Fallen Lightbringers' Return

The stomach of the other survivors growled. Kim Jyejin looked at the sky. Come to think of it, when they arrived at the cafe, it had still been the morning. Now, the sun had already started descending over them. Within all the tumult, they had forgotten the feeling of hunger and thirst.

"I could eat something too," she said.

The group nodded one after another. Well, even if they weren't hungry now, they'd be soon after, while continuing doing such strenuous activities.

Hwa Endo walked forward, she proposed, "Maybe we should look for some food? There are so many restaurants and malls around here after all."

Lee Dojin phased in front of her, startling the woman greatly. "I agree," he said, "but I think it may not be as easy as you imagine."

"Uh, what do you mean," Endo asked back. She didn't dare to look him straight in the eye, as for some reason she thought that he'd hurt her.

"Look around you. The scenery is all different. The malls have turned into doll spawn points, and the restaurants have disappeared or been destroyed." He stretched his hands out, showing off the new MyeongDong. "This isn't the wilderness where you can just find food either, you know?"

"But still," Endo said, "I'm sure, within this big place, there has to be something, right?"

"Maybe," Lee Dojin answered. But every single spot was intricately designed by the system, from even the way it placed an ear of sand corn. He feared that if the system really wanted to hide the food, it could do so without any worries. After all, the dungeons' environment favored the monsters more, and there was no need for dolls to eat. Even if they bit into the humans, they'd spit it right out again.

Of course, that would only be the worst of the worst, thus he kept it to himself.

The group started marching in silence. They didn't have any idea where to go. The thoughts about the future, such as the next 6 days, the boss they needed to beat, the world outside.. . they had no idea. One step at a time, that was all their minds could fathom; and in between, they prayed dearly for no more dolls to appear.

Lee Dojin had no such worries, as he knew what had become of the world outside. By now, at least a thousand dungeons had spawned, all with their own unique story. They'd rank around E and D, though if unlucky enough, a lower C would not be out of the question. 

For the people outside, they'd see an opaque dome, reaching through the clouds and beyond, obscuring anything inside. Panic, terror, and disbelief would overwhelm their minds as almost nobody understood where they came from. The news would hold emergency briefings, though they all said different things. 

The only thing to remain true was, under no circumstance shall a citizen approach these domes.

School and work abruptly stopped in Korea, even for those who did not worry about the Birth of Light. The domes would be within their line of sight, as there existed no human structure as magnificent as that. They'd call their loved ones—friends and family—and either sigh and relief or wallow in despair.

Though, no matter their feelings, they could not compare to the people surviving inside the dungeon.

"Wait, we can just take something from these food stalls," In-Su said, his voice jovial.

Kang Soomins brows furrowed. "You want us to eat these dirt-laden pigs' food? Do you know how unhygienic these things are? You might just die from food poisoning before anything else."

"But.. ." In-Su's shoulders drooped down.

".. ." Soomin sighed. "I jest. This is hardly a time to be picky."

His eyes brightened from these words. The survivors all followed him as they approached the stalls. "Jackpot," someone shouted, as he rummaged through the back. "I've found bread."

"There's cupcakes here! Also, we have some chocolate."

"There's milk in mine," someone else yelled. They were all happily surprised.

In-Su, proud of his findings, bit into one of the cakes he found. Though it was hardly a balanced meal, he felt famished enough to eat anything. However, his eyes opened wide, and he immediately spit everything out. "Why the hell is this so bitter?"

"Way too salty," another guy shouted, as he retched. "It's like biting into the ocean. Urgh."

Zheng Yunhe took a sip of his milk. His face scrunched together. "This one tastes bitter and sour."

Hwa Endo rubbed her head. Lee Dojin's words surfaced quietly in her mind, but she did not want to will it as true, thus she shelved them away. "It's fine, I am sure we can find something as we keep wandering." She looked around. The streets looked so desolate with not a single person around. But at the very least, they hadn't spotted any dolls yet.

The girl next to Park Wonho held her belly. "I'm hungry," she said in a quiet voice.

Wonho looked at her and smiled wryly. "I'm sure we will find something soon." Though he said so, his stomach too had formed a knot. He usually ate twice as much as anyone else, so the hunger pangs hit him just as hard.

Lee Dojin bit his nail. This didn't look good. Ever since he had gotten the Water Bead from the dungeon, he thought this didn't look good. The only reason for such an item to appear in a harsh mini-dungeon was because the system deemed it as valuable.

So water was a valuable resource?

The group wandered around, sometimes meeting a few stray dolls, but they weren't much of a challenge after everyone had activated their abilities. Yet, what brought the heavy atmosphere upon them was that no matter what place they went, the group could not find any food.

The malls were a no-enter zone, as they did not want to be massacred by a horde of zombie-dolls (and Lee Dojin already confirmed there not to be any food), the restaurants and foodstalls only sold disgusting pastries, and even the cafe from where they came from had changed into a plastic dollhouse.

As they stumbled into the first restaurant, they were happy to see real food at first, but as they touched it, they realized it tasted just like the bread and pastries outside. The same went for convenience stores and any other small snacks.

Zheng Yunhe fell to his knees. Dusk had already hit, with the sky turning an orange glow, and the sun slowly hiding behind the horizon. "I can't do this anymore."

Park Hansoo nodded wholeheartedly. This was torture, a type different from the onslaught of dolls, but just as vicious. "Never in my life had I been so hungry," he said. He felt as if he had lost a few pounds already. And what was even worse, his mouth was slowly turning dry.

Wonho didn't even voice his thoughts. All his attention was on his stomach. Thankfully, they had a few water bottles left (carried in the backpack of another guy), but that was slowly running dry too.

Kim Jyejin glanced at Lee Dojin. She saw sweat slowly drip down his chin. So he too could show exhaustion, she thought to herself. But that was natural, Lee Dojin also was human. She swallowed any words of complaining she had and continued walking.

Hwa Endo breathed heavily. They have been walking and fighting without any break now, and roamed through quite a lot of streets. In the first place, MyeongDong wasn't that big. If it weren't for the occasional dolls and detours from the malls, they'd have circled around the district 3 times already.

"Fuck it, let's stop," Zheng Yunhe spat out. "This is pointless. We are wasting all our energy."

No one really disagreed, but they could not quite agree either. "What about food then? Where will we find food?"

"Relax, will you," Yunhe said. "One day of not eating won't kill you. It's just your brain that makes your stomach hurt, it will disappear soon. What you need to worry about more is water, but we can solve this whole stuff another time."

Kang Soomin shook her head. "No way! How can I sleep with an empty stomach? The pain would keep me awake all night."

"Then do you wish to walk through the night and fight against these dolls in the dark?" Zheng Yunhe gave her a cold stare. Soomin could not answer. "That's what I thought."

"I think we should find a resting spot first," Hwa Endo ultimately decided. "At least a place where we can be safe from dolls. I've been looking the whole time already, and I think I found a suitable place. It's a convenience store with only one entry. It isn't linked to any mall and still looks relatively the same."

Well, it wasn't like anyone else found a better place yet. The survivors gathered at the convenience store. It was just as Hwa Endo said, a small place, unbound from any other buildings, looking almost solitary.

As they entered, a quiet jingle played, and the cold breeze from air conditioning wafted upon them. There was no edible food here either. The few instant snacks were all a sensory overload, their taste bizarre and disgusting. It wasn't physically possible to eat this, and by now, the group did not even try.

The first night came to a close. The survivors went to sleep, laying on the ground in a random convenience store, their stomachs empty of food and water. Lee Dojin would occasionally wake up alone, thinking about many things, and making sure no dolls approached them.