Chapter 16 Ability
Ability
Episode 17
『Tower appearance in 7 seconds... remaining.』
The lecture hall plunged into darkness. The Tower's enormous shadow blotted out the sky.
As the structure descended, the lights flickered and died one by one. We could only stare upward through the darkened windows.
It was so enormous it seemed to bisect Seoul's skyline.
『Tower appearance in 2 seconds...... remaining.』
The instant the Tower's base struck the Han River, a blinding flash swept over the city.
Booooom!
I shielded my eyes, but the world vanished into white.
When my vision finally cleared, a window floated before me.
『Status Window』
---------------------
Name: Park Si-hyun
Level: 1
Height: 185.7cm, 83kg
Title: None
Occupation: None
Gender: Male (20)
Origin: Republic of Korea
Sexual Experience: Virgin (0)
Status: Panicked
+Stats
[Strength 31][Agility 34][Stamina 32][Mana 29]
+Abilities
[.........] Blooming
[.........] Blooming
+Skills
[Optimal Progression (Unknown - 31%)]
---------------------
The status window, which had been inactive until now, finally activated.
But there was no time to dwell on it.
『Confirmed: Protagonist's capability abnormally high』
『Adjusting difficulty from "Normal" to maximum "Heaven"』
『Monster damage limit set to 200%』
『Affection levels with women will rise to extremes.』
I could hardly believe what I was reading.
Heaven difficulty? Monster damage boosted to 200%? None of this had existed in the game I knew.
'You've got to be kidding. The original game could kill you in a handful of hits, and that was Normal? Is this some kind of punishment for trying to survive?'
I clenched my jaw. Panicking wouldn't help. With the protagonist's abilities, I still had a chance—
So-eun turned toward me, horror written across her face.
"S-Si-hyun! A-are you okay?!"
「Kang So-eun's Affection Level: 6/10」
An affection indicator floated above her head.
"What...?"
Then she went rigid, staring at something only she could see. Her own status window must have opened.
I wanted to know what it said, but under the game's rules the protagonist could only see other people's affection levels unless they willingly shared their information.
At least, that was how it was supposed to work.
-......W-What... is this...?
I heard So-eun's voice again—except her lips weren't moving.
-...S-Status window?
At first the words were muffled. Then they sharpened. I stared at her, hardly trusting my ears.
And suddenly—
-V-Virgin? Why is something like this even showing up?
Her status window opened in front of me as clearly as my own.
『Status Window』
---------------------
Name: Kang So-eun
Level: 1
Height: 166.3cm, 45kg
Title: None
Occupation: None
Gender: Female (20)
Origin: Republic of Korea
Sexual Experience: Virgin (0)
Three Sizes: 82 - 56 - 87
Status: Panic → Calm (14s)
+Stats
[Strength 15][Agility 18][Stamina 16][Mana 11]
+Abilities
[Control]
+Skills
[Calm Leadership (Pending Creation)]
----------------------
This was impossible.
Until the tutorial ended, no one was supposed to see anyone else's status window. Even afterward, it wasn't something the protagonist could access freely.
Yet I was reading every line of hers.
-Ugh, this is insane. What the hell is that tower...? Ah, is Si-hyun okay?
Her lips hadn't moved. I could hear what she was thinking.
'What the hell is happening?'
As I watched her, still more information crowded into my mind. Her expression and every movement conveyed not only what she felt but why she was so frightened.
─Ah... P-Park Si-hyun. Why are you staring at me like that...?
Her inner thoughts were pouring straight into my head. And it wasn't just So-eun.
"Is everyone okay!?"
"Wh-What was that thing that fell?"
"L-Look, there's something over there!"
Students' voices rose around me. But I could also sense what they were feeling, and thoughts they never spoke seemed to hang in the air.
-Damn it, this is crazy. What's that black thing, and what's this in front of me?
-Isn't that the Han River?
-Why is my sexual experience listed here!?
Their thoughts drifted around them like wisps of mist.
'Is this my ability...?'
Before I could process what was happening—
Ding-
My status window flashed.
There was a new word on it.
『Read』
An ability I didn't remember from the original game.
#
I stared at the screen, stunned.
+Abilities
---------------------
「Read」
[.........] Blooming
---------------------
I couldn't believe my luck.
I'd hit the jackpot.
'Two abilities? Are you serious? How broken is this character?'
In Journey of the Eastern Tower, each person was supposed to possess a single ability. Somehow, I'd become an exception.
'This is ridiculous. In the best possible way.'
I didn't know how I'd gained two abilities, but it gave me hope of surviving Heaven difficulty—even if I had to surpass Ha-rin to do it.
The most crucial power in Journey of the Eastern Tower.
「Abilities」
An ability was a unique concept assigned to one person. No two people could possess exactly the same one at the same time.
If I held 「Read」, for example, nobody else in the world could hold 「Read」 simultaneously.
That was why I hadn't gotten rid of Golden Sun—Kang Yu-seong. I'd kept him close instead.
If his ability manifested in someone else, tracking it down would become a nightmare.
And his ability was—
"Hey! Kang So-eun, you okay?!"
『Status Window』
Name: Kang Yu-seong
Level: 1
Height: 182.5 cm, 77 kg
Title: None
Occupation: None
Gender: Male (20)
Origin: Republic of Korea
Sexual Experience: 329 (based on ejaculations)
Status:
Stats
[Strength 13] [Agility 13] [Stamina 19] [Mana 15]
Abilities
[Copulate]
...It was none other than 「Copulate」.
'Pfft. Holy shit. Seriously, is this for real? Wow. This is actually insane.'
I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from laughing. I never thought I'd actually see that ridiculous ability spelled out in a real status window.
'Right. This is still an eroge.'
Once Kang Yu-seong's 「Copulate」 was dealt with—
「Read」
[.........] Blooming
'...and my other ability fully awakens, I'll be done here.'
Everything was going according to plan. Now all I needed was...
Ding.
The protagonist's signature ability should have been 「Conquer」.
「Seize」
Wait. Where was it?
"......??"
I checked again.
「Read」
「Seize」
I rubbed my eyes, then looked a second time.
Nothing changed.
「Read」
「Seize」
I had two abilities, and neither was the one the protagonist was supposed to have.
'Hang on. Wait. This has to be a dream.'
I tapped my forehead, hoping to wake myself up. Instead, the lecture hall came into sharper focus.
'I'm the protagonist... aren't I? Then who has 「Conquer」?'
My thoughts stalled. Without that ability, with the difficulty already raised...
'Heaven difficulty. Double monster damage. I barely survived the game on Normal. I'm dead.'
I stared around the room.
Countless abilities appeared above the students, but not one of them was 「Conquer」.
'Is this how I die?'
My hands began to shake. Then—
Buzz—
My phone vibrated in my back pocket. Still dazed, I took it out.
「Nemesis」
Se-eun.
Only then did I realize—not just me, but everyone had their phones out.
"Mom?! Is Kang Han okay?!"
"Hey, Kang So-eun, why the hell are you ignoring me?! Damn it! Yu Hye-na, why do you keep clinging to—"
"Everyone, please calm down! Rescue teams will arrive soon!"
"Professor! It's on the news! Some kind of alien structure fell into the Han River!"
"N-no, it's not just us! America and China too!"
"What the hell is that thing?!"
"How the fuck should I know?! Just shut up and stay put!"
The room dissolved into chaos.
But no one was as shocked as I was. Because I knew exactly what was happening.
I answered with a hollow voice.
"Hey!! Why'd you take so long to pick up?! And it's a whole week early!! What the hell's going on?! Holy shit, it really appeared. I'm losing my mind. What do we do?!"
I was the one losing my mind.
「Conquer」 was missing. I had no idea which person had inherited the protagonist's strongest ability.
Trying to steady my voice, I asked a question.
"Your ability... it isn't 「Conquer」, is it?"
"Huh? No. Mine says 「Twist」. Why?"
"Right. Not you, then..."
I let out a breath. Who could possibly have 「Conquer」?
Before I could finish that thought—
Zzzzzzz—
A burning pain flared behind my right eye.
『Reading the owner of 「Conquer」.』
It felt as though a laser were scorching my retina from the inside.
"Ghk—!"
I grabbed my face, but my right eye was already seeing through the lecture hall walls.
'Huh?'
My sight tore through the classroom, past the Main Building, and into the sky beyond, revealing a scene I couldn't possibly have witnessed from here.
Gooo—
My vision hurtled onward like a train at full speed, then stopped so abruptly that the image shook. A figure stood at its center.
Sunlight poured over an open plain. A gentle breeze stirred the grass.
A golden-haired woman stood alone beneath the sun. She brushed her hair behind one shoulder and turned, as though she'd felt someone watching her.
Her blue eyes widened. Even startled, she carried herself with the dignity and resolve of a knight.
Our eyes met.
「Conquer」
That single word appeared above her.
Then my vision snapped backward, retracing the distance in an instant.
"Tch?!"
Thud.
As the vision collapsed, searing pain stabbed through my right eye.
For a moment I couldn't see out of it at all. White light smeared across everything, leaving only a blur.
Gradually, my sight returned.
'Was that 「Read」?'
I could think of no other explanation. And despite the pain, a little of my panic subsided.
'At least 「Conquer」 belongs to that heroine. That's one less disaster to worry about.'
Pushing aside my doubts about the abilities I'd inherited, I opened the status window once more.
+Abilities
---------------------
「Read」
「Seize」
---------------------
『Read』
It was an unusual ability, one I hadn't even seen in the original work. If that was the case, then the ability called 「Seize」...
"Hey! Why aren't you answering me?!"
I'd been so relieved to locate 「Conquer」 that I'd forgotten Se-eun was still on the phone.
I brought the phone back to my ear, feeling guilty.
"Sigh... Hey. Listen carefully. I'm coming there, so don't go wandering around recklessly. Just hold out with your friends. Use your abilities only as much as necessary—just enough to hit a person's weak points. Don't waste them. Efficiency. Efficiency is key. In a situation where everything's scarce, efficiency. Don't forget that."
"Hey, wait—!"
"Don't trust strangers. Just wait for me."
Click.
I ended the call.
Bzzzt—
The phone immediately vibrated again.
I gave a bitter smile. I didn't even need to look.
「Our Noona」
Ha-rin was calling this time.
"...Damn it."
I hovered over the answer button.
Then Professor Jang Hye-jeong shouted over the commotion.
"The government has issued an evacuation order! Everyone, please move calmly toward the stairs, one at a time—"
She never finished.
Another message appeared before us.
Its words were chilling.
『To those not chosen, an opportunity to labor even in death...』
The announcement marked the beginning of the end.
"Not... chosen?"
Blood began running from the eyes of the student who had asked. He stared at his hands in horror.
"Huh...? Huh, huhhh?!"
And he wasn't the only one.
"W-Wait!? I, blood, blood?!"
"Ughhk?!"
Those without 「Abilities」 began vomiting blood one by one. Soon, people collapsed to the floor, barely breathing.
"Cough, cough!"
"Guhhk!"
The sight was unbearable. Their eyes pleaded for help, but soon even their ragged breathing stopped.
"A-Ah...!"
So-eun dropped her phone and clutched my sleeve, shaking.
"W-what the fuck? What's happening?!"
Yu-seong looked just as horrified. Beside him, Hye-na clung to his arm.
"E-Everyone, a-are you okay...?"
Professor Jang hurried toward the fallen students. I caught her wrist before she could reach them.
She looked at me in shock. I shook my head.
Because I knew what came next.
『To those not chosen, an opportunity to labor even in death...』
"Grrrr...."
"Grrruuuehh."
They weren't human anymore.
Figures with blood-red eyes struggled upright in the dark lecture hall. Their lifeless gazes found the survivors.
"Ggrrehh..."
"Ggaaah."
Wet, metallic rasps tore from their throats as they staggered toward us. There was only one word for them.
Zombies.
I pulled an extendable steel rod from my bag and snapped its sections together until it formed a spear. I swung it once to test the reach. It would let me keep the zombies at a distance.
Learning Spear Art hadn't been a waste. It was preparation for exactly this kind of Zombie Apocalypse.
"Wait, Park Si-hyun! You can't possibly—?! No!"
So-eun reached toward me, trying to stop me. She was already too late.
"Hey, hey!"
I charged the nearest zombie.
I swung the steel rod.
CRACK!
The impact shuddered up my arms.
Its head tore free in a spray of blood. The headless body kept twitching, arms grasping blindly toward me.
"...Tch."
My foot slammed into its abdomen first.
CRUNCH!
The ruined body collapsed in two pieces, still writhing on the floor. More zombies shrieked and rushed me.
They had no idea what they were facing.
+Stats
[Strength: 31] [Agility: 34] [Stamina: 32] [Mana: 29]
The average stat for a normal person was 10.
And I was at least four times stronger than the original protagonist.
『Through the fastest hunt in the world, you have acquired the title 'Hunter of the Wild'.』
『Damage dealt to monsters increased by 7%.』
『Passive 'Optimal Progression' completion rate has increased by 2.03%.』
『Current 'Optimal Progression' completion rate - 33.47%』
『Level has increased by 1.』
『Strength has increased by 2.』
『Agility has increased by 3.』
『Stamina has increased by 1.』
『Mana has increased by 1.』
And I was only getting stronger.