Episode 6
Episode 6
"This is insane!"
After sending the mutant zombies out to hunt.
The amount of EXP coming in was completely different from before.
It was like a dam bursting; the numbers skyrocketed explosively.
Furthermore.
[Level Up!]
I invested the points into the Gallery without hesitation.
【Name】 : Choi Han Lv.4
【Stats】 : F
【Unique Ability】 : Trading Gallery Lv.4
【Unique Skill】 : Zombie Control Lv.4
【Points】 : 0
Then, a change occurred in the stat window.
Trading Cooldown : 12 hours.
"Oho."
12 hours.
It meant that I could basically trade whenever I wanted now.
Considering how long the trading cooldown was at first, it felt like a world of difference.
Besides.
"The Cost has increased to 8."
I could control 8 normal zombies, and I was now able to handle up to 4 mutant zombies.
It meant my combat power had nearly doubled.
"Nice, right?"
However.
"The EXP isn't going up."
Perhaps there was a limit, as the EXP was no longer accumulating significantly.
The numbers rose, then just stopped, as if blocked by a wall.
"I guess it's time to hunt mutant zombies directly now."
If not, there was no reason for it to be blocked.
Either hunt thousands of normal zombies, or start dealing with mutant zombies.
It was one of the two.
"The latter is much easier."
I have reliable mutant zombies.
I couldn't just let them go to waste.
"Time to head out."
"Already? We've only been resting for a week, you know?"
Lee Su-ah, who was chewing gum beside me, grumbled.
As if it were a hassle, she buried her back deeper into the sofa.
"We need to settle down now."
It was time.
Our own hideout.
We couldn't put it off any longer.
"But isn't this place not bad for just the two of us to live in?"
Lee Su-ah asked tentatively.
Pointing at the ceiling with her finger, as if this space were sufficient.
"No, this place is vulnerable to attacks."
"Hmm... I guess so."
We're somewhat free from zombies, but not from humans.
Above all, mutant zombies could push their way in whenever they wanted.
That's why we desperately needed our own shelter.
A place with a proper defensive line.
"Let's look around for now."
We need to go outside and scout for a spot.
It wouldn't be bad to make contact with other survivors, either.
With Lee Su-ah's ability, she'd be able to sniff out anything suspicious in no time.
We went down the stairs to the first floor of the apartment and stepped outside.
The air of the ruined city burrowed into my lungs.
Dust, the smell of decay, and a strangely stifling silence.
After walking for a few minutes, traces of survivors began to catch my eye one by one.
"Hmm? A police station?"
The first group of survivors we found had set up camp in a police station.
The entrance was firmly locked, and a burly man was standing guard in front of the door.
His gaze, staring straight at us with his arms crossed, wasn't very friendly.
"Excuse me?"
Knock, knock.
I knocked on the door carefully.
Then, the man scanned us up and down, then silently pointed to the back of the building with his finger.
It was a signal to come around there.
The moment I was about to follow his signal.
"Stop."
Lee Su-ah blocked my path.
"These bastards, they've tasted human flesh."
"Huh?... How do you know?"
"I can smell it."
Lee Su-ah said in a low, flat voice.
"You can't hide the smell of human meat, blood, and bones. Whether it's cooked or raw, it's all the same."
"....."
After hearing Lee Su-ah's words, my perspective on the police station changed.
Why they didn't let us in from the start and insisted we come to the back.
Like they were luring us into a blind spot for the cameras.
Lee Su-ah was shooting a look filled with contempt toward the police station.
I whispered to her.
"Should I send the zombies in?"
Lee Su-ah held her gaze for a moment, then slowly shook her head.
"Let's deal with them next time; let's find a spot for our shelter first."
"...Let's move on."
Well, the first attempt was a bust.
It was fortunate that we hadn't been the ones to get screwed first.
We turned around and scanned the streets again.
Not long after, we found the second group of survivors.
This time, it was a large supermarket located underground.
Perhaps they had successfully blocked the zombies; the entrance was tightly sealed, and thick barricades were spread out in layers.
It was a defensive line that mobilized everything from shelves and refrigerators to cement blocks.
Inside the barricade, a few people watched us with wary eyes.
"Hey, let me ask you something."
I said as politely as possible, slowly raising both hands.
Then, heavy footsteps approached from beyond the barricade, and five men appeared.
All of them were carrying weapons.
Baseball bats, steel pipes, and something that looked like a hunting rifle.
"What do you want?"
The man in the lead asked, glaring alternately at me and Lee Su-ah.
His hands still not leaving their weapons.
Yeah.
This is normal.
The police station earlier was the one that was truly strange.
"Is there any building in this vicinity that could serve as a shelter?"
At my question, the men exchanged blank looks for a moment.
"Puhahaha!"
"Uhahaha!"
"Uhehehe!"
A roar of laughter erupted.
"...... What is it?"
Lee Su-ah asked in a sharp voice.
It was a tone sufficient to make them stop laughing.
"Hmm...... Sorry."
The man in the lead cleared his throat and apologized.
"You can't even dream of building a shelter in this neighborhood with just a few people. And just the two of you? Do you think the surrounding shelters will just sit by and watch? The territoriality here is no joke."
"Shouldn't they just leave us alone?"
"Huh? Are you perhaps one of those rare Awakeners? Uhaha!"
At that moment.
Tap. Tap.
Lee Su-ah had appeared behind the man and was tapping his shoulder.
The surroundings froze in an instant.
The woman who was clearly a few steps in front of them just a moment ago was now standing behind him in the blink of an eye.
The man turned around, eyes wide, and the other four stood with their mouths agape, forgetting they were even holding weapons.
"Y-you...... were an Awakener?"
The man's tone became noticeably softer.
The hearty laughter from just a moment ago was nowhere to be found.
"So, is there a building around here that could be a shelter or not?"
"Of course there is! Follow me!"
The man began to move in a hurry.
He gestured and took the lead, opening the way.
He seemed like a completely different person from just a moment ago.
And finally, the place he guided us to was.
"I heard this place used to be a military-controlled research complex! It's equipped with military facilities, so it's perfect for a defensive base!"
I looked in the direction the man pointed.
Beyond the dense forest, neatly arranged research buildings stood in a row.
Gray concrete buildings were orderly placed on a large plot of land, and high barbed wire fences surrounded the whole thing.
On the surface, it was a perfect fortress.
But it was too quiet.
That stillness, where even the sound of the wind seemed absent, gave off a strange ominousness, as if something was holding its breath and waiting.
"Hmm...... But why haven't you guys set up camp there?"
At my question, the man's Adam's apple bobbed slowly.
Then he opened his mouth with a nervous look.
"Dozens of people have entered that research complex so far. But......"
He paused for a moment.
"Not a single one of them has come back out."
"Is it because of the mutant zombies?"
"I don't know about that. However......"
The man glanced toward the research complex and then averted his gaze.
"As far as I know, there were crews among those who entered that could sufficiently handle mutant zombies. Yet, even that crew didn't come back out."
It meant that mutant zombies couldn't explain it.
I nodded.
And I took a box of snacks out of my backpack and handed it to him.
"Oh my, thank you! You truly are generous people!"
The man took the snack box and quickly backed away, sensing the situation.
It was obvious he was trying to leave before we made a decision.
He was a man with sharp instincts.
Anyway.
I looked back at Lee Su-ah.
"What do you want to do? Want to go?"
"Isn't there a bit of a risk?"
Lee Su-ah said, looking at the research complex.
For someone who didn't easily commit, she had an expression that suggested she was secretly interested.
"Still, I think it's worth a challenge."
There were no traces of Awakeners having entered.
The crew that supposedly handled mutant zombies must have been a team composed of ordinary people.
On the other hand, there were two Awakeners here.
Lee Su-ah fixed her gaze on the research complex for a moment, then nodded.
"Yeah, let's go."
"But first, let's add 2 more mutants before we go."
The Armored Type and Skeletal Type I was already controlling were waiting quietly in a nearby building after receiving a standby order.
They were easy to handle.
"I just found 2 more nearby. Let's tame them and leave right away."
"Sounds good."
Lee Su-ah's lips curled up slightly.
That expression, mixed with tension and anticipation, was likely not much different from my own.
The research complex was quietly waiting for us.
A while later.
I finished taming the 2 mutant zombies.
Now, the number of mutant zombies in my possession was a whopping 4.
Armored Type, Skeletal Type, Distorted Type, Tentacle Type.
The newly joined Distorted Type was characterized by abnormally long, grown claws.
It was a mutant zombie that attacked with its claws.
The Tentacle Type was just as the name suggested.
Three thick tentacles were undulating and protruding from its back.
All 4 were lined up under my command.
Anyway.
"Crew complete."
In theory, it's 6 Awakeners.
Me, Lee Su-ah, and the 4 mutant zombies.
If you calculate the power in terms of Awakener equivalents, how many forces in this vicinity could handle a composition like this?
Who could stop this?
I turned my gaze toward the research complex.
Gray buildings stood silently beyond the barbed wire.
Still, it was too quiet.
"Shall we go?"
"Yeah."
Lee Su-ah answered briefly and took the lead.
The 4 mutant zombies followed silently behind her.