"Diversion. We're going to draw them away."
"Huh? You mean we're going to bring those monsters here?"
Close, but slightly off. I shook my head. Most of them just stared at me blankly, but Kim Hanbyeol raised her eyebrows—seemed like she had a general idea of what I meant. Still, I figured some elaboration would help.
"No, not bring them here. One of us will be the bait and lead them away into the forest."
I paused and pointed deeper into the woods. As everyone followed my gesture, I continued.
"If we make a commotion, those things are bound to come running. So we lure them in, keep their attention on the bait, and draw them into the forest. While they're focused on that, the rest of us scale that wall. If we do that, we can escape the forest."
I purposely emphasized the hopeful part—escape the forest—but the expressions on everyone's faces stayed skeptical. No one looked eager. Still, the lack of objections meant they couldn't deny it made sense. Of course, the elephant in the room was obvious.
Who's going to be the bait?
If the deadmen just lumbered around like typical zombies, this wouldn't be such a big deal. But once they spotted prey, they ran—fast. Whoever played bait would be one slip-up away from being torn apart.
They all hesitated, silently sizing each other up. As expected, it was the quick-witted Kim Hanbyeol who pointed out the real issue.
"So… someone has to sacrifice themselves?"
"Exactly."
"Who?"
Silence.
Even with freedom in sight, no one volunteered. I understood. I sighed, then raised my hand. Honestly, it'd be more stressful watching someone else do it. I'd rather just take it on myself.
"The one who suggested it should do it, right? I'll go."
"No! Absolutely not—it's way too dangerous!"
"She's right. Oppa, don't do it. Can't we just wait it out a little longer?"
Kim Hanbyeol immediately objected, and Lee Yoojung chimed in to dissuade me. I expected this, so I explained my reasoning.
"We can't just keep waiting. We don't know when they'll find us."
"What if we just try going another way?"
Still Hanbyeol. I shook my head again.
"Changing routes takes time, and it's almost evening. If we want to escape, now's our last chance."
"But still…"
She wasn't convinced. This time, I hardened my tone a little. I still remembered how uncomfortable she looked earlier when Yoojung had casually spoken to me without honorifics, so I made sure to speak politely.
"If there's no opening, we make one. There's no guarantee we'll find a better chance somewhere else."
Unable to counter, Kim Hanbyeol fell silent. She looked conflicted—relieved it wasn't her, but also guilty that I was stepping up. That was the difference between these people and someone like Park Donggeol.
He would've called this hypocrisy. And, honestly, I agreed with parts of his thinking. The old me would've called out this kind of false modesty instantly. But with this group, I wanted to be more—someone steady they could rely on. A brother figure. If Park Donggeol had even a sliver of usefulness or knew when to shut up, I might not have let him go so easily.
While I amused myself with that thought, an unexpected voice broke the silence.
"Then… doesn't that mean Suhyun oppa is in danger?"
I turned. Ahn Sol's face was red as she hesitated to speak. Was she worried about me? The sentiment was sweet. I almost wanted to plant a kiss on her forehead, but her overprotective brother was here, so I settled for a warm smile.
"We can't waste this chance. Sooner or later, we'll have to take a risk anyway. It just came a little sooner than expected."
"Still…"
"I'm only twenty-three. Feels silly to say this, but I'm the oldest one here. If I don't step up now, when will I?"
I grinned as I spoke, and Ahn Sol's face seemed to brighten just a bit. Then, Ahn Hyun finally spoke up. His expression showed that he'd been seriously thinking it through.
"Hyung."
"Yeah?"
"When I fought them earlier, I noticed… they walk until they see prey—then they sprint. If you get surrounded…"
"I can outrun them. Their pace seems fast, but not faster than me at full sprint. I'll just treat it like morning PT back in the army."
"But even if we escape, how are you going to get out afterward…?"
Hanbyeol again. She kept poking holes. Though… did she just call me 'oppa'? Did I mishear that? I tilted my head and answered.
"I'll think of that when the time comes. Right now, getting you guys out is priority."
"Then I'll come with you, hyung. You don't need to take this alone."
Please don't. As soon as Ahn Hyun said that, Ahn Sol clung to him, panicked. I gave him an exasperated look and sighed deeply.
"No. You have to go with the others."
"Why? Why should you take all the risk alone?"
"There could be more monsters past that wall. Someone needs to protect the group just in case. Plus, it's easier for one person to stay mobile while drawing them away."
"But still—"
"You've got your sister to think about."
That shut him up. I caught a complicated mix of emotions in Ahn Sol's eyes—gratitude, worry, guilt. Normally, I didn't like girls like her, but something about her didn't bother me. It was weird.
After a pause, Ahn Hyun finally nodded.
"…Okay. I'll leave it to you, hyung."
"Yeah. I want to survive too, y'know? Just trust me."
"I do."
"Then let's move fast. No second thoughts. Once I start, Hyun, you lead everyone over that wall. Don't look back, and don't come back for me. Just run."
None of the girls said anything. But their expressions were filled with guilt and worry. Not surprising—relief at not being chosen mixed with guilt for not stepping up.
As I prepared my crossbow and stepped forward, I heard their voices one by one.
"…I'm sorry."
"Oppa… thank you. Please don't die."
"Be careful…"
I replied with a smile in my voice.
"Good luck."
I got moving right away. I didn't cause a commotion just yet—making noise too close might expose the others. I spotted a pile of rocks at the top of an incline. From up there, I'd have a good vantage point and visibility. Plus, all the deadmen would be able to see me clearly.
The trees here weren't as big as the one we'd hidden behind, but they offered just enough cover for me to sneak through solo.
I crouched low and moved from tree to tree, keeping my steps silent and breath shallow. I'd done plenty of covert ops before, so this was nothing new. As I moved, the first trial run of this "rite of passage" came to mind.
Back then, Park Donggeol and Lee Yoojung had fought in the clearing. Donggeol kicked a rock, attracting all the deadmen. I only thought about saving myself and ran. I wandered the forest for two days without direction. Compared to that version of me, this was laughable.
I could've handled it better… there had to be other ways.
I focused again—silent breath, muffled steps, body hidden behind trees. I steadily advanced toward the rock mound. It wasn't particularly high, but steep enough that deadmen would struggle to climb it. From there, I might even catch sight of buildings or a village beyond the wall.
I slipped past around twenty trees without detection. Once I reached the mound, I quickly climbed up and surveyed my surroundings.
No villages in sight beyond the wall, but heading deeper in would probably reveal something. At least I wasn't trying to charge through head-on. My magic detection had guided me well.
All around me, deadmen shuffled—too many to count.
I turned to glance toward the hiding spot. Ahn Hyun peeked out, clearly waiting for a signal. I nodded slightly, took a deep breath…
And screamed at the top of my lungs.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
My voice echoed through the air.
Immediate effect. Perfect.
Every deadman in view snapped their heads toward me. And then—they charged. Shrieking and howling, they barreled toward the mound.
It was working. Not enough yet, though.
I waved my arms and shouted louder, more wildly, drawing even the ones from farther out.
"YEAHHHHH! OVER HERE, YOU UGLY BASTARDS! I'M RIGHT HERE!"
Grrrrr… Grrrr… Grrrrr… Grrrrr…
Their collective growls grew louder—dozens now, maybe more.
The closest one reached the mound and started climbing, scrabbling madly to reach me. I no longer needed to shout. They were locked onto me like starving wolves.
Seeing them all swarm toward me, a strange calm washed over me.
This reminds me of the old days.
I smiled as the memories rushed back. Holding the crossbow on my left arm, I loaded three bolts.
This crossbow could fire one bolt loaded and two more from backup slots. Three shots total per reload.
As I aimed at the first deadman scrambling up, I glanced once more toward where the others hid.
And for some reason, I couldn't stop smiling.