In the shadowy backalleys, Yujin felt a strange sense of nostalgia, as if he had returned home.
A place for the lowest caste, for mayflies who could never escape their station. That was the most fitting description. The Infected living here didn't dream of what life they might lead; they worried about whether they would open their eyes tomorrow.
Even a cursory glance revealed severe cases of Oripathy, with crystals visibly protruding from skin.
'People live the same everywhere.'
Thinking this, Yujin sighed. Dressed in ragged clothes, he might pass for an ordinary Infected, but anyone familiar with this place would instantly recognize him as an outsider.
Yujin‘s goal was to enter Sector Zero. To do that, he needed to cause a scene—enough to get the Kazimierz military police to arrest him.
But he wasn't sure how to go about it. If he caused too much destruction, he might just be executed on the spot. If he was too lukewarm, they might ignore him.
"Stop it!"
"Is this brat stupid or what...?"
Loud voices and a child's cry reached his ears. Looking toward the source, he saw a group trying to take food from a child.
As Yujin turned his gaze, a man glared back, shouting at him to look away. Others glanced briefly but seemed uninterested in helping.
Except Yujin.
Thud! With a single kick, the man went sprawling across the dirt. Covered in dust, he scrambled up and shouted at Yujin.
"Who the hell are you?!"
"Just a passerby. Your behavior annoyed me."
Their lives followed the logic of the jungle. Knowing this, Yujin chose a kick over conversation.
"You son of a bitch!"
The man pulled out a crude knife and swung it wildly. Yujin sighed. No stance, no technique—just frantic swinging meant to intimidate.
In reality, the man was probably terrified and hoping Yujin would just leave. Yujin watched the clumsy swings for a moment, then grabbed the man's wrist and twisted it backward.
"Gaaaaah!"
"Quiet. You're drawing attention."
A follow-up kick to the solar plexus sent the man rolling again. Looking at him pitifully, Yujin picked up the fallen bread and food and handed it back to the child.
"Are you okay?"
"…!"
Suspicion didn't vanish easily. The child stared at Yujin with mistrust, snatched the bag, and ran off.
Watching the child flee, Yujin wondered if he and Theresa had acted the same way when they were young. He moved on.
Since he had kicked a man, the attention of the surrounding people was now focused on him.
He moved, hiding his presence. Spreading his senses wide like a spiderweb, he scanned the area.
There were more presences below ground than above. It was strange, but Yujin quickly realized the truth.
The sewers.
The Infected of Kazimierz were living underground, hidden from the eyes of the knights.
2.
A vast sewer system built beneath the earth. Technically, since this was a Nomadic City, it wasn't "earth," but the Infected lived in the inevitably existing subterranean infrastructure.
"Huh. So that's why there were no people above."
Thinking of the backalleys of Kazdel, Yujin had to adjust his perspective. In a backward nation like Kazdel, a massive treatment facility like this was a pipe dream.
But here, in Kazimierz, where three Nomadic Cities had combined, the Infected lived in this underworld.
Hidden from people, knights, and everyone else.
Sector Zero was classified as a surface facility, but Yujin hadn't expected a place like this to exist below.
As he walked deeper, wary eyes tracked him. More gazes latched onto him—it seemed they were following him, intending to capture him.
Deliberately heading into a dead end, Yujin reached the terminus. Behind him, a woman walked out confidently.
Fiery red hair, a thick tail, and twitching ears.
'Zalak?'
The rodent race.
Most resembled squirrels. She looked harmless enough, but her face, twisted with exhaustion, was enough to instill fear in an opponent.
"Yawn... Hey, outsider. If you just wandered in out of curiosity, could you get lost? Everyone's nerves are sharp lately."
"I don't think I can do that."
At Yujin‘s refusal, the red-haired woman frowned. She hadn't expected him to say no.
She drew a sword specialized for thrusting—a long, stiletto-like blade—and spoke irritably.
"Look, this isn't a game. If we decide to, you die here."
"…Hmm, really?"
Yujin looked at her with an expression that said, 'Sure, maybe.' The woman stepped forward. The others didn't move, suggesting she intended to handle this alone.
"We warned you."
Like a blaze, she lunged. Yujin shifted his stance. Judging by her thrusting posture, she wasn't some random thug.
Let's see her skill. He tried to catch the thrusting blade to subdue her, but felt something strange. The blade he reached for vanished like a phantom, its trajectory curving sharply.
Having deflected and read the path of the bending blade instantly, Yujin twisted his body. Dodging the exquisite curve, he struck the flat of the blade with his fist.
"I intended to break it. You‘re using a pretty good sword."
"You...! What are you?!"
Clang! The sword vibrated violently. Flustered, the woman leaped back, looking at her weapon which had nearly snapped, her wrist throbbing.
But Yujin didn't wait for her to recover. He pushed off the slick floor and closed in to throw a punch, but the people standing around drew their weapons and swung at him.
"Hmph!"
Mid-punch, Yujin twisted his body and kicked away the incoming blades with both feet. It was an acrobatic feat that left everyone stunned.
Excessive violence wouldn't work. It would only plant needless hostility. In this situation, demonstrating overwhelming power was the way to bring them to their knees.
As Yujin landed lightly, the others prepared to rush him again, but the red-haired woman raised a hand to stop them.
"Stop."
Whew... Letting out a breath that seemed to deflate the ground, the woman ruffled her hair roughly and looked at Yujin.
"Since you aren't arresting us, you aren't from Sector Zero. And you aren't trying to kill us. Where did you come from?"
"I need help."
"Help? Not a rampage, but help?"
Irritated by her sarcasm, Yujin closed the distance in an instant and lightly touched a lock of her hair.
"What the...!"
"How long do you think it would take me to kill everyone here?"
A chill ran down everyone‘s spine. Because he had the power to make it a reality, the threat felt terrifyingly real.
"…Damn it. What do you want?"
Finally, the woman was ready to talk.
Logic of power—it really was convenient.
"Where did they go?"
Kalaisha looked up at the sky, searching for the suddenly vanished Theresis and Buldrokkas'tee.
Theresa had been wandering around looking for Theresis too, but there was no trace of them, as if they had ascended to heaven or vanished into the earth.
Unable to find an answer, the two eventually went to their Master.
"Buldrokk and Theresis? They took a car and ran away in the middle of the night. Well, they're adults now, so I don't think much of it..."
Netsalem confirmed that they had left for somewhere. But leaving without telling Theresa and Kalaisha?
That wasn't like them. They had been under a lot of stress lately, but... running away abruptly?
"Sigh. Maybe I was too moody lately."
"Yeah. Why did you take it out on Theresis?"
Theresa, still not viewing Kalaisha as a rival, spoke freely.
Of course, Kalaisha had only taken her anger out on Buldrokk.
Searching Theresis and Buldrokk‘s room, Theresa found a crumpled piece of paper in the trash bin. Theresis usually kept his room spotless, so Theresa curiously picked it up and unfolded it.
"…THERESIS!!!!"
Until she read the letter and screamed.
For the record, neither Kalaisha nor Theresa knew how to drive.
"Where is this?"
"Don't ask me. We're doomed."
A wasteland with neither people nor bandits in sight.
Buldrokk and Theresis, lost for 3 days...!