Chapter 17
Chapter 17
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Emotional Numbness (1)
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Two hours passed, and Acceleration had charged once.
Stamina had taken a bit of a hit from recovering the other stats, but charging up in just two hours was pretty decent.
I set down the nacho chips I'd been munching on and stood up.
The sword.
Time to give it a try.
Shring—
I drew the blade and stared at it.
Sharpened steel.
It looked sturdy, but somehow I also felt like it might snap or bend...
...Let's test it out.
The outside was quiet.
Click.
I opened the door.
Unfamiliar air rushed in.
Grrr... Grrr—
One right in front.
Right at the doorway.
Back turned.
Standing in a slightly hunched posture, growling low.
...College girl?
Or high schooler?
A young woman in a T-shirt and jeans.
What had this woman come to the mart for?
Alone?
With friends?
Maybe with her boyfriend?
As those thoughts crossed my mind, I slowly raised the sword and extended it.
Carefully, so it wouldn't hit the door or frame.
Then, I thrust it in.
"Hup!"
Splat!
Her head pierced through, slamming into the wall.
Bam!
I yanked the sword out hard, and she toppled backward.
Thud!
It pierced clean through... in one go!
The Human Beasts turned their heads sharply toward the fallen corpse. Then they roared.
"Kraaarak! Kaaack!"
They charged at the door.
Boom boom crash!
"Kaaack! Kaaaack!"
The door, blocked by the shelves, only cracked open crookedly. It shuddered with every bang bang.
"Krawraaak!"
One tried shoving its face through the gap, but it was too narrow—only its eyeball barely peeked in.
Hands, wrists—they forced them through, reaching for me.
Grabbing wildly at the door.
Acceleration!
"Kwaa—a—a—"
Slowed down!
I raised the sword, aiming at the face pressed against the gap.
A middle-aged woman's head, all wrinkly.
Had she stopped by the mart for side dish ingredients?
I thrust in hard.
Splurt!
The crown of her head pierced through in one go; her eyes rolled back.
Yanked it out forcefully and aimed at the face above.
A young woman wearing a differently colored apron.
Said something about a bakery on it.
Probably worked at the in-store bakery.
How'd she end up all the way at the entrance?
I thrust in hard.
Splurt!
Pierced through her eyeball and skull.
Yanked it out hard,
"—A—raak!"
Acceleration wore off.
"Kaaack! Kraaack!"
Damn it, their heads are bobbing up and down...!
Can't aim properly!
"Hup!"
I thrust hard, but it only grazed the crown.
Then the one below!
I swung the sword diagonally down, aiming at the one thrashing below.
Middle-aged guy.
This uncle's wearing an apron too.
Manager or something.
I stabbed down hard.
"Hrngh!"
Splat!
The uncle's face, pierced from above through the crown, slackened in an instant. Eyes rolled back, mouth agape.
"Kaaack! Kraaack!"
Something flashed by my face.
Damn it—a Human Beast's finger!
Two faces shoved in.
Their heads jerking around so much I can't aim right.
Will the door hold?
But...
One more at least...!
As I tried to aim the blade, their heads kept moving, the tip trembling unsteady.
"Tch, damn it!"
Grab the blade...!
Flinch.
No, can't grab the blade!
I immediately flipped the sword, pressing the flat against my forearm.
And aimed.
Stay still, stay...!
Eyes... glaring at me.
Wide-open, glaring eyes!
Jaws split wide!
"Hup!"
I thrust.
Splurt!
The blade pierced its gaping maw and out the back of its skull.
Its expression...
The beastly face turned slack and vacant in an instant.
I yanked the sword out hard.
Splat! Bang! The one whose sword was pulled out smashed its head on the doorframe and fell back.
Now I could see.
That one had a vest over its T-shirt.
Mart delivery guy.
Crash boom!
"Kaaaack!"
One head slammed the door.
"...!"
This... this auntie, I recognize her.
She lived next door in my goshiwon.
Worked at the mart, huh...
"Kaaack! Kraaaack!"
...Grind!
I clenched my teeth and pressed the flat against my forearm again.
Two heads at the doorframe.
Arms—who knows how many. Too many.
...Auntie.
Sorry it came to this.
You even gave me kimchi before.
Said her husband's business failed and the family scattered.
"...Hup!"
I thrust hard.
Ting—
"!"
Wh... what?!
The sword... won't go in!
I used the same force!
Again!
"Hup!"
Ting—
Sword won't go in!
Wa... wait.
Why?
Why won't the sword...?
...Ah.
Five.
Took down five.
Already?!
Strength... hit 0...!
Need to close the door!
"Tch!"
I shoved it like slamming it shut.
Thud! Loud noise, but it wouldn't close.
Three Human Beast arms jammed in the gap.
"Shit!"
I tossed the sword aside.
Clang!
Grabbed the large axe from the shelf.
Swing hard.
Thwack! Splthwack!
Blood sprayed.
Flesh chunks flew.
Arm severed.
Kept swinging.
"Hup! Hrngh!"
Splat! Thwack!
Severed fingers rolled on the floor.
A gap opened!
I shoved the door hard right away.
Damn it, too many of them! Too heavy!
"Kraaaack! Kaaaack!"
I poured all my strength into pushing the door.
Back against it, feet pushing the wall, shoving with everything.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
My strength wavered as they pounded and pulled.
I kept pushing.
Finally, the door shook and wobbled before closing.
Click.
Locked it immediately.
"Hah! Hah, hah!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Kaaaack! Kaaaack!"
I yanked the beverage shelf over and braced the door again.
Screeech!
"Hah! Haah, ha!"
Done...
It's shut...
Legs gave out.
Stumbled, nearly collapsed.
"Haa, haa!"
Clunk, the large axe dropped to the floor.
I leaned on the wall and shuffled to the corner of the warehouse.
Squish.
Stepped on something soft and mushy.
What?
...A palm with four fingers.
Severed from the palm lines.
Next to it, a forearm, fingers scattered.
Blood everywhere.
Like a rain of blood droplets.
"Haa... haa..."
Dizzy.
Fuck...
Grabbed a shelf and shuffled a couple steps to the end of the warehouse.
Then slowly sat on the floor.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Kaaaack! Kaaaack!"
Still raging outside the door.
I stared at the shuddering door with every bang, slowly hugging one knee.
A message floated before my eyes.
[Your level has risen by 5.]
How long had the message been there?
No idea.
Mind's blank.
...Killed 5, huh.
"Haa, haa."
...Killed 5 people.
In the last few days, double digits.
Almost 20...
How many exactly?
One... two...
...17 people.
I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the wall.
...Killed a lot.
17.
In just a few days. 17.
Insane number.
Those people all had families, friends.
I killed them all.
"...Haa... haa..."
Couldn't have imagined it before.
Killing people and feeling this unfazed—old me would've never dreamed it.
...Only a few days passed.
Vomiting after kills was yesterday or the day before?
No nausea now.
Getting numb?
"Haa... haa..."
Probably will.
More and more from now on.
No clue how many survivors left.
Others like me, numbing as they kill Human Beasts somewhere?
...If so, might be able to talk sense with them.
"...Haa... whoo..."
Sitting a bit, calming down.
...Right.
Leveled up.
Stats...
"...Status."
...18 now.
5 points...
"Whoo... haa..."
...Where to put them?
Can only kill 5 at a time, wanna put more in Strength.
Could kill more.
...No.
Right now...
Survival first.
To survive, need to recover fast, charge Acceleration quick.
Put 5 into Stamina.
ㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡ
...Stamina 15.
1.5 recovery per hour.
Was 0.6 at first, I think.
Yeah, gone up nice.
More...
Need to raise it more.
To do that...
Need to kill more.
"...Whoo..."
Soul Stones at 18 too.
No clue what these are for.
Can't grab 'em, can't take 'em out.
Just stacking up there.
Dunno what, but collecting 'em, bound to be useful someday.
"Haa..."
Killed 5.
What's left...?
No idea how many.
Ten? Nine at the entrance?
Something like that, I remember.
...Not many left.
Next Acceleration charge, can take 'em all.
Checked my phone: Saturday, 10:52 AM.
Weekend, huh?
Normally this street'd be bustling with weekend crowds.
Just dead quiet now.
Except those Human Beasts pounding and raging at the door.
To charge Acceleration...
Hmm... at least five hours?
Something like that.
Might time it for evening return?
As I thought that, I tore open a plastic pack with my finger.
Pack of twenty 500ml water bottles.
Pulled one out and chugged it down.
Lukewarm.
Still refreshing.
"Haa..."
...Realized while drinking.
Blood all over me.
Damn.
Too lazy to wipe it.
Just... rest.
Lying there spacing out, dozed off a bit, played puzzle games on phone, and time passed decently.
Around me: torn snack bags, one bottle I pissed in.
Acceleration charged one more.
"Whoo..."
Alright, let's do it.
Carefully lifted and moved the shelf, unlocked.
Opened the door.
Screeech—
...Hinges totally fucked.
Makes a horrible creak opening.
Bodies piled at the door.
Stared at the overlapping, toppled corpses for a sec, then looked beyond the gap.
...Nothing visible.
But they're there.
Pheew!
Whistled, and instantly a grrr! came back.
Whistled again.
"Kraaack!"
Boom crash!
Two slammed the door.
Two? Or more?
I raised the longsword, aiming at the gap.
...Face.
Neighbor auntie's face...
Her neat bob now messy strands clinging to her face.
The kindly smiling face twisted beastly.
"Kaaack! Kraaaack!"
Pressed the flat to my forearm, aimed at auntie's head.
...Auntie.
The kimchi was good.
...Tasty.
"...Whoo, hup!"
Thrust hard.
Splurt!
Crown pierced clean through.
Expression slackened instantly.
Eyes rolled back, jaw dropped.
Like the Scream.
Felt the weight.
Sword dipping.
"Hup!"
Yanked the sword out hard.
Corpse flopped over to the floor.
"Kaaaack! Kraaack!"
"Haa, haa."
...Feels fucking awful...
Auntie...
How'd you end up there.
"...Fuck..."
A Human Beast with its forearm severed shoved its head in, jaws split wide.
Young woman.
...Ring on her left hand.
Newlywed housewife, maybe...
"Kaaack! Kraaack!"
...Don't even need Acceleration this time.
I raised the sword, rested it on my forearm.
"...Hup!"
Thrust hard.