Episode 8
Episode 8
"Variant?"
I knew about Mutants.
But "Variant" was a word I was hearing for the first time today.
I scanned the things visible through the glass again.
There were four in total.
"There are four of them, and they're all Variants?"
"What's a Variant?"
When I asked Lee Su-ah, who was surprised, she pursed her lips as if choosing her words carefully.
"Variants are a higher tier than Mutants. In a word... they're fucking strong."
"Ah......."
They certainly looked the part.
The number on the Status Window was proving it.
Variant — Cost 5
Cost 5 for each one.
Compared to the Mutant zombie's Cost of 2, it was easily 2.5 times that.
But the sight before my eyes was more intuitive than the numbers.
They looked disgustingly strong.
They were constantly vibrating, so much so that I couldn't tell if they were standing still or trembling.
I knew instinctively that they were fast.
"What should we do?"
We entered an emergency meeting while looking at the Variants through the transparent reinforced glass door on the first basement floor.
Lee Su-ah asked in a low voice.
"Can't you tame those guys?"
"Can't. The limit is one. To get one of those, I'd have to give up three Mutants."
"...... Even I'm a bit scared of those things."
Even Lee Su-ah pressed her lips together firmly.
The fact that she, who always acted gutsy, had a slightly scared expression made the situation feel even more real.
That was when it happened.
Jiiiing——.
A mechanical sound rang out from the door behind us.
It was the sound of the locking mechanism engaging.
"What the."
"Huh?"
When I turned around reflexively, I saw Lee Hyeon-jae through the glass.
He was smiling.
"That bastard——"
Lee Su-ah lunged toward the door.
But instead of grabbing her arm, I quietly raised my wrist toward Lee Hyeon-jae on the other side of the closing door.
What was wedged between my fingers was a card key.
A card key of the same level as the one Lee Hyeon-jae had.
Just before the door closed completely, I saw Lee Hyeon-jae's expression stiffen.
His brightly smiling face twisted as if it were rotting away in an instant.
Clank!
With that sound, he disappeared from my view.
"Leave him. We can open it again anyway."
I can just kill that bastard later.
Besides, that door wasn't an important passageway.
If I put my mind to it, I could break through it.
If anything, to use this building as a shelter, I had to wipe out all the zombies inside anyway.
Thanks to Lee Hyeon-jae locking the door, we just had one more thing to do.
There was no loss.
"There's no information on Variants."
That was the biggest problem right now.
I had experience dealing with Mutant zombies.
But Variants were entities I was seeing for the first time today.
There was only one solution.
'Gallery'
[Guys, urgent...... trying to deal with a Variant, what should I do? The cost is exceeding the limit too?]
└[Marching Necromancer] : Hmm...... A Variant...... If I were you, I would use bait.
└[Necro-aspirant] : You should use Corpse Explosion!
└[Corpse Researcher] : Just kill, tame, kill, tame, repeat lol.
└[No. 20] : Can't even handle a single Variant. I'm disappointed.
The useful opinions boiled down to two.
Using bait.
And using Corpse Explosion.
Since Variants also originated from corpses, there was a possibility that Corpse Explosion would work.
But——
"That seems too dangerous. What if the building collapses after I use Corpse Explosion?"
If I buy Corpse Explosion, it starts at Level 1 no matter what.
If I used it recklessly when I wasn't even a high-level necromancer like 'Necro-aspirant' in the Gallery, I might not be able to control the radius.
"Let's go with bait."
Then, what kind of bait would be effective?
[What kind of bait do Variants like?]
└[Marching Necromancer] : What Variants like most are Mutant zombies and humans.
"Mutant zombies and humans, huh......."
I had expected that.
Predators always want strong prey.
There was plenty of time.
There was no need to rush; it was right to handle it surely.
"What are you trying to do?"
Lee Su-ah asked as I started to deploy the Mutant zombies.
"I'm going to use them as bait."
"Bait?"
I took the surprised Lee Su-ah and entered the Night's Veil skill.
We had to prevent the aggro from shifting to us as much as possible.
"Go, Armored Type."
The first Variant we encountered was the fast one.
"Kiaaa......."
The Variant discovered the Armored Type.
It smacked its drooling jaw, took a position as if wary for a moment, and then——
"Kyaak!"
It was in an instant.
The speed was enough to see afterimages.
Enough to make Lee Su-ah grab my arm without me realizing it.
"Wow, that......."
"It's incredibly fast."
In the blink of an eye, the Variant had appeared behind the Armored Type.
It was as if it had skipped through space.
Seugeok! Seugeok!
Long, black claws sliced through the Armored Type's back.
The Armored Type's thick outer shell, which was said to deflect even bullets, was torn.
Like paper.
"Kueeeeee!"
The Armored Type struggled, but the Variant didn't care.
It stabbed its claws in succession with fast hand movements, and finally, it grabbed the head with both hands.
Roll, roll.......
The head rolled off.
Lee Su-ah and I couldn't say anything and just watched the scene.
'Fuck, it's fucking strong.'
It wasn't just a matter of speed.
I heard the Armored Type's skin blocked bullets.
That Variant tore it with its claws.
Its attack power was also top-tier.
"Let's go quickly."
I knew from the start that I couldn't win anyway.
It's enough to just use them as bait.
Ujeok, ujeok——.
Turning my back on the Variant devouring the Armored Type's corpse, I moved on to the next one.
"Go, Claw Type."
The next Variant was a woman.
Her hair wriggled as if it were alive.
Like snakes, or tentacles, dozens of strands were waving in the air, moving according to the Variant's will.
The Claw Type's claws, which were said to be harder than steel, flew toward that hair, but——
It wasn't cut.
Instead, the hair wrapped around the Claw Type's arm.
"I will remember your sacrifice."
Next was the Tentacle Type.
The opponent Variant's hands were no longer human.
It was a form where everything below the wrist had been replaced by sharp blades.
The Tentacle Type extended its tentacles.
The blades passed by.
Seuk, seuk, seuk——.
Severed tentacle pieces fell to the floor.
The result was the same this time too.
Before I knew it, it was the last one.
There was only one Mutant zombie left under my command.
"Skeletal Species...... Right, I should save you."
I didn't need to use bait for the last Variant.
Variant — Cost 5
2 meters tall. Thick muscles covered its entire body.
It had a human form, but it looked too bloated and too hard to call it human.
It was a type that fought with its fists. A method of suppressing with force.
I looked at that Variant head-on and activated the skill.
"Zombie Control."
The Variant's body shuddered.
Its muscles contracted as if convulsing, then soon lost strength and went limp.
The focus in its eyes blurred, and a blank expression settled over them.
It was the same reaction as when other zombies were hit by the control skill.
"Okay......."
"Did it work? Did it really?"
"Yeah."
"Phew...... That's a relief."
A long breath escaped Lee Su-ah's mouth.
It was the same for me.
The relief of having obtained the one that looked the strongest among the Variants loosened something that had been pulled tight.
"Let's move to a different spot first."
It wasn't time to rest yet.
There was nothing in the next space.
There was only one door standing alone. A door leading downwards.
"Basement 2......."
"Shall we go?"
The atmosphere itself was different.
But we had the Variant and the Skeletal Species.
Thump...... Thump......
Footsteps echoed against the concrete walls.
We stepped down carefully, one stair at a time.
And finally, we arrived.
"This is Basement 2."
"Is that the door?"
A reinforced glass door that must have once been transparent was in front of us.
But it was different now.
Blood, dust, and something black were stuck on it in layers, making it impossible to see inside at all.
It wasn't in a state where wiping it with a finger would help.
"Huu......."
One deep breath. I held the card key to it.
Clank——.
The door opened.
The smell poured out first.
Rotten flesh, humidity, and that disgusting, heavy smell that can only be found in a space that has been sealed for a long time. It felt like it was digging deep into my lungs.
"Ugh, seriously."
"Blech!"
Still, we moved forward. Holding our mouths, frowning, and forcibly holding our breath.
And.
"Is this it?"
It was vast.
The heart of Basement 2. A space so wide it was hard to believe it was underground.
The ceiling was high, and the walls were far away.
And in the very center of it——
"Sssss...... Huuuuu......."
The sound of breathing filled the entire space.
It was huge.
It was the size of two trucks joined together.
The body was made of corpses.
It was a form where dozens, no, hundreds of corpses were clumped together and compressed, with limbs tangled and flesh stuck together to become one mass.
A ribcage heaving slowly. Hands and feet were sticking out here and there on its surface.
I checked the Status Window.
Abomination — Cost 20
"......."
No words came out.
Cost 20. It was a figure that could only be matched when the Zombie Control skill reached level 10.
As I was now, it was an opponent I couldn't control no matter what method I used.
"Fuck, what do I do?"
"I don't know...... Can't you use the Variant?"
Silence flowed instead of an answer.
If that thing woke up and started chasing us, I wasn't confident I could run away.
I couldn't even imagine how much power could come from that volume.
But.
I slowly scanned the space.
"This place is wide."
"Why does that matter?"
"I think I can use one skill."
There was something I could use if it was this space.
Corpse Explosion.
The problem was the Ether.
'There's no Ether.......'
To buy Corpse Explosion, I needed 10 million Ether. My current balance was far from enough.
I looked at the Variant.
Variant — 20 million Ether.
It was expensive.
Too expensive.
But it was a possible figure if converted to Ether.
'I must not pass up this Variant.'
If I sell the Variant, I can't deal with the other Variants remaining when I leave.
Besides, I needed a shield to block me if Corpse Explosion went off in an unexpected direction.
After agonizing over it, my gaze turned to the Dark Room.
"Can't be helped."
I took out the Dark Room. I took out 70 percent of the food inside and laid it out on the floor.
Every time the things that had been piled up slipped out of my hands, it felt like my heart was shrinking a little bit.
"Haa...... Dammit."
I sold it just like that. 20 million Ether was filled.
It was a waste. But it wasn't the time to be stingy now.
"Purchase. Corpse Explosion."
[Skill Name] : Corpse Explosion Lv.1
[Required MP] : 10
[Cooldown] : 1 minute
"I'm using it right away. Prepare."
"Now?"
"Yeah. I have to use it while that thing is still."
I stood the Variant and the Skeletal Species in front.
They were shields.
In a position where they could block it even if the aftermath of the explosion sprayed out.
Most of the Abomination's body was corpses.
That meant those corpses could all be targets for the explosion.
I inhaled.
'Huu......'
"Corpse Explosion."
The skill was activated.
Kwaaaaaang——!
An explosion occurred throughout the Abomination's body.
It felt like it was exploding from the inside.
The flesh that made up the corpses burst out in all directions.
Rotten flesh and blood erupted like a volcano, soaking the ceiling and walls of the wide space.
A hot shockwave pushed the air, making my hair flutter.
The smell became even more disgusting, but there was something that arrived before that.
— Level Up!_
【Name】 : Choi Han Lv.5**
— A new area has been unlocked in the Gallery.
"Phew..."
"Good work."
I killed the Abomination.
I was lucky.
Partly because the thing was just sitting there.
And it was largely thanks to having Corpse Explosion, the perfect counter.
"Let's get out of here first."
I've cleared almost all the zombies here.
Although it was just the 3 Variants.
"Variant, let's go."
The muscular Variant, the strongest among the Variants that existed on the first basement floor.
As it stepped forward.
The other Variants couldn't even use their strength and died.
The female Variant that used hair had her head torn off entirely, the Variant with knives for hands was broken, and the fast Variant was blown away by a single punch.
"I knew it would be like this."
The strongest one is always at the end.
My prediction was correct.
It was because I had deliberately moved forward while throwing 3 baits that I was able to obtain this muscular Variant.
And.
Jiiiing....
As I opened the door to the first basement floor and went out.
"Oh....?"
Lee Hyeon-jae was there.