Episode 20
Episode 20
What the Shelter Leader said was quite shocking.
To think they buried the corpses of Seoul citizens underground.
However.
―It wasn't my doing, but the work of the former mayor. I tried to hide it as much as possible and handle it on my own, but... I've reached my limit.
Her expression on the screen was calm, but deep fatigue hung at the corners of her eyes.
My prosthetic eye quietly spat out an analysis.
―Analysis result: 95% truth.
'95%, huh...'
Seems like there's a tiny bit of a lie mixed in.
Don't know which part she's hiding, though.
"If it's mostly true..."
It means the things in that underground passage are real.
"But what does it mean that... they've mutated?"
This was the most important part.
Whether the zombies formed a colony and mutated, or if something entirely different had emerged.
As if answering my question, half the screen switched to a photo.
―This is the new mutant we discovered.
"What the hell is that monster..."
The words slipped out on their own.
The things wriggling on the screen.
Like a massive swarm of insects, shapes with translucent exoskeletons and multiple legs were swarming, filling the narrow passage.
The way the colony itself moved like a single organism, rather than individual entities, was disgusting yet chilling.
―This is footage taken by a dispatched agent. After much deliberation, our shelter has reached a conclusion. That we must show this to you all.
'Ah....'
In other words, it means it's reached a stage where it can no longer be stopped.
But there was another reason for this announcement.
―From now on, we will provide direct rewards to those who kill not only zombies but also these mutants. And to the person who kills the most mutants, we will give this.
"Gasp!"
"Th-that is!"
"For real?!"
Everyone except me was shocked at once.
What is it?
Why are they making such a fuss over that?
As I stared blankly at the screen, Lee Su-ah explained in a low voice.
"That's... an Awakening Bead. It's like a round pill that forms when an Awakener dies."
"What?"
"Yeah, if you eat that, you can awaken. But it's not much use to us. It has no effect on people who have already awakened."
It's a shame, though.
However.
'Seems like it would be incredibly expensive.'
I quietly ran an analysis with my prosthetic eye.
The result was immediate.
―Awakening Bead ― 10 billion Ether.
"Gasp!"
I have to get it, no matter what.
That was the real lottery.
'For the sake of rebuilding my shelter... I absolutely need it.'
What I lack most right now is Ether.
My current goal is to have my own shelter.
Manpower?
I can just use the zombies.
If I'm short, I can just grab a few robots from the Cyberpunk Gallery.
Construction materials?
I can solve that easily with the Alchemist Gallery.
'Because if I have Ether, I can buy anything.'
If I have Ether, I am the shelter.
"Shall I give it a try?"
I asked Lee Su-ah casually.
However.
"No, I'll pass."
That was unexpected.
To think Lee Su-ah wouldn't want to do this.
"Why?"
"Well... because you're my competition."
"Hehehe."
I couldn't help but laugh, feeling acknowledged for no reason.
"What about you guys?"
Kang Tae-san and Kang Ju-ah.
The two pondered my question for a moment before reaching the same conclusion.
"No, we don't want to do it either."
"Yeah. It's too dangerous."
As expected of kids. Reading the risks quickly and pulling out without hesitation.
In that case, I'm the only one participating.
The next day.
As the Shelter Leader had announced, the entrance to the underground passage was bustling with people from early morning.
People using signs as shields, people wrapped in thick layers of clothes, people holding rusty pipes.
"Hey, hey, it's really an Awakening Bead, right?"
"You think it's fake, you idiot?"
"If I just awaken, I can change my life, hehehe!"
Each of them was glaring at the entrance to the underground tunnel with faces mixed with expectation and greed.
Not even caring about the faint, damp stench drifting around.
And in front of it, on a makeshift podium, the Shelter Leader appeared, dressed in a suit.
A woman in her 40s with a smooth complexion, as if she'd received proper skincare.
Her neat appearance, without a single hair out of place even in this chaotic apocalypse, felt strangely alien.
After tapping the microphone a couple of times, she opened her mouth.
"Nice to meet you, everyone."
The noise died down in an instant at that short greeting.
"As I mentioned yesterday, the reward for killing mutants is this."
She raised her hand.
A small bead shimmered between her fingers, holding light.
Something seemed to be vaguely rippling inside its translucent surface.
All eyes were fixed on that single bead.
It was at that very moment.
"Kehehehe! It's mine!"
"Grab it!"
Along with rough laughter, three or four thugs rushed toward the podium from within the crowd.
Their intention to snatch the bead from her hand was obvious.
However.
Thwack.
Bam!
Someone.
The face of the guy in the lead was grabbed by a massive hand and slammed straight into the concrete floor.
A dull, heavy sound.
It was over in a single motion.
"So many bugs."
A low, raspy voice.
A man slowly rising to his feet without averting his gaze.
Bloodshot eyes, a bushy beard, and messy hair.
Skin roughened as if he hadn't washed in a long time.
Even so, the overwhelming presence radiating from him could not be hidden.
The crowd stirred.
"A-Awakener! It's Kim Chul-su!"
"Why is he here? I heard he's just been drinking all the time lately!"
"Don't tell me... did he come to participate?"
As the murmuring began to spread like anxiety, Shelter Leader Kim Saet-byeol hurriedly raised her voice.
"Awakener Kim Chul-su is not participating in this competition. I requested his presence separately for the safety of the Awakening Bead."
The murmuring slowly subsided at those words.
Once the atmosphere calmed down a bit, she cleared her throat again.
Various precautions, future directions, and so on.
She was droning on like a school principal giving a lecture.
Had about 5 minutes passed like that?
"We will begin now."
As soon as those words fell.
Rumble.
People started rushing toward the underground entrance all at once.
"Move, you bastard!"
"I'm first!"
"You think you'll survive with that kind of gear?"
In just a few seconds, it became a chaotic mess of shoving and shouting.
Perhaps they got injured while squeezing into the entrance, as groans were already leaking out.
I watched the scene from a distance.
No reason to rush.
Just then.
"Hey, not leaving?"
Someone spoke to me from the side.
I turned around to see a woman wearing a mask and sunglasses.
More than half her face was covered, and her attire was plain, but her posture and gaze were anything but ordinary.
"Yeah, you."
She points at me with her finger.
I shrugged.
"I don't really want to be the first to talk. What about you?"
The woman raised the corners of her mouth for a moment, then pointed at the chaos with her chin.
"Because if I mix in with those idiots, I feel like an idiot too."
That makes sense.
Sure enough, some were already grabbing each other by the collars while still above ground.
"Just, no need to rush."
When I answered, she tilted her head slightly as if interested.
"Ho... I guess you're pretty strong?"
"No, not really."
"Hehe. It's already written all over you. That you're capable."
Just when I thought she was probing me.
My prosthetic eye quietly notified me.
―The target is probing the user.
Thought so.
I was too lazy to beat around the bush, so I asked directly.
"Stop probing. Why did you talk to me?"
The woman narrowed her eyes for a moment, then quickly raised both hands slightly.
A gesture of surrender.
"Can't beat a strong guy, huh. Let's team up."
"A team..."
"How about it? I'm stronger than I look, you know?"
She had no armor, and she wasn't layered in thick clothes.
The very fact that she was standing there in the apocalypse without protection proved a certain level of confidence.
However.
'Why?'
The question immediately popped into my head.
If you form a team, there's a possibility of betrayal.
It also means one more thing to worry about.
"I'll refuse."
"The reason?"
"Because I don't trust you."
"Hehe. You're honest."
She laughed lightly and continued.
"Alright. Then I just need to solve that reason."
At that moment.
She took a step closer and opened her hand.
Fwoosh.
Flames bloomed on her palm.
A small ember danced between her fingers before quietly extinguishing at her will.
Without even a wisp of smoke.
My eyes widened slightly.
'An Awakener.'
Lee Su-ah the Assassin, Kim Chul-su of super strength.
I had seen a few Awakeners, but this was my first time seeing the ability to manipulate flames.
"How about it? I don't need that Awakening Bead. I came here to recruit talent."
A look that said, "Still not convinced?"
My prosthetic eye quietly reached a conclusion.
―The target's statement is 100% true.
'I'm curious about the Awakener's ability, too... maybe I should team up.'
Not a bad calculation.
"Alright. Let's team up."
A new team was formed.
Fire-wielder Han Min-ah.
She was an Awakener who had come in alone from the outside.
Originally, she had intended to live a leisurely life in the shelter, just killing zombies.
However.
'The shelter isn't exactly safe either.'
Furthermore, there was another problem.
It was because of her gender.
"These bastards, seriously."
While living in the shelter, there were more than one or two men hitting on her.
Above all, there were a truckload of guys trying to harass or molest her.
So, she naturally started wearing sunglasses and a mask.
Anyway.
Just when she was debating whether to leave the shelter or not.
The Shelter Leader made an emergency broadcast.
'An Awakening Bead!'
It was an extremely precious item.
And to think she'd give it to whoever kills the most mutants!
"This is a chance."
A chance to make a companion.
It's too hard a life for her to live alone.
She wanted to live with a trustworthy companion.
"To take that... pretty strong guys will gather."
She just had to find someone among them who could be a companion.
However.
"Huh, that person... what is he?"
Other people were rushing to the underground passage.
One man caught her eye.
'He's strong.'
He looks strong just by looking at him.
She could feel his confidence, and his eyes were full of sharpness.
Furthermore.
She felt it while talking to him.
'Lies don't work on him.'
When looking into that man's eyes, it strangely felt like she was being read.
So she made her move.
Fwoosh.
She showed her ability.
She looked into his eyes with a confident gaze.
'Well, what are you going to do!'
An Awakener asked to form a team.
That's a huge opportunity where a normal person should be saying "thank you" and bowing.
However.
'What?'
His expression was strange.
This wasn't liking it.
It was interest.
'Th-this is strange?'
It wasn't the reaction she wanted.
But then.
"Alright. Let's team up."