limply to the floor. *Thud.*

*Sizzle.*

With his death, the flames receded. The fire that had been about to consume my entire body completely died down.

*Plop.*

Only then did I slump to the floor, gasping for breath.

"Haa... Haa..."

My heart was pounding as if it would explode, and cold sweat poured down my forehead. It felt as though the heat of the flames that had been blazing before my eyes was still lingering on my skin.

A brief moment of carelessness. Because of that, my life had almost been in danger.

Leaning back as I sat, I lowered my gaze.

*Tremble.*

My hands, resting ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠on the floor, were trembling slightly.

Because I had won too easily up until now, I hadn't realized it, but...

This is a world where you can lose your life at any moment if you let your guard down.

This was the apocalypse, where all laws and rules had vanished, and everyone targeted each other's lives.

I gritted my teeth and quietly clenched my fists.

I'd better move with more caution in the future.

And it would be best to avoid putting myself in situations where I have to fight multiple enemies at once.

After taking a deep breath for a moment, my mind stabilized.

However, in the place where the threat to my life had passed, a new sensation welled up.

*Twitch.*

It was none other than lust.

I felt hot blood rushing to my crotch.

The fear of death quickly transformed into the survival instinct, which in turn became the sexual desire for species preservation.

Because if you die, you can't pass on your offspring to the next generation, so lust spreads like an explosion.

I had heard that in the past, soldiers and mercenaries also relieved their sexual desires by chasing women after life-or-death battles.

Back then, I had just accepted it as a fact, but now I felt like I understood what it truly meant.

I stood up and headed toward Lee Jihye.

"Haa..."

Lee Jihye was crouching on the floor due to the post-battle exhaustion. She still didn't seem accustomed to combat.

Still, it was somewhat admirable that she had followed my orders well this time.

*Step, step.*

I approached her and reached out my hand.

"Get ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠up."

"U-uh? Why?"

In front of her eyes as she asked foolishly, I showed her my swollen lower abdomen.

"You know why."

"..."

*Gulp.*

Lee Jihye silently swallowed her saliva as she stared at my crotch.

The instinct for species preservation surely wasn't just a male instinct. Did Lee Jihye, being a woman, feel something similar?

Or was she instinctively aroused because she had already tasted my cock?

Well, it didn't matter either way.

I took Lee Jihye and headed toward the restroom.