"We’ll have to give our testimonies properly in court someday..."

It seemed there were indeed many deaths for reasons other than monsters or drowning.

“May I ask a question?” one of the soldiers raised his hand.

“So, there aren’t any zombies here?”

“Zombies?” Park Tae-wan looked confused.

“A metaphor, maybe?” another soldier muttered, “Some people here do look like zombies, but…”

It appeared there weren’t any zombies here. This was oddly similar to our situation; our base hadn’t seen any zombies either, allowing us to focus all our efforts on combating the lizardmen. With fewer threats, we’d had the resources to turn our unit into Awakened.

The people here had done the same.

[Ingredient Identification]

[Lv. 3 Spearman]

[Lv. 6 Fire Mage]

Awakened individuals made up a considerable proportion of the survivors. With only water-bound monsters as enemies, information about the Awakening process must have spread quickly.

“Well, that’s how things turned out. Since then, we’ve been relying on the food we managed to move upstairs, fish caught from the water, and bread acquired through... certain means.”

“Fishing?”

“Oh, yes. There are plenty of fish in the water for some reason.”

I recalled the dam and lake that Soo-ah mentioned, which had visibly lower water levels.

*Maybe the water from those places has flowed into this space.*

Perhaps the fish had come along with it.

“Are you the only survivors left?”

“No, we’re not alone. Though few in number, we maintain contact with others.”

“Contact?”

I wondered if he meant crossing to other buildings despite the water and monsters.

“I think it’ll be easier to show you. Follow me.”

We followed Tae-wan up the building, through the dim hallways, until we reached the rooftop. The view that greeted us was astonishing.

Water cascaded down the building's walls like a waterfall. Despite it being midday, a faintly glowing moon hung in the sky.

And...

“Captain, you’re here,” a guard saluted.

“Yes. Everything normal?”

“Yes, sir.”

The guards on the rooftop were stationed to protect something quite unusual.

“A… bridge?”

“Yes.”

Bridges—precarious and makeshift—connected our building to others nearby.

“They’re rough, but they allow us to trade supplies with people in other buildings. We barter for what we need.”

I moved closer to the edge, looking down at the swaying bridges stretching between buildings. Below, water poured over the outer walls like a waterfall, and dark shapes moved within it.

*Humans were once the rulers of the ground, but now they’ve fled to the skies.*

The bridges, though a survival strategy, had a sad feel to them. Humans, who once ruled the earth, had been driven up to high-rise buildings. Now, the creatures that claimed the ground lurked below, mouths gaping, waiting for anyone who might fall.

---

“Oh, you’re probably wondering how we made those bridges. Like I said earlier, some of us developed special abilities. Some people attached ropes to the other building and tossed them across…”

“...We’re familiar with Awakening,” I interrupted.

“Oh? You know about it?”

Surprised, Tae-wan pondered for a moment before he spoke again.

“Now that I think about it, I’ve been talking only about our situation. Could you tell us what’s happening outside?”

They looked to us with hope, thinking our arrival meant the outside world was safe. I felt a bit guilty knowing I’d have to shatter that illusion.

“It seems you assumed everything is fine outside because we came here, but…”

“...?”

“The truth is, it’s not.”

Inside, we explained the situation outside in detail. These people, who had clung to the hope that the military had come to save them, were shocked.

“My god…”

Their hopeful expressions faded.

“There aren’t just merfolk out there, but all sorts of monsters?”

“Zombies? This isn’t a movie.”

“Damn it... I almost wish I’d kept believing that everyone else was drowned. Zombies are worse than simply being dead.”

Tae-wan, who’d been excitedly talking just moments ago, looked dazed.

“So... are you really the only ones sent to help us?”

“Yes.”

“No reinforcements?”

“No.”

Those who had been so hopeful just moments ago sank into despair, and I noticed a trace of tears in Tae-wan’s eyes.

“So we’re doomed to spend our lives trapped here.”

“No, that’s not necessarily true.”

“What?”

They looked at me with wide eyes.

“There’s a way out. Somewhere in this dungeon is the mastermind that created it—the leader of these monsters. If we kill it, we should be able to leave.”

“...What?”

“That’s nonsense.”

I had just revealed how to escape the dungeon, yet their reactions were lukewarm.

“Do you even know how many of those monsters are out there? Do you realize that to fight their leader, you’d have to go into the water?”

“…”

“You might be able to kill one or two if you’re lucky—that’s how we became Awakened. But their leader? It’s impossible.”

Their defeatist attitude grated on me.

“How can you be so certain without trying?”

“Some things you just know before trying. Face it—you’re trapped here with us.”

Tae-wan’s disheartened laughter filled the silence.

“Well, it looks like we’re done talking. Now, get out.”

“Excuse me?”

“I already told you—this building is our territory, so leave.”

It was an abrupt command.

“We don’t have much to spare. We’re nearly out of stockpiled food, and all we’ve got left are fish from fishing and some rye bread bought with points. Rye bread tastes awful and costs too much… we’re not about to share our food or let you fish here. So go.”

As I listened to this, I thought:

*Doesn’t that mean they shouldn’t be kicking us out?*

Just then, one of Tae-wan’s men approached him and whispered.

“Captain, think about it. These people are...”

“Huh?”

“They’re soldiers, with a decent number of them. And they came here on their own.”

For a moment, I thought he shared my line of thinking. But I was wrong.

“They must have some combat rations.”

“Good point.”

Tae-wan nodded and turned to us.

“That’s right. You owe us some compensation for the information we’ve given you.”

“Compensation?”

“If you don’t like that term, call it a toll for traveling through, or even a lodging fee if you want to stay here.”

“…”

“You must have brought a good amount of food with you, right? Why don’t we share a bit among ourselves?”

Shameless.

*He’s not necessarily a bad person, but...*

Hearing about the collapse of the outside world, their last hope had shattered, leaving them unable to think straight.

But that didn’t mean we had to indulge them.

“Gwang-il.”

“Yes?”

“Go down to the vehicles and bring up a third of our military rations.”

“Excuse me?”

Corporal Seo Su-hyeok frowned.

“Sergeant Shin, there’s no need…”

“It’s fine.”

We did get information from them, after all.

And besides, these rations weren’t my cooking but standard-issue rations from the Tank Battalion.

“Ah, if that’s the case, I understand.”

I didn’t mind parting with some.

“You’re more compliant than I expected.”

“We did receive information from you. Don’t worry; we don’t plan on staying.”

“Well, that’s a relief.”

But this was still a transaction. I wanted to ensure we got our worth.

“We’ll hand over some rations, but in exchange, I’d like more information.”

“What do you want to know?”

“You mentioned this building is your territory and that you sometimes interact with others. I’d like information on the other factions.”

Tae-wan’s face tightened slightly.

“That’s... a bit complicated.”

“If it’s too much, then we’ll cancel the food.”

“...What?”

As Tae-wan started to rise, I reached into my vest, revealing my pistol.

“Just so you know, I won’t give it up easily if you try to take it by force.”

“…”

“Judging by the number of Awakened among you, I wouldn’t underestimate us.”

“Fine. Sharing information isn’t that hard.”

Though he’d said it was complicated, the details weren’t much.

“The people in that building have a smaller group…”

He told us who occupied each building, the general size of each group, and their connections via bridges.

“And there’s the occasional skirmish.”

“Skirmish?”

“Things are relatively stable now, but there was a major fight some time ago.”

Food scarcity had led to raids, with some attacking other buildings for resources.

“The raiders are all dead now, but after that, an unspoken rule developed—approaching from the first floor is seen as hostile.”

An enemy on a bridge could be thwarted by cutting it, but those attacking from the ground could break through barricades.

As I listened, it became clear.

*They’ve made some serious miscalculations.*

Once I felt I had the necessary information, I stood.

“That’s enough. We’ll be going now.”

Just then—

“Wait a moment.”

“?”

One of the men came over and whispered to Tae-wan.

"Captain, think about it. Those people…"

“Oh, you mean...?”

His eyes widened, and he cleared his throat.

“Ahem. No need to leave.”

“Excuse me?”

“You gave us so much food; it seems we’re the ones who were

 lacking in hospitality. We can even offer you a place to stay.”

“Yes, exactly,” another added.

“Our captain just misspoke earlier. It happens, right? Let’s put it behind us and stay together!”

Their sudden friendliness didn’t surprise me. I understood what they had realized.

*They finally figured it out, huh?*

Their food stocks were running low, and without sunlight, farming was impossible. Fishing and point-purchased rye bread were their only options.

If they stayed like this…

*The different groups will start fighting over fishing spots.*

As Tae-wan mentioned, fights had already broken out over food. But the next battle wouldn’t be for food alone.

*They’ll be fighting to secure more fishing territory.*

This struggle would continue until only those who could live on fishing remained.

To survive, they’d need more firepower. After months of surviving together, they knew each other’s strengths.

And then, we’d entered the dungeon.

*They know we’re soldiers, and some of us are Awakened.*

In other words, we were a force strong enough to shift the balance of power among them.

But instead of realizing that, they told us to leave and demanded our food.

“It’s fine. We’ll find somewhere to stay.”

“Please, wait!”

Now, they finally understood our significance to their survival. I had only one thing to say to them.

“If you really want us to stay, there is a way.”

“What... what do you mean?”

“You’ll need to compensate us.”

“What?”

They had set the tone by asking for a toll, just as we’d paid for information with food.

If they wanted our power, they’d have to buy it.

Of course,

“That is, if you can afford it.”