TRTP 11

Chapter : 11
Survival Mission (4)

“Min-ji, calm down first—”

Another voice was heard.

“They couldn’t have gone far. Find them now. Rayden, you didn’t see Duncan escape, did you?”

“The lower floors were out of sight… and [Long Vision] isn’t a skill that can be maintained continuously…”

But his excuse only sounded weak to her.

“So you two are friends, right? Are you pretending you didn’t see anything?”

“Min-ji! What are you talking about?!”

“Am I wrong? This is suspicious no matter how I think about it. That bastard wouldn’t act alone. He’s definitely an accomplice! He’s probably sneaking out right now to join Duncan!”

Another voice joined in.

“Lower your weapon, Hwang Min-ji. I won’t tolerate causing chaos over something not confirmed yet.”

“What did you say, you bastard? And what if you don’t tolerate it? Do you even know who’s been helping us clear this stage easily?”

The conflict escalated quickly.

The enraged Hwang Min-ji and her original allies clashed with others who disapproved of her.

In a situation on the verge of explosion, the trigger was pulled when Min-ji grabbed Rayden by the collar.

“Answer me, you bastard! Where is Duncan?!”

As her hand shot toward his neck without warning, Rayden instinctively drew his sword.

Enraged, Min-ji grabbed his throat.

From that point on, it was chaos.

Friend and enemy blurred as they began attacking each other.

Blood filled the air. Screams and destruction echoed.

Dan-yoon watched silently, holding his breath.

He moved only when most of them had fallen and only two remained—those who had been arguing from the beginning.

Whoosh!

The two injured survivors froze at the sudden appearance of Dan-yoon.

As if trying to understand what was happening.

His blade moved like lightning.

A single straight slash cut through Hwang Min-ji, and before the man standing beside her could react, he was also cut down.

One strike.

One swing was enough to finish both exhausted survivors.

[Skill ‘Plunder (Passive)’ is activating.]
[Coins from player absorbed.]
[905 coins obtained.]
[2,201 coins obtained.]

Dan-yoon exhaled slowly.

He frowned at the system messages and opened his skill window.

The information for [Plunder] appeared.

[Plunder]: (Passive) When a player kill is successful, the target’s coins are automatically absorbed.

His expression grew complicated.

‘So they’re giving skills like this instead of zombie hunting skills…’

His coins had increased instantly, and the skill was clearly useful—but he couldn’t smile.

It meant the system had already accounted for player kills.

A reward for those who killed two people quickly in a short time.

One kill might be considered an accident—but this was different.

It was an advantage given to those capable of killing without hesitation.

Proof that PvP like this would continue.

Someone who realized this early would start hunting players and snowballing power.

Dan-yoon shook his head as he imagined the worst-case scenarios.

He collected one of the bodies.

“Chang-hoon! Come out here!”

Park Chang-hoon quickly followed the guard who called him.

The reason was Dan-yoon’s name.

When he saw the situation, his eyes widened.

“…What is this…”

Dan-yoon had placed the bloodied body of Hwang Min-ji in the center of the hall and laid out most of the stolen food beside it.

“I recovered the supplies from the traitors.”

“When… no, how?”

“Explaining would take too long.”

“R-right… anyway, what matters is you brought back all this food. You did well, Dan-yoon.”

Soon, all survivors gathered in the plaza.

Some looked at him with gratitude and relief, but others showed fear or discomfort.

Whispers spread.

“Even so… killing people like that…”

That single comment spread like a ripple.

More voices followed.

“Isn’t he dangerous…?”

Dan-yoon frowned slightly.

Before he could speak—

“Hey, you people sure talk a lot for those who were crying over stolen food.”

A sharp voice echoed across the plaza.

It was Bae Ji-hyun.

“Now that the food is back, you’re still complaining? Seriously?”

Park Chang-hoon tried to calm her.

“Ji-hyun, mind your words a little.”

“Am I wrong, oppa? At least be thankful. I can hear all of you whispering behind us. Why don’t you come say it to our faces?”

No one stepped forward.

Dan-yoon glanced at Ji-hyun in acknowledgement, then spoke to the crowd.

“This will be the last time we deal with something like this for you. If this happens again, we won’t help. Everyone should take responsibility for their own role.”

His tone was calm and gentle, but firm.

“And if anyone tries to steal our supplies again, they will suffer far worse than this time.”

He lightly kicked Hwang Min-ji’s body and turned away.

Only Park Chang-hoon followed him quickly.

“Honestly… how should I put this… could you explain in detail?”

Dan-yoon calmly explained his reasoning, his thought process, and what had happened.

Park Chang-hoon listened carefully, nodding repeatedly.

“I see… you even brought the bodies on purpose. For two effects.”

As he said, Dan-yoon achieved two things:

Control over the group’s influence, and suppression of reckless behavior.

He acted as the villain because he believed it was necessary for the next stage.

“As expected of Dan-yoon… I can’t keep up.”

“I just followed the flow of the game.”

The word “game” stood out in his tone.

“Perfect timing. Why don’t you take over as leader, Dan-yoon?”

“No.”

He immediately refused.

“People already fear me. If I become leader, they’ll feel pressured.”

“I see…”

“There’s no need for fear-based leadership. It’s better for the leader to guide gently while fear exists separately within the group. If I cooperate with you properly, it will work better.”

“So you’re politely saying you’ll be a figurehead.”

Park Chang-hoon laughed.

“Let’s call it a puppet leader then.”

Dan-yoon smiled back.

After a sip of tea, Park Chang-hoon asked:

“What will you do next?”

“What do you mean?”

“Now that we have food, we don’t need to go out hunting. There’s still a lot of the stage left, and we don’t know the direction.”

“Do you really think that?”

“….”

When Park Chang-hoon couldn’t answer, Dan-yoon continued.

“Missions don’t end here. Stage ranking matters. You know that better than anyone.”

“You already have a prediction?”

“The next stage will be a team battle.”

He continued calmly.

“All previous missions were connected. One large flow preparing for the next stage. This stage is about food shortage and time pressure. While groups clear it in different ways, the real goal behind this system is likely internal conflict and hierarchy.”

His explanation continued.

“It’s more efficient to eliminate internal threats and steal supplies than to risk fighting mutated zombies. That’s the usual pattern. The next step will likely be reduced manpower and controlled groups.”

“…So the next mission will be clearing all zombies or forcing them into the safe zone…”

“Yes. Or a boss raid in supply zones.”

Dan-yoon finished speaking and relaxed slightly.

Putting his thoughts into words made him even more certain.

Park Chang-hoon looked at him.

“You really think like someone playing a game.”

“We literally got a message saying, ‘The game begins now.’ This isn’t survival. It’s a walkthrough.”

Park Chang-hoon nodded.

In truth, it felt less like an apocalypse and more like a structured game.

And in a game like this, no one could match the man in front of him.

For a moment, Dan-yoon looked like a golden lifeline.

“Seems like you’re enjoying this.”

“I’m a pro gamer.”

It’s only natural.

The next day.

Early in the morning, Park Chang-hoon gathered everyone and announced a plan to leave the safe zone and hunt zombies.

Naturally, there was strong opposition.

But he recalled yesterday’s conversation.

‘So what will you do next?’
‘We must proceed with clearing.’
‘You mean all zombies in the region?’
‘Yes. If we just conserve supplies, we may get a low rating.’

“I will not accept objections.”

Instead of arguing, Park Chang-hoon brought Dan-yoon and Rainer forward for a demonstration fight.

The result was obvious—Dan-yoon’s victory.

Their controlled but flashy fight shocked everyone.

“As you know, Dan-yoon is a former pro gamer. Rainer is a professional trainer and competition athlete. Yet Dan-yoon still won because of his high performance in previous missions.”

Murmurs spread.

Eyes turned toward Dan-yoon.

He met their gazes calmly.

“You can’t keep running forever. To prepare for the next stage, higher performance ratings are necessary for survival.”