Chapter 96
Chapter 96
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 96
Chapter Title: Settlement
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"This bastard isn't even half as good as Krallta."
I should've just fought with my sword from the start. What a shame.
The variant zombie thrashed even more wildly, as if it understood my mocking words.
But its strongest weapon and shield—its right arm—had just been severed.
Kraaaah!?
The variant zombie belatedly tried to change its stance and flee from me. But both its legs had already vanished from my warp and initial sword strike.
All it could do now was lie on the floor and swing its left arm.
But even that was meaningless flailing to me, with Threat Detection.
I easily dodged its attack, closed in tight, and swung my sword to sever its neck.
Slash!
Its head flew through the air.
"Ah, I wasted time messing with this small fry."
'Warp the blood and corpse on me outside the building. Tell the team I lured it out the window and let it plummet to its death.'
As I thought that, a message appeared before my eyes.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Congratulations! You've awakened by breaking through an extremely low probability! "Huh?"
I tilted my head at the unexpected message.
"Awakening out of nowhere? Oh... right. They said there's a low chance of awakening when you kill zombies."
I'd mowed down zombies with gunfire and seen no sign of it, so I'd just figured it wasn't happening. Who knew killing one variant zombie would trigger it right away?
⚔ STATUS ⚔ Your Awakening Ability: 『Gene Mutation S』
Description: You can analyze genetic information from dead organisms, absorb their essence, and make it your own, unlocking infinite possibilities. This ability will lead you to the pinnacle of evolution.
1. Antibody Generation and Bestowal: Generate antibodies against contacted viruses or toxins and bestow them on others.
Current Antibodies: Zombie Virus
2. DNA Extraction: Extract unique 'DNA' from blood or tissue of organisms with special genetic info.
3. DNA Modification: Apply extracted 'DNA' to yourself or others to mutate genes and manifest new abilities.
'Whoa... what the fuck is this?'
The big fat S-rank plastered there. It was straight-up cheat-level.
'Hold on. Genetic info from dead organisms... does that include the variant zombie I just killed?'
I lightly nicked my hand with my sword and smeared some of the variant zombie's blood from my clothes onto it.
That instant, a new message appeared.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Discovered new genetic material from the blood of Variant Zombie 'Crusher'. Extracting DNA: 『Partial Gigantification』 'Partial Gigantification?'
With the message, I instinctively knew how to use it.
An ability to temporarily enlarge specific parts of my body at will.
Then a lewd thought popped into my head. The one every guy imagines at least once.
I glanced around. No one nearby. I dropped my pants right there and applied Partial Gigantification to my dick.
Immediately, something inside me writhed, and a hot surge rushed to my groin.
"Oh... ohhh...!"
I couldn't help but marvel at the sight between my legs.
My cock, never small to begin with, had grown incredibly heavy. Gazing at the photo stored on my PDA—Cera's ass dripping with cum—it naturally engorged and hardened.
Length well over 30cm, thickness from wrist-sized to forearm-thick. My dick had evolved from pleasure tool to womb-destroying weapon.
"But this is too big."
No joke—it looked dangerous enough to rupture organs in smaller women.
Thankfully, I could adjust the size in real-time.
Like a kid with an awesome new toy, I played around, shortening and lengthening it, tweaking the girth.
Eventually, I found a form that didn't hinder movement but still looked perfect.
'Girth is good as is. Just add 3cm to the length.'
Thinking of all the women I'd fuck with this beast made me grin like a maniac.
"Fuck, this feels solid."
Probably my biggest haul from this planet.
⚠️ SIDE EFFECT ⚠️ DNA 『Partial Gigantification』 side effect activated. While active, base metabolism increases by 1.17x. The greater the difference from original body parts, the sharper the metabolism spike. I smirked at the message.
"Side effect?"
Sure, food was a big issue in an apocalypse world for any group or individual.
But I could restock from my inventory anytime.
'Basically a no-cost skill for me.'
*
I warped around to map the 21st floor roughly, then smashed a nearby window and warped Crusher's corpse and the blood on me outside.
Crunch.
Confirming the body was total mush, I grabbed the unconscious Park Min-ji and returned to the team.
Carlson and Cera freaked out seeing me alive. Even emotionless Lea gaped her mouth in genuine surprise.
"Oh my god... We thought you were dead!! Joo-hyuk, you okay? Not hurt anywhere?"
"Yeah."
No need for long explanations—I just showed them the PDA photo of Crusher plummeting outside the window.
"Whoa... How'd you come up with such a brilliant idea in that desperate moment?"
"Joo-hyuk. Once again, you've achieved something truly remarkable."
"No big deal."
I just hadn't thought of using my sword before. It was really nothing special.
Then a thought struck me.
If killing the variant zombie was an achievement, wasn't awakening one too?
The sole reason I'd stuck around this planet with guns and explosives was to farm Dimensional Crystals (DC) for the starter skills.
The Tower had clear rewards.
Achieve special conditions or pull off first-ever feats others couldn't, and the system recognized it as an 'achievement' with rewards.
The Warp system worked the same.
'So awakening first in this world and hunting the variant zombie should qualify as achievements too, right?'
To test the hypothesis, I immediately chose to return to reality.
'Warp end. Returning to Earth.'
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Ending activity on Planet#000549 and returning. *
The scenery flipped in an instant, landing me in the familiar space with two planets floating.
Last return for smokes and beer at the checkpoint had given a measly 3 DC for dozens of zombies—hilariously low.
Sniper kill? Just flat 100 DC.
⚔ Planet#000549 Activity Settlement ⚔ Basic Settlement: 10% of zombies killed (3256) in this world
Acquired: 325 Dimensional Crystals (DC)
Achievement Settlement:
Major Achievements: [Past Alteration - Savior]: 30,000 DC
[Past Alteration - Slayer]: 140 DC
[Awakening]: 3,000 DC
[Gene Mutation S]: 50,000 DC
Hunting Achievements: [First Crusher Kill]: 30,000 DC
[Variant Kill '1']: 1,000 DC [First Time Tracker Kill]: 30,000 DC
[Time Tracker '1']: 3,000 DC Final Acquired: 147,465 Dimensional Crystals (DC)
"No way, is this for real?"
Tower took over two weeks of hell for 100k points. Here, under 48 hours netted nearly 150k.
"But what's Past Alteration?"
Tap it, and details popped out.
[Past Alteration - Savior]
Description: Due to your intervention, Titan Security C Team's squad leader Carlson, drone expert Cera, and medic Lea—who died in the original history—survived. Reward for positively altering history's flow.
Rewards update every 6 months based on that world.
[Past Alteration - Slayer]
Description: Due to your intervention, people met death sooner. Reward for slightly accelerating doom.
Rewards paid each time extinction advances in that world.
'This racks up nicely.'
Not sure yet if Savior or Slayer pays more, but steady DC income was a win.
Held Dimensional Crystals: 157,160 DC I opened the Warp Shop's skill tab.
📜 Skill List 📜 【Threat Detection】: Instinctively detect threats from enemies outside sight or hidden. - Price: 10,000 DC
【Tactical Marksmanship】: Slightly boosts accuracy and reload speed for all firearms. - Price: 5,000 DC
'As expected.'
The mercenary perks from the zombie planet were now in the shop. I bought both without hesitation.
⚙ PURCHASE COMPLETE ⚙ - Spent 10,000 DC to purchase Threat Detection. - Spent 5,000 DC to purchase Tactical Marksmanship. - Threat Detection and Tactical Marksmanship automatically equipped. Held Dimensional Crystals: 142,160 DC