Witness to the Sow's Declaration

"You people need to leave now."

A female survivor stepped forward boldly, demanding that we leave the waiting room.

Beside her, another woman adjusted her grip on an iron pipe and chimed in.

"That's right. Now that Yoon Seongcheol's gang is dead, this subway waiting room belongs to us. We appreciate you helping us, but after thinking it over, we don't think we can stay together."

"...?"

Seo Jisu tilted her head, baffled by their sheer audacity.

We had just rescued them from being used as sex slaves by Yoon Seongcheol's gang, and now they were telling us to scram.

It clearly defied any common sense she possessed.

I was just as dumbfounded.

Telling their saviors to pack up and get out...

It wasn't just a matter of rescuing two sex slaves.

If we hadn't intervened, Seo Jisu and Lee Jihye would have taken their places, and these two would have been tossed onto the tracks to become zombie food.

We were quite literally their saviors. Having them tell me to piss off after saving their lives was a bit fucking irritating, but...

...Well, if I think about it, it's not entirely incomprehensible.

I shrugged my shoulders.

They might be grateful that I beat Yoon Seongcheol's gang to death, but that didn't mean I wasn't a threat to them.

We possessed enough raw power to wipe out eight armed men, and we even had a sex slave(?) like Lee Jihye in tow.

From their perspective, I could turn into another Yoon Seongcheol at any moment. They were probably trying to nip the threat in the bud.

Whether it was a smart decision or not, I could at least understand their logic.

Zip—

Unable to hold back any longer, Lee Jihye unzipped the tent, stepped out, and shouted.

"Hey! There's a limit to biting the hand that feeds you! If we hadn't saved you yesterday, you two would still be..."

Just as Lee Jihye was about to snap, I let out a chuckle and raised my hand to stop her.

"Alright. We'll leave."

"Ah..."

At my response, the tense expressions on the two women's faces softened slightly.

The hands that had been trembling around the iron pipe stopped shaking.

I looked them up and down, letting out a silent sneer.

I had absolutely no desire to drag bitches like them along anyway.

Judging by their looks, they weren't my type at all—plain-looking and on the older side.

Since I already had top-tier beauties like Lee Jihye and Seo Jisu in my party, these two were far below my standards.

Besides, when I checked them with Prey Search yesterday, the skills they possessed were utterly mediocre.

Water Purification, which cleanses water. And a Noise Reduction Barrier, which dampens surrounding sound.

As long as I had my shelter ability, water was infinitely available, and with my stealth skills, a noise barrier wasn't particularly necessary.

Keeping them around would just make them dead weight, eating up our food.

I had been wondering what to do if they desperately clung to us and begged to come along, so I was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠actually grateful they were taking themselves out of the equation.

Besides, we were heading to the Stadium ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠anyway, so I had no intention of staying in this waiting room. And I always had my convenience store.

"In exchange, we'll take some supplies before we go. You don't mind that, do you?"

At my question, the two nodded.

"...Fine. Take whatever you want, as long as you leave some for us."

Since there was only so much three people could carry, they spoke generously, as if granting a grand favor.

"Great. Then let's get to it."

I scanned the waiting room. In the corner, a decent pile of supplies gathered by Yoon Seongcheol's gang was stacked up.

I wanted to take everything, but considering the weight and our travel speed, that was impossible.

I quickly sorted out only the essential items first.

A portable gas stove, extra butane canisters, and a nesting cookware set of various sizes.

Most of the food in the convenience store consisted of instant meals, so having these cooking utensils would make it much easier to prepare proper food in the future.

I also packed a folding tent, thick sleeping bags, and even a portable camping cot.

With this, we wouldn't have to sleep on the hard convenience store floor anymore.

Next, we headed into the underground shopping arcade connected to the waiting room and entered a ruined outdoor gear store.

There, we grabbed ropes, high-performance lanterns, and multi-purpose utility knives.

We took large-capacity hiking backpacks and stuffed them to the brim with our looted gear.

We packed instant ramen and water into the remaining spaces. Three bulging backpacks.

I wore one and had Lee Jihye and Seo Jisu carry one each.

"Ugh, so heavy."

"..."

Lee Jihye complained, while Seo Jisu silently slung her backpack over her shoulders without a word of protest.

Having finished our preparations to leave, we left the two women behind and exited the subway station.

"Let's go."

We climbed the subway stairs and stepped out onto the surface.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

*

Grrr—

We returned to the surface, greeted by a chilly morning breeze.

The desolate city center, where hordes of zombies still roamed, welcomed us back.

Bloodstains covered the cracked asphalt, and tangled piles of wrecked cars blocked the roads.

Even after a few days, it was a sight I couldn't quite get used to.

In the far distance, the roof of the Stadium was visible. It was about a three-to-four-hour walk.

Since we were carrying heavy backpacks, factoring in rest stops, we would probably arrive within half a day.

"Follow me. Keep a sharp eye on your surroundings."

Thwack! Thwack!

I led the way, crushing zombie skulls as I walked, while Lee Jihye panted behind me under the weight of her heavy pack.

Seo Jisu kept pace, an arrow notched on her bowstring as she scanned the area.

While bashing zombies, I opened my status window without slowing my pace.

"Prey Search."

A translucent holographic map expanded in the air.

I checked the information of Seo Jisu, who had landed the killing blow by piercing Yoon Seongcheol's head last night.

Seo Jisu's locked unique ability was still sealed, its true nature unknown.

But below that, I could see that Fire Manipulation, the unique ability previously held by Yoon Seongcheol, had been absorbed.

If she combined her archery skills with Fire Manipulation, she would be able to shoot flaming arrows.

In terms of boosting our party's combat power, it was a highly satisfying result.

However, looking at Seo Jisu's status window, I discovered a rule of the system.

Seo Jisu obtained ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Fire Manipulation, but none of the other general skills Yoon Seongcheol possessed are there.

Yoon Seongcheol had already killed several players by throwing them onto the tracks.

He had possessed more than just one skill.

Yet, the only skill Seo Jisu obtained was his unique skill, Fire Manipulation.

It seems that when you kill an enemy, you can only steal their unique skill.

Any other general skills that the enemy had acquired simply vanish.

No matter how many useful skills a powerful enemy might have, the moment you kill them, you can only secure their single core skill, while the rest are lost forever.

So killing isn't always the best solution.

From that perspective, the value of my Flesh Subjugation skill was truly immense.

Instead of killing a woman with useful skills, if I forced her into submission as a slave, I could utilize every single skill she possessed under my control without the penalty of them vanishing.

The extra stats were just a bonus.

On the other hand, for men, on whom Flesh Subjugation couldn't be used...

Even if it's a waste of skills, they have to die.

I had no desire to drag some unsightly dude around in my party, and there was always the risk they might stab me in the back.

Even if losing their skills was a waste, it was better to just kill them.

While reviewing my status window, I noticed a system window blinking in the corner of my vision.

I had been so busy fighting and fucking yesterday that I was only just checking this notification now.

Ten?

Have I really killed that many?

The fat thug and the team leader. The three lingering in front of the convenience store. The three at the helicopter crash site. And the two guards at the subway station.

I only killed them to survive, but ten people... I was basically a serial killer at this point.

I examined the newly opened Skill Enhancement tab.

It was a feature that allowed me to spend my accumulated points to increase the level and performance of my skills, or unlock additional slots.

Upgrading a Level 1 skill to Level 2 cost 1,000 points.

My current balance was 1,105 points. I had gained 200 points from killing those two yesterday, and a small amount from killing a few zombies.

I could technically level up a skill with this, but...

I need to save points to expand my skill slots.

Expanding slots seemed far more useful than leveling up existing skills. For now, I decided to save my points.

After walking for a while while checking my status window, I noticed the other two looked exhausted and decided to halt.

"Let's take a short break."

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

*

We had been walking for about three hours.

We stepped into a suitable abandoned building to rest.

The girls were exhausted, and we also needed to organize ourselves before entering the Stadium.

Since the area around the Stadium was highly populated, there would likely be a massive number of zombies and players there even now.

To fight against a large number of enemies, we had to prepare in advance.

"Phew, I can finally breathe."

Lee Jihye set down her heavy backpack and gulped down bottled water before asking me.

"But why did you just let those bitches go? Knowing your personality, I thought you'd..."

Lee Jihye was referring to those ungrateful cunts.

When she asked why I hadn't taught them a lesson, I chewed on a chocolate bar and replied nonchalantly.

"What do you mean? I don't enjoy violence. I'm a good-natured player who only fights when absolutely necessary."

"Bullshit."

Lee Jihye scoffed, refusing to buy into my shameless act.

She was right; it was complete bullshit. I hadn't spared them out of the goodness of my heart. In truth, there were two reasons I didn't crush them.

Killing them myself wouldn't feel satisfying, and Jisu wouldn't like it either.

I looked at Seo Jisu, who was leaning against the wall, quietly nibbling on her chocolate bar.

She had only recently opened her heart and joined my team.

No matter how ungrateful those women were, beating them to death right in front of her would only breed resentment.

It might disrupt my plans to slowly open her heart and groom her to be mine.

And besides...

They'll die on their own even if I don't kill them.

With their pathetic level of strength, they wouldn't even be able to handle the occasional zombie wandering down the waiting room stairs. They would die soon enough.

There was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠no reason to get blood on my hands for nothing.

Having finished my train of thought, I narrowed my eyes slightly and raised my hand toward Lee Jihye.

"By the way, your tone is a bit insolent, don't you think? Calling your master's words 'bullshit.' Should I give you a little lesson right in front of her?"

As I gestured toward Seo Jisu and raised my hand...

"I-I'm sorry! I won't talk back! I promise I won't!"

She hurriedly prostrated herself before me, begging for forgiveness.

It seemed she desperately wanted to avoid being forced into a doggy position and getting her ass spanked right in front of Seo Jisu.

I let out a satisfied sigh and lowered my hand.

"Good. Behave yourself from now on."

"..."

Seo Jisu watched Lee Jihye with a look of utter pity as she silently continued eating her chocolate bar.

Noticing her gaze, Lee Jihye glared back at her.

"What? If you have something to say, spit it out, you brat."

At that, Seo Jisu, who had been quiet, glanced at Lee Jihye and spat out a single word.

"...Degenerate."

"W-What?! What did I do to make you call me a degenerate?!"

"You really don't know? Yesterday, in the restroom."

Seo Jisu was implying she had heard all of Lee Jihye's moans echoing from the restroom last night.

"!"

Lee Jihye's eyes widened to the size of saucers, and her face and ears instantly flushed a deep crimson.

It meant Jisu had heard her squealing like a sow, screaming loud enough to bring down the restroom walls, and declaring herself a cum dumpster.

"...T-That was... No, wait, were you seriously eavesdropping on us like some kind of creep?"

Having absolutely no excuse, Lee Jihye stammered before turning the tables, accusing Seo Jisu of being a peeping Tom.

It was a classic diversion tactic, shifting the blame to someone else. But Seo Jisu didn't budge.

"I could hear it even with my ears covered. You were way too loud. Sounded like a squealing pig."

"!"

Though she chose her words carefully, she was essentially saying she had heard the squeals of a sow.

Which meant she had heard the entire cum dumpster declaration as well.

Lee Jihye was too shocked to speak. I chuckled and teased her.

"What are you going to do? Looks like she heard everything you said yesterday."

"F-Fuck! Shut up! Just shut up, both of you! Ah! I don't care anymore!"

Unable to bear the shame any longer, Lee Jihye clutched her head and began rolling around on the floor.

"Aaaah! I hate everything! I hate this!"

Lee Jihye whined and cried like a toddler, trembling with sheer embarrassment.

It was exactly the amusing reaction I had hoped for. I would have to keep teasing her about this for a long time.

As we sat in the abandoned building, resting and enjoying this brief moment of amusement, it happened.

Whoosh—

A sudden sound of rushing wind echoed from somewhere.

"...!"

Startled, Seo Jisu, who had been sitting quietly against the wall chewing her chocolate bar, threw herself to the side.

Immediately after...

"Aaargh!"

A scream tore from her throat.

Dropping her chocolate bar, Seo Jisu rolled across the floor.

The shoulder of her track jacket tore open, and crimson blood splattered into the air.

"Urgh..."

Seo Jisu collapsed onto the floor, clutching her shoulder.

"...W-What is this?"

Lee Jihye, who had been rolling on the floor beside her, raised her head in a daze.

Assessing the situation in an instant, I immediately barked an order.

"Barrier!"

At the same time...

Thud-thud-thud!

Something flew through the air and slammed into the blue barrier Lee Jihye had hastily deployed.

Sssss—

Intangible blades slowly dissolved, emitting wisps of smoke as they struck the barrier.

Though they vanished quickly, their shapes resembled shurikens forged from wind.

This meant only one thing: an ambush by a hostile player.