Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Fortress City (4) - Dinner Invitation
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Ghouls were ranked fourth on the list of mutants that subway survivors least wanted to encounter.
They could cling to walls and ceilings to move around, and their movements were incredibly swift. On top of that, their teeth and claws were insanely sharp. It was no wonder survivors hated running into them.
'To think I'd run into these fuckers again.'
Back when he was part of a survivor group, more than half of them had died when these things swarmed. Just thinking about it still made his teeth grind.
And that had been one of the main reasons he'd nearly starved to death.
'I'll get revenge.'
If it had been before, he would've bolted without a second thought. But not anymore. His stats had gone up a lot, and above all, he knew how to handle mana now.
Kie-geek!
A ghoul let out a bizarre shriek as it lunged at him. He watched its movements to the end while drawing up his mana.
Slash!
The blade, infused with mana, cleaved the thing's body in two. It tumbled to the ground, spraying blood and guts everywhere.
He pulled back his sword and retreated sharply. A ghoul's claws slammed down right in front of him. It landed on the ground and used the rebound to charge immediately.
Boom!
He barely blocked with his shield in time, but some of its claws pierced straight through the wood. The sharpness was ridiculous.
Kie-geek!
The ghoul yanked its arm back, dragging him forward a step. He gritted his teeth, pulled against it, and thrust his other hand forward.
Stab!
The blade pierced right through its head. As he yanked the sword free, he let go of the shield. It couldn't serve that purpose anymore.
Kirghaaak!
He looked up at the cry from above and saw another ghoul plummeting down. It had its claws and talons extended like a bird of prey.
Slaaash!
He channeled mana and swung his sword skyward. The ghoul's body split in half and splattered across the ground. Thanks to that, he got a face full of blood.
Drip... drip...
There weren't many ghouls left now. They seemed wary of him as they nudged the zombies nearby.
Kraaah!
The zombies charged at him like they were obeying orders. He cut down the ones coming from the front while focusing as much as possible on the ghouls' movements.
Kirghaaak!
"Shut the hell up, you bastards!"
Only after slicing through the shrieking horde could he finally end the fight in the alley.
"Hoo..."
He leaned on his sword like a cane. Breathing heavily, he reached into his pocket, pulled out some jerky, and stuck it in his mouth.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ ⚡ Name: Hanson 📊 Level: 69 He'd killed so many, but only leveled up three times.
'Not easy. Not easy at all.'
⚔ STATUS UPDATE ⚔ ⚡ Strength: 33 → 34 💨 Agility: 33 → 34 ✨ Mana: 15 → 16 He distributed the points evenly across all his stats before entering the shop.
Current Gold: 8,227G Not a bad amount of gold. He browsed the shop, pondering what to buy.
'Mana cultivation is sorted, so maybe another skill or trait.'
Considering he'd be operating solo from now on, something like danger detection would be handy.
Sharp Senses 15,000G Your senses become sharper. After checking the shop, this seemed like the best option. Simple description, but based on past experience, these kinds of things were often the most efficient.
'Guess I'll hunt until I hit 15,000 gold.'
He closed the shop window and raised his sword again. The weapon felt a bit lighter than before.
'Let's move fast.'
He walked the alleys, taking out zombies one by one. No more mutants showed up.
'Weird.'
It was strange not to see any mutants in a residential area this size.
He wasn't a scholar or anything, but from talking with others so far, the leading theory was that mutants were more likely to appear where there were lots of zombies.
Two mutants had shown up in Dina Village too. Yet only one ghoul here so far.
'So either one of two things.'
The mutants might be gathered somewhere, or there could be special mutants. Special mutants were literally the next stage up from regular mutants.
The kind that massacred survivors whenever they appeared—true monsters.
'Please don't let it be that.'
*
Creeeak...
He grabbed the doorknob and pushed. The old hinges groaned as the interior came into view.
The living room was a mess, objects scattered everywhere, bloodstains splattered at regular intervals.
Traces of people, but no bodies. He swallowed hard and stepped inside cautiously.
Creeeak... creeeak...
Every step made the worn floorboards dip and creak.
He headed first to the kitchen visible beyond the living room. Just as messy, and no people in sight.
Kyaaaaah!
"Ugh, fuck!"
As he turned, relaxed, something grabbed his ankle. He jerked his foot back and stabbed downward.
Stab!
A clear sensation at his fingertips. He looked down to see a zombie face-planted on the floor.
"Hoo..."
After confirming it was dead, he returned to the living room and climbed the stairs to the second floor. He checked every room, but no more zombies.
"This fucking sucks."
He flopped onto the bed with a sigh. Searching houses like this was way harder and more draining than streets or alleys.
Because you never knew when or where one might lunge. Like just now, bursting from under the floor—or the countless times they charged as soon as a door opened.
'And with those ghoul fuckers...'
He had to watch the ceiling, walls, and listen for sounds. His stamina just plummeted. Plus, he'd only leveled up once so far—terrible efficiency.
'Better to have the soldiers handle it.'
Checking every house in the residential area took too long and wasn't efficient. Better to clear the dangerous spots first and leave the houses to the troops.
'Where are the risky places?'
He sat up on the bed and pulled out the map. The layout of the residential district was clear.
'Where mutants and zombies would cluster most...'
Two spots stood out. One was the plaza with the fountain, the other the religious district.
'Not good.'
Based on experience, the plaza probably wouldn't be a big issue—just zombies and weak mutants swarming like a pack.
But the religious district felt different. Places like that always seemed to spawn unusually strong zombies and mutants.
'Better to go later when I'm stronger, or take soldiers with me.'
With his thoughts sorted, he got up and headed outside. The street was full of black blood and corpses from his recent kills.
'Head back for today.'
The sun was already setting. Efficiency-wise, staying overnight made sense, but zombies got more ferocious at night—basically suicide.
He stayed alert as he made his way to the entrance he'd come through.
"Cuckoo."
He knocked on the wall and called out. The door slowly opened.
"Good work, sir!"
The soldiers bowed their heads in greeting. Most were faces he'd seen earlier that day, so the manpower shortage seemed real.
"Truly, well done. Any results to report?"
"Yes. Thanks to the knights sweeping through, the main roads were mostly clear."
"Exactly."
"But the alleys were crawling with monsters, so I took them all out."
The soldier pulled out a map from his pocket and unfolded it.
"If it's not too much trouble, could you tell us how far you cleared?"
"No problem. Let's see. This is where we are, right?"
"Yes."
He pointed to one side and traced upward.
"From here to here. All cleared."
"Pardon? Really?"
"Yeah. Didn't touch most house interiors, but all the ones hiding on the main streets and alleys are gone."
"We'll handle the interiors. The outside ones were the problem anyway—not too tough inside. Still, that's impressive."
He scanned the map before continuing.
"Even at top speed, I figured it'd take months minimum, but at this rate, we could finish the residential district in two weeks?"
"Right. And with the soldiers' help, even faster. If..."
He glanced sidelong, and the soldier stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"I'll suggest it to the clerk. We need the houses sorted to reclaim and reactivate the area."
"Got it. Thanks."
"Yes, sir. Good work! Safe travels back!"
With the soldiers seeing him off, he headed to the mansion. As he entered the main gate, the butler approached and bowed.
"Good work, sir. I've prepared bathwater ahead—shower up and come straight to the dining room."
"Understood."
"Oh, and Lady Anne wishes to dine together, so I've set two places."
He paused midway up the stairs.
"Lady Anne did?"
"Yes."
"...Got it for now."
Ignoring the old man's gaze, he went to the shower room.
"Allow me to assist with undressing."
With the maid's help, he stripped off his clothes and sank into the prepared bathwater. The hot water made his body go limp.
"You may go."
"Understood."
He sent the woman out and leaned back against the wooden tub. Water sloshed gently over the edge.
'Why the sudden dinner invite?'
Since that unreasonable demand at the banquet, they hadn't really talked. Time was short, but truthfully, even accounting for the few times they'd crossed paths, that was just an excuse.
'What's this about?'
No way she knew he'd spied on her masturbating and called him for that? If so, total disaster.
"Hope it's nothing..."
He dunked his head under the water in silent prayer.