Thud. Thud.
Muyoung kept striking the scarecrows located outside the Blue Temple.
Every day, monsters would try to raid the temple, but for the past three days, starting from the first day, he never forgot to strike the scarecrow.
"Doesn't that guy get tired…"
"There are all kinds of weirdos in the world."
All the people around him were amazed at how hard-working he was, but no one stepped out to train with him.
They were already exhausted after fighting off a monster raid every day.
No one was willing to overwork themselves with all that training.
To them, it seemed foolish for Muyoung to push himself so hard.
It was also incredible that he kept getting the best hunter title, but since he never mingled with anyone, there was no one to compliment him for it.
If anything, there were people who were revolted by the fact he wouldn't share his rations or water with anyone.
But Muyoung didn't care about that.
Before befriending others, to him, it was more important to prioritize getting stronger.
And in his own way, he felt confident in his decision.
'I can raise my strength and stamina up to a maximum of 20 using these scarecrows.'
Everyone knew about this in the Underworld, but it was impossible for these newly summoned people to know it.
Knowledge is power.
And at this moment, Muyoung had the most knowledge out of all the people here.
He never thought about sharing this knowledge.
To survive, one had to have quick wits, decisiveness and most importantly, have perseverance.
"Why the hell is he doing that?"
"Let him be, let him be. There's not much to eat anyways."
The people next to Muyoung copied his actions, but gave up quickly.
Thud! Thud!
He raised his attack speed.
'I need my strength and stamina to be at least 20 to attempt it.'
A secret class was obtained once you overcame the impossible.
Even in the past, there were no more than 100 people with a secret class.
.
And to achieve the secret class, 'Necromancer', it required you to first train your body to a certain level.
Muyoung looked over.
He saw the tall cliffs that surrounded the Blue Temple.
Up on those unending cliffs somewhere, there was a nest.
To become a necromancer, he would have to climb the cliffs, while fighting off hoards of monsters, and kill the five gatekeepers.
As of now, that goal was still far off.
Once one leaves the temple, fighting orcs and knolls were common, but if you were unlucky, you might meet the 'giant leo', a lion type predator.
So killing the five gatekeepers was too difficult for beginners.
'Besides Strength and Stamina, I also need to a weapon.'
After defeating the raid of monsters every day, they would receive rewards dependent on their performance.
The reward for killing the boss monster that comes every 10 days was enough to offset the previous days' rewards.
.
"Excuse me."
Just then, two women approached Muyoung.
Although they looked a bit messy, they had a much better appearance than the rest.
They were two university students with heavy makeup on.
The one with long straight hair and who was adorably clenching her fist spoke.
He hit the scarecrow a bit more softly.
"Is there any meaning to hitting them?"
Thud! Thud!
But Muyoung only continued with his actions.
He hit concisely with no unnecessary movements.
The scarecrow shook dangerously.
"Aren't you going to answer me?"
The girl stepped right next to the scarecrow.
She lowered her gaze with a pitiful expression.
On top of that, her white blouse exposed her bare shoulders.
That scene would have enchanted most men.
"Fuck off."
But that wouldn't work on Muyoung.
To Muyoung, who passed the harsh training of the Forest of Death, that level of seduction was like a child acting cute.
That wasn't all…
One of the things people had to be most cautious of in the Underworld were beauties.
Listening to Muyoung's reply, the girl staggered as if her pride was hurt.
Then she lowered her head and knit her brows.
'Crazy bastard! Is he a eunuch or what?'
Kim Soyoung was not used to this sort of treatment as there weren't many men who would just abruptly tell her to fuck off.
The reason why she approached him was because he seemed like a lone wolf.
Although she said he could only 'fight a bit', she knew it was quite the opposite.
During the past three days, they were constantly subject to life-threatening situations.
They knew that there were more monsters waiting for them outside the temple.
To be physically strong was the biggest asset in this situation.
Even more so, the man in front of her resembled a wolf that would tear apart all the monsters he faced.
He didn't approach others and because of his special aura, no one could approach him.
She thought if it was this man, she would allow him to be with her for a while.
But from the start, her plan was trampled by him.
She refused to give up.
She lifted her head and straightened her clothes.
She revealed her enchanting smile and said, "Aren't your words a bit too harsh? Even I would be a bit hurt."
Muyoung stopped for a moment.
His expressionless gaze fell upon her. She took that as a 'signal' and told him, "I've seen your performance for the past few days. People talk about oppa oh, I can call you oppa right? Anyways, people talk about oppa lot."
She stealthily came closer and slightly brushed her hand against his.
There was no man who could resist this kind of physical contact.
'When would you have ever held hands with someone as pretty as me?'
Muyoung's appearance was normal, a guy with very average looks.
She believed that he only said those harsh words because he didn't know how to act in front of a beauty like her.
"'He's good at fighting and was originally living in the temple, but he is a bit greedy.' Ah, but don't worry about it oppa. They are all cowards who can't say it to your face. Also because you kill so many monsters, isn't it natural you receive the most rewards?"
Eye contact.
She tried to laugh as naturally as she could while gazing at his eyes.
It could be said that that was the finishing move, but as soon as she looked at Muyoung's eyes, she felt her body tremble slightly.
'For human eyes to be like that…'
There was not a hint of emotion in his eyes.
His eyes didn't waver like other men would when they looked at beautiful women.
His eyes were endlessly abyss.
It was hard to explain the terrifying sight.
Finally, Muyoung opened his mouth.
"Are you done talking?"
"Yes? Ah, y-yes, I am."
"Then fuck off."
"What… did you say?"
Punch!
Muyoung shattered the scarecrow's face.
Her intentions were obvious and he didn't have the time to listen to her.
There was less than a month left.
Once the month was up, the gate to the Underworld would open.
And then… big guilds like the Forest of Death and the Five Great Clans will be waiting for them.
If he doesn't want to be pushed around by them, he had to increase his strength even by a tiny bit.
"If you try this again, I'll make your face the same as the scarecrow," he quietly whispered into her ear.
He said he would become a soldier, but that didn't mean he would try to save everyone.
If anyone stands in his way, he won't hesitate to get rid of them.
'I am not a good man.'
Maybe an evil one.
Because he had gone too far down the road, he could never be a good man.
Not that he wanted to become one.
"Hiccup!"
Soyoung hiccupped.
That was right. He was like the embodiment of a wolf.
Rough and untameable.
"Hiccup! Hiccup!"
The strength in her legs slowly weakened.
Muyoung's stare was so terrifying she couldn't move.
"So-Soyoung, are you okay?"
Eventually, the girl who came with her dragged her away by her wrist.
He turned his head away after looking at Soyoung being dragged across the ground.
Thud! Thud!
He started to hit the scarecrow again.
'If I get a high ranking during the boss raid, I might get a pretty good reward.'
The bosses that come every 10 days were difficult.
No matter how well they fight, a few will inevitably die.
But if he was able to gain an overwhelming victory over the boss, he might receive a weapon of rank 'C' or higher.
'A 'C' rank is sufficient.'
To defeat the monsters while climbing the cliff, a rank 'C' weapon was more than enough.
As he had the experience to fill the gap of having a lesser weapon!
Five days have passed.
At this point, there were only 32 survivors left.
After 13 deaths on the first day, one to two people died every day thereafter.
Everyone had become desperate after they learned that they will die if they didn't fight.
But not everyone was useful.
"Let's reduce our numbers."
Oh Juyoung.
He, who was consistently ranked 3rd the past few days, spoke up.
He was a man in his mid-late twenties with a shaved head and tattoos all over his body.
His appearance made others feel threatened.
There were a few people around him.
"What do you mean by numbers?"
Among them, a man asked while gulping down his saliva.
Juyoung crossed his arms and said, "There's not enough food, but there are too many useless bastards."
Only the top 3 hunters were given food.
Even though it was just crumbly bread under preservation magic, it was the most important supply in this place.
Up until now, Taehwan and Juyoung evenly distributed the bread, but there was a limit to that.
The already small supply of food was distributed among 30 people.
Each person was pretty much living off of half a loaf of bread each day.
A few people in the temple flinched.
After someone had died in agony eating grilled monster meat, no one had put their hands on the monster carcasses.
Bread was their sole salvation, but if Juyoung cut their supply, many people will have no option, but to starve.
In this world, starvation led to death.
Juyoung smiled as he said, "So let's have the useless bums fight each other or whatever and reduce the numbers."
"Oh Juyoung."
Taehwan approached him.
Juyoung snorted at him.
"Don't try to be a hypocrite. Didn't we do enough for them already?"
"Our goal is to keep everyone alive."
"That's~ Why~ you thick bastard. Let's get rid of the useless ones. You see that guy with the kid? What can he do when he has no arms? It'll be good if he could at least serve as a meat shield."
"Juyoung!"
Taehwan raised his voice.
There was no choice.
It was only a hard decision to make the first time, but afterwards, it would only get easier.
If they started to get rid of the useless people, then there will only be a minority left at the end.
Taehwan was on guard.
If their conscience died and only the self-centered people lived, the surviving group will eventually collapse.
, your voice is fucking loud. Even though you're okay with it, I'm pretty sure most aren't happy with the current arrangement."
Juyoung looked away from Taehwan and gazed at the people around them.
Everyone looked quite malnourished as their cheeks started to cave in.
There was a clear distinction between the useful and the useless.
The people who were of some use started to glare at the ones who weren't as useful.
It wasn't just one or two days, it seemed like the dissatisfaction piled up during the past few days.
They just couldn't voice their complaints since the food was only distributed to the top 3 hunters.
It wasn't like Taehwan was unaware of the situation.
"We have to find a solution. If we start thinking about throwing others away, how are we different from the monsters? We are humans with reason. We need to help each other out."
"Ha, it's not like you're going to drop food when you die. Whatever, if you really want to take care of everyone, do it yourself. From now on, I am going to take care of myself."
Juyoung shrugged his shoulders.
The food he distributed the past five days was still a considerable amount.
There was no reason for him to stick his neck out for others when it wasn't his responsibility.
But in Taehwan's position, this wasn't pleasant news.
"Juyoung, if you stop… many people are going to starve."
"So what? It's hard for me to live too. Or…"
Juyoung brought out a loaf of bread and quickly munched on it while looking at the crowd.
"Let's have a bartering system. I am not that cold-hearted, you know. If you give me a reasonable payment, I will trade it for bread. Or become someone useful to me. Yeah, I think I can feed up to six people."
The reason why he decided on a specific number was simple.
He wanted to make his own faction.
In a place like this, power was the law.
There was strength in unity.
Although they were unified, up until now, it was just a public declaration.
It didn't have the same influence as a faction.
'So he was waiting for this moment.'
Muyoung was spectating the whole situation from afar.
Oh Juyoung.
He was quite the sly fellow.
He deliberately waited five days.
If he was to make this announcement when everyone was starving, there were definitely people who would cling onto him.
To be part of the 'six people', he knew they would do all sorts of things to flatter him.
On the other hand, the leftover faction lead by Taehwan wouldn't have the same unity.
Taehwan tried to accept everyone. It didn't matter if they had any capabilities.
Of course, the dissatisfaction among the capable will definitely rise and they will start to side with Juyoung's faction which centered on power.
Like how Juyoung deliberately waited five days before making a statement like this… he was someone who was able to calmly analyze his surroundings and act at the right moment.
While goading Taehwan.
It seemed like he was well-versed in human psychology.
Juyoung was waiting with a completely relaxed attitude.
"How about me?"
Soon after, someone raised their hand.
Kim Soyoung.
After getting embarrassed by Muyoung, she decided that this time she would try and join Juyoung.
"You? What can you do? Just because you're a bit pretty, you think I am going to give you my hard earned food?"
She was flustered as she thought that he would definitely accept her.
But she quickly calmed herself and accentuated her chest.
"I can do various things for you. Anything you can imagine."
"Anything… you say."
Juyoung skimmed over her body.
It felt like a snake was slithering around her body, but she endured it.
First, she searched for the person who she thought would survive the longest.
.
Taehwan seemed a bit muddled, so it didn't seem like he would last very long.
'If I make this man a king, then I can be the queen.'
Juyoung smacked his lips lasciviously.
"Sure. I will make an exception for you, but for the rest, I will have strict requirements. Ah, you must be hungry, have some food while you wait."
"Thanks."
As soon as Soyoung stood behind Juyoung, he handed her a loaf of bread and she started eating it.
She knew she would lose some face, but she also knew that if she did this, it would tempt more people to join.
Many people gulped down their saliva while they watched her eat.
"Me, me! Will you accept me?"
"If you need to do something that requires strength, you'll need someone like me!"
"Instead of a guy like him, I'm a much better choice!"
The responses came down like hail.
Like a flood, a crowd of people went over to Juyoung's side.
Kim Taehwan and Oh Juyoung.
There was a clear distinction between the people who joined each side.
"Juyoung, it's not good to split into two groups."
As Taehwan spoke with a firm voice, Juyoung just clicked his tongue.
"Just worry about your future, kay?"
There was no way for him to stop the momentum.
Juyoung started to recruit members and the chosen held their heads up high as if they have been chosen to become nobles.
Ranks were being established.
Taehwan's 'save everyone' policy didn't appeal to many.
More and more people began to think that it would be better to get rid of the useless ones.
A breakthrough…
That's what he needed.
He looked at Muyoung.
Muyoung never lost his 1st place position in the rankings.
He had the most food, yet whenever Taehwan asked him for help, he was ignored.
However, it wasn't like they could forcefully take it.
Maybe they could if everyone grouped together and fought against him.
But even that was doubtful.
He was the embodiment of a wolf.
But now, Taehwan had no other choice.
If he let this go, Juyoung will definitely take the lead.
Did Muyoung understand Taehwan's look?
Muyoung suddenly moved towards the center of the stage.
At the same time, the commotion died down and everyone's gaze fell on him.
It was because he had never stepped out like this before.
After gaining everyone's attention, he spoke, "I am going to explore the outskirts of the temple. All volunteers will receive two loaves of bread and clean water every day."
'He's insane.'
That was the one thought in everyone's mind.
Why would all these people try to stay in this small temple?
Because if they went even a little bit outside the temple, they would be overwhelmed with monsters!
And he was going to explore that place?
It didn't make the situation better now that he was handing out bread and water.
Going out there would be no different than suicide. They couldn't decipher any other meaning besides going out to die.
But, Muyoung continued to wait arrogantly.
It was like it didn't matter if anyone joined him or not.
No one would volunteer… that's what most people thought.
"Mister, can't it be three loaves of bread? For me and my father."
The first to appear was a little girl.
She looked like she was nine years old. She still had a lot of baby fat on her.
On the other hand, her father was an armless cripple.
He had lost both his arms during the monster attack on the second day.
Death seemed certain for them as soon as they leave the temple.
They wouldn't be of any help either. It would be considered good if they didn't hold him back.
"Welcome."
But Muyoung's next words shattered everyone's expectations.
H