Chapter 53
Chapter 53
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: 18. A New Nest. (1)
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"Wait here."
I said that right in the middle of the road.
If this many people poured onto the empty sidewalk all at once, even human beasts with their poor eyesight would spot us for sure.
We slipped into the road, weaving between the cars until we reached the front of the big supermarket, where I had everyone hold position.
I could hear the group coming to a stop behind me.
Glancing back, they were all frozen, staring at me.
Most of their faces were tense.
Grandmother, So-eun, and the newlywed housewife had drooping eyes and mouths—they looked genuinely terrified.
Regret was written all over their faces, like they wished they hadn't come.
With cars blocking the road here and there, and everything dead silent, it was creepy as hell.
Plus, the corpses I'd taken out were sprawled across the opposite sidewalk.
"Just come when I tell you to."
They nodded.
I stood slowly, scanning the surroundings.
Making sure nothing was lurking.
...Nothing.
No cockroaches. No human beasts.
Just silence.
I drew my sword.
Shring—
"Eek."
Grandmother let out a scared noise.
Ye-eun soothed her from the side, holding So-eun's hand with her other one.
Poor Ye-eun, stuck playing babysitter.
Tap tap.
Su-hyun tapped my butt.
"Be careful. Come back safe."
"Yeah."
I flashed a smile and grabbed the car's headlight, moving forward.
Walked. Kept walking.
Then broke into a jog—one step, one step.
And then I sprinted.
"Krrrk?!"
Heads whipped around beyond the glass wall.
Crash!
I crunched over shattered glass.
Hit the stairs and leaped through the side door with everything I had.
"Kraaack! Kyaaack!"
They vaulted over chairs and corpses, lunging at me.
"Uaaah!"
A distant yell echoed from far off.
Hoon the ajusshi—still a scaredy-cat as ever.
"Kraaack!"
Their claws slashed at empty air.
Here they come.
Acceleration.
I planted my foot hard.
Thud——
"Hup!"
Pakak! Pakak!
I dashed straight in, thrusting deep.
And stabbed.
Pakak! Pakak!
Blood droplets sprayed everywhere.
It felt like threading through weirdly shaped mannequins.
The world jerked like a fast-forward video—then acceleration.
Pakak! Pakak! Pakak! Pakak!
No retreat. No hiding.
They'd come to wipe us out completely, which actually put my mind at ease.
Acceleration.
Pakak!
Thrust. Withdraw.
No looking back.
The ones I'd pierced through the head on my right were clustered together, blood spurting from foreheads and napes as they floated in the air.
Behind me, the head-shot ones toppled slowly.
Pakak! Pakak! Pakak!
I hammered acceleration after acceleration, skewering every last human beast clogging the entrance.
Pakak!
"Hup!"
I yanked the sword free and scanned around.
Any left?
No. None.
"—Grk—krrrk!"
Thud crash!
The surrounding ones collapsed in a heap.
Blood sprayed everywhere.
On my face, lips, body.
I was drenched in it.
Beasts killed: 23.
Accelerations used: 6.
If I'd been a bit faster, maybe five—but I'm not there yet.
Wish I could move quicker.
It's not the skill; it's my own proficiency.
I stood still, listening intently.
Any I missed nearby?
Growls echoed.
But not close.
Entrance was clear.
The big supermarket's entrance was a massive glass wall and doors, plastered with standing signs and discount posters that hid the inside almost completely.
Just glimpses of the vast store and stocked shelves through the gaps.
And human beasts, of course.
Not yet.
I turned, flicking my sword down.
Swoosh!
Splatter!
Blood flew off, streaking the wall.
"......"
Hmm...
Come to think of it, this place.
Was just one big glass wall.
Heads poked out from behind the cars.
My group stared at me, dumbfounded.
Everyone except Hoon the ajusshi and Eun-seo had this unreadable look in their eyes...
Couldn't put it into words.
First time seeing eyes like that.
I shrugged and stepped out through the shattered glass door.
"You can come now."
They stood and approached.
As they came closer, I sheathed my sword.
Shring—click.
The nameless inline skater guy spoke up.
"How the hell do you do that? Gave me chills."
Eun-seo elbowed him.
"Told you. He's incredible. Didn't you notice all the corpses inside the mart?"
"Never imagined anything like this."
Like this?
Su-hyun came up and held out her phone.
She'd been filming.
There I was.
Climbing the stairs.
Human beasts lunging at me, arms raised.
Then I vanished.
Just a blur when I thrust, gone again—piercing two dozen heads in a blink.
The ones charging me collapsed in a bloody heap, momentum unchanged.
...Like some sci-fi flick.
This is how I fight...
Su-hyun's eyes were wide, staring at me.
"Oppa, how do you move like that? Are you a real swordmaster?"
The inline guys chimed in.
"You must've trained with the sword for years. What dan are you?"
"How much practice does it take to move like that?"
...Well...
Never trained with a sword in my life.
But somehow, no one questioned the inhuman speed.
They just assumed I had some ability or other.
Even I wouldn't believe wild power claims without proof.
They saw it as peak human skill—some freakish technique from extreme training.
I shrugged.
"Bad idea sticking around here. Let's head up first."
I turned and entered the mart.
Hmm.
Stairs...
With the entrance cleared, no need for stairs.
I led the group past the entrance to the elevators by the hallway.
Two elevators.
Both stuck on the first floor.
People from upstairs must've come down.
"Top floor."
We split into the elevators and rode up to the tenth floor.
Ding.
Everyone piled out.
I got off too.
"Drop your stuff first. Then split up from here. Hoon ajusshi, you guys head back to the boarding house for the aluminum sheets. Ladies, help Su-hyun pick locks."
They nodded.
Hmm.
Their eyes, their movements—they were fully on board, trusting me completely.
I told the men boarding the elevator.
"If anything happens, ditch it and run. Straight back here. Got it?"
"Yes, sir."
This was our weakest moment.
If cockroaches showed up at the boarding house now, those few guys wouldn't stand a chance.
The men nodded and descended.
...Hmm.
I beckoned the newlywed housewife to the window.
"You should see the boarding house from here. Yell if anything goes down."
Her worried face, after sending her husband off, lit up as she nodded vigorously.
"I'll keep watch."
I turned back.
"Alright, time to crack some doors."
Su-hyun already had the cutter in hand.
She grinned like a mischievous kid.
The women trailed her to the first unit.
This floor seemed like rentals—one-rooms or two-rooms. Doors lined up just like that.
Ding-dong—
Doorbell.
No response.
Again.
Nothing.
Su-hyun looked at me.
I nodded.
She nodded back and started dismantling the handle with the cutter.
I stood by, hand on my sword hilt, peering through the gap.
No answer didn't mean empty.
Empty meant empty.
If something burst out, these women were sitting ducks.
Whatever came, I'd kill it.
Five minutes later, the handle fell off.
Su-hyun fiddled with the exposed lock using pliers—click.
I gripped the handle and nodded.
Su-hyun opened the door.
It swung open quietly.
A wave of someone else's home scent hit me.
Faint perfume.
Or fabric softener.
Felt like a tidy woman's place.
Pink mini carpet. Queen bed.
The room...
Pretty spacious.
15 pyeong? Maybe more.
I checked inside—bathroom, balcony, everywhere.
Then turned.
"Come in. It's clear."
The women filed in, relieved, poking around like they owned the place.
Their faces were beaming.
But who gets it?
They eyed it appreciatively, but I could see rivalry brewing if someone claimed it.
"Whoa... Sunlight pours right in here."
"Unnie, check this—electronic piano."
...Yep.
Power struggle incoming.
I chuckled.
"Just the first one. Gotta check all the way down."
Su-hyun, mid-snooping, heard me and headed out.
"Let's go, unnies. So-eun."
Second and third units: empty.
Fourth one.
Su-hyun opened the door—a familiar stench wafted out.
...Corpse smell.
I gripped my sword and peered in.
...An old man.
...Solitary death?
No.
...Suicide.
Slit his own wrists.
Couldn't see with him on his side.
Been dead a while...
"...Sigh..."
I sighed and looked at the women.
Ye-eun and So-eun were pale as ghosts.
Su-hyun shook her head, refusing to enter.
The nurse auntie clucked her tongue in pity, but she was too frail—skin and bones, no muscle.
...Tch.
Need the guys to move the body.
I nodded.
"Leave it for now. Keep opening. We need enough rooms for everyone."
Su-hyun nodded.
"Got it."