Chapter 3
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Tutorial (3)
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Night passed, and the sun rose. I decided not to wake that auntie again since she'd just come up with more excuses anyway.
'...Waking her would be a waste of time.'
Among those who were sleeping, Jo Chan-ho was the first to stir.
"You're up early, Yun-seong."
"Yeah... what about you, Byung-ok? Get some good rest?"
I had to play it cool with Jo Chan-ho, of course—no hinting that I thought he was suspicious.
I was exhausted from not sleeping a wink, but I pretended not to know anything and started chatting casually.
"After what happened yesterday, I couldn't sleep too soundly. But I feel like I've recovered some energy at least."
"Good to hear."
"Yeah. Before we move out, we should eat something, so I'll wake the others. Yun-seong, could you scout the clearing for a bit?"
"Got it. Just in case, I'll grab a weapon."
I picked up the club and shield. Part of me wanted to snag some food and bolt, but taking supplies would raise suspicions, so that wasn't an option. Besides, I didn't need food right now anyway.
I'd just take a quick look around and come back. I started walking slowly.
'Why haven't any monsters shown up? Is that building too far away for them to reach here yet...?'
I scanned the area, but nothing stood out. It just felt like hiking up a wooded hill.
'First things first, I need to get a class. That way, even in the worst case, I'll have something to work with.'
Rustle!
A sound like footsteps approached. It could be a monster, so I quickly ducked into the bushes.
A little while later, voices started murmuring—human voices.
"Sis... where are we going...?"
"Anywhere far from that building. And it's not just monsters that are dangerous. You saw it back there—people can't even be trusted for food or water. You can't trust just anyone, Yu-hyeon. We're... just lucky to have made it this far."
I peeked out carefully. It was the siblings from the building where we'd all first come to.
'Lucky... or just tough survivors. What should I do? Say hi? They might know something I don't.'
The sister looked on high alert, which worried me, but she seemed less dangerous than Jo Chan-ho at least.
I had no idea when I'd run into other survivors again, and as long as I didn't threaten them first, they didn't seem like the type to attack. So I stepped out cautiously and spoke up.
"Hold on a sec."
The woman jumped at my voice, shoving her brother behind her and drawing a dagger as she shouted.
"Who are you?!"
"...Not here to hurt you. Calm down. I just want to talk."
"Forget it—stay back! I'll stab if you come closer!"
'She's way too on edge... Need to calm her down first.'
I set the club and shield on the ground and raised my hands to show I meant no harm. After standing still for a few dozen seconds, she finally spoke.
"You alone...? Why'd you sneak up?"
"No, not alone. I've got a group... resting a bit further back. I just approached to swap info."
"...How many?"
"Five including me. My turn to ask? Seen any other people or monsters?"
"...No monsters here yet. They might come later... As for people, no idea. We've been out of it..."
"'Might come later'? What do you mean?"
"My turn for questions. There's a woman's body a bit east of here... Your group's doing?"
".... A woman's body? What're you talking about? Wasn't it a monster?"
I hadn't been east yet. It'd only been a day since everything went to hell yesterday.
'Why suspect me? If there's a body, shouldn't they blame monsters?'
Just as I started questioning her suspicion, she spoke up.
".... The body was stripped naked."
'...Jo Chan-ho?'
Her words instantly made me suspect Jo Chan-ho, but a quick think ruled it out.
'No. We've been together all day yesterday. Not him... Someone else.'
"Wasn't our group. We're three guys and two women anyway."
"How do I know that's true?"
"If it was me or my group, I wouldn't show myself—I'd call them over and jump you."
"........"
"Trust me on this. I'm being plenty humble here, right? Now let me ask: what did you mean about monsters coming later?"
"That's..."
Rustle—
"There you are, Yun-seong. And these two are...?"
Chills shot through me the moment I heard the voice. It was Jo Chan-ho.
'Shit... how the hell did he track me here?'
I forced a calm facade and replied.
"...Byung-ok. I was scouting and ran into some other survivors. Just talking."
The sudden appearance of a burly adult man made the sister look anxious as she yelled.
"What...?! You said your group was far away! So it was you...!"
"Hmm... looks like a misunderstanding. Yun-seong here hadn't come back after a while, so I came looking. Please calm down."
Jo Chan-ho smiled and soothed the students. His soft features and gentle tone worked wonders—they didn't drop their guard completely, but since he wasn't attacking or threatening, they slowly relaxed.
"Byung-ok... how'd you find me?"
"You were taking a while, so I followed some tracks. Lucky it's a mountain path—footprints were clear."
'Shit... he tracked footprints?'
Good thing I hadn't bolted. If I'd run blindly, he'd have sensed something off and chased me down. With my low stats, he'd catch me easy.
If a normal person had come looking out of worry, I'd be grateful. But some psycho killer tracking footprints? Spine-chilling.
"If you two are okay with it, why not join our group? More people means more security in a crisis like this."
"....Huh?"
"Not forcing you, of course. But we need to band together to clear this Tutorial, right? No one's strong enough alone."
The girl started mulling it over at his offer. Two students surviving against monsters and killers? Tough sell.
If our group was normal, it'd sound like a solid deal from their perspective. Her brother had mana stats and a solid unique trait, but he was young—plenty to worry about.
'The sister's young too... makes sense she'd hesitate.'
"......"
As the girl pondered, her brother spoke up.
"Sis. Can't we go with them? They don't seem bad..."
Yeah, on the surface, joining us looked like a smart move.
'...I can guess what she'll say.'
If Jo Chan-ho wasn't in our group, it'd be a great choice for them.
"Fine... but on one condition. If you force us kids into danger or make us share food and water unevenly, we're out."
"Haha, of course. Welcome aboard. Name's Jo Byung-ok."
"....I'm Lee Yu-rim. This is my brother, Lee Yu-hyeon."
"Lee Yu-hyeon. Hi..."
Jo Chan-ho grinned happily.
"Great. Shall we head out? Yun-seong, the others are waiting."
"...Yeah."
.... I couldn't talk them out of it.
Back at the clearing, everyone was up and prepping food—bread and water, but in this mess, we were lucky to have that much.
Hyun-jin spotted me and called out.
"Hyung! Where'd you go? We were worried."
"Just scouting like Byung-ok asked. Anyway, say hi—these are new faces."
"Whoa... kids?"
'You're a kid too from my view. At best a year younger than the girl...'
"Hi, I'm Lee Yu-rim. This is my brother Yu-hyeon. Nice to meet you."
As Hyun-jin and Yu-rim exchanged greetings, the auntie piped up with a dissatisfied tone.
"Oh dear... such young students. Byung-ok, new people are fine and all, but... aren't they a bit too young?"