A Walking Obscenity (3)

Seo Hyejin's head, which had been hanging low, lifted on its ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠own.

Thoom. Thud!

It came again — twice more. For a moment she wondered if it was an earthquake, but she grasped the truth in an instant.

Something was happening inside Daengdaeng Elementary School.

Thud. Thud. Thud!

Strangely, the vibrations were drawing closer with every pulse, as if whatever was making them was climbing straight toward the rooftop.

What is that? Some new kind of monster?

Come to think of it, the skeletons that had been hammering relentlessly at the rooftop door had gone quiet. Maybe they had found something more interesting than the door itself.

Crash—!

Clatter-bang—!

Then the people on the roof heard another strange roar of noise — the sound of hundreds of branch-like objects snapping and raining down onto the floor.

No. They knew it instinctively. That was the sound of countless bones being crushed, shattered, and slammed into the ground.

And then, just as suddenly, everything went still.

"..."

"W-what... was that just now?"

Knock knock!

"Kyaaah!"

Leaving the scream behind her, Seo Hyejin shot to her feet.

This time the direction of the sound was unmistakable. It was coming from the rooftop door.

Knock knock knock...

Anyone with common sense would have called that sound a knock.

"W-who's there...?"

In a trembling voice — fully aware of how insane it was — Seo Hyejin spoke through the rooftop door anyway.

"Y-you're not... a skeleton, are you?"

She even threw in a completely unnecessary bit of nonsense she didn't need to say. The moment the words left her mouth, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠she berated herself. She was so exhausted that garbage was just spilling out on its own.

"..."

No answer came from the other side.

What is this? Another monster? But a monster that knocks politely? That doesn't make any sense. Of course, nothing about a world crawling with zombies and monsters makes sense either...!

"No. Still a human. Haven't turned into a skeleton yet."

The voice that answered a moment later was unmistakably, entirely human.

The moment I was about to head for Daengdaeng Elementary School, Park Seeun grabbed my arm and pleaded.

"I-I... please take me with you too...!"

"It'd be better if you rested here."

I made the suggestion calmly, but Park Seeun's stubbornness was something else. She insisted that the others would only feel safe if she went, that she needed to see with her own eyes that everyone was all right — on and on until I finally gave in.

I'd originally planned to leave Han Sora here as well, but if Park Seeun was coming, I decided it was better to empty the place entirely. Leaving someone alone was too dangerous.

So I made them both an offer.

"Park Seeun, get on my back. Sora — sorry, but you're going in my arms."

"...What?"

"Uh, O-Oppa... won't that... um... won't that be hard on you?"

Han Sora looked thoroughly flustered. Both her cheeks were a little red, too. But no matter how I turned it over, there was no other way to bring both of them along.

I told her I'd be fine and hoisted Park Seeun onto my back.

Track-and-field athletic wear. Incredible. The feel of it is outstanding.

"Sora. Come on."

"Ah, y-yes. Excuse m...e..."

Sora carefully nestled into my arms.

Heh... carrying two women around like this... is this a good thing? If I were my usual self, I'd probably enjoy it at first and then bitterly regret it later.

But me, with the System's power?

Thudathudathuda!

"W-what... this speed...!"

"O-Oppa, ruuun..."

Park Seeun was stunned behind me, while Han Sora babbled something weird from my arms.

Sora, aren't you twenty-two? Where the hell did you even hear and remember a dusty old meme like that?

In an instant we tore through the streets, blowing past skeletons and the occasional monster. With Agility at 18, there was no way their eyes could keep up with us.

Whoa. When I actually commit to running, I'm this fast? And I'm still this fast with two people on my back and in my arms!

Administrator — for this much, at least, thank you! Exactly this much!

In no time the sign for Daengdaeng Elementary School came into view, and I eased off the speed. From behind me came Park Seeun's dazed, astonished voice as she finally collected herself.

"Th-this is... even Usain Bolt couldn't run like this... good lord...!"

Setting Park Seeun's commentary aside, I took in the situation at Daengdaeng Elementary School laid out before me.

The playground was empty, for one. But skeletons were scattered one by one around the building. On the rooftop, a few human heads were visible. Good news for Park Seeun — living people were still up there.

"Both of you, follow slowly behind me. Sora. Cover me. Got it?"

"Y-yes!"

"...Okay."

Han Sora answered stoutly; Park Seeun, still blank-faced and having completely forgotten her exhaustion, replied in a slow daze.

I glanced at the two of them, then turned toward the main school building and broke into a run.

After that, it was smooth sailing. Every skeleton I met, I smashed to pieces. Past the second floor, they were gathered in serious numbers. I showed no mercy — I pulverized every last one of them without leaving a single bone standing.

On the way up past the fourth floor toward the rooftop, they were packed in solid.

"Good thing I brought this."

I pulled the greatsword I'd taken after defeating the Skeleton Knight from the feather bag on my back. Without hesitation, I swept it sideways through the skeletons jammed into the narrow corridor.

Dozens of skeletons exploded into hundreds of bone fragments, and the racket of shattering bone hitting the floor thundered down the hallway.

A few dodged the swing and charged me —

Whoosh. Thunk!

"Ah, nice! Got it!"

"W-wow... are you a... pro archer?"

An arrow loosed from the Skeleton Foot Bow equipped by Han Sora — whose Archer level had gone up — dropped a skeleton cold. See? When the ADC levels up, they're actually useful.

Before long, the noise that had been proof of the slaughter went quiet. I tossed the greatsword onto the floor; its edge had gone completely dull in no time. I'd had hopes for it since it came from a Skeleton Knight, but it lost its edge faster than expected, leaving a little disappointment in my chest. Balance is garbage. Damn Administrator...

And then, through the windows floating in midair, Han Sora and I both realized that the skeleton purge of Daengdaeng Elementary School was complete.

...

We had successfully pulverized the eighty Skeleton Warriors occupying Daengdaeng Elementary School. Total experience gained: 4,800. Gold: 640 each.

"W-wow... another... another power-level! My level's already... I hit 9 yesterday, and now I'm 10! First-tier skill! Hooray, hooray!"

Leaving Han Sora's cheering behind me, I walked up to the rooftop door and knocked.

A little while later, Park Seeun was able to complete her tearful, emotional reunion with her group of survivors.

Still missing one person... Kim Seyeon, who had been taken by the organized crime thugs.

"S-Seeun!"

"Oh my goodness...!"

Leaving Park Seeun behind as she wept through her emotional reunion with the survivors, I stood on the rooftop with Han Sora and looked out toward a building called the Yumin Building. The survivors on the roof had described its appearance and location, so finding it was easy.

As expected, the Yumin Building wasn't far from here. It was one of the larger buildings in the area, and every window was covered with screen-cap film.

Hmm. No way to tell what's going on inside. And of all times, the sun is setting and night is rolling in...

Wait a second...! Night is coming? Then...!

"Han Sora. Did you hit level 10?"

"Heheheh... Ah, yes! Oppa! I did!"

Han Sora answered with a thoroughly goofy grin.

This girl is a gamer down to the marrow of her bones, no question. She'd been muttering earlier about unlocking a new skill now that she'd leveled up. Not that I could talk — I grinned every time I picked a new skill myself.

"Sniper's Sight. Its performance improves as the level goes up. Correct?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Can you see well at night, by any chance?"

"Uh..."

Instead of answering, Han Sora narrowed her eyes and stared at the distant Yumin Building. After about ten seconds of that, she answered brightly.

"Yes, I can see just fine! I can even read the banner near the fourth floor that says [Loans up to 100 million won at 25% interest]!"

"Good."

Perfect. And if I add my S-rank Stealth on top of that...!

I pulled the walkie-talkie from my coat again.

"Park Seeun. Could you come over here for a moment?"

I called the still-sniffling Park Seeun over to me and Han Sora and laid out the plan.

April 9th. The top floor of the Yumin Building.

The largest room on that floor might as well have been reserved for the boss alone.

And that boss's name was Do Minhyeok — the man who held the position of ringleader over this pack of organized crime thugs.

Or rather, until March 31st, he hadn't been the head of the organization at all.

Up until then, Do Minhyeok had six big brothers above him. They ran all kinds of illegal, coercive businesses, but the part Do Minhyeok handled was fairly unusual. He made money through game currency and items. So his office often had computers and phones running around the clock.

The method was simple: farm in-game currency and items across various games, then buy and sell them in bulk on real-money trading sites. True to their nature as gangsters, some of the sellers would quietly intimidate people or work the angles to throw the market into chaos and skim the profits.

And among the games under Do Minhyeok's portfolio was Brave Saga Online. That was how he and several dozen of his subordinates had become the only group of survivors in this massive building — and how they had come to rule the entire place.

Do Minhyeok was in a good mood for any number of reasons. Everything had gone better than he could have imagined. Seizing control of the organization after April 1st and fortifying the Yumin Building had gone smoothly. Being the first to figure out the party system had paid off. A week of clearing the area and killing zombies to level up had proven to be foresight. And on top of all that, the new system update had been an absolute gift package for Do Minhyeok's faction.

That update, combined with the skeletons that had started appearing yesterday, had given Do Minhyeok the boldness to make a move on one particular person.

And because all of it had clicked into place, on this late night —

"What are you doing? Get in here already."

"..."

— he had arrived at a situation where he could flash a lecherous smile at the woman lingering in front of his bedroom door and invite her inside.

Kim Seyeon had understood from the moment Do Minhyeok handed her these clothes.

That this delinquent, bullying man who had been her high school classmate was filled with nothing but the will to toy with her down to her bones tonight.

In ordinary life, it would have been the kind of act that drew every finger of public scorn. The boss of a criminal syndicate, dressing a married woman with a child in lewd lingerie and inviting her — under the thin pretense of a request that was really a threat — into his bed.

Any other time, she would have refused flatly... but the Kim Seyeon of right now could not.

At least... at least if everyone in the shelter is safe...!

The promise Do Minhyeok had sworn to her over and over. Holding on to the single thought that he would keep that promise was the only thing letting Kim Seyeon endure.

Still, stepping into the room was hard. Her feet wouldn't move easily. This time, other people rose in her mind.

Her husband and her little girl.

The two precious members of her family flickered before her eyes. Even if things had soured between them and she and her husband were living apart... they had still shared a marriage. And she had still gone through the pain of bringing that child into the world. Erasing those two people from her heart entirely was something Kim Seyeon could never do.

"You not coming in? Trying to leave my dick hanging limp like this? Hmm? You take something, you pay for it. Kim Seyeon?"

...This bastard for real!

Anger surged up. She wanted to hurl every ounce of resentment at Do Minhyeok, who was so blatantly advertising that he was going to screw Kim Seyeon tonight.

Hoo...

Carefully, she stepped through the gap in the door. Still wearing the outfit Do Minhyeok had given her, Kim Seyeon entered his bedroom.

"Ha! Kkhkhkhkh... I knew it. I just knew it...!"

The moment he saw Kim Seyeon step ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠inside, Do Minhyeok's expression froze. Then it loosened, and a laugh thick with baseness spilled out of him.

No — it was pure rapture. Getting the size right had been the correct call. That white negligee clung to the voluptuous body of the woman he had wanted to crush underfoot for years, and it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠suited her obscenely well.

"Honestly, hard to tell if you're a woman or a dairy cow, Kim Seyeon."

"...You—!"

At that naked insult, displeasure flashed through Kim Seyeon's eyes. But she soon resigned herself to his gesture and moved, walking right up in front of him.

"Kkhkhkh... I've been looking forward to this forever. The moment that stuck-up, stacked Kim Seyeon sucks my dick with her mouth and makes me cum. Who would've thought it'd become reality like this. Your husband would've had a hell of a time if he were here, don't you think? Oh — did you already stamp the divorce papers?"

"...Please don't talk about my husband right now. I'm begging you."

Filled with despair, Kim Seyeon sank to her knees in front of Do Minhyeok.

Her presence-commanding breasts swayed with a heavy jolt. Do Minhyeok's eyes swayed with them.

In truth, he was a little tense. Even seeing it right in front of his face, he still couldn't quite believe Kim Seyeon's exposed figure.

That's the body of a married woman who's given birth once? Fine — chests get bigger after marriage and kids, I'll grant that.

But... how the hell do you explain that absurd, fantastical curve of waist and hips, and the overwhelming sex appeal rolling off her in waves?!

As a gangster, Do Minhyeok's daily life had been a circuit of clubs and bars. Naturally, he'd held plenty of women in his arms.

But he could say this with certainty: even if you trucked in a whole load of those women, not one of them could touch the sex appeal and allure of the Kim Seyeon standing in front of him now.

A walking piece of obscenity — no, a woman who was sex itself — radiating an atmosphere that no woman he had ever met could dare approach. That was his verdict.

He almost wanted to add that she was on the level of a succubus out of some fantasy novel or game. That said it all.

"Kh... at this rate, I'm the one who's gonna get conquered by a married woman's technique and end up getting sucked dry all night, huh? Right, Kim Seyeon? Kwahahahahaha!"

Kim Seyeon only pressed her lips tight, squeezed her eyes shut, and jerked her head away.

He hadn't been looking for an answer, so Do Minhyeok just smirked.

Then he stood up from the bed. His hand went to his waistband, fumbling to shove his pants down.

Or rather — he was about to.

"Don't worry. That won't be happening. Trash."

Someone whispered an answer, completely uninvited, to a mutter that hadn't been looking for one.