Chapter 56
Chapter 56
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: Focused Leveling. (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Crack!
Seventeen!
I immediately drew my sword and spun around, sprinting off.
I slipped between the partitions, racing down the clear path with all my might. Corpses whipped past me on either side.
"--Grk--aack!"
Hearing the rumbling crash of collapsing bodies, I dashed straight into the bathroom and slammed the stall door shut.
Click.
I locked the door.
"Hoo, haa."
I needed to catch my breath.
Hand on my chest, I took deep breaths.
My heart pounded, demanding more oxygen, while beads of sweat mixed with blood and trickled down.
"Grraaagh! Kyarrarak!"
The things outside growled.
Their snarls echoed off the walls.
But they weren't getting closer.
A few seemed to wander into the stalls, but they didn't think there was anything inside despite the piled-up corpses.
They just kept growling.
Hoo--haa--
I took deep breaths to calm my body.
Weeks of training, running, and sword swings had toughened me up considerably.
In just a few minutes, my chest settled.
Acceleration four times, Strength zero.
Strength was definitely lacking.
I'd felt like my growth was slow, wishing I could kill more and faster, but the numbers told a different story.
A slight dilemma.
Pumping more into Strength would definitely help with leveling.
But I also craved securing Stamina to shorten rest times.
With 100 Stamina, I could handle three raids a day easily.
Three raids meant ninety Human Beasts per day by current standards.
That was insane.
Cockroaches swarmed by the dozens over just one or two kills, and if you messed up, they'd overwhelm you.
Yet here I was, sweeping through dozens alone in moments.
Strength.
I wanted to raise it.
But for now, let's build Stamina and think about Strength later.
I put 2 points into Stamina.
Now Stamina 61, Level 37.
Not bad at all.
Rest time...
Mental Power at 40 points, 8 hours?
I chuckled.
Definitely speeding up.
Before becoming a survival expert, recovering 40 points would've taken over 13 hours, but now it was down to 8.
12 hours fully restored 60 points.
Acceleration bursts now took down 3 to 4, soon 5 Human Beasts.
Not bad.
Slow.
But steady.
And reliably, I was getting stronger.
The numbers proved it.
I sat on the toilet and leaned back.
And at five a.m.
All stats recovered.
Around midnight, Su-hyun had sent a worried message, but after seeing me handle the zombies with her own eyes, she seemed reassured quickly.
Cute girl.
Thinking of Su-hyun, I chuckled and stood up.
Alright.
Let's go.
I left the bathroom and walked the hallway.
I swung the sword still slick with blood and gore.
Swish! Slash!
I'd cleared most of the nearby ones.
How many left?
I passed the partitions into the mart.
Suddenly, everything brightened.
Floors littered with corpses and pools of blood.
I dragged bodies aside to clear a path to the exit, then drew a deep breath.
No matter how many were left, bring it on.
"Scat-maaaaooow!"
Scubta-doot deep-dee-doob-doob-bara-bara-bob.
Amma scat-maaaooow~
"Graaaagh! Kyaaaagh!"
The crowd's loving it.
I smiled and looked around.
Running zombies. Human Beasts.
They were coming.
Toppling shelves, smashing displays, charging at me.
"Kyaaaagh! Grrooarraarak!"
Crash! Thud!
Smashing into walls, shelves, each other—total chaos.
I waited.
Leisurely watching them approach.
Come on. Hurry up.
"Graaaagh!"
Oh.
Here they come.
I could see the Human Beasts' maws.
Claws raking the air.
Ferocious leaps.
I smiled.
Raised my sword.
Acceleration.
The swarming Human Beasts around me froze like mounted specimens.
I stepped forward and thrust my sword.
"Hup!"
Crack, crack, crack, crack!
I darted between them, pushing off the ground, sidestepping.
And stabbed.
Acceleration burst, stab, stab again.
Crack, crack, crack, crack!
So slow, even their blinking felt tedious.
Crack!
Blood droplets floated lazily through the air.
I wove through them, swinging my sword with precision.
Familiar.
Skilled.
Precise enough to feel it myself—straight to the head, severing life in one go.
The pity, fear, confusion I'd once felt?
Gone.
No, more than that.
I was smiling.
Crack, crack, crack, crack!
"Haha."
Thirty.
I dispatched them in a flash, then spun and bolted for the mart entrance.
No idea how many left.
Didn't seem like many.
Hard to tell if it was just a feeling or reality.
Probably one more raid to finish. But damn, bathrooms were getting old.
Craved a hot meal and a proper wash.
Time to head back.
"---Kya--rr--"
I slipped past the occasional blocker and sprinted to the entrance.
Grabbed the door and yanked.
Released inside, the glass door slowly swung back.
Another Acceleration burst, racing to the elevator.
"-Grroarack!"
Rumble, crash!
The sound of collapsing Human Beasts echoed from afar.
Then, a thud as the glass door closed.
I hit the elevator button and turned.
Acceleration still had time left.
Stairs if they come.
"Hoo."
Graaack—they were barking.
But not approaching.
The sounds weren't closing in.
They had no idea where I was.
I smiled and swung my sword.
Swish--drip!
Blood flung off the blade.
The elevator opened.
I stepped in and sheathed it.
Shing--click.
Hit 10th floor.
Heading back.
The doors closed.
And I smiled.
Strange feeling.
Smiling after a killing spree.
Adrenaline?
Dunno, but it felt good.
Level up by 3.
Dumped all 3 into Stamina for 64.
Stepped out on 10...
...which room was it?
Scratched my head, walking past doors on the left.
1021...22...23...
...around here.
I cracked open 1024.
This it?
Dark.
Nothing visible.
There was a computer...
Can't tell without light anyway.
Whatever, close enough.
Just past five a.m., no point waking anyone.
I shrugged and went in, straight to the bathroom.
Ugh, covered in blood.
Stripped naked, hot shower water hit—pure bliss.
Blood washing away felt refreshing.
Homeowner had nice body wash.
Japanese brand?
Shampooed, lathered a washcloth, scrubbed, rinsed.
Ahh, fresh.
"Haa..."
Mirror check... hmm.
Body's looking good?
Weeks of activity built abs.
Flex—sharper.
Lost fat, gained muscle.
Definite.
Feeling great.
Wonder if I should sneak out, hug sleeping Su-hyun from behind, tease her a bit.
That thought stirred things below.
I chuckled.
Fresh from slaughter, now thinking of holding a girl. Men are beasts, alright.
Then the shower door opened.
"Huh, who's...?"
"...Huh?"
Eyes met with the opener.
We both froze.
It was Ye-eun.
Ye-eun stared at my face, body, and crotch—eyes wide.
Then slammed the door shut.
Bang!
"Aaa, s-s-sorry!"
...What the hell.
Wrong apartment?
...Ah!
1023!
Next door!
Damn, mixed up the rooms.
No lock, so...
Awkward.
I grabbed a towel from the cabinet, dried off, snatched my bloody clothes, and headed out.
Ye-eun stood flustered in front of the bathroom.
...What to say.
"Sorry. Wrong apartment."
"N-no, it's fine."
Hmm...
I'm naked.
Barely covering crotch with bloody clothes.
Embarrassing.
I picked up my sword and lifting belt from the floor, smiled.
"I'll... head out."
"Y-yeah."
Ye-eun's face was beet red.
Hmm...
Nothing to say in this mess.
Let's go.
I slipped out to the next door.
...This one.
Definitely.
Smells like Su-hyun's body wash.
Plus, some dark shape like a computer in the distance.
I quietly set down clothes and sword, then back to the shower to clean the blood.
...That was pretty awkward.
Remember the room number.
Lucky it was Ye-eun, not Grandmother.
...Well, not that Ye-eun made it better.
Whatever, fuck it.
So flustered, even my erection deflated.
Time for sleep.
Dried off, headed to bed.
Su-hyun mumbled as I lay beside her.
"Mmm... Oppa...?"
"Yeah. It's me."
She rustled, turning toward me.
And snuggled into my arms.
"...Good... job..."
Dead asleep.
Hmm...
Sleep time.
The next day, I woke around lunchtime.
Messy-faced, splashed water, ate ramen Su-hyun boiled.
Come to think of it, we don't eat together anymore.
Miss those boarding house group meals.
"Oppa, how was the mart? Too dangerous?"
"Fine. First floor's manageable today."
Su-hyun smiled.
"Gonna have lots of food then."
I chuckled.
"Fish or meat? Better toss it. Some might be edible, but whatever."
"Hmm... Shame. Would've stocked meat. Still, I'll grab what's good."
Oh, right.
Saw something mid-run.
"They had fruit and veggie seeds. You know, those palm-sized packs for a thousand or two won."
Su-hyun's face lit up.
"Grandma'll love that. Ye-eun and So-eun were talking farming too."
...Hmm, Ye-eun.
I smiled and slurped ramen.
No words.
After eating and lounging, 4:30 p.m.
Stats recovered.
Everyone busy stripping cars, repairing building. Su-hyun out too.
My turn.
Opened the door—ran into Ye-eun.
Carrying trash bag.
Eyes met.
Her face flushed.
"H-hi..."
"Oh, hi."
She bowed quick and hurried past.
...Hmm.
Whatever.
...She headed to the elevator.
...I'll go down in a bit.