Please! Please make a cube for us! We don't want to die! We beg you!"
"Please just take this child! Please save this child!"
Shaden sat silently, eyes flat as he watched the people approaching his cube near midnight. They were the ones who had failed to obtain a cube or didn't have enough coins to enter a building.
"Will all of them die?"
The low-voiced question from Leah made Shaden glance at the woman beside him.
But it wasn't him who answered her. Instead, it was Tery—already getting ready for sleep—while many others remained panicked, anticipating midnight.
"That's how the rules work. Not all of them will die. If they manage to survive out there while fighting off the monsters, they'll actually grow stronger and gain new abilities. The real problem is that the monsters keep appearing all night until sunrise."
In silence, Shaden observed Leah, who let out a deep sigh while lowering her head. It truly wasn't easy to witness others dying right before your eyes.
"Shad, could you—"
"I can't, Leah," Shaden cut in without hesitation.
Leah was startled by the swift reply but then gave a small, understanding smile and nodded.
"Yeah, I figured it'd be hard to do that twice."
Shaden gave no further response. In truth, the cube he had created with a single strike of his staff was only possible because of what was written in the book—that safe points existed at specific spots outside. Shaden had just happened to guess correctly that the spot was right in front of the building. Had he guessed wrong, he was planning to circle the central city area to find the point before midnight. That's why he couldn't replicate it now—he didn't know the exact locations and had no time left to search.
PIIIPPP
A sharp alarm sound—one that felt as if it rang directly in their heads—caused everyone there to flinch. It wasn't much different from those still desperately begging Shaden to strengthen a new cube. In front of the now-closed building doors, people were still pleading to be let inside.
The cube Shaden had created could only accommodate a maximum of three people—and that was just one cube, the one he was using. Meanwhile, the buildings in front of him could take in many people, perhaps even unlimited. But the three clan leaders had implemented a paid system so not everyone could enter.
"The portal has opened," Tery murmured.
At that moment, Shaden looked up at the sky, which had turned completely black. A black hole appeared, and within seconds, monsters began emerging from it.
Flying insect monsters filled the sky, and the once-quiet night was suddenly overwhelmed by the screams of humans being devoured.
Shaden remained silent, while Tery turned his back on the gruesome scene. Leah, who had seemed the most compassionate earlier, now appeared surprisingly calm as she watched the people get attacked.
"I thought you'd turn your head away—not able to bear seeing them devoured by bugs," Shaden remarked.
Leah looked at him and gave a faint smile.
"I was thinking—even if they survive, things will only get harder from here. We haven't even reached the third mission, and they're already helpless. So maybe it's better for them to die now than to live in constant fear. But something makes me wonder... after death, do they—or even we—go somewhere better than this ruined world?"
Shaden was silent for a moment before shaking his head.
"We don't even know how the world ahead of us ends. How could we know about a place that's never even crossed our minds?"
Leah chuckled. "Sometimes I think you act older than your age. Your way of thinking is more mature than mine. You always seem calm, even when we're facing destruction for the first time. Do you have some kind of skill that keeps you calm in any situation?"
This time, it was Shaden who laughed. "There's no such skill. And besides, I'm not always calm. I just try to be. The more we panic or feel afraid, the closer we get to death. In a world that's been turned upside down, where humans once crushed insects without a thought and now get eaten by them, calmness is something we need to survive. At least if we die, let it be after we've given our all."
A horrifying midnight conversation. While others screamed for help and begged for salvation, these two conversed lightly, even with occasional laughter.
"You're right. But sometimes I still wish I'd wake up from this nightmare. I think I'd rather face my annoying boss every day than live in this horrifying world."
Shaden shifted his position, leaning back against the large stone slab inside the cube.
"That's something humans always fail to learn—that regret always comes too late and can never be reversed."
*
[The Third Mission will begin shortly! All remaining humans are advised to read the upcoming mission carefully.]
When Shaden woke from his sleep, which had begun in the early hours of the morning, the system message had already appeared, notifying them that the third mission would begin soon.
He was the last to wake—Leah and Tery were already outside the cube. What made Shaden frown was the presence of the three clan leaders.
He immediately stood, fixing his messy hair and walking over to join Leah and Tery.
"What's going on?" he asked, causing everyone to turn to him in surprise.
"Ah, the sleeping prince is finally awake, huh?" Tery teased with a mischievous smile.
Shaden merely let out a quiet grunt, returning his focus to the three men he had defeated—alongside Leah—just the day before.
"We want to make you an offer," said the tallest of the three.
Thinking back, Shaden realized he didn't even know the names of these three supposedly powerful figures in the city center, even after they'd fought.
"We're not interested in any offers," Shaden replied flatly.
Leah backed him up immediately.
"I told you already—waiting for Shad to wake up is pointless. His answer won't be any different than mine."
But the three of them weren't giving up so easily.
"If you're now part of a fourth clan, then you must follow the rules we've established. We've been humble enough to acknowledge your strength. Now it's your turn to compromise and follow our system. The third mission is about to begin, and we'll need to unite our forces."
Shaden looked at them one by one. They spoke of humility, but in reality, they had lost simply because they weren't as strong as him—he had invested most of his coins into enhancing his abilities.
"I don't intend to create a clan or be bound by any rules. The world's already like this—why do humans still insist on making rules? And the rules you've made clearly benefit only yourselves. You had the power to save those people but locked the building doors instead. Don't talk about humility when your actions say otherwise."
The three looked shocked, then clenched their jaws, visibly offended.
"You! Just because you caught us off guard and we underestimated you doesn't mean you can act so arrogant. Do you really think your strength alone will get you through the third mission?"
Shaden glanced aside as two people who had once been part of his group exited the building. They had clearly slept comfortably while others were torn apart by insects. Still, Shaden didn't blame them—they had no power to help.
"Just like before, we won't know what will happen unless we try. All I know is—I refuse to join you." He then turned to Leah and Tery. "Do either of you want to join them?"
Leah snapped in frustration. "Are you crazy? I turned them down before you even woke up!"
"Then there's nothing left to discuss," Shaden said.
He and his two companions were about to leave when one of the leaders spoke again.
"If you refuse to join us, then we no longer have any reason to hold back our actions toward you."
Moments after those words, members of the three clans rushed to destroy the cubes outside—the ones Shaden had created.
"YOU BASTARDS!" Leah shouted in rage.
But Shaden held her back, stopping her from retaliating.
"Why are we just standing here?! We should destroy them for pulling such a dirty trick!" Tery also protested as Shaden kept him from fighting back.
The attackers looked satisfied, their smug smiles fixed on Shaden and his companions, as if they had finally avenged his rejection.
But there was something they didn't know—
"It's fine," Shaden said to Tery and Leah. "Because starting tonight, we won't need those cubes anymore."
Both Leah and Tery were shocked.
"What?! Why?"
But Shaden didn't answer. Or rather—he didn't get the chance, because the system message appeared before them.
[Third Mission! Starting tonight, there will be no more safe zones. All humans must survive the invasion of parasites capable of consuming your consciousness. Survive for three hours.
Success: 3000 coins and one Level D self-defense skill.
Failure: Lose your sanity to the parasite invasion.]
**