Chapter 54
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: Survivors
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After that, spurred on by the thrill, I cleaved through every zombie in sight as I pressed forward.
Almost all of them, as long as it wouldn't slow me down too much.
In the end, it cost me three machetes, but about one-fifth of the zombies on the main street were turned back into corpses.
Of course, there was some delay, so it took another two hours from then to finally arrive.
Upon reaching Mastco, the points I'd accumulated totaled 670.
I confirmed the ample points and opened the shop window.
This time, it wasn't skills—it was the item shop.
Points on Hand: 670
[2L Bottled Water: 1P]
[Rice 150g: 1P]
[Pork Belly 400g: 12P]
...
[Pump-Action Shotgun (Remington Model 870): 1000P]
'No dice on the shotgun—short on cash.'
The 'Pump-Action Shotgun' had been nagging at me subtly ever since day one.
Among guns, its versatility put it in S-tier, so my eyes were inevitably drawn to it.
Buckshot, birdshot, slugs—shotgun spreads covered short-to-mid range like nothing else, while slugs (especially rifled ones) handled long-to-extreme distances that other firearms couldn't touch.
Even the ammo itself was sold in the shop by type—15P for 10 rounds—but its simple structure made it easier to craft than any other bullet, so I could even make homemade shells later on.
'What's the point of listing all these perks when I can't even afford it?'
Of course, I could backtrack the way I came and hunt for an hour to scrape together the 1000 points.
But was I desperate enough to go that far for a shotgun? Not really.
1000 points was something I could farm anytime anyway.
Right now, I needed to buy gear I actually required immediately.
The machete I'd ditched earlier was my last one.
'There it is.'
Scrolling down steadily, I finally spotted the item I'd been hunting for.
[Longsword: 500P]
A price that'd take every point I'd spent on skills so far combined to match.
That simple name hid something intriguing—how well did it justify its cost?
Half the shotgun's price, but ranged weapons always ran pricier anyway.
Plus, my 'Regulation Swordsmanship' skill was tailored for longswords, so this would synergize perfectly.
I stared at the 500P price for a moment, hesitating, then clicked purchase.
Item 'Longsword' has been purchased.
The purchase notification popped up, and without any delay, the longsword materialized right in front of me.
It hovered silently in midair, as if held by some invisible force.
Grabbing the hilt like it was begging me to, I immediately felt its substantial weight.
'Fits like a glove.'
The grip felt custom-made for me, and the balance was spot-on—nothing awkward about it.
Not flashy, just a straightforward longsword optimized for simplicity.
Blade length around 100 cm, give or take.
Even accounting for my enhanced strength, it wasn't as heavy as I'd thought.
'Probably under 2 kilos. Longswords are shorter and lighter than I figured?'
I'd always pictured them as long and hefty compared to greatswords, so this surprised me.
But anything longer might've felt unwieldy.
'Regulation Swordsmanship is tuned for this exact length.'
The swordsmanship knowledge etched in my mind.
It matched perfectly, down to the millimeter—I could finally wield this skill properly.
I gripped the longsword with both hands and assumed a stance.
Knees slightly bent, torso sideways.
Sword held horizontally at head level, tip aimed straight ahead.
The stance clicked into place, and sword paths traced themselves in my head.
I moved along one of those paths.
Shwick—!!
A crisp whoosh slicing the air.
The blade arced in a beautiful trajectory, settling smoothly.
No wobble in the balance meant no wasted motion after the swing.
'Whoa...'
I couldn't help but marvel.
Worlds apart from swinging a makeshift machete.
The machete was more about hacking; this was a true slice.
Yeah, this was real swordsmanship.
Everything I'd done before was just flailing a club.
"Worth every point."
I'd waffled a bit over the 500P, but that doubt was gone.
All that remained was the satisfaction of a smart buy.
As a test, I swung at some zombies on the way and headed into the Mastco grounds.
Cleaving them felt cathartic, pure bliss.
'Yeah, they're packed in here.'
Zombies crammed the outer parking lot.
The first floor inside, visible in the distance, swarmed with them too.
A warehouse-style megamart hit by disaster on a busy weekend afternoon—par for the course.
Still, this was too many.
"Tch... what now?"
Nameless's duration had ended, but I'd hopped up to a utility pole anyway...
Surveying the scene, even with Nameless on, I'd have to brush past zombies to get in.
Not ideal.
Pondering options from atop the pole, I spotted a ladder linking to what looked like the second-floor door.
'Emergency or employee access?'
No safety features, which meant zombies couldn't climb it by accident.
And since it was in a low-traffic spot, fewer zombies around.
'That'll do.'
The moment Nameless's cooldown reset, I activated it and headed for the ladder.
Not forgetting to drop a few zombies en route.
'No handle, huh...'
Up the ladder, no doorknob where it should be.
Couldn't open from outside—confirmed emergency exit, not staff.
No big deal.
'Good thing I boosted durability. Bare hands would've shredded on the shards.'
With gratitude to my past self, I clenched my fist and smashed the door.
Bam—!!
A half-strength punch.
My Strength 70 fist casually blew the sturdy metal door off its hinges.
Frowning at the dust cloud, I stepped inside.
'Second floor's lighter on zombies than expected.'
Stairs and a door greeted me.
The door wasn't locked; opening it normally revealed the second floor's layout.
Mastco's second floor handled mid-sized furniture, clothing, luxury goods, and accessories.
First floor: appliances, sundries, essentials.
Basement one: groceries.
By nature, fewer people came up here than downstairs, so relatively fewer zombies.
Still, easy 1000 of them.
I sliced through zombies while scouting for survivors, pushing deeper.
"Grrrraaah—!!"
A middle-aged male zombie's head and torso hit the floor separately.
I flicked the blood off the longsword and advanced.
Aiming for a full loop starting from the perimeter, half a lap in and time had passed.
Luxury and clothing sections—checked dressing rooms—no survivors.
Just hardened bloodstains hinting at struggles, and zombies with bite marks milling nearby.
Furniture section next.
'Hope there's someone here.'
Total wipeout would be a problem.
Clearing the building was just grunt work, but I'd need hands to manage it later.
Locals beat importing from outside.
Furniture corner: toppled pieces everywhere.
Halfway through, only signs of people getting eaten—unease crept in.
'Really a total wipe?'
Lower floors might have stragglers, but from earlier, not many.
Needed to find as many as possible up here to make things easier.
Thankfully, a barricade of piled furniture came into view—relief washed over me.
'Right, with this many people, survivors make sense.'
Sighing in relief, I stowed the longsword in my inventory and approached the barricade.
Up close, faint signs of life grew audible—conversations from quite a crowd.
The familiar murmur of a group lifted the corners of my mouth.