Chapter 32
As Johan crossed over, the portal disappeared as if it was a lie.
To be precise, only a small dot remained.
[Locked: Reopen after completing the quest]
“What is this? We have to complete a quest?”
The unkind notification didn’t explain everything easily. It was telling them to figure it all out by themselves.
‘Not revealing the quest means there must be someone here who can give us the quest.’
It’s an odd restriction, but not impossible.
The place they arrived seemed perfect for receiving a quest.
“A village? This doesn’t look like Earth.”
It somewhat resembled Earth, but the quality of the air was subtly different.
With his perception stats over 50, Johan could definitely sense it.
“It doesn’t seem like Earth, right?”
Johan nodded at Yangmu’s question.
This was the only thing he could be sure of.
“It’s different from any dungeon we’ve seen before. It feels warm.”
There was no place that could be called civilized.
Or it was all collapsed, leaving only ruins.
All the dungeons that had appeared on Earth so far were in such a state.
“But here, there are dozens of intact buildings.”
The serene mind was like a peaceful village in Switzerland.
The air was clear, and the buildings were neatly built with bricks and wood.
The weather was moderately warm, and the sky was clear, making it feel like a vacation spot.
If it weren’t for the giant moon hanging in the sky, that is.
“Scout, sir.”
“Kim Sangsik.”
“Mr. Kim Sangsik, could you check if there’s any bloodstain around?”
“Got it. Just a moment.”
Flash
A light like a fluorescent lamp illuminated the ground. Enhancing his vision, Kim Sangsik meticulously searched the dirt path around.
“I don’t see any. It’s a dirt path, so it’s not easy to spot, and I don’t catch any faint smells either.”
“Is that so? Well, should we be relieved or not?”
It’s just too ordinary.
In the end, they had to enter the village to gather information.
That vulnerable place with no information, perfect for an ambush.
“Just in case, everyone, be on guard.”
Johan took the lead.
Gripping his coffin tightly, he slowly entered the village, scouting around.
“Wow, it’s like being in the Alps.”
“I’ve been there, and this place might be even better.”
Those whose tension had eased began to admire the scenery and followed behind.
Seeing no immediate threat, Johan didn’t stop them, and Yangmu, as usual, stayed at the back, protecting the group while staying vigilant.
‘Strange, it’s warm, but there are no people.’
Johan, with sensory stats far higher than a C-rank, didn’t feel any presence of people.
There were only two possibilities in such a case.
Either they had a way to hide their presence, or it was truly an empty village.
Knock, knock, knock.
He knocked on the nearest house door, hoping someone might be inside, but there was no response from within.
Creak
“Pardon the intrusion.”
He opened the door. Surprisingly, aside from being a bit old, the interior was no different from an ordinary home.
There was a kitchen, living room, and bedroom.
“Someone definitely lives here. It’s not a ghost village.”
He could tell from the hair fallen on the bedside.
Judging by the state, it had been less than a day.
“Maybe the villagers all went somewhere together? People in the same trade might gather.”
“It’s not for work. No sane village would make children work.”
There were well-used toys scattered everywhere.
The idea that the village was silent despite the presence of children made no sense.
If what lived here were human.
After leaving the house, Johan surveyed the village once more, predicting where the people might be. If not nearby, then a bit further away.
“I have a feeling it’s over there.”
Something caught Johan’s eye.
The most secluded place in the village, a grey brick house about 500 meters away.
Judging by the statue at the top of the spire, it seemed to be a place of worship.
“Let’s go there.”
His intuition told him that the residents, if they were people, were definitely there.
As Johan moved with conviction, the others drew their weapons again.
They too realized that this place wasn’t ordinary.
“It’s quite large. It looks like a church?”
The building was bigger than expected. He tried to see inside through the windows, but the blackout curtains blocked everything.
However, Johan could sense what was inside through the expansion of his magical power.
All the residents of this place were gathered here.
“Let’s go in. If they live in a place like this, wouldn’t we be able to communicate with them?”
There were about thirty of them, and there didn’t seem to be any hostility. It seemed safe to open the door. When he opened the rusty iron door, an unpleasant sound spread out. Johan simulated the situation in his head. As soon as they entered, they would apologize immediately, ask where they were, and then get the quest. Whether this would work or not was uncertain, but they would find a way. If these beings had even this much intelligence, they should be able to communicate.
“What the…”
But Johan’s intuition was completely wrong. There were no people. To be precise, something else was waiting to greet them instead of people.
“Did you bring that coffin from here?”
What greeted Johan was not people but dozens of coffins. Inside the building, with no light at all, dozens of neatly placed coffins were densely packed.
It felt like a communal graveyard, or perhaps a vampire’s den.
“It definitely feels like the latter.”
Inside each coffin, many life forms were present, breathing steadily.
Based on what he had heard and what was being said, only vampires slept in coffins.
“Now’s our chance. Let’s kill them all.”
Hamster drew out his weapon, ready to attack at any moment.
“Wait.”
However, Johan raised his hand to stop those behind him.
“Something is strange. They seem like vampires.”
Something felt off. These vampires were different from the ones they had seen before.
“They don’t have any malice.”
Vampires usually exude a distinctive, powerful energy. Even a D-rank vampire would emit a detectable aura.
“Isn’t it strange? Vampires with no malice.”
Though vampires are not inherently evil, these ones possessed even less malice than the Tracers here.
“There’s blood here. And quite a lot.”
The blood scattered on the ground didn’t need any light to be seen.
The crimson bloodstains emitted a faint, fishy smell.
“Did we come to the wrong place?”
“What’s going on, Meerkat?”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t eat meat recently.”
“No, Miss Yuna, even if we hadn’t come here, we would have faced them eventually. Look outside.”
The sun was setting in the west.
In about four hours, it would be completely dark, and then they would have inevitably encountered these beings.
“Let’s take a break. Re-arm in three hours.”
Out in the open, Johan lay down.
In a place as bright as this, with no shadows, there would be no attack even if they were noticed.
“Everyone must be tired. Let’s manage our condition.”
“You’re right. Everyone, rest.”
As instructed, the others also lay down and began to rest.
Everyone was so exhausted that they collapsed as soon as they sat down.
Naye fell asleep immediately. Sangsik ate some rations to regain his strength, while the others were checking their equipment.
“Here, have this.”
Yangmu offered some jerky. Johan, feeling hungry, accepted it and chewed on the jerky.
“Is it okay to rest? The enemy is right in front of us.”
He couldn’t fully relax either. Johan forcibly pressed Yangmu’s shoulders, making him sit on the ground.
“We can’t be sure they’re enemies yet. This place is different from anywhere we’ve been before. Truly different.”
“Yeah, maybe they could help us. Anything is better than nothing.”
Nodding, Yangmu also removed his armor and sat down.
It was amazing how he could move so well while wearing such heavy armor.
“Wow, you’re still as strong as ever. Do you compete in bodybuilding?”
Yangmu’s muscular body was even more prominent after taking off his armor. He was still in top shape.
“You remain calm. You have a talent for calming others, just like before.”
“You already seem calm to me.”
“I’m hiding it. I thought I was used to this kind of work, but this situation is overwhelming.”
Yangmu’s hand touched the ground.
As the leader, the burden he felt was likely much heavier than what Johan or anyone else experienced.
He might even blame himself for bringing them here.
“I feel the same. Even after eight years of doing this, it’s my first time experiencing this. But I’ve learned that acting like it’s the first time helps no one.”
No situation is familiar to Johan either.
The more experienced one is, the more likely they are to be bewildered by an unexpected situation.
They think they know everything about the world.
They think they shouldn’t be ignorant about anything.
“This world is full of unknowns. Nobody predicted the Great Cataclysm, right?”
With the existence of gods of death, could there be anything more surprising?
Thinking this way calmed his mind.
The world hadn’t been normal since the Great Cataclysm began anyway.
“You’re right. If we can talk, we’ll talk. If not, we’ll have a different kind of conversation.”
Yangmu laughed as if relieved.
Leaning against the armor, he soon closed his eyes and started to rest.
Three hours later, feeling the darkness set in, they all stood up one by one.
The village, without a single streetlight, quickly turned pitch dark as soon as the sun set.
“Sis, is it time to start?”
Naye, who called Johan “brother,” was clinging to him, clearly scared.
“Naye, how old are you?”
“Twenty-five. So, I am the younger one, right?”
“Well, it’s not because of your age. Anyway, everyone stay in formation. Sangsik, be ready to light us up anytime. It might be effective.”
“Got it.”
The life forms inside the coffins began to change their breathing patterns irregularly.
They were about to wake up.
In less than ten minutes, the sun had completely set.
The surroundings were engulfed in darkness, and the only thing they could rely on was the moonlight, ten times larger than that on Earth.
Naye lit a fire.
The faint light was better than nothing, and Johan slowly approached the moving coffins.
The coffins moved.
At the creepy sound, the fearful ones whimpered and groaned.
The coffins shook from all directions.
With a creaking sound, the coffins slowly slid to the side.
Johan also prepared to use his skills, ready for any situation.
“Hey, doesn’t it feel like today was especially long?”
“Yeah. My body is itching to move. I almost opened my coffin early.”
“Haha! Don’t say such scary things. If you burn in the sun, who will farm?”
“Mom, I’m hungry.”
Johan expected terrifying vampires in black robes to rise.
But what came out were just ordinary villagers.
From children to middle-aged couples and even the elderly.
They looked like they had just woken up from beds rather than coffins.
“The seedlings we planted this time aren’t growing well.”
“They are growing so slowly. Who are you?”
The vampires, startled by Johan and his group, were clutching their chests in surprise.
Some were taking out farming tools from the coffins.
“Does anyone understand what’s going on?”
“I don’t know exactly, but they seem awkward. Like they’ve never done this before.”
“Are they really vampires? They look just like ordinary neighbors.”
Looking at the startled vampires, Johan and Yangmu were equally confused.
They couldn’t understand a word, and the vampires looked too human.
“Who are you people intruding in our village?”
“Are you vampires?”
“What are they saying?”
“What are these vampires saying?”
