Chapter 25
Chapter 25
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Apocalypse #6
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Aiming the K2 precisely.
-Bang!
Pulled the trigger.
-Thud.
"Skinwalker down."
The struck Skinwalker collapsed. That tiny monster, like a shrunken Giant, was fast and powerful, but not to the point of being bulletproof.
The problem was there were just so damn many of them, and the army meant to deal with them had been wiped out. And their numbers kept growing.
Always had to stay cautious.
Rested the rifle on the bipod and picked up the binoculars. Scanned the surroundings thoroughly—no other Skinwalkers in sight.
"Jin-seop. Keep a sharp eye out for more."
Handed the binoculars to Jin-seop.
"Let me know the second you spot anything."
"Got it, hyung."
Left the watch to Jin-seop and headed down.
"Hoo."
What a tiresome life.
After the Giant apocalypse hit, I'd somehow managed to survive. Clinging on by the skin of my teeth, now doing what I had to do.
Currently, I was the leader of a survivor group.
Hiding out wasn't the only way. There were others like me who'd holed up around Seoul, and we'd banded together.
Along the way, we'd run into stragglers and remnants of the routed troops. Integrated them too. Even in an apocalypse, you needed a certain number of people to keep a group running.
Survival meant farming supplies. To dodge dangers, confront them when needed, and farm effectively, you needed a group.
Plenty to scrounge.
Canned goods and drinking water. Weapons left behind by the defeated army.
Giants were the biggest threat, but we clashed most with Skinwalkers. Get into close quarters, make one mistake, and you'd turn into one of those things. Guns and ammo weren't optional—they were essential.
"Leader. Any more Skinwalkers?"
"For now, nothing in sight. We'll watch a bit longer and decide. Move when it looks clear. Jin-seop'll confirm."
"Yes, sir."
Fortunately, no more Skinwalkers showed.
Made the call, armed the team, and we set out together.
-Step step.
Maintained formation, eyes scanning all four directions as we moved. Skinwalkers lurked everywhere in the ruined city. Farming in a hellhole like this was no joke.
The shieldbearers up front were on high alert, heads swiveling.
Sturdy tanks gripping shields in one hand, thick gauntlets and makeshift steel-plated combat knives in the other.
Skinwalkers were fast and loved to charge. Guns weren't foolproof, so shieldbearers were a must. Ammo was scarce anyway.
Riflemen flanked them, watching every angle.
How long had we walked?
The moment we stepped into an open area.
-Raaaaaaaagh!
-Raaaaaaaagh!
-Raaaaaaaagh!
The eerie, horrifying cries began.
"Ugh, urk."
"Hoo, hoo...!"
Most of the guys froze up in fear every time we came here. Can't blame them—it was a terrifying sight.
Far off loomed the largest Giant of all.
"..."
The Giant had become a flower.
Its face skin split into five petals, unfurled. The floral face blasted unknowable signals into space.
The bizarre sounds poured from it.
No clue why the Giant took that form or what it was signaling into the cosmos. Nothing made sense.
All I knew was dozens of Giants had merged into this thing twice the size of Lotte Tower, shaped like a flower. And that it probably held something crucial.
"Ugh, urk... H-Hyung. How the hell are you so chill? That noise alone's driving me insane..."
Jin-seop muttered beside me.
"Seriously, watching you is freaky. Not scared of dying or what? You some psychopath?"
"Psychopath my ass. Just used to it."
"You can get used to that...?"
"Quit whining and watch our flanks properly, you punk."
"Yes, sir..."
Never imagined I'd end up leading in an apocalypse. But what Jin-seop just said? That's exactly why.
My mental state was definitely off.
Maybe I feared death less than others.
They saw that in me, and I naturally became leader.
"..."
Just 'cause I'm a regressor.
One with a purpose, even.
Not like I was anything special.
Hell, I abandoned Mom and Dad.
Simply stepping up and giving orders 'cause there's shit that needs doing.
"Hoo!"
Everyone exhaled in relief once we were out of sight of the flower.
We pressed on with the march.
How much farther?
"Leader. Found the mart."
Jin-seop reported.
"Alright. Form watch teams for the perimeter. Others prep for clearing the inside. Wipe out whatever's in there, then grab the goods."
"Yes, sir."
Not just me—everyone had survived this kind of life. Teams for watch and clearing formed on my order without hesitation.
I joined the clearing team.
Approached the half-collapsed supermarket entrance, made some noise. Soon, movement from inside. Would be nice if survivors, but no such luck.
"Here they come!"
Skinwalkers burst out.
-Swoosh!
Twisted, flesh-toned skinned nudes. Humanoid shape, but elongated limbs, faces just mouths. No lips—gums and teeth exposed in utmost revulsion.
The abominations charged wildly.
-Bang!
-Bang!
Thinned their numbers with precise aimed shots.
"Hup!"
Shieldbearers bashed them back, stomped with steel-reinforced boots, then cleaved heads with combat knives.
Cleared them out that way, entered the super. Double-checked every corner, then ordered the farming.
"All of you, good work. Now pack it up."
"Yes, sir!"
Scavenging abandoned goods like proper scavengers. Post-apocalypse life was all this.
Satisfied with the haul, we returned to base under strict four-way watch.
Please, no Giants today.
It was one such day of scraping by.
When the weirdos showed up.
These oddballs requested a meet with me, the survivor group's head. So I met them.
"What...?"
Three of them.
One was a blonde woman in a nun's habit—totally out of place in the apocalypse.
Another, a turbanned Arab man packing an AK-47 and scimitar. Traditional garb over a tactical vest—straight-up Taliban terrorist vibe.
Last, a woman in a suit with long black hair, straight bangs, red eyes, and razor-sharp gaze. That look made her seem fierce. Hard to even approach. Like a tough no-nonsense boss lady.
...A mismatched trio with zero cohesion.
They just didn't fit together.
Couldn't picture these three teaming up.
What the hell were they?
"You're the survivor group's leader?"
The nun spoke first.
"Yeah... And you? Some kind of nun?"
"Yes. Blaret from the Holy See."
"Holy See?"
Holy See?
"Not like some movie exorcist squad or whatever?"
"Wow, spot on."
"Oh."
Shocking, but...
I already knew the world's underbelly.
With the Management Bureau existing, a Holy See shadow group made sense. Come to think of it, the World Politics Board suspected the Pope too.
But looking at this nun... something felt off.
Like I'd seen her before.
No way I'd know a blonde nun like this.
"Have we met somewhere?"
She voiced the same doubt.
"Huh, I was just thinking that. But I doubt I've crossed paths with a nun like you..."
"Vampire hunter maybe?"
"Oh."
Oh!
"Christian shop!"
"Right! The pious guy who bought out the crosses. Still kicking? Real vampire hunter after all?"
"Nah, well. Never thought it'd be you from back then. If anything, I'm a newbie hunter."
"No way, for real?"
The nun's eyes widened slightly in surprise.
"A warrior hunting demons? Then you're no different from our Islamic brothers."
The turbanned Muslim dude jumped in right then.
Islamic brothers? What the—?
"And you?"
"I am Saladin."
He extended a hand.
"Jihad holy warrior dispatched to the Itaewon mosque."
"...Kim Geunhong. In charge of the survivor group."
A Jihad holy warrior at the Itaewon mosque?
Isn't that just a terrorist?
Felt like he might yell Allahu Akbar any second.
"But I heard you talking to that heathen wench just now. Remember, there's only one true god—Allah."
"Huh? Uh?"
"Hah, terrorist got a mouth on him. Proselytizing out of nowhere?"
"What did you just call me? Heathen?"
Hey, why are they fighting each other?
"Enough."
The black-haired woman intervened as a brawl loomed.
"Don't you know now's not the time for us to fight?"
Her sharp features looked even fiercer with narrowed eyes. Red irises made it scarier.
"And you?"
"Jaaldi from the Management Bureau."
"What?"
Management Bureau?
This chick's Management Bureau?
"Introductions later. As you know, the world's gone to hell. Those grotesque Giants have taken over. Giant apocalypse."
Her words barely registered.
This Jaaldi woman—code name or whatever, fine.
But Management Bureau? What the fuck?
Did these Bureau assholes plan to handle this crisis?
Rage boiled, but I suppressed it, focusing to size up the hostile figures before me.