Chapter 64
Chapter 64
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 64
Chapter Title: 21. Sorrowful Rage (3)
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"Urgh...!"
A shiver of pleasure raced up my spine.
Ye-eun clung to me tightly, letting out a moan.
"Haa..."
I slowly moved my hips, savoring the warm tightness enveloping me, and let out a long sigh.
We showered together and lay down in bed to sleep, but Ye-eun whispered from within my arms.
"...Oppa, when are you leaving again?"
I roughly calculated the time.
"Probably before sunrise."
"...Let's have breakfast together... okay?"
I stroked Ye-eun's breast and said,
"I want to, too. But safety comes first. Understand?"
Ye-eun said nothing more.
She burrowed deeper into my embrace.
I turned her around and hugged her from behind.
I slipped my hand between her legs, caressing her, and closed my eyes.
The soft texture under my fingers felt good.
I'd been short on sleep these past few days.
But there was no helping it.
It was around two in the morning, I figured.
Leaving at six.
I heard a faint vibration from my phone and opened my eyes.
Time to go.
Ye-eun was sleeping soundly.
I carefully slipped out without waking her and restocked emergency rations from the mart.
Then I headed back to the underpass and went down.
"Hoo..."
The fountain was red.
Three corpses in there, and the water was that shade of red.
Not quite blood-red—more transparently crimson, like strawberry juice.
It was a little before three in the afternoon.
"Haa, haa."
I caught my breath and called up my status window.
Chosen One
[Specialization - Survival Specialist][Level - 85]
[Title - One Who Gained Strength]
Skills
[Passive - Soul Tattoo Lv. 2]
[Passive - Recovery]
[Active - Acceleration] (Auto-casting)
[Distribution Points - 4]
Mental Power:10/62Senses:2/2
Four level-ups.
Seven levels in nine hours total.
Leveling's getting faster and faster.
Fifteen more to go.
I put three points into Mental Power, making it 65.
One into Strength, making it 36.
Three o'clock...
Haven't slept much over the past few days from all the leveling—Fatigue's built up quite a bit.
Lie down, and I'll be out like a light.
Maybe crash hard after today's raid.
Head back this evening, then.
I set a vibration alarm on my phone for a time when I'd recover.
I chewed on a blood-flavored energy bar and closed my eyes.
I bolted upright.
Damn, the alarm went off.
Tried to snooze for ten more seconds, fiddled around, and fell back asleep.
Wasted time.
Mouth feels sticky.
Not from the bar—probably from all the blood splattered on my lips mixing in.
I spat it out, cracked open some mineral water, and chugged it.
"Hoo."
Lukewarm.
Still refreshing.
I slapped my cheeks and grabbed my sword.
The bookstore and cafe near the fountain were completely cleared.
Now, just the path to the subway station left.
Still lined with shops, swarming with zombies.
I rolled my shoulders a few times and drew my sword.
Shing—
"Hoo... Let's go."
Way too little sleep. Damn.
Eyes feel heavy.
I shook my head, took deep breaths to clear my mind, and strode toward them.
Suuuup.
"Hey! Quiet your barking!"
Their heads spun around wildly.
"Grraaaargh!"
They charged, barking.
A wave of human beasts.
I pulled my sword back and crouched.
Then kicked off the ground.
"Hup!"
Acceleration!
"Hoo..."
I gripped the railing at the underpass entrance and bowed my head.
One Acceleration left. Used twelve already.
Rumble!
From deep in the underpass, beastly barks and collapsing sounds echoed together.
Noise like that doesn't faze me anymore.
Three level-ups, Strength at 39.
Strength. Nice.
The higher it goes, the faster I level.
Level 88 already.
Coming quick.
Good, all good.
But... tired.
Time to head back.
After catching my breath, I returned to the big mart building.
No interest in worrying about scouts in alleys or whatever.
Pretty dark out.
What time?
Nine.
...Oh, Su-hyun messaged.
[Oppa, big trouble. Where are you? Come quick.]
Big trouble?
I started to reply but pocketed my phone since the building was right there and kept walking.
Back at the building, the shutter rolled up.
Hun-ajussi and Su-hyun were there together.
"T-Teacher. You're back."
"Oppa! Why so late!"
Their faces were grim.
I asked, a bit startled,
"What happened?"
Su-hyun looked on the verge of tears and said,
"Jeong Han-seo... he's dead."
...Jeong Han-seo?
Who's that.
Jeong...
...Ah.
Jeong Eun-seo's little brother!
I glanced between Su-hyun and Hun-ajussi.
Their faces said it wasn't a joke.
I said,
"When? Why?"
Su-hyun shook her head.
"Don't know. That nurse sister, Myung-jin unnie? She said probably cerebral hemorrhage, but she's no doctor, didn't run tests or anything, so she's not sure."
I nodded and headed for the elevator.
"Where's everyone?"
"All gathered in Han-seo-ssi’s room."
Rattle.
Hun-ajussi lowering the shutter.
In the elevator, I hit 10 and said,
"So that's the urgent thing. Missed your message handling those bastards."
Su-hyun shook her head.
"Wasn't the message about that. Han-seo-ssi just died."
I tilted my head at Su-hyun.
Something else big?
Su-hyun pulled up YouTube on her phone and showed me.
"Look at this, oppa."
Drone footage.
Skyscrapers.
Drone weaving through the city center.
Zombies filling the streets.
And...
...Korean signs?
I squinted and asked,
"Where's this?"
Su-hyun bit her lip and said,
"...Gangnam."
...What?
Gangnam?!
"Right around the corner. Few subway stops away?"
Su-hyun shook her head.
"Oppa, shutter reinforcement's gonna take forever. And just the first floor won't cut it. If that horde heads here... if they even stick to this building."
...That's bad.
Even I can't kill tens or hundreds of thousands swarming.
I've got killer skills, but heavy limits too.
Plus, zombie immunity or not, if Accelerations run out and I'm wide open, getting grabbed means no survival.
They'd rip me apart.
"...Yeah, that's big trouble."
I nodded and said so.
Su-hyun nodded too.
"We'll do what we can. Who knows, maybe they go elsewhere."
...Pure wishful thinking.
One wrong turn, and we're exposed.
Can't leave it to luck.
Like Su-hyun said, need to fortify this building.
But all those wall windows.
Reinforced glass or not, glass is glass. Enough pressure, it'll shatter.
...How to reinforce every window?
Damn.
No clue on that.
While I pondered, we reached the tenth floor.
Door opened, and I knew which was Jeong Han-seo's room.
Open door.
People standing outside.
That's his room.
Where he died.
As I approached, they recognized me and parted.
Inside, Jeong Han-seo lay on the bed.
Like he was sleeping.
Jeong Eun-seo knelt beside the bed.
One hand gripping her brother's tightly.
The other on her knee.
Fist clenched.
Fist trembling.
I looked at Jeong Eun-seo.
She'd said she felt dizzy.
No way someone fine collapses from dizziness and dies.
It's those bastards.
The cockroaches beat her in a group.
Who'd tell that woman clutching her dead brother's hand it wasn't the cause, some other reason?
Her good intentions to help turned into her only family dying.
Can't imagine her feelings.
Drip, drip.
Tears fell from Jeong Eun-seo's eyes.
Su-hyun and Ye-eun passed me and entered.
So-eun and Hun-ajussi's wife too.
Comforting her, patting her shoulder.
Empty words.
Jeong Eun-seo forced a smile, glanced at the women.
Then our eyes met.
She stared at me, covered in blood.
Not blinking.
I said nothing.
Just looked at Jeong Eun-seo.
She didn't say anything to me either.
I think I know what she wants.
She seems to know what I figured out.
I held her gaze, then turned.
"I'm gonna wash up."
Into Su-hyun's room, stripped, into the bathroom.
Shwaaa.
Refreshing.
Clean.
And please.
Cockroaches.
Stay away for now.
If I see you, sword before words.
I lay on the bed for missed sleep.
People discussing what to do with Jeong Han-seo's body.
Can't bury outside.
Can't toss on road and burn.
Su-hyun entered.
"Oppa. Sleeping?"
I cracked my eyes and looked toward the door.
Su-hyun leaned on the frame.
"What?"
"Han-seo-ssi. Cremating on the roof. Wanna... come?"
...Cremation...
...Not what Jeong Eun-seo wants—fancy rites or condolences.
I got up, pulled on shorts and a tee.
"Yeah."
Walked with Su-hyun to the roof stairs.
Su-hyun said,
"Oppa. Girls wanna hang with Eun-seo unnie tonight... that okay?"
Asking carefully.
Doesn't wanna cling to me in this mood.
Yeah, fair.
I nodded.
"Got it."
On the roof, pyre ready. Dismantled furniture wood, three petrol-filled bottles. That's it.
Two inline skate guys placed Jeong Han-seo's sheet-wrapped body on the wood.
Reached for petrol.
Jeong Eun-seo stepped up, took the bottle.
Men handed it over, stepped back.
Jeong Eun-seo stood, stared at her brother long.
Then poured the petrol.
No eulogy.
Jeong Han-seo's body burned, sending bright flames and black smoke skyward.
People watched silently.
Jeong Eun-seo stood one step back.
I felt her gaze.
She was looking at me.
Sad eyes filled with rage.