Chapter 40
Chapter 40
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: 13. Survivors. (3)
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Current Mental Power: 56.
A bit more rest and it'll fill to 60, but let's just head out quick. About 11 uses of Acceleration should suffice.
I crossed the road straight away.
Passing the convenience store and a car with its shell peeled off, a whiff of corpse smell hits me.
...Ah.
I was gonna call the inline folks today to deal with that. But after seeing that on YouTube, I wasted the whole day.
Whatever.
The three of us made two round trips to the hardware store today and grabbed nearly half of what's inside. No need to go more. That's the key.
Corpses can be handled tomorrow.
Walking to the cargo area of the 5-ton truck, I drew my sword.
Schwing-
The road side leading to the road is clean.
The parking lot entrance side is not.
Corpses.
Exactly 27 scattered, piled, and toppled there.
...1 level up per 10...
Damn.
I walked to the parking lot.
Walked openly.
Step, step.
Maybe too casually.
The Human Beasts standing beyond the corpses don't react.
"Hey, what're you doing. Come at me."
I swung the sword through the air as I walked.
Swoosh!
Sounded like cleanly tearing paper.
That's what cutting air feels like.
"Kyarruk?!"
The Human Beasts' heads snap around.
Numerous eyes turn to me.
Faces distort instantly.
"Kraaaak! Kyaaaak!"
They charge in a herd.
Trampling corpses, tripping over each other, grabbing shoulders, bumping into one another.
They came at me.
I smiled.
"Acceleration."
Acceleration
[Auto-cast]
Like a wolf pack spotting prey, the Human Beasts clawing through the air as they rushed...
Stopped.
I immediately stepped forward and thrust the sword.
"Hup!"
Crack, crack, crack!
Left hand still awkward.
But getting better, it seems.
Definitely need more practice.
Stepped back, perked my ears.
"--Kya-rurrk!"
Acceleration.
Acceleration
[Auto-cast]
This time, pierced their heads with left hand only.
Three at once!
Don't get greedy!
Thrust into the heads hard with left hand only.
Crack, crack, crack!
Again, Acceleration!
Blood droplets ripple where I passed.
Crack, crack, crack!
Good.
The ones charging from the front are done.
I quickly stepped back two paces.
"--Kr-rurrk!"
Tap, tap.
My footsteps echo belatedly.
The horde from ahead collapses in a heap, spurting blood from foreheads and napes.
"Kyaaaak! Kraaaak!"
Coming.
Come on.
Left hand. Let's go again.
I smiled.
Acceleration.
Acceleration
[Auto-cast]
"Kya--a---a----"
Grit.
Gritting my teeth, I thrust.
"Hup!"
Underground parking of the apartment complex.
Total 27 beasts.
Acceleration used 9 times.
Used extra Acceleration to quickly cross the road back to the boarding house.
Getting proficient.
Getting familiar.
No emotional stir, no hesitation.
Oh.
3 level ups.
From hunting those 27 up front.
Climbing the rooftop stairs, dumped all 3 points into Stamina. Now 35.
Want to invest more in Acceleration and Strength to hunt bigger numbers at once if possible, but 1 up per 10 means no leeway.
Get Stamina to at least 50 first, then decide.
Once Strength hits 50,
Stamina recovery tick: 45 minutes.
Stat recovery tick: 12 minutes 30 seconds.
One solid night's sleep fully recharges.
Still plenty of beasts left in the underground parking. Probably need two more raids to fully clear.
I.e., 5 levels.
...But is this okay?
Can't shake the Human Beast hordes from my mind.
If they swarm this neighborhood, everything gets cut off in an instant. Outings, sunlight, leveling up.
Not even I can guarantee I'd shut the door again once opened.
...Sword.
So damn useful.
Served perfectly as my main weapon so far. Won't be dropping it anytime soon.
But just one sword?
Against hordes of tens or hundreds of thousands of Human Beasts?
Back at the rooftop room, kept mulling it over in the shower.
Need something.
Need more.
Shhh.
Lukewarm, cool water streams down my hair and body with the blood, pattering onto the tile floor.
"...A bow."
Yeah.
A bow.
Been wanting one for a while.
Pump Acceleration into it, shoot fast—probably two arrows per Acceleration.
Likewise, with Acceleration, recovering shot arrows shouldn't be hard.
But the arrows.
How to handle them.
How to recover.
That's the crux if using a bow.
Problem is, to shoot the bow and fully recover arrows, I need guaranteed Acceleration uses.
...Hold on.
If I'm using Acceleration to recover arrows, does it have to be a bow?
Wouldn't a sword suffice?
Have to get close to pull arrows anyway.
"...Sigh..."
What a dilemma.
Would be nice to have one ranged weapon.
...Maybe consult Su-hyun. Could her mechanical engineering knowledge give me an answer?
...Something that's not a bow, something I don't need to recover. That's what I need.
After showering, I messaged Su-hyun.
Reply came much later.
[Vrrr... Oppa, sleepy... Talk tomorrow?]
...Hmm.
Su-hyun worked her ass off today too.
Hauling heavy stuff from the hardware store, trip to the mart, even sorted the stuff stripped from the car earlier.
Yeah.
Let Su-hyun rest.
Just past 8 PM now.
Early night, but after a full day busy, the women and Hoon ajusshi must be beat.
Me too. Bedtime.
Next day, 7 AM.
Slept like a rock.
Stripping the car, hardware hauls, two raids—guess I was wiped too.
Breakfast still prepping, looks like.
Head out quick.
Lifting belt with two swords sheathed, maintenance gloves on, out the door.
Chopping sounds from the host house, shower whooshing downstairs.
Everyone stirring.
Past the convenience store to the road.
Straight into the apartment complex.
Total 54 corpses tumbled all the way to the road.
Hmm...
Seems like I cleared the ones at the entrance.
Plenty more deeper in the parking lot.
Walked through the corpses into the lot.
Strange.
Not tense at all.
Sword undrawn, just one hand on the hilt, casually strolling through the bodies.
How many have I killed so far?
About 200 after this raid?
...Getting used to it.
Suddenly curious.
Anyone else in the country solo'd 200?
...Maybe soldiers?
Special forces or whatever.
Someone with pro training might manage.
If they've got the skill to handle dozens charging at once.
...With guns, maybe?
...Hmm, guns...
Guns are loud...
Even if Human Beasts react sharply to voices like human speech, they won't ignore gunshots.
Bang, and the horde swarms.
Musing that, curving down the parking lot, growls start echoing.
Grrrrr— Grrrrr—
Their growls bounce wall to wall, vibrating like subwoofers with heavy echoes.
Not visible yet.
Glanced back.
Pretty deep now.
15 meters? 20?
Start killing from here, retreat slowly...
Should be fine.
I looked toward the depths of the parking lot and shouted.
"Hey! Dildos! Fuckers!"
"Kyarruk?!"
...Yeah, sex.
"Kraaaak! Kyaaaak!"
Roars erupt, monstrous shadows ripple up the walls.
Countless footsteps pound the space like drums.
Drew my sword.
Schwing-
"Kraaaak!"
Heads poke from the corner.
I smiled.
Acceleration.
Acceleration
[Auto-cast]
Thrust with left hand only.
Left hand—feels more familiar by the hour.
Yesterday and today, killed about 50 with left alone.
Once I can fully use both hands...
Will be great.
"Hmm."
Clenched and unclenched my left hand, headed back to the rooftop, showered off the blood.
Just now's raid netted 3 level ups.
Of course, into Stamina.
Stamina: 38.
Hmm, but clothes are running low now.
Three days or so?
After that, zilch.
Changed into fresh clothes and headed down. Savory smells waft up.
Entered the host house.
"Yeah, smells good."
"Oppa! You weren't home earlier?"
Su-hyun greets me first.
Everyone's gathered around the table.
I show up, they shuffle chairs to make space.
Crowded.
I smiled and sat.
"Yeah, went early. Woke up early."
Ye-eun sets soup and rice in front of me. So-eun brings chopsticks.
Oh, breakfast is pollock soup.
Savory broth packed with green onion aroma.
Nice.
Scoop some tofu, blow on it, pop it in. Cool, nutty flavor fills my mouth.
"Yeah, tasty."
Even a casual compliment gets the women laughing aloud.
Hmm.
Great breakfast vibe.
Hoon ajusshi swallows hard, then speaks.
"Uh, teacher. Plans for today?"
"Thinking of calling the inline folks and handling that today."
Hoon goes "Ahh," nods.
I looked at Su-hyun and the women.
"Mart again today?"
"Gotta. Obviously."
Su-hyun nods. The new wife auntie furrows her brows.
"Better grab more before it's all gone. Probably lots of people hit it overnight."
...Yeah.
Makes sense.
Once word spreads this route's safe and food's piled up there, no holding back.
Maybe strip some car shells today.
Musing that, I ate while the women discussed mart leftovers and what to haul back.
Then, ding-dong.
Ye-eun looks up.
"Huh? Front gate bell. No one's supposed to come."
Tension ripples across the women's faces.
No parcels, no deliveries.
That world's long gone.
"I-I'll check."
Hoon ajusshi stands, heads out.
I take a spoonful of rice, and Hoon's back.
His face looks grim.
"Uh, teacher. That, inline club lady. Jung Eun-seo? She came."
I turned.
Jung Eun-seo?
Ah, the ponytail one.
What is it?
Hoon ajusshi points to his cheek.
"Teacher. That woman... she's got a wound on her face."
...Wound?