Chapter 52
Chapter 52
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: Wind and Sun
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After Auntie Soo-jung finished using her skill.
The people formed several lines, waiting their turn.
At the front of each line, one member of the bob-cut girl's gang was tied up.
"Sorry... I'm sorry."
"Hurry up and stab. We don't have time."
The interns directed the survivors from Myeongshin Women's University.
They handed out small knives and urged them to stab the bound captives.
The bob-cut girl's gang had all taken an axe blow from me.
Their bleeding was severe; they didn't have much time left.
"Don't hesitate. Show your resolve to follow Yi Hyun."
I wandered around, finishing off those on the verge of death.
I even tracked down and killed those who hadn't joined the bob-cut girl but harbored resentment toward me.
'Different perceptions...'
Among the survivors here, many felt repulsed by me.
Probably because of the raw, barbaric violence.
It differed from how my own people saw things.
Their views on the current situation, how to respond to enemies, and more.
I weeded out those who seemed unlikely to keep up.
And after a long time, I leveled up.
'Just how many did I kill...?'
Since arriving at Myeongshin Women's University, I'd killed a ton of people.
All that had barely gotten me one level.
Most people here were non-awakened.
Even the awakened ones were low-level.
"Rian... I'm sorry. S-sob... I'm sorry..."
A female student knelt before the woman I'd just killed, sobbing.
They must have known each other.
'Her emotions... seem fine.'
Just guilt toward her friend and fear of me.
"Step aside, please. We'll collect the bodies."
This whole process Jang Ho-seop was overseeing was pretty harsh.
But now it had become a sort of initiation rite.
No exceptions.
And soon enough, the rite concluded.
Auntie Soo-jung received mana from Sister Bom, climbed the platform, and used her skill again.
"Now we are ready to navigate this harsh world together."
I left the cleanup to the others and returned inside the safety fence.
Jang Ho-seop and Yu-na waited there with the bob-cut girl.
"No, I just can't wrap my head around it. Why the hell did you do that?"
The bob-cut girl, who had passed out, was now awake.
Jang Ho-seop raised his voice excitedly in front of her.
"You looked totally shocked after getting slapped by the boss earlier. Didn't think you'd actually get hit?"
No response from the bob-cut girl.
She had frozen solid after witnessing the slaughter unfold nearby.
"When I first met the boss, I nearly died. I desperately appealed to him and barely got a chance."
Jang Ho-seop didn't even notice me approaching.
Yu-na spotted me first and gave a soft smile.
She didn't seem to care how many people I killed.
"But do you know how many chances you had? Why couldn't you seize it even after we brought you all the way to the water's edge?"
Jang Ho-seop ranted on.
His voice was full of genuine bafflement.
"See that old guy? He's a professor pushing sixty. Even he works with me every day without a single complaint. Why do you think that is?"
Jang Ho-seop turned his head, locking eyes with me.
"Ah, boss. I got a bit worked up."
"Yeah. Decided what to do with her?"
"Well... whatever you say, boss."
I'd killed her entire gang, but I had no intention of killing this one easily.
She had openly rebelled against me, and she was the ringleader.
"Where's Chairman Park?"
"Probably eating right now? Want me to fetch him?"
Chairman Park was remarkable.
I didn't know much else, but his mental fortitude was clear.
He still burned with the will to live.
Even in his state, he ate diligently at mealtimes.
I let him eat, considering his usefulness.
"Yeah. Give this girl to him as a gift. What do you think?"
"Oh, my... for real? Like, in the way I'm thinking?"
"Yeah. Whatever."
Jang Ho-seop made a disgusted face.
Then he went off to find Chairman Park.
"Yu-na. Scissors. Or a knife."
"Here."
Yu-na immediately drew the knife from her waistband.
I considered having her do it, but better if I handled it myself.
I had to wash up anyway.
Snip, snip.
I sliced off the bob-cut girl's clothes.
Her pale skin gradually came into view.
I cut away even her underwear, stripping her completely.
"Whew..."
I exhaled the breath I'd been holding back from her stench.
Yu-na lowered her hand from her nose and breathed too.
"Should we wash her a bit?"
"Yeah. Chairman Park can still smell."
"But is this girl pregnant?"
"Huh? Isn't it just a belly?"
Hard to tell.
As Yu-na and I discussed this, the sound of wheels rolling approached.
Chairman Park.
His dedicated caretaker pushed the wheelchair and startled upon arrival.
"Now you're bothering people during meals too?"
Chairman Park frowned at me.
He'd been forced into training sessions for a while now.
He wasn't as hostile toward me anymore.
Just mostly annoyed and reluctant.
"A gift. Didn't you ask Ho-seop for a woman last time?"
Chairman Park glanced indifferently at the bob-cut girl.
"You're joking, right?"
Then he spat at me.
"Dead serious."
"Ah, come on. What did I do wrong this time? Just... this ain't right."
This was my idea for dealing with the bob-cut girl.
She was early twenties; he was in his forties.
Making her attend to his every need felt like perfect revenge.
"If hygiene's a concern..."
"I'll die. Got it?"
The problem was, Chairman Park truly hated the idea.
I hadn't expected outright refusal, even mentioning death.
Things in the world never go as planned.
The morning commotion wrapped up in under an hour.
The bob-cut girl's rebellion ended as a minor incident, and we fully took control of the Myeongshin Women's University survivors.
Exactly as I'd wanted.
Our faction's size surged, keeping us constantly busy.
Four days passed, and we progressed daily.
"Tomorrow's the day."
It was mid-May now.
We ate dinner with the group and held a meeting.
"Our side's preparations are complete."
Auntie Soo-jung reported on the relocation.
Tomorrow, we'd move our base to the Independence Hall.
"What about the original house?"
"As planned."
"Got it. We'll need to grab the fuel then. Personnel?"
My faction was now divided into three main groups.
My direct subordinates, the External Operations Division, and the Internal Support Division.
Auntie Soo-jung headed Internal Support.
Jang Ho-seop led External Operations.
We had a clear chain of command, and everyone worked diligently in their teams.
"Think of it as a stop on the scouting route. No special prep needed."
I still went out on patrols.
I led scouting teams to secure areas, followed by farming teams.
Internal Support handled the gathered supplies.
That was the core structure of my faction.
We'd cleared the Baengho Valley area clockwise.
"Next... once we settle at Independence Hall, we'll start farming right away. But the organizational reform plan has some issues..."
Change brought big and small problems.
So we had plenty to discuss today too.
As the meeting wound down, I raised the final item.
"New post on the plaza."
Jang Ho-seop, looking tired, perked up instantly.
"Another survivor alert?"
"Yeah."
Since Prosecutor Kang Hye-seon posted about her faction's survivors, similar posts had popped up.
The plaza I accessed seemed shared across Northeast Asia.
"Tell everyone after the move."
"Huh? We're posting survivor info too?"
"No. Just viewing posts for now."
I'd hold off on posting our own survivor info.
"Take mana stones for it. Price it reasonably so people can check when they have spare."
Everyone diligently noted my instructions.
Most agenda items were handled by Jang Ho-seop and Auntie Soo-jung.
I reminded the rest not to lose track of operations.
"And gather info from people. If they find acquaintances, note what they do, where they likely were during the cataclysm..."
That was why I delayed posting survivor info.
"Reverse-trace... cross-verify to pinpoint posters' locations?"
"Yeah. Might not be effective, but still."
No telling how long it'd take.
Or if it'd work.
But steadily collecting info might let us infer locations.
"Boss, you said there were decent comments. Even with extra mana stones."
"Yeah."
"Could be people asking locations? Wanting to reunite. Or rescue requests."
Jang Ho-seop's idea had merit.
"Possible. Let's check that too."
"Yep. Pinning down other factions' spots would help in many ways."
I agreed.
Tons of potential uses.
"Ugh! Wanna hit level 20 ASAP."
"Hm... Sunbae, still can't access the plaza?"
The meeting ended.
The group rose for training time.
Jang Ho-seop was level 19.
Yu-na hit 20 yesterday.
"How about... joining under me?"
"Hell yeah! Even in this world, there are laws to uphold. How could I... uh... do that?"
Jang Ho-seop glanced at me.
I shook my head and told him to join tomorrow's scout.
If he did well, he'd hit 20 tomorrow too.
The next day.
I set out with the scouting team.
Yu-na was now under my direct command, a fixed member of the scouts.
Her skills were too versatile.
Others rotated in shifts.
My main group did too.
"Feels weird..."
"Boss, can't we just leave it?"
My house.
All important items were already moved.
Including Mother's urn.
Sister Bom and Jang Ho-seop sounded more reluctant than me.
"No."
The smell of fuel wafted.
People were pouring it inside my house.
To burn it down.
'Fuel's a waste, but...'
Lucky we had stockpiles; gas stations weren't thoroughly looted.
"Can't stand seeing someone else in my house again."
"Yeah, true..."
That's why burn the fuel and the house, regrettable as it was.
During scouts, I'd spotted small groups a few times.
Absorbed or killed them.
Some might've slipped by; others could wander in.
"Work's done."
As I mulled this over, regretting inwardly.
The arson prep finished.
They'd especially ensured the fire wouldn't spread.
"Give me that."
"Yes."
I entered the house with the scouts and lit it.
Stepped out and watched the flames grow.
'Everyone did it. To move forward...'
Jang Ho-seop and Auntie Soo-jung hadn't even stopped home, following me.
Same for Yu-na and Uncle Jang-su.
Everyone sacrificed precious things.
I was no different.
To advance, I let go of something dear.
"Hyun... sob."
And this house mattered to Sister Bom too.
She finally teared up, hugging me.
'This is my choice.'
It hurt. Sad. Painful.
Still, I watched to the end.
Mother's gifted house burning.
The home bought with that man's life turning to ash.
Until my house blackened and the embers died.
"Let's go."
I turned away without regret.
This was no longer my home.
The long day drew to a close.
Found five lone survivors, killed them all.
I wasn't very rational today.
"Man... wash up quick and crack a beer..."
Jang Ho-seop muttered, eyeing my mood.
Yu-na too.
I wanted to say I was fine.
Suggest a beer like he said.
"Halt."
But a stern voice escaped my lips.
Because.
The gate message we'd used as a landmark had shrunk to two characters.