Sitting on the pavement staring at the barrier, Lee Hyunsung was tending to the grandma who was now conscious. Han Myungoh was lying on the ground, still winded from his sprint earlier. Yoo Sangah was trying to bandage Kim Namwoon's leg, much to his dismay, while Lee Gilyoung had run up to Huang and had wrapped his body around him, refusing to let go.
"Don't-don't you…You better not do that again Ahjussi," Lee Gilyoung was staring up into Huang's eyes as he said between sobs.
Huang smiled as he placed a hand on his head and knelt down to eye level with the kid. "Don't you worry, your 'Ahjussi' is just fine. I won't be taken down by something as pathetic as that horde!"
"But you…You could have come with me, right? Why didn't you…Why didn't you come with me to the safe side?"
"Because I had to help my friends, I couldn't leave them behind, but I also had to make sure you were safe." Huang ruffled the kid's hair as he wiped the tears away with his other hand.
"Eeek, wha-" Yoo Sangah was startled as Kim Namwoon suddenly stood up and stormed in the direction of Huang.
"Bullshit!" He grabbed the collar of Huang as Lee Gilyoung stumbled back. "You left them behind in the end, don't act as if you cared for them because you left them all to die!"
"Ha, look at you, 'Mr. I don't give a shit about anyone'. All that talk about not wanting anything to do with us and here you are worried about them." Huang gave a smug grin in return.
"Fuck off! They were powerful and would have been useful allies for what's to come. I don't give a shit about any of you unless you are useful, but you clearly aren't because you left them all to die!"
Huang let out a laugh which caught Kim Namwoon off guard as he let out a sigh. "Like I said, they will be fine. It's not my fault you don't believe me. Besides, I had to get you off that bridge, just like Gilyoung here, I wasn't going to let you die."
Before Kim Namwoon could retort, a figure walked through the barrier and drew the attention of everyone sitting there. A tall and muscular figure with black hair and a handsome face walked through, unrecognizable to anyone present. He glanced around the people sitting there, his eyes lingering on Lee Hyunsung and Kim Namwoon for a moment before a voice spoke up.
"Where are the others?" Huang gave Yoo Joonghyuk a once-over as he turned away from Kim Namwoon.
"Gone."
"What! The fuck you mean by 'gone'!" Kim Namwoon shouted as he stomped up to Yoo Joonghyuk.
"Dokja will be back, but the other two are dead."
Laughter erupted and prevented anyone from asking any further as Huang clutched his sides as he bent over. "That's quite the joke. But it's literally impossible for those two to have gone down by the likes of that!"
As if to prove a point, another figure entered through the barrier as Amanises spotted Huang and smiled. "You better not have said anything stupid to these guys while we were gone."
"Amanises-ssi!" Yoo Sangah approached with a smile as the rest crowded around, "I'm so glad you are ok, he said that you and Zhou died! Wait…where is Zhou-ssi?"
"Don't worry, he will catch up. He has something he needs to do but he won't take long." Amanises reassured Yoo Sangah with a calming voice.
"Tsk, that guy's always running off doing lord knows what." Huang let out a snort as he walked up to Amanises. "What happened out there after we left? Didn't have too much fun without me I hope."
As the group was gathered around, Yoo Joonghyuk was standing off to the side with his eyes wide in both confusion and anger. He had just activated his 'Sage's Eye' in an attempt to look at Amanise's stats, but was met with the same backlash when he looked at Dokja. Not only that, but Huang also had the same effect. Yoo Joonghyuk had never had this skill blocked before, but now he had just met three people in the span of a few minutes who did just that.
"Time to go." Yoo Joonghyuk said plainly as he turned around and started walking.
"Where are we going? Shouldn't we wait for Dokja-ssi and Zhou-ssi?" Lee Hyunsung questioned.
"They can catch up."
"..."
Without much else to say, the group reluctantly followed. The two beyonders lingered in the back as they spoke in Leonese. Amanises filled in Huang about the theory and about what had happened with Yoo Joonghyuk and Dokja.
"That bastard. I knew I wouldn't like him the second I saw his stupid face." Huang cursed as he stared daggers into the back of Yoo Joonghyuk's head.
"Regardless, he seems to be just as important as Dokja, so we should keep a close eye on him."
"Important or not, I still hate that guy. By the way, do you know where Zhou went off to? I have something important to mention but I'm too lazy to say it twice, so I wanted to wait for him to come back."
"No, but I can't imagine he will be gone for long. If it's important though you should tell me now."
"Na." Huang brushed it off as Lee Gilyoung approached him.
He looked up with a curious gaze and asked, "What are you guys talking about?"
Huang smiled as he picked up Lee Gilyoung and sat him over his shoulders. "Just talking about what we should get to eat. What do you think, are you hungry?"
"Yes, but I'm not too picky."
Amanises smiled as she looked at Huang and Lee Gilyoung. "Such a good kid. Don't worry, we will grab some food on our way. If there is anything you see that you want, just ask."
…
A commotion could be heard as people's screams and cries echoed throughout the park. Not even 30 minutes ago, Shin Yoosung had been out walking the dog with her mother while talking about the class field trip that was coming up. Now she was huddled underneath the playground, clutching her puppy against her chest and sobbing as the words of her mother rang in her ears.
…
"Honey, stay here and don't make a sound. Mommy will be back. I'm going to find a way out of this scenario. All you need to do is keep quiet, do you understand?"
"Ye-yes…"
"Don't cry, everything will be ok. Mommy will be back in no time, so there is no need to worry. But I need you to make me a promise. You need to promise me that if I'm not here before the timer runs out, you need to survive. Do you understand? I need you to tell me you understand, and promise me you will survive, please…"
…
Shin Yoosung looked at her puppy through tear-filled eyes as she glanced at the timer. 1 minute left. Where is Mom? She said she will be back, she said so, so why isn't she back yet?
The screaming and crying didn't stop as Shin Yoosung watched the timer tick down. 50 seconds, 40 seconds, 30 seconds. She couldn't control herself as she wrapped her arms around the puppy, squeezing it tightly into her chest.
I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry. Forgive me please. I'm so sorry… Shin Yoosung heard a snapping sound as the puppy in her arms stopped moving. The tears continued to stream down her face as she could no longer see in front of her. She buried her head into her arms as the timer ran out and the screaming and shouting suddenly stopped.
Shin Yoosung sat in the fetal position under the playground stairs, sobbing quietly into her arms as the puppy lay motionless at her feet. She didn't know how long she had been there, but she didn't care. I'm a monster…
She suddenly heard the sounds of footsteps coming her way as she jolted up and hesitated before peaking out from under the playstructure. She locked eyes with a man with a crazed look.
"Hey, is that a kid over there?" Shin let out a yelp as she hurriedly tucked back under the structure as the man continued to call out. "Hey, why don't you come out here? It's not safe to stay here. Come with me, I can take care of you."
Shin Yoosung didn't know what to do. She was lost in this situation, but all she wanted to do was find her Mom. Maybe that man could help me find her? Shin looked out again at the man before noticing that he was standing overtop something. Taking a closer look, she noticed the familiar hair and clothes of the person lying under the man's feet.
"MOM!" Shin Yoosung screamed as she sprinted out from her hiding spot towards the woman lying motionless on the ground. She bent over her mother and tried to shake her awake. Her face was swollen and bruised, and there was blood soaking her hair, leaving a puddle beneath her. Looking up towards the man, she noticed he was holding a bat that was also covered in blood.
"WHAT DID YOU DO!" Shin Yoosung didn't think as she threw herself at the man, grabbing and scratching at the man as she continued to scream. "YOU MONSTER! WHAT DID YOU DO!"
Thud.
Shin Yoosung was struck by the bat as she collapsed onto the ground.
"You damn brat. I offer my help and this is how you repay me?" The man said as he looked at the scratches on his arms.
"You…wh-"
"SHUT UP!" The man shouted as he kicked the little girl. Shin Yoosung gasped for breath as she had the wind knocked out of her. "I don't have time for this. If you don't want to come along, then you might as well die here. At least you will be of some use to me in coins."
Shin Yoosung opened her eyes and saw the bloodied mess that was her mother along with her dog lying motionless in the back. Tears began to form as she looked up at the man who raised the bat above his head, a sadistic look in his eyes.
Maybe I deserve to die. I'm a monster… Shin Yoosung closed her eyes, images of her mother's smile and her dog's tail wagging flashed in her eyes. It would all be over soon. Shin Yoosung waited for the inevitable, her eyes closed as she held her breath for what seemed like an eternity. But nothing happened.
She opened her eyes and found herself sitting on a bench that was nearby. The man was nowhere in sight, and neither was the body of her mother and dog. She looked around in confusion before a man sat beside her, seemingly appearing out of nowhere.
She looked up in confusion as she wiped the tears from her eyes. The young man before her had short black hair and dark brown eyes behind a pair of rounded glasses. He wore a gentle smile on his face.
"What hap- how…who are you?" Shin Yoosung tried to ask the man sitting next to her. "Where…where did that man go?"
"You don't need to worry about him, he won't bother you anymore." The man said in a soft voice, "My name is Zhou Mingrui. May I have yours?"
Shin Yoosung stared blankly at Zhou. His gentle smile and soft voice made her feel at ease. "Shin Yoosung."
"It's nice to meet you Shin Yoosung." Zhou continued to look at her with a gentle gaze as they stared at each other.
A few moments passed, and all of the emotion and confusion that was bottled up in Shin Yoosung finally broke free. Tears welled up in her eyes as she grabbed onto Zhou and buried her face into his chest, sobbing uncontrollably. Zhou simply wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back as she refused to let go.
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' is smiling at this act of kindness.]
[100 coins have been sponsored.]
After a while, Shin Yoosung calmed down a bit as she pulled back from Zhou and wiped the tears from her eyes once more. She looked up at him with reddened eyes and said weakly, "Thank you Ahjussi."
"You did very well. You're mother would be proud of you." Zhou put his hand on her head as he stood up from the bench. "Is there anyone else you want to look for?"
Shin Yoosung stopped for a moment before hanging her head low. "No, I don't have anyone left."
Zhou crouched down so that he could see her face as he said, "If you want, you can stick with me for a while."
She looked up to meet Zhou's eyes as a tinge of hope sparkled in hers, "Really?"
"Only if you want to, but I must warn you. I have some pretty strange friends." Zhou said in a joking tone, earning a giggle from Shin Yoosung as she stood up from the bench and held onto his hand.
"You're very kind Ahjussi."
Zhou let out a self-deprecating laugh as he looked down at Yoosung. "Do you want to see a magic trick?"
"Magic?" She looked up with a bit of wonder in her eyes.
"Yes, hold on tight, close your eyes, and count to 5."Shin Yoosung nodded before grabbing on with her other hand. She closed her eyes with a smile and counted in her head. A flash of starlight sparkled in Zhou's eyes, and the two of them disappeared.
…
Yoo Joonghyuk led the group of survivors to Geumho Station where they were greeted by a slim man wearing a black turtleneck and light hair. He was surrounded by a group that resembled a gang.
"Welcome, newcomers, to Geumho Station. My name is Cheon Inho. I help the group of survivors we have here." The man greeted with a grin as he walked up to shake everyone's hand. The group introduced themselves as Cheon Inho went down the line.
Yoo Joonghyuk simply gave his name before walking past the crowd and into the station.
Huang whispered to Amanises in Leonese, "This guy is very clearly trouble."
"Agreed. The way he and his men are looking at me, honestly I haven't had anyone look at me like that in thousands of years, I don't know whether to be angry or flattered." Amanises let out a chuckle as Cheon Inho approached her.
"And you are?"
"Amanises, a pleasure." She said as she shook his hand and bowed slightly.
"The pleasure is all mine." Cheon Inho responded with a grin.
"Tsk. Yeah yeah, whatever. Can we just skip this and get to the part where you tell us what the deal is here?" Huang let out a sigh after seeing that interaction.
"Of course. Everyone here is taken care of to the best of our abilities. We do have some food but unfortunately we began to run out not that long ago. We started sending out search parties for food, but there is not much left to be found out there, and we can't get far with all the monsters around." Cheon Inho continued to explain, "We had to split into two groups. The mainstream group who are the ones that go out to scavenge for food as well as protect the station, and the marginalized group who need to stay back."
"Right, and I assume that most of the food goes towards this 'mainstream group'?" Huang prodded.
"Correct, we need to keep the mainstream group strong enough to defend everyone else as well as search for more food."
"Ok, I've heard enough." Huang sighed and turned towards Amanises and continued in Leonese, "When are we leaving? I'm already sick of this place."
"We should probably wait for Zhou and Dokja to come back before moving on."
"Eh, that's a good point. But this place is already giving me a headache, we should do something about it."
"Let's get settled in and get a feel for the surroundings before we do anything rash. Plus, we have to worry about the others first," Amanises looked up at Lee Gilyoung who was still sitting atop Huang's shoulders before turning back to Cheon Inho. "We won't be staying long, we are just waiting for a couple of friends to catch up before we head on our way. I hope that won't be too much trouble."
"Not at all, please make yourselves comfortable." Cheon Inho led the group into the main part of the station where roughly 80 other survivors were sitting around.
The group found a spot to sit and were just about to get settled in when Yoo Joonghyuk approached. "We're leaving."
"Uh, no?" Huang said as he leaned back against the wall.
Yoo Joonghyuk scowled as he stared at Huang's cheeky smile. "Staying here is pointless. We need to move to the next scenario."
"But what about Dokja-ssi and Zhou-ssi?" Lee Hyunsung spoke up, causing Yoo Joonghyuk to give a disapproving glance in his direction.
"What about them? Dokja will catch up, and Zhou chose to leave. There is no point in waiting here for them."
"But we can't just leave without them!" Yoo Sangah and Lee Gilyoung joined in as the group slowly became more agitated.
"Fine, let's split up. You guys wait for them while Kim Namwoon and Lee Hyunsung come with me to the next station."
"Hey you crazy bastard! Who says I'm coming with you? I'm staying here and waiting for Zhou-ssi. I still have to give him a piece of my mind!" Kim Namwoon stepped up towards Yoo Joonghyuk, staring him down.
Yoo Joonghyuk looked around at the group and sighed before storming off towards the next scenario alone. Clearly upset he could not take his two previous teammates with him.
The remaining group finally settled in and took a breather for the first time in what felt like forever. Han Myungoh had disappeared at some point, but nobody seemed to care enough to find him.
Huang and Amanisies were sitting up against the wall with Lee Gilyoung lying on Huang's lap when Lee Hyunsung approached. "Hello Huang-ssi, Amanisies-ssi."
"Hello Hyunsung-ssi," Amanises said with a smile as she gestured for him to sit down.
Lee Hyunsung followed and sat across from them as he lowered his head and apologized. "I didn't know I couldn't go back once I entered the safety zone. I didn't mean to leave you guys behind like that."
"It's no biggie," Huang let out a chuckle before continuing, "It's a good thing you managed to cross in time with the grandma. If you hadn't managed to do that, we would have been in a tight spot worrying about both you guys and the horde."
"Really?" Lee Hyunsung said, seemingly feeling better about himself after hearing that.
"Yup. Plus, I was able to leave the kid on the other side without needing to worry about him because I knew you were there, so don't beat yourself up about it. " Huang patted Lee Gilyoung who had fallen asleep in his lap at some point.
Lee Hyunsung put on a self-depricating smile as he looked down and quietly thanked the two beyonders before leaving.
It was a couple of hours later when the two beyonders felt their spiritual intuition go off as Zhou appeared beside them holding a few bags of food and a young girl clinging to his arm with her eyes closed.
"You can open your eyes now," Zhou said to the girl as he placed the bags down next to Amanises.
Shin Yoosung opened her eyes and looked around in amazement before she noticed the two beyonders leaning against the wall and looking at her with a curious look. She immediately shrank behind Zhou's leg before he let out a chuckle and placed a hand on her head.
"Don't worry, these are my friends. This is Huang, and that is Amanises," Zhou smiled down at the girl as she slowly stepped out from behind his leg. "Guys, this is Shin Yoosung."
"Leaving without warning just so you could take a child?" Huang said in a teasing voice as Amanises shut him up with a smack on the head. She turned towards the girl and smiled.
"Hello Yoosung, I hope Zhou over here was treating you well?"
"Of course! Ahjussi is a very kind man, and he has many cool tricks as well! Whenever I close my eyes and open them again, we end up in a new place. We stopped at a few places to pick up some food for me before coming here and we also did some arts and crafts!" Shin pointed towards the bag of food with a smile, "He said there is enough for everyone."
All the commotion was enough to wake Lee Gilyoung from his nap as he sat up and wiped the sleep from his eyes. Looking up at the new person standing in front of him, it took him a moment to realise before his eyes widened and he sprang from Huang's lap and ran forward. "Ahjussi!"
The boy's loud voice attracted the attention of the rest of the group as they turned and saw Zhou standing with the other two beyonders.
"Zhou-ssi! You're ok!" Yoo Sangah exclaimed as the rest of the group filtered in. "Everyone was so worried about you! Joonghyk-ssi said that you were dead, but your friends said that you just left to do something important, so we didn't know what to think."
"Thanks, I'm fine now so there is no need to worry anymore. I ended up taking a detour to get some more supplies for us, and I ended up finding a friend." Zhou gestured towards the girl who was holding tightly onto his hand. "Do you want to introduce yourself?"
The girl hesitantly stepped forward before she felt a reassuring hand on her shoulder. She smiled as she shyly spoke, "My name is Shin Yoosung, it's nice to meet you."
Yoo Sangah smiled and crouched down. "It's nice to meet you too, Yoosung. You look very pretty!"
Shin Yoosung smiled as she let out a giggle. All of her nervousness disappeared in an instant.
Lee Gilyoung waved with a smile as he introduced himself alongside Lee Hyunsung.
"There you are, you bastard!" Kim Namwoon emerged from the bathroom to find Zhou standing amongst the group. "Took you long enough."Does this guy do nothing but complain? Zhou lampooned as he watched Kim Namwoon walk towards him with a slight limp. The bandages around his leg dyed red. "Come here for a moment won't you?"
"What do you want now you bastard?" Kim Namwoon approached.
"One, watch your language in front of the kids," Zhou said as he glanced back towards Shin Yoosung and Lee Gilyoung.
"And two," Zhou pulled out a piece of paper which was roughly cut into the shape of a person. He had made a number of paper figurines on his way over with Shin Yoosung.
"What the…What the hell are you-!" Kim Namwoon was about to push Zhou away as he reached towards his wound with a paper cutout in hand, but he stopped after realizing what had just happened.
Zhou held the paper figurine next to the wound and swiped his index and middle finger over it. In an instant, the paper figurine crumbled and Kim Namwoon was startled before noticing the pain in his leg was gone.
"Huh?" Kim Namwoon looked at his leg before smacking it a few times and unwrapping the bandages. When he finally peeled them off, the wound was gone and his leg was fully healed. "How did you-?"
"A magician never reveals his secrets," Zhou said with a grin as he turned back to pick up the bag of food and began to pass some out.
The group sat down and filled each other in on what they missed while passing around the food. Eventually some of the other survivors in the station noticed the food and began to show up asking for some.
"Unfortunately there isn't enough to go around. I can only spare a bit." Zhou passed out what little food, making sure it went to the people who looked like they needed it the most while making sure he had enough for his own group. Eventually there wasn't enough food to be passed around and the people begging began to cause a commotion.
"Is everything alright here?" Cheon Inho dispersed the crowd as he noticed a new face amongst the group. "I'm sorry, I don't think I saw you come in. My name is Cheon Inho. I help manage the survivors here."
Before Zhou could even say anything, Huang spoke to him in Loenese. "Tsk, this guy's a problem. He would make a great spectator the way he's bending the people here to his will."
Zhou nodded at Huang before turning to Cheon Inho with a smile as he flipped a coin into the air. "Zhou Mingrui, I just came in not too long ago. I was out looking for supplies for my friends here."
"I see. You seem very resourceful. You know, we could use more people like you in the mainstream group. You could get enough food for you and all of your friends."
Zhou saw scenes as he divined the nature of this person. He saw Cheon Inho and the mainstream group killing off the marginalized group for coins on expeditions and using monsters as an excuse. He saw the way they treated the woman in the station and how they used food as a power against those who were desperate. Snatching the coin out of the air, Zhou put on a fake smile and said, "That's ok, we can manage on our own. We are just waiting around a bit for one last member before we head on our way."
"Are you sure? We will be able to help each other if you join our group. You might regret it if you pass on this opportunity." Cheon Inho said with a sinister undertone.
"Piss off, no means no. Got that?" Huang spoke up as Kim Namwoon followed through.
"Exactly, go bother someone else you bastard."
"Fair enough, but don't say I didn't warn you." Cheon Inho walked away from the group without saying another word.
Zhou let out a sigh as he turned to the other two beyonders and spoke in Leonese. "We're going to have to deal with this guy at some point. He's going to become more problematic the longer we leave him and I'm not sure how much longer Dokja is going to take."
Amanises and Huang nodded in understanding before Amanises turned to the rest of the group and announced. "Get some rest everyone. I'm sure you are all tired and it's getting late. Zhou, Huang, and I will take watch."
Each person found a spot to lie down. Yoo Sangah took Shin Yoosung and Lee Gilyoung into the corner where it was safest. Lee Hyunsung and Kim Namwoon took opposite ends of the kids, and the three beyonders sat a bit further away, just out of earshot from the rest where they could still keep an eye on everyone.
Huang looked towards Amanises who nodded in understanding before putting up a dome of Concealment around the trio. Huang then let out a sigh as he spoke in Leonese, "I think I discovered something important."