Chapter 76
In childcare facilities such as kindergartens, it is essential to secure an evacuation route for possible disasters.
The director of Starlflower Private Kindergarten was a rather eccentric person—or, to put it another way, a good one.
Not only had the director created an evacuation route in the kindergarten, but they had even equipped the basement with an emergency shelter.
I used to jokingly say that while watching them spend far more money than necessary to pack the place full of every supply imaginable.
“Huh? Director, isn't this just your personal hobby?!”
If this was how it was going to be, they could at least have given us a little more of a bonus.
I didn't know it then.
I never knew that facility—whether born of the director's consideration or selfish indulgence—would save me and the children.
The first day of the apocalypse.
I brought down the director's head, which was changing into a monster no matter what they grabbed.
At first, it was a mop handle.
Then a chair. Finally, a fire extinguisher.
Perhaps I should consider it a blessing in disguise that I had been able to hide the sight from the children.
...
The director had been a good person.
It was that night that Min-jun, who had lost his two front teeth and been teased by his friends, tugged at my sleeve and asked.
“Teacherrr... Did my mom... call...?”
I couldn't answer. Perhaps I hadn't been able to.
Stroking the child's head with trembling hands, I checked the phone, whose battery was nearly dead.
[Emergency Disaster Alert]
Numerous unidentified hostile entities and people exhibiting abnormal behavior have been reported in areas of ground subsidence
There is concern about infection, so citizens are advised never to make contact upon sighting them and to await rescue in a safe place.
The government is working to resolve the situation...-
I turned my gaze and checked how many children were with me.
One, two... seven.
All of them were safe. At least, the children in my care were.
The children leaned their backs against the wall or clutched their stuffed animals tightly as they stared at me.
I was the only one these children could rely on.
So I had to hide my trembling hands and speak to them.
“Let's wait just a little longer. It's okay, you're with Teacher.”
How many times had I repeated those words today?
***
Around two weeks later, I heard a broadcast from the provisional government on the radio.
Static-!
- The Control Bureau is recruiting and hiring Awakener personnel....
Crackle-
- We are carrying out restoration operations centered on Hunters, so citizens, please do not lose hope...
Static-!
The children who heard that would approach Do-hee and ask.
“Wow... What's a Hunter?”
“Um, they're really strong people.”
“Will they save us? Us?”
“Of course. They'll definitely come to save us.”
Not long after that day.
There was a commotion beyond the wall. Once the noise passed, someone knocked on the facility's door.
I hurriedly hid the children and picked up the fire extinguisher.
“Wh-Who is it...!”
“A person. I'm alive and well, just like you, so don't worry.”
His voice sounded weary, like a father who had just finished working late.
I unlocked the door, opened it, and checked who it was.
He was a middle-aged man. He had a backpack on his back,
and a bloodstained baseball bat in one hand.
Only then did the children hiding in the room begin emerging one by one and clinging behind me as they stared at the man.
“...You must be very hungry.”
After looking at the scene for a moment, the man lowered the bat,
opened his backpack, took out three bags of snacks and two two-liter bottles of water, and set them on the floor.
“Eat up, kids.”
“Whoa...!”
“Woooow!”
The children rushed over,
“Wait, kids. You have to say thank you first!”
“Thank you!!!!”
Only then did I lower the fire extinguisher.
“...Thank you so much.”
“For what? I'm Kang Seok-hyeon. And you?”
“Ah... I'm Cha Do-hee.”
Once the tension faded, we briefly introduced ourselves.
“Are you... a Hunter?”
“Not at all. I'm just an ordinary Yellow Zone Awakener.”
“Even so, doing all this alone... That's amazing.”
As the man wiped the blood from his bat, he said,
“Still, I used to have a feel for being in the ring, so taking care of things like this is second nature to me.”
The face of the man chuckling was not bright.
After gazing silently at the children eating snacks, the man said,
“...I actually wanted to become a pediatrician.”
“Pardon?”
“My family opposed it. They said it didn't pay and would only wear me out. They asked who would appreciate me for it.”
The man seemed to be reminiscing about something. Or perhaps regretting it.
“So I didn't pursue it. But looking back now... I should've just done what I wanted.”
A brief silence.
“You were different. Even in a situation like this, you did what you thought was right.”
The man looked at Do-hee.
“That's even more impressive.”
*
*
*
After that.
How much time had passed?
“Do-hee, they say the Hunters have disappeared.”
Director Kang said this while leaning his back against the wall.
“There isn't anyone left in the Control Bureau. It looks like the Head Mod is trying to handle things in the Gallery too... but it seems to be in complete chaos.”
“So are we supposed to fend for ourselves now?”
“I suppose so. The only remaining public institution, the Control Bureau, has lost its power...”
At the same time, a sound came from the radio.
Static-!
-Hunter recruitment continues. Anyone who is an Awakener...
Crackle...
The day the Dead Zone appeared was that day.
The day the roads were severed from one another and the fog arose.
The day contact was lost and silence descended upon the world.
People called it a Dead Zone. A road you could enter but never return from.
Crackle.
-Humanity will surely overcome this....
I turned off the radio.
....
Then one day.
It was nighttime, and Kang Seok-hyeon had gone out to scavenge supplies.
“Mmm...”
Normally, I should have heard the children fussing in their sleep, saying they missed their parents, their mothers, but.
“...”
The basement was eerily quiet.
Sensing an inexplicable wrongness, Do-hee woke from a light sleep and sat up.
“...Kids...? Jisu? Min-jun...?”
As she called the children's names while feeling around in the darkness, her eyes fell upon
an unbelievable sight—one she didn't want to believe.
The basement door, which she had locked tightly, was open,
and two unfamiliar men had entered inside.
One was an old man in a neat suit. Beside him stood another man dressed the same way, his eyes gleaming with a bright red light.
“Huh...?”
One of them—the old man—placed a hand on a sleeping child's forehead,
Sssshk-.
The moment the old man's hand touched the child,
“Wh-What are you doing!”
One child's cheek instantly lost its moisture and caved in,
“Who the hell are you!!!!!”
before crumbling into a grayish brown.
“No... Nooooo!!!”
Just as Do-hee screamed, grabbed the fire extinguisher, and charged at them,
Wham-!
“Cough...!”
With no more than a casual sweep of the back of his hand, the man whose eyes glowed red sent Do-hee sprawling helplessly.
“Wh-What are you doing...! To the children!! What the hell are you doing!!!!”
To the wailing Do-hee, the old man said in a flat voice,
“Heh heh... Don't feel too aggrieved. This is all for building a paradise for the reconstruction of the nation.”
Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness. Only then did Do-hee notice the name tag on the old man's chest.
[Hunter – Jeong Myeong-hak]
“A Hunter...?”
As soon as she finished speaking, other people entered behind the old man and the other man.
They were clearly Hunters too.
They began carrying out the children, who were trembling in terror,
“Te-Teacher!!!”
“Waaah!!!”
“No... No...!!!! Don't do this!! Please!!! No!!”
Do-hee desperately clung to their pant legs, but.
“Move.”
“Ghk...”
The man guarding the old man's side kicked her,
“Aaaah...”
And just like that, they leisurely disappeared into the darkness.
“Aaaaaah!!!! No!!!!!!!!”
The basement was left empty.
Clutching the child's clothes, which had turned to ash, Do-hee screamed until her throat tore.
“D-Do-hee...! What happened!!!”
When Director Kang returned shortly afterward, his eyes found Do-hee's face twisted with madness.
Why? Why? Why had they?
She couldn't understand.
Why had they been taken from her?
Because she was weak.
Because she had been unable to Awaken and protect what mattered most.
It had been taken right before her helpless eyes.
That was why Cha Do-hee made up her mind.
She would Awaken.
When she met them again someday,
she would gain overwhelming power capable of taking their lives before they could even react.
The next day.
“Do-hee! That's reckless!! Trying to Awaken alone at this point is suicide!!”
“...”
Despite Kang Seok-hyeon's efforts to stop her, Cha Do-hee walked away alone.
To the place said to grant the highest ability currently available,
excluding the Black Zone, where survival was utterly impossible.
To the Red Zone.
*
*
*
“Do-hee.”
“...”
“Do-hee...! Do-hee!”
“Yeeees, old man!!!”
What brought Cha Do-hee, who had briefly returned from the Red Zone and was lost in thought, back to herself was Director Kang of the First Shelter.
“I've called you several times... Were you out of it?”
“Ah, ah, I was just remembering the past.”
“Mm... Yes. That happens.”
Director Kang lowered his head as if apologetic and continued.
“I checked what you asked me to check.”
After glancing around, he continued in a heavy voice.
“...So it is as we thought?”
“It's clear that children are disappearing one by one. Some of them were children I examined myself.”
“...”
“Their parents aren't in their right minds either...”
The children were disappearing.
“Moreover, there's even a rumor going around the shantytown that several ordinary people have vanished without a trace.”
Fortunately, the children Do-hee was caring for were safe. She had just checked on them and returned.
“Could it be those bastards from back then?”
“...We can't jump to conclusions yet.”
Director Kang firmly shook his head at Do-hee.
“The outside world still can't be called safe. They could simply have fallen victim to zombies... or it could be the work of the raiders who are still around.”
“...Right. Things like that happen every day.”
Do-hee bit her lip hard.
Hunters << Fucking pussies, for real
ㄴ Behind the Green Zone barrier << A refuge for cowards
ㄴ Get outside the barrier already!!!!!
ㄴ S-bros are people too, people!!
ㄴ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴ ㅇㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Hunter-hate is justified
ㄴ The Head Mod used to be a Hunter too, though?
ㄴ The Head Mod is a Hunter done right
ㄴ Fuck, the Head Mod isn't a Hunter
They say the guilds are doing something even now, though.
ㄴ What are they scheming?
ㄴ They haven't shared it.
ㄴ The Head Mod will post an announcement when the time comes.
A situation as chaotic as back then.
And at a time like this, ordinary people who couldn't use the Gallery were disappearing.
This was no coincidence.
Her instincts were warning her so.
Seeing Do-hee's expression, Director Kang spoke first.
“Do-hee, I know what you're thinking, but don't jump to conclusions...”
“I know. That's why...”
That was why Cha Do-hee said to Director Kang,
“We need to investigate.”
*****
Thus, the time came for them to assemble an envoy and attempt a dialogue with the Green Zone.
Meanwhile, Head Mod Baek Eunwol.
“Hmm.”
She was on her way to the Mythos Guild, where they had agreed to meet, from her shelter.
- [Head Mod] : I'm on my way to Mythos ㅇㅇ
- [Head Mod] : I hear all the other guild masters are already gathered there.
- [Shop Wiki] : Good. I hope the conversation goes well.
- [Jobless Troublemaker] : Are the guild masters strong, though? Can we trust them?
- [Shop Wiki] : You can think of guild-master level as unlucky Hunters... Hmm... Or lucky Hunters, I suppose. Anyway,
- [Shop Wiki] : I expect them to at least be capable of going toe-to-toe.
“A conversation...”
Though she wanted nothing more than to declare war on the Green Zone immediately and hold them accountable first,
“For the greater good... we have to look at the bigger picture.”
If there were even the slightest chance she could join forces with them.
If they truly came to their senses and cooperated, they would certainly become a formidable force.
That was why the Head Mod had decided to follow the moderate position reached after considering everyone's opinions.
Of course, she wasn't exactly happy about it.
- Would you really not join us, Baek Eunwol?
- You'll obviously regret it. They have no future.
- Let's work together toward the days ahead....
The conversation they had shared when they parted ways.
Because she could still clearly see their arrogant expressions.
“I'll give you one chance.”
Just then, as Eunwol took another step,
Rustle-!
She sensed someone nearby.
“Long time no see, Team Leader Baek.”
At the sound of that voice, Baek Eunwol recognized him immediately.
“Ha Do-jin. You survived despite being the likes of you.”
“As you can see.”
Eunwol turned her head and looked at the man who had appeared before her.
His two eyes glowed faintly red.
His neat suit and sharply styled pompadour hair.
An incongruous appearance unsuited to this ruined world.
Eunwol's gaze naturally moved to the man's chest,
[Hunter - Ha Do-jin]
[Ranking – 11th]
A sneer appeared at the corner of Eunwol's mouth when she saw the name tag.
“You still wear that ridiculous thing? Ranking?? What meaning does rank even have in a situation like this?”
“Well... It's about not forgetting our roots.”
“I can tell exactly what kind of pathetic existence you people are living.”
Killing intent poured from Eunwol's two red eyes.
“So why did you come looking for me?”
“Obviously, I came to take you with me.”
Seeing that, Ha Do-jin smiled leisurely and adjusted his tie.
“Did you think we wouldn't notice you plotting something offline, Baek Eunwol?”
“...”
“We have more eyes and ears outside than you think.”
So they already knew.
“That aside, we have purposes of our own, so you'll have to come with us.”
At those words, Eunwol's eyes turned cold.
“What if I have no intention of coming quietly?”
“Then we'll have to take you by force.”
“You, alone? Think you can?”
Ha Do-jin shrugged at Eunwol's provocation,
“I couldn't do it alone.”
A smile soon formed at the corners of his mouth.
“But I never said I was alone.”
Ssssss-.
At the end of his words, a group appeared.
They began surrounding Eunwol one by one,
[Hunter – Seo Tae-gyeong]
[Ranking – 21st]
[Hunter – Choi Ji-hun]
[Ranking – 28th]
[Hunter – Kang Su-yeon]
[Ranking – 25th]
...
They soon completely surrounded Eunwol, blocking every blind spot.
“Long time no see, Eunwol sunbae.”
“I'm sorry it came to this.”
“Let's just go quietly.”
Overwhelming killing intent and pressure closed in on her from every direction.
“Hoo...”
At the instant their lines of attack crossed sharply,
“I suppose I need to teach my juniors some proper discipline today.”
****
Meanwhile, Hunter-hate was running rampant in the Capital Area Survivors' Gallery.
Title : To be honest, it's true we didn't expect anything from those guys early in the apocalypse
But isn't it different now...?
We've kept overcoming things, ㅇㅇ We're moving forward.
So why the fuck aren't these bastards doing anything?
Of course, I know there's no Control Bureau now, nor any administrative organization or state authority.
But then why the fuck are we, who don't even have state authority, going through all this hell?
Why are we doing what those guys, who were once granted state authority, won't?
My point is simple, ㅇㅇ
The Green Zone Hunters are famous orphans.
Nice and succinct conclusionㅋㅋ
ㄴ Looking at all the posturing those Hunters did in the early days of the Control Bureau...
ㄴ Ahㅋㅋ I remember, I remember.
For real, get your hands out of your pockets!!!!
ㄴ Strutting around, strutting around
ㄴ You can posture all you want now, just come out already, ahㅋㅋ
I agree with the OP.
ㄴ Shouldn't those guys be doing something too?
ㄴ Exactlyㅋㅋ
ㄴ If most of the Hunters, like the Head Mod, came from the Red Zone...
ㄴ Then shouldn't they contribute a little, even if it's not as much as we're hoping for?
If they had even pretended to help with reconstruction, we wouldn't be this pissed off, honestly, ㅇㅇ
ㄴ No, but logically speaking, we're doing all this while getting help from System-nim,
ㄴ so wouldn't it help a lot more if that much stronger group came out and joined us?
ㄴ Why aren't they doing it...?(Seriously, I don't know)
ㄴ They're probably reading this.
ㄴ Doesn't their conscience bother them?
Even the tail-car passengers on the Seolgak Train had an excuse: at least they were freeloading.
ㄴ We're fucking doing all the reconstruction ourselves!!
ㄴ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ System-nim and us are doing everything!!!
ㄴ I'm seriousㅋㅋ
How about starting a revolution?
ㄴ For real, let's go?
ㄴ War! Never again, war!!!
Then a post appeared that completely turned those users' reactions around.
Title : [Ha Do-jin, Same Difference] Hello, Capital Area Survivors' Gallery
I'm Ha Do-jin, a former Hunter affiliated with the Control Bureau.
(Roughly, proof of my name tag. JPG)
There is only one reason we have severed contact with the outside world and remained firmly silent until now.
It was to fully preserve a true paradise that would become the seed of humanity's reconstruction.
Until now, we have been unable to accept new members because of the capacity limit for Awakeners within our facility.
But no longer.
Having passed the long period of preservation, preparations to expand paradise have entered their final stage.
Therefore, as proof of our trust, we would like to invite all of you suffering outside to come here.
Here, the civilization you remember from before the apocalypse has been maintained.
Tomorrow,
we will open the barrier and the city's security gates and welcome two thousand survivors as our new family.
Thank you.
Um...?
ㄴ ??
ㄴ Wait, what the hell am I reading right now?
ㄴ The Green Zone is opening its gates?
ㄴ ????!!!
The Green Zone... is opening...?
ㄴ They're going to accept us...?
ㄴ We can go to the Green Zone?!!
We can... live there...?
ㄴ Gasp
ㄴ ㄷㄷ
It was a post saying the Green Zone would open its security gates and accept survivors.
“Huh...?”
Even I found the content somewhat surprising.
“They're accepting us…?”
What the hell.
No, do we trust those bastards...?
ㄴ Now...?
ㄴ Doesn't it seem suspicious?
Does that matter?
ㄴ They said we can go to the Green Zone!!
ㄴ To the Green Zone we've dreamed of...!!!
[Decent Young Man] Heh heh,,, what a,,, splendid,,, gesture,,, ^^
ㄴ Oh, old manㅋㅋ
ㄴ You should go there and enjoy your retirement, go go
ㄴ [Decent Young Man] I am old, so I needn't go^^
ㄴ [Decent Young Man] Everyone go inside,,, and live comfortably,,, ^^
ㄴ Kyaa, our gallery grandpa's a GOAT in character
ㄴ A senior giving up his spot << This actually existsㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴ “A senior giving up his spot,” my assㅋㅋ
ㄴ That's fucking hilariousㅋㅋ
If so... is this acceptable...?
ㄴ Should we... call off the revolution...?
ㄴ If we're business partners, that's acceptable, ㅇㅇ
ㄴ So they had their own circumstances, ㅇㅇ
Hmm. That's really good.
On the surface, it looks really nice and is genuinely great news.
“Heh heh.”
But there's only one reason I'm laughing in disbelief.
It was because of the Head Mod's message that arrived in a one-on-one chat.
- [Head Mod] : Jobless Troublemaker, the other administrators are offline, so I'm telling you, since you're always online.
- [Jobless Troublemaker] : Yes, Head Mod.
- [Head Mod] : The Green Zone Hunters attacked me.
The message cut off mid-sentence.
“Hmm...”
No further message came from the Head Mod even as time passed.
In other words, to sum it up.
“These bastards are clever...?”
They were telling people in the Gallery that they would accept them.
But offline, they had attacked the Head Mod, who held administrative authority over the Gallery.
“These aren't ordinary smart bastards...”
But.
“Wait, they're trying to start a troll battle with me?”
This won't do. Main job: ON.