Accepting Common Sense - 8
"Interesting..."
The zombies I'd seen so far were dangerous-looking at best—something any ordinary human could take down with enough effort. But this one was different. Even someone armed with a gun wouldn't stand a chance against that sheer mass. It was a monster that made humanity's downfall feel natural, a beast so formidable that no normal survivors dared wander these parts.
"Ha."
I swung my sword—or rather, the tree branch—at the monster.
Bounce-back resistance? It wasn't ordinary flesh. This was the sensation of slicing into something infused with mana. Even in the world I'd lived in, monsters like this were rare. If things like this roamed freely, this place wasn't safe at all.
But that was it.
The sword aura I unleashed sliced cleanly through the Goliath's body.
"Grraaaaaah!!!"
My first strike hit its leg. It wasn't an ogre like the ones I knew, but this Goliath was a different breed—still, I instinctively fell back on my ogre-hunting strategy. Against massive, regenerating beasts, going for vital points right away was pointless. You had to sever the limbs first.
"Grrruuuh! Graaah! Aaaah!"
The human body has its limits in size. Charging recklessly at its heart or throat could throw off your balance if you stumbled, turning a minor slip into a disaster. Not that it applied to me now.
"Next... the arms."
With one leg severed, the Goliath swung its massive arm down at me like an ogre would. I dodged effortlessly and slashed its arm with another swing of the branch.
"So far, so good."
A sword's reach is limited. Unless I poured out mana for a massive aura blade, my attack range was capped at "where the branch could touch," no matter how strong the strike. Too short to gut its belly, but perfect for lopping off an arm in one go. And with that, its balance crumbled.
"Grrruuuh..."
"Yeah, that's how you'd move."
A quick glance showed its leg starting to regenerate, tendrils of flesh creeping back. But that was all. It wouldn't get the time to fully regrow.
"Hyah."
I sidestepped its falling bulk, slashed the remaining leg, then mounted its back as it crashed down. Steadying myself, I calmly severed its last arm. Finally, I took its head—and just in case it was like a zombie where the head alone might chomp, I stabbed deep into its skull a few times for good measure.
Job done, I noticed Sua staring at me, mouth agape.
"Ta-da."
I struck a cool pose on impulse, then flushed with sudden embarrassment. Thinking about it, it wasn't anything worth bragging over.
"A-Amazing!"
But she beamed, clapping without a hint of awkwardness, like she wanted to make me feel good.
"That's a monster even Lv.10 hunters avoid if they can! I had no idea you'd take it down solo without a scratch!"
"Yeah? Glad to hear it."
"You must've gotten a ton of EXP... Checked your status?"
"Hmm... yeah, something went up."
I glanced at my status window. My level had hit 2.
"Of course it did! Ugh, what a waste. Going from Lv.1 to Lv.2 is just random mob grinding, but you used a boss-tier kill for it!"
She shook her head, genuinely bummed.
"Anyway, great job!"
That moment, unease hit me.
"Hey, behind you!"
"Huh?"
Zombies lurking in the ruined building charged at Sua.
"Dodge!"
I gripped the branch and bolted toward her. Not too dangerous. At this range, I could save her. Take out the zombies lunging at her, rescue her—
Bang!
"Eh?"
My body, about to pull her into a hug from behind, froze at the gunshot exploding ahead. One zombie's head burst, body slumping slowly.
"S-Sorry! Those count as EXP too!"
Sua bowed apologetically.
"Uh..."
"L-Let's clean up the rest quick? I'll help if it's tough."
"Uh, y-yeah..."
I sliced through the six zombies in seconds, then eyed her curiously.
"What was that gunshot?"
She smiled proudly.
"My ability!"
A cute little pink pistol gleamed in her hand.
"A skill? You get those on level up?"
"Wanna check? As my master, you can see my status window too!"
I opened my status window and scrolled down to her slave status.
🔫 Pistol Summon
📍 Supply Point Search
👁️ Intuition
"Lv.11? That's high, right?"
"Eh, decent enough. I've survived solo pretty well!"
That gun packed a punch—probably lethal to normals.
"At Lv.11... you could've taken that Goliath head-on?"
"Not impossible, but it'd be rough."
She grinned and explained the world slowly.
"People fall into three types: Hunters, Scavengers, Citizens."
"Oh?"
"Citizens join groups for normal jobs—doctors, farmers, scientists, engineers."
"Scientists?"
"I've never been in a big group long, but yeah—to upgrade bases' tech, you need 'em."
Not like the scientists from my old world.
Hmm...
If anything, this world felt less like a true apocalypse and more like a game with apocalyptic vibes. "Scientist" or "farmer" were probably more like classes.
"Hunters focus on combat. Most join groups too. They max skills and stats for fighting."
"I see..."
"Scavengers like me? Lone wolves, mostly. Survival skills and stats over pure combat."
"Got it."
Skills like Intuition or Supply Point Search fit that.
"Fascinating."
A comparable Hunter could've downed the Goliath with three combat skills. Lots to learn. To survive here, I needed to know it all—
"Hm?"
Defeated some infected in Anseongu!
Eliminate all infected to permanently turn the area into a safe zone!
Progress: 3.561%
"What popped up?"
"Whoa, big haul! Elite kill boosted the progress a lot!"
"Purifying sounds good, right?"
Sua shook her head with a smile.
"Sure, but it's pointless overall. No more monsters here, extra supply points, claim the district later... nice perks."
"Then let's do it?"
"Just ignore it."
"Why?"
"Infected keep respawning. Without hordes of hunters committed to it, clearing a whole district is impossible."
"Really?"
"Bigger monsters than Goliath, endless mobs... think 'killed a bunch today' and move on."
She seemed to want me to drop it, but it fired me up instead.
"Worth a shot."
"Huh?"
A few Goliaths? No sweat. I'd dragged it out to test my senses. Full mana, I could've vaporized it on sight. Stronger foes? Same deal. And the rewards afterward? Tempting.
Supply points...
Save more people. Make the city thrive.
Not looking to play hero again...
But I liked it. Drifting aimlessly was boring.
"G-Go for it! Slave or not, I'll support you fully!"
"Thanks."
Her eyes screamed no way it'll work, but she cheered anyway.
For the first time here, I had a real goal. I'd rebuild this city.