Chapter 28. The Sacrifice (3)

Crackle! Crackle! Fwoosh—!

After gathering the broken furniture into a pile, they lit a fire using the lighter Jae-Hyuk had brought in his backpack.

At least we found a building that’s still standing.

A sigh of relief slipped out of Eun-Ho’s lips without thinking.

If they had to spend the night surrounded by those corpses, they’d have completely lost their mind.

“Noonim! How do you think Eun-Ho managed to take care of all

that

by himself?” Jae-Hyuk asked, staring out at the pile of monsters’ bodies.

Ji-Eun crossed her arms and said, “I’m starting to think Eun-Ho isn’t even human. Don’t you?”

Jae-Hyuk exhaled deeply. “Honestly, I think it’d be better for all of us if he wore my armor from now on.”

“Agreed. Had Eun-Ho unlocked my skill, I bet he would have used it way better than I ever could.”

The two of them slumped, seemingly defeated. They stared outside the shattered windows, at the scattered remains of monsters, now still and lifeless.

They kept stealing glances at Eun-Ho with awe and embarrassment, so often and so awkwardly, it seemed like they’d start digging holes in the floor to disappear.

Figuring it was better to break the silence before they completely melted away, Eun-Ho decided to speak up, saying, “You two don’t need to feel discouraged.”

All Eun-Ho did was pick up a bunch of skills. That was all. It didn’t mean the two of them were any worse than others. Then again, he had not exactly met a wide range of people, so he couldn’t be fully sure. Anyway, what mattered now was what they could do.

“Jae-Hyuk, I’m not an expert, but want to try copying what I’m doing?”

“Y-yes, absolutely.”

Thanks to the swordsmanship skill corrections, Eun-Ho’s posture was at least decent. Therefore, just following along should help a lot. The real concern was Ji-Eun.

“It’s probably a control-heavy skill. Let’s take it slow and practice step by step,” Eun-Ho said gently.

“O-okay,” Ji-Eun mumbled.

She avoided eye contact, stealing quick glances at the fire, clearly embarrassed. After all that confident talk earlier, she hadn’t managed to kill even a single monster.

“By the way, did a message pop up when you unlocked your skill?” Eun-Ho asked.

“Oh! Yeah, it did!” she said, suddenly perking up.

“Could you share it with us? There might be a clue in there.”

“

Uh...

Yeah, let me think.” Ji-Eun started murmuring to herself and held out her fingers, counting each point as she recalled. “It said something about an exceptional combination of willpower, emotional resonance with a loved o—

Ah!

”

“What was that?”

She trailed off mid-sentence, suddenly waving her hands in panic. “N-nevermind! I’ll figure it out myself!”

Her face turned red as a tomato, and she even started fanning herself with both hands.

Was the fire too hot?

“Even just a part of the message might help. If we think through it together—”

“No, no! It’s fine. Really! I just prefer solving things on my own. That’s all!” she blurted, flustered.

“Sorry, what?” Eun-Ho asked again, confused by her strange reaction.

Just as he was about to press her further, a series of system messages popped up in front of him.

[A gift has arrived from the subject Kim Han-Wool!]

[Would you like to check it?]

Eun-Ho received a gift from Yul’s dad.

- To: Lee Eun-Ho

- From: Kim Han-Wool

- Message: We’re both safe. We made it to Namsan Tower. There’s no earthquakes here, and it seems secure. If you are okay—

Thank God. They made it safe.

A weight lifted from Eun-Ho’s chest.

Ji-Eun leaned in, asking, “That's Yul’s dad, right? What did he say?”

“

Hmm...

The message got cut off at the end,” Eun-Ho replied, scanning the screen. “But I think he wants us to meet him at Namsan Tower.”

Ji-Eun’s eyes widened. “Namsan Tower?”

Crackle!

Eun-Ho stepped outside the building, scanning the surroundings. He waited until his eyes adjusted to the dark and then looked up.

There it was—a steel tower encased in a soft, dome-like shimmer. It stood tall in the middle of chaos, its neon lights still blinking calmly like nothing had happened. Namsan Tower, which was Seoul’s northern landmark, was perfectly intact.

“How is that place untouched?” Ji-Eun asked in disbelief.

“I know, right, Noonim? Everything else is wrecked, but that’s just pristine.”

The earthquake had been strong enough to flatten all of Namsan itself. Yet, not a single tree on that mountain had fallen. Somehow, that one place had avoided the devastation. A faint, hemispheric shield surrounded the tower, seemingly some kind of a protective barrier.

Something is definitely there.

It wasn’t just a gut feeling; anyone could see it. That had to be why Han-Wool climbed the mountain with little Yul.

Puff!

Suddenly, a gift box appeared in front of Ji-Eun.

“Sol-Ah and Yeo-Jin are safe too!” she exclaimed with a huge grin.

“Let them know we’re heading to Namsan Tower.”

It was time to find out what was going on there.

***

It was 8:00 AM and dawn had already broken. Actually, it had been light out for a while now.

The three of them were covered in dried blood after nonstop fighting through the night.

They stood in the middle of what used to be a dense cityscape—now reduced to rubble like it had been hit by an airstrike. The high-rises were gone.

A pack of Venomous Sky Tigers descended from above, their blood-red leathery wings beating fiercely. They landed right on top of the corpses of their fallen kin—showing no loyalty but only cold, ruthless instinct.

“The monsters are multiplying!” Ji-Eun shouted.

The closer they got to Namsan Tower, the more monsters appeared. The Venomous Sky Tigers were everywhere, trying to guard something there like some living barricade.

Eun-Ho had managed to take most of them down, but there were more.

“There’s no way regular people could get through this!” Jae-Hyuk said.

“Yul’s dad must’ve climbed up before the monsters started swarming,” Eun-Ho said, pulling his blade out of the Venomous Sky Tiger’s body.

Swoosh!

Ji-Eun stepped beside him, breathless. “I’m worried about the others.”

“Same here. These things are tougher than they look.”

Sol-Ah and Yeo-Jin had no real combat skills. Besides, who knew what had happened to the rest of the folks from MS Tower?

As they made their way toward Namsan, Eun-Ho handled most of the fighting, while Jae-Hyuk and Ji-Eun scouted the surroundings.

“No one’s over here!” Jae-Hyuk called, annoyed.

He was their designated scout as he had perfect vision in both eyes.

“Man... I should’ve at least learned people’s names,” Jae-Hyuk muttered.

Who would've thought that, in this bizarre Gift system, simply knowing someone’s name would be the only way to confirm they were still alive?

“Still no reply from Yeji?” Eun-Ho asked.

“No, nothing yet. I really hope everyone’s okay,” Ji-Eun murmured.

“Ji-Eun! Behind you!”

Swoosh—!

[You have defeated the Venomous Sky Tiger!]

Ji-Eun swiftly took down a monster.

“Behind you, Noonim!” Jae-Hyuk shouted again.

“I’ve got it!” Ji-Eun shouted.

Swoosh—!

Ji-Eun’s thrown dagger curved mid-air, effortlessly slicing through the monster’s wings.

She’s gotten used to that fast,

Eun-Ho thought.

If the constant attacks had given them anything, it was growing combat experience, along with a few Welfare Points.

[You have defeated the Venomous Sky Tiger!]

[You have earned 50 Welfare Points.]

Well, maybe it was growing combat experience, along with a

pile

of Welfare Points.

“Check the Welfare Points.”

[Checking the Welfare Points status for Subject Lee Eun-Ho.]

[Current points: 5,020. Total accumulated points: 5,550.]

Eun-Ho had been mowing down monsters non-stop, so it made sense he had racked up quite a bit.

“Is there a problem, Hyungnim?” Jae-Hyuk asked cautiously, noticing Eun-Ho’s thoughtful silence.

Jae-Hyuk himself had about 1,350 points, while Ji-Eun was at 1,900.

“We all have too many points,” Eun-Ho muttered.

“Sorry?”

“The most expensive item in the shop costs only five hundred points. Isn’t that too cheap?”

“Well, yeah. But isn’t that a good thing? It means it won’t be too expensive to buy, right?"

“One more thing. Why do they even tell us the total accumulated points?”

“

Hmm

, I don’t really have an answer for that.”

Suddenly, Eun-Ho remembered the system message he received earlier.

[An anonymous observer expresses great satisfaction with you monopolizing the points!]

The reactions from the observers kept nagging at him.

Lost in thought, Ji-Eun turned serious, saying, “There’s definitely something else going on, isn’t there?”

“Probably.” Eun-Ho had an assumption, but not enough proof to be certain. “We will need these points later. Just keep collecting for now.”

“Okay!”

“Understood, Hyungnim!”

They hadn’t been on the move for more than a few minutes when another message popped up.

[Yongsan District survivors: 531.]

[Yongsan District survivors: 528.]

Three more lives were lost somewhere out of sight.

“

Aaaaah!

”

A raw, desperate scream pierced the air. Locating its source, they found a woman. Her throat was pierced by a Venomous Sky Tiger’s fang, and her breath had ceased.

Around her, at least ten human bodies laid strewn across the ground. However, there were only two dead Sky Tigers nearby.

It was a grim, harrowing sight, like a snapshot of the end of the human era.

“

Roaaaar!

”

The monstrous wail echoed through the ruins.

Seeing this sight, Jae-Hyuk went wild, ready to charge. However, Eun-Ho grabbed him firmly.

“It’s too late.”

If they had arrived just a little sooner, could they have saved her? Jae-Hyuk clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles cracked, his eyes blazing with frustration and helpless rage.

“I’m going to take it down!” Jae-Hyuk said, looking at Eun-Ho.

His eyes were blazing like he was asking for permission. There was only one monster left, so it seemed manageable.

Eun-Ho nodded, and with a determined look, Jae-Hyuk stepped forward confidently.

“Noonim! Cover me!” he shouted.

“Got it!”

From behind, Jae-Hyuk looked solid, finally appearing like someone who had served in the military.

Thwack!

Like a bullet, Jae-Hyuk lunged toward the Venomous Sky Tiger’s fang, driving his sword straight in, just like they had practiced.

Thunk! Thuuunk!

It wasn't exactly a smooth strike, but more like brute force shoved the blade deep. Still, the monster clearly felt the pain.

Then, the Venomous Sky Tiger let out a desperate, all-out roar. “

Grrrr! Roaaaah!

”

The beast twisted wildly, trying to shake off the sword lodged in its neck and the irritating human clinging on.

“

Huh? Nooo!

”

With incredible strength, the Venomous Sky Tiger lifted its torso off the ground. Jae-Hyuk dangled from his own sword, unable to pull it free, swaying wildly in the air.

That was when Ji-Eun stepped up.

“Jae-Hyuk, hold on just a little longer! I can help! Psychokinesis!”

Swoosh—! Thunk!

Her dagger shot out with deadly precision, splitting the Venomous Sky Tiger’s skull in two.

Thud!

The monster that had taken so many lives finally collapsed, brought down by just two people.

[The Crow from the Bureau of Management approves, noting that great achievements also require gathering talented people.]

[The Prince from the Bureau of Investigation nods, saying with proper training, these two could be valuable assets.]

If only they would just shut up for once,

Eun-Ho thought.

The way the observers reacted, as if this brutal survival fight were some action-packed manga or a game of Three Kingdoms, made Eun-Ho’s skin crawl.

The bodies around them were riddled with holes, limbs torn apart, heads battered beyond recognition. Clearly, they were still alive when torn apart. The scene was utterly horrifying, stripped of any dignity. Yet, there was no time to mourn.

[Attention all survivors in the Yongsan District.]

[The next trial will begin at exactly 9:00 AM.]

It was currently 8:50 AM, and there were just ten minutes left until the next trial launched.

[By the Administrator's authority, a new project is activated.]

[Project Name: Hunt.]

“Hunt?”

[Eliminate the marked targets on the map and earn your reward.]

[All survivors must submit the required daily quota by the end of the shift. Failure to comply will result in immediate deletion.]

“So basically, we have to hunt monsters and gather our daily pay?” Ji-Eun asked.

“Exactly, Noonim! Looks like we just have to catch them like those bugs that were crawling inside the zombies!”

Jae-Hyuk was right. This kind of monster hunting actually seemed manageable now. After all, the three of them had all grown stronger since the Seoul Station trial.

[Daily quota to submit: 5,000 points.]

[End of shift: Today at 6:00 PM.]

Eun-Ho had no real sense of how much five thousand points actually was. Either way, the only options on the table were clear.

“So, it’s either we survive the day and clock out, or we get deleted. One or the other.”

With a smooth motion, he unfolded the map that showed the real-time locations of hunting targets. It was a 3D map centered on Namsan, filled with countless colored circles packed closely together.

“Fifty, hundred, two hundred...” Eun-Ho muttered.

There were tiny circles, each marked with different numbers. Those numbers had to be the reward points for taking down each target.

“So it seems like most of these monsters are worth fifty points!”

“Fifty points... That’s what we got for killing the Venomous Sky Tiger, right?”

“I think the colors get darker as the points get higher. Most of them are white.”

“Look! There are green and yellow ones here too. There’s five hundred points, seven hundred and twenty points, and even something worth nine hundred points! The points keep going up!”

The group, each staring intently at their own map, suddenly stopped at the same spot.

“Look over here!”

“There’s a red circle!”

Amid all the circles, the bright red one caught their eyes at once.

“What! Something is worth over five thousand points?!”

That number towered over the surrounding monsters’ rewards.

“Looks like this is the boss monster!”

“If we can take this down in one go, we will be able to finish the whole daily quota at once!”

“Do you know where it is? I feel like it’s nearby.”

“Well, the circle is quite big, so the exact spot isn’t clear.”

“Wait, there’s more than one! Try selecting the circle!”

Just as Ji-Eun said, clicking on the red circle revealed several monsters nearby with their respective reward points listed.

Maybe they were clustered so close together that it looked like one big target,

Eun-Ho thought.

[Submit your daily quota and clock out safely!]

But these numbers look oddly familiar... 5,020, 1,900 and 1,350?

“Wait, this location is...”

“

Huh?

”

“Hyungnim! That’s where we are right now!”

What? Wait a second. Could it be...

“Ji-Eun, you said you have 1,900 Welfare Points, right?” Eun-Ho asked.

“Yeah! Why?”

“And Jae-Hyuk, you said you have 1,350 Welfare Points?”

“Right!”

Ugh, damn it!

“The targets are not monsters...” Eun-Ho muttered.

“

Huh?

Then what is it?”

“What do you mean by that?”

Eun-Ho’s head throbbed, and he silently pressed his palm to his forehead. Ji-Eun, quick to catch on, suddenly shouted.

“

Aaaah!

No way!”

“What is it? What’s wrong?” Jae-Hyuk seemed puzzled.

Eun-Ho explained patiently. “It’s me. I’m the 5,000-point boss monster.”

This project’s main target was none other than him.

Damn it.