Chapter 30
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: Ground to Paste
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Celebrity Buff Lv. 3 (1)
Thanks to the barrier, I could use skills more times right there on the spot.
With time frozen in that space, the possibilities were endless.
At the start of the game, I'd envied other classes' skills, but not anymore.
In this grim apocalypse, I kept getting exactly the skills I needed to survive.
'Talk about a munchkin build. This is what a munchkin is.'
I dropped the barrier, and the chaotic scene in front of the church came back into view.
The instant I saw the guy charging at me with heavy breaths, I activated the skill.
All abilities will rise to their maximum for 15 minutes.
Fifteen minutes was more than enough time to deal with that bastard.
*
Boom!
I dodged his fist with ease.
The railing pillar behind me shattered, sending debris flying everywhere.
'Offense/Defense Tickets make punches like that possible?'
Even buying the 'Large' Offense/Defense Ticket only bumped stats to the low hundreds.
That wasn't enough to pulverize a marble pillar.
The Cult Leader's Point Shop must sell even higher-grade tickets.
'Tempting.'
He had tickets I couldn't buy myself.
'Capture him, chop off his limbs, and turn him into a human Point Shop?'
Maybe it was my Dominant trait kicking in, but I felt even more ruthless toward enemies.
No reason to show mercy to those who opposed me.
I swung at the guy as he turned his head toward me.
He smirked, not even thinking of dodging.
Big mistake—he was picturing me before the barrier.
Thwack!
"Gah!"
His head snapped back cleanly, rolling across the ground.
I charged with a body check the moment he reared up in shock.
Crunch!
Bones snapped as his body arced through the air.
He crashed past the Cult Leader's group into the building wall.
The wall cracked like a crater, chunks raining down.
"Grgh... you... fucker."
He clutched his side, staggering to his feet.
The guy had insane durability.
The Cult Leader and his cronies started backing away slowly.
They'd realized the situation wasn't in their favor.
"L-Leader... what's going on?"
"Don't... worry, Cult Leader. It's not over yet."
Not over yet, huh.
He still had more beatings coming from me.
The Cult Leader pulled out a ticket and used it on the three guys nearby.
They didn't radiate as much aura as the boss, but they wielded weapons like steel pipes and butcher knives.
One guarded the boss while the other two rushed me from both sides.
"Die—!!"
The butcher knife guy was faster, so I deflected the blade along my side, grabbed his arm, and spun him half a turn.
We ended up in a clinch—and that's when the steel pipe guy charged at his back.
"Wha—wha...?"
He realized too late that our positions had switched, but he couldn't pull back the pipe.
Thud!
"Gaaahhh!"
The knife guy writhed in agony from the pipe instead of me.
I shoved with all my might, sending the two tumbling in a heap.
I snatched the dropped knife and stabbed it into the top guy's throat.
"Guh... gack!!"
Blood sprayed like a fountain as his body went limp.
The guy pinned underneath thrashed and screamed, covered in blood.
I jammed the knife into his skull to shut him up.
Grabbing the fallen pipe, I stood—as the boss's guard charged with a baseball bat.
I backstepped, slamming his side; his body folded into a right angle.
"Greeeeh!!"
Like a pig squealing for slaughter, he dropped to his knees. I shoved the pipe down his gaping mouth.
As the situation turned dire, the boss started retreating.
"S-Stay back! Fuck, stay the hell back!!"
He ripped off a truck door parked on the roadside and hurled it at me.
While I dodged, he vaulted the truck and bolted the other way.
I charged, hoisted the truck, and gave chase.
"Aaaah, wha—what the—!!"
He glanced back, our eyes met, and pure horror hit his face.
Anyone would freak seeing a guy chasing them while lifting a truck.
He twisted his ankle and sprawled on the ground.
I didn't miss the chance—slammed the truck down on him.
"Guh... gack... grraaaah—!!"
His lower body crushed, he thrashed wildly to push the truck off, but I pressed down from above.
Not using full strength, I started rolling the truck forward.
Like flattening dough with a rolling pin, I planned to squash him flat.
"Guhk... hack... grk... st-stop...!!"
After a few meters, his breath cut out—about a third of his body left.
The ground was a sticky mess of blood and ground flesh.
[Remaining Time 02:08]
Thirteen minutes to take out three minions and the boss.
I turned to head back to the girls—then realized the Cult Leader was gone.
'Damn.'
He must've slipped away in the meantime.
I scanned around, focusing my senses, but felt no hostility.
He'd either fled beyond my detection range or hidden somehow.
'Stealth item maybe?'
With so many items in the game, it was possible I just hadn't found it.
I'd planned to capture and repurpose him, but he'd slipped away like an idiot.
Heading back to the church covered in blood, Yun-ji and Bo-ra ran over.
"Don't touch me. You'll get blood on you."
"Oppa, you're not hurt worse, right?"
"M-Master. Are you okay?"
"Master?"
Yun-ji's eyes went wide.
"Oppa, who's this girl?"
"Long story. I'll explain on the way. Let's head to the mart first."
Ji-eun was huddled on the church steps, trembling.
She must've been terrified watching me butcher those guys.
'Yun-ji and Bo-ra are fine, so why's she the only one freaking out?'
"You coming? Or staying here?"
"I-I'll come."
She staggered up, then plopped right back down.
Her legs had given out.
"Haa, what a hassle. Hop on."
"N-No, I can't."
"Can't what? You can't even walk."
Her face flushed red as she covered her crotch with her hands.
"It's just... I got so scared earlier that I..."
Peeking between her fingers, her pants were soaked.
'Unbelievable.'
I scooped up the princess in a piggyback.
This way, at least her body wouldn't get too wet.
She clung tight but avoided my eyes out of embarrassment.
*
What I found at Every Mart was ridiculous.
I'd figured with the gangsters gone, everyone would be hugging and shedding tears of joy.
Instead, the women were huddled in a corner, shaking, while the men formed groups and brawled.
One guy rushed me with a club, so I backhanded him.
"What the hell do you think you're doing—!!"
My voice boomed through the entire mart, and everyone froze, staring at me.
I climbed onto a slightly higher spot so they could all see.
"Why are you all fighting?"
"Who the hell are you?"
A middle-aged guy shot back.
"Me? The one who set the fourth floor on fire and roasted all the gangsters."
Shocked faces all around.
Murmurs rose here and there until someone else piped up.
"How do we know that's true? Who even are you?"
"Doesn't matter who I am. From now on, I give orders, and you follow. If not, come at me right now."
I smashed the display rack beside me.
The sturdy-looking shelf shattered to pieces.
"Just came back from grinding the gangster boss flat with a truck. Anyone who won't listen gets the same. Step up now."
The murmurs died instantly.
They all stared at me in terrified silence, not even breathing loud.
"Those who obey, kneel. If not, stand. I'll flatten you right here."
One by one, they dropped to their knees.
My threat worked—no one stayed standing.
"Yun-ji, go ask the women what started this."
"Got it."
Here's what happened.
"The Cult Leader was recruiting believers from the survivors. Believers got extra food rations and all sorts of perks."
He'd gathered believers to monitor the rest of the survivors.
Gangsters as combat muscle, and this system to keep the inside in check.
"Once the Cult Leader and gangsters vanished, fighting broke out between believers and survivors."
Survivors hunting traitors, believers resisting to survive.
First things first: separate the two groups.
"You lot who stuck with the Cult Leader, come out. The believers."
Dead silence.
"Not coming?"
One guy shot to his feet.
"That fucker! He's the first one who became a believer!"
"N-No, I... I..."
Lots of grudges built up even among survivors who'd sided with them.
I didn't even have to lift a finger—they outed each other.
A space cleared in the middle as believers gathered in one spot.
About twenty of them—a third of the male survivors had collaborated with the Cult Leader.
Women weren't accepted as believers; the gangsters managed them separately.
"P-Please, spare us. The Cult Leader threatened us... we had no choice."
"Threats? You think I don't know you sold out women's info to the fourth-floor bastards for midnight snacks?"
The denunciations poured in against the traitors.
Without me there, they'd have been stabbed in the back already.
Who knew I'd witness postwar colonial chaos right here.