Chapter 5
“What? You called us for this? Don’t you have a better plan?”
The man yelled, throwing the container he was holding onto the floor.
The lid of the container flew open with a clang. The pungent smell of doenjang filled the air. A chunk of doenjang splattered, landing near Sehyun’s feet. Sehyun stared at the man without saying a word.
“A better plan, do you have one?”
Jungwoo glared at the man with a frosty expression.
“What, you little punk! How dare you talk to an adult like that!”
“You can leave if you don’t like it.”
Sehyun’s calm words made the man flinch and look at her. Sehyun met his gaze with a cold face.
“I didn’t ask you to come in, so let me say it again, you can leave. Running away wouldn’t be a bad idea either. The Hole hasn’t opened yet.”
At Sehyun’s words, the man flinched and glanced towards the balcony.
Beyond the curtained window, sparks were flying like lightning.
The man’s face turned pale, and his clenched fists trembled.
“Are you telling me to die?”
“Follow my instructions if you don’t want to.”
“Damn it…”
“Or leave if you don’t like it.”
“…What do I have to do?”
Sehyun pointed down at the containers for the now subdued man.
“Sister, just kick him out.”
Jungwoo approached Sehyun and said with narrowed eyes.
“It’s fine. It’s better to have more hands right now. Please hurry up.”
More than anything, this man might become bait, attracting monsters towards them while wandering around the alley. They had to avoid that situation.
The men hurriedly grabbed the jars and containers as instructed by Sehyun and pushed open the front door. Sehyun followed them, taking out the alcohol from the refrigerator and spraying it in the living room, entrance, and stairs.
‘How effective will this be?’
Although she had coldly retorted to the man’s question, she agreed with his doubts to some extent because she had the same thoughts.
But this was the only thing they could do for now. The monsters wouldn’t be lenient enough to watch humans leisurely climbing over the fence. Rather, they might spread their scent or catch the monsters’ attention while moving around.
After a while, the men returned after finishing their task. The grumbling man quickly headed to the bathroom in the master bedroom, the furthest corner of the house, and grumbled when he saw that it was already full of people.
The master bathroom was the deepest and had running water, making it suitable for a long stay in case the wait dragged on.
That was why Sehyun had instructed Jungwoo to have her aunt, the grandmother, the children, and the women stay there.
“Why is everyone here? Some work, and others hide. Damn it. Some people are just comfortable…”
The man’s eyes glinted as he muttered.
“You seem to have lived a long life, so why don’t you…”
He reached out as if to grab and pull the grandmother out.
Whack!
Sehyun slapped the man’s hand away and blocked his path.
“Ouch! What are you doing!”
“It’s the homeowner’s, my aunt’s, decision.”
“But still, those who worked should have a separate…”
“You didn’t do it for these people. You did it to save yourself.”
Sehyun’s cold words, implying that he shouldn’t boast, made the man’s face turn red and blue.
“No, but you little brat, you’ve been rude since earlier…”
Unable to contain his anger, the man raised his hand.
“Eek!”
But it was only for a moment. Sehyun grabbed his arm and twisted it, slamming his face into the floor.
“Gasp!”
The people who were watching gasped at the sudden turn of events.
No one had seen Sehyun move. Only Jungwoo had a knowing look on his face, as if he had expected it.
Sehyun was a bodyguard who had mastered various martial arts, and her skills were recognized at a young age, allowing her to work in a Medium Safe Zone.
So, in fact, if she wanted to, Sehyun could settle down and live in a Medium Safe Zone. She was only staying here because of Jungwoo and her aunt.
“So why don’t you hurry up and hide?”
“…”
“Don’t get your head ripped off by a monster and cry later.”
“What? You think I’m joking!”
“Oh, you can’t cry if your head is ripped off. I made a mistake. By the way, the master bedroom is off-limits. It’s the homeowner’s prerogative, so you should know that.”
Sehyun released the man’s arm, whose face was still flushed. The man fumed but didn’t dare attack Sehyun again. Her small physique was not to be underestimated.
Sehyun looked around, ignoring how the man saw her.
Everyone was hidden in the deepest part of the house.
Now what?
Since things have come to this…
Sehyun turned around to enter the room closest to the entrance, the easiest place to detect whether monsters were coming or not.
If a monster appeared, she planned to become bait and run in the opposite direction.
But suddenly, a hand reached out from behind her. Sehyun instinctively stepped back to avoid the touch and quickly turned around.
She saw Jungwoo standing there with his hand awkwardly raised.
“Ah… Sorry.”
“It’s okay. We’re all on edge.”
Even as she said that, Jungwoo was impressed by Sehyun’s agility, which was inappropriate for the situation.
“What’s up?”
Jungwoo, regaining his composure at Sehyun’s question, spoke briefly.
“Ah! It’s nothing… Sister, go inside. I’ll stay here.”
“I should be the one here. You’re a regular high school student, and I’m a bodyguard.”
“That’s why you should hide well and wait for an opportunity to evacuate the others or find another way.”
Jungwoo said, pulling Sehyun’s shoulder.
“That’s absurd…”
Sehyun trailed off. Her gaze shifted slightly past Jungwoo, staring into space.
Skill ‘Pull’ confirmed.
Do you want to create ‘Pull’ as a skill?
…What?
Sehyun was looking at the window floating in the air with a puzzled expression when,
Growl!
Roar!
A monster roared quite close by.
Not just one, but a whole pack.
The house fell silent in an instant.
“…”
People were speechless, overwhelmed by fear. Sehyun was no exception. Her ears were ringing. At the same time, her heart pounded in her chest, trying to swallow her fear.
“I, I’m a Guard.”
Sehyun, deciding that she couldn’t waste any more time arguing, confessed to Jungwoo.
Her dark eyes stared directly into Jungwoo’s.
“What?”
“And you know I completed the civilian protection training, right? So don’t worry about me and go hide yourself.”
“Are you kidding me right now?”
“I’m not kidding, so go inside. Why do you think I’m so calm? It’s because I have something to rely on. I’ll throw you out if you keep talking, so go in now. Don’t stand there and cry when you make eye contact with a monster.”
Sehyun said, then crouched down in a corner of the kitchen, where she could see the entrance clearly while being farthest away.
Then, she closed the frosted glass door and scattered food from the refrigerator around, creating a camouflage to mask her scent.
Jungwoo, who had been watching Sehyun’s actions, seemed to have decided that it would be more helpful for him to stay out of the way, so he walked into his room with heavy steps.
Soon, the house became so quiet that it was hard to believe that more than ten people were inside. The reality of the situation finally sank in as she was left alone in the suffocating silence.
That there were monsters in this neighborhood, that her life was in danger, and that many people were hiding with the same fear as her.
Growl!
A monster roared from somewhere. Other monsters roared in response, and then screams were heard from somewhere.
“Aaaargh!”
“He, help…”
Someone’s scream was cut short.
Just like that, a life was lost. And it could be her turn next.
Sehyun, trembling, clenched her fists tightly.
“Sigh.”
First, get a grip. Now… unlike back then, she was at least outside the room. She could do something. Even if it meant a meaningless death, it was better than being trapped in a room, living a powerless life filled with only guilt.
Sehyun looked around for the window. As if in response, the System window popped up.
Skill ‘Pull’ confirmed.
Do you want to create ‘Pull’ as a skill?
She didn’t know what it was, but…
‘Create.’
Sehyun answered inwardly, and the window changed.
Unique Ability – ??
Slots – 0/3
Skill: Pull
Sehyun stared at it silently.
Something had appeared, but it seemed worse than having nothing.
She checked and examined everything, but it was the same. She couldn’t see anything that she could use right now.
Crash!
At that moment, a chilling sound of something breaking followed.
Bang! Bang!
The sound was getting closer.
Crash!
Shatter!
Finally, an explosion was heard from the closest point. Shards of the broken balcony window scattered across the living room. As the broken glass pieces glittered faintly in the moonlight, ‘it’ stood there.
A creature with two horns on its head and a single eye, its name unknown.
Sehyun, who was watching the situation with bated breath from behind the broken frosted glass door, unconsciously held her breath.
She felt a chilling sense of dread from the monster up close.
It was a sickening sense of being overwhelmed by a being that could easily end a life and throw it into death.
Why is it there…?
Sehyun muttered softly to herself. She had assumed that the monsters would naturally enter through the front door. Since this was the second floor, she had guessed that would be more logical. That’s why she had barricaded the entrance with numerous objects, however flimsy they might be.
But who would have thought it could jump so high to reach the second floor…?
While Sehyun was lost in thought, the monster lifted its head. The monster sniffed the air as if searching for something, and its head slowly turned.
Snap.
Finally, the monster’s head stopped at a certain point. At the same time, Sehyun’s heart sank.
The monster’s gaze was fixed on the tightly closed master bedroom door.
…Why?
Sehyun was much closer to the monster. Logically, the human scent should be stronger coming from her.
But why…?
Could it be that the smell of the side dishes she had scattered as a camouflage was masking her scent?
Or… could it be that it was detecting the place with the overwhelmingly larger number of people first?
Meanwhile, the monster walked towards the master bedroom and raised the club it was holding. Without a moment to think, Crash!
The master bedroom door was smashed in an instant.
Oh dang. What is this skill of hers?