Chapter 147
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 147
Chapter Title: The Zombie Hoard at Jamsil
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As instructed by Ha Dong-seok, I bolted straight toward Jamsil Gymnasium.
I had no exact count on the zombies gathered there, but they numbered at least a few thousand. One mid-tier black magic spell would wipe them all out in a flash.
That many meant it was way more efficient to just nuke them with black magic in one go.
For a normal Awakener, it'd be impossible solo—you'd have to brace for a massive battle with an army of your own. But for me, a single snap of black magic cleared the slate. Perfect.
Black magic really was the best.
Of course, I took out every zombie I spotted on the way to Jamsil Gymnasium.
If it was just one or two, I'd blow past them, but if there were ten or more clustered up, or a mutant zombie shambling around, I'd charge in, lop off its head, and keep moving toward my goal.
"Nah, wiping them out with black magic sounds good, but what if I buff this thing up a bit too?"
[Reaper Blade - E]
• A sword made using the blade from Reaper Edge.
• Strengthens slightly each time a zombie is killed with Reaper Blade.
• Kills so far: 47
It was the weapon I'd gotten from hunting and devouring that named zombie a few days back—the first one I'd seen with a unique effect.
Swords from mutant zombies or guns from the shop were just basic tools. Nothing more than straightforward zombie-killers.
But Reaper Blade not only sliced cleaner than the last sword but also had this upgrade effect after a set number of kills.
I'd puzzled over why it had an effect no other weapon did, and it hit me: it was from killing that first named zombie.
Mutant zombies existed, so named ones probably dropped premium loot like this. Makes sense.
Zombies would keep getting stronger on their own, but top-tier gear was essential too—and farming it meant hunting named zombies.
Reaper Edge had been a pushover for me, but a regular Awakener would've been decapitated in seconds.
Beating something like that naturally warranted a sweet reward.
"Reaper Blade can be strengthened," it said. Probably means the letter grade next to the name goes up.
I was dying to see how it'd change once upgraded.
If the chance came up, I'd test it on the zombie horde at Jamsil Gymnasium.
Any real threats? Snap—black magic wipes them.
No matter what, I wouldn't lose out.
The one who gathered those zombies would be the loser.
Why the hell gather zombies inside Jamsil Gymnasium anyway?
No clue whatsoever.
Zombies were only good for farming coins—nothing else.
Best use? siccing a horde on a rival group to sow chaos.
Otherwise, zero reason to corral them in one spot. Who did it, and why?
If not some ordinary motive... maybe a Trait or Skill?
Gathering tons could net some big benefit.
But that sounded too weird for a zombie apocalypse...
Or maybe they weren't deliberately spared—just lured in somehow, and Ha Dong-seok's guy spotted it.
Honestly, that felt most realistic.
Lure zombies into one space for a mass wipe—like me with black magic. Same idea.
No way... was that it?
If so, they'd basically gift-wrapped a feast for me.
Turning down a spread like that would be silly.
Wait—no, what if they used a Skill to gather them?
Steal it, and jackpot.
To gather zombies now, I had to ring that deafening school bell echoing for miles. A more efficient Skill? Snag it ASAP.
Skill Theft had harsh limits, but if conditions aligned, yoinking someone else's power was straight-up busted.
Not 100% success, costs coins... still worth the shot if it worked.
Wondering if my hunch was right, I raced toward Jamsil Gymnasium.
A few men peered down from a building near Jamsil Gymnasium, holding their breath.
Zombies swarmed the gymnasium interior beyond counting, with more shuffling in nonstop. The men grinned in satisfaction.
"So many... Think of the coins from all that."
"Gonna rake in a fortune, right? Especially with the 3x event running."
"Yeah. At least 10,000 coins, easy?"
The men dreamed of splitting 10,000 coins four ways.
One raised his hand.
"We busted our asses gathering them in there. Can I get a bigger cut? My Blink Skill made it possible."
The others scowled at him.
"Sorry, but you could spam Blink thanks to my Skill, yeah? Mana Share let you use a one-and-done ability five times a day. By that logic, I deserve more too!"
Another snorted derisively.
"Get real. Your mana pool grew enough to share because of my cooking. Chef Trait buffs. You pull that, and I'm claiming my share."
The last man muttered angrily.
"All bullshit. Without the bombs I rigged on the gymnasium floor, we couldn't touch that horde. My cut's the biggest if we're dividing."
No one argued with him.
He'd proposed trapping and bombing the zombies—and without his bomb-making, it was impossible.
They had no formal ranks, but the bomb guy was the de facto leader.
The first guy who'd griped bowed his head.
"Sorry. Lost my head for a sec. Felt like I was the only one risking my neck out there."
With Blink, he teleported short distances to aggro zombies maximally, then vaulted walls—closest to the action, riskiest role.
The leader shook his head.
"No sweat, happens. Truth is, your Skill makes this plan work. I'm grateful—to you and everyone."
He pointed at the gymnasium.
"We pooled our strengths for this haul. No one's expendable. No fighting—let's survive together."
The men nodded. The instigator shot the leader an apologetic look.
Then he spotted someone slipping into the gymnasium behind the leader.
"Huh? Who's that? Someone went inside!"
"What? A person?"
The others whipped around, startled, but whoever it was had already vanished inside.
"Why go in there? Ruining our plan?"
The leader shook his head at the anxious voice.
"You know how many zombies are packed in. No solo act clears that. Ignore him—focus on our job."
He lifted the switch for the bombs inside.
"Press this, and he goes boom too. What's to worry?"
With that, the leader slammed the button.
The others clapped hands over their ears, bracing for the blast.
Silence stretched seconds. No reaction from the gymnasium. Unease crept in.
"What? No explosion?"
"Sh-should've..."
"Why no sound? Last test nearly blew our eardrums."
Dozens of bombs packed the place—bought with their hoarded coins.
Yet they hadn't detonated.
"Hold up. I'll check inside."
The Blink guy dashed to the gymnasium, scaled the wall, and slipped in.
Moments later, he emerged, trudging back with a hollow, devastated look.
"What happened?"
"G-gone..."
"Gone? What?"
"Inside... nothing! No zombies, no bombs!"