Satisfaction. Or Advancement -14
"GRRRRAAAHHH!!!"
"Keep up, put in more effort!"
After exchanging a few blows, I could tell. It wasn't that strong. It had just gotten lucky with a monster that matched up well against me.
"Hup!"
I lightly scooped up a pebble from the ground in my palm and hurled it straight at its head.
"GRRRRAAAHHH!!!"
Some parts bounced the pebble off like it was a joke, but others absorbed it, sucking it deep inside. And on a few spots, cracks formed.
"Hmm..."
Definitely not a real threat. The pebble I threw with my full strength couldn't have been weak, but it was still just a casually flung rock. Compared to a bullet from a proper rifle, it wasn't all that powerful. Instantaneous destructive force might be another story, but a mere pebble couldn't withstand the full impact.
Yet it was injured. The stun didn't last long, but black blood was oozing out.
"GRRRAAAHHH!!!"
If there were three or four hundred women like Hari—armed with guns—it could tie up enemies for a set time, and we'd take it down without issue. Taking out the black monsters sprouting from the severed flesh might be tricky, but a few shots, slashes, and stabs should finish them off too.
But I needed something more strategic.
"At least there are some trees... silver lining in this mess!"
The world might be littered with ruins, but Korea hadn't turned into a desert. Downtown streets were wrecked but not gone—asphalt roads, sidewalks, and buildings remained—so big trees hadn't grown in the city center. But this was a park. Maybe the zombie corpses provided decent fertilizer; decent-sized trees dotted the area here and there.
I found one just barely thin enough to wrap my arms around, and with a light swing of my sword, I sliced it off at the base.
"Hup."
Grabbing it casually, I flung the log at the monster.
"GRRRRAAAHHH!!!"
My aim wasn't the greatest. Didn't matter. The thing was huge. Even if the angle or trajectory was a bit off, it had no reason to dodge.
"GRRRRAAAHHH!!!"
The giant monster screamed.
"...A bit off-target."
I'd aimed for its head to test if smashing its brain like a regular zombie would kill it. Disappointing miss.
But it still hit.
"GRRRAAAHHH!!!"
The log lodged into the nape of the massive zombie's neck, stabbing deep and staying put.
"Should've trimmed the branches..."
A shame, but not my only shot. It charged again. I dodged, cut another tree, and threw it.
"...Starting to see it now."
I repeated the process a few times. Its body was turning into a porcupine. And I began spotting patterns in its flesh.
"This should do it."
Even if half its body was liquid-like, it wasn't a slime—its form couldn't be made of that alone. Scientifically inexplicable, sure, but it followed basic principles. Vital parts and less important ones. Soft spots protected by hard ones to hold shape.
Prep complete.
"Haaaaah!!!"
I charged at it. Its movements slowed, like it was flustered. Even if not, it couldn't match my speed.
"Hup!"
I leaped, landed on the log I'd embedded, and jumped higher.
"GRRRRAAAHHH!!!"
Right between its eyes, the third log I'd nailed home was stuck. I stepped on it. It thrashed. No eyes up front—fence-like iron bars pierced what passed for eyes, yet it moved fine. Still no match for me.
"Here goes."
I raised my sword. Left diagonal slash, right diagonal, horizontal. In a flash, a small triangle. I reached in and ripped out a chunk of flesh.
"GRRRRAAAHHH!!!"
My hand got filthy. I'd need a good wash after this.
It went berserk. I gripped the deeply embedded log tight and held on.
"Good..."
I could feel it. See the 'hard parts.' The spots that could take my strikes.
"GRRRRAAAHHH!!!"
Realizing mere head-shaking wouldn't shake me, it slapped its own face with its palm.
"Whoa?"
I hopped lightly to dodge the palm. The giant's hand smacked its massive face hard. Branches shattered, dust exploded. But it missed me.
"Hup!"
I swung my sword to widen the fresh wound. Hard flesh showed. The kind that wouldn't crack or crumble under normal hits—guarding the vital core.
Sword to my left hand. It roared.
"GRRRRAAAHHH!!!"
I clenched my fist. It was huge, no doubt with strength to match. But I was stronger.
"Die."
I felt my body. Aware of power beyond human limits. The experiences and growth from that world had turned me into something not quite human anymore. Still in human form, but far from ordinary. And yet, this was me. I was ready to accept it. The hero I'd become, no longer just human.
"GRRRRAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!"
Impact. Its flesh was tough—didn't shatter under my fist. Incredible hardness. But for this giant zombie, that head flesh being so solid was more curse than blessing. Not breaking meant it absorbed zero shock.
"GRRRAAAHHH!!!"
The shock rippled through its entire body. 'Connected, huh...' The giant shook. My fist's force enveloped it all. If it'd been standing firm, it might've been pushed back. But its massive, heavy bulk barely budged, couldn't fly off ridiculously. It couldn't absorb the impact. No flesh endures forever—the spot my fist hit crumbled. Connected parts—and the whole body—snapped grotesquely.
"GRRRK! GRRRAAAH! IIIYAAAAAHHH!"
"Ears hurt."
A totally different scream—horrific, chilling. The giant's body began splitting. The flesh I'd wrecked must've been bone-like; shards pierced its bulk from within.
"Hup!"
I roughly slapped away the tattered flesh. Something else might grow from it, but now was the time to go all-in.
"There it is."
Visible now: atop its head, beyond the fallen flesh. Something dark and writhing—the most vital, grotesque organ. Like a black-stained serpent brain squirming, or a monstrous centipede crawling veins in a heart.
"Hoo."
I raised my sword. In my old world, warriors were just warriors, no matter how strong. Faster, more skilled stabs and slashes, but no miracles. That was for mages or priests. I was fundamentally a warrior. Could infuse mana into body and blade, but nothing more. Light wasn't a warrior's domain. Mana in the blade might be, but light itself? No.
Not blind killing power, but holy force purging evil infused my sword. I half-doubted if this was truly 'evil' from my view, but this power had purpose. To make me a hero.
"Die."
It took a while, but it was just a 'beatable foe.' I mattered more. My will, the human heart—infinitely greater than this corpse heap.
I'd declared I'd defeat the boss and become a hero. So it would be.
"GRRRAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!"
Vast light enveloped the giant. Its core organ—brain-heart hybrid—exposed defenseless. Radiance from my sword obliterated the evil.
Anseongu Boss Defeated!
Ridiculous—the status window announced its death. No matter how huge or majestic, that was it.
I sheathed my sword and looked to my women.
"You all okay!!!"
"Yesssss!"
I didn't want to linger on the zombie. I bolted toward them like an arrow, to share the victory.