Honestly, it wasn’t just Jung Ha-Yan, but Kim Hyun-Sung as well. Whatever the reason was, there was a good possibility that this strong man once saw the end of the world. He knew everything that was going to happen and he seemed to have the will to change and use that future for his own agenda.

If I were to borrow the words from a fantasy novel, he was like a chosen warrior. There wasn’t a reason for me to maintain a bad relationship with him.

‘Lucky bastard.’

I wasn’t jealous of the burdens he carried on his back but the things that he was going to obtain and use from now on. It was a rather clear fact that he would be climbing up in the future.

I thought it would be best for us to obtain as much as we could, while we had the chance.

“How much farther do we have to go? Are you sure we’re going the right way?” Park Deok-Gu asked.

“Yes, we’re almost there,” Kim Hyun-Sung answered.

Park Deok-Gu mumbled with dissatisfaction and Kim Hyun-Sung gave a small nod to show that they could keep moving. It was strangely interesting that he was cautious while looking around. He was definitely watching out for the monsters.

His stats right now weren’t that high. While it was true that he was in an advantageous position because he had attributes, a job, and magic stats, I doubt that he would be able to do anything much if monsters swarmed us from all directions.

‘That’s probably why he couldn’t protect it.’

If that was possible, then no one would’ve died at the starting point.

“More than that, it seems like a lot more people survived than I expected. I thought the majority of them died…” Park Deok Gu said.

“Honestly, we could’ve saved more. I lost my composure too at first, so I had a difficult time facing them. If there were more people that could fight…” Kim Hyun-Sung explained.

“Well, I was in the same situation. All I did was run away…if it wasn’t for hyung-nim, I would’ve died already. Are all 30 people from the starting point?” Park Deok-Gu asked.

“Oh! Not really. It seemed like there was a starting point at a different location as well. The place was a bit far from where we were…” Kim Hyun-Sung answered.

“Ugh…I guess we weren’t the only ones that came here,” Park Deok-Gu commented.

“Yes, but if we broaden our search scope, I’m sure we’ll receive good news. The search party has been finding traces of people little by little,” Kim Hyun-Sung said.

I wasn’t sure what he meant by good news.

“Are you thinking about finding more survivors?” Park Deok-Gu asked.

“I believe we definitely should if circumstances allow us to,” Kim Hyun-Sung answered confidently.

His eyes were telling the truth.

I guess it wasn’t a lie when the word, kind-hearted, was included in his nature. There was no way I could know the details, but it seemed like he wanted to save and survive with everyone, which made my head hurt.

‘This guy…’

I had an idea how the survivor camp was being managed.

“You don’t look so good. I-Is something the matter?” Jung Ha-Yan asked.

I must’ve looked slightly unwell because Jung Ha-Yan asked while studying my face.

“Oh, it’s nothing. I was just thinking about something…” I answered her.

“I-If you’re uncomfortable, then.”

“I’m fine,” I said, interrupting her.

“Oh…I…well…” she said nervously.

“Sorry?” I asked.

“I-I know I’m late, but…thank you for saving me,” she said.

A small smile appeared on her face as she thanked me. It was a bit uncomfortable trying to support her as we walked, but it wasn’t a problem since I believed that I had to do whatever I could in order to stay on her good side.

Jung Ha-Yan’s face strangely turned red. I guess she wasn’t used to physical contact with the opposite sex. We maintained a certain distance from each other and that helped her bring down her guard. When she continued showing her friendly smile, I was able to look at Jung Ha-Yan, who started relying on me more and more.

When we walked a bit farther, we saw a very open space.

‘Not bad.’

The space wasn’t that bad. Having one entrance wasn’t a bad thing. It seemed like they installed barricades to block the monsters that would come in through the entrance. I also couldn’t see the inside from out here.

“Amazing. How did you find this place?” Park Deok-Gu asked in amazement.

‘He probably knew about this place already.’

“I found it by accident. I found this place while the survivors and I were trying to find a decent place to settle,” Kim Hyun-Sung explained.

“You were really lucky,” Park Deok-Gu commented.

It was possible that he used this place in his past life. This place was different from the starting point where monsters were able to come from all directions. It was a bit crude, but having this as the base in a place like this was like having a strong castle.

It was unlikely that he actually found this place by accident when it was very far from the starting point. It was only a little bit, but I was starting to become certain that he really regressed and went back in time.

“It’s really amazing. Don’t you think so, hyung-nim?” Park Deok-Gu asked me.

I nodded lightly.

“Even if 100 of those monsters come charging in, I’m sure we’ll be able to block them with a place like this,” Park Deok-Gu said excitedly.

“I don’t think so,” I said, disagreeing with him.

“I-I guess I was overexaggerating a bit,” he said.

If there were enough people, we could indeed stop them. But not having a way out apart from the one and only entrance was this base’s weakness. If the number of monsters that invade this place became unbearable, then we would definitely be annihilated. Excluding the few lucky ones, everyone would die.

I opened my mouth slowly as I looked at Kim Hyun-Sung. “All the sides are blocked. If a large number of monsters come in through the entrance…”

“That’s why we’re moving with utmost caution. We’ve also been diligently taking care of the monsters that appear nearby,” he explained, interrupting me.

“Do you go out to hunt regularly?” I asked.

“Yes. At least until we find another clue…” he answered.

I was starting to get curious as to who did the hunting. When we walked slowly to the entrance, I saw a woman coming out to greet us. She was a bit short and had a charming look.

“You’re back, Hyun-Sung oppa? Oh, you’ve brought new people,” she said, greeting him.

She flinched a bit when she looked at the large-framed Park Deok-Gu walking towards her while holding a sword and shield. I was surprised by how she talked to us while maintaining her smile.

‘She’s friendly.’

“Ji-Hye,” Kim Hyun-Sung called out.

“I was worried because you were getting a bit late,” she explained.

[Checking Player Lee Ji-Hye’s Status Window and Potential.]

[Name - Lee Ji-Hye]

[Title - None. Please work harder.]

[Age - 29]

[Nature - Selfish and ambitious person]

[Job - Unemployed.]

[Stats]

[Strength - 05/Below average growth limit]

[Agility - 09/Below average growth limit]

[Stamina - 09/Below average growth limit]

[Intelligence - 18/Above rare growth limit]

[Endurance - 08/Below average growth limit]

[Luck - 12/Below average growth limit]

[Magic - 00/Below average growth limit]

‘Trash.’

I couldn’t help but mumble to myself at the appearance of the trash that was more hopeless than me, but truthfully she wasn’t that different from me.

[Overall Review - Congratulations, Lee Ki-Young. You’ve finally met your soulmate. There’s a good chance that she’ll be a good match for you. Not only does she have low stats, but she has bad potential. Wielding a sword or staff is not recommended. It may be different if she wants to use them to end her own life because of her horrible talent. I won’t wish for you two to get together because I’ll feel really bad for the baby that’ll be born.]

I was about to curse, but I suppressed it. It seemed like the message that appeared on the status window was taunting me.

After quickly turning off the status window, I recalled the information about the woman. Her nature stood out more than her lousy talent and stats.

‘Selfish and ambitious person.’

I guess I could say that she was similar to me.

Unlike the others that were inside, she came out to greet Kim Hyun-Sung because she was conscious of the gazes of other people. She was sucking up to Kim Hyun-Sung in order to live.

“Hehe, can I get your names?” Lee Ji-Hye asked.

“I’m Park Deok-Gu,” he answered first.

“I’m Lee Ki-Young.”

“I’m J-Jung Ha-Yan. Nice to meet you,” she said.

“Nice to meet you all. I’ll first take you to where you can rest. Is that okay, Hyun-Sung oppa?” Lee Ji-Hye asked.

“Of course, I’ll leave it up to you, Ji-Hye,” he answered.

“Yes, just leave it to me, Hyun-Sung oppa,” she said confidently.

The way she clenched her fists looked cute, but after recalling her nature, she didn’t seem so sweet anymore. Seeing as how she was studying me, Jung Ha-Yan, and Park Deok-Gu, it seemed like she was guessing how we happened to collaborate with Kim Hyun-Sung.

Park Deok-Gu must’ve passed her assessment because he had a large frame and was holding a shield and sword. Jung Ha-Yan and I on the other hand must’ve failed because Jung Ha-Yan was limping and I looked weak, despite supporting her on my own.

The way she intentionally went to Park Deok-Gu’s side and started talking to him was a funny sight.

“Have you encountered any monsters?” Lee Ji-Hye asked Park Deok-Gu.

“Not only did we encounter them, but we killed a few already,” he answered her.

“Oh my…wasn’t it scary?” she asked again. Her slightly surprised expression was an act.

“O-Of course it was scary, but…hm. If it wasn’t for hyung-nim, I would’ve been in big trouble,” Park Deok-Gu explained.

The moment he gave her an unnecessary answer, Lee Ji-Hye looked at me again. I wasn’t sure if it was because we were similar, but I knew what she was doing right now. She was revising her evaluation of me.

I probably went from Tom, Dick, and Harry to Park Deok-Gu’s hyung-nim.

“Oh, so Ki-Young fought with you,” she said.

“Of course, we fought together! Every time he attacked with his spear, the monsters started falling one by one,” Park Deok-Gu explained.

‘Shut up, you pig…’

I wanted to cover Park Deok-Gu’s mouth. I thought I had shown him a slightly impressive side of me, but his affection towards me was excessive. I felt relieved because I didn’t have to worry about him backstabbing me, but those actions of his caught me off guard.

“Oh, I see. That’s a relief. At least the base will become a bit safer now,” Lee Ji-Hye commented. She spoke as if she was looking forward to it.

However, I didn’t feel happy about it after I read the expression of the survivors that looked at us as we entered. I activated Mind’s Eye and checked everyone, but no one really caught my attention. But I completely understood the looks they gave us.

‘Relief.’

They all looked relieved. They released sighs of relief when they saw us enter with a spear, sword, and shield.

“Sigh…”

I expected something like this to happen, but after seeing it with my own eyes, I couldn’t help but sigh. This place that Kim Hyun-Sung created was a very safe place indeed. Not to us, but for them.