Chapter 8: A demon fell from the sky.

After dealing with the giant Monster and the nearby ones around the house, I was about to hole up at home and wait out the rest of the time.

But a new notification rang out.

-Warning. Staying in one place for too long will result in a significant Penalty.

“……They’re really singing a death song, aren’t they?”

Yohan, who had let the kids rest inside and was now smoking on the rooftop while keeping an eye out in case another giant Monster appeared, rubbed his face with his hand.

He looked up at the sky with an annoyed expression.

The Spaceship was shining arrogantly above.

Those guys must have gotten bored watching people take down the giant Monster and then just sit still.

“Do they think this is some kind of reality variety show?”

No, maybe they really do think that.

Otherwise, why would beings who can just swallow up a Nuclear Weapon try to destroy the Earth through this kind of Game?

If they just spit the swallowed Nuclear Bomb back out, the world would end instantly.

“Bastards.”

Yohan spat out a curse toward the sky as if daring them to listen, then stubbed out his cigarette.

He exhaled the smoke lingering in his lungs and went back inside, only to find the kids already out by the front door.

“Dad, you heard the notification, right?”

“Yeah.”

“So what do we do?”

“Yeah, that’s the question.”

Yohan scratched his head, frustrated.

“For now, we need to move.”

“Alright, let’s get up.”

Still not having made up his mind, Yohan led his family out the door.

“But what do we do? Our car’s busted…….”

They could walk, but it felt safer to move quickly by car if possible.

But there was no way to fix their old junker, not when the ignition was already dead…

“Dad.”

Just then, Jeonghu, who hadn’t dared smoke in front of his father and was standing a bit away from the parking lot, called out to Yohan.

“What is it?”

“You see that car by the road?”

“Hmm?”

A big SUV was parked at the corner near the intersection, its door wide open.

“What’s with that car?”

“Looks like the owner left in a hurry and forgot the keys. If they haven’t come to get it when it’s right there, maybe they’re already dead…”

“So?”

“Let’s just use it, yeah?”

“You crazy brat! Is that what I taught you?!”

But Jeonghu stood his ground.

“In a crisis where lives are on the line, is morality really the issue? We just need to survive first! We can return it later, and if the owner complains, we can compensate them!”

“…….”

It was nonsense, but honestly, the whole situation was already nonsense.

Monsters were running wild and people were dying left and right.

Was it right to stick to morals and refuse to do what might help us survive?

“Fine, let’s go!”

“Okay! Kids, let’s go!”

Jeonghu started running, excited.

‘Fine, borrowing someone else’s car is one thing, but why is he so happy about it?’

Even at a distance, I could hear him laughing.

“Man, when else am I gonna drive a car this nice?”

‘……That kid is definitely not right in the head.’

Before the whole family had even finished getting in, Jeonghu pulled something out of his pocket.

It was the Bucheon City Map he’d printed out after the first Game ended.

“Alright, let’s see. Where should we go, Dad?”

Everyone leaned in to look at the map.

“Me too! I wanna see!”

“You know how to read a map?”

“Yeah! Um… is this Judong?”

“Jungdong. What are you gonna do if you still can’t read consonants? You’ll be in elementary school next year.”

“Geez!”

Sejeong puffed up angrily at her brother’s teasing, and Yohan chuckled as he comforted her.

“It’s fine, your brother didn’t learn to read until he was nine.”

“Really…?”

“No way! Nine years old? That’s shocking.”

“Wow! He’s dumber than Sejeong!”

“You little punks…”

Jeonghu, trembling with embarrassment, shot a resentful glare at Yohan, but Yohan was already focused on the map.

“I’ve been thinking. Crowded places are probably dangerous since Monsters might gather there.”

“That’s true. And I think it’s risky to go into buildings, especially tall ones. You never know when another giant Monster might show up.”

“Yeah, getting crushed would be a miserable way to go. So… where can we find a place that’s not crowded and avoids buildings, especially tall ones?”

As the clamor died down, everyone turned their attention to the map.

-Warning. Staying in one place for too long will result in a significant Penalty.

-Warning!

-Warning!

With the warning alarm ringing repeatedly, Yohan frowned and spoke.

“Jeonghu, start the car. Let’s move first!”

“Roger!”

As the car started rolling, Yohan looked back at the map.

Bucheon is a tiny city next to Seoul, but it’s densely packed with people.

Even the outskirts are crowded.

If anywhere is less populated, it would be the industrial area, which must be shut down now… but who knows what dangerous materials are there?

If a giant Monster stomps through and something explodes?

We’d be dead meat.

“Hmm….”

Then Yohan noticed something.

He hadn’t realized it, but the north was still full of fields.

Sure, it would be less populated, but—no.

It’s just a wide-open plain.

No place to hide, and it’d be perfect for someone with a Gun to snipe you from a distance.

Then he looked east and south.

Yohan’s eyes lit up.

“Yeah! This looks good.”

“Oh, where, Dad? Let’s go right now!”

“We’re heading to the mountain.”

“M-mountain?”

Jeonghu glanced at his father, startled.

“Isn’t it the best place to hide, where there aren’t many people? And if the warning comes up, we can just keep hiking and change our location.”

“Hmm… the mountain, huh…”

While Jeonghu seemed unconvinced, Seoyoung agreed.

“Yeah, I think Dad’s right. Monsters aren’t likely to climb up a deserted mountain…”

“Right?”

“Alright! To the mountain, then! Which one?”

“Seongjusan, the closest one.”

“Got it. I’ll get us there fast!”

Jeonghu hit the gas.

They soon turned onto the main road and took the overpass heading south toward Jungdong.

It was around then that Yohan, sitting in the passenger seat, noticed something odd.

Someone was running frantically over the overpass from the south.

“Damn, that scared me! That’s dangerous.”

“Is that a kid?”

“Looks like it.”

The person running up the overpass from the south was a woman in her thirties, clutching a child.

Anyone could see it was a mother and child.

“Looks like they’re being chased by a Monster. Should we help?”

“Of course.”

Yohan hurriedly got out of the car.

Then he hesitated.

A group of people was following behind the mother and child.

There were about ten of them, and they weren’t running from a Monster—they were watching the mother and child while riding motorcycles and scooters at a slow pace.

It was as if they were enjoying some twisted game.

Yohan’s face turned grim.

***

Juhui’s family was ordinary.

She had a loving husband and a lively son.

But lately, things had been a little rough.

She got pregnant a year after marrying her husband, just as they planned, and had to stay home to take care of her son until he turned five.

It wasn’t just because there was no one else to look after him—she was so attached to the child she’d carried inside her that it was hard to leave him.

She never thought quitting her job would make it impossible to find work again.

She thought that term, “Kindergarten Mom,” wouldn’t apply to her.

But when she finally sent her son to daycare and started job hunting, she realized the world wasn’t so easy.

She became what people call a Kindergarten Mom.

That’s when things started to get hard for her.

At first, the time alone after sending her son to daycare was nice, but soon the loneliness crept in.

She hated wasting her days, and being cooped up at home made her feel stifled.

She wanted to work, but kept failing interviews—sometimes she didn’t even get a call back.

Her frustration grew, and a few days ago, she ended up in a huge fight with her husband.

She had no idea.

No way she could have known the world would change overnight the very next day.

She’d seen her husband off to work early, and was on her way home from the hospital with her son, who had a light cold and couldn’t go to daycare.

That’s when it happened—a Monster fell from the sky.

She barely managed to escape and survive for two hours.

She felt relieved to be alive, but a single thought kept nagging at her.

What about her husband?

He must be going through the same hellish situation. Would he be alright?

She worried, but figured he liked Games, so maybe he’d awakened some special power and was taking care of himself.

But… days passed, and her husband never came back.

Then the second Game began.

She had to protect her child, her own flesh and blood.

So Juhui hugged her son tight and hid in the house.

At least, until the Penalty for staying too long in one place appeared.

Afraid that Penalty might mean death, she took her son and left the house.

Strangely, all the Monsters around her house were already dead.

She was still wondering what happened when she saw a group in the distance.

People wielding a Flame Sword, people shrouded in Electric Aura, people with Guns.

They all looked powerful.

For a moment, Juhui felt hope.

Until they mercilessly swung their Flame Sword and fired their Guns at someone who’d just shown up.

She watched as a person—not a Monster—was turned into a corpse so mangled you couldn’t even tell who they were.

Juhui screamed before she realized it.

The group, who hunted Monsters and humans alike, turned their attention to Juhui and her son.

The human hunt had begun.

They didn’t kill Juhui right away.

Instead, they chased her at a leisurely pace, tormenting her bit by bit.

They slashed her legs with sharp blades, burned her shoulder with a Flame Sword.

Sometimes, they tried to attack her child, so Juhui twisted her body to shield him, taking the blow herself.

The pain was excruciating, but Juhui couldn’t stop.

Fine, I don’t care if I die.

But what about my child?

My son? Never him!

So even if they were toying with her, she refused to stop running.

She could taste blood in her mouth, and the stench of it seemed to fill the air.

Ah, the blood trickling from her forehead must have run into her mouth.

Her wounded legs were losing strength.

Driven like a rabbit into a trap, she climbed the high overpass, despair flooding her heart.

She couldn’t give up, but she didn’t want to negotiate either. So she clutched her son even tighter.

“Wow, this lady’s got stamina.”

“She’s getting boring.”

“Should we just kill her now?”

“Feels like a waste to kill her just yet.”

“You perverted bastard, this isn’t the time to enjoy yourself. We need to kill more Monsters for rewards.”

For a moment, her grip weakened.

How could people be so cruel?

They were no different from demons.

No, they were demons.

“Move aside, it’s my turn. I need to up my kill count.”

The man in front, wielding the Flame Sword, raised it high.

The sword, spitting fire, came swinging down toward Juhui—

Bang!

“What the—?”

“Is that a person?”

“He blocked the Flame Sword?”

“How did he grab a flaming sword with his bare hand…?”

“He fell from the sky! What kind of power is that?”

“I-Is he a Monster?”

A demon fell from the sky.