Chapter 4

“Oh my… They’re just young students. Mr. Byeong-ok, it’s good that new people have arrived, but… aren’t they too young?”

It seems the newcomers being kids is causing some dissatisfaction.

I can confidently say, no matter how young those siblings are, they’ll be far more useful than that lady.

The status window doesn’t lie. Compared to the two siblings, that lady’s stats are garbage.

No, forget the stats. Her mindset is rotten. I’m sure she’d throw others under the bus when danger comes.

If Jo Chan-ho were to pick a target to kill here, I’d bet he’d go for that lady first. She’s utterly useless.

“Hmm… Aunt Kyung-sil. Even if they’re young, they’ll be plenty helpful. I’ve said it before—having more people is better than having fewer.”

“Hmph… Not that I’m against it… I’m just worried, that’s all.”

“Trust me. Let’s eat first. We should start moving soon, right? Since we have new people, let’s discuss our next steps over a meal.”

Everyone sat down and started pulling out food from their bags to eat.

The conversation I had with Lee Yoo-rim before Jo Chan-ho arrived was bothering me, so I spoke up while chewing on bread.

“Um… Can I call you Yoo-rim?”

“Sure. Feel free to call me that. Then, can I call you Yoon Seong oppa?”

“Yeah, whatever’s comfortable. By the way, earlier you said the monsters haven’t reached here yet, but you also said we don’t know how long that’ll last. What did you mean by that?”

“…I escaped from that building pretty late. Those who came out after me were chased by the monsters.”

‘…This means even this clearing isn’t safe.’

The clearing is hidden in a remote spot, but we can’t stay here forever.

‘The guide said we need to clear the tutorial. That means we’ll have to fight the monsters eventually. Do we have to kill them to get stronger?’

My head’s a mess. If this is like a game, Jo Chan-ho probably got his job by killing monsters.

‘We need to hunt. Thankfully, we’re not alone. Jo Chan-ho is dangerous, but with this many people, he won’t dare stab us in the back. No matter how strong he is, he can’t take on this many people.’

“Ah… And it’s not just the monsters we need to worry about. We managed to grab food and water, but some people didn’t. They might target us.”

“Hmm… True. People do crazy things when they’re starving.”

“Right, Byeong-ok oppa. Our numbers aren’t small, so we should be fine, but…”

“It doesn’t hurt to be cautious. Alright, let’s discuss where we’re heading next. Yoo-rim, do you have any more info?”

“That’s all I know. But since it’s called a tutorial and we need to clear it, maybe there’s a dungeon or something? This situation feels like a game.”

“…A dungeon. That makes sense. In games, you usually kill monsters, gain experience, and clear dungeons.”

“Byeong-ok oppa, I agree with Yoo-rim. Even if there’s no dungeon, killing monsters might make us stronger.”

“Yoo-rim and So-young make good points. Let’s explore in another direction and fight any monsters we encounter. If there are too many, we’ll avoid them.”

“Yeah… That sounds doable. Thinking about it, those monsters were slower than us when we ran.”

Right. Yesterday, we were too panicked to notice, but the reason we escaped was partly because the monsters were distracted eating corpses, but also because they’re slower than us.

“Do we… really have to kill the monsters? Can’t we just avoid them? I don’t know about dungeons or whatever, but even if they exist, someone else can clear them. Wouldn’t it be safer to just hide?”

‘Sigh… This lady’s useless. We should ditch her. Stupid woman.’

Yeah, if we only think about immediate safety, hiding is safer than fighting monsters or clearing the tutorial.

But we need to remember this is the tutorial.

It feels like hell now, but post-tutorial might be even worse. Hiding might seem safe now, but it’s practically suicide in the long run.

Even on Earth, if you don’t improve yourself, you fall behind. In a place where strength is everything, not growing stronger means death—or worse.

‘The guide said it: choose carefully whether to fight or run. That means we’ll have to fight eventually. I don’t know who that guide guy is, but he outright told us to clear the tutorial. He’s not going to let people who just hide slide.’

“Haha… Auntie. Staying still won’t solve anything. If you’re too scared to fight, you can stay behind. No one’s forcing you. We’ve decided to move.”

“No… Mr. Byeong-ok, I’m just worried about you all!”

“Then I’ll take that as you’re coming with us.”

“Ugh… Fine!”

The lady reluctantly agreed. Her expression made it clear she didn’t want to move, but she’s too scared to stay alone.

Jo Chan-ho stood up, brushing off his clothes.

“Alright, let’s move. For now, let’s go straight ahead.”

******

How long…



I guess we moved. It felt like we had been traveling for about an hour. Even though this is a forest, thankfully the slope isn’t too steep, so we didn’t lose much stamina.

“Shh, let’s stop for a moment. I see monsters about 30 meters ahead.”

Everyone stiffened from the tension and took a deep breath. This was the first time we encountered monsters after escaping the building.

“…There are three of them.”

‘Three is manageable… There are seven of us, so as long as no one makes a big mistake, we can definitely take them down.’

These monsters are small in size, so a calm adult male could probably handle one alone.

The problem is, this is our first time fighting monsters.

Jo Chan-ho might have killed one before, but I don’t think this guy will help us when we’re in real danger.

“Let’s give it a try, Byeong-ok. There are seven of us, so we can split into groups of two, two, and three, right?”

“Hmm… Is everyone else okay with that?”

“Yes, bro.”

“I’m fine, Byeong-ok oppa.”

“I’m okay too… But could my younger sibling be in a group of three…?”

“Unnie… I’m fine. You should be in the group of three…”

“I’ll respect Yoo Rim’s opinion. Yoo Hyun is indeed younger. So, I’ll team up with So-young, Yoon Seong, Gyeong-sil, and Yoo Hyun will be one team, and Hyeon-jin and Yoo Rim will be another. Is that okay?”

“Yes. Let’s do that, Byeong-ok.”

“Alright. Then let’s each move closer to the monster we’re assigned to…”

“Kieeeek – !”

Everyone was startled by the sudden sound of a monster from behind and couldn’t react.

‘Damn, there were more behind the bushes!’

Because these guys are small, we didn’t see the ones hiding behind the bushes, and now we’re close to them. Everyone froze in the sudden situation.

“Kyaaaak – !”

‘Damn, we’re screwed!’

Suddenly, one of them bit Kim So-young’s arm. She screamed in pain as her arm was torn.

It was clear that more would come soon. Jo Chan-ho’s expression showed he also realized the situation was messed up. He didn’t know there were more monsters behind the bushes either.

With a panicked expression, he shouted.

“Everyone, run for now!”

“Ahhh – !, save me! Don’t leave me! Kyaaaak! Don’t do it! Don’t do it!”

“Kiyaaak!”

– Thud!

I swung my bludgeon at a monster charging at me, and it fell back.

The problem was, the five monsters behind the bushes weren’t the only ones. The ones further away heard the noise and started running towards us.

If we all fought calmly, maybe we could handle it, but with one person bitten and the rest panicking, at least a few of us would die. I grabbed the siblings’ arms and ran.

“Damn, snap out of it! We need to go back the way we came! Run!”

“Yes, yes..!”

Yoo Rim barely answered, and Yoo Hyun looked completely terrified. He’s only 15, so it’s hard for him to snap out of it. At least Yoo Rim was answering and running.

While running hard, I couldn’t see the others. They must have panicked and run in different directions.

Kieeeek – !

Thud!

“Ugh…!”

Another monster jumped out from a different direction and tackled me, pinning me down.

‘Damn! Damn!’

The monster opened its mouth to bite me, and I pushed my bludgeon into its mouth, holding it with both hands.

My heart was pounding with the fear of dying. The monster’s grip on my arm tightened, and I felt excruciating pain.

“Ughhh… Damn…”

“Yoon Seong oppa!”

Stab!

“Keeeek! Kiyaaaak!”

Thud!

Yoo Rim stabbed the monster’s back with a dagger, and its grip loosened. I kicked it away.

“Pant… pant… Thanks.”

“Ah, no. Oppa, how…! Your arm is hurt..!”

‘We need to deal with this quickly and run… More could come.’

My injured arm hurt, but I grabbed my bludgeon and approached the writhing monster, smashing its head.

Crunch!

[You have obtained a job. Please check your status window.]

The monster’s head exploded, and brain matter splattered everywhere. The disgusting smell made me nauseous.

The feeling of taking a life for the first time made my hands and feet tremble, but I couldn’t stay here. Despite the shaking, I had to get out quickly.

I got a notification about obtaining a job, but that wasn’t the issue right now.

“Yoo Rim, you saved me… Let’s go quickly. More could come.”

“No, oppa. If it weren’t for you, Yoo Hyun and I would have been in danger earlier. I’m the one who should thank you.”

“Alright… Let’s go. Yoo Hyun, can you run?”

“Yes… Yes, bro.”

Enduring the pain in my arm, we ran back the way we came.