Chapter 38

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Translator: Ace

Chapter: 38

Chapter Title: Sweeping the Horde

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I figured the Zombie Wave announcement just meant a ton more zombies showing up, but judging from the system notice, it looked like it was way worse than that.

Especially since it said their detection and attack power were going up. That seemed designed to make it tougher for Awakeners to deal with them. And boosted detection meant we'd have to stay even quieter and more careful when hiding from them.

People without combat skills would have to hold their breath and do everything they could to avoid getting spotted. On top of that, stronger attack power could mean doors or barricades that used to hold off hordes might get smashed through.

So was the quest focused on survival during the wave instead of wiping out all the zombies? With the current power of Awakeners, eliminating them all might not just be difficult—it could be straight-up impossible.

How many were they spawning with boosted detection and attack power that survival was the goal?

On top of that, zombies wouldn't spawn every day over the seven-day wave. They only came on days 1, 3, 5, and 7, with nothing in between. And they called it a massive surge, so yeah, it had to be a flood.

Finally, new mutant zombies were being added. For other Awakeners, that might sound terrifying—a new threat to their lives. But for me, it was just exciting. More mutants meant more coins and Demonic Energy.

I thought that was the end of the Zombie Wave notices, but another system window popped up.

Oh, nice. They're ranking zombie kills during the wave and handing out extra rewards to the top killers?

If you want those rewards, you can't just hole up—you've got to head out and rack up as many zombies as possible.

And to even qualify for the rankings, you need at least 2,000 kills. That's the cutoff.

Honestly, this might as well be them straight-up handing me 1,000 coins and 5 points.

I couldn't imagine anyone out-killing me by that much.

Barring some insane miracle, I'm guaranteed first place. If I don't take it, I might as well off myself right then.

No way my current stats let me choke this hard.

Time to head out and enjoy the Zombie Wave.

As I got up from bed to gear up and leave, Yejin stirred awake at the noise, rubbing her eyes.

"Oppa, you're heading out already?"

"Already? Nah, I've gotta get out there quick, farm some zombies, and rake in coins."

My plan was simple: slaughter every zombie pouring out this wave for maximum coins, then mass-produce generators to stockpile electricity ahead of time. I'd wondered if the base had a power storage limit, but since nothing showed up, it looked infinite.

In that case, crank out as much as possible before the grid cuts out. Fuel for the generators? Raid every gas station dry.

Plus, with the Demonic ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Energy I've got saved and what I'll farm from this wave, I'd expand my Subspace to max out storage capacity.

To make all that happen, I needed to start farming zombies now.

"Stay put today, just in case. We've got barricades, but they might not hold forever."

"Got it. I'll be good and wait quietly for you today."

After warning Yejin, I headed out.

First thing to check: how much had their detection improved?

Before, zombies reacted to moderate noise by looking around, charging if they spotted someone. No person? They'd just keep shambling.

Vision wasn't great either—they wouldn't rush from far off even if they saw you.

Smell? Never tested it. But with boosted detection, maybe sight, sound, and scent were sharper. Tiny ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠movements, noises, or odors could draw them now.

Stepping out of the officetel, I could feel way more zombies around than usual.

Pre-wave mornings had maybe 10 shamblers nearby. Now? At least 50 in sight.

At least five times as many.

- Kraaaah!

- Grraaah!

I hadn't made a sound, and the base barricade blocked my scent, but I'd left it transparent yesterday. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠The zombies spotting me through it charged right at the barrier.

Thud thud thud!

"Whoa, they seem way faster than usual."

Running at me faster than before. Probably part of the attack power boost.

But they slammed into the transparent barricade and couldn't get close.

Huh? The horde hit the barricade and chipped its HP? Yesterday, they barely scratched it.

Maybe their boosted attack power overwhelmed the defense. Yesterday's hits were under the defense value—no damage. Now they're piercing it, so HP drops.

That seemed right. And as they kept pounding to get in, HP ticked down more.

Can't let them waste the barricade's durability like this. I hopped onto a nearby car, vaulted over, and stepped out.

The horde spotted me and charged straight at my position. Reacting that fast confirmed the detection boost.

One thing to test first?

I backed up, grabbed a close zombie's neck, and fired off Mana Drain like always. Same as ever—it withered to a husk, feeding me Demonic Energy.

Even with the wave buffs, one-shot kills with Mana Drain. Good to know. Instead of charging the horde, I turned and bolted.

Keeping distance from the fast-pursuing zombies, I headed toward the street. Way more zombies clustered there than my tail.

Man, that sight made my mouth water.

"Come on, you coin bags!"

I bellowed at the street horde, then climbed a building and leaped into view for maximum aggro.

With every zombie eye on me, I parkoured between buildings. The horde went berserk chasing me. Dodging pulled in more from overflows. To keep them from the base, I veered away, letting them close gaps on purpose to build the train. Now, eyeballing it, over 1,000 zombies trailed me.

Glancing back mid-run, no zombie cared about others—they shoved ahead or climbed over. The horde merged like a tidal wave. Epic sight.

"Whoa, straight out of a zombie flick."

Any normal person would sprint full-tilt from that wave. Endings? Squeeze through a narrow path to survive, or get swept away.

Fighting that nonsense head-on? Not an option. Like stopping a tsunami barehanded.

But I'm different.

Luring them to a wide plaza I'd scoped before, I stopped running.

And turned to face them.

Thud thud thud!

- Kraaaah!

- Grraaah!

I watched the massive horde thunder toward me, shaking the ground, with a relaxed grin. Getting caught in that? Not just bites—you'd be crushed flat.

Anyone watching would call me insane. Horde charging, and I'm just standing there.

But I waited for them to close in.

A bit closer.

Come on, a little nearer.

Front-liners gnashed teeth and flailed arms, but I held steady.

The moment they were almost on me, I unleashed all my stockpiled Demonic Energy into black magic.

Ten times what Shadow Pierce or Shadow Veil took.

The Demonic Energy surged forward, some sinking low to snake under the horde's legs, others erupting upward. Instantly, it formed a shape.

A colossal beast's maw made of Demonic Energy. Jagged black teeth gleaming.

"Dig in."

The massive jaws snapped shut, devouring every zombie lunging at me.

Not one left behind.

Boom!

The horde vanished into my black magic, dissolving into Demonic Energy without a trace.

And it all flowed into me.

"Urk! Everyone, watch out!"

Kang Sohee had claimed Seongsan Elementary School—some distance from Kim Jaehwan's officetel base—as her group's stronghold. They were hunkering down against the Zombie Wave.

"Die!"

Swinging the greatsword she'd bought from the shop yesterday, she cleaved multiple zombie necks at once. That made her the top fighter at the school now.

But the wave had flooded the area with zombies. She'd clear a batch, and more kept swarming.

"Hah... hah... Fuck, there are so goddamn many. Good thing I grabbed this greatsword."

The greatsword had caught her eye among the shop weapons—no hesitation, 300 coins down, plus the Berserker trait.

But checking after, new traits needed level 10+. Still couldn't use Berserker.

Kang Sohee smiled at her status window.

Thanks to Body Enhancement, the greatsword felt lighter, letting her handle the horde without too much strain.

After mowing down the swarm, she checked her spot on the zombie kill rankings.

"Let's see, 94 kills so far. Should be top ranks."

As expected, she sat at 3rd—solid upper tier.

"Gotta keep the pace and stay in the top spots. First place is at 101—not far. Grab more zombies quick... Huh?"

Top three had been neck-and-neck. She'd even eyed first. But suddenly, someone rocketed to the top.

Not shocking that a newbie overtook her. What stunned Kang Sohee was the kill count.

"1,037? The wave just started, and they already bagged this many? In one go?!"

Then she saw the name and froze again.

"Kim Jaehwan? That coin-grubbing asshole from the shop? He's number one? What the hell is this guy's deal?!"