Chapter 2

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Translator: MadScientist

Chapter: 2

Chapter Title: Tutorial (2)

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'...Night?'

The fact that it was already night was a huge problem. Even surviving during the day was tough enough—what the hell was this?

'There's no guarantee those monsters that attacked earlier were all of them. There could be more outside... Damn it!'

At night, there was virtually no light, making it incredibly hard to find your way. And since the moment he'd fled the building, he'd needed to find another shelter—but doing that at night would be twice as difficult.

'Have the others already escaped somewhere else?'

The sounds of people dying inside the building were starting to fade. Soon enough, those monsters would head outside in search of fresh prey. He had to move somewhere else before that happened.

'For now, head up the slope. Higher ground has to be better than low-lying areas.'

With a path leading upward available, he hurriedly relocated.

After running what felt like a good distance, he finally started catching his breath.

"Hah... hah... huuh..."

The sudden hellish situation, combined with his lack of regular exercise, had drained his stamina at an alarming rate.

Images flashed in his mind: people dying inside the building, and the face of the injured woman he'd abandoned.

"Ughhh... Blegh... Huuuh..."

He'd seen some rough stuff ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠back on Earth, but nothing on this scale.

It was a situation straight out of hell. The blood-soaked scene from moments ago made bile rise in his throat.

'These thoughts aren't helping... Right now, I just need to focus on surviving. No time for useless bullshit.'

Rustle—

"......!"

Cold sweat broke out at the sound. If it was a monster... the thought was horrifying.

"Hey..."

'Phew...'

Thankfully, it was a person. He looked like a bespectacled man slightly older than Lee Yun-seong.

"Did you just escape too? We've got a group of people who fled together. If you're okay with it, it'd be safer to stick with us..."

Apparently, others had escaped in groups as well, even if he'd run solo.

'Joining up with others makes sense, right...?'

Going alone in a crisis like this was extremely dangerous.

Truth be told, it was more that he didn't want to be by himself after the sudden chaos.

"Ah... Yeah, I'd appreciate that. How many are in your group, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Four including me. More people would be better, but... things were too chaotic. We fled the building in a rush and met up outside..."

Four people banding together was something, at least. Far better than being alone, so he decided to go with them.

"Just follow me for now. There's a hidden little clearing. The others are waiting there. Haha, sorry, I was so out of it I forgot to introduce myself. Name's Jo Byung-ok."

"I'm Lee Yun-seong. Feel free to speak casually. You seem older than me, hyung."

"Haha... I'm just more comfortable with polite speech. Back on Earth, I worked sales, so it's a habit."

Chatting with someone eased the tension a bit.

"How are the others holding up? That whole mess had to be traumatic..."

"At first, none of us were right in the head, including me. We're still pretty shaken. But... we're not completely falling apart. We've ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠calmed down a little, so you should be fine."

Whispering as they walked, they soon reached the clearing.

As the man had said, three others waited there: an older woman, a guy in his early twenties, and a young woman.

"You're back?... Who's this...?"

The young woman spoke to Byung-ok. She looked early twenties, giving off a college student vibe.

"Ran into him while scouting nearby and brought him along. Yun-seong-ssi. This is..."

"...Hi. I'm Kim So-young. Nice to meet you..."

"Hi. Lee Yun-seong. Nice to meet you."

He pulled up the woman's status window.

'...Her status is pretty average. Oh, should check Byung-ok's too.'

The status window system wasn't familiar yet, and things had been too hectic, so he hadn't thought to check when they first met.

"Fuck."

Kim So-young looked extremely flustered at his sudden curse.

"P-Pardon...?"

"Ah... No, nothing. Just a leg cramp... Walked too much, I guess... Haha."

'What the fuck? Not Jo Byung-ok—Jo Chan-ho? Why a fake name...?'

Cold sweat trickled down his back. The alias was bad enough, but the above-average stats were secondary—the job and unique traits stood out.

'Silent Steps is one thing. Having two unique traits is shocking enough, but Murder Festival?'

The trait name alone screamed that this guy wasn't normal.

'Shouldn't have followed. Fuck, should have checked his status right away... You idiot!'

...No. Rejecting him on the spot might have been worse.

He had a sword at his side, and his stats were way higher. If he'd refused, this psycho might have snapped and drawn his blade.

'Actually, it's fine. With five people, he can't pull anything reckless... I'll just slip away when I get the chance.'

Calming his racing heart, he checked the other two's statuses.

'No need to bother with the auntie... This guy's stats are decent.'

Compared to Jo Chan-ho's monster stats, sure—but 10 was the adult male average, so this was solid. Yun-seong's were just crap...

"Nice to meet you, young man. I'm Mun Kyung-sil."

"Cha Hyun-jin here. You're older, right? Speak casually. Grab a seat."

"Will do. Thanks."

Suddenly, a small clapping sound.

"Alright, alright~ We've all introduced ourselves, and this spot's a ways from the building, but monsters could still show. How about we set watches and take shifts sleeping?"

"Sounds good to me, hyung."

"Hmm... Byung-ok-ssi. Do we really need watches?"

Insane. Did this auntie even realize what she was saying?

"Haha... I know it's tough, ma'am, but we have to. Everyone's exhausted, but monsters could come here."

"If Byung-ok says so..."

"...So who goes first, Byung-ok oppa?"

Jo Chan-ho had clearly taken charge, and the others leaned on him heavily.

Yun-seong knew the guy's true colors thanks to his trait, but the others had no way to tell. The alias was only obvious because of his ability.

"I brought it up, so I'll take the third shift. Middle one's the hardest."

"Byung-ok hyung, you don't have to... I'll take third...!"

"No, it's fine. Hmm... Then So-young-ssi and ma'am, first and fifth? Hyun-jin-ssi and Yun-seong-ssi, second and fourth. Okay?"

"Yeah, hyung."

"Sounds good, Byung-ok-ssi."

Shifts meant nothing to Yun-seong anyway. He couldn't relax enough to sleep.

The others might, but knowing Jo Chan-ho was a fake meant he knew exactly what this psycho might do while "sleeping."

"No idea what this Tutorial really wants, but we'll need to move tomorrow for sure. Sleep to recover condition. One-hour shifts sound right. So-young-ssi? Wake Hyun-jin in an hour."

"Got it, Byung-ok oppa. One question, though."

"What is it?"

"How do we tell time? Exactly, I mean..."

"No phones, so we can't track precisely. Just wake the next when it feels like an hour. Sunrise will tell us morning anyway."

"Okay."

Everyone but the first watch settled in to sleep.

"......"

Time passed, but the day's horrors kept everyone tossing and turning.

Anyone who slept soundly here would be the weird one. Dropped from normal society into the unknown, forced to camp—no way to adapt quickly.

A stifled sob came from a bit away. Hyun-jin's direction.

"Hic... Snf..."

Everyone heard but pretended not. He was the youngest.

Yun-seong had no time for tears. Jo Chan-ho had him on edge.

Unsure how much time had passed, he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Yun-seong-ssi. Your turn."

His foggy mind snapped alert. Exhaustion? Hadn't noticed the guy approach.

"Y-Yeah... Sleep well, Byung-ok-ssi. Thanks for the shift."

"Haha, no problem. Over to you, Yun-seong-ssi."

Watching Jo Chan-ho lie down, Yun-seong debated.

'Run now?'

Monsters were risky, but less than a "comrade" who might stab him in the back.

Maybe it was overthinking, and Jo Chan-ho was innocent—but normal people don't hide their names.

'Sticking together is too dangerous no matter how I slice it. But what about the others?'

Taking them and ditching Jo Chan-ho? No chance. They'd follow him, not Yun-seong—who only knew thanks to his status view. They trusted the guy.

'No guarantee he's even asleep. Could be faking.'

Worrying about monsters and people alike—mental fatigue was no joke.

'How'd he even get a job? No one else has one.'

His trait let him recall viewed statuses. He pulled Jo Chan-ho's again to double-check.

'Silent Steps explains why I didn't notice him coming... So he made noise on purpose when we met? Why?'

Couldn't read the guy at all. Could've snuck up silently, but didn't. How'd he get the job? Why gather people?

'Fuck... Even his constant smiling pisses me off. Can't read his expressions.'

About an hour seemed to pass. No way to be precise, so he stood from his spot and went to wake Kyung-sil auntie.

Tap tap.

"Auntie. Your watch."

She rubbed her eyes awake.

"Mm... Already?"

"Yes, auntie."

"Yun-seong-ssi. We've only got an hour till we move anyway. Can you cover a bit longer...?"

"Pardon...?"

'What the fuck is this crazy bitch saying...?'

"Aigoo, I'm so tired... You're young, even if you're beat."

'This crazy bitch—I haven't slept a wink! Even if I couldn't anyway because of Jo Chan-ho, I wanna at least lie down.'

"Haha... Auntie, I need sleep too. Sorry, I'm wiped..."

"Aigoo, no watch means you misjudged time, right? Feels like my turn's not yet..."

'What the hell is this auntie on about? Ugh...'

Irritation boiled over, but he barely held his tongue.

'No, hold it... Arguing won't fix shit.'

Arguments only work with rational people. Pointless with someone who won't listen.

Plus, it'd wake Jo Chan-ho.

"...Auntie, I'll come back in thirty minutes. Switch then."

"Aigoo, thanks, Yun-seong-ssi."

No point dragging it out; she wouldn't budge. He cut it short.

He returned to his post.

"Fucking bitch..."

'If not for Jo Chan-ho, you'd be done. Fucking cunt.'

What a goddamn day.