Chapter 110

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Translator: Ace

Chapter: 110

Chapter Title: Crushing the Raider Bosses

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I'd heard from the Haedong Faction beforehand that their attackers had three leaders. So when two of them stepped up, I figured the third was sniping from a distance.

And sure enough, my prediction was spot on—he had his sights trained right on my head.

I figured a leader like him might use some special ammo, but when it failed to pierce my barrier, I realized he could only hit from afar; no skill-enhanced effects.

Next, I faced the guy who turned ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠his body steel-hard. I thrust my hand blade straight into his chest with full force.

He'd been dented and sent flying by my casual punch earlier, but recovered almost instantly. To test his limits, I went all out—and pierced right through his skin, deep enough to reach his heart.

I hadn't even expected that without any black magic body enhancement.

For the last one, I pretended to focus on the steel guy while taking a bullet, leaving an opening. When he lunged in, I thought he might be decent.

But his sword swing lacked power—just a bit faster than the average thug.

The moment I caught his blade barehanded, shock spread across his face. He'd clearly thought he was the fastest around.

I'd hoped for some strong skill, but this was disappointing.

Even with skills active, he couldn't breach my barrier. And without special enhancements, he still couldn't keep up with me.

I wondered if I could check their skill levels, but they probably weren't high.

Higher levels might've changed things, though I couldn't judge everything from this. Still, it confirmed no Awakener could challenge me yet.

It'd be perfect if I could steal skills. I could take theirs and hand them to Sohee or Hadongseok to boost our forces.

But sparing them until I get skill-stealing is risky long-term.

Swallowing my regrets, I decided to finish them off.

First, my left hand crushed the steel guy's exposed heart, squeezing until it burst.

As his body slowly reverted, I tensed my right fingers and shattered the sword I'd been gripping.

Whether he couldn't imagine his blade breaking in my hand or was just stunned by it all, the swordsman couldn't hide his shock. Ignoring him, I gripped a shard properly and hurled it fast toward the distance.

Recalling the sniper's bullet trajectory, I aimed that way.

Seconds later, something thudded to the ground near a building.

Whether hit by the shard and knocked off or startled into dropping his rifle, the sniper was out—for good.

"Ugh... ugh... Th-this... can't be..."

Stunned, the swordsman dropped his broken blade and staggered back.

I picked it up, closed in, and swung lightly at his throat.

His skill let him react, jerking his head back—but I accelerated mid-swing, too fast for him to dodge.

Even this raider group was nothing to me.

Guess that means I'm just too strong.

If it weren't me, they'd have been real threats.

Steel body shrugs off normal attacks. A sniper hitting unseeable targets pins you down. And the swordsman, with heightened senses, would've shone one-on-one.

Too bad they ran into me.

With them all down, I scanned around. The grunts stared blankly, faces frozen in disbelief.

Never imagined their bosses dropping so pathetically.

Especially the guide who'd led me here—mouth agape, eyes bulging like his jaw had dropped off.

One of them raised his gun at me and fired quick.

Tat-tat-tat!

The shots echoed through the space, and the rest followed suit, blasting away.

"Haa... I'm so sick of this pattern now."

They'd confirmed countless times they couldn't scratch me, yet here we go again. It was getting old.

And the ear-piercing racket was annoying too.

First, shut down the gunfire.

I bent my knees slightly, then exploded upward off the floor.

"Huh?"

"What the—?"

"No way that's possible!"

I leaped dozens of meters forward. The shooters gawked, dumbfounded, and stopped firing.

Boom!

I dropped back down near them. The closest one dropped his gun and toppled backward.

"Finally quiet. Your attacks are useless—stop wasting ammo."

Bullets are precious resources; squandering them like this is just stupid.

Now, what to do with these guys.

Simplest: kill them all. Clean, no loose ends.

But it'd feel like a waste, somehow.

They had manpower potential. Slaughtering them outright? Nah.

Time to execute the plan I'd formed the moment I heard about these raiders.

"Listen up, you scum! Obey me now, or die by my hand!"

Having shown my power by offing their bosses in front of everyone, no one dared complain.

Anyone not an idiot knows what happens if they defy me here.

So, let's have some fun with these raiders, starting from when I first learned they existed.

The night in Yeouido, which called itself Paradise.

Even in the dark, one building still glowed with light.

"Haa... What should I do now..."

Park Seokgyu, ruler of Yeouido, sighed while gazing out the window.

A former congressman, he'd fled to Yeouido amid the zombie apocalypse chaos. Meeting the army clearing zombies saved his life.

Then luck struck twice: gaining the Politician trait and Double skill.

He'd have been zombie chow otherwise, but tagging along with the army let him level up. Hitting level 10 and first-clearing Yeouido's dungeon granted those perks.

"I've survived this long thanks to the Politician trait and Double skill."

The seemingly unrelated pair synergized surprisingly well.

Gaining Politician came with the Power of the Masses skill.

This bumped Park Seokgyu's base Mental Power of 5 by +3, perfect for Double.

The boosted Mental Power let him duplicate more at once, and higher mana from it meant more frequent use.

That's how Yeouido sustained food supplies till now.

But he'd overlooked: consumption outpaced duplication with growing numbers.

And soon, power and water would cut off. Maintaining the current population was becoming impossible.

Couldn't take more to boost Mental Power, but kicking people out now would tank Double efficiency.

As he pondered his next move, urgent footsteps echoed in the hall.

The door burst open.

It was Colonel Ki, commanding Yeouido's army guard.

"Colonel Ki, what's this late at night?"

"Haa, haa... Big trouble, sir!"

"Trouble?"

"An attack! Someone's raiding Paradise!"