At the same time.
The three people in the fitness center were each focusing on running while comfortably listening to music.
Since they regularly conversed at other times, they instead used places like this for their individual time.
What Bo-ra felt during the past ten days was:
That her sister Bo-mi and Hyuk-jin's thoughts were as 'straight' as her own.
Everyone constantly pondered how to increase their self-sufficiency and develop their abilities.
All three hadn't raised their human grades, but their abilities had improved compared to before.
Bo-ra could now use stealth flawlessly regardless of day or night.
Bo-mi could control a monster's mind for a short time.
And Hyuk-jin had developed a conditional healing ability.
He could absorb and transfer vitality from 'life forms that cannot resist.' In other words, plants were his targets.
'Thanks to settling here, Bo-mi's inhaler issue isn't a worry for the time being.'
Fortunately, there was a clinic and pharmacy inside, so they could easily obtain inhalers for Bo-mi's asthma.
All items in the hideout were in a conditionally activated state, so they couldn't be taken outside.
But since Bo-mi only moved within the stadium, there was no issue with using the inhaler.
'I need to constantly create my own value.'
Bo-ra always had this thought. It was a kind of belief.
Although her abilities were lacking compared to Kang's, she didn't want to depend on him for everything.
Even if she ended up walking a different path from Kang, she hoped to survive on her own.
For that, she needed to have her value recognized within the group while she was with Kang.
Isn't that right?
Having 'usefulness' to Kang, who has superior abilities and judgment, means having that much value.
Bo-ra always wanted to have an important meaning to the group that couldn't be replaced by others.
So she couldn't become lax or careless, and every moment felt precious.
'Who will we meet now?'
Today, unlike yesterday, was a day with plans to go quite far from the stadium.
Kang had already given a hint about the situation. He said he wanted to make contact with another survivor group.
The reason was simple.
They couldn't forever guard and fight for the World Cup Stadium with just four people.
If it was a group they couldn't compromise with, they would have to reject them, but otherwise, cooperation was essential—that was Kang's thinking.
The threatening force called 'Cheondan' already existed and was active in the Seongsan 2-dong area.
Even with the help of the Net colony in an antagonistic symbiotic relationship, the stadium couldn't be invincible forever.
Four people fighting against Cult Leader Baek Sin-rok and over five hundred fanatics? The outcome was too obvious.
Of course, things wouldn't go exactly as planned.
Coexistence wouldn't be everyone's primary goal.
And there are many trash who don't apply such values.
The end of the struggle where survivors kill each other is mutual destruction. It just sets the table for monsters.
It's greedy and difficult to unite multiple groups under one color, but
if we can loosely unite under the framework of survival, the more solidarity, the better. That's the right answer.
Kang's words came to mind.
His words often included expressions like 'right answer' or 'I'm certain.' As if he had experienced all these situations before.
However, his words didn't sound abrupt or unrealistic. Rather, they were convincing.
Survival ultimately means cooperation.
Being hostile to survivors who don't need to be hostile will, as Kang said, only lead to mutual destruction in the end.
This would also be the ending desired by the beings who brought the Day of the End to the world. That's what she thought.
Thump thump thump thump!
Bo-ra greatly increased her running speed on the treadmill.
Just because thoughts become complicated doesn't mean the situation changes. She would simply faithfully follow the leader's decision.
Even to clear her mind, it seemed necessary to push her body a bit more today.
Since the long-distance outing was approaching, loosening up her stiff body was also essential.
During the ten days, Kang was inspecting the structures he had built throughout the stadium by investing coins.
Only the owner who made the hideout declaration, that is, the group leader, could build special structures in the hideout.
Since the direction of the structures follows the leader's abilities, in Kang's case, they were specialized for necromancy.
As coins accumulated, Kang built 'corpse pits' near the stadium entrances.
With the consumable material 'coins,' the process and completion proceed automatically, similar to necromancy tool crafting.
Kang showed no interest in other structures, focusing solely on creating corpse pits.
Thanks to this, corpse pits had been created at all even-numbered entrances.
His current balance was naturally 0, excluding the 06:00 reward wallet, as he had invested everything to the extent that 'scraping the bottom of the barrel' would be an apt expression.
≪Corpse Pit≫
≪Substitutes the consumption value of Death ability users who consume minions' health and lives for ability deployment.
Within a 10m radius from the corpse pit, minions' health and lives are not consumed.≫
≪Under the condition that more than 5 corpses are inputted into the pit, 5 Grade 9 monsters 'Skeletons' are created at midnight every day. Continuous supply of corpses is essential.
Skeletons are not included in the total number of minions, and they perform basic guardian duties without control.
However, if they go beyond 100m from the corpse pit, they lose all combat abilities and disappear.≫
Corpse pits were perfect for fighting inside and outside the stadium entrances or for utilizing additional minions.
Especially the 'Skeletons' that would be created under the condition of stable corpse input were extremely valuable.
Kang, who became a Grade 6 Human three days ago.
They were essential materials for one of the two abilities he chose or upgraded at that time.
Two abilities:
First was an upgrade of the existing 'Undead Creation' ability, which doubled the maximum number of minions.
Adding the effect received from the Lord of the Undead title, he could now control up to 85 minions.
However, he left 35 spots vacant for some reason, and the subject of that reason was standing right in front of Kang now.
It was the result of the second ability Kang chose when he became a Grade 6 Human, along with the Undead Creation upgrade.
It was also a reliable insurance that led to plans for aggressively venturing far from the World Cup Stadium.
At that moment:
≪The Fourth Selection Process in Earth 81792 begins.≫
≪When there are too many captains, the ship inevitably heads for the mountains.
For weak humans, the presence of an overwhelming leader who can unite forces is more essential than multiple leaders.
Integrate the overheated and rampant local forces in the survival process, and eliminate incompetent leaders.
The targets are limited to forces that have made a 'Hideout Declaration'.≫
≪There are a total of five groups that have made hideout declarations in 'Mapo-gu Seongsan 2-dong' currently.
Make all groups except your own disappear and integrate them into one.≫
≪It is impossible to disband and reform groups to avoid selection, and immediate death occurs upon voluntary disbandment.
Selection targets other than the leader must belong to one of the five forces, otherwise they will die instantly within 1 minute.≫
≪If a leader dies due to another competing leader or group, the affiliated group is automatically incorporated into the group that killed the leader.
Group members who are incorporated cannot leave until the selection process is over without the leader's permission.≫
≪The five groups subject to selection can recognize competitors by the red borders visible on each other's appearances.≫
The fourth mission that Kang had already anticipated and had told group members about in advance began.
A vicious mission that fosters conflict between local forces.
Also a mission where only one out of the five designated group leaders can survive.
There's no trick for multiple leaders to survive.
▶ Mission: Eliminate all groups that have made hideout declarations in the mentioned area within 240 hours, leaving only one.
▶ Reward: Leader 'Special Reward' of undisclosed information and 'Special Reward' for all group survivors.
▶ Hint: Let the people who should live, live (advice from the Constellation 'Wandering Poet').
▶ Caution: After 240 hours, if more than one group remains in the mentioned area, all group members will die.
However, groups that make hideout declarations after this point are not included in the fourth selection process.
'One is us, another is Cheondan. Plus three more groups confirmed through notifications makes five.'
A situation where the group 'Cheondan,' with whom coexistence is impossible in any way, is firmly established.
In other words, there was room for other groups to resolve this mission differently from Cheondan.
At first glance, the mission seems to:
Require killing all members of other groups except your own.
But in reality, that's not the case.
This is because the instruction to make other groups 'disappear' doesn't necessarily mean everyone must be 'killed.'
When accustomed to binary logic of life and death, the meaning of the word naturally reads as death.
But in fact, a group disappearing can also be achieved simply by disbanding that group.
In other words, it's possible to resolve the situation with just the life of the leader.
Of course, the maximum number of leaders who can be alive at the end of this selection process is 1. The worst is 0.
The death of the other 4 leaders besides the 1 is 'forced.' It's the unavoidable fate of a leader.
"We need to move quickly before properly encountering Cheondan's main force. I'll have to advance the plan."
Because the fourth mission started earlier than expected, the rest period for the Rami sisters and Hyuk-jin also ended here.
It's time to go outside the stadium.
Now that the mission has started.
The sooner the movement, the better.
"Tie it up! Why can't you tie it? I'm telling you, once it's tied, I'll have a chance to burn it!"
"Boss, I think this field boss bastard... has high resistance to magical abilities."
"What?"
"Even if we tie it with chains, it breaks free right away! Actually, the wounds from daggers remain deeper than the chains!"
"How can we struggle so much against just one? At this rate, we'll be defeated by other groups..."
Around that time, Ju Jeong-wook, a Grade 6 Human leading another group in Seongsan 2-dong, was sighing deeply.
They were hunting a field boss monster called 'Muscle Ghoul.'
It was a special evolution of a ghoul that had massacred a large number of humans.
With muscles swollen to the point of bursting and a height reaching 2.5m, it was indeed threatening...
But he didn't think it was something his group couldn't handle. They numbered fifteen.
The tough muscle that can 'only' be obtained from the corpse of a Muscle Ghoul.
This was a key material that could raise the armament level of members, so they were attempting to obtain it.
With the fourth mission activated, improving specs was necessary to stand against other groups.
However, things went wrong from the start.
"Ah, shit!"
Emotion that preceded composure made him feel the limits of patience, causing Jeong-wook to exert his ability at full power.
His specialty was the 'Flame' ability.
As a Grade 6 Human's ability, it could melt not only ordinary organisms but even steel structures.
Even more so, a ghoul made of flesh and muscle should be a piece of cake even if it was a field boss monster.
However, he had hoped his members would handle it on their own without his direct intervention, but it seemed premature.
Kuuuu! Kuuuu!
The Muscle Ghoul, confident that the survivors' attacks weren't working properly.
Despite facing Jeong-wook, who exuded a completely different aura from other survivors just by standing there.
The Muscle Ghoul instead spread its arms, raising its momentum even more.
"Die, you bastard!"
Jeong-wook raised his magical power usage to maximum, then targeted the Muscle Ghoul with scorching flames.
Since he decided to use his flame ability, he aimed to finish it in one shot.
But.
"...?"
A question mark appeared in Jeong-wook's eyes.
Despite giving it a literal flame shower, somehow not even a small scratch appeared on the Muscle Ghoul's body.
"Shit, what is this."
Even more surprised than Jeong-wook were the group members.
It was the first time they had seen a situation where the leader's attack had no effect at all.
But the surprise was brief.
Krooooo!
The Muscle Ghoul began to glow purple all over its body and let out a loud roar.
Simultaneously, everyone exposed to the sound waves became rigid.
In the moment of direct experience.
There was no need to think about what kind of ability this was or what effect it would have. No one could move.
In common terms, a totally fucked situation.
Jeong-wook was equally surprised and closed his eyes tightly. Instant death if the Muscle Ghoul charged now.
But right then.
Gook...?
The Muscle Ghoul, which had been glaring at Jeong-wook, turned its gaze at a right angle as if detecting something.
Then, half a beat later, a thump! sound and ground vibration were felt. It was enough to make one think an earthquake had occurred.
Everyone frozen by the Muscle Ghoul's roar turned their gaze to the source of the sound.
The Muscle Ghoul was tilting its head, looking at something that had suddenly appeared from a blind spot.
"Wow."
Jeong-wook exclaimed.
In the direction of the Muscle Ghoul's gaze was a 'monster' twice its height.
However, this monster had an extremely terrifying and hideous appearance even at a glance.
It was a bizarre monster made of dozens, no, hundreds of corpses and bones tangled together in one mass.
The eyes, nose, and mouth were in completely unexpected places, unlike humanoid monsters.
It was so bizarre that arms and legs of corpses protruding through flesh were too numerous to tell which were real arms and legs.
Although much larger than the Muscle Ghoul, the monster also looked weak like a balloon that might burst at any moment.
It felt like looking at a snowman made of soft rubber balls. It was also somewhere between 2 and 3 head-to-body ratios.
Perhaps because of this?
Kut.
The Muscle Ghoul sneered at Jeong-wook's group.
Its eyes seemed to say it would deal with that monster first and then come back to make them prey.
Everyone sighed.
They had raised hopes when this giant suddenly appeared, but it didn't seem capable of matching the Muscle Ghoul's physical strength.
It looks like a big, squishy slime!
This was everyone's common thought.
Even more so would be the Muscle Ghoul's thoughts as it faced it directly.
The Muscle Ghoul could be seen sprinting at full speed.
Jeong-wook also gave up, considering the monster to be a sacrificial lamb that would only raise the Muscle Ghoul's grade.
Guuook!
As the Muscle Ghoul charged, the monster raised its plump-looking arms high.
In the meantime, the Muscle Ghoul approached the monster even more. It was just before collision.
At this rate, the monster seemed perfectly poised to pop like a balloon.
But right then.
"...!"
Sharp-eyed Jeong-wook was shocked at the change that occurred in the monster.
The arms that had looked as fluid as flowing water until now suddenly changed into solid muscle.
Simultaneously.
Squang!
With lightning-fast speed, it brought its arms together and smashed down on the Muscle Ghoul.
It wasn't simply striking down. It drove the Muscle Ghoul's head straight into the ground!
As if it had vertically nailed the Muscle Ghoul into the asphalt ground.
But as if thinking that wasn't enough, the monster then overlapped its body on top of the Muscle Ghoul's legs.
Then.
Crunch! Crack! Crrrunch!
With the sound of bones and flesh being crushed, the Muscle Ghoul died, completely squashed before it could even scream.
It was a terrible end where it was impossible to tell which parts were arms, legs, or head, as everything was folded, broken, and burst.
"What... is this? An ability?"
Jeong-wook's group was shocked by the appearance of a monster that made even their own abilities seem trivial.
And they thought.
That it was another field boss appearing, like the Muscle Ghoul. That's why it was defeated.
But on the shoulder of the monster walking steadily toward them after killing the Muscle Ghoul...
A man who couldn't be seen until just now was casually standing. It was clearly the appearance of a human, not a monster.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The distance suddenly shortened.
The man's appearance began to clearly show to Jeong-wook's group. He was obviously the master of this monster.
Who was this man who possessed a destructive weapon capable of ending a field boss monster in one blow?
Everyone's attention focused on him.
And.
"So another group from Seongsan 2-dong was here. Nice to meet you. I'm Lee Kang from the World Cup Stadium."
The man's identity was revealed.
The person whom all members of Jeong-wook's group, including himself, talked about every day, envied, and marveled at!
He was the owner of the Seoul World Cup Stadium.