Chapter 64 5. Victory
Victory
Episode 65
KWAARRRGH!
The Incomplete Zombie's fist gouged a straight line through the ground.
Stone fragments scattered like shotgun pellets. Dodging them all, Park Si-hyun twisted his body midair.
『You have been poisoned by Corpse Toxin.』
『Optimal Progression is neutralizing the toxin.』
『Amplifying regeneration.』
The accumulated damage from the mutant zombie had dulled his senses. Yet he kept moving, hurling himself sideways without pause.
KOOOOWAAARGH!
Otherwise, he'd have been pulverized instantly.
The scorching air trailing the zombie intensified the tightness in his chest. Breathing was already difficult through the dust-choked atmosphere.
—SCREEEECH!
He narrowly avoided the zombie's eel-like thrashing attack. The swiped section of ground vanished as if obliterated by a bomb.
"!"
A fraction slower, and that force would have flattened him into jerky. That same crushing pressure loaded into the zombie's blackened fists with every movement.
'...This is bug-level absurd.'
Without Read predicting its movements in advance, he couldn't have reacted to such overwhelming speed and power.
A single direct hit would mean certain death.
That truth sank into his skin as he registered the cratered battlefield around him.
"Tch!"
Maintaining his wavering focus, he backstepped.
PIIING!
Threads of Mana materialized midair, binding the zombie's limbs.
But at best, they only slowed it down.
PAANG!
The threads, stretched to their limit, snapped under the zombie's explosive strength.
The creature lunged again like a crow taking flight. The space around it warped into a circular void.
"Hggh!"
Mid-motion, Park Se-eun twisted space to reappear.
The Holy Sword of Judgment—deadly to evil beings.
But only if it struck true.
The blade grazed harmlessly past.
"Ugh, this disgusting thing...!"
Se-eun's stats were too pitiful to keep up with the zombie.
The only remaining hope here was Hayase.
"Haa... haa..."
『Hayase is maintaining consciousness through Single-Minded Focus.』
But even Hayase was at her limit. Her unfocused eyes swam with dizziness. Yet she stayed by his side, gripping her sword to the end.
She sliced through the shockwaves radiating from the zombie's movements, gritting her teeth as she closed the distance.
CLANG—!
But her stamina wasn't enough to breach the zombie's regeneration and durability.
"Kkh!?"
No matter how much true damage Hayase dealt—ignoring defense—her base attack power was too weak to pose a real threat.
The Incomplete Zombie's regeneration and health pool were simply too overwhelming.
"...Fucking hell."
His sister.
His sister scowled at the Depraved Demon Sickle Blade, displeased.
Despite its ominous aura, its actual power fell disappointingly short.
But the Depraved Demon Sickle Blade was, by nature, a growth-type weapon.
Right now, it hadn't even begun growing.
Of course it lacked strength.
And then—
『Incomplete Zombie's Stats』
[Strength F-] [Agility F] [Stamina F+] [Mana G+]
The Incomplete Zombie's stats surpassed the Tutorial's intended limits.
A monster born from grinding up Earth's entire zombie population.
Every stat was overwhelmingly high. True to its fused-zombie nature, its durability, stamina, and regeneration were especially exceptional.
Worse, he couldn't steal health unless he killed his target.
And this thing wouldn't go down easily. A terrible matchup for him. No—a terrible matchup for anyone.
Even the Lord of Corpses probably didn't realize why he was still fighting so boldly.
The reason was—
SCHLICK!
Park Ha-rin's growth rate.
CRACK!
Ha-rin's blade nearly severed half the zombie's neck. For the first time, the Incomplete Zombie showed surprise.
'As expected... my sister...'
Her potential was laughably absurd.
Soon—
KWACHIZIZAK!
Pale sword slashes began carving into the zombie, matching its speed.
'Park Ha-rin... is a monster who never lost in the game.'
In one-on-one battles, the Empress remained undefeated.
She might spare someone out of boredom, but she never lost.
—SKREEEEE!?
The Incomplete Zombie, its body riddled with fresh wounds, turned its gaze to him. It attacked even more viciously.
Because it couldn't directly target Ha-rin.
The zombie's claws tore through the air. A shockwave hurtled toward him at hyper-speed—faster than what he'd read.
"!"
His reaction lagged slightly. A blade-like wind grazed his face.
"Ghk!?"
Unable to withstand it, he was sent flying. The zombie pursued him midair, only for the ghostly Ha-rin to chase it. But the zombie's burst speed was faster.
"!"
My sister's panicked face flashed behind me. I tried to move my own body, stiff from shock, but even 「Optimal Progression」 couldn't suppress my current state.
Above us, the Lord of Corpses, floating upside down, curled her lips into a sneer.
'Lord of Corpses, you crazy bitch... No world's Tutorial would have a difficulty level like this.'
Not only did she drop a mid-tier Tower zombie right in front of us, but she also relentlessly pushed us with waves of zombies and skeletons without a moment's rest.
This was a trial where, if not for the protagonist—no, if not for Park Ha-rin—we would've been wiped out without a second thought.
'But we've made it this far.'
We were almost there.
So—
『Optimal Progression Completion Rate — 41.2%』
Hold on!
"This crazy bastard is ridiculously strong!!"
I spat out curses as blood surged from my wounds. The pain jolted my senses awake.
The zombie's claws closed in within my field of vision.
I tracked the tips of its fingers with my eyes and angled the Holy Sword of Sacrifice sideways.
The claw and the holy sword collided at an oblique angle.
KWAANG!
Unable to withstand the impact, I was sent sprawling sideways.
The zombie didn't even flinch at its claw, crushed by the sword's Sacred Power, and lunged at me again.
And then I realized—
Its round eyes were filled with pure terror directed at Park Ha-rin.
—KIIIIEEEEEE!!
A primal fear that it would be in danger if things continued like this.
Driven by that instinct, it was willing to sacrifice anything to take me down first.
'Damn it.'
For a zombie, that was an unnervingly precise judgment.
Because a situation where Park Ha-rin could attack freely was nothing short of a disaster for any monster.
In that case, what I had to do... was no different.
"Huuuu—!"
I sucked in a breath. Mid-air, I planted my foot into the ground and twisted my waist as far as I could.
The shockwave from the zombie's attack, unable to overcome its own momentum, grazed the skin of my abdomen.
But it, too, was desperate. Its muscles contracted and expanded rapidly, forcibly shaking off inertia mid-air. It flipped backward and swung its arm in the opposite direction.
'This insane bastard...?'
It had dispersed the inertial force acting on its muscles and forcibly twisted its trajectory. A phenomenon that shouldn't be physically possible. Even if it were, its body shouldn't have remained intact—but its regeneration made it happen.
The backlash from shaking off inertia resulted in an explosive leap.
There was no time for 「Optimal Progression」 to adjust my posture. Naturally.
PWOOM!
My heart felt like it had been blown away like dust.
"Kuh—hk?!"
A grazing hit—yet my left chest had been pierced clean through. For a moment, my mind went blank.
—KGRRRRGHH?
The zombie, certain of my death, twisted its lips into a grotesque grin.
Just as it thought, my life was hanging by a thread. My breathing was ragged, my body's functions were failing—but even so, I grabbed its wrist.
『「Optimal Progression」 withstands death.』
"...Park Si-hyun!!"
A scream laced with tears rang out from above.
It was my sister—her face pale with terror, something rarely seen.
"You... fucking bastard—!!"
Her face twisted into something monstrous, and she drove her blade into the zombie's back. Pale Mana erupted from the wound.
Yet the zombie only grinned at me, chuckling wetly.
"DIE!!"
My sister, having lost all reason, mercilessly hacked at the zombie's back with the Depraved Demon Sickle Blade. But its regeneration easily overwhelmed her attacks.
Even as it bled profusely, it stared openly at me, waiting for my death.
I could almost feel its rabid thoughts—once you die, I'll devour everyone else.
But.
'...That's never going to happen.'
『「Optimal Progression」 is still active.』
Blood trickled from the corner of my mouth as I glared at it.
And then, mirroring its grin, I smiled viciously back.
"You let your guard down at the end. That's your loss, you corpse bastard."
Whether it was its beast-like instincts or not, the zombie flinched and tried to pull its hand free.
But.
Before it could—
FWOOOSH!
Light descended.
KWA—AAAAAAANG!!
A massive pillar of light crashed down from the sky.
It landed right between us—no, more accurately, it speared through the zombie's back and embedded itself into the ground.
—KGEHEHEHEHEHEHEEEEEEEHK?!
The zombie shrieked. My eardrums nearly burst from the deafening noise, leaving a high-pitched ringing in my ears.
And then—
Dozens more beams of light erupted from the ground, shooting skyward.
At their center, floating in the air, was Kang So-eun.
"Park Si-hyun!!"
Even Kang So-eun made a tearful face when she saw my sorry state.
Then, she turned an expression of boundless fury toward the zombie.
She raised her hand.
And brought it down.
PIIIIING!
Stars rained from the sky.
KWAGAGAGAGANG!!
The bombardment of light struck the earth. The surroundings exploded in brilliance, blindingly bright.
"Ah... Fuck, I thought I was gonna die. Hurry the hell up... You bastards, if you're gonna save me, you should cooperate quickly..."
The borrowed mana from the devotees, the power converted into Sacred Power.
KWA-GA-GA-GA-GANG!
The descending pillars of light turned the area into a wasteland.
—KIIEEEEEEK!
The creature pierced by Sacred Power writhed in agony.
『「Optimal Progression」』
But even in death, I refused to let it go. The shimmering pillars of light before my eyes carried a literal meaning:
『「Kang So-eun」's 「Primordial Force Control」 ensures no harm comes to humans.』
I gladly laughed and pinned the bastard right here.
Yet, it kept desperately struggling to break free.
"Like what you see?"
But I was just as desperate.
I funneled every last resource of 「Optimal Progression」—allocated for survival—into pure strength. With 「Seize」, I focused solely on stealing its power. And then, I amplified it to the absolute limit.
Thanks to that, I barely managed to hold onto the creature weakened by Sacred Power.
"You should've never left a weakness. Should've been overwhelmingly strong from the start, you rotting corpse bastard!!"
KUGUGUGUGUNG!
The area, hammered by successive pillars of light, blazed with Sacred Power.
Still, the creature resisted, conjuring Black Magic Power.
—KIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!
Enraged, it glared at me like it wanted me dead, raising its grotesque, alien-like arm.
Right then.
Park Ha-rin appeared beside me, her long silver hair whipping through the air.
She blocked its claws with the Depraved Demon Sickle Blade, deflecting it by a hair's breadth.
"Kh—!?"
But she couldn't kill the remaining force and lost her grip on the blade.
At that moment, the twisted arm contorted again, aiming for me.
Then, an incomprehensible light flashed in my sister's eyes.
"Not twice."
A crimson glow pierced through the Sacred Power.
From Park Ha-rin's other arm, a distinct light surged.
A sword form composed purely of light.
A bizarre radiance even I couldn't identify.
Srrrling—
The light vanished after only a brief glimpse.
But that instant was enough for Park Ha-rin.
SHWAK!
The zombie's left arm flew through the air, unable to regenerate.
There was no time to question that sword.
Right now, I was too busy focusing on the Holy Sword of Sacrifice in my right hand.
'How about you finally acknowledge it?'
'That I'm your master.'
The Holy Sword of Sacrifice, which had been emitting a faint glow, seemed to resign itself.
<Hmph! I'm only helping this once! Next time, don't even think about it!>
The moment that bratty girl's voice echoed in my head, a torrent of Sacred Power erupted from the holy sword.
『The 「Holy Sword of Sacrifice」 sacrifices 「Park Si-hyun」's 「Bad Status」.』
『Power explodes temporarily in proportion to the sacrificed value.』
『It was a near-fatal state akin to instant death.』
『You have been poisoned by the corpse's lethal venom.』
Sacred Power filled the hole in my chest. As waves of light flowed, my wounds vanished.
I inhaled deeply, my lungs now whole, filled with Sacred Power-laden air.
My mind had never been clearer.
The Holy Sword of Sacrifice.
The conditions to be acknowledged as its master were indeed harsh.
But since it was still aligned with the path of righteousness, it accepted me without enforcing them.
In the worst-case scenario, I was prepared to sacrifice my stats and more to earn its recognition.
But now, strengthened by sacrificing my 「Bad Status」, there was no need.
Given how dire my state had been, the payoff far exceeded expectations.
A condition more perfect than even my peak.
Right now, I was overwhelmingly stronger than I had ever been.
GOOOOOH!
All the pillars of light had struck the ground. The area was saturated with Sacred Power.
This place now swirled with enough Sacred Power to be called a fragment of a holy domain.
The Sacred Power surging within me merged with that of the surroundings.
"Disappear!"
I kicked away the Incomplete Zombie, writhing in agony from the Sacred Power.
Staggering back, it howled before lunging at me with savage fury.
In response, I raised the holy sword.
The radiant air lent me even more strength.
The gathered Sacred Power ignited along the golden blade.
<Take it. Consider it a service!>
A burst of knowledge was imparted from the holy sword.
『Skill 「Holy Sword (Normal)」 has been acquired.』
My eyes, now wide open, flashed with golden light.
My lips moved, guided by its teachings.
"'The light shall illuminate.'"
This blade carried the expectations of all who watched me. Realizing that, I channeled its full weight into the sword.
Without hesitation, I brought it down.
PAAAAAANG!
Space split apart as a torrent of light erupted forth.
A beam of light comparable to a building hurled the zombie into its radiance.
Sacred Power rampaged in all directions, erasing the dark traces left behind.
—Kreeeeeeeek!
Yet even that wasn't enough to kill it.
"!"
Despite pouring every ounce of my strength into the attack, finishing it off was still a struggle.
But... I wasn't alone.
Beside me, the Holy Sword of Judgment manifested.
"Haaah!"
「Twists」
The holy sword swung diagonally. Space crumpled violently around the axis of its slash. Even then, the creature writhed, resisting the Sacred Power.
Right at that moment—
A pale light shot forth. The Depraved Demon Sickle Blade, revealed within the blinding white radiance, carved a deep X-shaped wound across its chest.
The sisters' intersecting strikes ignited with Sacred Power.
The chest, unable to be sealed by the holy flames, split open. From within, a pitch-black heart pulsed, spewing darkness.
The surroundings were blindingly bright with Sacred Power.
But with 「Read」, I locked onto the creature's heart even amidst the light.
Gathering every last scrap of strength, I leaped.
"Haaah!"
I drove the holy sword into the writhing heart.
Park Ha-rin, following right behind me, pierced through the heart with her Depraved Demon Sickle Blade.
Park Se-eun, trailing after her sister, thrust the Holy Sword of Judgment deep into it.
"Uaaaah!"
—Kreeeeeeeeeeek!
The impaled heart pulsed with enough force to send us flying back.
The zombie, now burning gold, shuddered and lunged at me.
At the same time—
All three of us siblings charged forward without hesitation. No words were needed between us. Without exchanging a single syllable, we moved as one, our blades interwoven in perfect harmony.
We swung our swords relentlessly, refusing to give the zombie even an inch of ground.
Park Ha-rin and I took turns tearing through its body.
Park Se-eun and I crossed blades, slicing through it in unison.
We outpaced its regeneration, cutting faster than it could heal.
"Just die already!!"
With Park Se-eun's anguished cry, a brilliant strike flashed through the air, gouging deep into the heart.
The zombie's crazed eyes locked onto Park Se-eun.
As she froze in shock—
Its hand lashed out—not at me, but at Park Se-eun, who stood in its path.
But its intent was never realized.
"...You've suffered enough."
From within the light—
A razor-sharp trajectory split apart the heart, still pulsing despite being torn to shreds.
Hayase, who had moved past the zombie, flickered with a piercing blue light in her pupils.
『"Arikawa Hayase" has awakened "Mind's Eye (Heroic)."』
The instant her blade smoothly returned to its sheath—
Crunch!
The blackened heart was cleaved clean in half.
"Ah..."
From within, Black Magic Power was released.
The vengeful spirits of the zombies.
They rose into the sky.
And they spoke to us.
Thank you.
...At least, that's how I interpreted it.
In the battlefield, gouged deep into the earth, the zombie collapsed as the last of the spirits fled its body. Its form crumbled away. From its toes upward, it turned to ash. The gill-like features of its face briefly took on the visage of the cult leader.
The cult leader's gaze slowly turned toward me.
"...Thank you."
A face far too serene for someone facing death.
But for the bastard who had sacrificed tens of thousands and tormented Lee Jeong-don, I had nothing to say.
The cult leader gave a bitter smile. His head slowly drooped.
And at the very end, he still managed to speak one last time.
"Yeah... You little shit... As long as you know."
I don't know if he heard me, but I muttered under my breath as I stared at the spot where he had been.
A gust of wind blew over the place where not even a corpse remained. Even the ashes scattered.
The Sacred Power that had illuminated the area dimmed. Shadows crept in from beyond.
Ash fell from a cloudless sky. A world shrouded in darkness, no matter where you looked.
And standing—no, floating—upright in the center of it all was the ruler of this world.
Oooooooom—
The vengeful spirits that had ascended now gathered in her hands.
The Lord of Corpses, sovereign of the dead, silently observed them. Then, as if soothing their unease, she gently stroked them. With a quiet chuckle, she released them skyward, like setting caged birds free.
"..."
Had she wished to, she could have kept them bound forever.
But the Lord chose to let them go.
「The Woman Who Weaves All Coffins」
A being who watches over the death of all things, guiding them to their end.
Yet she herself could not die, even as she carefully tended to the peaceful rest of others.
How ironic.
Had Park Ha-rin not existed, even if the Tower were abandoned and the world fell to ruin, she alone would have remained—existing until the very end.
Living out eternity in solitude.
"..."
Then, something caught my eye.
The spirits ascending higher than her, vanishing into the heavens.
The Lord of Corpses watched them depart with a bittersweet smile, witnessing their final release.
Eventually, time passed, and she spoke.
<My defeat.>
The zombies had vanished from the earth. Humanity stood upon the land once more on their own two feet.
The Lord gazed down at us—mere ants in her eyes—and smiled.
Not floating upside down in mockery, but facing us head-on, as equals.
<And your victory.>
At last, we had earned her acknowledgment.
The first time in the Tower's history that humanity had ever overcome a calamity.