Chapter 104
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 104
Chapter Title: Anyone Got a Problem?
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Afterward, Doyun went around finding each of the people from the earlier meeting one by one and gathered them for another conference.
The agenda was, of course, about me and my group of survivors.
It didn't take long for the faces of the faction leaders who had formed the underground survivor group—those with a boss-like vibe—to shift from sullen expressions to ones of shock.
"Hah... To think it's come to this, even superhumans..."
"Now that zombies have shown up, it's a bit late in the game."
"Who would've thought there were other survivors besides us. And so close by, no less..."
Soon enough, hope and joy spread across their faces.
Humans are social animals.
The more of them there are, the more at ease people feel.
And so, the faction leaders nodded one by one in agreement with Doyun's words.
Especially the man in his thirties who had argued against Doyun earlier—he was the most enthusiastic in his support upon hearing that the gunshots he'd heard were from me.
...
However, the atmosphere had turned overly friendly, flowing in a direction that made it seem like I was volunteering to serve them.
Some were even chattering about how I'd take out all the zombies single-handedly and save them.
"Haha! What a relief. Thanks to this young man, it looks like we'll finally survive!"
"Thank you, young man! Oh, it was Yuseong, right?"
"Thanks a ton~. Whew, I thought we were goners stuck in a place like this for a whole month. And you'll clean us up nice and fresh like you did for Doyun and Seol-ah, right? I can't even touch my own hands anymore because I haven't been able to wash."
A brazen attitude, like they were just picking up something they'd left in storage.
Doyun wasn't stopping them either.
On the contrary, he was just gazing at me with eyes full of gratitude.
In a way, it was only natural.
In his mind, I was already framed as a good person.
'Arrogant... or just idiots?'
They weren't even thinking about offering rice cakes but were already slurping down kimchi soup.
I stood there silently with my arms crossed, thinking what presumptuous fools they were.
And only Seol-ah was fidgeting, glancing back and forth between me and the others.
Having been raped by me, she acutely knew I wasn't some saint—so it was natural.
On top of that, my hands could conjure fire from thin air or carve through a field of zombies alone.
'She's probably thinking I might kill all these people.'
But I had no intention of going that far.
Yeah.
Not quite that far.
"...I've been listening quietly up to now."
Ching—!
"You all have flower gardens in your heads or what?"
Silence fell in an instant.
The longsword drawn from my inventory gleamed with a sharp blue edge in my hand.
Its blade pointed at every human here.
I walked steadily toward the center of the crowd and continued.
"You all seem to think I'm some volunteer. Do I look insane? Why would I help useless trash like you for nothing?"
"Y-Yuseong...?"
"Shut up. Your role's over."
The sudden shift in mood froze everyone in place, and Doyun stared at me with a shocked face, wondering what the hell I was doing.
But at my order to shut up, he just worked his lips without saying a word.
No one here dared defy the cold demeanor of someone wielding a sharp longsword and mysterious powers.
Anyone like that had long since been torn apart and killed by zombies.
"Good thing you're quick on the uptake. Listen well. I will save you. But on the condition that you become my slaves and join our group."
"Slaves...?"
"What the—!"
Thud—!!
Before the uproar could build at the word "slaves," I stomped the floor to nip it in the bud, silencing them again.
Everyone's pupils shook at the sight of the metal shelf crumpling under one strike of my foot.
Even Seol-ah shrank back and sat quietly behind.
"What, you don't like it? Then step forward. Die by my hand. If you don't want that, jump down there right now and become zombie chow. Don't want to die? Become a slave. Don't want to be a slave? Die. Simple, right?"
A one-sided declaration, plain and simple.
There was no naive savior sprouting in their minds.
I made damn sure they etched into their brains that the man before them was a collector demanding everything in exchange for their lives and safety.
Of course, there was pushback.
"What the hell is this all of a sudden? Who even are you—! Arro... gant... bastard..."
But one glare, and they cowered like beaten dogs.
These were people who, in this world, preferred immediate pleasure and safety over striving to survive.
At least on our side upstairs, there were some active folks and even Jun-sang, so it worked out. But here, there was no such leader.
I dominated them more easily than expected.
Doyun couldn't even muster a word, staying silent.
Seol-ah crouched at the very back with a look that said she'd known this was coming.
Yet beneath it, I caught a glimpse of quiet joy at the thought that someone like me favored her.
'An example... killing one would be a bit much.'
Still, an example was absolutely necessary.
Something intensely memorable was essential for seizing control of a group.
In that sense... killing someone as an example...
Death by human hands rather than zombies would certainly have impact.
But slaughtering those already bowing would just invite sparks of rebellion that I'd have to deal with myself.
I'd cull the useless ones later anyway, but not now.
'I need shock... no, awe.'
Fear, not terror.
Same meaning, but subtly different.
The feeling when facing it directly versus imagining what it'd be like if it happened to you.
The difference between sensing "death" and envisioning it.
And these people had already felt death on their skin for over a month.
I needed to fill their heads with imagination, not sensation.
'Perfect. Something just right.'
The best way to make them imagine death.
Show them a stark difference in power.
An overwhelming power so vast they wouldn't even dream of resisting.
"Some of you might still doubt. Some might want to scream that becoming slaves out of nowhere is bullshit. Feel free to come at me anytime. But you'll have to face this power."
Vmmm—
I drew up my mana.
Their eyes widened in shock at the blue light rising from my entire body.
I wrapped all that surging mana around my sword.
The blade, glowing blue as mana gathered, pointed skyward.
Blade enveloped in azure mana.
Half of total reserves infused – overwhelming power.
"Think it over carefully. Submission or rebellion. The choice is yours alone. And all responsibility for that choice—and its consequences—falls squarely on you."
It wasn't a specific technique or spell.
Just crudely bundling my overflowing mana and wrapping it around the sword.
But crude meant raw power.
Using the mana control I'd honed with magic, I compressed it tightly onto the blade to hold the form.
'This should do it.'
Half my total.
That was the amount I'd poured into the longsword.
It glowed blue like a lightsaber.
The excessive mana buildup gave it considerable weight.
But swinging it was no issue.
I stepped forward, blade aimed at the sky.
Like the miracle of Moses, the people in my path parted.
They were terrified by the ominous aura.
My target had been decided from the start.
The pile of bread that must have rotted away over the month.
No fridge, and obviously no important food supplies.
So I could destroy it without worry.
"Here goes."
I swung the blue-glowing longsword down.
A blue flash, and one entire section ceased to exist.
Those who had been in the path moments ago gulped audibly at the sight of utter annihilation, not even dust remaining.
There was no scorching heat, but precisely because of that, it burned deep into their minds.
That this was an overwhelming "power" beyond our common sense.
'All according to plan.'
But it'd give off roughly that vibe.
I calmed the moderately heated sword with mana, stored it back in my inventory, and turned around.
Their expressions had clearly shifted to exactly what I wanted.
"Assuming you've got it now, one last question."
Anyone got a problem?
Of course, no one answered.
And so, more easily than expected, I had the underground survivor group in my grasp.
Afterward, I secretly pulled aside the still-trembling Seol-ah without Doyun noticing and comforted her.
Her cuter reactions were definitely better.