Chapter 17 SOS
SOS
Episode 18
I lunged at the zombies, steel rod raised.
The first zombie came straight at me. I smashed its skull and drove into the next attacker before the first had fallen. My body moved almost on instinct, each strike faster and cleaner than the last.
Then—
—Kieeeek!
Another zombie sprang at me. To my eyes, it might as well have been moving underwater.
『Reading zombie data.』
Information rushed into my head at once.
「Read」 showed me the zombies' movements and habits, their strengths and weaknesses—and, most importantly, where they would attack next.
I adjusted my swing before a zombie even lunged, struck it through the neck, and spun into the next. Blood sprayed across my face. I wiped my eyes clear and looked to the side.
—Kieeeek!
I threw the rod. It struck the screeching zombie in the head and sent it sprawling. More rushed at me; none got close enough to land a blow.
—Kieeek...
At last, the lecture hall went still. Bodies and blood covered the floor. Only then did I let myself breathe.
As the tension drained out of me, the rod sagged in my grip.
'Shit, my hands hurt. What are these things made of?'
On Heaven difficulty, the zombies' bodies were so tough that striking them felt like beating on metal.
My alloy rod was dented and slick with gore.
If I kept fighting this way, it would break before I'd killed another hundred.
I didn't need 「Read」 to tell me that.
Fortunately, I wouldn't have to rely on the rod forever. 「Seize」 meant I could turn my enemies' strength against them.
"P-Park Si-hyun...?"
Professor Jang Hye-jeong stared at me in terror.
Through 「Read」, every twitch of her face and shift of her posture became perfectly legible. I could tell she was afraid of me.
Other reactions drifted through the air around her.
-What kind of person is Park Si-hyun...?
-How can someone kill like that...?
-Is he even human...?
-...Damn, even covered in blood, he looks hot. I'm crazy. I wanna jump him.
"......?"
Fear, revulsion, amazement—and even attraction. Normally I'd have had something to say about that last one. Right now, I was too exhausted to care.
'I made it.'
That was all I could think.
'And nobody died because I hesitated. Thank God.'
It might have been easier to play the hero if someone had died first. The thought disgusted me as soon as it occurred.
No.
That wasn't how a decent person thought.
If I wanted to call myself human, the least I could do was save the people within reach.
『Title 'Benevolent Enforcer' acquired.』
On second thought, I was still going to beat Kang Yu-seong senseless. That bastard was a menace.
『Title revoked.』
I turned my attention to 「Seize」, which had helped me more than I'd expected.
+Abilities
「Read」
「Seize」
『Seize』
The ability had never appeared in the original game, though I remembered a villain with something similar.
He'd stolen the protagonist's body and become terrifyingly powerful. Then he tried to get close to Ha-rin, hoping to claim her for himself, and discovered his mistake.
—Who the hell are you?
She'd recognized the impostor instantly and taken his head off.
The villain had died, taking the original protagonist down with him.
─"Si-hyun is already dead? That's fine. I can just bring him back to life."
Even remembering Ha-rin's beautiful, merciless expression made my blood run cold. I was inhabiting the protagonist's body too. The resemblance was hard to ignore.
'Now that we've entered a magical setting, if they find out I'm a possessor, I might be killed. I absolutely cannot get caught.'
Screams echoed through the Main Building. Students flinched at every sound. Then my phone rang.
「My little brother」
Park Ha-rin...
She'd kept calling even while I was fighting. Was she really that worried about me?
Maybe. Still, I hesitated.
Should I answer at all?
While I was debating it—
Kugugugung—
My vision abruptly sharpened, as though some unseen hand were adjusting a camera lens. I saw across the city to an immense shape rising between the buildings.
At first it looked like a hill.
"......?"
Then it moved.
─GROOOAAAR!
A hideous mound of writhing zombies, its countless eyes rolling and its mouths gaping in a single vast scream.
『Zombie Swarm』
The thing stood more than a hundred meters tall.
It was one of the giants roaming the city—and it had just given me a reason to answer the phone.
"...Big sis."
I could feel tears gathering in my eyes. The monster filled my view.
"...I really miss you all of a sudden."
A student looked out the window and froze.
KWAANG—!
The enormous monster was tearing through the skyscrapers of Seoul.
The other students looked from the window to the mangled bodies on the floor. They seemed unable to decide which sight was worse.
I was already tearing the metal supports from desks while I spoke.
"What does it look like? We're getting out of here."
Everyone stared as if I'd lost my mind.
"O-outside? Why would we go outside...?"
"Are you crazy?!"
I pulled apart nearly thirty desks, gathering whatever metal I could use, and rolled my stiff neck.
'If Park Ha-rin awakened with that monstrous potential, she might be able to barely drive off the Zombie Swarm.'
The giant outside was still some distance away. I couldn't worry about a boss monster yet. First, I needed to grow stronger.
"This classroom isn't guaranteed to stay safe. We need to find the others, gather supplies, and hold a position we can actually defend."
Professor Jang and the students fell silent.
"...Huu."
So-eun pressed a hand to her chest and forced herself to take a breath. She recovered faster than I expected and approached me.
"Si-hyun... are you all right? Did you get hurt?"
Her face showed not fear, but deep concern—for me. A stunning beauty like her, worrying about me more than herself in this extreme situation? No wonder the protagonist had it good.
"Not a scratch. Who do you think I am?"
She took out a handkerchief and began wiping the blood from my face. Her relief quickly gave way to anger.
"That was reckless! What if one of them had bitten you? They looked like zombies. You could've been infected!"
I offered her a metal desk leg. She took it without thinking, then stared at the thing in her hand.
"What am I supposed to do with this?"
"Huh? Your 「Ability」 should know that."
The metal pieces around us rose into the air.
"What?!"
Back when I was a gamer, she was the irreplaceable 0-tier utility DPS—Kang So-eun, whose 「Control」 was the closest thing to 「Conquer」.
『Kang So-eun has activated 「Control」.』
Professor Jang watched the floating metal in amazement.
"I-I have an ability too, but..."
"Then you understand what this means."
We were no longer ordinary people.
I caught So-eun's hand and headed for the door.
It was time.
Time to let our top-tier damage dealer carry the team.