16. Growth
16. Growth
For now, I returned today.
"You're back?"
"Yeah."
Rescue, huh.
Rescue is good.
But where are they taking us?
"The rescue is real. I thought it was a lie."
"They say the 32nd Division is sending helicopters."
I explained what happened with the men.
However, Seo-yoon's reaction was quite different from what I expected.
"I don't think so."
"What?"
"No. Well, should I say I'm skeptical about the rescue?"
"Why?"
"The 37th Division... so many of them died, so is there even a military that's properly maintaining itself? Even if there is... would it be a normal group?"
That was true.
She knows that Han Min-woo only spoke the truth.
"On top of that, with superpowers, even if we get rescued, can we live like we used to?"
"Aren't you being too skeptical?"
"...What do you think, Oppa?"
Me?
"I think the rescue is bullshit and it's probably some warlord group. They're probably taking people to use them as slaves."
"...You're the same, yet you're only giving me a hard time."
"That's true."
Tudak-tudak.
I thought while watching Lee Seo-yoon, who was now even joking around.
"Anyway, that's why I'm planning to go check it out myself."
"Cheongju Elementary School?"
"No, the area around it. Of course, I'm not planning to go today, but in 3 days."
I'll go and see if that military really comes.
And I need to see if it's a decent group.
Before that, I'll focus on raising Metal Manipulation to lv.3.
Is that a proper military?
Does it mean the world is normalizing after all?
However, people are now getting used to murder, getting used to superpowers.
Can the world really go back to how it was before the incident? The whole world.
Well, I'll know when I see.
#
I sleep.
I hang out with Seo-yoon.
I eat the leftover rice.
I go out at night.
'They're definitely flowing in from somewhere.'
I can see Mirrors inside the underground shopping center where I came yesterday.
'I have to consider the possibility of them being reborn.'
If it were just Walkers and Runners, I would've just assumed they crawled from somewhere, but seeing Mirrors, I have to consider that they might be doing something like resurrection.
Of course, the probability is that they're flowing in, but just in case.
ㅡTang!
The gun shatters the Mirror's head.
ㅡTang!
ㅡTang!
The shooting continues.
I checked my body inside the ruined clothing store.
None for now.
I don't see any people today either. Well, they said they'd maximize food supplies with what they took back to Cheongju Elementary School.
I don't know why they don't come to places like Mirae Middle School, but anyway.
===================================
Nexus Core : Metallokinesis lv.2 [72/100]
===================================
I think I can raise it if I manage the underground shopping center well for about two days.
ㅡTak
ㅡTak
Like that, 2 days.
February 12th.
ㅡTang!
The gunshot rings out and the Mirror inside the underground shopping center falls.
===================================
Nexus Core : Metallokinesis lv.3 [0/100]
===================================
The Nexus Core has leveled up.
#
Day 3.
So, I intended to finish hunting and raise it to lv.3 by February 13th, when the rescue is supposed to come, but I was able to raise it faster than expected.
Maybe they're constantly flowing into the underground shopping center.
Since there were quite a number of Mirrors.
'Or maybe they're mutating.'
Like, Walkers and Runners mutate when they go somewhere, like if they go underground, they turn into Mirrors.
Then, since Sirens have many mouths, do they mutate when they go to places with many corpses?
'Or it could really be resurrection.'
I'll find out someday.
It's not important.
Anyway,
I quickly returned home.
"Oh. You're back early today?"
"I achieved my goal."
"Already?"
"Yeah. So, I'm going to do some experiments at home."
Unfortunately, even after catching Mirrors, it didn't go up further from lv.3.
It means I have to catch stronger ones.
But more than that,
The experiment on Metallokinesis lv.3 was the priority.
Until now, it was limited to manipulating a certain size. It seems that size was also limited to the size of a bullet.
Do I have any metal chunks at home?
I brought a kitchen knife from over there.
'Will it work?'
I used the ability.
Then, the kitchen knife floated up.
'Oh.'
That kitchen knife is still quite heavy, so it must be over 200g. It's being lifted easily.
Then, the question is whether I can use this for attack.
ㅡPa-ak
ㅡPuck
"Gasp!"
Seo-yoon was startled.
Because the kitchen knife was embedded in our wall.
"Is, is that a superpower?"
"Yeah. It really makes no sense."
I took out a bullet and tried lifting it.
I wonder if it'll be like in the movies.
ㅡPa-ak!
But it didn't seem to have that kind of firepower.
It means I can't pierce a wall with the tip of a bullet.
But now, I can attack with sharp kitchen knives or hammers.
Now for the next experiment.
An experiment on how much weight I can lift.
Since the amount I can lift at once with Metal Manipulation is fixed, this alone was a big harvest, but I was curious about the limit of lv.3.
I headed to the computer.
This must be about 10kg.
'It doesn't work.'
Well, I didn't expect it to.
The monitor... didn't work either.
The fire axe didn't work either.
A hammer.
A heavy hammer didn't work. But a hand hammer. So, I could lift a lightweight hammer. Since this is 300g, I should consider that I can lift up to this much.
It means I can use something other than a gun for attacks now.
'Good.'
"I'll be back in a bit."
"What? I, it's daytime right now."
"Not anywhere else, just to collect kitchen knives or hammers from this villa."
"Ah..."
I gathered various things from the villa.
I packed several kitchen knives and hammers into my bag and left them at my place.
Meanwhile, there was a Walker outside, so I tried throwing a kitchen knife to kill it.
Even though it was daytime, the Walker died without making a sound.
Since the only sound was the Walker falling, I could move without noise at night with this.
ㅡTak
I retrieved the kitchen knife stuck in its neck and brought it back.
'Is it about the force of a human pulling with effort, or the force of a human stabbing with effort?'
This was enough.
The preparation to go check was also finished.
I returned inside the villa again.
#
"...That's amazing."
"Right. The problem is that other people can get this strong too."
It also meant that even if there is a military, the possibility of that group being properly maintained is low.
"...I don't think their compatibility would have come out as high as Oppa's. The leveling up part too."
"No, people who could raise it enough would have raised it."
If they raise it as a group, they can raise it enough.
Just looking at the Mirrors, it wasn't that difficult to catch them.
In the case of foreign countries, firearms are free, so assuming they only move at night, ability users would be able to raise it to lv.3.
Although the number would decrease if you consider various probabilities.
Then, those whose compatibility exceeds a certain level were highly likely to become the new establishment of the world.
"...What will happen?"
"I don't know. Plus, I don't know what kind of Infected might be out there."
The Infected have taken the day.
I also still couldn't easily move around during the day.
If I show off and lose my weapon, I have to use a gun, and if I run out of bullets, it's over.
That's why I plan to maintain the policy of moving at night in the future.
"So, I have to go check that place today. Even if I move at night, vehicles draw aggro."
Since they said the rescue is coming tonight,
I was thinking of heading out early. It would be better to go out and watch from a nearby tall building.
"Okay."
I lay down.
#
The moon of D-Day rose.
Seo-yoon had a slightly worried expression.
"Even if the rescue comes, I won't abandon you and leave, so don't worry."
"...I wasn't thinking that..."
"It's written on your face."
"......"
If I were going to abandon you, I would have done it at our first meeting.
Or when I met the men.
I will keep taking her with me.
"Today will take two days, or three days at the latest."
"Come back safely."
A night with a slender moon.
I came out carrying 3 spare kitchen knives, a rifle, and a bag.
ㅡPu-uk
ㅡPuck
The sound of a Walker falling, ㅡGgulleok ㅡGgulleok
Blood flows from the Walker's mouth.
ㅡPpok
I pull out the kitchen knife and take it. The kitchen knife has blood and strange flesh attached to it.
'......'
Just by Metal Manipulation becoming lv.3, moving became much easier.
If I used firearms, Infected in the vicinity would swarm, no matter how dark it was at night.
And there was a chance people would come too.
That was the big reason why I had been stuck in one place and unable to move for over a month until now.
Also, if I end up fighting Infected in close quarters.
The Infected side with numbers is unconditionally advantageous.
However.
ㅡTak
Now that has become meaningless.
The blood-dripping kitchen knife. This time I moved the hammer.
ㅡPpugak
The head of the Walker in front collapsed.
It's about the force of a person swinging strongly.
'......'
The control is as free as moving my own limbs, so it seemed like I could really handle 1-vs-many.
Of course, if I move openly like that, I'll get ambushed and die.
It just means moving like this at night is no problem.
ㅡChijijik
ㅡChijik
Inside the underground shopping center where LED lights flicker.
I turned left at the four-way intersection.
Because if I take this path, I'll head towards Cheongju Elementary School.
I carefully moved my steps among the countless corpses.
#
I came outside.
Outside, Infected were walking through the dark city.
The place where Cheongju Elementary School is located is... a place you reach if you go down along the road.
When I took out the downloaded satellite map, there was a large supermarket, IN Mart, around Cheongju Elementary School.
IN Market, which is the largest supermarket in Korea along with Green Fresh Market.
And around it, high-rise apartment complexes of 15 floors or more, including Cheongju Apartment, were lined up, and I thought the survival rate would definitely be higher than in the city center.
'Even if they were infected, only some would have been.'
Furthermore, it would have been easy to broadcast.
If they broadcast from inside Cheongju Elementary School, it was a distance where it could all be heard within the apartment complex.
Plus, Cheongju Elementary School has a very high fence, so it would be easy if they just blocked the entrance with a barricade.
I looked around.
It seemed better to go to the side where the apartments are rather than the intersection and IN Mart side.
Seeing that the survivors of Cheongju Elementary School didn't go to the mart but came to the underground shopping center, it's obvious that the mart would be swarming with Infected.
'...Imedi Apartment. This place would be better.'
It seemed like I should head to the 110-dong line, where the surrounding 15-story apartment complex and the elementary school are immediately visible.
I moved while carefully dealing with the Infected.
ㅡPpugak
ㅡPuk
ㅡTak
Movement became much more comfortable than before. Even in places with many Infected, I could send kitchen knives and hammers flying all at once to kill them instantly, so it was possible to kill several at once.
That's how I arrived at Imedi Apartment.
'......'
There are corpses, and there are Infected.
There were still many places where lights were on. I don't know if there are people, but I'll know if I go up.
I found 110-dong and went inside.
"Huff, huff."
Fucking hell.
Climbing up 15 floors was harder than the Infected, but anyway, I arrived at the 15th floor and picked a door.
ㅡDalkak
The house door opens.
There are no Infected inside.
Just dust piled up.
I opened the veranda and looked toward Cheongju Elementary School.
And what I saw was....