By Zephyria 
“Why would I protect them? In a place like this, you have to fend for yourself. Haven’t you heard of every man for himself?”
Kwon Mi-eon’s boundary-setting was so clear that it made the tension Mo Yeon-hu had felt just moments ago over the unfamiliar name ‘Lee Seo-yeon’ seem pointless.
“Then what exactly are you doing right now?”
When Mo Yeon-hu asked, implying that Kwon Mi-eon was currently protecting him, Kwon Mi-eon snorted.
“Are you and they the same? Who else would I do this for besides you, Hyung?”
Mo Yeon-hu froze, a blank expression on his face at a tone that went beyond firmness to be almost cold.
“I’m doing this because you’re my Hyung.”
For some reason, Mo Yeon-hu couldn’t look to the side. He felt that if he turned his head, he would lock eyes with Kwon Mi-eon immediately.
“Hyung, you suddenly went quiet.”
As Mo Yeon-hu stubbornly stared straight ahead, Kwon Mi-eon’s low, soft chuckle brushed past his ear. The sound was so ticklish that Mo Yeon-hu gripped his mouse tightly.
(Alliance) oTyudapTyudapo: We’ve arrived!
At the same time, the two of them came to a halt in front of a massive castle gate.
‘This is my first time standing in front of another Alliance’s gate.’
—Zzzzzing, Thump!
Soon, with a giant mechanical sound, the gates opened, revealing the scenery inside the Alliance. It was vastly different from 47.
‘Whoa, what is this? So many people. There are more people here than in most towns.’
First of all, the number of people was overwhelming. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that users were practically underfoot; it was bustling in every direction. However, the actions they were performing were incredibly bizarre.
‘What are they moving?’
Alliance Members in the left section were each pulling wooden carts, going back and forth to the same spot repeatedly, while Alliance Members in the right section were frantically fixing and breaking something. While his attention was captured by the scene of these mysterious repetitive acts, someone blocked the path of the two men.
(Alliance) nnppcc: Oh, hello!
(Alliance) nnppcc: I’ll give you a brief explanation of this place!!
(Alliance) oTyudapTyudapo: Ah, they’re here.
oTyudapTyudapo, who had been in charge of guiding them, left a short chat saying, “Enjoy your orientation!” and disappeared as if they had been waiting for this moment.
(Alliance) nnppcc: First, your level… Wow! You started today! You’re a complete newbie!
(Alliance) nnppcc: Welcome to our Alliance! Would you like to take this first?
‘Their way of speaking is strange…’
Judging by the nickname, it seemed they were playing an NPC concept, which explained the strangely mechanical tone. Regardless, Mo Yeon-hu accepted the trade request and tilted his head.
‘1st skip ticket?’
It seemed Kwon Mi-eon felt the same.
“They’re giving out 1st skip tickets.”
In Zombie Village, there are skip tickets that allow players to bypass specific sections of the story depending on their game progress. Mo Yeon-hu usually used all-in-one skip tickets to skip the story all at once, but what this person offered was a paid item that could only skip up to Story Chapter 1.
‘Oh, there’s even gold included? If they give gold and skip tickets as soon as you enter, the welfare here is amazing.’
Just as he was thinking, I’ll gladly take it, the trade suddenly ended.
(Alliance) nnppcc: If you want this, you just have to do the things I ask of you!
It was a moment that once again proved the truth that nothing in this world is free.
“How annoying…”
Mo Yeon-hu flinched at the voice muttering in annoyance and looked to the side, but Kwon Mi-eon spoke softly again, as if he had never said such a thing.
“Since we’re going to push through the story ourselves anyway, should I tell them we don’t need it?”
“Hmm. But don’t we have to do what they say to some extent for them to accept us as Alliance Members? We need to adapt too!”
Actually, it seemed this Alliance was larger than expected to attack immediately.
‘I don’t think just attacking will end it. Even if they’re attacked, they can just change their nicknames and servers and start a new Alliance, and it’ll be back to square one.’
Therefore, he had a feeling that if this Alliance was VITA, the most important thing would be to find out why they were attacking other Alliances, if they were truly spreading spies… and what they intended to do with the cores they took.
However, it was easier said than done.
“Hyung is right, but it doesn’t look like it’ll be easy to adapt. It seems their discrimination based on rank is quite severe.”
It was exactly as Kwon Mi-eon said. In the case of 47, all Alliance Members shared a horizontal bond centered around Alliance Master Miu and Vice-Alliance Leader Shin Jadu, but this place felt like a strict caste society.
‘Wow, I guess these are the ranks.’
Looking at the Alliance Member list, ranks from ‘L10’ to ‘L1’ were assigned next to the nicknames.
‘Is it because we just joined? We’re L10, the lowest rank. The person guiding us is L3…’
It seemed that as the rank increased, so did the authority. Mexibokku, presumed to be Kaldy, was L2—essentially management level—and oTyudapTyudapo was also quite high at L4.
(Alliance) nnppcc: Newbie~ everyone~~
Mo Yeon-hu snapped back to attention at nnppcc’s shout.
“Well, since we’re already here, let’s work hard to adapt!”
“Sure, why not.”
Kwon Mi-eon nodded in vague agreement. Of course, contrary to his nonchalant tone, he was incessantly scanning the surroundings, recording the in-game screen and pressing the capture button.
(Alliance) Naojik: Ah, yes!!
However, Mo Yeon-hu wasn’t the only one answering.
(Alliance) jungsuuuuuk: Ah, yes.
(Alliance) NamdaemunCrossroad: Yes.
(Alliance) ASi: Yes.
Looking around, there were quite a few new users gathered who had joined around the same time as them. There were complete beginner levels like Mo Yeon-hu, and users who had raised their levels quite a bit were mixed in.
(Alliance) nnppcc: Then I’ll assume all the newbies here are participating~ I’ll guide you!
Mo Yeon-hu was shocked by the information that poured out next.
(Alliance) nnppcc: Those who need Skip Ticket 1, move to the cart area immediately! Once you learn how to use the cart and certify that you’ve maxed out the ‘porter skill,’ you’ll get it!
(Alliance) nnppcc: Those who need Skip Ticket 2, go to the ladder area! Max out the repair skill and certify it!
(Alliance) nnppcc: Skip Ticket 3 requires certification of maxing out the watchtower crafting skill!
(Alliance) nnppcc: Those who need Skip Ticket 4…
The to-do list filling the chat window was endless. Only then did Mo Yeon-hu realize the identity of the bizarre sights he had seen earlier.
The Alliance Members pulling carts and fixing ladders weren’t playing voluntarily; it was labor to obtain rewards from the Alliance.
‘But that’s strange. Why are they training these basic auxiliary skills?’
They might as well have told them to gather resources and fill the Alliance Resource Warehouse. Even if they maxed out the skills mentioned, it didn’t seem to provide any immediate significant merit to the Alliance, so why were they training those skills even by giving out skip tickets and gold?
While Mo Yeon-hu was deep in thought, an Alliance Member approached.
(Alliance) Kjin: I’ve reached max level now.
(Alliance) nnppcc: Wow! Congratulations! Kjin-nim has run silently since their newbie days! I, nnppcc, send a round of applause of emotion!
As an Alliance Member around L5 approached, nnppcc exaggeratedly set off firework effects.
(Alliance) nnppcc: I will upgrade your rank along with a gem gift! Congratulations, Kjin-nim! Now that you’ve become rank ‘L4,’ you can enter the ‘Interior,’ which is accessible from L4 onwards!
…Interior? What’s the Interior?
As he looked on bewildered, nnppcc explained as if sensing that gaze.
(Alliance) nnppcc: In the Interior, there is an Alliance Resource Warehouse that you can use freely! It’s a place safe from looting because our management members are always standing guard!
Hearing that, he looked around again and noticed that the area where the beginners stayed had quite a few traces of invasion. It seemed they placed the beginners on the outside like a shield, while the core resources and personnel stayed comfortably in the ‘Interior.’
‘This is too strange.’
But it was even more bizarre that no one pointed this out.
‘No matter how low the level is, isn’t it normal for members of the same Alliance to protect each other?’
However, this place strictly differentiated safety and rewards according to rank, and everyone was silently doing their jobs, seemingly satisfied with those rewards.
“It’s like some kind of cult…”
“Exactly.”
Kwon Mi-eon expressed his agreement.
“This is interesting.”
Vitality had returned to his fish-like eyes. Mo Yeon-hu, feeling a bit uneasy seeing him watch the screen with eyes sparkling with interest, asked cautiously.
“What’s interesting?”
“Just everything.”
I don’t find it interesting at all; it’s just scary…
“Then what should we do now?”
“Since these bastards are the type to hide and scrub their identities even if we crush them now, I’m going to try doing what you said, Hyung.”
“What I said? What?”
“Adapting.”
Kwon Mi-eon smiled.
“We have to adapt perfectly and find out everything in detail.”
That smile looked ominous, so Mo Yeon-hu couldn’t answer for a moment, but Kwon Mi-eon looked genuinely amused.
“Put ourselves in their shoes and loot their cores too…”
So, those words meant…
“You mean… we’re spies…?”
Kwon Mi-eon nodded.
“Hyung, you’re smart. This time, we’ll turn into spies, and if these bastards are indeed the ones we’re looking for, we’ll loot everything from the cores to the warehouse. And we’ll find out why they’ve been acting like that all this time.”
He was flabbergasted that Kwon Mi-eon wasn’t even hiding the fact that he was Miu anymore, but Mo Yeon-hu could only cover his mouth at the sound of his own heart gradually accelerating.
Wow, this is totally…
‘This is like a freaking espionage movie, so cool.’
Isn’t this like a double agent thing?!
Is it okay for a shabby person like me to take on such a precious role! Mo Yeon-hu couldn’t hide his excitement with a flushed face, then cleared his throat to regain his reason.
“Uh, I just started the game today so I don’t really know what you’re talking about… but, um. Okay.”
Contrary to his words, Mo Yeon-hu’s face looked as if he understood better than anyone.
“And since I’m a real beginner, I don’t understand a single thing you’re saying! But since you seem to need my help, I’ll help you with all my might!”
His face showed he knew more than anyone. Almost ready to snort with excitement, Mo Yeon-hu thought:
‘Wow. Double agent mechanic Yeon-hu, that’s freaking awesome. Should I try a black customization this time? Or a journalist concept? Infiltrating a cult…’
Just as he began to let his imagination run wild, immersed in the role he would play.
“But, Hyung. Honestly, if we’re going to disguise ourselves, we have to do it properly, right? So, we…”
At Kwon Mi-eon’s following suggestion, Mo Yeon-hu’s flushed face froze instantly.
“How about we pretend to be a newlywed couple?”
…Huh?