Chapter 5: Survivors (2)

Ha-eun fixed her gaze on the male student walking in front. He was wearing the uniform of the school she attended.

‘It was definitely a red nameplate.’

Jingwang High School issues new nameplates every year when grades change. And as far as Ha-eun knew, a red nameplate meant third year.

In other words, he was her senior.

Next, she turned her attention to a timid-looking girl about Ha-eun’s age.

Apart from wearing the Kangil Girls’ High School uniform, there was nothing particularly noteworthy about her.

‘Lastly…’

The man who had grabbed Ha-eun’s nape earlier.

He appeared to be in his late 20s or early 30s, with a sturdy build and somewhat rugged features. He likely worked in a physical job or perhaps as a firefighter or soldier.

‘I’m still not sure…’

Whether these people were good or bad.

If they turned out to be bad, she’d have to find a way to escape at the first opportunity. As she pondered various concerns with eyes glinting with wariness, just then—

“We’ve arrived,” the male student announced, stopping in his tracks.

They were in a corner of the shopping mall’s second floor, near the restrooms.

Ha-eun saw a barricade constructed of mannequins and wardrobes blocking a narrow passage. As she was about to squeeze through and enter—

She froze on the spot.

She had spotted two zombies standing motionless behind the barricade.

Meanwhile, seeing Ha-eun stop in her tracks, the male student smiled reassuringly.

“It’s okay. They won’t attack.”

“B-but…!”

“Really, it’s fine. Watch.”

He strode forward confidently and patted the shoulder of a dazed-looking zombie. The zombie showed no reaction, and the student said with a smile:

“These are my subordinates, created with my skill.”

“…You can create subordinates with a skill?”

“Yes, I’m a Necromancer.”

The student who had been patting the zombie’s shoulder then pointed at the barricade.

At his gesture, the zombies that had been standing still began to move, carefully filling in the passage that had connected to the outside by moving mannequins.

Ha-eun stared blankly at this scene. By the time the barricade was complete, the male student sat down on a bench in front of the restroom and said:

“Shall we start with introductions? Oh, it’s safe here, so you can take off your helmet.”

It did look safe, objectively speaking.

Being on the second floor, there was no risk of attack from outside, and the location in the corner of the building meant it was difficult to approach without passing the barricade.

“My name is Kim Tae-min. As I mentioned earlier, my job is Necromancer, and I’m level 3.”

“I-I’m Kang Eun-ji. Level 1 Healer.”

“Yoo Min-cheol. Job is Assault Warrior, same level as Tae-min at 3.”

The male student, female student, and the rugged-looking man introduced themselves in turn, stating their names and jobs. Ha-eun also took off her helmet and introduced herself.

“I’m Seo Ha-eun. Level 1 Shadow Assassin.”

“Judging by your nameplate, you seem to be my junior…”

“That’s right. You can speak casually to me.”

“Okay, then I’ll speak comfortably.”

Ha-eun didn’t mind.

After the introductions, she realized she was the youngest among them.

“Now, shall we hear your story?”

“My story…?”

“Yes, where you’ve been and what you’ve been doing since the world changed like this. Oh, and if you belong to another survivor group, tell us about that too.”

“Ah, I see. Alright.”

Ha-eun nodded.

She began to recount in detail the experiences she had gone through.

The moment she obtained the Shadow Assassin job, information about her skills, and how she had survived for three days in the officetel on just water and snacks.

“…And that’s why I came out to find food.”

Perhaps due to speaking so rapidly?

Her breathing quickened momentarily, so Ha-eun took a deep breath. Just as she was about to mention the shining arrow that had helped her—

Grooowl!

Her stomach made an untimely, loud noise.

It was probably because she hadn’t eaten anything but water since yesterday. Or perhaps the tension had eased now that she had met other survivors.

Meanwhile, hearing the sound from Ha-eun’s stomach, Eun-ji, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, opened her bag. She took something out and handed it to Ha-eun.

“Would you like to eat this? The expiration date has passed a little, but…”

It was a red bean bun commonly found in convenience stores.

Ha-eun’s eyes widened.

“Can I really have this?”

“Yes. We still have plenty.”

“Thank you, unni. I’ll eat it well.”

A proper meal after three days.

Perhaps that’s why? Ha-eun found herself practically stuffing the bun into her mouth.

Just as she finished eating in the blink of an eye, a bottle of water suddenly appeared.

“Eat slowly.”

The gruff-sounding voice belonged to Min-cheol. He placed the water bottle in Ha-eun’s hand, which was still frozen in surprise, and said:

“There’s no medicine if you get indigestion.”

“…Thank you.”

“Sorry about earlier. I think I misunderstood because I was on edge due to those underground shopping mall guys.”

“Huh? Underground shopping mall?”

Ha-eun tilted her head in confusion as Min-cheol apologized to her. Tae-min, who had been adjusting the barricade, answered her question.

“They’re one of the survivor groups in this area. About forty people, and they’re quite aggressive.”

It was an underground shopping area connected to a nearby subway station.

They had lowered the fire shutters to block contact with zombies, and it was the second-largest gathering of survivors in the area.

Meanwhile, Min-cheol frowned, seemingly displeased with Tae-min’s explanation, and added:

“Those guys are beyond aggressive—they’re criminals. Even if it’s for survival, attacking other survivors is going too far.”

“What? They attacked survivors?”

“Yeah, we were attacked by them yesterday. If Min-cheol ahjussi hadn’t actively fought back, we probably would have been helpless.”

Eun-ji replied with a sigh.

According to their explanation, the survivors from the underground shopping mall use violence without hesitation in the process of obtaining food.

The reason Tae-min’s group was attacked yesterday was because of a conflict that arose while gathering supplies from a convenience store.

“I guess with the world like this, there’s no need to worry about laws or police anymore.”

“That’s right. For now, they’re just using violence to drive away other survivors, but as more time passes, murder will probably happen easily too.”

Murder. Ha-eun’s expression hardened at those words.

It wasn’t just an attempt to scare her; she genuinely felt it could really happen.

“But if the underground shopping mall has the second most survivors, where has the most?”

“Probably the church.”

“The church?”

“Yeah, it’s run by the foundation that operates my school. I heard about a hundred people are living there.”

Kangil Girls’ High School is run by a Christian foundation.

As it was commonly called a mission school, there was a church on campus. Ha-eun tilted her head at Eun-ji’s explanation.

“You heard? From where?”

How could someone have provided such information in a situation where they couldn’t move freely? Ha-eun asked with a puzzled expression, and soon received an answer.

“Oh, we got a phone call three days ago.”

“A phone call? From whom…”

“It was a call from the pastor.”

Ah, come to think of it, the communication network was still working on the first day. Ha-eun nodded in understanding.

“Then the church must be safe. There are more people than in the underground shopping mall, and with teachers and pastors present, it should be well-controlled.”

“Yeah, we think so too. That’s why it’s one of our destination candidates. However…”

“However?”

“There’s a problem. As you probably know, to get to Kangil Girls’ High School, we have to cross the Han River.”

“…Ah!”

Ha-eun’s eyes widened.

Right. She had forgotten because she never had a reason to go there, but Kangil Girls’ High School was across the Han River, wasn’t it?

As she belatedly recalled this, Min-cheol muttered matter-of-factly:

“Crossing the Han River in the current situation is suicide. From what I saw on the rooftop, the bridge was completely overrun with zombies.”

“Sigh, then it’s not possible right now.”

“That’s right. We’ll have to either gradually clear out the zombies as we advance, or pray for a mage to sweep away the zombies on the Han River bridge.”

“Huh? A mage?”

What’s this sudden talk about?

Ha-eun tilted her head in confusion. Tae-min quickly continued:

“Yes, a mage. You must have seen it too, right?”

“No, I’ve been in my room the whole time…”

“But you must have heard the sound of lightning striking outside at least once?”

No sooner had Tae-min finished speaking—

Suddenly, a bright beam of light poured through the window behind the restroom. Along with it came a deafening roar that seemed to tear through their eardrums.

Rumble! Kwaaaang!

Lightning struck near the shopping mall.

A moment later, when the blinding light faded, they could see blackened zombies that had been scorched.

“That’s…”

“Perfect timing.”

Tae-min let out a chuckle.

Come to think of it, Ha-eun had also heard the sound of lightning striking intermittently.

At the time, she had simply thought it was lightning signaling impending rain, but according to Tae-min’s explanation, it wasn’t just a natural phenomenon.

“That lightning accurately targets places where zombies are gathered. And not just once, but continuously every two or three hours.”

“That’s…”

“Yeah, it’s as if it needs a cooldown time. Don’t you think it’s like a skill?”

Now that he mentioned it, it did seem that way.

Ha-eun nodded silently. However, there was still one question that remained unanswered.

“Why do you specifically call it a mage?”

“Ah, there’s someone among the underground shopping mall survivors who uses a skill similar to that. Of course, it didn’t seem as powerful as that lightning.”

That’s why Tae-min called that lightning the mage’s lightning. As Ha-eun stared blankly at where the lightning had struck, Min-cheol muttered:

“We received help from it three days ago.”

“From the mage?”

“Yeah. While we were being chased by zombies, lightning struck and turned them to ashes.”

“If we ever meet them later, I want to properly thank them.”

Min-cheol and Eun-ji spoke in turn.

At those words, Ha-eun clenched her fist as she looked once again in the direction where the lightning had struck.

‘…A mage.’

A survivor with a skill that drops lightning.

Then could the arrow that had helped her before coming here also be the mage’s skill?

It was a plausible guess. The shining arrow had suddenly appeared out of thin air, just like the lightning that had just fallen from the empty sky.

‘If I ever meet them…’

I should thank them too.

Ha-eun made that promise to herself.

Just then, Tae-min addressed her.

“So what are you going to do now?”

“Huh?”

“We’re planning to leave here tomorrow morning. It’s safe here because there aren’t many zombies, but it’s difficult to find food.”

“If you want to go back to the officetel, I’ll share some of my food with you. Of course, I can’t give you much…”

“I’ll respect whatever choice you make.”

Tae-min, Eun-ji, and Min-cheol spoke in turn.

Ha-eun fell into deep thought for a moment.

The safest option would be to take the food and return to the officetel. However, this would only be temporary safety. In the long run, it wouldn’t be a wise course of action.

‘Then what if I go with these people?’

It would be more dangerous than returning to her room, but it wasn’t a bad choice. Above all, none of them seemed to have bad intentions.

After pondering, Ha-eun soon made her decision.

“Would it be alright if I go with you?”

“Huh? You’re not going back to the officetel?”

“Even if I go back, I’d have to come out again to find food anyway, and I also want to check if my parents and friends are safe.”

Ha-eun explained her reasons.

Tae-min silently looked at Min-cheol and Eun-ji, and Min-cheol was the first to ask a question.

“Have you ever faced a zombie?”

“Yes, but only one.”

“That’s good enough. It’s better than traveling with someone who’s never faced one at all.”

“I agree too. Actually, I haven’t seen any other girls besides myself, so I’ve been feeling a bit lonely.”

“Okay, then it’s settled.”

Two out of the three agreed.

Then there’s no need for further discussion.

Tae-min smiled and extended his hand.

“Looking forward to working with you.”

“Yes, please take care of me.”

Ha-eun also grasped Tae-min’s hand and bowed her head. On the third day since the world had changed, Ha-eun safely joined a group of survivors.