Chapter 85
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 85
Chapter Title: Post-Wave Rewards
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Lee Seoyoon tilted her head at Han Yejin's words, spoken with unwavering faith in Kim Jaehwan's presence.
"If it's oppa... you mean Master?"
"Yeah, he prepared for the power and water outages way back when."
From an Awakener's perspective, news of power and water cuts should have hit like a bolt from the blue. Yet Yejin didn't seem worried at all in Seoyoon's eyes.
"No matter what problem pops up, oppa will handle it. That's just who he is. I haven't known him forever, but after watching him up close since the zombie apocalypse started... that's my take."
Yejin's words brimmed with infinite trust in Kim Jaehwan.
The belief that he'd solve any incident or accident that arose.
At that moment, Kim Jaehwan suddenly appeared in the room.
Reading the system window announcing the end of the Zombie Wave, I checked the coins and bonus points I'd received.
"They definitely came through. But somehow, it feels a bit lacking?"
Before the Zombie Wave started, the 600 coins and 1 point from Main Quest 1's reward felt huge.
But compared to the coins I'd racked up during this wave, it looks paltry now.
"Still, free stuff is free. Gotta be grateful."
After the rewards, the next system window showed the rankings.
[Congratulations!]
You ranked 1st in zombie kills during the Zombie Wave.
Reward: 1,000 Coins, 5 Points
Me taking 1st in the rankings? Obviously.
No one could outkill me by that margin.
Nice sweet bonus for it.
And then something even more interesting happened.
Main Quest 2 kicked off right away, announcing another Zombie Wave in two weeks—that was intriguing enough. But the real kicker was the follow-up declaration cutting off electricity and water supplies.
For folks who've been freeloading off modern civilization, this has to be a total shock.
The hassle of life without power doesn't even need explaining.
Pile on the water shortage, and it'd drive anyone insane.
Me? I'm all for it.
I saw this coming and prepped steadily.
Seeing my efforts pay off feels great.
Power's covered by my pre-built generators—we produce our own, and the Base Reinforcement skill lets us store it inside.
Water's handled too; we've got sewage purification in the base. So this announcement? Zero impact on me.
The only add-on needed is a steady water supply system for the base.
Purification works, but water doesn't cycle infinitely—it needs constant input.
Fine for a small group, but for the future, piping from a river or dam makes sense.
Or add a feature to generate water inside the base outright.
We'll figure it out step by step.
Meanwhile, other Awakners out there? Hearing this after surviving hellish Zombie Wave? Total meltdown.
They were probably celebrating the end, only to get punched in the gut.
Few picked Technician trait from what I've seen, and even fewer leveled Equipment Crafting for power generation.
I doubt anyone did.
They were too busy dumping coins into combat just to survive—who'd invest in tech skills?
Unless they're in my spot, no way.
Now they'll scramble for a Technician, but the cost to get up to speed? Not cheap.
Short-term fix? Doubtful...
Anyway, their suffering's not my problem.
Zombie Wave's done—time to head home.
I'd wandered pretty far, hitting the big mart I'd marked as today's extra zone, then Instant Moved straight to my room.
Han Yejin and Lee Seoyoon were still up.
"What? You two haven't slept? It's already... 2 a.m."
Yejin hurried to my side as soon as I arrived.
"We were just chatting with Unni Myeong and Sohee, and it got late. Oh, Seoyoon slept during the day and just woke up."
Seoyoon, sitting on the bed watching me, definitely looked like someone fresh from a nap.
Still, after washing up here, she looked worlds better than first impressions.
Her greasy, tangled hair now flowed smoothly, the grime gone from her skin.
Swapping rags for normal clothes had improved her complexion too—she must've crashed hard and relaxed.
"Ah, got it. Then crash properly. I'll shower and handle myself. Oh, Seoyoon—you and I need to talk tomorrow."
"Y-yes... Master."
After telling them, I headed to the shower, rinsing off my sweat-soaked body with hot water.
As I showered, the one-week water cutoff warning resurfaced.
Anyone not prepped? No more nice showers.
Hunting for drinking water? Nightmare.
"One week from now, they'll be suffering big time~"
Me? I'll be chilling.
Cleaned up, I stepped out to find Yejin and Seoyoon still awake, sitting on the bed chatting.
"Still up? I said crash."
Yejin jumped up, sauntered over, and hooked her arm in mine.
"Wanted to sleep with you, oppa~. Plus, chat a bit with Seoyoon."
Leaning her head on my arm, whispering sweetly—it lifted my mood.
If Seoyoon weren't here, we'd probably be at it already.
Arm-in-arm with Yejin, approaching the bed, Seoyoon hopped down quick.
Probably not wanting to intrude on us.
"I-I'll sleep on the floor..."
"No need. Sharing the bed's fine, right oppa?"
Three on the bed? No issue, like Yejin said.
Hell, turning it into a threesome wouldn't suck... but Seoyoon's vibe? She'd balk.
She hides from showing herself, especially that facial scar—growing hair to cover it. Nude sex? Doubtful.
I don't mind much.
If she were butt-ugly, maybe—but her Charm 1 doesn't scream hideous to me.
Base looks? Pretty by normal standards, maybe Charm 4.
Why 1 then? The scar—average folks see it as gruesome.
To me? Not really. Otherworld scars like that? Seen tons, numb to 'em.
Scarless would be nicer, sure.
"Yejin, check if your skill can erase her facial scar."
"Sure, one sec."
Mentioning the scar jolted Seoyoon; Yejin approached, hand to the scarred side.
I watched Seoyoon's wide eyes, wondering what was up, to see if it'd vanish.
Healing Touch at Lv 10—curious if scars count.
"Hmm... oppa, doesn't work."
Unfortunately, no dice—even Yejin's skill couldn't remove it.
Scars not treated as wounds, I guess.
Seoyoon bowed her head at Yejin's words.
Feeling a twinge of pity, I grabbed her waist, hoisted her up—ignoring her startled flailing—and tossed her on the bed.
"Sleep here tonight. I'll pick your room tomorrow."
She tried getting up, saying it was fine, but Yejin lay beside her, blocking with a hand.
"Do what oppa says. Sleep with me. Oppa, squeeze in between?"
Yejin patted the gap between them.
"Nah. I'll crash separately tonight—you two here. Seoyoon, busy tomorrow, so max rest."
"Heard him? Let's sleep."
Yejin pulled covers over them both. Seoyoon looked uneasy but obeyed, closing her eyes without protest.
After watching them settle, no sleep hit me, so I mentally sorted tomorrow's to-dos.
First, power and water cuts incoming—double-check preps.
Then, teach Seoyoon black magic so Demonic Energy collection runs smooth even if I'm out.
Help her hunt her revenge target too.
Oh, almost forgot amid the chaos—Yoido’s "Paradise." Gotta check what that's about—curious why they call it paradise.
Did they survive the wave? Verify.
Keep leveling skills; hit Lv 20+, time for new trait—grab it.
So much to do~
Just as I thought I'd covered it all, a knock from outside.
Curious, I got up—Sohee stood there in pajamas.
"Ah, you're up. Um, so..."
Face flushing red at me, she mumbled, words failing.
Why's she here at dawn?
Then it clicked.
Zombie Wave day 7 end—she'd come, right?
Said touch her instead of her mom.