Chapter 5 : Survival Game

Of course, all four of us were in a tattered state, looking like a complete mess. Still, my dear younger sibling was worried about me, yet I was acting all prickly…

“Hey, Kang Do-jin. You can’t talk to a friend like that just because you’re annoyed. Answer properly.”

I almost snapped, but since the woman beside me spoke sternly, I held back.

Do-jin, who had been grumbling at Ha-yul, furrowed his brows as if he had no choice but to follow her lead and reluctantly added something.

“Ha-yul, hi. It’s been a while.”

“Yeah. Ah, this is my older brother. Hyung, this is the friend I told you about, Kang Do-jin. And this is Do-jin’s sister. She’s the one who treated me to a meal last time.”

“Oh…”

So she bought my little brother a meal. A kind person, indeed.

“Hello, I’m Lee Ha-je. Ha-yul’s older brother.”

“I’m Kang Do-hee. And this sulky teenager going through puberty is my younger brother, Kang Do-jin.”

Kang Do-hee was the first to extend a hand toward me. I took it and shook lightly, offering an awkward smile.

It seemed like this was the friend Ha-yul had often mentioned to me. Thankfully, we weren’t complete strangers.

Not wanting to make any mistakes in this encounter, I gestured toward the building, subtly steering the conversation away.

“Shall we go in first? The trees block the view, so I can’t be sure, but I don’t see any other buildings nearby.”

I deliberately spoke in an uncertain tone, and Do-hee nodded in agreement.

“I thought the same from above. Since it’s getting dark so quickly, let’s hurry.”

Deciding to handle proper introductions inside, we quickened our pace.

The forest path, devoid of streetlights, was already pitch black even though the sky hadn’t fully darkened yet.

It was strange. The sky still held light, yet the ground was covered in thick darkness.

After walking for about ten more minutes, we arrived at our destination and examined the surroundings.

Looking closely, it wasn’t a concrete building but a modified container.

The barred windows were covered with curtains, preventing us from seeing inside, and the door was half open.

“…Hello?”

I hesitantly called out from outside the door while gripping a tree.

There was no specific marking on the map, but we had to be cautious. The four of us held our breath and waited.

No response came from inside.

“I-I’ll go in first.”

Since I was the only one holding something remotely resembling a weapon, I mustered up my courage.

Slowly pushing the door open, I stepped inside and spotted a mattress used as a bed, a burner, a pot, and fallen leaves scattered across the floor.

The old container looked untouched for a long time.

“Phew. It looks safe to come in.”

Hearing my words, Do-hee let the younger ones enter first before scanning the surroundings one last time and stepping inside.

She closed the door and locked it, testing it several times with a few metallic clicks. Thankfully, the lock held.

I also checked the windows, just in case. When I closed the half-open, rusty window and fastened the latch, it let out an unpleasant screeching noise.

‘At least it’s securely locked.’

There was even a security grille outside, so I felt a bit relieved.

Ding—

“!!”

A system window suddenly popped up.

‘Ah, crap, that scared me.’

[Emergency Quest]

Find a Shelter 1 – Completed
Would you like to receive your reward?

[Yes] [No]

‘Yes.’

Congratulations!
You have received [Inventory] as a quest reward!

Inventory Activated.

An interdimensional pocket where I can store anything. Having an inventory was basically a supernatural ability, making life infinitely more convenient.

A weapon would’ve been great, but…

No, never mind. Weapons can be acquired, but an inventory? This is basically a cheat ability.

‘Alright. Let’s think positively.’

Although I kept a neutral expression, I was inwardly thrilled as I casually sat on the dusty floor.

Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t even think of sitting in such a place, but after rolling around in the forest, my current state was even worse.

The other three were just as disheveled, so they didn’t seem to mind and huddled together.

“Um, Do-hee… Can I call you that?”

In the darkness, Do-jin stared at me with a strange expression.

Clearing my throat in embarrassment, I watched as Do-hee shrugged and said,

“I don’t mind. You can just call me noona.”

“Oh, uh, okay. Haha. And you can talk casually with me too. I’m twenty years old.”

When I introduced myself as twenty, my chest suddenly ached. Was it guilt poking at my conscience? Hmm.

As I pressed my hand against my throbbing chest, Do-hee simply nodded.

“Sure.”

She didn’t hesitate even once in sorting out the hierarchy. Thanks to that, the awkwardness of introducing myself as twenty despite being thirty-four inside quickly faded.

“Ahem. S-So, Do-hee noona… Did you happen to see anyone else or any unusual creatures on your way here?”

This was the question I most wanted to ask them.

I had already checked the blue markers on the map, but there was always the possibility of missing something.

Fortunately, Do-hee shook her head, confirming the map’s accuracy.

“Not even a wild animal. I thought it was because it was dark, but usually, you’d at least hear nocturnal birds.”

“Oh? Now that you mention it, we didn’t hear any either.”

I had been so focused on the map that I hadn’t realized it—there weren’t even birds.

In a forest this dense?

And more than anything, it was eerily silent. Not even the sound of insects.

A forest full of life yet completely devoid of it?

This felt like a bad omen.

I forced myself to calm down and checked my smartphone. The power was on, but unsurprisingly, there was no signal.

“Yeah, it’s completely dead.”

“Noona and I turned ours off to save battery.”

“We should do the same. Ha-yul, turn yours off.”

“Okay.”

After safely storing my phone, we continued our hushed conversation.

Since none of us had much information, our discussion wasn’t particularly meaningful.

In the end, we decided to let the younger ones sleep first while Do-hee and I took turns keeping watch.

“Noona, you should sleep first.”

“Then I’ll leave it to you. Make sure to wake me up.”

“Got it.”

Ha-yul and Do-jin pulled up the hoods of their hoodies under their uniforms and lay down on the musty mattress, quickly falling asleep.

Do-hee leaned against the wall with her eyes closed.

Just when I thought everyone had dozed off, a soft blue glow appeared in my vision.

A status window emerged, as if trying not to startle me.

The sight itself was amusing, but the content was even more surprising.

[Linked Quest Activated!]

Find a Shelter 2
Locate survivors and supplies, then move to a safer location.

Reward for Success: Supply Box (B)
Penalty for Failure: Permanent damage to a specific body part

Quest Progress:
✔ Find Survivors 2/2 (Complete)
❌ Find Supplies 0/6
❌ Find a Safe Location 0/1

‘Huh? No time limit this time?’

Then, the lower part of the status window subtly extended, and additional text appeared.

Time Limit: 24 hours

‘Hey.’

The slightly trembling status window disappeared on its own.

This is absolutely ridiculous.

I have to deal with this quickly since the situation isn’t favorable, but for some reason, this is kind of annoying.

‘Well, at least I got something out of this.’

The “Find a Survivor” objective was completed thanks to the Kang siblings.

Hmm, but… Could this be some kind of game possession?

Ever since I got sucked into the gate, this system-like window has been actively functioning. That alone makes it seem likely, but I still have no clue what’s really going on.

‘For now, let’s check out what I have. Inventory.’

When I opened the inventory, a window appeared with a grid layout, just like in video games.

[Inventory] 4/200

500ml Bottles of Mind-Clearing Water (x4)

Energy-Boosting Chocolate Bars (x8)

First Aid Kits (x2)

Universal Key (x1)

“Huh? What the…?”

If there were things inside, it should’ve notified me beforehand!

I just now noticed them.

‘They look like game items.’

The items in the inventory appeared as pixelated icons.

For example, the water bottle had an image of a single bottle, with the number “4” displayed in the top corner.

The chocolate bar also only showed one image, but there was a small “8” above it. The same went for the first aid kit.

The last item, the Universal Key, looked like a toothpick rather than an actual key. No matter how I looked at it, it didn’t resemble a key at all. At best, it could pass for an ear pick.

When I selected the Universal Key, a small metallic object, slightly bigger than a toothpick, appeared in my hand.

As I stared at it, a small status window popped up, displaying an item description.

[Universal Key]

Insert it into a keyhole and turn it to open anything.

Usage Limit: 10/10

If it can open anything, it’s definitely useful, but with a limited number of uses, I’ll have to be careful.

It’s a handy item, so I’d prefer to carry it in my pocket, but since it’s so small, I might lose it. I decided to put it back in the inventory.

“……”

But there was a problem.

I didn’t have a bag to carry water.

What I mean is, when I ran out of the house looking for my brother, I only grabbed my smartphone and wallet.

If I suddenly pulled out a clean water bottle, wouldn’t that look suspicious?

‘What should I do…?’

I moved all the chocolate bars into my jacket pockets while thinking about how to make the water distribution tomorrow look natural.

By morning, Ha-yul would definitely be thirsty.

Should I take out one bottle, roll it around on the ground outside to make it look dirty?

Hmm… But I don’t have the courage to go outside alone. It’s way too dark out there.

“Ha-yul, I’m going to check your bag.”

I quietly informed my sleeping brother of my one-sided request and carefully opened his backpack.

There were more things inside than I expected. But among them, I found something that made me clench my fist.

‘A tumbler!’

Inside Ha-yul’s bag was a large tumbler.

When I opened the lid, I saw a liquid inside, about halfway full—probably green tea.

I carefully took out a single bottle of water from my inventory and filled Ha-yul’s tumbler.

Even if the taste became slightly diluted, no one would suspect it, right?

I put the remaining water bottle back into the inventory.

[Inventory] 4/200

500ml Bottles of Mind-Clearing Water (x3)

274ml of Mind-Clearing Water (x1)

First Aid Kits (x2)

Universal Key (x1)

‘No exceptions, huh…’

One of the bottles now had a half-empty icon, occupying a separate inventory slot.

Ridiculous. But yeah, that’s how it works, I guess.

After closing the inventory, I continued checking Ha-yul’s bag.

Inside, I found:

Three fish sausages with bits of cheese

A tiny lap blanket, too small to really call a blanket

A notebook

A small notepad

A pencil case

A cute pouch with cartoon characters on it

When I opened the pouch, I found a stash of candies and individually wrapped chocolates.

“…..”

I couldn’t help but smile.

Ha-yul still loves sweets.

Looking at my little brother’s snack pouch, a sudden thought struck me—this moment, right now, felt unreal.

What if this was just a dream?

What if I had never survived the taxi crash and was actually in a coma, just dreaming all of this?

Maybe because of the dark and quiet night, my thoughts were growing more negative.

I slowly moved closer to Ha-yul and leaned against the wall, silently watching my sleeping brother.

The high schooler in front of me looked much better in his uniform than I had imagined.

Even though it was covered in dust…

“……”

Ah.

Damn it.

They say emotions hit the hardest between 10 PM and 2 AM.

That must be true.

Tears welled up in my eyes.

I bit my lip hard and took deep breaths to keep myself from crying.

Just then, Kang Do-hee, who was leaning against the opposite wall, suddenly snapped her eyes open.

‘Ack!’

I flinched so hard that my body jerked.

She quickly raised a finger to her lips, signaling for silence.

What’s going on?

Did she hear something outside?

I didn’t hear anything—

Knock. Knock knock.

I almost gasped.

“…..!”

A sudden knock sent chills down my spine.

I instinctively covered my mouth and glanced at the door.

It was still locked.

Holding my breath, I slowly turned my eyes toward the map I had set aside.

Two white dots. Two blue dots.

And now, right next to them—

A single black dot.