Chapter 62
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 62
Chapter Title: Revenge by One's Own Hand
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"What meaning is there in revenge not achieved by one's own hands?"
Those were the words Goyle heard when he met the Archbishop of the Salvation Church—though he'd hoped to meet the Cult Leader, who ultimately refused—and asked to borrow their power.
He thought an NPC like that was being insolent, but at the same time, he had to admit it rang true.
That arrogant Easterner had to be killed by his own hand. Revenge through others would leave only a bitter emptiness.
Just like the weak self he'd been in the past.
Instead of helping him directly, the Archbishop offered to assist with his "level up."
The Archbishop could freely dominate and control not just zombies, but even variant zombies Goyle had never seen before, and handed them all over as his fodder.
Feeling the humiliation of bowing to a mere NPC, he still devoured the offering without hesitation—and he grew stronger.
Strong enough that Park Si-hyun was no longer a match for him, or so he thought.
'I am a true predator.'
'My psychokinesis doesn't work on him.'
Through two encounters, he'd clearly realized it. No matter how strong he became, the "mutual attack prohibition" function meant he couldn't lay a finger on him.
But... if he eliminated the survivors around that guy, a mere Mechanic could easily be left to the Salvation Church believers to handle.
'My level is now 38.'
No matter how high a Mechanic's level could be, it had to be lower than his own—or so he was convinced. He'd gained the power; now it was time for revenge.
It was time to kill Park Si-hyun, who had mocked and belittled him. He'd find his location and smash everything he'd built to pieces. Or so he'd thought...
'That...!'
Park Si-hyun had come right to him. Goyle even felt a flicker of joy. No need to hunt him down after all.
He channeled the pain of his burns still searing his face into a roar.
"You fucking bastard, perfect timing!"
Now it was time to show him his psychokinesis. Just preparing to unleash it made the objects around him rumble and shake.
Park Si-hyun, mounted on his motorcycle, looked at him. With a calm expression, he muttered.
"Don't fuck around. Worry about your own path first."
For a split second, Goyle stared back in confusion.
"...What the hell does that mean?"
The next moment, a massive monster entered his view from behind.
It was so enormous—zombie or escaped lab experiment, he couldn't tell—that it barreled toward them, smashing through walls in its path.
You could tell just by looking that it was no ordinary beast.
"Shit! What the hell is that!?"
Even he, who had feasted on countless variant zombies, had never seen anything like it.
Park Si-hyun sneered.
"Try stopping it. If you can."
With that curt remark, Park Si-hyun gunned his motorcycle in the opposite direction. Desperate not to let him escape, Goyle shouted at the dumbfounded Salvation Church believers standing nearby.
"Grab him!"
Snapping to attention at his command, the believers chased after him in a frenzy. And Goyle faced the monster head-on.
'Where'd he drag this piece of shit from...'
He began slowly channeling his psychokinesis.
'A good chance to test my power.'
It looked strong at a glance, but he was certain he was stronger now.
His body floated lightly into the air. A new skill he'd learned upon reaching level 35: Demonization. It allowed unrestricted psychokinesis use for a limited time.
Then he unleashed it on the monster. Struck by his psychokinesis, it was violently shoved backward. He thought he'd seized the advantage.
* * *
Goyle confronted the Tyrant. The skill he used right from the start was none other than Demonization... Honestly, I was pretty surprised. Demonization was like a "first ultimate skill" unlocked at level 35—which meant the bastard had surpassed level 35.
'Should've joined the Salvation Church myself if I'd known?'
I gave a wry smile, stopped my motorcycle, and pulled the trigger on my rifle at the believers charging toward me.
Ting! Ting!
The rounds ricocheted off the standard-issue power suits they wore.
But a few shots hit the believers' faces successfully. They tumbled to the ground. Even so, with their comrades or friends in that state, they didn't stop.
Madness overriding fear.
'Crazy fuckers.'
I erected a metal barricade to block their gunfire while continuing to watch Goyle's fight. Surprisingly, Goyle was pushing the Tyrant back.
He unleashed psychokinesis indiscriminately, and the Tyrant couldn't budge under its force. Of course, I wasn't worried. I knew it was temporary.
Demonization was a high-risk, high-return skill.
When it ended, he'd lose three-quarters of his AP. In other words, the moment Demonization wore off, his death was all but guaranteed.
That's when it happened.
"We obey the command of the great god."
The Bishop appeared from the opposite side. The last one I'd killed, so this must be a new appointee.
At the Bishop's command, the Tyrant, rolling under psychokinesis, froze for a moment. It wore a dazed expression. Mind control. Though against something like that, full domination was impossible.
If that thing died here—no, if it even got fully controlled—it could team up with Goyle and turn the tables on us completely.
'Can't let that happen.'
The enemy of my enemy is my friend, they say. I was the only one who could help it. Aiming my rifle at the Bishop's head, I pulled the trigger without hesitation.
A light shot. Bang. The round struck the Bishop's head precisely as he chanted his incantation. He let out a faint gasp and pitched forward.
「Occupation experience gained. (2-person party bonus +160%) (Elite NPC kill bonus +200%)」
「Occupation level increased to 32.」
The believers guarding the Bishop froze in shock for a moment. Soon, their stunned expressions twisted into ones of rage.
He must've been deeply respected and loved. Respect my ass.
"That heretic killed the Bishop!"
Their eyes locked onto me, and they charged. That was all, though. I sealed off the passage with my barricade. Ordinary rounds couldn't breach it.
Unless they fired a rocket launcher. Well, that'd just blow them up too.
I peered through a gap at Goyle. Demonization's duration was nearly up; the green light consuming his body flickered unsteadily as it faded.
His face no longer showed that trademark confidence, but fear and terror.
He probably knew it too. The moment Demonization ended, he was dead.
Before long, the green light vanished completely. And then—the Tyrant's counterattack began in earnest. Its fist slammed into Goyle's body.
He hastily deployed a shield, but it shattered in less than a second. The Tyrant's massive fist plunged into him.
It grabbed him and smashed him into the ground. The standard-issue power suit he wore crumpled and peeled away.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
He tried to resist, but every attempt failed, and the beating continued. Even to me, the sight was gruesome.
His body was pulped like ground meat.
"It hurts! It fucking hurts!"
He screamed, but no one was coming to help. Finally, the Tyrant lifted the mangled mess and... shoved it into its mouth.
Crunch, crunch.
The sound of bones and flesh being chewed. Then something slid down its throat.
No way anything could survive its stomach in that state.
Just in case he was still alive, I killed a nearby believer, but only 「1-person party bonus +150%」 appeared.
If he'd been there, it'd have been "2-person party bonus."
He was definitely dead. With Goyle's death confirmed, no reason to stick around.
I hopped on my motorcycle and headed for the opposite wall. The Tyrant was still alive, and the believers were still shooting at me. Time to get out fast.
Full throttle toward a concrete wall window. It was barred with iron. Using Metal Generation and Metal Transformation, I created footholds on the floor.
The Diablo RX leaped up them. Just before it hit the bars, I extended my fingers and used Metal Transformation to obliterate them.
Bursting through the window, the motorcycle landed roughly on the ground. Without slowing, I smashed through the fence surrounding the chapel.
Commotion erupted behind me, but I ignored it and sped down the road. I'd dumped the trash; now it was time to run.
Wary of potential Salvation Church cameras, I switched to a truck beside a restaurant. I loaded the Diablo RX into the bed and drove toward the industrial zone.
Zombies were rampant at night, swarming endlessly. A drizzle started falling. The only light was my truck's headlights piercing the city.
In the end, I made it back to the industrial zone.
Crossing the bridge, Zixuan and the residents were waiting right there. They hadn't moved an inch.
The residents tensed at the unfamiliar truck approaching, but Zixuan recognized me and stepped forward. I stopped the truck, opened the door, and got out.
"I'm back."
As I said it curtly and stepped down, she threw herself into my arms. Second time today. I held her and patted her back.
After burying her face in me for a while, she lifted her head slightly.
"What about the monster?"
"I chased it off."
The chapel was far enough that the Tyrant wouldn't follow.
But there was no guarantee it wouldn't show up again, and nothing saying more like it wouldn't appear.
'Got to hurry.'
All I could think was that I needed to finish the machine factory as soon as possible.
Apocalypse All-Purpose Machine