Chapter 163
Chapter 163
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 163
Chapter Title: Swarming Survivors - 6
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We found the first exhibition hall where the Owl Bear had fled.
Mi-kyung and Yoo-hyun were waiting there.
"Bro!"
"Hyung!"
Seeing them pop out from hiding all excited, they were no different from kids.
Da-jeong grabbed Mi-kyung, who had blinked over, and stretched her cheeks long.
"So I'm not even on your radar, huh?"
"Sorry, sis..."
I grabbed Yoo-hyun and asked.
"Why'd you two come all the way out here? You should've just stayed in the shelter."
"She said we had to. To help."
Mi-kyung caught my glance and looked away.
With just one dungeon here, what was there to help with?
And this place was crawling with monsters—pretty dangerous.
I started to chew them out but closed my mouth.
They were both full-grown adults and capable players. Micromanaging everything felt off...
Plus, after a few days traveling with them, they seemed able to handle themselves.
I turned my back and said.
"Yoo-hyun, scout the area with paper airplanes. Mi-kyung, check the surroundings too."
"Got it!"
Several paper airplanes zipped through the exhibition hall.
I wandered around the exhibits and ended up shocked.
Wasn't this stuff straight out of the textbook?
How were national treasures and artifacts just laid out everywhere like this?
Seok-hyun stroked the display pedestal.
The metal artifacts had long since crumbled to dust.
"This was the Pensive Bodhisattva. A national treasure."
"Huh? The Pensive Bodhisattva is this small?"
Da-jeong raised an objection, and Seok-hyun explained there were a few of them.
"The one from the textbook is at the National Museum of Korea."
I was less surprised he knew that and more that he'd gone to school at all.
How had someone with that level of deviant energy survived in Korean society?
We forgot about tracking the Owl Bear for a bit and got lost in admiring the fine arts.
Metal relics had collapsed ages ago, but old books, porcelain, and paintings were perfectly intact.
Da-jeong fished a porcelain vase out from between the glass cases.
"This is so pretty..."
I wanted to grab it, but the logistics were a nightmare.
We were barely keeping up with survival supplies— no room for stuff like this.
Temperature and humidity made preservation tricky too.
Up on the second floor, eye-catching artifacts filled every corner.
"Isn't this a Kim Hong-do painting?"
"Guess being a national treasure makes it bigger than I thought."
"Hey! Don't touch that!"
Our goal had suddenly shifted to artifact appreciation.
I focused and searched for traces of the Owl Bear.
Its distinctive cry echoed from above.
Seok-hyun took the lead.
"Let's go catch that Owl Bear."
Da-jeong and the kids were squealing over the pretty porcelain, so we'd leave them be.
Not like it was some epic monster hunt.
Up on the fourth floor, the Owl Bear was rubbing itself against the circular gallery.
And from the opposite side, two survivors appeared—guns in hand.
I quickly yanked Seok-hyun behind a pillar.
The Owl Bear sniffed us out and roared, and the two survivors shouted.
"You're Kimbap Lover, right? Let's talk for a sec!"
What the hell— with an Owl Bear right there?
A calm woman's voice carried over.
"We'll head down to the third floor for now."
These folks seemed reasonable enough.
The Owl Bear, hyped up by the sudden humans, charged straight at us.
Grrooo!
Seok-hyun clenched his fist and rushed it head-on.
Ever since picking up Shield Sniff's skill, his defense had shot through the roof.
But those Owl Bear claws were plenty sharp too.
A little processing and they'd make fine weapons.
Seok-hyun leaped in like he was going for a hug, then dodged just a hair.
The massive owl beast smashed its head into a pillar— boom, the whole place shook.
Seok-hyun seized the moment and pounced on its back.
Grahhh!
The Owl Bear bucked wildly with Panty Man clinging to its rear.
Looked like it was trying to crush his neck, but good luck with that.
The two of them trashed the surrounding artworks while tumbling around until they finally rolled across the floor.
"Urk!"
That was when Seok-hyun finally let out a yelp.
Getting flattened under something north of 400 kilos had to hurt.
Though with how tanky he was, I wasn't worried.
"Seok-hyun, alright, time to—"
He heard me and leaped off in a flash.
Scratching at his panties told me it hadn't gone according to plan.
"Tried hand-to-hand, but no dice. Neck's too thick."
"You need a blade to pierce those feathers and hide."
Or a gun.
Truth be told, Werewolf was the last thing you could really fist-fight.
Later monsters were all huge and tanky—bare hands just didn't cut it.
In-game, you'd punch 'em to death for laughs, but no reason to in reality.
"Here."
I pulled out the mithril blade and tossed it over. Seok-hyun cocked his head.
"Don't need to eat it?"
"Skill slots are full."
Taking off my shoes would free up Light Steps, but compared to Owl Bear skills? Nah.
And I couldn't exactly ditch Combat Instinct either.
Seok-hyun nodded and charged right back in.
"Kwee-yoot!"
Grahhh!
The hunt wrapped up quick.
Its front wing claws were sliced clean off, and its head didn't last much longer.
I checked the corpse and spotted wounds in a few spots.
Someone had shot it?
Right then, the pair who'd gone down to the third floor approached.
I stood up, the man froze and raised his hands, and the woman in body armor stepped forward.
"No intent to attack here. Just want to talk. This is Oh Jeong-min. I'm Kim Ji-eun."
The man was whatever, but the woman looked familiar.
"Any relation to Boss Kim?"
They both nodded.
"Slightly acquainted, but we don't run in the same circles."
Seok-hyun relaxed his fists.
If they'd been tight, they'd be eating floor right now.
I made them an offer.
"Busy at the moment— let's talk later. Give me your hideout, and I'll swing by."
Any pushback here, and we're done.
Fortunately, they were on board.
The guy said they were holed up in some villa in Hannam-dong.
"Isn't that a super pricey villa?"
"Not that expensive... ow. Yeah, okay, it's a bit upscale. Dropped like 100 billion on it."
Brushing off 100 billion like pocket change? Chaebol vibes.
My knowledge is limited, but I knew some chaebol clan had the Oh name.
"Mirae Group?"
He lit up at being recognized.
"Spot on. Was a director in finance."
Looked about my age... director. Diamond spoon, figures.
Seok-hyun, who'd been clipping the Owl Bear's claws and drawing Kim Ji-eun's eye, stood up.
"You guys know Boss Kim's dead? Along with a few others."
The sudden informal tone startled them, but they clocked it as his speech pattern quick.
Sharp ones.
"If Boss Kim's gone, then Manager Lee too?"
I nodded.
"Lured 'em into a bunker, tried brainwashing. Killed the lot. The follow-ups too."
"Probably Yoon Dong-hoon, Kim Seung-guk, Jin Yoo-seong..."
Names rang a vague bell, but whatever.
Oh Jeong-min couldn't hide his tension, but Kim Ji-eun stayed surprisingly bold.
"Good riddance. Wasn't planning any teamwork with them anyway. We've always been fans of you, Kimbap Lover... your name?"
"Kang Sung-ho. This is Hwang Seok-hyun."
She gave a small smile.
"Heard so much. Long-term, we'd love to build a partnership with you veterans... if you'll allow it."
"Depends on what you bring to the table."
"You won't be disappointed. Right?"
"Eh, sure."
Woman was holding the reins here.
I heard noisy voices rising from below.
Da-jeong pissed?
"Busy right now— later."
"We'll be waiting. Please drop by."
They left, and Seok-hyun tilted his head.
"Vibes?"
"Don't scream villains. Doesn't feel like they're hiding anything."
"We'll find out eventually."
No guarantee hopping over to that villa wouldn't end in a boom.
They knew about resurrection scrolls, sure, but plenty weren't the rational type.
They were gone, and Seok-hyun and I headed to the third floor.
Heading down the stairs, a foreboding sound thudded rhythmically.
Thud.
"What the—"
Thud.
The glass windows rattled faintly. We both peered outside.
A monster we hadn't seen in ages was out there.
Over four meters tall, hulking gray slabs of muscle.
An Ogre.
Seok-hyun flinched, then smashed through the glass and charged out.
Had he lost his mind?
Noise from the stairs—Yoo-hyun and Mi-kyung rushed up.
"A-a new monster showed up!"
"Ogre."
"Huh?"
Their eyes went wide just as someone slammed into our window.
Crash!
"Eek!"
"Urk!"
The kids freaked and backed away.
Turned out to be Seok-hyun.
Charged the Ogre and got swatted away in one hit.
He tried wriggling out of the window frame but went limp.
"Damn... that's strong."
"You had to feel it to know."
His side was one massive black bruise— serious hit.
I hauled him out and propped him up.
"Downstairs first."
We led the way, and Yoo-hyun and Mi-kyung trailed tight behind.
That's when the screams started outside.
The Ogre was smashing the exhibition hall to bits.
What set Ogres apart from other monsters was their absurd physical prowess.
Insane tankiness and defense— most attacks didn't even scratch.
Regeneration was top-tier too. Needed a squad of veterans tag-teaming to take one down.
And now one was inside the museum.
How the hell?
"Dungeon burst— Ogre popped out with it. Ripped entrance."
"Can't even fathom taking that thing."
Da-jeong glanced outside, and we all turned.
The Ogre was demolishing the place, pissed at something.
Even a big corp's deep-pocketed build crumpled before its strength.
Thud, thud— the structure started collapsing.
I snapped.
"Mi-kyung, take Yoo-hyun and haul ass far away. Don't get cocky pulling aggro or you're dead."
"Y-yes!"
"You two— dimension gate, find me a rocket."
"Fight?"
"Gotta take it down."
Honestly? Zero confidence.
This wasn't your garden-variety Ogre— apocalypse dungeon enhanced.
No clue what extra skills it packed.
That's when Oh Jeong-min and Kim Ji-eun popped up from the first floor.
They froze at the Ogre. I bellowed.
"Run!"
The woman grabbed the man's arm and bolted.
She had the quick instincts.
The Ogre lumbered after them thud-thud, then uprooted a whole tree and hurled it.
"Urk!"
Total chaos.
Luckily, they ducked into the second exhibition hall.
Ogre's sheer bulk got blocked by the structures.
Groooaaar!
Fuming, it started bulldozing the obstacles themselves.
That was the real danger with Ogres.
Cover and concealment? Useless.
In this wire plague world, damn near nothing could withstand its power.
"Bro, we're out first!"
"Careful."
Mi-kyung and Yoo-hyun blinked away.
I cracked the dimension gate open— gunshots rang out somewhere.
Turned out a squad of fully geared soldiers was unloading on the Ogre.
Grooo!
The Ogre hunched and charged.
Speed you wouldn't believe from that bulk.
"Dodge!"
The soldiers dove aside in panic, but one snagged.
Ogre's mid-stride haymaker turned him to red mist.
"Freakin' strong."
Apocalypse dungeon buffs hit this hard?
Edging outside cautiously, I spotted Hyun-woo's face.
"Mount the grenade launcher! Team 1, fire!"
A few grenades sailed in amid the frenzy, landing at the Ogre's feet.
Boom.
Ground quaked, dust billowed.
Ogre roared but shrugged it off fine.
Shrapnel shards oozed out of its leg.
Why the hell was its defense that nuts?
Not even a thousand rifle rounds would faze it.
Out in the garden, who else but Jang Won-taek and Lee Beom-seok.
They spotted me and asked.
"What the hell happened?"
"Apocalypse dungeon— Ogre busted out. Entrance got shredded."
"Ah, gotcha..."
"Anyway, our Lt. Kim's handling it like a pro."
In Jang Won-taek's eyes, the soldiers' fire was keeping the Ogre at bay.
Grenades had tagged it, rockets incoming— it was hesitating for real.
But I saw different.
"Pull your men back. Now."
"Pardon? But..."
Boom!
Hyun-woo fell back, set up, and fired an anti-tank rocket.
The warhead arced in— and insanely, the Ogre snatched it midair.
Fuze triggered a massive blast.
Kreaaah!
Engulfed in the explosion, it roared and staggered back thud-thud.
It tanked that?
Jang Won-taek and Lee Beom-seok went slack-jawed, speechless.
"They're all gonna die. Withdraw them."
"President."
"...Lt. Kim! Lt. Kim!"
Hyun-woo glanced our way but showed no sign of pulling back.
"Just a bit more fire and we're good!"
"Cease fire and retreat immediately!"
"Can't do that! Just a little—"
Since when was Hyun-woo this bullheaded?
Guy always struck me as a by-the-book type.
I slipped to a corner while the Ogre hesitated.
Cracked the dimension gate— tree filled my vision.
Shit.
Threw up a dimension wall just in time to block it.
Crack! Tree snapped, branches grazed my face.
Ogre roaring in view.
Groooaaar!
Its roar was on another level from other monsters.
Raw power shook the air itself.
I yelled at Hyun-woo, who was reloading a rocket.
"You lunatic! Get out!"
"..."
He shot me a glance and gritted his teeth.
Stubborn as hell.
Swarming Survivors - 6 End