Chapter 17 – The Looming Threat

* * *

Meanwhile, at that time.

Inside the dark cave, two women were sitting odokani on a mattress-only bed.
Kang Chang-jae’s mother, Kang Seol-ryeong, and Han Seung-pil’s younger sister, Han Seung-hee.

“Sister. It’s too dark in here. Can I go outside?”

The entrance to the cave hideout was sealed with a solid iron gate. Inside the cave, where there was no light, it was as dark as midnight.

“No. Didn’t I say it was dangerous?”

Even he was well aware of how dangerous it was outside.
I still get goose bumps when I think of the time I was attacked by a hyena. She thought she shouldn’t go out unless at least there were men around.

“Blood.”

However, it was a story that didn’t really touch her to Seung-hee, who had never been in a terrible situation.

After coming out of the hospital for the first time in a while, Seunghee felt like she was on vacation, and felt that her life was too precious to be confined to a dark cave on such a good day.

“Actually, I don’t like the dark, so I sleep with the lights on when I sleep at night.”
“Really? Me too. Still, wouldn’t it be much better to have someone by your side?”
“That’s it… I’m afraid because I can’t see it.”

It wasn’t like someone else’s story to Seolyeong, who was afraid of bugs.

“Then, can we hold hands?”
“Hmm… Great.”

After hesitating for a moment, Seunghee accepted Seolryeong’s offer.

It’s better than trembling in the dark. And in such an unknown place, there was also trust in Seolyeong who treated him humanely.

The two women joined hands.
The fear of dark places has gone a little. It felt like the two of them had grown closer.

“But unnie, why are you called ‘mother’? Aren’t you her biological mother? I don’t think I’m getting any older.”

A question that might sound rude.
However, it was a question I was used to receiving countless times, and I knew from experience that really rude people don’t ask that way.
That’s why I was able to answer with a smile.

“That’s right. She is not my real mother, she is my new mother.”
“As expected. Then you remarried her father?”
“Digamy… Oh, it’s not…”

Seol-ryeong’s reaction made Seung-hee sensitively aware that she had touched her mine.
You shouldn’t dig further here. Sensing this fact instinctively, Seunghee quickly changed the story.

“Anyway, it’s a big deal for you too. She even kissed her new son.”
“… Huh. I know.”

That was something I had already said before dinner.
When Seung-hee first came to this hideout, he saw the two kissing. And I was able to hear the reason for kissing together when I heard the explanation about the coin.

Coins are needed to survive here. And to collect those coins, you have to do dirty things with your partner.

At first I thought it was a joke.
I don’t know if the two of them have an inappropriate relationship, but I thought why are they making such ridiculous excuses when they’re dating anyway.

However, while eating pork belly a while ago, when Changjae manipulated his cell phone, he saw that the necessary items were springing up, and Seunghee was able to realize that the story was true.

“Think about it too, Seunghee. Even now, oppa went hunting with a spear, right? If I had a gun, I would be less anxious. I’m afraid you two will get hurt.”
“No way. Would you still get hurt easily? I am a soldier.”

“Even if they are soldiers now, they were high school students just a few months ago. If you take off one layer, you are just like us. Fighting is scary, getting hurt hurts. Still, the two of you went hunting, right? Who didn’t even What do you think Seunghee went hunting for?”
“Yeah… Are you looking for something to eat tomorrow?”
“Of course there are things like that, but the two of them intend to capture and destroy dangerous animals so that we can stay safe. Even if you can buy food with coins, you can’t be safe if dangerous animals roam around, right?”

If you were purely looking for food, it was safest to do only lewd things in the hideout.
Still, the men ventured out on the hunt. It must be because they decided that it was more dangerous to stay still.

“Did you tell me before? Changjae was seriously injured from being attacked by hyenas.”
“Yes…”
“I used to think like Seunghee. How do you do that with your family? Embarrassed and ashamed. So, I was thinking of holding on as long as I could. You don’t know how much I regretted it after Changjae got hurt. Because I hurt Changjae because of my stubbornness.”

However, those words did not resonate well with Seunghee.
More than anything, it was also because Changjae was fine on the outside. I don’t know if he was wrapped in a bandage, because he didn’t show any sign of serious injury.

“Seunghee should make up her mind quickly before regretting it. Even if the men return safely today, if the dangerous hunt continues every day, one day they will be seriously injured.”
“… Yes. I will think about it.”

That’s what he answered, but Seunghee still didn’t know.
Since the two of them agreed, wouldn’t it be possible for the two of them to do that and share the coins they earned?

It may be a shameless thought, but men aren’t even strangers.
And since Changjae always seems to be pampering his older brother, I thought it was okay to ask for that much.

“And speaking of that——”

Judging from Seunghee’s reaction, she probably doesn’t know about the system of reviving her partner when she dies. Even if it was, I was going to talk about it later.

However, her words were stopped by her sudden noise.

-Kooung.

A heavy metal sound echoed in the hideout.
It was the sound of someone knocking on the iron door.

Their gaze naturally turned to the door where the sound was heard.
It was dark and I couldn’t see anything. But it was certain that there was someone outside the door.

“What? Are the kids back?”

Seung-hee held Seol-ryeong’s hand as she tried to get up from her seat.

‘Shh! No way sister! Don’t leave!’

Seung-hee quietly whispers in case her voice leaks outside.
Her face was hidden in the darkness, but I could feel the urgency in her voice.

If anyone came, I thought, of course, that it was Changjae and Seungpil.
But what if someone else? And if you’re a dangerous person?

Even so, I realized what Seunghee was thinking.
It felt like her mind was going blank.

‘Sister. Quietly. Be still.’

She took her hand and returned it as if she knew it.
I was afraid to even whisper.

After a while, it was quiet outside the door.

‘Did he go?’

The moment Seunghee whispered like that.

-Bang!

‘Hick!’

Someone outside the door knocked hard on the iron door.
Inside the narrow cave, a startling sound echoed loudly.

And the sound didn’t end just once.

– Bang bang! Bang bang bang!

Someone outside the door pounded on the door as if in anger.
Seol-ryeong and Seung-hee trembled as they hugged each other.

Who the hell is outside the door? Is it a person? Maybe you need some help?

In Seol-ryeong’s head, an image of a desperate person knocking on the door asking for help after running away from the hyena was pictured.

But then she shook her head to get rid of the thought.
There are no voices calling for help. Just knock on the door
If you need help, it was natural to shout out loud first. The silent knocking on the door was most likely for a different purpose.
And even if they needed help, they couldn’t help it now that there were only women. I couldn’t take the risk.

– Kik. Sigh.

When no response came back, there was also a sound as if they were trying to force it open.

“… !”

The two women hugged each other tighter. As if the uninvited guest outside the door would then return.

After waiting for a while, the sound stopped.
Did you give up and go back?

But still, the two did not fall apart while hugging each other.
I just shuddered and prayed for the men to come back soon.

*

“Oh oh! Corporal Kang Chang-jae, didn’t you catch a lot of us?”
“I know. If this is enough, I won’t have to worry about eating for a while, right?”

The effect of wild boar raw liver was amazing.
All sorts of beasts gathered there, as if some kind of medicine had been applied to the liver.

Hyena, wild dog, cat or weasel, eagle, etc. Even the same wild boar sniffed and snooped.

We camped behind a tree where we had loosed boar livers and sniffed the liver and chased wild animals that had gathered.

Thanks to this, I got plenty of coins, and I was able to pack food and materials such as bones and leather that animals dropped.

I didn’t get hurt and I got a lot to gain. There were things that were verified. All in all, it was a successful hunt.

“Then slowly… Uh?”

As I was thinking about withdrawing, I suddenly felt a strange feeling.

“? Corporal Kang Chang-jae? Why?”
“Hey. Hide for now.”
“Huh?”

I immediately grabbed Seungpil and knelt down behind a tree to hide.
It was something Seungpil had been doing until a little while ago, so he naturally fell down.

-Thud. Thud. Thud.

The sound of the ground shaking is regularly heard.

The sound, which at first sounded vaguely from a distance, gradually grew closer and clearer.

It was clearly coming towards us.

The closer the sound got, the louder the ground rumble.

Just by feeling the ground shaking, I could tell that he wasn’t an ordinary guy.

-Thud! Thud! Thud! Fall out!

The trees in his path were bent and broken like wooden chopsticks.

Seungpil and I, lying on our stomachs as if we were buried in the ground, kept our eyes open to confirm his identity.

Elephant? Mammoth? Or any dinosaur?

… My question was answered in an absurd form.

『I found the tyrant of Metapia, T-Rex-Kushtapa.』
『I got 50 coins.』

『Sudden Mission Occurred! Defeat the T-Rex-Kushtapa!』

[Sudden Mission: Defeat the T-Rex-Kushtapa.]
[Limited time: 120 days]

[◎ Complete death of T-Rex-Kushtapa]
[Reward: 7,000 Coins]

… Are you crazy bastards?