Establishing the Female Hierarchy

The tires of the van screeched as they slid across the asphalt.

The cityscape that greeted us after leaving the Stadium was nothing short of a sewer.

Zombie hordes wandered across blood-stained roads, while wrecked vehicles lay tangled together, blocking the way.

Driving itself was difficult enough, but maneuvering a large van through the heart of the city was practically suicidal.

The engine noise and headlights would draw the attention of not only zombies, but also other players watching from the shadows.

I gripped the steering wheel and opened my status window.

These were the points I had gathered today by smashing the heads of the bodyguards and the berserk zombie bastards.

I had planned to save them for opening more Skill Slots, but now was the time to use them.

“Upgrade.”

Ting—

Several options appeared in the holographic window floating in the air. The one that caught my eye was:

I selected the tree without hesitation.

It was an ability that expanded the stealth effect—previously limited to the clothes and weapons I wore—to any vehicle I occupied.

[Please designate target.]

Blue mana flowed from my fingertips, spreading across the steering wheel and enveloping the entire van.

Sssss—

The van carrying my party shimmered like a heat haze before melting into the air and turning completely transparent.

Grrrr—

The zombies blocking the road couldn’t perceive the approaching van and simply stood in the middle of the street.

Thud!

Instead of hitting the brakes, I stepped on the accelerator and plowed straight through them.

Crack—

The sound of breaking bones rang out as blood and flesh splattered into the air, but the van remained invisible.

We crossed the blood-soaked city without drawing a single aggro.

‘Convenient.’

Inside the van concealed by stealth, everything was quiet.

Lee Ji-hye leaned her head against the window, looking exhausted. Seo Ji-soo sat with her eyes closed, cradling her bow. Eun Ye-rin sat with her knees drawn up, anxiously watching the scenery outside.

In contrast, Cha Seol-ah was curled up in the corner of the back seat, staring at the floor with a rigid expression.

Some time passed.

Screech—

The van came to a stop in front of a convenience store.

It had taken nearly two days to walk to the Stadium, but the drive back had been quick.

I released the stealth and turned off the engine.

Click—

“Get out.”

I opened the door and stepped down. The others followed one by one.

Cha Seol-ah looked around, dressed in wrinkled leggings and an oversized hoodie.

When she saw the size of the convenience store, her brows furrowed.

“This dump is our base? I thought it was going to be a big one.”

Having lived in a massive stadium, monopolizing the waiting room, this shabby little store probably looked pathetic to her.

“If you want to hang naked outside, keep talking.”

“...”

After issuing the warning to the complaining woman, I walked over to the shutter, unlocked it, and pushed it upward.

Rattle—

Beyond the glass door, the interior shimmered with a blue protective glow.

“Let’s go in.”

At my command, the party members cautiously stepped inside the convenience store.

The moment they saw the interior, a gasp of surprise escaped Cha Seol-ah’s lips instead of another complaint.

“Whoa...”

It was the protective barrier created by Lee Ji-hye’s Shelterization skill.

The inside of the convenience store was a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠completely different world from the apocalyptic hell outside.

Humm—

The sound of a refrigerator running could be heard in the middle of a city without power, and the fluorescent lights on the ceiling shone brightly.

Instant food and bottled water were neatly arranged on the shelves, and the storage area had been expanded to include a flush toilet and a shower booth.

“There’s… electricity,” Seo Ji-soo muttered in disbelief as she touched the refrigerator door. Cold air brushed against her fingertips.

Eun Ye-rin clasped her hands together and stared blankly up at the bright lights.

A preserved environment of civilization.

Cha Seol-ah’s eyes trembled violently.

Even when she had Oh Jeong-hyun and the bodyguards groveling at her feet, they had been forced to survive on emergency rations in the waiting room without being able to wash properly. This was on a completely different level.

Lee Ji-hye watched the three of them standing there stunned, then lifted her chin and puffed out her chest with exaggerated pride.

“What are you so surprised about? This is basic maintenance thanks to my skill. Make yourselves comfortable.”

It was ridiculous watching her act so smug about her own ability.

I lightly smacked the back of her head.

Smack—

“Ow!”

“Stop talking nonsense and go get the backpacks from the van.”

“Fine. Hey, Cha Seol-ah. You heard him. Go get the luggage.”

“You fucking…”

The chain of verbal abuse starting from me, then to Lee Ji-hye, then to Cha Seol-ah.

This was exactly what establishing the hierarchy looked like.

Even while grumbling, Cha Seol-ah immediately shrank back the moment my eyes met hers. She went outside and brought the backpacks from the van.

“I brought them.”

“Put them over there.”

The whole group was a mess of blood and dirt.

Having gone days without a proper wash, our bodies were sticky with sweat.

Cha Seol-ah’s gaze, which had been scanning the store, landed on the shower booth in the expanded space.

Through the glass door, she could see a showerhead connected to a water heater.

“Since I brought the luggage, can I shower first? I feel so gross I can’t stand it.”

Cha Seol-ah started walking toward the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠shower as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

It was the old habit of a queen bee who always ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠claimed the best for herself first.

But.

Grab.

I seized her shoulder and shoved her backward.

“Ah!”

Cha Seol-ah staggered, nearly losing her balance. She glared at me with bloodshot eyes.

“What the hell are you doing!”

I stood in front of her with a cold expression and gestured behind me, clearly laying out the hierarchy.

“What am I doing? The two sows are last in line.”

She was no longer a queen bee. She was nothing more than a sow who offered up her cunt. And she was the lowest-ranked slave at that.

At the word that left my mouth, Cha Seol-ah’s face turned deathly pale.

It was the same word she had been forced to repeat in the bedroom. Her gaze shifted to Eun Ye-rin and Seo Ji-soo standing behind me.

“You’re telling me… to wash after those bitches?”

To someone who had once kept everyone beneath her feet, being treated worse than regular party members was pure humiliation.

Her chest heaved violently. But I couldn’t care less about her pride.

“Obviously. Livestock can’t wash before humans.”

“Y-you…!”

Cha Seol-ah bit her lip and clenched her fists.

She looked ready to lunge at me, but the forced obedience of Physical Subjugation and the memory of my brutality kept her body in check.

In the end, she retreated to the wall, fuming.

Lee Ji-hye, who had been watching, flinched and quickly looked away.

She had just realized she was also included in the same “sow” category.

“...”

I turned my gaze away from the cringing Lee Ji-hye and looked at Seo Ji-soo and Eun Ye-rin.

“Decide which of you two washes first. There’s plenty of hot water.”

A clear measure to guarantee priority and proper treatment for regular party members.

“I-I can wash later…”

Eun Ye-rin hesitated, reading my mood. Seo Ji-soo stepped forward.

“Then I’ll go first.”

Seo Ji-soo set her backpack down and opened the shower door.

“Um, while Ji-soo is showering, can I use the sink?”

“…Do whatever you want.”

To make efficient use of the washing time, Eun Ye-rin followed her in, saying she would use the sink.

Click—

Shaaaa—

The sound of running water poured from beyond the shower door.

Once the two of them disappeared, only me, Lee Ji-hye, and Cha Seol-ah—who had been pushed to the very bottom—remained in front of the store shelves.

I walked over to Cha Seol-ah, who was sitting on the floor biting her lip.

Her eyes flicked to my feet and she flinched, shrinking back.

“Stand up.”

At my command, Cha Seol-ah staggered to her feet. She glared at me warily.

“W-why? You won’t even let me wash and now you’re going to order me to do something else?”

“Push all the shelves in the middle over to the corner. We need space if we’re going to sleep on the floor.”

The convenience store wasn’t that big. With five people sleeping inside, we needed to secure space in advance.

Lee Ji-hye pouted at my order, while Cha Seol-ah looked up at me in disbelief.

“You want me to do manual labor like this?”

Instead of answering, I let out a low hum.

“Hmm… you want your pussy hair ripped out again?”

When my gaze dropped to her lower belly, her shoulders jerked upward.

“Hic.”

The memory of me tearing out her pubic hair had resurfaced. In the end, she bit her lip and stood up.

Lee Ji-hye also moved before she could get punished.

Creak—

Grind—

The two women grunted and groaned as they began pushing the heavy display shelves toward the corner.

When the shelves proved too heavy to move with products still on them, they diligently carried the goods to the storage room first before trying again.

“Haa… haa…”

The two slaves sweated profusely as they cleared the space.

While they worked hard, I sat down on an empty chair by the counter and reached a hand into the air.

‘Slave Management Window.’

Ting—

This much I had already checked before.

I examined the Skill Slot ability that Cha Seol-ah possessed in greater detail.

— In addition to her own basic 5 skill slots, she can store up to 10 additional skills from others.

— With the target’s consent, she can retrieve and store general skills (excluding unique abilities) or redistribute them to others.

Caution: Redistributing skills incurs a 7-day cooldown.

Additionally, when redistributing skills that require contracts, subordination, or consent, all previous settings are not inherited and will be completely erased.

“Hmm.”

I stroked my chin as I read through the text.

A utility ability that allowed her to store other people’s skills and redistribute them to teammates.

This had been another secret behind how she was able to keep Oh Jeong-hyun and the bodyguards under her thumb.

In addition to charming them with Charm, she had acted as a control center—collecting surplus skills and allocating them where they were most needed.

My own skill slots were already full at five, making it difficult to absorb more skills even if I killed people.

I could increase the number of slots with points, but I had already spent them on skill upgrades.

But if Cha Seol-ah could store ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠up to ten other people’s skills, the situation would change completely.

There was a penalty of a full week cooldown on redistribution, but she could stockpile ten skills and customize the party’s power level accordingly.

‘A living skill vault.’

From now on, if I found anyone with a useful skill, I could just have Cha Seol-ah land the final blow and store it.

‘This sow bitch is actually pretty useful.’

Considering her past atrocities, I could fuck her and kill her without remorse, but that would mean losing this precious Skill Slot ability.

For now, I would keep her at the very bottom of the hierarchy and use her like a rag.

I finished checking the skills and closed the system window.

“Ugh, my back…”

By the time I finished analyzing the skills, the two women had completed their task.

Lee Ji-hye and Cha Seol-ah, having pushed all the shelves into the corner, slumped to the floor, gasping for breath.

I looked at them and let out a small chuckle.

“Good work, sows.”

Shaaaa—

Warm water heated by the water heater poured down onto the floor of the shower booth.

Seo Ji-soo was inside, washing the blood and dirt from her body.

Shampoo bubbles swirled down the drain.

Click.

Eun Ye-rin stood in front of the sink outside the booth.

She turned on the faucet and cupped water in both hands.

Splash.

She carefully washed the bloodstains and dust from her face.

With the tension finally released, her body felt heavy and languid. After drying her face with a towel, Eun Ye-rin lifted her head and looked into the mirror.

Swish—

The mirror’s surface was fogged up from the hot steam.

She wiped it clean with her palm.

Eun Ye-rin stared blankly at her own reflection in the mirror.

The horrific events she had just experienced in the waiting room kept replaying in her mind.

The end of the world. The members who had been scattered in the chaos. The dead manager.

The zombies roaming outside. The bodyguards who had tried to rape her. And Cha Seol-ah, who had always oppressed her.

The one who had pulled her out of that hellish situation was Han Siwoo.

She gripped the edge of the sink tightly.

Squeeze—

She knew he wasn’t a perfect saint.

His ruthless hands, his violence, and the cold way he had discarded Oh Deok-su after using him for this operation.

He treated her well, but when she thought about it calmly, he was a terrifying man.

Of course, that didn’t mean she disliked him or was thinking of leaving him.

She simply wanted to know more about what kind of person Han Siwoo really was.

She could ask him directly… but it might be better to ask the people around him.

The teammates who had chosen to travel with him.

Eun Ye-rin carefully opened her mouth toward Seo Ji-soo, visible through the mirror.

“Um, Ji-soo.”

Shaaaa—

Her voice slipped through the sound of running water and into the shower booth.

Seo Ji-soo paused as she was rinsing her hair.

“What?”

“Why did you decide to join Siwoo-nim?”