Uncomfortable Cohabitation (6)
I stared down at the corpse in disbelief. “What the hell….”
Ye-eun looked just as stunned as she gazed at the body of Choi Tae-woo—the former national judo representative, my judo instructor, my close friend, and a man I could trust like an older brother. It was a damn shame. Choi Tae-woo had been a good man. He had ambition and a sense of justice, the kind that made him want to restore this cult-ridden village and save the people trapped inside it. Sure, our first meeting had been based on a misunderstanding, but after long conversations, blood-boiling fights, and honest heart-to-heart talks, we’d come to understand each other. He’d even taught me judo. And now I had to bury another mentor in my heart. The grief hit me hard.
The only silver lining was that my heart was as vast as the ocean—it could hold the graves of many.
I reached down and gently closed the eyes of the wide-eyed corpse. “Rest easy, hyung.”
“Oppa… your expression looks weird,” Ahyeon said.
“What about it?”
“It looks like you’re faking sadness.”
“It’s the same face I make when the instructor used to scold me…”
Ye-eun chimed in quietly. I swallowed the irritation rising in my chest.
“I am sad.”
“Why are you sad…?”
I could understand why my sister sounded so puzzled. She didn’t have a normal human heart, but I did. A warm one. Choi Tae-woo. The GOAT of judo. A prodigy who could have brought glory to South Korea. The most upright person in this entire cult. I won’t forget you.
I crouched beside his body and examined it carefully. His face was twisted in agony, eyes squeezed shut even in death. A long, spear-like object protruded from his chest. It had struck with such force that even after he’d fallen and slammed into the ground, it remained deeply embedded. It looked exactly like a spear.
Ye-eun stared at it and asked, “Did… a person do this?”
“I doubt it.”
“Then… a zombie? You’re saying a zombie could do something like this?”
She gazed blankly at Choi Tae-woo’s body. Unlike me, she didn’t seem particularly attached to him, so she wasn’t visibly shaken, but…
“Do you really think a human could do something like this?”
At my sister’s sharp words, Ye-eun shut her mouth, her pupils trembling slightly. I couldn’t blame her. I’d felt the same terror when I first encountered the Preacher and the Serpent of Eden. I was calm now, but back then? Not so much.
I glanced at my sister. She nodded, rifle in hand, eyes fixed on the high wall ahead. Time to get a proper estimate.
I flipped Choi Tae-woo’s body over. The projectile was made of a familiar material—its color reminded me of the Holy Knight’s Sword and the Holy Knight’s Doubt currently in my grasp.
“…Bone.” A spear made of bone.
“A throwing spear…?”
And then there was the name that had appeared in the quest: Centurion. I’d seen that name in the Bible too. The Roman soldier who stabbed Jesus in the side. A saint who used Jesus’s blood to heal his eyes. Was this thing modeling itself after that story? Had it actually thrown a spear with enough force to pierce him like this?
I had no idea how far away it had been or how it had thrown it, but one thing was clear—this was no easy opponent.
The biblical motif wasn’t that strange. Every variant I’d encountered so far had religious names: Serpent of Eden, Holy Knight, Preacher, Acolyte. So Centurion fit right in. That meant it used a spear. Though if we’re talking Romans, I’d have expected a short sword. Maybe it used a shield too? Could I loot the shield if I killed it?
The urge to climb on top of the car and get a better look surged up, but I suppressed it. The footing was uncertain and I didn’t know its power level. No need to take unnecessary risks. Since even Choi Tae-woo—with his Strong Bone trait—had been taken out in one hit, I needed to be extremely careful.
Judging by the reward potential, this thing was at least on the level of the Preacher or Holy Knight. And it could attack from range. Maybe it was even specialized for long-range combat.
The conclusion from my brief deliberation was obvious.
“Let’s go around.”
It would take more time and might be more dangerous, but it still looked safer than walking straight into its line of fire.
“What about the car?”
“Leave it. It’s too big. I have a feeling it’ll get thrown at us too.”
I still didn’t understand why it hadn’t thrown anything yet. Maybe it was waiting for us to get out so it could finish us off properly.
“Then should we head for the back gate? The problem is…”
It was completely open. I could picture it easily. Gucheon Athletic University boasted an enormous campus. Wide courtyards, open fields.
“Of all places, it had to be here.”
I didn’t fully understand how variants were created or what processes gave them their traits, but judging from the current situation, location seemed to play a part. An open area with a hidden sniper. It was already the worst possible condition.
Still, I could think of a few decent methods. Most of them came from the knowledge I’d absorbed after looting Intermediate Shooting. You could even call it military knowledge.
“Alright, I’ve got an idea. First…”
I rummaged through the body of the man we used to call Baby Bear and pulled out his smartphone. No password—typical tough-guy style. Then I grabbed 240 rounds—eight full magazines’ worth—from the ammo box in the trunk, along with some food and water. We might not be able to come back this way.
Once both bags were full and we’d checked our rifles, Ye-eun asked, “Is there really a zombie that can do something like that?”
“Think of it like that snake we fought.”
I answered as we headed toward the back gate. The path was littered with corpses. Even though they were rotting, not a single bug swarmed them. Some had their chests pierced like Choi Tae-woo. Others had their heads smashed open.
Only noticing now? What an idiot. I clicked my tongue and added, “It’s as smart as a person, stronger than a person, and it can pull shit like this. Just assume fighting it will be harder than fighting a human.”
“So… something like that exists…”
A hint of fear crept into her voice. Was she regretting coming with us?
“If you’re scared, you can wait in the car…”
“N-no. I’m fine. Really.”
Ye-eun shook her head vigorously and didn’t ask any more questions. I pulled out the smartphone I’d taken from outside and turned on the camera. Standing at the corner of the back gate, I switched it to video mode, started recording, and swept the area beyond the corner. I repeated the process two, three times.
I deleted the hundreds of selfies Baby Bear had apparently taken for some reason to free up space, then we reviewed the footage.
“The field is way too open. This is gonna be fucking dangerous.”
Where was the sniper? It took us until the third video to finally spot it.
“Oppa. Isn’t this it? Right here.”
A tiny dot. Even when we zoomed in, it was hard to make out clearly, but we could at least pinpoint the general location. The rooftop of the six-story main building. Exactly where a sniper would position themselves.
I turned the camera on again, zoomed in, and recorded once more to narrow it down further.
“This is the spot. Remember it.”
The plan had been simple from the start. Suppressive fire while moving. Ye-eun in the middle, me at the front, my sister at the rear. It was the most logical formation since my sister’s shooting was better than mine and she had more magazines.
Ye-eun’s role was to be our guide.
“You need to give clear directions, okay? We’ll match your pace, so run as fast as you can.”
My current Agility was 17 and Strength was 20. On top of that, I had Athletics, Climbing, and Parkour. If I really pushed myself, Ye-eun wouldn’t be able to keep up, but it was still better than getting lost and taking the wrong path.
And that wasn’t all.
“Also, try not to use the shotgun unless you have to. Only fire if zombies get too close.”
“At the zombies?”
“Yeah. The moment we start shooting, the noise will draw them here anyway. Just use it as a warning when they get near.”
The rest would fall to me and my sister.
We’d just finished dividing roles when my sister voiced her concern.
“Oppa, I’m not sure if Ye-eun unnie can keep up.”
“…What?”
It was a reasonable worry, but apparently not one Ye-eun wanted to hear. She narrowed her eyes.
“I’m the fastest one here. What are you even talking about… right?”
It was true that Ye-eun had always been good at running. She was always part of the relay team back in school. The problem was that our stats had been boosted by the status window far beyond normal human levels. She didn’t seem to realize that.
I glanced at my sister. She snorted.
“W-what? What is it? I go to a sports university! There’s no way I’d be bad at running…”
Ye-eun looked genuinely upset.
“We’ll see when we start running.”
I brushed it off casually. Ye-eun pouted. My sister began to pray.
“…Now? Is this really the time for—”
“Shh.”
Ye-eun made a displeased face, but I knew what my sister was doing. She was trying to raise our chances of success. And sure enough—
…
……
………
…………
Athletics - Intermediate
My sister had dumped all three of her remaining points into Athletics. From Novice to Basic to Intermediate. Strength rose by 2, Agility by 3. She was now on the same level as me. Since Athletics wasn’t limited to just running, it was actually a pretty good choice.
Anyway, it meant she was ready.
We took one last look at the Centurion’s position through the smartphone recording, then got into position. We checked our magazines, our rifles, even our shoes. I stood at the very front, rifle in hand, steadying my breathing.
“Kang Ahyeon.”
“Weung.”
“If it gets dangerous, hide.”
“Arasseo.”
Ahyeon answered in her usual cutesy, nasal voice while Ye-eun looked slightly fed up. I glanced at both of them in turn.
“Now!”
We burst out from cover. The moment we did, the figure on the rooftop became clearly visible. The variant we’d only seen as a blurry shape in the video—the Centurion. It was aiming a long object directly at me.
So that’s it. That’s what fires the bone spears. It’s aiming. How fast will it fly? Can I catch it? Can I block it? I didn’t know. But I wasn’t worried.
Immediately after—
Kakakang!
A sharp gunshot rang out. The sound was loud enough to make Ye-eun flinch. The Centurion, which had been aiming at me, flinched and ducked for cover. A gap opened.
I scanned the wide area with my eyes.
“Lee Ye-eun!”
“Over there!”
We ran together. I was faster. Ye-eun’s eyes widened when she saw my speed, but she ran desperately. The moment the gunshots started, the entire space seemed to come alive. It wasn’t an illusion. The zombies would be coming.
I stopped in front of the garbage area, pressed my back against the wall, and raised my rifle. My target was the spot where the Centurion was hiding. The place where it had flinched and lowered itself again. I fired once.
Taaang!
My sister’s gunfire stopped. The Centurion peeked out for a brief moment. It extended what looked like a long rifle.
Not happening.
I pulled the trigger.
Kakakakakang!
The difference between Intermediate and Advanced was huge. I had to fire five shots before the Centurion ducked back in. None of them hit. The recoil against my shoulder was light, but my aim wasn’t as precise as I wanted. It wasn’t bad, but it was only “not bad.” Still, it was fine. My sister would be much faster running alone without Ye-eun.
And just as I thought—
Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap!
My sister closed the distance rapidly. She cut straight across the open ground. I listened to her footsteps, then fired again the moment the Centurion tried to emerge.
Kakakakakakang!
It took six shots before it hid again. With Intermediate Athletics, 12 Agility, and 7 Strength, my sister joined us incredibly quickly.
“…Wait, what? Kang Ahyeon, you were always… no, your running…”
Ye-eun sounded dazed, but there was no time to explain. I took cover with my sister and began reloading spare ammo from my bag into the magazine.
“How many rounds do you have left?”
“Umm, not sure. 120? Still plenty. What about you, oppa?”
“80.”
“Then roughly… hmm, a little over 200?”
That sounded about right. I nodded, finished loading, and turned to Ye-eun.
“Lee Ye-eun.”
“Y-yes?”
“Where’s the next path? Any route that sticks close to the gym building… or at least goes through the basement or inside a building. Somewhere we won’t get sniped.”
She didn’t hesitate long.
“The loading dock! There’s a passage that connects to the main building from there. The maintenance building is right below—”
“Good. Then that’s our next destination. How far?”
“It’s a bit of a distance. Well… if we run, it won’t take long.”
“Any cover on the way?”
“None.”
“Alright. Then we’ll have to spray bullets the whole way. Hope there’s plenty of ammo in the warehouse…”
I glanced at my sister. We stepped out from cover. I aimed my rifle toward where the Centurion had been, intending to fire before it could aim at me and then move. But—
The front sight and rear sight of my extended rifle. Beyond them, the Centurion was nowhere to be seen. It wasn’t on either side of its original position either. Where was it? Had it run? Was it hiding? Or—
A chill ran down my spine. My widened field of vision, enhanced by Perception, finally caught a faint movement after I abandoned my aim. The corner of the H-shaped main building, closer to our flank. Something moved up there.
I realized it before I could even swing my barrel around.
Ah, too late. We’re fucked. Can I block it? Can I dodge?
Only then did I register the movement. A fast object cutting across the edge of my vision. It had already been fired. Just as my mind started going white—
Thud!
An impact struck the back of my knee. Short legs. My sister? The moment I reflexively pulled my knee back and lowered my stance, something incredibly fast streaked past my eyes.
Kwaaaaaaaaang!
The spear slammed into the ground with enough force to flip over paving stones. I gritted my teeth and swung my rifle toward the direction it had come from, firing wildly.
Kakakakakakang!
The Centurion hid instead of firing again. I clicked my tongue. What a ridiculously smart bastard. It changed positions.
What now? The plan?
In the end, there was only one option.
“Plan change! We all move at once!”
“Oppa, I’ll take the lead! Just cover me while I reload! Ye-eun unnie, help oppa up!”
“Got it!”
Was my sister absorbing knowledge too? She used words she normally wouldn’t. I nodded and let Ye-eun help me to my feet.
“Let’s go!”
There was no time to worry about whether we’d be okay or if I should draw my knife. As we ran, I realized something. This was beyond the level of Advanced Shooting. Every time the Centurion changed position and emerged, before I could even notice or react, my sister was already pulling the trigger.
Kakakang!
Because she was aiming in a hurry, she had to fire more than before, but the moment the Centurion popped out, she was already swinging her barrel to aim at it. And her counter-fire was lightning fast. The Centurion was forced to duck down every single time it appeared, like a twisted game of whack-a-mole. There were no direct hits, but it was more than enough.
We ran at a slightly slower pace than before.
“Reloading! Oppa, that direction! Ye-eun unnie, pick up the magazines!”
I fired toward where my sister’s barrel was pointing.
Kakakakakakakakang!
Rapid fire. I didn’t hit. The Centurion ducked in surprise and didn’t get hit either. But it bought my sister time to reload. Once she finished and took over covering fire, Ye-eun followed behind us, looking confused while clutching spare magazines.
Shoot while moving, cover while reloading, then move again. We repeated the cycle as we advanced. The bone spears the Centurion fired in desperation whistled past us and shattered the head of the cult leader’s statue.
I let out a dry chuckle and kept running. Finally, the loading dock came into view. A truck was parked there. A narrow staircase leading underground was visible.
“Run! Run!”
I shouted as I sprinted, pushing Ye-eun from behind. I sent my sister and Ye-eun ahead first, then switched to the very back. We passed through the stairwell and I slammed the metal door shut. I locked the latch and was about to head down the stairs when—
Shweeeek—
A horrifying sound sliced past my ear. The sound of air being torn apart. Faster than I could process it, I threw myself down the stairs.
Explosions followed in rapid succession.
Boom. The first sound was light, but its aftermath was anything but.
Kwakwakwakwakwakwakwaaaaaaaaang!
Ten bone spears in a row tore through the door, smashed the walls, and embedded themselves throughout the basement. The metal door, ripped off its hinges, flew over my head.
“Uwaaaaaaaaagh!”
I screamed involuntarily as I tumbled down the stairs. The moment I bounced off the railing and rolled across the floor—
Kwarurururururu!
The entire stairwell collapsed, unable to withstand the impact.
I coughed violently as a cloud of dust rushed in. Just then—
Pirorong—♪
A cheerful ringtone sounded. Wincing from the pain, I pulled the smartphone from my pocket.
What the hell, at a time like this…
♡ My Birthday ♥
The moment I saw the screen, I burst out laughing while still lying on the ground.
“…Aish, fuck. Tae-woo ham…”
I deleted the reminder and shoved the phone back into my pocket.