Chapter 156
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 156
Chapter Title: The Strength Training Experiment
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"Alright, let me take a moment to explain what I'm planning to do here. I'll keep it short and simple, so don't breathe a word of this to anyone."
The moment they heard me say to keep it secret from others, the atmosphere tensed up just a bit.
Especially after I mentioned biological experiments and now secrecy on top of that—it was only natural they'd find it suspicious.
I'd probably think the same if I were in their shoes.
"Understood. So this has to do with that biological experiment you just mentioned... right?"
"Obviously. But don't freak out just from the term. What I'm doing won't cause any harm to you guys— that's a guarantee. Now, let me start by explaining why I'm running this experiment."
I shared with everyone what Yejin had told me yesterday: that her stats had increased permanently.
"From 6 to 7? Without gaining any new skills or anything?"
"That's right. I was shocked when I saw it too. I thought stats were fixed once set, but this proves there's a way to raise them on your own."
"Then I get the gist of what you mean by 'biological experiment.' You want to figure out how to boost our stats using us, right?"
Ha Dong-seok had nailed my intentions spot on.
"Exactly. Figuring this out will help not just me, but all of you too. You know as well as I do that getting as strong as possible is the best prep for what's coming."
Everyone nodded at my words.
Anyone with half a brain could see the zombies out there were getting stronger by the day, yet these guys were relying entirely on the guns in their hands to take them down.
For now, regular zombies were manageable with firearms, but mutants would change that.
Even something as quick as a Lacer would be tough, and a Smasher? A couple of bullets wouldn't faze it much.
Sure, someone with heavily upgraded guns might fare better, but that didn't apply to anyone here, so moving on.
Bottom line: to survive the near future, getting stronger was non-negotiable.
"Now that you get the why, you're probably wondering what exactly I'll have you do. It's simple. I'm going to use you all to figure out the conditions for boosting Strength."
"Strength... specifically?"
I picked Strength because, out of all the stats in the status window, it seemed the easiest to verify changes right away.
"The description says it represents an Awakener's physical abilities, right? In other words, if we improve physical performance from the current state, the numerical value might shift."
"That makes sense. Things like Mental Strength or Charm would be harder for us to raise on the spot."
Ha Dong-seok responded, then glanced back at his men before speaking up again.
"So everyone here joins in?"
"Nah, not everyone. Who'd farm the coins then? The coin earners head out as usual to hunt zombies."
Of course, running experiments didn't mean skimping on coin gathering.
"Today's participants will be those with Strength around 1 to 2. The rest go about business as usual—out into the field."
"1 to 2? Got it. Everyone with those stats, step forward!"
Ha Dong-seok bellowed, and a few of his subordinates sheepishly shuffled to the front.
Ideally, I'd test everyone regardless of stats, but halting coin production wasn't an option, so we'd do this in batches.
To maximize results, starting with the lowest Strength levels made sense.
Pushing hard workouts on the physically weakest should show effects faster than on the fit ones, letting us spot stat changes quicker.
Ha Dong-seok had called up exactly five.
"Good! You five stay. Everyone else, back to your jobs."
At my word, the rest dispersed to their tasks.
Let's see... these guys all have Strength 1 or 2, huh?
Just looking at them, they didn't seem particularly strong.
One looked so frail that without his gun, he'd probably have been zombie chow ages ago.
All five stood before me, faces tense with nerves.
"You catch everything I said earlier? Unless you're idiots, you should have a rough idea what I'm after. To boost physical abilities, what do we do? You—speak up."
I pointed at one of the five, who flinched like he hadn't expected to be singled out, stammering his reply.
"Uh... w-we gotta... exercise, I think."
"Right on the money. Exercise. To get strong, you gotta grind your body to the bone."
Back in that other world, even as a Black Magician, I could smash weak monsters barehanded for one reason only.
I'd pushed my body to the brink, over and over, until it adapted.
Even when it felt impossible, moving like a maniac to survive forced adaptation.
That's how I hit a ridiculous Strength of 10.
I didn't expect these guys to reach my level, but I wanted to see how far they could go.
I recalled Sohee and Ha Dong-seok starting around 5—ideally, all my underlings would baseline at that.
Then Sohee and Ha Dong-seok could push higher.
Whatever effort these five put in, those two would match it and more.
One of the five hesitantly raised his hand.
"Um... so what kind of exercise should we do?"
"What kind? Simple."
I grinned at the five.
"You're gonna run laps around the outpost perimeter from now on. Long-distance running, basically."
"Long-distance?"
A straightforward exercise anyone could picture.
"Uh, how many laps...?"
"50."
"...Pardon?"
I answered the question instantly, and all five stared at me in shock.
"50 laps? Running the full barricade perimeter 50 times?"
"Yeah, that's what I said. You got it."
"B-but that's way too... Ack!"
I slowly approached the one sputtering in disbelief.
"What? Can't handle it?"
"W-well..."
He looked utterly flustered, the others no better.
The outpost perimeter was about a 1km radius. 50 laps? No wonder they were stunned.
"Let me be clear: this isn't optional. You have to do it."
I pointed at the others bustling to prep for zombie hunts.
"Screw this up, and it'll hurt them. Think about how. Just know you'll regret it big time if you fail."
The five visibly swallowed hard.
"To recap: 50 laps around the outpost by sunset. No excuses. I know it seems random since I can't teach proper training methods, but shut up and do it. That's an order."
Glancing toward the house, I spotted Yejin peeking out the window.
"Yejin! Come down here!"
Startled by the sudden call, she rushed down in simple clothes.
"Oppa, what's up? Why'd you call me?"
"Nothing major. These five are starting the tasks I assign today—keep an eye on them. Easy job: they gotta do 50 laps around the outpost. Just count 'em off."
"Hmm... Got it. That's no problem."
After she nodded, I turned to the five.
"Don't even think about cheating the count. Do that, and I'll make you wish you were dead."
"Y-yes, sir..."
All five looked like they'd drawn the short straw, faces grim.
"Hm... Fine, special favor for you guys: I'll cut the laps in half."
"Half?!"
"Yeah, down to 25. That doable?"
Their faces lit up instantly at the halved number.
No surprise—half off felt huge to them.
"Yes! We can do it!"
"W-we'll make it happen, no matter what!"
"We'll give it everything!"
Amused by their frantic assurances—afraid I'd change my mind—I couldn't help but chuckle.
"Good. Hustle then. Finish 25 by end of day. Rest when you want, pace yourselves."
"Yes, sir!"
Perfect. I'd thrown out an insane number first, then 'generously' halved it for their sake. Now they were fired up to crush it.
Instilling fear of hurting others was key, but smart conditioning like this? Just as crucial.