After we searched for anything that we found useful, we left the building and continued the journey.
It was a long journey. But we were eventually able to cross the distance at a steady pace. We made a turn and a side street appeared. Now the distance to Warehouse was just a few stops in a straight line.
Jung Yunhee opened her mouth while staring at the huge building.
"Is this the place? The warehouse."
"Yeah, that's right."
We all raised our heads one by one. Standing tall in the heart of the ruined Gwanakgu was the Warehouse. The huge structure was barely affected by the monsters. Perhaps it was the only building in Gwanakgu that was still standing.
"Doesn't it look like a shelter instead of a warehouse?"
"This is a place built by the government to keep the basic necessities they provide for the National University. Of course, it will be secure."
I stared at the reinforced walls of the warehouse for any noticeable cracks. Thankfully, there was none.
There were rumours that were spread around saying the Warehouse was designed by the government to withstand earthquakes and natural disasters. But this brings another question?
Lee Jongho opened his mouth and asked the question on my mind.
"Can it withstand monsters?"
"Who knows. But it's better than staying outside. Come on, let's go quickly."
We approached the warehouse which was surrounded by thick wires. Once we entered the open yard, we rushed the front entrance. However, the entrance was blocked by a shutter which can only be opened from the inside.
Angelica looked anxious and opened her mouth.
"What should we do? It's already locked."
"Can we try knocking?"
"We can try. We already made it this far."
Lee Jongho nodded before he approached the door and knocked.
"Hey! Is anyone there?"
There was no response. This time, he knocked again and a voice responded from the other side.
"What? Who is there?"
"Please, open the door. We're survivors."
"No! Go away!"
"Please, let us in. We came all the way from Hongdae."
"Go way! We don't need anymore people."
Lee Jongho tried pleading with the people on the other side but his pleads fell on deaf ears.
The sub scenario said we should meet up with the other survivors at the warehouse. But it didn't mean the survivors
Lee Jongho looked at me with a confused expression.
"What should we do now? Should we find another place?"
"No, We will enter by force."
"Are you sure that will be okay?"
"Do you want to turn around?"
Lee Jongho could not answer. Indeed, it will be difficult to turn back and find another place like the warehouse.
"In that case, I will use a skill."
"Save your energy. Let me handle it."
I looked around and saw a crowbar on the floor. I placed the crowbar in the gap of the closed shutter and used it as a lever to lift the shutter with all my strength.
The shutter that was closed tightly began to open forcefully from my sheer strength. This was the result of my level 20 strength stats. If the old world wasn't destroyed, I would be known as the strongest man in the world.
"W-What?!"
There was a loud sound once the shutter opened completely and the people inside became nervous.
"It's invaders! Run away!"
The scared people retreated back into the darkness and everyone entered the warehouse safely before I lowered the shutter.
Jung Yunhee was the first to notice something strange.
"That's weird. Aren't we supposed to receive a message saying we passed the scenario?"
'Meet with the other survivors at the warehouse.'
The sub scenario looked simple from a first glance, but it was more complex than it seems. We also need to be accepted by the survivors in order to pass the scenario.
Thud! Thud! Thud!!
Several men aimed with guns appeared and pointed their weapons. One, two.. A total of 10 people. Was this their attack squad?
"Don't move!"
"Raise your hands slowly or else we will shoot!"
We slowly raised our hands in the air. The mission was meet the survivors, not kill the survivors. So we had no choice but to obey.
Step! Step!
The armed men made way for a striking figure to approach. It was a woman around her early-twenties with a punk aesthetic. From the powerful presence she possessed, she was definitely the boss of this group.
Of course, this character would be here. She came forward and studied our faces one by one before opening her mouth.
"Now then, where did you lots crawl out from?"
Under her unsuspecting gaze, I silently activated a skill.
[The character information will be revealed.]
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[Private Information]
Name: Lee Suhye
Age: 27
Chosen Constellation: Queen of the Wilderness.
Private Class: Expert Gunman (Rare)
Exclusive Skills: [Patience Lv. 6], [Execution Time Lv. 3], [Marksmanship Lv. 4], [Sniping Lv. 3], [Weapon Training Lv. 2]
Divine Protection: Homing Lv. 2
Overall Stats: [Stamina Lv. 18], [Strength Lv. 14], [Agility Lv. 16], [Mana Lv. 20]
*Starter Pack is currently applied.
*A growth package is currently applied.
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Lee Suhye. She was the best Hitman in Song of Nightmares. In fact, she was one of the strongest incarnations within Seoul. On top of that, she was also the incarnation of Artemis, the goddess of hunting.
Growth package and Starter Park at the same time? Artemis must really value her incarnation.
In moments like this, I was filled with regret that I didn't have a good support constellation. Who did I have to blame for that though?
"Who is the leader of this group?"
It was time for basic introductions. I stepped forward and opened my mouth.
"I'm the leader of this group. My name is Kim Jakga."
"Kim Jakga? Isn't that a strange name?"
"I hear that often."
What was this overwhelming sense of deja vu? That's right. Such a scene has happened so many times that It became natural for me.
"Why have you come here?"
"I came because of the nightmare."
"Nightmare?"
"We received a message from the system to come here."
"I'm sorry. We aren't accepting anymore people."
"Isn't there space for a few people?"
"Please leave or else I will be forced to use violence."
Looks like talking did not work as I planned. I remembered that Lee Su-hye had a tough character. This was never going to be easy. Let's change my approach.
I drew a deep breath before taking a step forward. Lee Su-hye was alarmed by my sudden movement and aimed her gun at me.
"Stop! Don't take any step closer!"
"Lee Suhye. Do you like the present situation?"
"W-What? How did you know my name?!"
She seemed shocked. I ignored her question and continued speaking.
"You have managed to reinforce this place and maintain peace for the people for a while. But how long do you think the peace you have managed to maintain will last?"
"You... W-What are you saying?"
"Do you honestly think you can survive the 4th Nightmare? Even if you do manage to survive, what about the 5th or 6th Nightmare? Do you honestly think you will survive while protecting all those people inside?"
The expression of the armed men stiffened. The hands holding the guns were shaking. I studied all their expressions one by one and continued moving.
"I'm sure all of you already know this. The situation in the warehouse is not that great. The resources are running low and you don't know anything about the next Nightmare. At this rate, you are all going to die."
I got closer and closer with every step I took. Noticing my movement, Lee Suhye shouted while pointing the gun in a threatening manner.
"Stop! Don't you get any closer or else I will shoot!"
"No. You will not."
"What?"
"You will not pull the trigger. You're a murderer but you don't kill without reason, isn't that right?"
"You..."
Her expression stiffened and I took another step forward.
"I know you need help. You also know that as well. You need information about the next scenario but you don't know where to look. Now that I'm here, that will change."
"Are you saying you have information about the next trial?"
"Yes. To be specific, I know a future you don't know."
Finally, I was a few meters away from Lee Suhye. Her gun was directly aimed towards me at close range. It was a dangerous position but there was no need to fear.
"Take me to your leader. I have information about the next Nightmare."
* * *
The Warehouse was a place that was organised into a region base by the survivors and watched under a single leader.
Their leader broke through the Nightmares with the survivors and founded a place for the people in the new era.
"Hm, I like what she has done with the place."
"Huh? Did you say something?"
"Don't mind me. I'm just talking to myself."
"You're a strange guy."
Lee Suhye looked at me momentarily before facing forward. She was guiding me us into the warehouse. We walked until we entered an open place filled with survivors.
[The Sub Trial has ended.]
[The compensation will be settled.]
Finally, we arrived. Upon our arrival, a few survivors looked our way. An elderly man in particular looked at us and opened his mouth with a drunk grin.
"Suhye-ssi, you bought new survivors? I thought we weren't taking anymore people."
"The current situation is different. Where is the boss? Someone wants to speak with her."
"She should be in the backroom. If she's not there then she must have gone outside."
Lee Suhye nodded her head and continued. Despite being younger than the elderly man, he addressed with 'ssi'. She was one of the people with the most authority here.
"You three, stay behind. Only Kim Jakga is allowed to come."
"W-What?!"
The rest of the group were puzzled by this. I knew this would happen. After all, I said something that couldn't be ignored.
"Just do as she says. I won't be long."
"Jakga-ssi."
"I'll be fine. In the meantime, search around and see if any of your family members are here."
They were reluctant at first especially Lee Jongho but they agreed in the end. I was thankful that they push the matter. In fact, it will be difficult if they came with me.
I spotted Angelica seperating from the group and run off somewhere. Maybe she was going to look for her father.
"Let's go."
Lee Suhye nodded and guided me to a secret place that was located away from the open area.
Finally, after walking for a while, we reached a door. Honestly, I was nervous. No matter how prepared I was, dealing with that person was still going to be difficult.
Lee Suhye raised her hand and knocked three times.
"Come in."
After we were given permission for entry, Lee Suhye opened the door wide and both of us stepped into the room.
The room was not very large with only entrance. There were two couches in the middle of the room and a well-polished wooden table at the opposite end. After scanning the room, my eyes settled on the person lounging on a couch.
It was a woman with an unmistakable commanding presence. Long silver-streaked black hair that flowed past her shoulders, fair complexion, and her sharp eyes radiated an intense, almost predatory gaze that would inflict fear in the heart of others, while her expression was calm to the point of indifference. She wore a black jacket with metallic accents over a tight crop top, paired with leather pants and tall black boots, each with zippers running up the sides. Everything about her screamed danger—the kind of person who would casually take jobs from the dark web. The moment I saw her, a creeping sensation slithered into my mind.
This woman infront of me was known as the Infinite Reincarnator. She was the most terrifying woman in Seoul.
The woman's cold gaze suddenly shifted my way. It was a person with an overwhelming presence so I reflexively activated a skill.
[Exclusive skill 'Omniscient Wall' has activated.]
[Information relating to this character will be revealed.]
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[ « Soul Status » ]
Name: Soo Jinyoung
Age: 27
Primary Attributess: Infinite Reincarnator (9th Turn) (Giant), Fallen Star (Myth)
Skills: Demon Dragon Eyes Lv. 3, Pheonix Flame Lv. 5, Seven Heavenly Swordsmanship Lv. 8, Mental Barrier Lv. 5, Crowd Control Lv. 5, One-on-One Lv. 6, Cooking Lv. (???), Transcendence Lv. (???)...
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A ridiculous list of skills appeared before my retina. There was no time to read all of them because I was already standing infront of peculiar woman.
There were several ways to survive in a ruined world. I could only remember a few but this person was definitely the 'first way' to survive.
Reincarnator Soo Jinyoung. The 1999 chapters of the Song of Nightmares started and ended with this person.