Chapter 286
Chapter 286
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 286
Chapter Title: 115. Happiness (5)
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Necromancer types are honestly the easiest small-scale monsters to take down these days.
Once you close the distance, you can kill them.
Their movements are especially sluggish and predictable, even among monsters that are already slow as molasses.
The problem is piercing through the curtain of human husks to get to the damn thing.
There are three possible scenarios.
One is us breaking through a hundred or so guard zombies and killing the monster in a flash.
That's the only path to victory.
Anything else, no matter what variable pops up, ends in defeat. But for the sake of explanation, the second is succeeding in killing the monster, only for it to summon zombies from the city below.
You take down the monster, but then you face a wave of thousands—maybe tens of thousands—of zombies.
We've prepped vehicles for that, but it's obvious Ha Taehoon's ride will have to shoulder the risk.
The third scenario? Total failure.
You don't kill the monster, and now the zombies are swarming.
If that happens, sorry Cheon Youngjae, but we'd have to hightail it out of there.
With those risks laid out, we wrapped up the brief meeting.
"We really have to do this?"
Ha Taehoon was still grumbling.
It was a smart call not giving Cheon Youngjae a radio.
Listening to this whining would just sour things between them.
Relationships don't always shatter in dramatic moments.
Most breakdowns start with the little daily irritations.
"It's my call, hyung. We'll grab a drink later. There's some good stuff hidden in the bunker's secret safe."
"Whiskey?!"
"How'd you know?"
"Uh, no. Got it. I'll follow orders later."
"?"
What the hell?
No way this guy...
Did he swipe the single malt I stashed away?
I'd been gone for about a month, so it's not impossible.
Whatever. Right now, focus on the fight.
"Ah, I just heard. You've decided to engage the monster?"
Park Penguin seemed to still be on the ridge across from that gray village with his kids.
"I'll watch and learn."
He wasn't the only spectator.
A gallery had formed in the village of living corpses too.
Emaciated locals with hollow eyes gathered in clusters, shambling as they peered down at us from the ridge.
Yoon Seongjae was among them, looking sturdy. But the woman behind him caught my eye.
Even from her vague silhouette, she was a real knockout. Not Cheon Youngjae's girl, though.
Our Cheon Youngjae was fully locked into combat mode.
"...Hyung. I'll peel off the zombies."
"Going for sapper work?"
"Yeah."
I could've mentioned Song Munhee watching him, but I kept it to myself.
Nothing's more beautiful than a warrior immersed in battle.
One of my mentor Jang Gi-young's sayings.
"Let's do it."
Time: 5:23 PM.
Sunset soon.
The sun would dip below the horizon in at least an hour.
Cheon Youngjae gripped his kukri and shuffled toward the shambling zombies in his signature sway.
He didn't dive straight into the horde.
He tested their patience endlessly, closing and widening gaps, drawing the outermost ones' attention.
Soon, three zombies lifted their heads, eyes flashing as they clocked him.
As they shuffled toward him, he backpedaled with his own shambling steps, luring them out.
Once he had them 20 meters out, he danced like a shaman, slicing their necks one by one.
Results-wise, flawless technique.
If it didn't look so damn sloppy.
After dropping those three, he shuffled back to where he'd pulled them from and lured another batch.
This is "sapper work": thinning zombies in small groups without aggroing the big mass, shallowing the depth for the monster fight.
Classic tactic, still effective against necromancers.
But it demands someone skilled enough to consistently lure and kill with cold weapons or silent ones—no stimulating the monster or horde. It's time-consuming, and one slip wastes everything. Rarely used in real combat.
Common sense is just shelling the necromancer from afar.
Still, I kept watching Cheon Youngjae—testing his flaws—purely because of his skill.
Chop! Slash!
He's top-tier in close quarters, shooting, even against humans.
Just... his close work looks ugly.
My mentor Jang Gi-young would foam at the mouth.
"That's not how you do it!"
Lately, I've been thinking of him a lot. Not nostalgia—rumors he's "existing" somewhere in Incheon.
Curious.
What final message does my half-corpse mentor have for me?
Not some rocket axe nonsense, I hope.
As my thoughts deepened, Cheon Youngjae peeled off another zombie layer.
About 30 down.
Time.
I signaled him to halt and radioed Ha Taehoon waiting below.
"If it goes south, I'll bolt your way. Hold position as long as you can. Move only if I can't shake the zombies."
Messaged Bang Jaehyeok too.
"Cover me if the monster wakes. Intimidate if you've got slack."
"Intimidate?"
"Can you?"
"Hell yeah."
"Skip if you're not sure."
"Nah, gotta show skills. You came all this way for a gimpy guy and his old lady. Just give the order, boss."
"Boss...?"
What a ridiculous title.
"Bear with 'boss' for now."
Prep done.
Ridges on both sides.
I felt the crowd's eyes on us.
Into the radio:
"Let's show 'em what the school's made of."
Sneers, snorts, silence, half-assed replies.
A mix over the comms.
But beneath it all, I sensed it.
The pride of the broken ones.
In school, we were taught—and believed—we were the best.
"Watch the flank."
"You grabbing it, hyung?"
"Better that way."
"Mm."
"Watch. Learn."
I sprinted full tilt alongside Cheon Youngjae toward the thinned depth he'd carved.
Zombies whipped past like wind.
Then heads turned.
They'd spotted us.
No known hive mind among zombies, but under necromancer control, mass awareness feeds back to it. Guaranteed.
"Grraaah!"
"Grrrowl!"
As hostility surged.
Boom!
A shockwave's roar split the darkening sky, heralding the apocalypse.
"Going in."
Shing—
Drew both axes.
Full sprint.
"W-whoa!"
Cheon Youngjae fell behind in seconds.
Obstacle ahead.
Half-collapsed motel stairs.
Beyond: shell-cratered wall, and the monster.
Bound up the stairs in a flash.
Boom!
Monster spun, registering me. Triangular head jutted back toward me as I vaulted the top, leaping at it.
Heart wrapped in eternal hatred's blaze, I glared at the approaching gray abomination.
I am the thunder.
Chop!
Both axes buried in its head.
Kicked them free, dropped while swinging again to smash its skull, then landed.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
It spewed furious shockwaves.
Strange air currents.
Thin red lines spiderwebbed everywhere.
Ignition.
Level 4 Awakened attack?
Dodged lines, flanking as flash ignited the marked zone white-hot.
Ignition, confirmed.
All Awakened powers, monsters have too.
"Hyung!"
Zombies incoming.
Boom! Boom!
Monster tried turning its mangled head toward the village.
Calling its army.
"Youngjae! Block the side!"
Cheon Youngjae slashed space clear, then covered with gunfire.
Bang! Rat-tat-tat!
Full auto.
But bullets miraculously popped only zombie heads.
Under his protection, dual axes in hand, I charged the necromancer again.
But.
"..."
White lines denser now, blocking my path.
Ignition.
New pattern.
They update tactics too, huh.
Open space? Flank easy. But motel rubble limited approaches.
"Bang Jaehyeok."
Staring at the blazing white web.
"Listening."
"Intimidate possible?"
"Position locked. Executing. Three. Two. One."
Bang!
Distant gunshot.
Boom!
Reflection barrier flared beyond the monster.
Probably bouncing invisible rounds.
Monsters can't spam powers.
Hoping Bang Jaehyeok's safe, full sprint.
Monster couldn't react.
No more white web.
Charged the exposed foe.
Chop!
Aimed for leg.
Like felling timber.
Leg buckled but held.
Chop!
Second chop?
Body crumpled, torso and head plunging.
Climbed its back, hammered the skull—its weak spot—again and again.
Boom!
Seizure shockwave rattled my body and soul, but my logging didn't stop.
Chop!
Head severed from neck.
And.
Shhhh—
Golden particles dissolved its body.
"Nice kill."
Unslung my rifle, sprayed incoming zombies, radioed:
"Village side?"
Ha Taehoon's voice:
"All clear."
"Bang Jaehyeok?"
"Clear here too."
Bang Jaehyeok chimed in cheerfully.
Perfect.
Satisfaction swelled as I shouldered the rifle at approaching foes.
Bang! Rat-tat!
Mopping zombies, we backpedaled out with Cheon Youngjae.
"Thanks, hyung."
Shoulder to shoulder, he expressed genuine gratitude.
"Really. For my selfish ask. How do I repay..."
"No need."
True.
I felt my hatred sated for once.
Always did.
My greatest reward wasn't cash, recognition, or love.
Just watching monsters dissolve into particles.
The fulfillment as hatred's flame refilled.
My long-standing—maybe only—happiness.
No, one more.
Another inseparable joy now.
But later.
These crumbling flames before me were beautiful enough.
*
"Impressive, Park Gyu, right?"
Praise over the radio from Incheon-Bucheon rising star, Park Penguin.
"Got a personal ID? Wouldn't mind staying in touch."
"Sure."
Cheon Youngjae leaned in, hand over the mic, whispering:
"Good guy."
Swapped IDs with Park Penguin.
"Hm? SKELTON...?"
"Yeah? Problem?"
"Nah. SKELTON confirmed. Talk soon."
Monster gone, path between herb village and Shelter 73 opened.
Zombie-choked city remained, but no necromancer changed everything.
Park Penguin and his living dead could handle that.
Obviously, we headed back to the herb village first.
Yoon Seongjae and the others waited.
"Whoa!"
"You guys are insane!"
Dead-eyed folks praised us.
"Truly grateful."
Yoon Seongjae approached, bowing deeply.
After thanking me, he faced Cheon Youngjae.
The two near-equals in height tensed the air.
"I'm truly sorry."
Yoon Seongjae bowed 90 degrees.
"Really! Truly!"
I eyed Cheon Youngjae's face.
Bitter stare at Yoon's nape, then indifferent head-turn.
I spoke for him:
"Won't be back."
"Understood."
"But."
"Yes."
"Good at beatboxing?"
"Pardon?"
Serious question, but Cheon Youngjae called from behind:
"What beatbox? Let's go."
Our tale in this bizarre village ends here.
Or should've.
"Y-Youngjae oppa?"
A woman's voice.
Looked back.
War long past, yet unmarred beauty and youth—radiant as they say—gazed at Cheon Youngjae.
His eyes widened at her.
"...Munhee."
My worry maxed out.
Felt like a closed chapter flipping open.
Couldn't help it—that woman.
Face fine, but body twitched spasmodically, too often.
Tweaker.
Severe addict shakes.
Worse: not her current state.
True tragedy in her eyes.
Beaming at her old love, she equated past and present self.
Undoubting, pure gaze proved it.
But to normal eyes, pathological spasms unfiltered.
She thought herself normal; we saw undeniable degenerate.
Last choice for Cheon Youngjae.
Facing old flame, he spoke:
"Yeah. Munhee. Long time."
Casual nod.
Then.
"See you later."
Turned away.
Probably never cross paths again.
As if confirming my guess, he flashed me a wry smile.
"Good booze, right?"
"Probably."
Before leaving, glanced at Song Munhee.
She beamed, clinging to Yoon Seongjae's arm.
Her ceaseless, spasmodic face radiated utter bliss.