The Night Watch

Because there had been so many coordinates showing openings, we were able to grow our flag faster than expected.

Occasionally we avoided fights that looked like they might drag on or turn dangerous, so things had felt a little slow at times, but ending the day with our forces intact meant a great deal.

“It seems we should start preparing camp.”

People who had been catching their breath and checking their gear looked up at my words. We had been rushing from empty house to empty house without rest. Perhaps because the team battle field was mountainous, the sun set faster than expected. We began searching the field for a safe spot before the surroundings grew completely ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠dark.

“At this rate, we should be able to enter the upper ranks without much trouble.”

At Namgung Cheonho’s passing remark, I nodded silently. The time limit had been set at five days total. Thanks to the Earth coordinate members performing better than expected, the team battle did not feel as fierce as I had initially worried. Of course, players from other coordinates who had suffered unexpected setbacks would not agree, but at least for us, that was the case.

“This spot should do.”

I led everyone to a place near a cliff. If we were attacked, there might be no escape route, but that also meant the directions we needed to watch were limited. ‘Anyway, no one is going to launch a coordinated assault on us in the current situation.’

This was not a large-scale war but a personal competition between coordinates. After our aggressive stat growth in the early stages, no coordinate could beat us in a one-on-one fight. Avoiding being caught in a pincer seemed like the best we could do.

“Whew… Today was rough.”

“But we barely took any damage, and our growth is probably the fastest. Or am I wrong?”

“At this rate, we might actually take first place, don’t you think?”

People resting on the ground voiced positive reactions one after another. Because this team battle was structured to clearly reward the rich getting richer, their words felt especially real. Still, we could not afford to let our guard down. This was never an annihilation battle to begin with. As we had seen when we eliminated the player named Death early on, there was no guarantee that stronger stats would protect the flag from being stolen.

‘Protecting the person holding the flag is the top priority.’

I looked up at the small girl preparing the campsite. I recalled the notification that had appeared right after the team battle began.

She had tried to hand me the flag that had fallen to the ground. In a moment no one had anticipated, the flag became bound to Han Gamin, and she could only stare blankly into the air for a long while. I did not consider the flag binding to her a negative development. Of course, it would have been reassuring if either Park Jocheol or I had held it, but if that had happened, we would never have been able to move as aggressively as we did during the day.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Ah, it’s nothing.”

Namgung Cheonho approached with a worried expression, apparently thinking something was wrong because I had been lost in thought.

“I gave some thought to the night watch pairs you asked for. How about this?”

He raised a hand and pointed to people standing here and there. Two-person teams. Four people total would stand watch, starting from the densely forested left and right sides.

“Not bad. Who is my partner?”

“I’m still deciding, but I think you could go with Gamin.”

“Gamin?”

At Namgung Cheonho’s suggestion, I tilted my head and asked again.

“Wouldn’t that be dangerous?”

“Well… I’m not exactly thrilled either, but that’s what she wants. Gamin said that if she does not stay sharp even like this, she might get careless. She really is a peculiar kid.”

“Hmm…”

My eyes found Han Gamin helping set up the wooden barricades with the others. Fatigue filled her eyes, perhaps from today’s forced march, yet she showed no sign of slacking off. She seemed determined to pull her own weight.

“If that is what she wants, then there is nothing we can do. I will keep a close eye on her from beside her. Her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠specialty lies in that area anyway, so there should not be any issues.”

From what I had heard before, she had learned infiltration and assassination-related skills on the second floor. The rapier at her waist was half a bluff. If she had not appeared from somewhere and struck the enemy leader in the back of the neck during our earlier battle with another coordinate, we would likely have suffered far more casualties.

“Thank you. Of course you would, but please keep an eye on her.”

After finishing, Namgung Cheonho walked over to the barricades and began lending a hand. The makeshift fortress was slowly taking shape. As long as nothing major went wrong, we should be fine.

Crackle. Crackle.

The firewood in the campfire at the center of the campsite burned, creating a faint white noise. Night had deepened completely. Too many things weighed on my mind for sleep, so I could not rest until my turn on watch arrived.

“Siin, it is time to wake… Ah.”

Park Jocheol, who had taken the watch before me, crouched beside me to wake me up. Realizing I already had my eyes open, he brushed the dirt from his knees and stood.

“You were already awake? No, it looks like you did not sleep at all.”

“I could not fall asleep.”

“Honestly, same here. Night watch… it reminds me of the army or something. Haha…”

At his words, I nodded and picked up my sword. Aside from the campfire, only a low, settled darkness filled the night. If I had been planning an ambush, this would have seemed like the perfect time.

“Thank you for your hard work, Jocheol. I will wake Gamin and head out.”

“You do not need to go far. As long as you stay within our line of sight, we can respond if anything happens.”

When I gave a slight nod, Park Jocheol lay down a short distance from the fire.

‘Now, where is Gamin…’

Rustle.

Han Gamin sat up halfway, eyes half-closed. She shook her head roughly a few times, perhaps to clear it, then slapped both cheeks with her hands and sprang to her feet.

“Hoo! I am up. Shall we go?”

“Yeah.”

We moved to the large tree on the right side that Park Jocheol and one other person had been guarding. It was not exactly a watchtower, but a flat, slightly elevated rock made it a decent spot for watching against attacks.

“……”

“……”

The night was quiet. Unfamiliar cold air flowed into my lungs. The faint chirping of nameless insects tickled my ears, but I focused all my attention on the sound of footsteps through grass that might come through that noise.

Time passed like that, and just as our watch shift was nearing its end, Han Gamin, who had been watching the rear beside me, carefully called out.

“Ahjussi.”

“Yeah.”

At her voice, I placed my hand on the hilt of my sword and answered.

“Did something come?”

My nerves were on edge. If Han Gamin had spotted something I missed, it would not be an easy opponent. Yet, to my confusion, there was nothing in the direction she was looking. Her next words left me feeling deflated.

“No. I was just bored.”

“……”

“Are you not bored, Ahjussi? You have not said a single word for almost an hour.”

“Well… not really?”

Saying that might hurt her feelings, but I truly had nothing to talk about with Han Gamin. It was not dislike or indifference; I simply had no common ground with someone who had been a complete stranger before the world ended.

“Do you not have any questions about me, Ahjussi?”

“Questions?”

At her question, I rubbed my chin and briefly considered whether there was anything I was curious about regarding her. A short, blonde-haired twenty-year-old college student. Smart, spirited, a bit sharp-tongued. She had come to Sky Games ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to work on a university assignment and got caught up in the apocalypse. A few pieces of information surfaced in my mind, and I gave her the first answer that came to me.

“Yeah. I do not think there is anything I am particularly curious about.”

“Huh, that is a bit of a blow to my pride.”

At my indifferent reply, she made an exaggerated gesture and scrunched her face as if in pain. Then, as if a playful mood had struck her, she checked the remaining time and asked another question.

“Actually, there is something I have been curious about when it comes to you. Want to play a game?”

“What game all of a sudden?”

“We take turns asking each other questions. If you cannot answer, you lose.”

“Hmm……”

“I will start with something light.”

The game began abruptly, without my agreement. True to her word, Han Gamin started with a light question.

“What is your name?”

“You already know it.”

“Just answer.”

“……”

Kim Siin. I quietly gave my name. After hearing it, Han Gamin demanded a question from me, and I responded with a similarly casual one.

“How old are you?”

“Did you join ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the game company because you like games?”

“You were bad at studying when you were young, right?”

Small talk. She fired off new questions almost as soon as I finished mine, as if she had written them down somewhere. Though brief, it was the first personal conversation we had shared. As I watched her, an inexplicable sense of déjà vu washed over me. Then came the next question.

“Have we met somewhere before?”

“……? What kind of question is that?”

“I am asking if we met when we were kids or something.”

“Maybe we saw each other somewhere.”

“Hmm……”

At my vague answer, Han Gamin’s brows furrowed for a moment. Soon her expression returned, and she gave me a short nod.

“Whatever. Anyway, it looks like our time is up. Let us head back.”

I had answered, yet I felt as though I had lost. As Han Gamin turned to return to the campsite, I unconsciously grabbed her arm. She looked slightly startled, clearly not expecting the gesture.

“Huh? What are you doing?”

“……I still have one question left, do I not?”

“Oh, so you did have something you were curious about.”

Since the game had started with her question, it was only fair that I asked the last one. There was also one thing I had been curious about but had forgotten until now.

“That……”

I glanced at her left shoulder. I had caught a glimpse of it once before. But just as I was about to ask, I heard an unfamiliar sound flying toward us from somewhere and yanked her toward me.

Whoosh!

At my sudden action, Han Gamin let out a short scream. People began rising at the sound. But there was no time to look away.

“There you are.”

“Been a while, you bastard.”

“We crawled out of hell just to see you.”

Right in front of me, beneath the trees, human shapes began emerging from the shadows. They were the many players who should have returned to the lobby after losing their flags to us. Grinning unpleasantly, they revealed themselves one by one.