NOVEL WEB Chapter 11 - Fire
Chapter 11: Fire
The scouting team of the Blue Team climbed past the 10th floor and arrived on the 11th floor.
Among them, a bald man spoke to Kim Dong-gil.
“Branch manager! Let’s just wipe them out! We even gave them food, but aren’t they being way too arrogant?”
“That’s right! If we attack first, they won’t even have time to react.”
The subordinates trailing behind raised their voices in anger, shouting from all directions.
However, Kim Dong-gil remained calm.
The moment he realized they had guns, the gap in power between the two teams narrowed significantly.
If they rashly launched an attack now, the damage would be considerable.
“Not yet.”
He needed a more definitive strategy.
The guns were a problem, but the man from earlier…
He was an exceedingly dangerous individual.
In some ways, he was an even greater threat than the guns.
Step, step, step.
Kim Dong-gil ascended to the 11th floor.
The moment he did, dozens of people standing before him flinched.
Each held kitchen knives or clubs in their hands.
Nearby, a pile of goblin corpses had been stacked, and the people’s eyes brimmed with hostility.
They had the eyes of beasts, awakened by their primal survival instincts.
Kim Dong-gil surveyed them.
Originally, the plan was to descend the moment he reached the floor, catching the Red Team off guard while they were busy hurriedly eating.
But Kim Dong-gil decided to abandon the plan.
Now was not the time to attack.
“I’m calling off the operation. Let’s come up with another approach.”
At Kim Dong-gil’s words, the people around him exchanged puzzled looks.
Midnight had passed.
At that moment, a bold text briefly appeared in the air before disappearing.
[Round 1, Day 2]
Red Team’s residential area, the 7th-floor children’s store.
I gathered the people and spoke to them.
“We’re moving our residence to the 1st floor. Please prepare immediately.”
“Ah, yes… Yes!”
“Hurry up!”
The people promptly agreed with my suggestion and began packing up the food the Blue Team had brought.
Staying on the 7th floor was dangerous.
It was more effective to move to the 1st floor, which was furthest from the Blue Team’s main base.
Additionally, we needed to recruit any surviving people between the 1st and 7th floors to maximize our strength.
No matter how powerful guns might be, a significant numerical disadvantage couldn’t be overcome.
We had to strategically defeat the Blue Team.
Jin Jae-hee, who had completed her reconnaissance preparations, approached me.
I spoke to her.
“No problems, right?”
“Yeah.”
I instructed Jin Jae-hee to scout the upper floors.
Since they had scouted us, we needed to do the same.
There was never enough information.
Ultimately, everything came down to an information war.
I said to her, “If you’re discovered, come straight to the basement floor.”
“Got it.”
With her sword in hand, Jin Jae-hee headed toward the opposite staircase.
The Blue Team wouldn’t have established a proper watch system yet.
There were three methods of moving between floors.
The elevator, escalator, and stairs.
Since the elevator was unusable, stairs were the only option.
If she could scout their base through the stairs, it would be a success.
If she could identify their leader, it would be even better.
I also ordered Jin Jae-hee to recruit any survivors she encountered during her reconnaissance.
Above all, the key was to preserve as many people as possible within this building.
The round was still only at its first stage.
Given the nature of the game, a larger population directly translated to greater power.
Currently, the Red Team had 32 members.
If we could recruit more survivors to match the Blue Team’s numbers, this game…
Victory would be much closer.
When I turned to look at the people, they were gathering only the necessary supplies as I had instructed.
They had begun to acknowledge and trust me as their “leader.”
I would repay their trust by leading them to victory in this game.
“Sion.”
Kwon Kyung-soo approached me, slightly out of breath.
His hands were stained with goblin blood.
“I’ve removed all the flesh, and it looks to be about 20 kilograms.”
“You’ve worked hard.”
“Now we just need salt and fire for smoking…”
Kwon Kyung-soo rubbed his chin and looked around.
There wasn’t an appropriate place to light a fire.
Starting a fire with a lighter would be easy enough, but this was an enclosed space.
If a fire broke out by mistake, we would all die.
I looked at Kwon Kyung-soo.
I had only asked him to prepare the meat, not to smoke it.
Even so, Kwon Kyung-soo understood the need to smoke the meat.
As expected from a man with a background in special forces.
He had extensive knowledge of basic survival skills.
“What should we do? Smoke spreading through the building could be a problem.”
Kwon Kyung-soo was looking to me for an answer.
Of course, he was right—letting smoke fill the building was not an option.
Whether ventilation was possible or not was uncertain.
But I had already considered the solution.
“Let’s use the restroom.”
“The restroom…?”
I grabbed a piece of goblin meat nearby.
It had been cleaned meticulously.
Kwon Kyung-soo looked confused, hesitating, but eventually followed me.
I entered the restroom and opened one of the toilet stalls.
Above the toilet, there was a ventilation duct that was not operational.
Climbing on top of the toilet, I inspected the vent.
A few light taps caused the vent cover to fall off.
It wasn’t as sturdy as I had expected, which surprised me a bit.
I peered inside.
It was too dark to see anything.
Still looking into the vent, I asked Kwon Kyung-soo.
“Kyung-soo, do you have a lighter?”
“Yes, here.”
Kwon Kyung-soo handed me a lighter.
I lit it and checked inside the vent.
‘It’s L-shaped and leads upward.’
The diameter was less than 50 centimeters.
If we started a fire here, the smoke would rise upward.
The vent ran vertically from the bottom to the top of the building.
Of course, this wasn’t a guarantee.
There could be intermediary vents leading to the building’s exterior.
Still, it was worth a try.
“How about here?”
Standing on the toilet, I looked down at Kwon Kyung-soo and asked.
He tilted his head.
“Won’t the vent melt?”
“We won’t be lighting the fire inside the vent. The fire will be in the stall, and the smoke will naturally flow into the vent.”
“Ah… I see.”
I stepped down from the toilet, and Kwon Kyung-soo climbed up in my place.
Kwon Kyung-soo inspected the ventilation duct and soon nodded.
“I’ll give it a try.”
“Good. I’ll assign you four additional people. This 7th floor seems like a suitable location. And if you sense even the slightest danger, come down immediately. It’s okay to abandon the meat—just make sure you survive.”
Kwon Kyung-soo froze at my words for a moment, then answered with a firm voice.
It seemed my words had comforted him.
But I had only said that because manpower was more important than food.
“…Yes! Understood. I’ll come down as soon as the smoking is done.”
Kwon Kyung-soo smiled broadly, and I simply nodded in response.
This was a step toward resolving the food issue.
However, we couldn’t afford to drag out the round for too long.
In terms of nutrition balance, the Blue Team had the advantage, while we could only rely on protein and fat.
Without securing carbohydrates and drinking water, we remained at a disadvantage.
Of course, the situation might change depending on the appearance of monsters and other variables, but our lack of resources remained constant.
“Well then, let’s light the fire.”
He brought a pile of torn tissue paper and placed it on top of the toilet.
Then, using the Zippo lighter I handed him earlier, he lit it.
Click.
Soon, the lighter’s flame illuminated the dark interior of the ventilation duct.
Whoosh.
The fire quickly spread to the tissue paper.
The two of us watched the flames.
The blazing fire brought a strange sense of calm.
I felt I finally understood why fire marked the beginning of human history.
Fire consumes everything, yet it provides warmth and food for humanity.
With shelter and sustenance secured, humans thrive.
Historically, fire had also been one of the most potent forces humanity possessed.
But with great power came great responsibility.
Mishandling fire could consume even allies, so it had to be handled with care.
Nevertheless, fire remained the only weapon that could counter the overwhelming numbers of the Blue Team.
“…”
Kwon Kyung-soo watched the fire crackle and laughed before turning to me.
“It worked! Sion! The smoke is rising upward!”
“…That’s a relief.”
“Yes. I think we’ll be able to smoke the meat. I’ll figure out the method myself. I did learn a few things in the army.”
“Don’t let the fire get too large. Keep a close eye on it.”
“Of course. Leave it to me.”
Kwon Kyung-soo smiled and gave me a thumbs-up.
I desperately hoped that this flame would bring victory to the Red Team.
The Red Team relocated their base.
From the original 7th floor to the 1st floor.
While moving to the 1st floor, the Red Team recruited surviving members.
On the 5th floor, they found two people, a man and a woman.
On the 3rd floor, they found three people who appeared to be a family.
On the 2nd floor, they found two more people.
That was all.
With seven additional members, the Red Team’s total grew to 39.
The rest would depend on Jin Jae-hee’s efforts.
After descending to the 1st floor, I inspected the outlet’s entrance.
A woman was lying dead, her body split vertically.
She had likely perished the moment she tried to exit and was consumed by the “Black Mist.”
Bloody handprints covered the nearby glass doors.
It looked like something straight out of a zombie movie.
I understood what had happened.
A group of people, chased by goblins, had been trapped at the exit and met their end there.
The entrance to the store on the 1st floor was filled with corpses.
By tomorrow, they would begin to decompose, and the stench would spread.
Managing the team’s mental health was crucial.
In a place reeking of death and filled with corpses, people would struggle to maintain their composure.
I decided to start preparing the area as our new base.
I addressed the group.
“Let’s move the corpses to the 2nd-floor store. Please lend a hand.”
Some hesitated.
I understood their reaction.
Most people couldn’t handle even animal carcasses.
Handling human corpses would be several times more repulsive.
I grabbed the upper half of a woman’s severed body under my arm.
Without a word, I headed toward the escalator.
A woman nearby walked over and silently picked up another corpse to follow me.
Her younger brother, standing behind her, stammered in shock.
“Sis…”
“Hmm? What?”
The woman casually carried the body.
Without a single complaint.
“…Never mind.”
The young man, presumably her brother, clenched his fists and followed, picking up a corpse.
Soon, everyone present began to follow my lead, moving the bodies.
There were gags, coughs, and even sobs.
But no one complained.
11th floor, Blue Team’s base—movie theater.
Swish, swish.
Kim Dong-gil sat at a table, slicing into a steak.
He stabbed a piece of meat with a fork and shoved it into his mouth.
Beside him, an employee poured wine into his glass.
While eating, Kim Dong-gil sniffed the air.
He frowned and glanced toward the escalator opposite him.
There, citizens of the Blue Team were moving corpses wrapped in cloth.
Kim Dong-gil wiped his mouth with a handkerchief and spoke to the subordinate.
“Damn it… That’s disgusting. Tell them to hurry up. Can’t they see I’m eating?”
“Yes, Branch Manager.”
The subordinate bowed and headed toward the escalator.
There, people who had been office workers, housewives, and students just 24 hours ago were carrying corpses.
The bodies were a mix of humans and goblins.
“Hurry up and move them,” the subordinate said coldly.
The Blue Team citizens worked through gritted teeth.
Until a middle-aged man snapped and shouted.
“This is too much! Hey, you!”
Kim Dong-gil, sipping wine, turned to look at the man.
Wiping his bloody hands, the man shouted at Kim Dong-gil.
“This is absurd! Who said we wouldn’t do it? Just stop rushing us!”
“…”
The subordinate remained silent.
Kim Dong-gil set down his wine glass and slowly approached the man.
Hands in his pockets, he looked around at the citizens of the Blue Team and spoke.
“10 million won per person.”
The mention of money immediately drew attention.
Kim Dong-gil continued boldly.
“Is that a small amount of money? Sir?”
“Uh…”
The man trembled before Kim Dong-gil.
Kim Dong-gil patted the man’s shoulder.
“If you listen to me well here, 10 million won will be deposited into your accounts. How long do you think you’ll be here? Hmm? You, student. Answer me.”
“Me? Uh, I-I don’t know.”
The young man stammered nervously.
“At most three days! A week, tops.”
Kim Dong-gil kindly answered for him.
Walking among the citizens, he continued.
“Can any of you earn 10 million won in a week in society?”
Silence fell.
Except for Kim Dong-gil.
“If you don’t like my offer, feel free to quit anytime. Anytime!”
Despite his loud declaration, no one responded.
Kim Dong-gil chuckled.
“Have you decided to follow my orders now?”
He made a round and returned to the man, who now hung his head low in fear.
Kim Dong-gil addressed him.
“Don’t defy me again. Understood?”
Still smiling, Kim Dong-gil watched as the man nodded vigorously in fear.
“Yes… Yes, Branch Manager…”
“Good.”
Satisfied with the man’s response, Kim Dong-gil smiled.
Then, his sharp nose twitched again.
“What… is that smell?”
Kim Dong-gil tilted his head, sniffing the air.
It was the smell of burning.
He glanced toward the hallway leading to the restroom.
“Smoke! It’s smoke, Branch Manager!”
A man shouted, and Kim Dong-gil’s face contorted.
‘Those bastards…!’
It was the Red Team’s counterattack.