How to Survive Restructuring - Chapter 28
Chapter 28: Sacrifice (3)
Crack! Crack! Whoosh—!
Gathering the broken furniture, I lit a fire using a lighter I found in the backpack Jaehyuk had brought.
“Thank goodness there’s a relatively intact building here.”
A sigh of relief escaped my lips.
If we’d had to spend the night amidst those corpses, I might have lost my sanity.
“Noona, how did hyung handle all that on his own?”
“Eunho… doesn’t seem entirely human, does he?”
“Sigh… I think my armor would be better used by hyung. It would benefit all of us.”
“True. My skill would also be far more effective in his hands if he unlocked it.”
The two of them stared despondently at the pile of monster corpses visible through the shattered window.
They threw glances my way, a mix of admiration and shame in their eyes.
Seeing their demeanor, I felt they might dig themselves into the ground if I didn’t say something quickly.
“You don’t need to feel so discouraged.”
After all, it was thanks to the skills I’d acquired that we survived.
It wasn’t that the two of them were lacking in comparison to others.
At least, that’s what I believed, even though I hadn’t met enough people to be sure.
For now, what we could do was clear.
“Jaehyuk, I’m not an expert, but why don’t you try copying my movements?”
“Yes, I’ll do my best…”
With the benefits of my swordsmanship skill, my form was decent.
Simply mimicking it would likely help him improve.
The problem, however, was Jieun.
“Your skill seems to require some level of control, so let’s take it slow and practice.”
“Okay…”
Jieun mumbled in a barely audible voice, her eyes downcast, embarrassed about her earlier boasting when she hadn’t managed to kill a single monster.
She occasionally glanced at the campfire, visibly deflated.
“Did you receive a message when unlocking your skill?”
“Ah! Yes, I did.”
“Can you share it? There might be some hints.”
“Well… let me think…”
Jieun hesitated, mumbling as she started counting on her fingers.
“It said something about mental strength to control objects, empathy, and a close bond with… oh!”
“With?”
She abruptly trailed off, waving her hands in the air.
“Oh, it’s nothing! I’ll figure it out myself!”
Her face flushed red as she started fanning herself with her hands.
Was the fire too hot?
“Even a small clue might help. We can brainstorm together.”
“No! Really, it’s fine! I actually prefer solving things on my own!”
“Uh… okay.”
Just as I was about to press her further for an explanation—
[A gift from ‘Kim Hanul’ has arrived! Would you like to check it?]
—A message appeared.
──── ────
Recipient: Lee Eunho
Sender: Kim Hanul
We’re safe. We’ve reached Namsan Tower, and there hasn’t been any seismic activity. If you and the others are okay, we…
──── ────
They’re safe.
What a relief.
“Was that Yura’s father? What did he say?”
“Hmm… The end of the message is cut off, but it sounds like he’s suggesting we meet at Namsan Tower.”
“Namsan Tower?”
Right, Namsan Tower…
Crackle!
I stepped outside the building and looked around.
I waited for my eyes to adjust to the darkness, then glanced up.
“!!”
Above, there was a tall structure surrounded by a faint dome-like glow, its neon lights still blinking—an anomaly amid the chaos.
“How is it still intact?”
“Exactly, noona! Everything else collapsed…”
Considering the earthquake was strong enough to level most of the city, it was bizarre that not even a single tree around the tower had fallen.
And that faint protective dome encasing the tower…
Something’s there.
It wasn’t just a gut feeling—it was obvious.
That must be why Hanul had gone there, taking little Yura along.
Pop!
Just then, a gift box appeared in front of Jieun.
“Sola and Yeojin are safe too!”
In that case—
“Let them know to head to Namsan.”
“!!”
Let’s go confirm it ourselves.
* * *
08:00 AM.
Dawn had broken—or rather, it had been a while since the first light.
By now, the three of us were drenched in blood from endless battles.
In the ruins of the city where skyscrapers once stood tall, crimson-winged creatures—Sky Tigers—descended upon their fallen kin without hesitation.
They showed no camaraderie, rushing forward without pause.
“The number of monsters seems to be increasing!”
The closer we got to Namsan, the more monsters we encountered, as if they were forming a barricade to protect something.
Though we’d dealt with most of them—
“Ordinary people wouldn’t even make it this far!”
“True. Yura’s father must have passed through before the monsters began gathering.”
Splat!
I yanked my sword out of the tiger’s body and nodded at Jieun’s observation.
“I’m worried about the others.”
“Yeah. These creatures are quite strong.”
With Sola and Yeojin unarmed, and the rest of the MS Tower group unaccounted for, we couldn’t help but worry.
Throughout the trek, Jaehyuk and Jieun diligently scouted the surroundings while I fought off the monsters.
“There’s no one here!”
Grumbling, Jaehyuk—our designated scout with 20/20 vision—reported.
“I wish we’d at least learned their names.”
Who would have thought we’d end up relying on random gifts to check their survival status?
“Still no reply from Yeji?”
“Not yet. I hope everyone’s safe…”
“Jieun, behind you!”
Slash!
[‘Venomous Sky Tiger’ has been defeated!]
And then, one more.
“Noona!”
“I’ll handle it!”
— Whoosh!
The dagger Jieun threw in a straight line curved in mid-air and instantly shredded the Sky Tiger’s wing.
‘She got the hang of it quickly.’
If those grotesque creatures ever gave us a gift, it was this:
[‘Venomous Sky Tiger’ has been defeated!]
[50 Welfare Points earned!]
The accumulation of Welfare Points seemed to reflect our growing combat experience.
“Check Welfare Points.”
[Checking Welfare Points status for subject ‘Lee Eunho.’]
[Current Points: 5,020, Total Accumulated Points: 5,550.]
5,020 points.
After slaying monsters non-stop, it had piled up quite a bit.
“Is something wrong, hyung?”
As I pondered, Jaehyuk cautiously asked.
Jaehyuk had 1,350 points, and Jieun had 1,900.
“You’re all too relaxed.”
“Sorry?”
“The most expensive item in the shop costs only 500 points. Isn’t that too cheap?”
“Uh? But isn’t that a good thing? We won’t have to worry about not affording anything.”
I suppose that’s true.
“Also, why do they even bother showing us the total accumulated points?”
“Um, that… I’m not sure either….”
【An anonymous observer is greatly pleased with subject ‘Lee Eunho’ monopolizing the points!】
And then there’s the observers’ reactions, which somehow feel unsettling.
As I was lost in thought, Jieun spoke with a serious expression.
“There’s more to this, isn’t there?”
“Probably.”
I had my suspicions.
Not enough evidence to confirm, though.
“There’s going to be a need for it. Just keep saving for now.”
“Got it!”
“Yes, sir!”
We hadn’t been on the move again for more than a few minutes when:
[The number of survivors in the ‘Yongsan District’ is now 531.]
[528.]
Three more people lost their lives somewhere out of sight.
“Aaaaahhhh!”
“!!”
A desperate scream pierced the air.
Thud-!
Following the harrowing sound, we found a woman impaled by a Sky Tiger’s fang, her life snuffed out.
And beside her…
“!!”
“Corpses….”
More than a dozen bodies were strewn about.
But only two dead Sky Tigers in contrast.
— Roaaaaar!
The grim scene seemed to herald the end of humanity’s reign.
Smack-!
I grabbed Jaehyuk, who was about to rush in blind with rage.
“The people…!”
“It’s already too late.”
Would we have made it in time if we’d been faster?
Jaehyuk clenched his fists in frustration, his eyes blazing with fury.
“…I’ll handle it.”
He looked at me with burning determination, as if seeking permission.
Just one enemy.
It seemed manageable, so I nodded.
With a resolute expression, Jaehyuk shouted and charged forward.
“Noona! Cover me!”
“Got it!”
He looked dependable.
His claim of having served in the military finally felt believable.
—Clang!
Jaehyuk launched himself at the Sky Tiger’s fangs like a cannonball.
And as we’d practiced, he drove his blade in straight and true.
Shluk-! Crunch!
It wasn’t so much a smooth insertion as a forceful stab, but it made the monster writhe in agony.
And then.
The beast roared in desperation, thrashing with all its might.
Roooooaaaar! Rooooaaaaaaaaar—!
As it twisted and turned to shake off the blade and the pesky human clinging to it:
“Huh?! Whoa, whoa!”
Jaehyuk was dragged along, unable to retrieve his embedded sword, swinging wildly as the beast thrashed.
Jieun stepped forward.
“Hang on, Jaehyuk! Telekinesis!”
Whoosh! Splat—!
With precision, her dagger soared and split the Sky Tiger’s head wide open.
Thud!
A monster that had claimed over a dozen lives was taken down by just two people.
【’Raven of the Administration Bureau’ nods in satisfaction, saying great men achieve great things with great people.】
【’Prince of the Investigation Bureau’ approves, noting they could be useful assets if raised properly.】
Would they just shut up already?
Their responses, turning this desperate struggle for survival into some kind of shounen manga or Three Kingdoms drama, made my skin crawl.
The mangled bodies, pierced with holes and missing limbs and heads.
It was obvious they had been eaten alive.
No dignity remained in this tragic scene.
Yet we had no time to mourn.
[Attention to all survivors in the ‘Yongsan District.’]
[The next mission will begin promptly at 9 AM.]
AM 8:50.
The next mission, set to start in ten minutes:
[A new project has been activated by the administrator’s authority.]
[Project Name: ‘Hunt.’]
“Hunt?”
[Eliminate the marked prey on the map to earn rewards.]
[All survivors must submit their daily wages by the deadline. Failure to do so will result in immediate deletion.]
“So we have to hunt prey and gather the wages, right?”
“Yes, ma’am! Like those bugs hidden in the zombies; it seems similar!”
If it’s just hunting monsters like that, it’s doable.
Both I, Jaehyuk, and Jieun had grown stronger since the Seoul Station mission.
[Daily wage required: 5,000 points.]
[Deadline: Today, 6 PM.]
I wasn’t sure how much 5,000 points represented.
Anyway, the only choices given to us are…
“To get home safely or be deleted. One or the other.”
Swish!
A map that shows targets in real-time was unfurled.
A 3D map densely filled with colored circles, centered around Namsan.
50, 100, 200…
Tiny circles the size of thumbnails each had different numbers written on them.
Looks like that’s the bounty for taking down a target.
“Most of them are worth 50 points!”
“50 points, huh…”
That’s the same welfare points we got for catching the Venomous Sky Tiger.
“Look, the color gets darker as the numbers increase. Most of them are white.”
“Here are some green and yellow ones too. 500 points, 720 points, 900 points… They go up!”
Swish!
Everyone who was busy examining their maps suddenly stopped at the same spot.
“Here!”
“A red circle!”
A red circle that instantly drew all our attention among the countless circles.
“Over 5,000 points?!”
An overwhelmingly high number compared to the surrounding monsters.
“This must be the boss mob!”
“Maybe we can wrap it all up at once!”
This is it.
It’ll probably be tougher than the others, but we can earn our full quota in one go.
“Do you know where it is? It seems to be nearby.”
“The circle’s too big to pinpoint the exact location.”
“Wait a second. It’s not just one! Select the circle!”
As Jieun suggested, selecting the red circle revealed the bounties of several nearby targets.
‘So they were overlapping because they were close.’
[Submit your earnings and go home safely!]
But wait a minute.
5,020, 1,900, 1,350.
These numbers seem oddly familiar…
“Uh, this location…”
“Huh?”
“This is… here, hyung.”
…What?
Hold on.
No way.
“…Jieun, your welfare points were 1,900, right?”
“That’s right! But why are you asking about welfare points?”
“And Jaehyuk’s were 1,350?”
“Yes, that’s correct!”
Ah… great.
“This… the targets aren’t monsters.”
“Huh?”
“What do you mean… Wait! Don’t tell me!”
With a throbbing headache, I silently held my forehead.
Jieun, quick on the uptake, realized it and let out a scream.
“Wh-what’s going on?”
“…It’s me.”
“Sorry? What do you mean?”
Jaehyuk was still clueless, so I kindly explained.
“The 5,000-point boss mob.”
This project, the main target… is me.
Damn it.
———-