Chapter 21

If the monsters didn’t kill them now, then sooner or later, humans would.

Just like the man who had insulted Alex and nearly died for it.

He exhaled slowly.

“Look, I’m not saying you’re wrong. But what I am saying is—”

Ding!

A bright light flared before his eyes.

《Quest: “Savior of the Weak”》
– Type: Side Quest
– Description: The Monster Wave has put many lives at risk. Rescue the terrified survivors from the undead and bring them safely to the village. You must save at least 10 people. Failure to meet the minimum will result in quest failure.
– Reward: Beginner Equipment Set (Class-Dependent).

He stared at the quest window… “So even talking about this is a waste of time.”

“What?”

“If people need a reason to help others, then the world is already doomed!”

“Wait, just now, you were literally—”

“We can’t sit idly by! If we don’t take action, then who will?!“

“Hold on, you were just saying—”

“Come! We have lives to save!”

He stood up dramatically, fists clenched, pure justice burning in his eyes.

Somewhere deep in his soul, long buried under cynicism and exhaustion, a tiny ember of humanity had sparked to life.

Yes.

This was what it meant to care.

To fight for what was right.

To uphold the ideals of kindness and selflessness.

To stand tall in the face of despair and—

“…Who the hell am I kidding? It’s for the damn reward.”

But hey.

At least he was acting noble.

That counted for something, right?

He wasn’t the only one who moved when justice (or, more accurately, rewards) came calling.

Every single survivor had stepped out of their houses, eyes locked on the skeletons.

Even the young man who had originally suggested going out to save people was there.

“….”

“….”

The silence was thick with awkwardness.

After all, none of them had budged before there was an incentive.

Now?

Now they were all ready to charge into the fray.

The young man muttered under his breath, just loud enough to be heard.

“If you were gonna do this anyway, you should’ve just agreed earlier. People, I swear…”

Brows twitched.

The other survivors were not pleased.

Clearly, the guy was feeling self-righteous.

Clearly, he thought himself better than them.

And that was not a good idea in a group of people who had just started trusting each other.

Sensing the tension, he wisely shut up.

No one here would take kindly to being lectured.

Once things settled, he turned back to Ethan.

“Alright, let’s head out.”

“Wait… just the two of us?”

“You got someone else in mind?”

“Well, no, but… isn’t that risky?”

His eyes drifted toward the skeletons, unease evident on his face.

The image of people being hacked apart was still fresh in his mind.

He shrugged.

“And you trust a bunch of randoms more?”

“At the very least, they won’t suddenly attack me.”

“Won’t they?”

He gestured toward the survivors.

“Once they finish their quests, what’s stopping them from bashing you over the head for fun?”

“Why the hell would they do that?!”

“Because there’s only one village, and fifteen people who want control over it.“

“…!”

Ethan froze.

That realization had never even crossed his mind.

In the game, the starting points were far apart, and players competed to claim their own villages.

But now?

Fifteen players were crammed into one.

The game’s rules no longer applied.

Now, it was a simple numbers game.

Too many heads.

Not enough space.

“If someone’s stupid and greedy enough, they’d see us as threats. And when that happens, you really think they won’t take the chance to thin out the competition?”

“T-That’s…”

“You’re wondering about me, too, huh?”

He smirked.

“I told you. Stupid people might try that. But anyone with common sense knows better.”

“What do you mean?”

“Think about it. This isn’t a game. If it were, I’d just click a few buttons and do everything myself. But here?”

He crossed his arms.

“There’s no city-building interface. No automation. Even our status windows are only for personal use. You really think one person can run everything alone?”

“Ah!”

In a game, city management was as easy as clicking a few buttons.

But in reality?

There was no UI.

No shortcuts.

Everything had to be done manually.

A leader would need other capable people to help run things.

And the only ones qualified to do that?

Other beta testers.

Hierarchies would inevitably form, sure.

But cooperation would be mandatory.

“Still, people aren’t always rational,” Ethan muttered. “Sometimes they let their greed blind them.”

“Which is exactly why we shouldn’t bring anyone else along,” he replied. “It’s too soon to figure out who’s trustworthy and who isn’t.”

“…I see your point.”

Ethan let out a slow breath, nodding.

Then, after a moment, he frowned again.

“But is it safe? There are too many skeletons.”

The goblins had come in small groups.

The skeletons?

There were dozens.

Maybe even hundreds, judging by how far they stretched.

A single mistake could mean getting surrounded and cut to pieces.

But he just grinned.

“Didn’t I tell you? I’m a Warlock.”

If Ethan thought the point of being a mage was “long-range combat,” he was dead wrong.

“A very strong one.”

“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!”

The tattooed man—Derek—cursed internally.

He wanted to do the quest.

He needed to do the quest.

But there was just one problem.

“I can’t do it alone.”

The skeletons weren’t like the goblins.

They weren’t weak.

They weren’t few.

Going in solo was suicide.

Without someone watching his back, he’d be surrounded and butchered.

He needed at least one other person.

But—

“I fucked myself over.”

When he first arrived, he had antagonized everyone.

He thought it had been a smart move.

He had wanted to establish dominance.

To let everyone know who was in charge.

But now?

Now, no one wanted anything to do with him.

Hell, if he asked someone to team up, they might just pretend to agree and stab him in the back instead.

“Shit, shit, shit!”

He clenched his fists.

Then, he took a deep breath.

No.

It wasn’t over yet.

He still had a chance.

“They don’t trust each other, either.”

Even if he was an outcast, everyone else was still wary of each other.

No one knew who to trust.

They wanted to do the quest, but their eyes flickered with doubt.