Acquired the Tower
001. I Acquired the Tower.
"Haa, it's finally over."
Today was the day I fulfilled my long-cherished wish.
Even before going to that world.
Even after returning from there.
This was the one thing I really wanted to do.
I threw down my sword and lay on the bed.
Pooof-
Cloud-like softness.
Ah, this is paradise. This is healing.
I slightly lifted my head and looked out the window.
Pure white clouds and a clear blue sky.
If I didn't bother to look down further, there was no better view than this.
A suite in the tallest luxury hotel in Seoul, of all places.
Normally, it would have been out of the question.
The accommodation fee here is over ten million won a day.
But? Now it's free.
No one could, or would, take money from me.
It was truly a paradise left just for me.
Yes, after all that suffering, it's only right and proper to enjoy this much.
I, who was unwillingly dragged to an Isekai and returned, deserve this.
When people usually talk about being dragged to an Isekai, there's a certain image that comes to mind.
A splendid kingdom, a chosen Hero.
A party with beautiful Elves and a Saintess.
Battles with the Demon Race, or adventures.
Those are the things an Isekai transferee should rightfully enjoy.
But in my case?
There was nothing but blood and death.
I was not given any of the compensation that should be given to someone whose modern civilization was confiscated.
All that existed in the world I fell into were endless Undead.
I had no time to choose or enjoy anything.
At least I did receive the title of Hero from the Emperor.
I also had trustworthy comrades.
The problem was that they were *too* trustworthy.
My comrades were the Imperial Knight Order.
In other words, muscular, macho men.
The men's goal was to kill the worst Necromancer in history, who had turned the continent into a Zombie field.
We advanced towards the Black Magic Tower, cutting through endless waves of Undead.
Ten years passed like that.
The Knight Order, which initially numbered a hundred, dwindled to ten.
But I succeeded in severing the Necromancer's neck with an Aura Sword.
Then, the remaining Undead throughout the empire all collapsed simultaneously.
Among them, those who hadn't sustained serious injuries returned to being human.
Thus, I became a true Hero.
The kingdom said they would provide me with everything.
Money, honor, women. Everything they could give.
But my joy was short-lived. Before I could properly enjoy the Isekai,
"Ah, fuck!"
I returned to reality.
The reality I returned to was a cesspool.
When I opened my eyes in the hospital, there was nothing left for me.
Parents who died in an accident, wealth squandered on hospital bills.
All that remained was a small amount from my parents' insurance.
No, there was one more thing.
The overwhelming power that severed the neck of a Necromancer who had reached the 9th Circle.
Aura that had reached the realm of a transcendent being.
But in modern society, that kind of thing is useless.
The most efficient way to use this power?
It's only good for getting a job at some factory and cutting metal instead of a CNC machine or waterjet.
I did consider becoming an athlete, but I wasn't suited for group life.
So, what about going to a company?
"What was the hardest thing you've ever done in your life?"
At the interview I barely managed to get, I was speechless.
I couldn't exactly say that my greatest achievement was beheading a wizard who controlled 9 Circles.
What good is having Aura?
The moment I cut someone with this, at best, local police would come, and at worst, the CIA.
In the end, I hid my power and holed up in my room.
The situation erupted two years after that.
*
There are no Necromancers in this world.
But it seemed Zombie could be created even without a Necromancer.
They suddenly appeared one day.
Screams were heard outside. People ran, and fell.
The fallen people were torn apart by Zombie.
It was a familiar sight to me.
The world collapsed in an instant.
The major cities were hit first, and the entire country was paralyzed.
The world's 6th largest military power was meaningless.
Bullets had no effect on the Mutants clad in exoskeletons.
Monsters that evolved from Zombie, bleeding acidic blood, melted tanks.
Politicians couldn't bomb the cities, and in the meantime, the infected population in Seoul alone exceeded ten million.
One-tenth of them became Mutants.
Ultimately, the government abandoned its territory.
It was the same in every country.
No leader existed who could bomb the heart of their own nation.
One month passed like that.
Seoul became a hell where millions of Zombie and monsters roamed.
I watched that scene from the corner of my apartment room, where no one else was.
"Sigh, this place is a mess too."
Still, there was plenty of food at home.
But even that was almost running out now.
Hmm, I need to get some food, but...
I don't have any weapons, what should I do?
While thinking such foolish thoughts, suddenly.
......?
Jolt.
Life returned to me.
I spread my hand and held it up in front of my eyes.
I manifested Aura for the first time in a long while.
Swoosh-
A blue shimmer swirling around my fingertips.
It was the moment I gained value beyond a CNC machine.
I rushed out immediately.
Kyaak!
They rushed at me.
I imbued the kitchen knife I was holding with Aura and simply slashed through the air.
Snick-
Their heads were severed without any resistance.
Naturally, they couldn't bite my body, which was surrounded by an Aura barrier.
That's when I realized.
Those things couldn't pose a threat to me.
At that moment, the world looked different.
The blood-splattered streets became a flower garden,
and the monsters shambling around with tattered flesh became beasts in a hunting ground.
In other words, this was a paradise where I could do whatever I wanted.
It was the moment my apocalypse healing life began.
*
Today marked six months since the apocalypse arrived.
And it was a monumental day, as I had conquered the tallest building in Seoul.
I sprawled on the bed and opened a bottle of champagne.
Hiss-
The subtle grape aroma and the sharp carbonation were incredible.
But, it's a bit boring.
Perhaps because I was so accustomed to stimulation, when peace finally arrived, it felt desolate.
Just like returning to the past.
'It's no different from when I was holed up in my room, is it?'
That was the only reason I took the champagne bottle and went downstairs.
Outside, monsters I hadn't bothered to deal with were roaming around.
It seemed like it would be quite fun to drink champagne and slice them up.
So I went outside the building, but then.
"Hmm?"
"P-person? Please save me!"
A ragged woman, wearing only a shirt, was running from the direction of Seokchon Lake.
What the hell is that?
The distance was roughly a hundred meters.
When I enhanced my eyes with Aura, I could see a little more clearly.
'Hmm.'
The woman had a tail.
Not ordinary Zombie, but Mutants. Quite a few of them.
Looking at her condition, she'd be caught in about 10 seconds.
'What should I do?'
After a brief moment of thought, I reinforced my legs with Aura.
Whoosh-
I instantly closed the distance with the woman and passed her.
I pulled out a knife from my waist...
Ah, I didn't bring my knife.
Then I'll have to use this.
I pulled a wine opener from my pocket,
It was small, but it had a blade attached.
I imbued the small blade with Aura.
And slashed forward.
"Guaaaak?!"
A blue line passed through the rushing creatures.
Slice-
They were instantly cut in half.
The woman realized what had happened a little later.
"Huh...?"
The monsters chasing her were all cut in half at once.
And there was some man standing there.
"Ah, um."
I pondered for a moment about how to handle this situation, then.
"Are you alright?"
I changed the subject for now.
"M-me, ah, um... what happened?"
The ragged woman looked alternately at me and the Mutants, then asked.
"They looked dangerous, so I killed them."
"What??"
"You would've been caught in 5 seconds. So I killed them."
"Mutants? Even Awakened struggle with them, how did you...?"
"I'm an Awakened too, you see."
"Ah, th-thank you! You saved my life! Thank you so much!"
Zombie appeared in this world, and Awakened appeared later.
But while they were called Awakened, they didn't have the power to overturn the earth or cleave the sky.
Still, there's no better excuse than being a super strong Awakened to explain my abilities.
Anyway.
After a good round of slashing, I felt a bit better.
"Well then, good luck."
I took a sip of the champagne in my hand and turned to leave.
It's true that people need to move to feel energized.
I was contemplating whether to open another bottle of champagne while thinking that.
"Excuse me, wait a moment!"
I had felt someone following me for a while now.
"Yes?"
The woman chased closely after me and stopped.
And then she knelt.
"C-could you please take me with you?"
"Eh?"
*
I'm a virgin.
Ah, I did have a childhood friend when I was young, but we lost touch a long time ago.
Until high school, it was all-boys middle school and all-boys high school, and right after graduation, I was dragged into the military.
After being discharged, I was in an accident in the car on the way home.
After that, I was in an Isekai for 10 years.
With muscular, macho Knight Order hyung-nim.
There was no room for women in my life.
At least there was a Saintess and an Elf priestess in the subjugation party.
But the Saintess was the Knight Commander's 'night friend,' and the Elf had sworn chastity before the World Tree.
So...
"Eh, me? Why?"
My reaction like this wasn't because I was a psycho whose humanity and libido were shattered, you see.
For a moment, the woman looked at me with a bewildered expression.
Her large eyes were brimming with tears.
Oh, ah. She is pretty, though.
Her face was streaked black with grime.
Her hair was even matted and stained in places.
Despite that, her beauty shone through.
I didn't even have time to look inside her old, torn shirt.
The woman pleaded with me.
"I-I'm good at housework. I can do other things besides housework, and if you need anything else... I can do that too. So please, please..."
The woman shed tears.
"Please, hide me."
"Ah, no, why are you doing this?"
"I-if I go back there, I'll die. No, it might even be better to die."
"So, where is 'there'?"
"......."
Thud-
The woman collapsed. She seemed to have fainted.
"No, if she's doing this here..."
What should I do? Should I take her with me for now?
It doesn't seem right to leave an unconscious woman here.
My conscience wouldn't allow it.
I hoisted the woman onto one shoulder.
'...She's light.'
I didn't even need to imbue my legs with Aura.
However.
"Ugh, damn it. What is this..."
There was a smell. A terrible, rotten smell.
Considering the woman's appearance, it was a smell that absolutely shouldn't be there.
I thought pretty women would only smell pretty.
I quickly finished the remaining champagne and covered my nose with the hand that had been holding the bottle.
*
"Ah, um?"
The woman woke up.
"Are you awake?"
"Ah, yes. I..."
The woman looked around. Then she let out a sigh of relief.
"Thank you."
"It's nothing. I just saved someone."
"You saved my life. Thank you so much...."
Even as she spoke, she kept looking around.
There's nothing dangerous here.
"Um, by the way."
"Yes?"
"Is this, by any chance, a bathroom?"
"Ah, yes. I couldn't lay you on the bed."
"??"
Hmm, I'll just tell her.
"You, you're too dirty right now."
Instantly, the woman's face flushed.
"I-I'm sorry!"
"There's nothing to be sorry about. Just wash up and come out. Hot water might be a bit difficult here, but the water flows well."
"I'll wash up quickly!"
The woman lifted her rag-like clothes.
For a moment, I saw her skin, where white parts still remained.
"No, no! Wash up after I leave!"
I almost saw it. My heart sank.
I calmed my pounding heart and forced myself to leave the bathroom.
'How can a woman be so careless?'