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Around twenty people out of the group had brought food and water with them. Combined, that would lead to about a week’s worth of supplies, but it would only last a day and a half if all ninety-eight people partook. Even if they reduced their meals from three to one per day and rationed water, they would only last five days at the longest. When Kyu-Bum heard that there would be more than five waves, he thought about that problem first. He knew what kind of tragedy would happen if the food ran out.
Kyu-Bum asked while looking at Seon-Hu’s wet clothes, “Is there water over there?”
Then, he looked towards the darkness. If they ran out of food, they would be able to endure somehow as long as they had a supply of potable water. He hoped that the group would be able to tolerate hunger until they reached Act One, Stage Two and then secure food.
Seon-Hu snorted. “Yes, there’s water, but aren’t you being too greedy? I’m the one who swept that area. Let’s be clear, Lieutenant Lee. Ever since you set up the barricade and blocked me, that place has belonged to me.”
Kyu-Bum's face stiffened. Then, Seon-Hu slightly chuckled. “Get used to it as you will hear that often from now on. Not just from me, but from the other Awakened you will encounter in later Acts and Stages. Well, that’s assuming you can survive until then.”
Kyu-Bum felt a surge of relief flood through him. There were ninety-seven Awakened under his command, but his instincts were telling him not to antagonize this boy. He thought he had to bring this important person into the village no matter how hard he had to convince the others.
He asked, “Could you come with me? I will tell the villagers.”
“Follow me,” Seon-Hu answered by ignoring his question.
Kyu-Bum acquired a new skill as soon as he stepped into the darkness. It was called ‘Night Eyes,’ and it allowed him to see about seven meters around him even in the dark. His excitement about learning a new skill was soon crushed by his fear of the darkness. Bizarre plants that he had never seen before were trampled under his feet, and their thorns scratched his combat uniform.
Kyu-Bum had been confident enough to call himself ‘fearless’ in the past, but standing in a space filled with darkness and seeing random weird plants wrapping around his body felt like he was having a nightmare. He couldn’t calm himself down.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
His heart fluttered, pounding against his chest wall.
“Be careful not to slip.”
Kyu-Bum was puzzled by that remark, but he soon understood the gentle warning. There were lumps of intestine and flesh, which had been ripped apart carelessly, scattered all across the road. It appeared never-ending.
Kyu-Bum asked, “Were you the one who ripped them apart? All of this?”
Seon-Hu didn’t reply, but the answer had been obvious from the very beginning. Since Kyu-Bum had previously been exposed to various sickening environments, he didn’t throw up when he saw this. However, he felt like he had to warn those who had never gone through intense training. His eyes were fixed on the back of the youth’s head.
How strong is he?
Seon-Hu seemed like a person who had taken special training like him or at least was a highly educated person. He had an indescribable vibe. Kyu-Bum wanted to ask him about the World Awakened Association, but he started off the conversation with a different topic.
“Were all of these creatures supposed to rush into us during the wave?”
Just the thought of it was horrible. He noticed that any of their previous preparations wouldn’t have worked.
Seon-Hu casually responded, “If that actually happened, all of you would have been killed in Act One, Stage One. No, these were just the creatures living in this area, and there is a separate thing called summoning nest.”
“Summoning nest?” Kyu-Bum asked, perplexed by the new term.
Seon-Hu replied a bit later when they arrived in front of the summoning nest, “The System is vicious, but it always gives puzzles that have solutions. Only the guys who were summoned and waited here were the Wave’s attack squads. As for the bodies we just saw? Those just happened to be the ones that lived here.”
“Summoning nest… Wouldn’t it be better to destroy it?”
The youth instantly snapped, “Don’t even think of touching one.”
For a moment, there was a distinct edge to Seon-Hu’s voice. His attitude had done a complete 180 compared to when he had previously kindly warned Kyu-Bum.
“I’m only telling you this information for one reason, Lieutenant Lee. The other boundaries will open soon one by one. It’s not my business to explore those areas or not, but… should I continue?”
“I think you are telling me not to touch anything. Not only here, but everywhere else, right?”
Seon-Hu was the only one who knew that the summoning nest was part of a giant monster. He had judged that there was no reason to inform the soldier any more than necessary. Since the forces occupying the first stage were military groups, they would end up exploring the new areas in the future. People would obviously find new places when food and water ran out. But what if a disaster that was worse than the summoning nest occurred?
He left the man with one last warning, “Your group will be annihilated as soon as you touch it. Keep that in mind.”
“...”
Seon-Hu continued, “Just pay attention to the waves. Those alone are dangerous and rewarding enough. You can only secure a few points per monster here, which is a waste of your time.”
Kyu-Bum didn’t know when it had started, but he suddenly realized that the initiative of the conversation and power had been handed over to Seon-Hu. For that reason alone, Kyu-Bum began to observe the youth more carefully.
His identity is vague other than the fact that he is a member of the World Awakened Association, but he doesn’t appear to be a threat for now. He’s cooperative too. But if he suddenly changes his attitude toward us, things will be different. This place is… a lawless zone. I have nearly one hundred people to protect, so I should strive to keep a positive relationship with him while being on my guard.
His idea of assimilating Seon-Hu into the village had abruptly vanished, so Kyu-Bum spoke more politely, “Okay, let’s keep going.”
***
What if the summoning nest is the actual body of the giant monster and not just an avenue towards the underground? And what if it becomes too powerful that the System’s protection no longer works, and it ends up appearing as the boss monster of the Wave?
Seon-Hu was concerned about that happening.
He thought he could handle it, but he couldn’t afford to consider other people’s safety. He could have blocked people’s access to the area and banned them from drinking water from the puddle, but the tactics needed to complete Act One, Stage One was in the puddle. Everyone needed to overcome their fear and enter the darkness to explore the puddle. That was the only way for them to survive until the end. It was a separate matter from defending the wave.
Seon-Hu had completely renounced his interest in the village after providing access to the puddles and informing them of the threats. Therefore, Kyu-Bum carefully asked him several questions following that, but he didn’t get any answers. They just walked silently. All Kyu-Bum could do was follow Seon-Hu from behind and cut branches to use them as signposts.
When they came out from the boundary of darkness, people were waiting for Kyu-Bum at the barricade. Then, a man suddenly jumped over the barricade and sprinted towards Kyu-Bum. It was Seong-Il.
“Fuck that. I oppose the idea!” Seong-Il randomly raised his voice at Kyu-Bum.
“What is going on?” Kyu-Bum asked.
Seong-Il replied while looking at Seon-Hu, “I have told you many times before. Did you just ignore me? He is the one who told me about the rewards for being awakened!”
“...”
“This is the guy who finished the freaking quest, but why would you kill someone who saved us? You really have no conscience! You would realize the importance of having him after you get killed by the monsters.”
Seong-Il also told Seon-Hu, “They are going crazy and saying that you should be the sacrifice!”
“Mr. Kwon, that will… never happen,” Kyu-Bum spoke to both Seon-Hu and Seong-Il. He made sure to send a pleading glance at Seon-Hu, as if he was trying to silently say that people were only doing this because the devil had stated it would arbitrarily kill one person if they didn’t sacrifice one life within the time limit.
Seon-Hu chuckled, then replied to Kyu-Bum without any change in emotion, “Making decisions is always difficult, but Lieutenant Lee, that’s what you’ve been doing. You did it before you came here, so you should do it now. You’ll be able to come to a decision more easily than the others can.”
“...I’m sorry about that. Please don’t approach the barricade until the situation settles down.”
***
“Ugh, I’m so pissed. I think that asshole… I mean the guide is playing tricks to embarrass you, don’t you think so?” Seong-Il commented.
“Are you not going back to the village?” Seon-Hu asked.
The older-looking man vigorously shook his head. “Yo, people are scarier than ghosts. Who knows what will happen to me there? They don’t care about how precious others’ lives are except for their own. They are getting insane, fuck.”
Seong-Il panted at the end.
The meeting had continued while Seon-Hu and Kyu-Bum were in the dark. The agenda was to determine the standard of choosing the sacrifice. The majority had chosen Seon-Hu, but new standards were brought up while they discussed how to kill him. People had claimed that those who should be immolated were either the eldest among them or someone who had not provided any supplies but gained the best skills as rewards. Others pushed for them to draw lots or to put it on a secret ballot. According to Seong-Il, the meeting without Kyu-Bum had been a chaotic mess. Then, he said the meeting eventually ended with their initial decision to kill Seon-Hu. People were blaming him for causing the situation.
“Well, at least the lieutenant became a decent guy. Look at him. He’s protecting you.”
Seong-Il studied Seon-Hu’s face, but unexpectedly the younger man didn't look resentful at all. From the moment Seong-Il first saw Seon-Hu, the other man had only smirked with an unpleasant expression whenever he was in danger or in bad situations.
Seong-Il continued, “You should be ready. If the lieutenant changes his mind, your life will be in danger. He’s human, so he can be selfish at one point. If they rush in at you, you should run to…”
Seon-Hu replied, “That will never happen. In fact, I don’t understand what you’re doing. Don’t you know that you will become a target as well if you join me?”
Seong-Il guffawed. “Haha, that’s why my ex-wife left as she couldn’t handle my temper. People can’t live with fake personalities forever. We should say whatever is on our minds. At any rate, that’s my theory. I’m Kwon Seong-Il. You know that, right?”
Seon-Hu bluntly said, “Tell me what skills you have. You must have not received a trait yet.”
Seong-Il responded, “I don’t know what that is, but I don’t even have a skill. I got an item and insignia, but the soldiers took all of them. But I have the highest Strength of all the people over there. Strength must mean muscular power, right? A man should be strong, haha.”
“Keuk, keuk. I’m Na Seon-Hu.”
“Ahhh, it was so hard to get your name, dude.”
Seon-Hu’s perpetual scowl relaxed slightly. He replied playfully, “Yeah, haha. Are you actually going to follow me? Even though you will always be in danger?”
Seong-Il shrugged. “That’s a bit harsh, but yes. I will follow you. You seem much more reliable than those over there. I’m sorry that I ran away without you last time.”
“Mmm... Call me Odin.”
“Oh…dean?”
“Forget about my real name.”