After another round of questions—this time with Olivia as the center of attention—I finally got a clearer picture. Her ability… was something truly valuable in a situation like this.
I named it The Guider.
A power that allows Olivia to point out the best path leading to the next floor.
But of course, this ability wasn't some instant answer to all our problems.
The Guider only activates when we're faced with a fork in the road.
It doesn't show the final destination or offer any grand solution. It simply points—just one direction. If another junction appears ahead, we have to activate her power again.
Like climbing a mountain in dense fog—you can only see one step ahead at a time.
Still... it was a blessing.
Our progress might slow down since Olivia needs to rest between uses, but at least we'll be heading the right way.
Her mental strength is the fuel that powers this ability.
And just like a water tank that steadily drains, Olivia is still human. I can't push her to her limit until she breaks. In a place like this, one exhausted teammate can become the beginning of a group-wide disaster.
As of now, two of us had awakened abilities—Hyunsuk with his senses, and Olivia with her guiding vision. Only Robert, Joshua, and I had yet to uncover whatever hidden potential lay within us.
But there was no need to rush.
We're still alive. And that's enough.
For now.
We continued walking. The sky slanted westward, and a dim orange light brushed over the walls of old skyscrapers devoured by time. Most of these buildings were tangled in wild vines, crawling like dead veins, painting broken windows and cracked walls with almost beautiful patterns… if they didn't speak of ruin.
In the distance, dark alleyways gaped like the mouths of beasts.
A shattered bridge leaned into another building like a broken jawbone, casting spaces where light could never reach.
And beneath it all… I felt watched.
A gaze from unseen places. My intuition spoke in a heavy tone—not fear conjured by shadows, but a kind of awareness that something was out there, and that something… was waiting.
I approached one of the dark alleys, my steps slowing, as if trying to confirm the stinging sensation crawling over my skin.
Olivia moved quickly.
"Lan, don't go there!" she shouted, her voice thick with unease. "That place… I have a strong feeling we shouldn't enter it."
Robert spoke too, his tone heavy but firm. "Stay in the light. Don't risk stepping into shadows even light can't touch."
I turned back and gave a faint smile, trying to ease the tension. "Relax. I won't go in. I just want to confirm something."
Then I called out to Hyunsuk.
He approached hesitantly. "Hyung… you're not gonna ask me to go in, right?" he said with a nervous smile.
I shook my head. "Use your ability. Check what's hiding inside that shadow."
Everyone's expression changed in an instant. Even Olivia held her breath.
Hyunsuk knelt down and pressed his hand to the ground, just like before.
A few seconds passed… and suddenly, his body trembled. He fell backward, landing hard, his face frozen in fear.
"What is it, Hyunsuk?!" Olivia rushed to his side.
"M-m-monsters!" he stammered. "I can feel them. A lot of them… more than twenty… maybe thirty... all of them staring at us from within the darkness."
Silence. Even the wind no longer dared to move.
My heartbeat quickened. "What do they look like?" I asked, my voice sharp.
"They… they look like humans... but you can't call them that anymore. Their bodies are mutated. Like… pieces of other creatures forced together."
I took a deep breath.
Thirty monsters.
In a single alley.
If a place that small could hide that many… then this city was a death trap. But one thing disturbed me even more: Why hadn't they attacked?
Then I remembered Robert's earlier words.
"Stay in the light."
I turned quickly and looked at my watch.
Five o'clock.
The last sunlight danced across the tops of the buildings—shadows were beginning to stretch longer.
When night falls… our protection disappears.
I turned to everyone and shouted,
"WE NEED TO FIND SHELTER! NOW!"
Everyone snapped to attention.
Olivia froze for a moment, then took off running.
Hyunsuk even dropped his backpack, but I made him turn back for it—the equipment inside might decide whether we live or die.
We ran, sticking to the main road.
Searching, scanning, hoping.
Building after building passed us by. Most were collapsed or unsafe.
But then I saw it—a large villa, standing proud on the western edge of the city, facing the last rays of the sun.
I kicked the front door open and entered.
Empty. But clean.
Some furniture was still intact. No signs of people. No signs of conflict.
But that wasn't what I was looking for.
In my mind, I focused on one thing:
A high-class villa… in a metropolitan city…
It has to have a basement.
I gave the signal. Olivia and Robert helped search.
We opened every cabinet, knocked on the floors, pushed against bookshelves.
Hyunsuk wanted to help, but exhaustion had taken its toll. His voice shook.
"My ability can't get through… I can't be much help…"
I patted his shoulder. "You've already done enough."
Then...
Robert called from the kitchen.
"OVER HERE!"
We ran to him.
He had pushed aside a large refrigerator.
Behind it, a heavy steel door stood slightly ajar, revealing a stone staircase descending into darkness.
Without a word, we went down, one by one.
Robert and I were the last—we slid the refrigerator back into place.
Heavy. But necessary.
We descended… into the dark.
The narrow tunnel was damp and cold.
But safer than anything outside.
And just as we sat down and turned on a small flashlight…
The sound came.
A HOWL.
One. Then two.
Then… dozens.
Screeching cries. Thuds. The sound of claws scraping walls.
The sound of flesh against concrete.
Hurried footsteps.
The city... was rising from the dead.
Everyone's faces turned pale.
Even I—with all my logic—knew one thing for sure:
If we had been outside tonight, we would already be dead.