Chapter 25

“The quest literally told us to pick from the available houses. We can’t take an occupied one.”

“That damn quest again! When are you going to stop relying on it?!”

It was Nathan.

The high school student who had called for help.

Out of all the adults, he was the only one showing basic common sense.

Justin nearly laughed.

This situation was so ridiculous, it was almost funny.

“They received a quest telling them to pick an empty house.”
“And yet, they still tried to take someone else’s?”

‘There’s no reason for me to cater to them anymore.’

Expression cold, Justin finally spoke up.

“I’ve heard your complaints.”

“So you’ll—?”

“No, you won’t be getting the houses.”

The survivors’ faces fell.

“You expect us to live in those awful huts?!”

“I’m not forcing you to live there,” Justin said flatly. “That would be irresponsible of me.”

“Exactly! That’s what we’re saying—”

“Which is why I’ve come up with a solution.”

He paused for dramatic effect, letting their hope rise—

Then he smiled.

“I’ll personally escort you all back.”

“…What?”

“You heard me. I’ll escort you back outside.”

A heavy silence fell over the group.

They had expected him to compromise.

Instead, he had handed them cold reality.

“I have no intention of giving up my house! The other survivors probably feel the same! That means the only solution is to send you back!”

“What?! You dragged us here, and now you’re just—!”

“I truly apologize! But as a consolation, feel free to grab as much food as you like from any convenience stores on the way back! The owners are dead, so no one will stop you!”

“…!”

The survivors paled.

They were remembering the corpses—the shredded remains they had seen earlier.

Outside the safe zone, death could come at any moment.

Justin raised his voice.

“Alright, anyone who wants to leave—step forward! I’ll personally escort you back! You don’t like the safe zone, so what choice do I have?”

Silence.

All complaints died on their lips.

They hesitated, glancing around at each other.

No one moved.

For all their grumbling, none of them actually wanted to leave.

“Hmm. Have you changed your minds? I thought you all wanted to go back?”

“…No one said that! We just wanted better conditions!”

The voice came from a young man with a bandaged hand—the eldest son from the first family they had rescued.

His younger brother, the high school student, tried to hold him back, but he refused to stay silent.

“This is too much! You’re basically telling us to shut up and obey if we don’t want to die!”

“Hyung, please—!”

“This is tyranny! Just because you saved us doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want!”

As the man raged, the mood shifted.

Flickers of defiance appeared in the survivors’ eyes.

Their exhausted, defeated expressions now held a hint of rebellion.

Justin watched them quietly.

Then, he laughed.

“You’re right. I have no authority over you.”

“…What?”

“But then again… what is authority, anyway?”

The man froze.

“I only brought you here because I got a quest to do so. And from the start, I was clear—I did it for the reward.”

“…!”

“The quest is done. I got my reward. I could have walked away right then and there. But you people had complaints, so I listened. I tried to find a solution. But guess what? I can’t fix this.”

He gestured toward the town.

“I can’t build new houses. I won’t give up my house. And I have no control over anyone else’s. What do you expect me to do?”

“…That’s just an excuse!”

“Excuse or not, I don’t have a solution. That’s why I gave you a choice: if you want better living conditions, go back. It’s the only alternative I can offer.”

“It’s nonsense!”

“Call it whatever you want.”

Justin shrugged.

“But let me ask you something—why did you think I’d actually listen to your demands?”

“…!”

The man’s mouth opened, but no words came out.

He was starting to realize the problem.

He could complain all he wanted. He could argue about fairness, about morality.

But the reality was simple—

Justin had zero obligation to listen.

“You seem confused,” Justin said casually. “Let me put it another way. Imagine an old lady struggling with a heavy shopping bag. I see her and decide to help—just to be nice. But then, once I carry the bag inside, she asks me to clean her whole house, too. What would you do in that situation?”

The man clenched his fists.

“…”

“Exactly.” Justin smiled coldly. “I’d put down the bag and leave.”

He leaned in slightly.

“If you want, you can shout after me. Yell about how I should take responsibility for helping. Maybe even demand I cook you dinner while I’m at it.”

His voice dropped, quiet but sharp.

“But I have no reason to listen.”

The final blow landed.

The man’s legs buckled, and he collapsed onto the ground.

Justin turned to the rest of the group.

“Well? Anyone else want to ask for a house?”

Silence.

No one dared to meet his gaze.

Just minutes ago, they had been filled with anger and entitlement.

Now?

They had realized the truth.

No one here was obligated to protect them.

No one had any reason to care about them.

If Justin or Ethan decided to walk away, they would be helpless.

That terrified them.

The Next Day…

‘The quest completion rate isn’t as high as I thought.’

After a full night’s rest, Justin surveyed the village.

It had grown significantly—far more people were present now.

But even so, there were less than a hundred.

He did a quick mental count.

• 23 people were rescued by him and Ethan.
• 13 people rescued by others.
• One person—the tattooed thug—had done nothing.

‘So they only saved 12 more people?’

His eyes flicked toward Derek, the tattooed man.

As if sensing his gaze, the thug flinched and looked away.

‘Smart.’

The threat had worked.

No doubt it was less about the words themselves and more about watching him wipe out the skeletons with ease.

After all, that wasn’t an empty threat.

If they met outside, Justin would kill him.

“Come on, people! We’re here to rescue you!”

A distant shout broke his thoughts.