Chapter 81
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 81
Chapter Title: Zombie Parade
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Deep nightmare.
I was in the nightmare.
'A familiar nightmare.'
Feeling my body unresponsive, my consciousness floated from darkness to darkness.
'Ah, damn it.'
Since coming to this other world, I hadn't spent even a single day in my right mind.
The most terrifying thing was that I could understand the language of this other world. To me, the other world's language sounded just as familiar as Korean.
The writing, too—clearly something I'd never seen before—somehow read like Hangul. So I had no real trouble speaking, listening, or writing.
If I couldn't communicate, it wouldn't have been hard to guess I'd have died within a month of my other-world trip. Maybe it was a kind of blessing.
But.
I was utterly terrified of it.
That was why the question of 'why' never left my head.
This other world was completely different from Earth. Magic existed, and monsters lurked in the shadows. Even granting that I'd suddenly ended up in a place like this, one question refused to leave my mind.
Why.
Why the hell could I understand the language?
It made no sense.
Hearing a completely foreign language as if it were Korean was utterly impossible.
But suddenly arriving in another world? Well, that could happen. Earth had weird places like the Bermuda Triangle. I could accept it as something similar.
Language comprehension was the exception.
Maybe some horrific entities were messing with my brain, making the other-world language feel like Korean.
The thought was horrifying.
If so, they could rearrange my mind whenever they wanted. Thoughts, memories. Even my fundamental values.
I had nightmares like that sometimes.
Just as suddenly as I'd come to this world, I'd abruptly return home, overflowing with joy and happiness, flinging open the front door.
—Mom and Dad and friends were there.
'Mom! Dad! I'm home, you bastards!'
Tears streaming from joy, I reached out to them. Friends surrounded me, clapping and congratulating. Mom and Dad smiled, reaching out, hugging me in welcome.
'#$^$%&$#^$%&$%&$%&^#[email protected]#%$#$^#$'
—In a language I couldn't understand.
It was the other world's language.
"M-Mom... fuck!"
—Gasp! Gasp!
I bolted upright in a frenzy.
Someone was breathing raggedly—it was me.
I didn't know the imperial calendar, but the ceiling was familiar.
"What the hell."
The bed was soaked with sweat. A brutal nightmare. Cold sweat and back sweat poured out like crazy, drenching my T-shirt. Brutal nightmare—no, the smell. A foul stench. Damn, my head wasn't working.
"Mmm...? What's wrong?"
"Oh, Claudie."
Claudie lay naked beside me. She rubbed her eyes and sat up. Seeing her beautiful face snapped my dazed mind back to reality.
I'd just had a nightmare.
A chronic, recurring one.
To her worried gaze, I played it off casually.
"Had some nightmare or other... damn, can't remember it."
That was what I said, but my heart was still pounding.
It was a nightmare I'd had over and over, but the moment Mom's mouth uttered that other-world tongue, terror seized me, forcing me awake in convulsions. I'd gone a while without it and almost forgotten, but now it hit out of nowhere—fucking infuriating.
Maybe because the atmosphere lately had been so tense.
"Here."
Claudie stared at my face, then spread her arms. An invitation for a hug. I collapsed into her embrace, burying my face in her chest. She patted my back.
"Something bothering you?"
"Nah, not at all."
"Ahh! Don't talk into my boobs, you perv! It tickles!"
"Teeeenng!"
"Kyaa!"
After getting smacked on the back by Claudie and snapping to my senses, I stretched and got up. Quick wash, then dressed. A bit rushed. Needed to head out early.
"Katt, today too?"
"Yeah. This is our chance."
That's right. This was exactly the chance.
The city was in full festival mode.
It happened around the fourth week of training at the Swordsman Guild.
A massive horde of undead swarmed the city.
Zombies, skeletons, ghouls, mummies, wights... all sorts of gruesome undead attacked out of nowhere. Naturally, alarms blared. Adventurers and soldiers fought them off.
Of course, it wasn't a big deal. Undead weren't that strong. Up to there, it'd have been just a minor incident. But what followed turned this [Undead Mass Assault Incident] into a festive celebration.
"Gotta farm those talants."
Various religious orders flooded in due to the undead surge.
Originally there to exterminate and purify, they formed a massive alliance when the numbers proved overwhelming, setting aside doctrinal differences.
United in faith, they mowed down the undead like fallen leaves.
A holy, sacred massacre. Progress was smooth; eradication seemed imminent. Just as ennui set in, more undead poured in. One battle priest suggested using this mass purification to offer the cleansed souls to the gods.
The religious folk huddled and brainstormed.
'How can we ascend through this? We might even bring paradise. Beyond paradise, depending on purification levels, an avatar or divine incarnation could manifest. Great opportunity. We should seize it. Drag in even non-believers and make it huge!'
Thus, the festival was born.
Bring an undead head to a church, get one talant. Congregants whipped up food, religious merch, and useful goods to sell for those talants.
The vibe was electric. Venture outside the gates, bash wandering undead, lop off heads, cash them at church, spend on festival fun—a bizarre, inhuman atmosphere formed.
What kind of insane violent Halloween was this? But that was the other-world vibe. Everyone enjoyed it, so we should too. No one seemed to think the festival was nuts. Guess I was the only sane one.
Anyway, I'd been joining the fun since last week. Already farmed enough talants for a bottle of mid-grade holy water—and chugged it.
But after that damn nightmare, holy water seemed worthless. Those bitches. Time to aim for blessed accessories or gear.
"Heh, working hard?"
"Nah, I'm seriously pissed. Should've gone for that [Silver-Plated Shoulder Guard of Holy Blessing] instead of holy water. Went nuts. Event-limited item, and now out of stock."
"Heh heh heh, irresistible impulse? You say that, then chug holy water with no effect? What're you eyeing this time?"
"Dunno. Too many things I want."
All religious orders sponsored the festival, hawking unique holy items in their colors. Holy-water knuckles, blessed axes, undead-slaying maces—farm talants, snag 'em easy.
The city burned with festival fever. Gear-farming heaven. My hands itched to rack up scores.
"I like that silver bracelet."
"Then let's go hunt zombies."
So today, Claudie and I headed out for talants.
She fancied shiny accessories with religious motifs. Sure, she followed Hel-Khan, but our god didn't sweat the small stuff. She enjoyed the religious fest.
Like enjoying Christmas without being Christian. Same principle.
"Oh, isn't this the barbarian?"
Outside, we ran into Kobson. He waved a smoked chicken leg cheerfully in greeting.
"K-Kobson, you..."
He wore a T-shirt embroidered with [I LOVE Brass Celestial Society!], tucked a poster of the Salvation Heavenly Kingdom Order's star nun under his arm, and munched a huge smoked chicken leg.
This guy looked thrilled.
"This bastard's really enjoying the festival."
"Heh heh heh, chances like this don't come often. Even the harvest festival back home wasn't this fun. The chicken's delicious. Heavenly Ascension Society folks cook great."
"You blow all your saved talants? More importantly, not hunting today?"
We'd partied with Kobson, slicing zombies. Planned to link up today, but he seemed set on playing.
"Taking today off for fun. Check this T-shirt. Cost 15 talants. The nun who gave it embroidered it herself. Beautiful woman... she shook my hand, prayed over me, thrilled I wanted it."
He boasted his weird T-shirt with inexplicable hype. Plain white tee with embroidery—15 talants? Looked like a ripoff.
Probably 10 talants' worth of emotional labor for shaking hands with a guy like Kobson.
"No other explanation—she's into me."
From his blabber, he'd been dazzled by the nun into buying junk. No desire to rain on his pink fantasy, so no snark. He kept flicking his hair dramatically while talking. At least his voice hadn't cracked.
Festival and all. If he was happy, good.
Festivals were for enjoying.
"You're nuts. But that poster looks deranged too."
"Ah, the Salvation Heavenly Kingdom poster? 5 talants. The nun on it was too gorgeous—had to buy."
Otakku vibes. I knew posters were useless. Fun at first collecting, then nowhere to hang, no real use... whatever, moving on.
"Today's for browsing church stalls. Wish you'd join, barbarian, but you're hunting, right?"
"Yeah. Gonna grind hard for some armor pieces."
"Work hard. I'm off."
Kobson bit into his chicken leg and vanished. Unlike the undead-ravaged gates, the city brimmed with unprecedented energy.
Priests and nuns sang hymns, hawking stalls everywhere. They seemed to pick only the good-looking ones—all attractive. No wonder idiots like Kobson fell for it.
"Well, Katt? Just us two today?"
"Sure. A date now and then's nice."
"With zombies everywhere."
Anyway, off to the gates.
Aim to bag a sackful of heads today. Better target skeletons over zombies or mummies. All worth one talant each, so lighter's better. Skeletons don't stink either.
"Huh?"
At the gate, a familiar petite redhead nun in habit and light armor with a huge backpack—Elise. She spotted me and approached.
"Saint Katt. Nice to see you."
"Uh... you too? Just arrived?"
"Yes. A bit late, but we're lending hands for this trial."
Looked like the Radiant Cross Society joined the festival too.
The scariest ones had arrived.