Chapter 23 

“…!”

A quest.

A new quest.

One that provided a way forward.

His eyes lit up.

His parents and brother read the window over his shoulder, equally stunned.

Excitedly, Nathan turned to them.

“They killed the skeletons! Look—there’s nothing left!”

“What? Are you sure?”

“Yes! Look outside! There’s not a single one left! And look at this quest—it’s telling us to follow them to the safe zone!”

His words came fast, his excitement genuine.

Now that they had seen the system in action, surely they would understand.

Surely they would listen.

But instead—

“Hmm. This seems… dangerous.”

“…What?”

“Think about it. Why would people that strong go out of their way to rescue us?”

“I agree. That ‘safe zone’ could be anywhere. Who knows where they’re really taking people?”

The fire inside Nathan flickered.

For the second time, his family refused to move.

“What kind of person would summon monsters like this…?”

Nathan stared at his family in disbelief.

Even after everything, they were still saying the same things.

Even though their refusal to act was what had led to this mess.

He was done.

There was no reason to listen anymore.

“The quests, everything—it’s all designed to manipulate our actions. Right now, we should just stay quiet and—”

“Here! We’re here!”

“H-Hochan!? What are you doing?!”

“Over here! Help us! We’re still alive!”

His parents tried to stop him, but it was too late.

The two men outside had already turned their gaze toward the window.

“Over here! There are survivors!”

“Finally, we found someone.”

Justin let out a sigh of relief as he looked up at the boy shouting from the window.

For what had seemed like an easy quest, they had yet to actually rescue anyone.

Sure, his level had risen to 9 from the extra experience, but the real priority was still completing the quest.

They had just started running out of leads when someone finally revealed themselves.

“302! We’re in 302! Please help us!”

“Hang tight! We’re coming up!”

After responding, Justin made his way up the stairs.

As they reached the second floor, Ethan suddenly grabbed his shoulder and spoke in a hushed tone.

“Did you see that just now?”

“What?”

“The kid’s family. They were trying to stop him from calling out to us.”

“Yeah. I noticed.”

“Why would they do that? We’re literally here to rescue them, and they just… sat there?”

The world was a mess.

No electricity, no water, no communication.

There was no way to call for help. No way to get updates on the situation outside.

In complete isolation, any rational person would want to be rescued.

And yet, these people had hesitated.

It was strange.

And yet… not entirely incomprehensible.

“They’re afraid,” Justin said simply. “For one, they have no guarantee that we’re trustworthy. And more than that…”

“More than that?”

“…They’re still hoping for the military or rescue teams to arrive. After all, it’s only been a day.”

If they were running out of food or water, it would be a different story.

But right now?

It made sense that some people would choose isolation over risk.

If they moved too soon and made the wrong choice, the consequences could be fatal.

“Of course,” Justin added, “the system doesn’t seem willing to let them just wait around.”

“Yeah. This time it was skeletons. Who knows what it’ll be next?”

They didn’t realize it, but they had just been saved.

Had they remained silent, something even worse might have come next.

Justin stepped in front of the door and knocked.

“Excuse me. Is anyone inside?”

No response.

“Room 302, right? Didn’t you call for help?”

Silence.

But he could feel them inside.

They were there, holding their breath.

Justin exchanged glances with Ethan.

“What do we do?”

“We offer, and if they refuse, we leave.”

There was no point in dragging out people who didn’t want to go.

Hell, they might even turn against them later.

It was better to try convincing them once, and if they still refused, move on.

“If you’re suspicious of us, let me just say—this isn’t out of kindness. We’re here because we got a quest that rewards us for rescuing survivors.”

Silence.

“If you don’t come out, we’re leaving. But listen—those skeletons showed up inside your home, right?”

More silence.

“In my opinion, they’ll keep showing up. If we leave now, you might just get a sword through your gut next time. You okay with that?”

Still nothing.

Justin sighed and shook his head. Ethan did the same.

“Let’s go. They’re not coming out.”

“Damn it. Are they seriously gonna wait until they’re all dead before they figure it out?”

They turned to leave.

Just as they stepped onto the stairs—

—Clunk.

The door unlocked.

Turning back, they saw a family of four peeking out, eyes filled with hesitation.

“A-Are you really here to help us?”

Justin and Ethan exchanged a knowing look.

Finally.

Once the first step was taken, the rest followed easily.

Fear of skeletons outweighed fear of the unknown.

“So you’re saying those things can’t enter the safe zone?”
“That’s right. They don’t even try.”
“But why…?”
“No clue. We just know that’s how it works.”

Even with their doubts, the family reluctantly agreed to move.

But Justin made sure to drive the point home.

“You don’t have to come. But you’ll regret it if you stay.”
“Regret? What do you mean?”
“This system doesn’t just suggest we go to the safe zone—it forces us. Those who refuse get hit with penalties. And yes, that includes death.”

Their eyes widened.

“More people have died than survived so far. And guess what? All of them refused to enter the safe zone. If you stay, you might just wake up to a monster in your living room.”

That was the final straw.

The family of four accepted.

And once they joined, getting the rest was easy.

The moment ordinary-looking people started following, the group no longer looked suspicious.

Now, they truly resembled a rescue team.

Most importantly, Nathan played a vital role.

“Is anyone out there?! If you’re still alive, come out! These guys are here to help!”

A random pair of survivors calling for people to trust them? Suspicious.

A high school student doing the same? Much more believable.

More people started emerging.

“Over here! There are survivors here! Help us!”
“Wait for me! I’ll come with you!”

By the time the group stopped, they had gathered 23 people.

It was a lot.

But protecting them wasn’t an issue.