Chapter 131
Chapter 131
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 131
Chapter Title: Confrontation in the VIP Room
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“Recall.”
With my single word, a massive army assembled in front of the auction house.
Skeleton soldiers forged from steel stood in perfect formation,
while demon soldiers summoned from hell filled the surrounding area.
The players inside Daegyeongseong buzzed with unease.
It wasn’t just a single platoon—there were at least a hundred troops occupying the town, so it was only natural they’d be terrified.
Every single one of the summons before me was far from ordinary.
I decided to enter the auction house building with the bare minimum personnel, surrounding it completely.
“... The demon unit will guard the outside. Skeleton soldiers and lieutenant-grade summons, follow me.”
I’d only said “lieutenant-grade,” but Ares, Gawain, and Park Gyuhwan fell in line perfectly. The system must relay my intentions to them to some extent.
Creak.
Cool air rushed out as I opened the door. Despite the massive fire earlier, had they vented the heat with the AC?
“Park Gyuhwan, you’ve fought modified zombies before, right?”
“Yes, sir.”
“The one inside this building is about ten times stronger than the ones you faced.”
“...”
“Find it and take it down. Gawain, you don’t know what a modified zombie looks like, so stick with Park Gyuhwan.”
Gawain shook his head side to side, signaling refusal.
“With this guy?”
“That’s an order.”
“... Understood.”
Gawain bowed politely. What choice did he have against an order? A master’s command was absolute.
At my signal, we all charged into the auction house. In a space this vast, we had to spread out to search.
The skeleton soldiers scattered in all directions, flinging open every door in the auction house.
They didn’t hesitate at the VIP rooms either. Men’s restroom, women’s restroom—they forced open every stall without exception.
Bang!
-Kyaaak!
We ignored anyone who wasn’t a zombie and pressed on. Dealing with them one by one would only waste time.
Less than five minutes after we entered, we found a zombie.
It was hiding in front of the emergency stairs leading from the first floor to the second.
I kept my distance and observed it. A modified zombie should have black skin, but this one was purple.
“... X Virus?”
It looked like one of the Goblin Unit members. I tried talking to him.
“Hello.”
“Grrr...”
“Do you know who I am?”
“Grr...”
No luck with communication, as expected. I’d heard modified zombies retained enough intelligence for conversation,
but this one didn’t seem modified at all. Just a regular zombie infected by the virus.
Thud thud thud thud!
Park Gyuhwan charged in.
“One Strike Kill—”
Crack!
He cleaved it in half with a single blow.
Blood sprayed out, soaking the ground. A couple drops splattered on my cheek. I wiped my face with my palm and said to Park Gyuhwan,
“You’ve gotten stronger.”
“Thanks to you, sir.”
It wasn’t the target I wanted, but his skills were more than satisfactory.
He radiated the kind of confidence that said he could take on anyone.
After praising Park Gyuhwan, I sent him back on his way.
“Let’s head to the next floor.”
The skeleton soldiers finished searching the first floor and moved up.
Gawain and Park Gyuhwan began shifting positions while scanning their surroundings.
As Lina walked toward the upper floors, she glanced at my soldiers and asked,
“These guys don’t have a time limit?”
“Nope. They won’t stop unless I cancel the summons or die.”
“Hmm... So you could kill enemies, resurrect them, and use them?”
“... If I wanted to.”
I could tell exactly what she was getting at. It was the same thought everyone from other classes had when they saw a necromancer’s power.
Subdue the strong,
and make them serve you.
“So wouldn’t it be better to hunt players and keep them around? You could collect every class that way.”
“... If they were stronger than the ones I’m using now, sure.”
“You’re saying players are weaker than monsters?”
“For now. And I have no intention of killing other players without justification.”
“Justification, huh...”
Lina smirked.
I cut the conversation short and headed upstairs. I couldn’t afford to waste time on pointless talk.
I needed to subdue No Hyoman as quickly as possible and return to the “Ruined Village.”
“For the next round.”
Boom!
An explosion rocked the upper levels of the building. The shock reached us, but it didn’t shake much, so it had to be pretty high up.
I took Jeongwoo and Lina to the elevator.
“Park Gyuhwan, Gawain. You two search slowly with the skeleton soldiers as you go up. Don’t miss a single ant.”
-Understood.
“Ares, you ride the elevator with me.”
-Yes, sir!
Ding-dong.
The elevator arrived. We hit the button for the top floor. Normally, non-VIPs couldn’t access it,
but now it worked.
Meaning the VIP floor’s owner was either gone or dead.
“... Ma Jeongwoo. My summons will handle the fighting, so protect my body.”
“Got it. How many Recalls can you do?”
“Three per day, so two left.”
“... Plenty.”
Ding-dong.
The high-speed elevator shot us to the rooftop in seconds. The doors opened, and a foul stench assaulted our noses.
“Kim Cheonjae.”
“... Blood.”
We cautiously entered the VIP room. It was decked out like a luxury hotel, with opulent furniture and decorations.
The floor showed signs of someone injured walking deeper inside.
Blood drops trailed across the carpet, one or two at a time.
The stains hadn’t dried yet, so it hadn’t been long.
We could catch them if we hurried.
We picked up the pace, moving through the VIP suite like special forces on alert, each covering a different direction.
“Ares, take point.”
“Got it.”
Ares led with his long spear. We reached what looked like a lobby with three doors. All closed. No blood trail on the floor leading to any.
Unsure which way to go, we paused.
I focused my aura on my nose, sniffing like a dog.
Trying to pinpoint which direction the blood scent was strongest.
Sniff. Sniff.
“... Can’t tell.”
All three rooms reeked of blood. The scent was equally thick from each—no way to pick one.
I stood in the middle and said to Lina,
“Lina, take the left.”
“Splitting up?”
“Scared?”
“... No.”
“Jeongwoo, you take the right.”
Jeongwoo gripped his dagger tightly and tilted his head.
“What about you?”
“I’ll check the middle.”
“You sure? You don’t even have gear.”
“Neither do you.”
“I’m a warrior— a dagger’s all I need to be strong.”
“... I’ve got Recall, so I won’t lose to anyone. And with Ares here, what’s the problem?”
Jeongwoo nodded.
“Alright, be careful.”
“You be careful. You’re just in a robe.”
“My body’s my armor. Hey, mage. You really okay alone?”
Lina gave a thumbs-up.
“Don’t worry. I got jumped earlier and looked bad, but I’m a 10th-round mage.”
* * * * *
Bang!
I kicked the door open and stepped inside.
A massive window overlooking the outside, a sofa, and a bed.
I sent Ares ahead and advanced slowly.
“... Ares, battle ready.”
I crouched into a fighting stance. The window was covered in bloody handprints. Someone had desperately tried to escape this room.
Ares halted as he moved deeper inside. He slowly dragged his spear from high to low and asked me,
“There’s an enemy in here, but I can’t pinpoint where.”
The rotten zombie stench and ominous aura were unmistakable. But its location eluded us. The bed and sofa right in front of us were empty.
No furniture or objects anywhere.
I concentrated my mind.
“Maybe?”
I recalled the modified zombie from before crawling on the ceiling. I snapped my head up to check.
Nothing.
Just plain white cement covering it.
“... Here.”
I pointed at the floor beneath Ares. The carpet covering the room. A strong aura emanated from below it.
At my signal, Ares swung his spear wide, smashing down into the carpet.
Crack!
A groan came from within.
-Ugh!
The carpet suddenly flipped up, sending Ares flying. A massive creature burst out from below, tossing the carpet aside like a blanket.
“Pfft! How’d you know I was hiding here?!”
Glossy black skin like enamel, horn-rimmed glasses, and the military buzz cut.
“... No Hyoman.”
Operations Officer No Hyoman revealed himself.
“Heh heh... If it isn’t our hero, Kim Cheonjae?”
“Have you truly abandoned your humanity?”
“Abandoned my humanity? Does that make me a demon?”
“... No, more like a beast. An animal driven purely by instinct.”
His brow furrowed deeply.
“Driven purely by instinct?”
“I know everything. You let Dr. Oh modify your body, right?”
“...”
“You were injected with blood from a monster infected by the zombie virus.”
“...”
“If I’m right, you crave every living thing right now. Meaning you devoured plenty of humans on your way up here.”
“... Bingo.”
No Hyoman flashed a sleazy grin. His face felt as wicked as a demon’s. A dark aura that no longer belonged to a human.
“What are you going to tell Kim Juncheol? He won’t forgive you looking like that.”
“Kim Juncheol? Pfft! Tell him? I’ll just kill them all.”
“What?”
“That bastard humiliated me—time to pay him back one by one.”
“...”
No Hyoman clenched his fists hard, gathered aura in both hands, and slammed the ground.
Boom!
The floor cracked, shaking the building violently. He looked at me with smug satisfaction. Showing off his power like some street punk.
“See that? That’s the power of Dr. Oh’s perfected modified virus.”
“...”
“Strength of a large monster, agility of a medium one, and flexibility from a small monster’s DNA—all injected into me.”
“...”
“I’m the strongest now. You think I’d listen to that punk Kim Juncheol?”
I nodded as I listened quietly to No Hyoman. He’d confessed everything I wanted to know on his own.
I pulled the recorder from my robe pocket and showed it to him.
Click.
[‘Recording’ complete]
“W-what the hell is that?”
“Thanks for confessing your crimes yourself, No Hyoman. Made securing evidence a breeze.”