Chapter 12

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Translator: MadScientist

Chapter: 12

Chapter Title: The Trio (1)

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"This is..."

Upon arriving at the western building, what we discovered was the remnants of corpses that monsters had torn apart and left behind, faintly visible from inside. From outside, it looked like there were no people ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠inside, and a powerful stench of rotting bodies wafted out from within.

"...Horrible."

The stench was so overpowering that everyone except Seo Yu-ju ended up retching. I was no exception.

"Fuck... Urk..."

"...There might still be some food left, so let's head inside for now."

After entering the building following Seo Yu-ju, An Tae-woo spoke up.

"Yu-ju, do you think most of the people who started here... are dead?"

"I can't say for sure, but probably. We might have defended ourselves particularly well, but I heard that Lee Yun-seong's starting point in the south wasn't this bad."

"...That's right. I woke up in the southern starting area, but... a lot died there too, just not this many. From what I remember, some people managed to escape the building."

It seemed like everyone who started here had decided to fight, but missed the timing to flee outside and gradually got cornered until they were massacred.

The evidence was that there were no traces of corpses outside the building—only half-eaten remains inside.

Normally, if people had escaped outside even late, there would be at least a few bodies outside from being killed by monsters. A few corpses outside would be expected.

Thanks to that, lots of bags were scattered on the ground amid the debris, containing the food and water people had packed.

...Monsters target humans, not food or water.

'Should I be happy about this...'

We'd gotten a ton of food, which should have made someone happy, but in this gruesome scene, everyone silently gathered only what we needed.

"...Sis. It's heavy..."

"...Hang in there. If we take this, we won't have to worry about food for a while."

Everyone grabbed or slung on bags like war refugees.

The siblings were the funniest sight—Yu-rim was one thing, but little Yu-hyeon, small for his age, was wrapped head to toe in bags.

If we weren't in a place like this, I would've teased them mercilessly.

Once everyone had packed up some load, Seo Yu-ju spoke.

"...I don't know if we should be glad about this, but we've ended up with way more food than expected. More than I thought, actually. Let's head back to camp for now."

Everyone agreed. With this much baggage, we couldn't do anything else.

As we neared the camp, we spotted three figures near the entrance.

Seo Yu-ju stopped us from their blind spot and whispered quietly.

"Hold up. Everyone, hide. There are strangers in front of the camp."

We all ducked into the bushes. Among the three, I recognized a familiar face.

"...Cha Hyun-jin?"

Hearing my mutter, the regressor asked me.

"Someone Yun-seong knows?"

"...One of the people I was with before getting Yu-ju's help. We split up due to circumstances..."

I answered Seo Yu-ju and checked the three's status windows. Cha Hyun-jin aside, the other two caught my eye. Unlike the tutorial quitters, their gear and appearance showed they'd fought monsters to some extent.

After seeing their status windows, my impression was that this party was incredibly well-balanced.

Tank, swordsman, archer... Just hearing it sounds perfectly balanced. No priest, but Hyun-jin's stats are solid, and Kim Ho-won the middle-aged guy and the red-haired Kang I-seo also have impressive status windows.

Only because Yu-hyeon and Song Ha-eun have such insane talents do these two seem average—they're actually quite exceptional.

Especially Kim Ho-won's 22 Resistance—that's astonishing. Excluding the regressor and Luck stats, I've never seen any stat over 20 before.

Kang I-seo's Sharpshooter trait caught my eye too.

'I really want these people on our side...'

For now, they seemed to be talking to the camp folks, so we watched. The camp hadn't cleared the rocks and trees blocking the entrance yet.

I saw Kim Ho-won speak up.

"Hey, could you open up? Please. We're not here to cause trouble!"

"...How can we trust that? Please leave. We're not opening the entrance."

"We need a place to rest. Please!"

"...Please leave."

The man looked frustrated. They must have wandered around looking for shelter and ended up here, but getting no answer from inside was irritating him.

The red-haired Kang I-seo spoke up beside him.

"...Forget it, old man. These guys wouldn't open even if they were dying. Fuck, looks like they gave up fighting monsters and are just hiding. Leave 'em. Let's go our way."

"...Hmm."

"...Aw, come on, I-seo sis. We found this place... Maybe if we beg a bit, they'll open up?"

"Hyun-jin, wake up. Cowards like these won't open even if they die. They're the type that hides out of fear, too scared to do shit. Fuck, like they're just carrying decorations down there."

"Sis, your language..."

The woman seemed pretty feisty. Her cursing was sharp, and her look screamed "gum-chewing high schooler."

After observing them, Seo Yu-ju spoke to us.

"...They don't seem like bad people. One was with Yun-seong before, so let's approach. But stay alert just in case. No need to worry too much— we outnumber them."

We stepped out and slowly approached them. The cursing woman noticed us first.

"Fuck! Who the hell are you?!"

She nocked an arrow at us. Kim Ho-won belatedly raised his shield to protect the party's archer. Hyun-jin drew his sword, ready for combat.

'...Definitely not amateurs. Quick reactions.'

In that short time, they'd assumed positions—their party coordination seemed better than ours.

'Of course, our party has Seo Yu-ju as a cheat key.'

Seo Yu-ju raised both hands to show no hostility and spoke.

"Calm down. We're not here to hurt you. That camp over there is where we stay."

Even after Seo Yu-ju signaled no intent to fight, their guard didn't drop easily.

If a group twice our size suddenly appeared, I wouldn't lower my guard either.

In the tense standoff, Hyun-jin on their side spotted me and the siblings, his eyes widening.

"Huh? Yun-seong hyung...!"

"...Hyun-jin, you're alive. Good to see you."

Kim Ho-won and Kang I-seo looked a bit thrown that Hyun-jin and I knew each other.

"Hyung! What happened? These people...?"

"People I met after we split. They're all good folks. Not bad people."

As Hyun-jin and I talked, the archer woman asked him.

"Hey, Cha Hyun-jin. What's this? You know them?"

"Ah... Sis, these are the people I told you I split from at the start. Yun-seong hyung and those kids."

To assure them we meant no harm, I smiled softly and said.

"Please lower your guard for now. We have no intention of harming you. We just want to know the situation. That camp you're at is our place."

Kim Ho-won relaxed a bit and spoke. He seemed like their de facto leader.

"Ah... Nice to meet you. I'm Kim Ho-won. You know Hyun-jin, so skipping that— this hothead, er... cough! This woman is Kang I-seo."

I nearly burst out laughing at "hothead." People think alike.

The woman shot him a glare but held back since we were talking.

"Anyway... We found this place while looking for somewhere to stay, saw people inside, rocks and trees blocking the entrance, looked safe, so we asked to open up. But they refused..."

"...I understand. Could you wait a moment? We'll discuss with our people and let you know."

"Yun-seong hyung! Can you make it happen? Please. Ho-won ajusshi and I-seo noona are good people."

"...I'd like to. Can't promise for sure, but... probably a positive answer. Don't worry."

I immediately asked Seo Yu-ju her thoughts. My guess—she'd accept them.

From her perspective, more fighters were better, and they fit her ideal recruits.

Sure enough, when asked, she nodded right away.

"Let's take them in. They don't seem bad, and they look experienced in combat. I think they'll be helpful. If anyone objects, speak up without hesitation."

"I agree, Yu-ju. Your opinion is mine, so no worries."

An Tae-woo showed absolute trust in Seo Yu-ju.

"Good. Assuming no objections, I'll talk to them."

Seo Yu-ju stepped forward and chatted with them. Things seemed to go smoothly; the mood improved.

Soon, she went to the camp entrance and called inside.

"I'm back. Open the entrance."

"Huh? Yu-ju? O-okay! One sec!"

A flustered voice came from inside, followed by sounds of people moving rocks and trees.

After a bit, the entrance opened.

"Come on in, everyone. Yun-seong, can you show the newcomers around? Others, move the food we brought. I'll check if anything unusual happened while I was gone."