The sun began its descent, casting long shadows that stretched through the forest, dimming the surroundings as I made my way into the mansion. An annoying sound, one I had grown accustomed to missing, rang in my head, signaling the arrival of a pop-up window.

[Congratulations on your first clear mission!

Number of players in Eden: 5/5

Mission task: Completed

Rewards: 5 ES coins.

We congratulate you, our dear administrator. The next mission will be in 72 hours.]

I ignored the system messages and made my way to the second floor. Despite its grand exterior, the mansion's interior felt empty, with only a few paintings adorning the walls and an antique piano in the hall.

For over two hundred years, I had awaited the arrival of the players, yet the system remained silent, failing to appear when I needed it most. As I ascended the stairs, resentment brewed within me. Eden was meant to be a sanctuary from the mutated monsters, yet it could not protect its inhabitants from each other.

In my early days in this world, I had been foolish, treating everything as a game. While waiting for the players, I roamed far and wide, encountering various people whom I treated like NPCs. The existence of Eden was still unknown to these NPCs, who survived in the wilderness of the ruined city, scavenging for food and consuming anything that seemed edible.

Decades later, I invited some of these NPCs into Eden, and their expressions were filled with joy. They saw me as their savior, and we lived in peace for more decades until a sudden turn of events befell us.

Mutated monsters were barred from entering Eden, but humans harboring evil within them were the exception. I had been unaware of the capacity for evil within humans, and Eden's existence attracted those with greedy hearts.

I opened Eden to everyone, and news of a haven in the apocalyptic world spread quickly. Not only did large organizations come, but also the remnants of fallen nations and rebels.

Initially, they offered me generous deals in exchange for control of Eden, but I refused. The management of Eden could not be transferred; it was not that simple. Despite their initial reluctance to target me directly, the evil people began harassing the residents of Eden, knowing that harm to me would incite a riot among those who saw me as their savior.

Despite the safety of Eden, resources were limited, and residents needed to hunt outside for food. Gradually, hunters began disappearing mysteriously, and the population of Eden dwindled. Eventually, they turned their weapons against me.

In the ensuing chaos, Eden was utterly destroyed. The river that flowed from north to south turned blood red, and the forest that once covered Eden was set ablaze. The only remnants of Eden were this mansion.

Entering my bedroom, I opened a drawer and retrieved bandages and stitches. Sitting on my bed, I removed my clothes, revealing wounds caused by the falcon that were truly immense. Numerous scars adorned my body, reminders of the times I had narrowly escaped death.

The pain was not merely physical but also mental. Who would willingly endure such a life, experiencing numerous deaths and the pain of losing what was dear to them?

If the players had arrived sooner, I might not feel this sadness. They came from the same world as me, and I might not feel so alone in this world.

I put some cloth in my mouth and started treating my wounds, lacking any disinfectant. I slowly cleaned the wound on my left arm with the bandage from the drawer, careful not to wrap it too tightly.

This process was painful, with tears falling from my eyes, but I had to endure it. My right arm trembled as I stitched the wound on my left arm, and once I finished, I started stitching the open wound on my stomach.

The sound of someone screaming echoed through the mansion, drawing the attention of everyone at the campfire. The children, who were preparing a meal in clay pots, trembled at the noise.

Helio couldn't contain his emotions as tears welled up in his eyes. He handed a bowl of fragrant soup to Jaeha, and Elio, the quieter kid, looked more composed. But you can tell that they feel the same thing as he handed a bowl to Taegeuk and Noah.

Jaeha looked at the warm soup in his hands and spoke to the kids, trying to lift the mood.

"Don't worry, Zero-ssi will be okay. He's strong and won't die easily."

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He smiled at the kids, then took a sip of the soup, his eyes widening in surprise at its unexpected sweetness. Trying to lighten the mood, he asked, "The soup tastes sweet. What ingredients did you put in here?"

Helio, sniffling, answered, "Elio put honey in the pot before it was cooked."

Noah, joining the conversation with his mouth full, commented, "The meat tastes so good. What kind of meat is this?"

Elio responded with a sign using his finger, and Noah nodded, his eyes bright with excitement. "I didn't know rabbit meat tasted this good. I thought they were just pets."

Jaeha was amazed that Noah could understand Elio.

The two women gradually regained consciousness, their heads still heavy as they looked ahead to see a campfire and the men eating something.

Before the office woman could question the situation, a man with a beard approached her, holding a bowl of soup.

Taegeuk spoke to the woman, "Are you feeling calmer now? Here, this is for you. You can ask questions after joining us for dinner."

He then left to rejoin Jaeha and Noah. The office woman then saw a little kid approaching the younger woman beside her, offering her a bowl of soup.

The younger woman nodded and stood up, walking to sit with the rest of the group. Feeling left alone, the office woman looked at the bowl of hot soup and suddenly felt so hungry. The soup didn't look particularly special, but its fragrance was sweet.

She quickly finished her soup and joined the campfire, feeling embarrassed but prioritizing her stomach.

Taegeuk smiled and continued eating his share. The campfire felt warm, and everyone was enjoying the simple dinner, even though their minds were still clouded. This moment felt more relaxing than what they were used to in life.

A figure emerged from the mansion. Zero approached silently, greeting everyone with a smile. He had changed into more casual attire, without any gear or his blade.

"Is everyone enjoying the dinner?" he began, engaging in conversation with the group. Though everyone was busy eating, they nodded in response. The kids ran over and hugged Zero, who smiled as he patted them.

"Both of you should eat dinner too. Come and sit here; I'll bring the bowls for you."

He took two bowls and filled them with soup from the pot. Despite his injured left arm, visible through the rugged bandage, he handed the bowls to the kids, who sat quietly eating.

Zero then sat beside the kids without taking his share of dinner. This prompted everyone to stop eating. Jaeha wanted to stand and bring a bowl for Zero, but Noah was quicker, perhaps feeling guilty for his past actions.

Zero was surprised; he hadn't intended to eat dinner because the portions were limited, in case the players wanted more servings.

Looking shy, Noah handed the soup to Zero. "Mister Savior, please join the dinner," he said.

Zero thought about it. Did Noah just refer to him as "Mister Savior"? He didn't like the nickname, but he accepted the soup and smiled at Noah.

The moon is shining in the night sky. As everyone finished dinner, they looked at each other awkwardly. The three men were already comfortable with each other, but the women had been unconscious for most of the time. It was normal for them to feel awkward and confused.

The kids fell asleep on Zero's lap, looking small and innocent. Zero then addressed everyone.

"I'll introduce myself once again. My name is Zero, and I am the administrator of Eden. I welcome all of you players to Eden. I hope we will get along well in the future."

After Zero finished, Jaeha introduced himself, followed by Taegeuk and Noah. It then came to the younger woman's turn.

Her voice was quiet as she introduced herself as Lee Seoyeon, and the office woman introduced herself as Park Hyuna.

After everyone had introduced themselves, the campfire fell awkwardly silent once again.

Hyuna broke the silence. "You guys," she started, pausing for a moment before continuing, "What are you guys? What is this administrator or Eden thing? I don't understand."

Hyuna appeared calm, but she had many questions in her mind.

Zero then instructed her to try speaking in her mind to open the status window. Hyuna nodded and did as Zero said. The moment she spoke in her mind to open the status window, a screen appeared in front of her, startling her and almost causing her to fall backward.

She then looked at Zero and said, "What is this? Something appeared with my information."

Hyuna sounded a bit angry as she moved away from the rest.

She kept talking, saying things that were not understood. Hyuna mentioned the words "those bastards" and "paying debt."

Eventually, Taegeuk stood up and told her that they were not the "bastards" she was thinking of.

She's still felt anxious. Everyone was a bit stunned by Taegeuk's response. Even Zero was impressed. They did not know each other, but Taegeuk was able to calm her down immediately.

Taegeuk then took a garment from the back that had been used to cover Hyuna while she fainted and put it on her shoulder.

Noah looked at them and quietly clapped from the side.

Unlike Hyuna, Seoyeon, the other woman who appeared younger, was calmer. It was a huge relief, but she had been staring intently at Zero.

Zero tried not to notice, but he felt a little nervous.

The atmosphere at the campfire began to warm. Zero explained more to the players as they listened. Jaeha and the others asked many questions, and Zero answered each one.

For a while, they all enjoyed getting to know each other. The warm dinner was a success, and Zero thought that today was the best day.