Chapter 63
Chapter 63
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: 21. Sad Rage. (2)
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Jeong Eun-seo said that and then covered her forehead with both hands again.
She looked like her stomach was churning.
I leaned my shoulder lightly against the stairwell wall.
My hand naturally drifted to the hilt of my sword, as if it had become a habit.
I crossed my arms and asked,
"How bad is it? Your sister."
"...Yeah. She said she was hurting yesterday... and couldn't sleep a wink."
Her one remaining family member was sick...
I had nothing else to say.
I'm not a doctor.
And hospitals were out of the question.
This woman seemed to care deeply for her sister.
Phones still worked.
If she cherished her sister that much, she'd have called every hospital nearby. If she'd gotten through to any, she would've begged them to take her in.
The fact that she was sitting here anyway meant the local hospitals had all been wiped out.
It was hard to say "sorry for your loss" or "hang in there."
"Sorry" sounded like giving up because there was no hope left. "Hang in there" would just ring hollow to her.
I simply stood there in silence, watching her.
Jeong Eun-seo lifted her head.
Her eyes were glistening.
She was holding back tears.
Forcing a smile, she stood up.
"Sorry. Everyone's so busy, and here I am, all alone..."
I shook my head.
"Don't worry about that. Go upstairs and stay with your sister. Everyone will understand."
Jeong Eun-seo just stood there without a word. She looked apologetic for being the only one sitting it out.
She's a good person.
I'd felt it from the start, when she was diligently sharing food with everyone.
She really was kind-hearted.
...In the apocalypse, that makes it hard to survive.
I said,
"Your sister's alone right now, right?"
"...Yes."
"Go on up."
Jeong Eun-seo looked at me.
After a moment, she bowed her head.
"...I hate to impose... but... thank you."
"No imposition at all. Come on."
I nodded for her to go ahead and escorted her as far as the elevator.
The inline skaters working in the distance, Han Tae, Uncle Hoon, and the women occasionally glanced our way.
I waved and subtly pointed at Jeong Eun-seo.
They all nodded back.
Good people, every one of them.
As Jeong Eun-seo boarded the elevator, she bowed to me.
I smiled and nodded back, then slipped out the side door.
The inline crew was still clearing bodies.
There were corpses on the upper floors too, and over a hundred in the mart alone. Just cleanup would take ages.
The grandmas were tending the rooftop garden, while Su-hyun and the others reinforced the shutters.
I hadn't said a word, but they'd divided up the tasks perfectly among themselves.
Everyone was busy.
I watched them work for a bit before leaving the building.
I needed to grind levels too.
Jeong Eun-seo's sister—probably her last blood relative left in the world. Like everyone else here, the others were either missing, dead, or turned into zombies.
What must it feel like to have that one last family member bedridden and sick?
...What about my family?
A weight was settling in one corner of my heart.
I'd resolved at dusk to go search for them, but the more time I spent with these people day by day, the harder it got to just leave them behind.
Could I really abandon them?
Su-hyun, Ye-eun.
The others.
"...Tch."
Screw it.
What I knew right now was that it wasn't time to leave. Having people around who made life enjoyable was enough for now.
Time to level up.
Next to the convenience store.
I glanced down the alley toward the boarding house.
Nothing there.
They weren't watching 24/7, apparently.
I turned and headed down to the underpass.
"Hoo..."
Sitting on the toilet, I wiped the blood trickling down my chin.
Current time: around 9 p.m.
Two raids.
Level already at 75.
I'd dumped 3 points into stamina earlier, bringing it to 98.
3 points left.
...Finally, breaking past 100.
To 135...!
And then...
...?!
What the hell?
It wouldn't go past 100.
I tapped it again.
And again.
No matter how many times I tried, stamina wouldn't budge.
1 point left.
Why?
"...Goddamn it."
Emptiness washed over me.
Stat cap?
100 was the limit?
"...Ha."
Made me want to curse.
I closed my eyes, clicked my tongue, and checked the status window again.
...A stat cap, huh.
If stamina capped at 100, it was reasonable to assume the others did too.
Max out strength, and one raid could take out 100 human beasts? Something like that?
"...Tch."
Disappointing.
Really disappointing.
I dumped the last point into strength and sighed.
Those human beasts, the sprinting zombies—I'd hoped I could wipe them out in one go.
It was a dashed hope.
Not that there were no gains.
Stamina at 100 meant insane recovery.
Compared to before, I regenerated almost four times faster. If I pushed it, I could raid four times a day.
Strength at 100? That'd be 400 a day.
This underground mall.
Assuming a thousand total, three days tops to wipe them out.
Pretty...
Impressive progress.
But the disappointment lingered.
I wanted that 135 stamina.
I pulled out my phone and checked the time.
9:02 p.m.
...9:02...
A bit early.
One more raid before heading back.
Mood was shit, but discovering the stat cap was a harvest of sorts.
Level up, get the new specialization.
Yeah.
Next specialization.
Hurry and level so I can grab it fast.
1 a.m.
All stats recharged in just four hours.
...50 points in four hours.
Just a week ago, it felt like I'd spent whole days waiting for stats to refill.
Disappointing was disappointing, but the faster recovery was a win.
Maybe plan my growth direction.
Strength was definitely lacking now.
Acceleration always left me with two uses.
But two accelerations?
Hardly "plenty."
Something nagged at me.
Those cockroaches spying on us.
They were raiding small shops from afar, killing each other off, but their numbers weren't dropping.
They were getting more skilled, sure, but it also meant they kept luring people out.
Their forces were growing.
Stockpiling accelerations for emergencies wasn't a bad idea right now.
If I weren't laser-focused on leveling, I might've gone over and beaten answers out of them already.
No spare time now.
Can't waste accelerations on that.
Need the new specialization.
ASAP.
So, split 5 points each.
5 to strength, then 5 to mental power.
Secure acceleration while racking up kills.
I nodded and stood.
Damn toilet.
Hate this thing.
Ass hurts from the pressure.
Up to now, I'd cleared crowded open areas. Time to find a spot with decent rest space and sweep it clean.
Yeah.
The fountain park sounds good.
Or the second-floor terrace with the bookstore.
Smiling, I left the bathroom.
Stepping over the dozen-odd corpses in the restroom hallway, I entered the underground mall.
Hundreds of bodies strewn across dozens of meters in every direction.
Human beasts I'd slain.
Zombies that croaked.
...Felt damn proud.
Smiling, I eyed the distant bookstore.
Zombies shuffled faintly into view.
I headed that way, drawing a deep breath.
"Come here!"
"Krraarrgh?!"
Dozens of shops connected to the bookstore.
They poured out in a stampede.
Heads whipped around wildly.
Our eyes met.
"Kraaaagh! Kyaaagh!"
They charged.
I walked forward.
They rushed en masse.
Footsteps thundered.
Growls shook the air.
Tripping, grabbing, trampling, they barreled toward me.
A wave of humanity crashing my way.
I drew my sword.
Shing—
Plant one foot, bend the knee.
Lower my stance.
They swarmed in.
Dozens of maws gaped wide right in my face.
"Kraaaagh!"
I whirled into motion.
The next instant, I stood at the underpass entrance.
Quite a distance from the bookstore.
I'd burned 11 accelerations.
Rumble...
A landslide-like roar echoed from deep in the underpass.
Howls laced with agony reverberated through the air.
Smiling, I walked toward the mart building.
Clothes.
Time to ditch these too.
Glancing at the alley, I spotted a human-like shadow flickering by the utility pole again.
Pathetic.
I snorted and kept walking.
The building entrance was fully sealed now.
The side door I'd used was shuttered.
"Hmm."
What now?
As I tilted my head at the shutter, a voice called from upstairs.
"Ah, Seong-hun. Back already?"
Hm?
Looking up, it was one of the inline skating club guys.
Probably the one with a girlfriend in the club.
Forgot his name.
I waved.
The inline guy said,
"I'll tell them to open up. One sec."
A metallic clank sounded after a short wait.
Then the shutter rattled up.
Uncle Hoon grinned and welcomed me.
"Teo, teacher. You're back?"
"Yeah. Locking up properly now, eh?"
"Ah, yes. Su-hyun put in a ton of work. Come on in, teacher."
Inside, Uncle Hoon rattled the shutter back down.
Then he wedged a steel pipe through the round rings welded between the inner and outer shutters.
That was the metallic sound from earlier.
"Thanks. Good work."
Two on watch at a time, probably.
I wanted to rest.
As I started walking, Uncle Hoon said,
"Teo, teacher. My wife wanted you to have this..."
He held out a Lock & Lock container.
"What's this?"
"Ah, garlic chives pancakes. Had to use up the veggies before they spoiled. The women whipped up a bunch, apparently. My wife insisted this go to you."
I smiled and took it.
"Thanks. I'll enjoy it."
"Yes, teacher. Soy sauce is inside. Eat up. Get some solid rest, teacher."
I nodded with a smile and headed to the elevator.
...Not bad.
...Could I really leave them behind?
These people...
My heart grew a little heavy.
I took a deep breath and boarded the elevator.
Focus on leveling for now.
No need for stray thoughts.
I put 3 points into strength, hitting 34, and got off on the 10th floor.
Then I headed to the room where Ye-eun was sleeping.