Day 5 – 7:30 PM – Underground Shelter
Kyung-min tightened the straps of his boots, feeling the tension in the air as he and the Silver-Haired Woman prepared to leave.
The others sat around the dimly lit space, their faces reflecting varying degrees of unease. No one liked this plan.
But no one had a better alternative.
Seok-hoon broke the silence. "You both know the objective."
Kyung-min nodded. "Scout the surrounding blocks. Check for monster activity, potential supply spots, and safe pathways. If things get bad, we retreat."
The Silver-Haired Woman adjusted the sheath at her hip, her voice indifferent. "And we don't get ourselves killed. Simple."
Ji-hye leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "Just don't be stupid."
Tae-sik exhaled, tapping his fingers against the hilt of his blade. "If you're not back in three hours, we'll assume you're dead."
Min-jun looked up from his notebook, pushing up his glasses. "Try to avoid drawing attention. We still don't know if the reset has fully stabilized yet."
Kyung-min took a slow breath.
Then, without another word, he and the Silver-Haired Woman stepped toward the exit.
And into the night.
Day 5 – 7:40 PM – The Streets of Seoul
The city was different at night.
By day, it was eerie, abandoned—a graveyard of collapsed buildings and burnt-out cars. But now, under the cover of darkness, it felt alive.
The air was thick with something unseen. A slow, creeping sense of being watched.
The Silver-Haired Woman moved with ease, stepping over broken pavement and weaving through the shadows as if she belonged to them.
Kyung-min followed, keeping his steps light, his agility boost from leveling making it easier to move without making a sound.
"Stick close," she murmured.
He didn't argue.
Day 5 – 7:55 PM – First Signs of Danger
They hadn't encountered anything yet.
But they knew something was out here.
The usual background noise—distant howls, shifting rubble, the occasional metallic groan of a collapsing structure—was gone.
The city was holding its breath.
And then—
Kyung-min saw it.
A corpse in the middle of the street.
It wasn't a human.
It was a monster.
The body was mangled, its torso torn open as if something had ripped through it from the inside. The creature's blackened bones jutted out unnaturally, and its hollow eyes stared blankly at the sky.
He swallowed. "Something killed it."
The Silver-Haired Woman crouched beside it, running a gloved hand over the jagged wounds. She exhaled through her nose.
"It wasn't a human."
Kyung-min's breath slowed. "Then what?"
She stood, her gaze scanning the rooftops.
"Another monster."
His stomach tightened.
Something was hunting other monsters.
And it was still out here.
Watching.
Waiting.
They needed to move.
Day 5 – 8:10 PM – The First Encounter
They barely made it three blocks before they heard it.
A slow, scraping sound.
Kyung-min's fingers tensed over the hilt of his dagger. He turned his head slightly, scanning the alleyways.
Nothing.
But then—
Above.
A flicker of movement on the rooftops.
His breath caught as he saw it—a massive, emaciated figure crawling upside down across a broken building facade, its limbs elongated and moving unnaturally.
Its head snapped toward them.
Kyung-min didn't move.
Neither did the Silver-Haired Woman.
They were not hidden.
It could see them.
It just hadn't decided whether they were worth hunting yet.
The creature twitched.
And then—
It moved.
Day 5 – 8:12 PM – Holding Their Breath
The creature twitched again.
Kyung-min's heartbeat hammered in his ears, but he forced himself to stay still.
The Silver-Haired Woman didn't react either.
Between them and the monster, three stories of crumbling concrete and broken rebar loomed. If it jumped down, there would be no time to escape.
The air felt heavy.
Then—
The creature's jaw cracked open.
Its elongated mouth stretched impossibly wide, the sound of snapping bone filling the empty street. It let out a slow, rattling exhale—not a growl, not a roar.
A warning.
And then—it moved on.
Kyung-min's breath finally escaped his lungs.
The Silver-Haired Woman watched the monster vanish into the skyline before speaking. "It wasn't hunting us."
Kyung-min exhaled. "It didn't see us as a threat."
"Not yet."
Neither of them liked that answer.
They needed to move.
Day 5 – 8:25 PM – The Supermarket Ruins
Two blocks down, they found what they were looking for.
A partially collapsed supermarket—one of the larger chains, judging by the size of the ruined entrance.
The metal shutters had been ripped open, the glass windows shattered. Inside, the aisles were bare, but that didn't mean everything was gone.
Kyung-min scanned the area. No movement. No noises.
The Silver-Haired Woman tilted her head. "Five minutes."
He nodded. "Let's make it count."
Day 5 – 8:27 PM – Searching for Supplies
🔹 Canned food—some dented, some expired, but still edible.
🔹 Bottled water—only a few remained, but enough to last another day.
🔹 Dried meat packs—a rare find, but highly valuable.
Kyung-min shoved as much as he could into his bag.
The Silver-Haired Woman moved quickly, scanning the shelves like she had done this before.
"Take high-calorie food first," she muttered. "Weight-efficient."
"Got it."
His hands moved faster.
They weren't alone in this world. Other survivors might come here later. If they didn't take what they could now—someone else would.
Day 5 – 8:33 PM – The Moment Everything Went Wrong
Just as Kyung-min zipped his bag shut—
A metallic crash echoed from deeper inside the supermarket.
His breath stopped.
The Silver-Haired Woman froze.
And then—
The heavy, wet sound of something breathing filled the silence.
Slow. Deep. Hungry.
She didn't need to say it.
Run.
Day 5 – 8:34 PM – The Chase Begins
Kyung-min moved first, sprinting through the wrecked aisles as fast as his enhanced agility allowed.
Behind him, shelves collapsed as something massive barreled through them.
The Silver-Haired Woman was just behind him, moving with perfect control, weaving through debris without slowing.
Kyung-min risked a glance over his shoulder.
A nightmare made of stitched flesh and bone, its arms dragging against the floor as it tore through the shelves.
And it was fast.
"Left!" she ordered.
He didn't hesitate.
They turned, vaulting over a broken counter—toward the back exit.
Day 5 – 8:35 PM – Losing the Trail
The moment they hit the alleyway, Kyung-min grabbed a piece of loose debris—a metal pipe.
As they passed through a narrow passage, he slammed it against the wall.
The echo bounced through the alley.
A trick. A misdirection.
They turned another corner—and stopped.
Breathless.
They listened.
The monster crashed into the alley—but it followed the wrong sound.
Seconds later, it was gone.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then—
"...Nice trick," she muttered, still catching her breath.
Kyung-min wiped sweat from his brow. "Worked, didn't it?"
She let out a small, amused exhale.
Then, without another word, they turned back toward the shelter.
Day 5 – 8:50 PM – Returning to the Shelter
By the time they reached the underground entrance, both of them were still panting slightly.
Seok-hoon was the first to see them.
"You're late," he said flatly.
Ji-hye raised an eyebrow. "Judging by the way you look, I'm guessing things didn't go smoothly?"
Kyung-min dropped the bag onto the floor.
"Canned food, bottled water, dried meat," he listed off. "Not much, but enough for a few days."
Min-jun adjusted his glasses. "Any encounters?"
The Silver-Haired Woman smirked. "Just one."
Kyung-min sighed. "A big one."
Tae-sik leaned back against the wall, arms crossed. "Did you kill it?"
Kyung-min let out a dry laugh. "Hell no."
Seok-hoon eyed him. "But you made it back."
The Silver-Haired Woman tilted her head. "Obviously."
Ji-hye exhaled. "Fine. We'll go over details later. For now—get some rest."
Kyung-min nodded.
Tomorrow would bring more problems.
But for tonight—
They were still alive.
And that was enough.