20. Betrayed
I returned to the underground station. As soon as I stepped inside, every pair of eyes immediately turned toward me—only to shift away when they noticed the massive scythe on my back. What truly caught their attention, though, was the bounty of food I was carrying. They were lucky—they still had enough rations to keep from charging at me like a pack of starving dogs. Because if they did, I had no reason to let that happen.
Of course, the commotion drew the attention of the higher-ups. It had only been an hour since I left, so NaRi should still be here. I started scanning the area for her.
As expected, I quickly spotted her near the platform. She seemed prepared, ready to make a quick getaway if necessary. Her face was serious, her eyes constantly scanning the crowd, never letting her guard down.
"NaRi, I'm back."
"Oh, welcome back!" Her face lit up with a smile, but then she froze, She suddenly became flustered. "What are you making me say?!" she shouted.
I joined them and sat down, slowly unpacking my loot while handing out pudding to DaMi and Jae Hee.
But the moment I handed them out, NaRi snatched both puddings almost immediately, despite the kids' protests.
"Don't eat dessert first," she scolded, her disapproving gaze locked on me for spoiling her sisters.
"Sorry, sorry," I chuckled, taking my own pudding back and instead offering some bread I had found.
As I continued to go through my loot, NaRi suddenly called out.
"Oppa, why are you bringing this?" She held up a pack of candy in front of me, her tone curious.
"Well, you know, it's not just for the kids. I like sweet candy too," I shrugged, trying to justify it with a light smile.
"But this isn't candy?" NaRi tilted her head in confusion. She paused for a second before saying, "It's an air refresher."
"???" I was stunned when I heard her words. "Ahaha, I must have taken it wrong when I was trying to be quick," I said, avoiding her eyes as I reached for the next item.
"That's a deodorant," NaRi pointed out, her finger pointing to the bottle in my hand. It had a soft color and a fresh fruit package that looked like a juice bottle.
"I must have grabbed it by accident again. Ah ha ha," I laughed it off, trying to act like nothing was wrong.
"That's also not food," she added, her voice tinged with mild disbelief.
I tried to separate the things that weren't food, but then NaRi cut in again, "I'm just joking. That's a juice." My hand froze mid-motion. I felt as though she'd just stabbed me in the back.
I looked at her, the realization setting in. "It's clearly written on the package," she said, pointing to the label. "Chris Oppa… you can't read?"
We stared at each other for a long moment, and I felt my face heat up.
".... Haa…" I sighed, raising my hands in surrender. "I give up. That's right, I can't read at all. You can sort it out," I said, handing the loot over to NaRi.
NaRi accepted it without any resistance, sorting through the items with ease. As she divided the edible and inedible ones, she asked, "But how are you able to speak without knowing how to read at all?"
That's exactly what I wanted to know! I could understand just fine, even if I didn't know the language someone was speaking. I'd been speaking in Leonese and English this entire time, but somehow, others understood me perfectly.
I didn't know the principle behind it—maybe it was the system's help. But then why couldn't it let me read too?
Of course, I couldn't just tell her that.
"It's been a long time since I learned it. I can speak and listen just fine, but I forgot all the words," I explained, hoping she would buy it. Thankfully, she didn't press the matter further.
As we sat there, other groups glanced at us with a mix of envy and longing, clearly eyeing the abundance of food we had. Just as I expected, another group approached us.
The supposed leader of the station walked toward us, her entourage trailing behind her. They had that typical air of authority, clearly trying to exert as much pressure as possible on the rest of us.
"Ah, madam, I was just about to see you," I greeted them with open arms and a bright smile, keeping my tone warm but neutral.
"It seems you've had quite the success," she replied, her eyes scanning our rations just as the others had. But it wasn't just the food that caught her attention. I could tell she and her company were eyeing the mantis's scythe beside us too.
I smiled at her reaction, a little too amused by her interest. "Do you have paper with you? I'm going to draw you a map showing where you can find food and avoid the monsters as much as possible."
Their expressions were a mix of confusion and surprise. It was clear they hadn't expected that response from me.
'Constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' applauded your generosity.'
"….."
Suddenly, I felt a tug on my arm. NaRi leaned in and whispered, "Is it really okay to just give that away?"
"Yeah," I nodded, keeping my tone casual. "There's no point in monopolizing it."
It's not like I'm planning to go back there anyway.
When I asked, "You guys don't have paper? Should I ask someone else to lend us some?"—Bin SooJin's group instantly scrambled to pull out a map. It was surprisingly detailed, the kind you'd usually find in underground train stations, showing shops, exits, and key landmarks.
Ah, so they do have one. I just shrugged.
With a flick of my finger, I pointed to the areas where I'd run into monsters. I gave a few quick explanations about their movement patterns and warned them not to let their guard down—even near the edges of the danger zones.
That should be more than enough to help them steer clear of trouble.
And if they still try something stupid after all that…
Well, they'll just be proving they weren't the brightest to begin with.
And so, time flowed.
Thankfully, despite taking turns on watch, our group was able to rest peacefully. The kids were well-fed and rested—we were almost in perfect condition.
However, I still had no idea what to do next. I opened the system interface again, thinking nothing would've changed—only for my eyes to widen at the result:
Countdown: ???
Still the same.
But—
Evaluation: Low (36)
It jumped. By tenfold or more.
What the hell? How did that happen? I didn't even have a clue why it suddenly increased. As I retraced my steps, trying to piece things together, that's when Bin SooJin approached us—alone.
"Are you guys planning to leave?" she asked.
The question snapped me out of my thoughts. Seeing her, I decided to deal with the matter at hand first.
"Are you going to stop us?" I narrowed my eyes slightly.
She shook her head. "Thank you," she said simply.
"I see."
What I did... was basically give away trash I didn't need to people who did. Sure, I separated it by type and even packed it up neatly. But the contents didn't change.
Still, it wasn't a bad feeling.
Someone's trash is another's treasure, I guess.
We left for the next station, my mind running at full throttle as I tried to figure out why my Evaluation had increased.