I suddenly remembered a TV show I used to enjoy. It posed a question: what happens when an ordinary person is suddenly thrust into a life-threatening situation? According to that show, people act rationally for exactly 15 minutes. After that, instinct kicks in, and rationality disappears. If that's true, then maybe the group I'm currently leading has already skipped that 15-minute grace period.
We were positioned on a tall hill within the forest, pausing to catch our breath at a high vantage point. Though it was called a hill, the path up was steep, and everyone was visibly exhausted. Looking back down from our position confirmed my suspicion. The clearing we'd been resting in just an hour earlier was now swarming with Deadmen.
The clearing looked tiny now, no bigger than a palm from this height. Everyone stared at it in silence, realizing that a slight delay earlier would've meant certain death. Even the overly chatty woman, usually full of bravado, was rubbing her arms as if chilled by the memory.
Their expressions were complex. Monsters, the threat of death—this harsh reality was sinking in, and I could read every negative emotion on their faces without needing them to speak. But there was nothing I could do for that part. I had decided to stay hands-off unless truly necessary. I'd seen their info profiles, but I still needed to observe them in action.
"Huff! Huff! Damn… What the hell are those things?"
Park Dong-gul, still breathless from the climb, muttered while wheezing. I shook my head. He really didn't know when to shut up. Come to think of it, this whole mess started because he kicked a rock. That makes him the instigator. If it were me, I'd be too ashamed to say a word. Must be nice to have such thick skin.
Sighing, I turned my gaze to An Sol, still crying quietly in An Hyun's arms. Pathetic as it seemed, I did come to one conclusion from this whole ordeal—if she really is the same Radiance Priest I know, her future should be fine. With a Luck stat at 100, she should have breezed through the Rite of Passage. But she hadn't. A single action had changed everything. The future was more fragile than I'd thought.
Sensing my gaze, An Hyun nodded in thanks as he wiped An Sol's tears. He'd realized I was the one who shot the arrow that saved them. I nodded back silently before looking down the hill again.
Grrrr! Grrrr!
"Eek!""Ahh!"
Whether they were already in the area or had followed us from the clearing, two more Deadmen emerged, trying to scramble up the hill. Fortunately, they weren't moving as fast.
Deadmen are surprisingly quick in straight-line charges once they spot prey. But if they need to change direction or climb elevation, their speed drops sharply. They can climb, sure—but stabbing them in the head before they get there is easier.
Though the panic had lessened since their first encounter, people still screamed. I felt a bit bad for Lee Bo-rim, but I had no plans to forcefully save her. She'd been screaming in tandem with An Sol from the start, and even her user info gave no indication of usefulness. If she survived, good for her. If not, that was fate.
'Now's about the time… Will they cooperate, split, or stay neutral?'
Before I could move forward with any plan, the Deadmen needed to be dealt with.
That's when An Hyun stepped up. He must've left his sword back at the clearing. Placing An Sol down gently, he picked up a fist-sized rock. I paused loading my crossbow, curious to see what he'd do.
If you handed every adult man in Korea a knife and asked them to hit a target from a distance, how many could do it? I wanted to see if his earlier slash—cutting a Deadman's arm—had been skill or luck.
Unlike before, An Hyun carefully calculated distance and angle before hurling the rock with full force. The result—
Thud!
"Not much, huh."
The throw was excellent. The rock cracked the Deadman's skull cleanly. The monster crumpled, lifeless, and An Hyun, eyes lighting with realization, took out the second one just as easily.
"Yeah, not much. So don't get cocky just because you took out two."
Enter Park Dong-gul again, irritated by An Hyun's rising confidence. An Hyun stopped walking and turned to face him.
Then, he spoke.
"Thanks to you, actually. Appreciate it."
"What the hell are you babbling about?"
"The one that attacked Sol earlier—he had something heavy stuck in his chest. That helped the rock dig in. So, I realized rocks work."
It didn't take long for Park Dong-gul to catch the sarcastic undertone. His face darkened immediately.
An Hyun was clearly pointing out that the chaos was Dong-gul's fault—he was the one who kicked the damn rock that triggered the earlier ambush.
"So you're saying I kicked that rock? How the hell do you know that was me?"
"I never said that. Just thanked you, is all."
An Hyun's nonchalant tone made Park Dong-gul bristle. But instead of lashing out, he stopped, seemingly recalling something, then grumbled darkly.
"You bastards think you're so clean? You all nearly got us killed because of that girl clinging to you!"
"Girl?"
"Yeah, that psycho! Everyone else's doing fine, but she's sobbing like a damn baby—can't even walk on her own!"
An Hyun's face hardened. He stayed silent, perhaps knowing he had no retort. An Sol, realizing her brother was being blamed, hung her head and wiped her tears.
"Tch. I hate people who pretend to be tough. Who do you think caused this mess in the first place?"
Luckily, the chatterbox woman wasn't one to sit quietly. She threw her support behind An Hyun. Park Dong-gul's expression soured further.
"Hey, bitch. You better shut that pretty little mouth before I rip it off."
"Hey, bastard. If I were you, I'd shut up out of shame. You start the mess and act like a victim? Also—thanks for the compliment."
"You damn whores wanna die today?"
All three had their faults, but Dong-gul was clearly the most hated. Realizing that even the group's mood had turned against him, he wisely fell silent.
We'd just escaped one crisis, only for another to arise. These people didn't just clash—they seemed like lifelong enemies. I was starting to feel frustrated again. My hand reached instinctively for a cigarette, only to remember I didn't have one. At this point, I was almost convinced killing Park Dong-gul would help move things along.
Still, I'd resolved to observe for now. I'd gone through too much trouble gathering them to let it all fall apart again.
Surely the memory of that Deadman-filled clearing was still fresh in everyone's minds. But how the hell was I supposed to unite this group?
No answer came to mind. I decided it was best to step away for now. This place wasn't safe anyway.
Click!
I loudly cocked the crossbow for effect, drawing everyone's attention. Acting casual, I loaded a bolt and looked around, locking eyes with the others.
"For now, avoiding those monste—hmm, those creatures—is our priority."
"Thanks, Captain Obvious. So what now?"
'This guy's really asking to die, huh.'
For a moment, I seriously considered lodging a bolt in his mouth. If it was just the two of us, I probably would have.
"We're at a point where we should be working together, not arguing. I'll step away for a moment, so use the time to talk and decide on a course of action."
No one could argue with that logic. Still, I expected a question—and surprisingly, it came from someone I hadn't anticipated.
"Why are you stepping away? If we're discussing things, shouldn't you be part of it?"
It was the cold-faced woman I hadn't gotten a read on earlier. She seemed about my age, maybe a year or two younger. Something about her aura felt oddly familiar.
'Let them argue amongst themselves for now.'
"…That creature could appear like before, so I'll stay on lookout just in case. Let me know when you're done."
"…Don't go too far."
Her reply was delayed but didn't seem suspicious. No one would stop someone volunteering to take the risk of standing guard.
With that, I headed for a hidden spot I'd marked on the way up. Once I was far enough, I hid myself in the forest and activated my mana. My senses heightened—vision sharpened, hearing amplified. They couldn't see me from that distance, but I could hear every breath they took.
Silence blanketed the hill. The Deadman corpses below added to the eerie atmosphere. No one wanted to be the first to speak. Each person wore a different expression, but Park Dong-gul's was the most interesting. He kept shifting from serious to smiling—almost manic. I wondered if he was actually insane.
Time passed. In most stories, there's a charismatic protagonist who takes charge. But here? Not a single person had the chops to be a proper leader. The longer they waited, the deeper their unease would grow—and someone might eventually snap.
Then, two women stood up.
To my surprise, Lee Bo-rim stepped into the center of the group. The chatterbox woman glanced at her, then sat back down, apparently deciding to hear her out.
Lee Bo-rim looked around nervously, then began to speak.
"E-Everyone saw those monsters, right? Honestly… when the angel helper told us about this, I thought I was dreaming. A really bad one. But now… I have to accept it's real. It's terrifying. So terrifying I feel like I'm going to lose it. And I'm sure all of you feel the same."
No one interrupted. Sensing that she had their attention, Bo-rim's voice grew stronger.
"Honestly, we survived thanks to the man who went to keep watch. But he's no different from us—we can't rely on him forever. Instead of fighting, we should cooperate. That's the only way we'll survive."
It was a cliché, but she'd nailed the core of the Rite of Passage: work together, act together. Her words seemed to resonate, slightly lifting the oppressive atmosphere. Even Lee Shin-woo, who'd been sulking, finally spoke up.
"Then… what do you think we should do?"
His voice trailed off, but the intent was clear: since you spoke first, what's your plan?
Bo-rim, caught off guard, hesitated and replied softly.
"I… I'm not sure yet. But at the very least, I hope we stop fighting and share ideas calmly."
"I agree."
Park Dong-gul stepped forward like a hawk eyeing its prey.
This time, his face looked calm—thoughtful even. But I instantly frowned.
It looked sincere, but I could tell. That was a mask.
He was plotting something again. I was sure of it.