Chapter 5
A group of survivors she had encountered in the shopping mall.
Haeun kept her eyes fixed on the male student walking at the front. He was wearing the uniform of the school she attended.
‘I'm sure the name tags were red.’
Jingwang High School issued new name tags whenever students advanced to the next grade. And as far as Haeun knew, red name tags indicated third-year students.
In other words, he was her senior.
Next, she turned her attention to a female student around her age who seemed rather shy.
Aside from wearing the uniform of Kangil Girls' High School, there was nothing particularly special about her.
‘And finally...’
The man who had grabbed Haeun by the back of her neck earlier.
He appeared to be in his late twenties or early thirties. He had a sturdy build and somewhat intimidating facial features. He probably did physical labor or worked in a profession such as firefighting or the military.
‘I still can't tell.’
Whether these people were good or bad.
If they turned out to be bad people, she would have to look for an opportunity to escape. While she was considering various possibilities, her eyes gleaming with caution—
“All right, we're here.”
The male student stopped walking.
They were in a corner of the shopping mall's second floor, where the restrooms were located.
A barricade made of mannequins, wardrobes, and other items blocked the narrow passageway. Just as Haeun squeezed through it to enter—
“...!”
She froze in place.
Behind the barricade stood two zombies, motionless.
Meanwhile, when the male student noticed Haeun had stopped behind him, he smiled brightly.
“It's okay. They won't attack you.”
“B-But...!”
“I'm serious. Look.”
He strode forward and patted one of the dazed zombies on the shoulder. The zombie didn't react at all, and the male student spoke with a smile.
“These are subordinates I created with my skill.”
“...You can create subordinates with a skill?”
“Yes. I'm a Necromancer.”
After patting the zombie on the shoulder, the male student pointed toward the barricade.
At his command, the zombies began moving. They carried the mannequins over and carefully blocked the passage that connected the area to the outside.
Haeun stared blankly at the scene. Before she knew it, the barricade was complete, and the male student sat down on a bench in front of the restroom.
“Why don't we introduce ourselves first? Oh, this place is safe, so you can take off your helmet.”
It certainly looked safe.
Since they were on the second floor, there was little chance of being attacked from outside. Besides, the area was tucked away in a corner of the building, making it difficult to approach without getting past the barricade.
“My name is Kim Taemin. As I mentioned earlier, my class is Necromancer, and I'm Level 3.”
“I-I'm Kang Eunji. I'm a Level 1 Healer.”
“Yoo Mincheol. My class is Assault Warrior, and I'm Level 3, same as Taemin.”
The male student, female student, and intimidating-looking man introduced themselves one after another, stating their names and classes. Haeun then took off her helmet and introduced herself as well.
“I'm Seo Haeun. I'm a Level 1 Shadow Assassin.”
“Judging by your name tag, I guess you're my junior...”
“That's right. You can speak casually to me.”
“Okay, then I'll speak comfortably.”
Haeun didn't mind.
After exchanging introductions, she had realized that she was the youngest among them.
“Now, how about telling us your story?”
“My story...?”
“What you've been doing and where you've been staying since the world changed like this. Oh, and if you belong to another group of survivors, tell us that too.”
“Oh, okay.”
Haeun nodded.
She began recounting everything she had experienced in great detail.
From the moment she obtained the Shadow Assassin class and the information about her skills to how she had survived for three days in her officetel with nothing but water and snacks.
“...And that's how I ended up going outside to look for food.”
Perhaps because she'd been speaking so rapidly, she suddenly found herself short of breath. Haeun took a deep breath before continuing.
Just as she was about to mention the glowing arrow that had helped her—
Grrrrr...
Her stomach rumbled loudly at the worst possible moment.
It was probably because she hadn't eaten anything except water since yesterday. Or perhaps meeting other survivors had finally allowed her to relax, causing her hunger to catch up with her.
Meanwhile, Eunji, who had been listening quietly, opened her bag at the sound of Haeun's stomach. She took something out and offered it to Haeun.
“If you don't mind, would you like to eat this? It's a little past its expiration date, though...”
It was a red bean bun, the kind commonly sold at convenience stores.
Haeun's eyes widened.
“Are you sure I can have it?”
“Yeah. We still have some to spare.”
“Thank you, unnie. I'll enjoy it.”
It was her first proper meal in three days.
Perhaps that was why Haeun practically stuffed the bun into her mouth without even realizing it.
Just as she finished eating in the blink of an eye, a bottle of mineral water suddenly appeared.
“Eat slowly.”
The voice sounded gruff.
It was Yoo Mincheol. He placed the bottle of water in Haeun's hand while she stared at him in a daze.
“You don't want to choke. There's no medicine for that out here.”
“...Thank you.”
“Also, I'm sorry about earlier. I think I misunderstood you because I was on edge after dealing with those guys from the underground shopping arcade.”
“Huh? The underground shopping arcade?”
Haeun tilted her head as Mincheol apologized to her. Taemin, who was adjusting the barricade, answered her question.
“They're one of the groups of survivors in this area. There are around forty of them, and they're a pretty aggressive bunch.”
The shopping arcade was connected to a nearby subway station.
They had lowered the fire shutters to keep the zombies out, and the group was reportedly the second-largest gathering of survivors in the area.
Mincheol frowned as though he disliked Taemin's explanation, then added his own thoughts.
“They're more than just aggressive. They're criminals. I understand that everyone's trying to survive, but attacking other survivors crosses the line.”
“What? They attacked other survivors?”
“Yeah. We were attacked yesterday, too. If Uncle Mincheol hadn't fought back, we probably would've been completely helpless.”
Eunji answered with a sigh.
According to their explanation, the survivors from the underground shopping arcade resorted to violence without hesitation when searching for food.
The reason Taemin's group had been attacked the previous day was that they'd gotten into a dispute while trying to obtain food from a convenience store.
“Well, now that the world has turned out like this, I guess there's no need to worry about laws or the police anymore.”
“That's right. For now, they're just using violence to drive other survivors away, but if enough time passes, killing people will probably become commonplace, too.”
Killing.
Haeun's expression stiffened at the word.
She realized that he wasn't merely trying to scare her. It really could happen.
“But if the underground shopping arcade has the second-largest number of survivors, where are the most survivors gathered?”
“Probably at the church.”
“The church?”
“Yeah. It's run by the foundation that operated my school. I heard around a hundred people are living there.”
Kangil Girls' High School was affiliated with a Christian foundation.
It was what people commonly called a mission school, so there was a church on campus. Hearing Eunji's explanation, Haeun tilted her head.
“You heard? From whom?”
Who could have given her that information when they could barely move around freely? Haeun asked in confusion, and Eunji soon answered.
“Oh, I got a phone call three days ago.”
“A phone call? From who...?”
“It was from the pastor.”
Oh, right. The communication network had still been working on the first day. Haeun nodded as she finally understood.
“Then the church should be safe. There are more people there than in the underground shopping arcade, and if there are teachers and pastors, they should be able to keep everyone organized.”
“Yeah, we thought so, too. That's why it's one of the places we're considering going to. However...”
“However?”
“There's a problem. You probably know this already, but to get to Kangil Girls' High School, we have to cross the Han River.”
“...Ah!”
Haeun's eyes widened.
That's right. She'd forgotten because she hadn't had any reason to go there, but Kangil Girls' High School was on the other side of the Han River.
As she belatedly recalled this, Mincheol muttered bluntly,
“Crossing the Han River in this situation would be suicide. From what I saw on the rooftop, the bridges were crawling with zombies.”
“Phew. Then it'll be difficult for now.”
“That's right. We'll either have to advance while gradually eliminating the zombies, or pray that a mage wipes out the zombies on the Han River bridges for us.”
“Huh? A mage?”
What was he suddenly talking about?
Haeun tilted her head, and Taemin continued.
“Yeah, a mage. You've probably seen one before, haven't you?”
“No, I've been staying in my room the whole time...”
“Still, you must have heard thunder outside at least once, right?”
No sooner had Taemin finished speaking—
A brilliant flash suddenly poured through the window behind the restroom. A deafening roar followed, as though it would tear her eardrums apart.
RUMBLE! KABOOOOOM!
A bolt of lightning had struck near the shopping mall.
A moment later, when the blinding light faded, several zombies charred completely black came into view.
“That's...”
“Perfect timing, too.”
Taemin let out a small laugh.
Come to think of it, Haeun had occasionally heard the sound of thunder as well.
At the time, she'd simply assumed it was a sign that rain was coming. But according to Taemin, it seemed this wasn't an ordinary natural phenomenon.
“Those lightning bolts strike places where zombies have gathered with incredible accuracy. And it's not just once. They keep striking every two or three hours.”
“That's...”
“Yeah, almost as if there's a cooldown. Doesn't it seem just like a skill?”
Now that he mentioned it, that did make sense.
Haeun silently nodded. However, there was still one question she couldn't resolve.
“Why do you specifically call them mages?”
“Oh, there's someone among the survivors in the underground shopping arcade who uses a skill similar to that. Of course, it doesn't seem nearly as powerful as that lightning.”
That was why Taemin called it the Mage's Lightning.
As Haeun stared blankly at the place where the lightning had struck, Mincheol spoke in a low voice.
“We received help from them three days ago, too.”
“From the mage?”
“Yeah. We were being chased by zombies when lightning struck and reduced them to ashes.”
“If we ever meet that person later, I intend to thank them properly.”
Mincheol and Eunji spoke one after another.
Hearing their words, Haeun looked once more in the direction where the lightning had struck and clenched her fist.
‘...A mage.’
A survivor with a skill that could summon lightning.
Then, could the arrow that had helped her before she arrived here have been that mage's skill, too?
It was a reasonable guess. Just like the lightning that had fallen from the sky moments ago, the glowing arrow had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
‘If I ever meet them...’
I'll have to thank them, too.
Haeun made that promise to herself.
Just then, Taemin spoke to her.
“So, what are you going to do now?”
“Huh?”
“We're planning to leave here tomorrow morning. There aren't many zombies around, so this place is relatively safe, but it's difficult to find food.”
“If you're planning to return to your officetel, I'll share some of my food with you. Of course, I can't give you much...”
“I'll respect whatever decision you make.”
Taemin, Eunji, and Mincheol spoke one after another.
Haeun fell silent for a moment, considering her options.
The safest choice would be to accept their food and return to her officetel. But that would only provide temporary safety. In the long run, it wouldn't be a wise decision.
‘What if I go with them?’
It would be more dangerous than returning to her room, but it wasn't a bad choice. Above all, none of them seemed to have bad intentions.
After thinking it over, Haeun finally made her decision.
“Would it be okay if I went with you?”
“Huh? You're not going back to your officetel?”
“Even if I go back, I'll have to come outside again to look for food. And I want to find out whether my parents and friends are safe.”
Haeun explained her reasons.
Taemin silently looked at Mincheol and Eunji. Mincheol was the first to ask a question.
“Have you ever fought a zombie?”
“Yes, but only one.”
“That'll do. It's better than traveling with someone who's never faced one at all.”
“I agree, too. Honestly, I haven't seen another girl around my age besides myself, so I've been feeling a little lonely.”
“Okay, then it's settled.”
Two out of the three had agreed.
There was no need to discuss it any further.
Taemin grinned and held out his hand.
“I look forward to working with you.”
“Yes. I look forward to working with you, too.”
Haeun took Taemin's hand and bowed her head. It was the third day since the world had changed, and just like that, Haeun safely joined the group of survivors.