Chapter 52

With the awkwardness behind them, Rachel clapped her hands together and shifted the topic.

“Like I said earlier, our safe zone is that way. If you keep going through the forest, you’ll reach it eventually.”

“And the monsters in the forest? Hobgoblins, right?”

“Yep. What about your side?”

“Same setup. There’s a forest behind this field, and our safe zone is on the other side.”

For the first time, the conversation flowed naturally—an actual exchange of information without ulterior motives.

Unlike the earlier nonsense with David, this was straightforward and productive.

They discovered that both groups had received identical quests.

Some people had completed them; others had failed.

And recently, both zones had elected new leaders.

But from there, the similarities ended.

“Wait, you’re not the leader over there?”

“I ran for it but didn’t win. I didn’t get enough votes.”

“Seriously? A fair election?” Her jaw dropped. “That’s… I don’t even know what to say.”

Taking advantage of her surprise, Justin briefly explained the situation.

Despite Zachary being elected, nothing was working as planned.

The settlers remained passive, refusing to step up.

And as a result, other factions had started mocking their group for their lack of leadership.

When the explanation ended, Rachel covered her face with a dry laugh.

“Unbelievable. It’s really that peaceful over there?”

“Tense, but overall, yeah.”

“That’s insane.”

“What about you? From the looks of it, things seem a lot worse on your end.”

A bitter smile crossed Rachel’s face.

“Over here? It’s hell.”

From Rachel’s account, the situation in their territory seemed eerily similar to Justin’s experience—at least, at first.

The events from the first day of the apocalypse up until their dimensional relocation mirrored what had happened in his own safe zone. The pioneers had awkwardly formed teams to rescue survivors, and once the rescues were complete, the entire territory was transported to this new world.

Then, just like in his own zone, the merchant NPC Algrim appeared and explained the rules for using the shop.

“Wait a second—Algrim? Your merchant’s name is Algrim too?”

“Yeah. Even the advisor’s name is the same—Aaron.”

“Could it just be a coincidence? What do they look like?”

“Algrim looks like a plump, friendly uncle, and Aaron has that tired, old professor vibe.”

A few more questions confirmed it—they weren’t just similar. From their appearances to their clothing and even their speech patterns, the NPCs were identical to the ones in Justin’s zone.

‘So they’re not just similar—they’re literally the same NPCs, just in different locations.’

It was bizarre, but given how strange this world already was, it wasn’t entirely impossible.

“Was Algrim openly biased toward the pioneers in your zone too?”

“Totally. He treated us like VIPs while looking at the settlers like they were garbage. Same with you?”

“Exactly. He practically bows so low his forehead nearly hits the floor for pioneers, but if a settler shows up, it’s like he’s about to spit on them.”

According to Rachel, even Nathan’s family back in Justin’s safe zone had stopped going to the shop themselves. It wasn’t worth enduring the sneers and mocking comments they received as settlers.

Instead, they had Nathan—a pioneer—handle all transactions. In contrast, when he visited the shop, Algrim would shower him with smiles and politeness.

“You mentioned earlier that the settlers in your zone didn’t do anything about that discrimination?” Rachel asked.

“Right. They just accepted it.”

“Well, over here, it was different. They decided to fight back—for their rights and dignity.”

“That sounds like a good thing. You mean they started becoming pioneers too?”

“No.”

There was a flicker of contempt in Rachel’s eyes—directed not at the pioneers, but the settlers.

“They argued that no one should be discriminated against just for hunting monsters. And those who earned more had a responsibility to share with those who earned less.”

“So basically, they demanded free support from the pioneers.”

“They said the pioneers brought them here, so it’s our responsibility to take care of them until they ‘figure things out.’”

Naturally, the pioneers pushed back—how could they afford to take care of others when they were struggling with competition themselves? They had enough on their plates just staying alive.

But the settlers weren’t about to back down.

They started making threats: “If you refuse your responsibilities, don’t expect us to sit quietly.”

“And what, exactly, were they going to do?” Justin asked.

“It would’ve been easier if they’d actually tried to fight back. But no—they knew they couldn’t win against the pioneers.”

Her voice carried the frustration of someone who had seen just how underhanded things could get.

“You can’t fight inside a safe zone, right? They used that to their advantage.”

“How?”

“They blocked everything. Dozens of them would surround the shop entrances or link arms to create human walls around the pioneers.”

The image was absurd—dozens of settlers forming an impenetrable wall, making it physically impossible to get through without pushing hard enough to trigger the system’s combat detection.

If a pioneer pushed too hard or caused pain, the system would register it as combat and automatically stop them.

“That’s… insane.”

The absurdity left Justin speechless. It wasn’t just one or two people acting out—they had coordinated, possibly with someone actively stirring the pot.

“And they kept this up for a whole week?”

“The settlers outnumbered us. They were frustrated too, sharing houses with strangers. Unless the pioneers bought new homes for them, they’d be forced to live together and keep running into each other.”

“How many settlers are we talking about?”

“About 200.”

“…What?”

The number was so high it left his mouth hanging open.

Sure, the rescue quests could technically keep going all night, but how had they managed to bring that many people here?

His own zone had just barely met the required 100-person condition for relocation.

“Most of them already knew each other—neighbors from the same apartment complex, hiking groups, community associations. That’s why they worked together so easily.”

‘Ah, that explains it. They must’ve stuck together out of familiarity.’

In hindsight, it made sense. It would’ve been awkward for someone to back out when everyone else they knew was moving as a group.

“Of course, not all of them acted that way. Some wanted to become pioneers and fight for themselves.”

She cast a glance at her companions, and just from her expression, Justin could tell.

‘So these are the ones who tried to make something of themselves.’