Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: An Unlucky Day (3)
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He strained his ears, and the footsteps grew clearer. Were they wearing thick boots? The steps thudded heavily.
As the footsteps drew a bit closer, Dung Beetle realized they weren't just one set, but two.
"Ah, finally done."
Just as expected, two men emerged from the darkness.
Familiar gas masks, familiar outfits... They had to be cleanup crew from the same Cleanup Guild.
"Fuck, never thought I'd see the day when cleanup crew are cleaning up other cleanup crew."
The two were dragging a corpse dressed in the exact same cleanup crew uniform. Each grabbed one leg, leaving a long trail of blood in their wake.
...Were these the guys who dragged the body here?
Dung Beetle held his breath and slipped out of their line of sight.
Just as he barely escaped their view, the two cleanup crew tossed the body they were dragging onto the pile of corpses.
Splash! Blood and filth splattered from between the stacked bodies. Not a shred of respect for the dead.
Dung Beetle grimaced and fled beyond their sight. He hadn't forgotten what the player had said before killing him... that the higher-ups had sold them out.
If that was true, then these cleanup crew were his potential enemies.
'...I'll hide until they leave, then tail them out of here.'
While Dung Beetle was formulating his escape plan, the two cleanup crew turned on their flashlights and approached the corpse pile. They shone the lights around, inspecting the bodies.
Of all places, in the direction where Dung Beetle was hiding.
'No way, did they spot me?'
Fortunately, his fears were unfounded. The two stood just barely out of range where he couldn't be seen and started talking.
"Hey, we got some time left, right? Wanna do a quick loot?"
"Loot? Well... yeah, about 40 minutes or so."
"Come on, we're on overtime duty. Gotta snag something."
The moment he heard the word "loot," Dung Beetle swallowed bile.
Loot. It was slang among cleanup crew for stripping valuables off corpses.
'What loot? Disgusting bastards.'
It was filthy work, unforgivable by law or morals.
He hated the name itself. Loot? Just a hypocritical label to make it sound casual, like no big deal.
Proof was, people outside the cleanup crew called it something else.
Maggot work.
Because of maggot work by a few dirty cleanup crew, the whole profession's image was tanking. Back in the day, his crew foreman and colleagues never looted. They were cleanup crew, not maggots.
In that sense, those two were maggots.
Maggots who couldn't respect the dead, blinded by money, abandoning the last shred of humanity.
'Those scum are alive and well, so why did we...'
Dung Beetle bit his lower lip, watching the cleanup crew poke around the corpses. Thinking of his dead comrades made something churn in his chest.
But now was the time to hold back. Endure. Deal with the rest after escaping. Escape, revenge... whatever came next, he had to hide now.
As Dung Beetle reaffirmed his resolve and melted into the darkness, the pair began rifling through the corpses, hunting for valuables.
"Ugh, these punks. Not a single gold tooth between 'em."
"Who'd be a thug in Incheon if they had money? If they had skills, they'd head to Daegu or Busan. This shithole city only attracts bums and bodies."
"Fair point."
No strangers to this, they expertly stripped the selected corpses. Prying open mouths for gold teeth, stripping clothes to empty pockets...
Before long, they reached the area with his comrades' bodies.
'Please, just pass by.'
Dung Beetle prayed inwardly, but the pair didn't skip over his comrades' corpses.
Those disgusting bastards, maggots in cleanup crew uniforms.
"Wow, this guy's all cleaned up even in death."
They stood before the crew foreman's corpse, shining their flashlight. The brutally trampled body was laid bare in the light, but there was no courtesy or respect from them. They prodded the body with their boots, spitting mocking jeers.
"Tsk tsk, all that bitching about no looting. Guess that's why you went out like this. Turned into ground meat."
"He bitched his way to death. You know his whole team got marked by the higher-ups, right?"
"Higher-ups? Still, he was good at the job. What happened?"
"Director told him to sneak out a few bodies, and he refused flat out. Something about not disrespecting the dead."
"Damn, what a guy. Thought he was a priest from the Mordak Church or something? Disrespect? A corpse is a corpse."
Watching it all, Dung Beetle ground his teeth. His blood ran cold, his head boiled like it would burst.
"Come to think of it, didn't this guy have some savings? No family either, right?"
"That all goes straight to the Director's pocket. Don't even think about it. You wanna end up as a body here too?"
"Tch, fine. What about the others? Who's on this team... Deokbae? Didn't that Deokbae Uncle wear a big gold ring?"
"Gold ring?"
The moment Deokbae Uncle's name came up, Dung Beetle closed his eyes.
If he saw them desecrate his comrades' bodies, especially Deokbae Uncle's, he wouldn't be able to hold back.
'Don't look. Don't look and endure... I have to endure.'
Dung Beetle curled up, calling out to the angel in his mind.
Angel, Angel. Why?
Why does a psycho who sees people as EXP get to strut around the world?
Why did my comrades have to die instead of that dog of a Director who sold out his men for 250,000 won?
Why do my comrades have to be insulted and mocked even after death?
Angel, God beyond the dimensional gate, please answer.
If good truly exists, why is this world so unfair and cruel?
...No answer came. Just like always.
"Oh, found it. Gold ring!"
"Nice, finally snagged something worthwhile."
Desperately averting his eyes, Dung Beetle heard the excited voices in his ears.
He couldn't help but look up.
'...Ah.'
He saw them twist Deokbae Uncle's finger to yank off the gold ring, then toss the body aside.
Splash! Deokbae Uncle's upper body rolled across the floor. For a split second, Dung Beetle locked eyes with the rolling corpse.
Tears of blood streamed from Deokbae Uncle's eyes.
...In that moment, something inside Dung Beetle snapped.
"Why'd this bachelor wear a gold ring anyway?"
"To get looted by us?"
"Heh heh, yeah. Wore it just to fill our pockets."
Unaware of the darkness unfolding behind them, the pair cackled and rummaged through other corpses.
"Hey, time's running out. Wrap it up and let's go."
"Didn't you say there's an elf? You check the elf, I'll search a few more cleanup crew."
The one who'd taken Deokbae Uncle's ring headed toward Dung Beetle, while the other went far off to the elf corpse.
Dung Beetle instinctively knew this was his chance. He quietly stripped off his blood-soaked work uniform.
Cheap crap with no merits except being tough and durable.
But right now, it was enough for Dung Beetle. He rolled it up tight into a long rope.
Gripping the bundled clothes in both hands, he crept silently toward the back of the ring-grabber.
And...
"Anything else worth... Gack!"
He looped the bundled uniform around the guy's neck and strangled him. Arms locked tight to prevent escape, legs clamping the torso.
"Guh, kgh, ack."
Caught off guard, the guy clawed at his neck, thrashing. Twisting, kicking, flailing arms.
All futile.
The cowardly maggot who could only insult the dead couldn't break free of the noose.
Soon, the body went limp. Dung Beetle swallowed hard, staring at the fallen maggot.
'Ah.'
His grip loosened, his mind sank cold. Murder... yes, this was murder.
'I killed a man.'
But... something was off. Why no emotions?
No triumph, no guilt. Like drinking water when thirsty, squashing a visible bug... it just felt natural.
But murder was murder. Dung Beetle was shocked by his own lack of feeling toward it.
'Why does it feel like nothing?'
Then suddenly, the voice of the guy looting the elf corpse rang out.
"Hey! Jackpot! This elf corpse has a necklace!"
Calling his buddy, he naturally swung the flashlight this way...
"Huh, fuck...?"
Under the flashlight beam, Dung Beetle strangling the maggot was revealed.
Dung Beetle turned toward the light, and their eyes met. Eyes are windows to the soul, they say? Even through gas masks, they instantly knew each other's thoughts.
Kill.
This psycho.
A brief silence filled the space between them, then vanished.
The maggot moved first. He spun and bolted without hesitation. Dung Beetle dropped the dead one and gave chase.
The pursuit didn't last long.
"Aaagh, damn it!"
Crash! The guy tripped over a corpse Dung Beetle had tossed earlier. The dead felt no injustice, the heavens stayed silent, but he paid the price for his desecration.
"Damn it! Stay back! Stay away!"
As the guy floundered in the corpse's filth, Dung Beetle pounced.
The maggot thrashed to avoid being pinned, but with the high ground lost, he didn't last. Dung Beetle mounted his upper body, knee pressing between shoulder and solar plexus.
"Wait, guh, wait, aaack!"
The moment he secured position, Dung Beetle smashed down his fist. No hesitation in beating a man. This was the scum who'd mocked the crew foreman and desecrated Deokbae Uncle's body.
"S-spare me! Please, guh, stop! Ack!"
The guy begged desperately, flailing hands, but the fists didn't stop.
Thud, thud, thud! Gas mask tore, blood sprayed, and finally something shattered. Dung Beetle surrendered to primal violence and instinct.
He didn't know if he was pounding a head or the rage he'd bottled up. Didn't care to know.
Dung Beetle kept swinging until he physically couldn't anymore.
And the moment he stopped...
『Finally.』
'It' spoke.
『You've crossed the line.』
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