Chapter 179
Chapter 179
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 179
Chapter Title: Separate to Survive - 4
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Sung-ho crossed the Han River by boat, then raced down the riverside road on his motorcycle.
People were too busy fighting or fleeing into the Great Labyrinth dimension gate he'd taught them about to pay him any mind.
What about the monsters?
Thanks to his Affinity skill, they ignored him completely.
Right now, Sung-ho was enjoying the ultimate freedom on land—it wasn't an exaggeration to say so.
No one was paying attention to him at all.
—Vroooom
The motorcycle's low exhaust note echoed through the empty Seongsan-ro heading toward Sinchon.
While speeding along, he drew his mithril blade and decapitated an orc.
Splat.
Green blood spurted stickily as the orc's head flew into the air.
The goblins guarding it showed no reaction even to their boss's death.
Not a single monster paid any attention to Sung-ho.
"This is the power of Affinity."
A skill only a killer could obtain.
It was hard to maintain too—if you didn't keep committing murders, the skill vanished.
"Guess I should be grateful the Chinese showed up..."
It wasn't the outcome he'd wanted, but now that things had come to this, he had no intention of backing down.
Sung-ho sped along Seongsan-ro before turning onto a side street.
At the back gate intersection, Da-jung was locked in battle with monsters.
She'd left the werewolves and ghouls in the forest beyond the shelter, so she was wielding her shotgun.
Bang! Bang!
Orc zombies shredded into rags under the barrage of shotgun blasts and collapsed.
But there were quite a few monsters around her.
"Da-jung!"
At Sung-ho's call, she lit up and came running over.
"Hubby!"
She practically jumped onto the motorcycle's fuel tank when she reached it.
Then she hugged him tight, planting a lip-lock and rubbing against him at the same time.
"Mmm, mmm..."
In her eyes, he looked like a beast on a black steed charging in on the bike.
Her heart pounded wildly, but instead of pulling away, she climbed right on top of him.
The bike wobbled precariously, but Sung-ho managed to steady it.
What's gotten into her all of a sudden?
Sung-ho barely pried her off and asked,
"You aren't hurt anywhere, right?"
Da-jung was momentarily speechless, choked up.
Is there really a man this caring?
He might be a killer or psychopath to others, but to her, he was a warm-hearted man.
"I can't hold back. Let's do it right here."
She clung to him, but Sung-ho shook his head.
"No time. Gotta send you into the dimension gate and get Seok-hyun to the labyrinth."
"Why Seok-hyun?"
"People inside the Great Labyrinth are probably fighting like crazy right now. Seok-hyun will listen."
Da-jung looked up at Sung-ho with newfound respect.
Was it Jang Won-taek's influence that had him caring even a little about people now?
Not that it's a bad thing...
Da-jung hung from his neck.
"What about you?"
"Gotta head to the Korean shelter. To wipe out every last Chinese bastard there."
Sung-ho's eyes gleamed red and feral as he said it.
In Killer state, the intimidation up close was overwhelming, accompanied by his pounding heartbeat.
But to Da-jung, it all felt irresistibly alluring.
"Hold me tight and kiss me like you mean it."
Sung-ho did as she asked, gripping her butt firmly and kissing her.
A short moan escaped, and they finally parted.
"Haa..."
Her expression was so dazed it was pitiful.
Maybe she was the type who got even more excited in dire situations like this.
Sung-ho opened the dimension gate and patted her butt.
"Go inside and rest. I'll call you after I clear the battlefield."
"...Kinda bummed I didn't get that resurrection scroll."
"No one came, so what could we do? They're all scared of you."
"By the way, why aren't those guys charging?"
She meant the monsters lurking at a distance.
"Affinity's got 'em covered. Gotta commit murder before the day ends to keep it up."
"You said the Chinese are coming, right? Poor guys..."
"They brought it on themselves."
"Anyway... see you later."
She waved goodbye and unloaded her remaining shotgun shells into the monsters.
"Feels so damn good."
After she entered, Sung-ho rummaged through the ground beyond the gate and found the backpack.
"Here it is."
He hopped back on the bike and headed for Y Street.
Seok-hyun was sleeping on the grass in front of some unidentified building.
His stats must've tanked so hard his heartbeat was inaudible.
"Seok-hyun!"
At Sung-ho's shout, he snapped his eyes open and jumped up.
"You're back already."
"Let's go. Got a job for you."
He didn't even ask what it was—just hopped on the tandem seat.
"Where's the duck?"
"In the shelter. Nothing for her to do right now."
"Guess she'll have something later."
"Might need her help. Go inside for a bit."
Sung-ho opened the dimension gate, and he went in without protest.
Sung-ho rode toward the airport.
On the way, he saw people fleeing toward it in droves.
They freaked out at his heartbeat.
"M-Murderer!"
"Isn't that Kimbap Lover?"
Sung-ho ignored them and twisted the throttle for max speed.
To outrun any Deathmatch triggers.
He raced down people-less roads until he parked at the airport battlefield's boundary.
"Here, take this."
Seok-hyun took the backpack and asked,
"What do I do once I'm in the labyrinth?"
"People are probably fighting in there. Beat some sense into 'em and calm things down."
"Right up my alley."
He flexed his hand in the ogre glove.
The Great Labyrinth was another dimension—no Battlefield Chains effect.
No matter how strong anyone was, they couldn't match Seok-hyun's monstrous power.
"Head to the police station. That's where they'll be gathered. Try not to explore the first floor too much. I'm going ahead."
Sung-ho vanished, and Seok-hyun sprinted toward the police station in plain view.
"Whoopsie."
He stopped short to double-check it.
"Phew, almost went the wrong way."
His sense of direction was beyond imagination.
Anyway, Seok-hyun spotted the massive dimension gate in front of the station.
Definitely the Great Labyrinth entrance.
People's eyes bulged at the sight of him.
"It's Bunny Duo..."
"Whoa... he's really just in his panties..."
"He even has the bunny headband..."
"That's not clothes, dude."
Seok-hyun pushed through the crowd, fielding a barrage of questions as he entered.
"Hey, they say this battlefield's cleared, so why are the Battlefield Chains still up?"
"Dunno."
He dropped the cool, aloof line and stepped inside.
A few people were inside, cursing and brawling.
Battle Royale grudges turned into this.
Seok-hyun cracked his neck and charged in.
Moments later, three guys tumbled out onto the road.
"Ugh..."
Each groaned deeply, looking thoroughly pummeled.
Seok-hyun stepped out and raised his fist to everyone.
"Anyone else wanna fight?"
"..."
Dead silence.
.
.
.
I checked my status window while paused in a collapsed apartment complex on my way to Yeouido.
"Surprisingly high..."
Points would merge with my originals later, so no issue there. Stats and skills were what mattered.
Buffed by Jjim's tangerines, emperor honey, and horn mushrooms, plus Hardy Killer's effect, my stats were boosted.
But they still fell short of my original stats with Frenzy activated.
"When the hell do these chains wear off..."
I'd only experienced Battle Royale once, so I wasn't sure.
Videos suggested they just vanished during activity, but I died fighting the killer back then, so uncertain.
The auction house showed airport folks were surprisingly calm.
Aside from griping about the chains not lifting.
"Gotta clear nearby battlefields too?"
If so, I'd need the Chinese.
Fighting Koreans to clear it felt off.
They invaded us—not the other way around—so no injustice there.
Browsing other auction items, I checked the Korean shelter's.
The comments section revealed an unexpected situation.
Something was off.
Scrolling up, it seemed Jang Won-taek had been ambushed.
He'd holed up in the backup shelter, but a few guys showed up and started a shootout.
He was wounded, and his aide Hyun-woo couldn't go due to shelter defense.
Lee Beom-seok's sporadic comments suggested he was in a Battle Royale event.
"President, huh..."
No strong feelings for him, but he was someone who couldn't just die like this.
He was altruistic, prioritizing others over himself.
Minimizing apocalypse casualties, gathering people, preserving Korea's cultural assets—hard to downplay those efforts.
"...You need to live longer."
His comments were sporadic, wounds probably severe.
I messaged Hyun-woo.
His hesitation was brief.
Hyun-woo sent the shelter's location.
His heated reaction suggested the Korean shelter wasn't faring well either.
Uninvited guest or not, I'd go.
I rode to the backup shelter where Jang Won-taek was hiding.
The entrance gaped open, traces of two people visible.
Stealthy Tracking skill's doing.
"One's Jang Won-taek, the other's the attacker."
I entered the backup shelter, ignoring supplies, and followed the tracks.
Dark inside, but Killer vision let me see the shadows moving.
There you are.
"Gah!"
The attacker convulsed at my heartbeat.
I blocked his escape and approached.
Surprisingly, he tried fleeing with Levitation trait.
I waited for him to reach the ceiling and fired my pistol.
"Gurk!"
He plummeted, shot, writhing on the floor.
Leg broken at an odd angle.
I stabbed the looted spear into his heart.
The attacker went still.
Searching for the President, I found him gasping in the corner.
"Hah, hmm... Th-that heartbeat's no joke..."
"Became a Killer. Easier to move around like this."
His gaze turned to me, dimming like it might go out any second.
"Sh-should've... h-hunted more... Two knife stabs and I'm like this..."
He pressed his abdomen with a handkerchief, soaked in blood.
No potions?
Looking closer, two corpses and backpacks littered nearby.
Three intruders originally—he'd taken their bags.
I searched the levitator and found a resurrection scroll and skill expansion voucher.
Jang Won-taek writhed, groaning in distress.
"Wh-why's Sung-ho fine? Killer?"
"Clear the battlefield and become a Killer—no effect from or on nearby battlefields. Like you don't exist."
"I... see... Kgh, cough!"
Blood sprayed between his fingers with each cough.
Internal damage—potions wouldn't cut it.
I opened a dimension gate and called Soo-yeon.
"Soo-yeon, it's safe here. Someone needs healing—come out."
She stepped out and gasped.
"P-President?"
"Cough... Soo-yeon? Heh heh, doctor's here—I'm saved."
She placed hands on his wound.
Golden light seeped in; his condition visibly improved.
I found a potion in the backpack and poured it into his mouth.
"Cough cough!"
Jang Won-taek coughed hard, blinking rapidly.
"Phew... Finally feel alive."
He stood with Soo-yeon's support.
Bowed to us.
"No need for that."
Soo-yeon waved it off; he sighed deeply.
"Thanks to you two... Thought I was done when those three came in..."
"You took out two, though."
"Lucky I had the pistol..."
I offered the resurrection scroll and skill expansion voucher; he shook his head.
"No. You take 'em, Sung-ho. You landed the finishing blow."
This guy's got game lingo down?
I pocketed the voucher and gave him the scroll.
He chuckled heartily.
"Anyway, thanks. Gotta contact Beom-seok quick..."
He vanished into the shadows.
I handed Soo-yeon the voucher.
"You buffed and healed—take this at least."
She waved it away.
"No way. I can only have four skills. You need it more."
Not even five?
Typical for most survivors.
I tore the voucher on the spot; Soo-yeon hesitated, then said,
"Um... Not sure if now's the time, but... S-Sung-ho, you look so cool... My heart's racing..."
That's the Killer effect, lady.
"...That's 'cause I'm a Killer. Step back—the heartbeat fades."
She did, listened, then clapped a hand over her mouth and fled into the gate wordlessly.
Must've been embarrassed.
"Cool" was from Hardy Killer.
Made me look huge and intimidating—hostile folks felt the pressure.
Soo-yeon was different.
Closed the gate; Jang Won-taek hurried back.
"Sung-ho, got any time?"
"Nope. Got plans."
"Like...?"
"Heading to Yeouido to smash some Chinese. Make sure they never get cocky again."
Better to crush them now for an easier future.
Jang Won-taek's eyes welled with emotion as he grabbed my hand.
"Causing you trouble left and right today."
"If you know, hand over whatever you've been hoarding."
I said it as I left the shelter.
.
.
.
Yeouido Korean Shelter.
Despite Battle Royale, it buzzed with people.
But only Kim Hyun-woo was on the warehouse roof, sniping.
Holding off dozens of Chinese in a siege.
Tat-tat-tang!
A burst felled one Chinese.
Others dodged in surprise but didn't flee.
They saw an opening.
"Circle back! Draw his fire!"
"Useless ones, throw rocks at least!"
Against modern firearms, they had only bodies and crude traits.
But numbers worked wonders.
The soldier on the roof was struggling.
Liu Wei, leading the raid, trembled with glee.
Soon, that big warehouse would be his.
Wouldn't keep it all—share with the boss—but still.
He smirked, thinking he'd finally live large.
Even as his "brothers" dropped one by one.
"What're you doing? Fill the gap! Don't give him breathing room—attack!"
The Chinese attacked listlessly, eyes unfocused.
High on drugs from ghoul flowers.
Bosses Jang Seung-su and Liu Wei controlled brothers with narcotics.
Many died proving loyalty, but they had plenty of people.
Liu Wei inwardly chanted "just a bit more."
The warehouse was almost his.
Then.
A harsh exhaust roar and heartbeat echoed from somewhere.
Chinese turned to see a motorcycle charging them.
A hulking man atop held a mithril blade.
Liu Wei's face twisted in shock.
Who the hell rides a bike with that pricey weapon?
Someone who'd argued with the boss came to mind, but thoughts scattered.
The bike screeched to a halt; the man walked toward them.
Liu Wei finally realized—Killer—from the red eyes and intimidation.
But why no thud announcement?
Puzzled, he ordered his brothers.
Before he could, the man moved.
Mithril blade in one hand, rifle in the other.
"He's mine!"
One drugged, crazed man charged.
But failed.
His head floated up; the man swung, splattering blood on the ground.
Crazy bastard...
Liu Wei grimaced and commanded,
"Stop!"
His voice held binding power.
The man paused; brothers swarmed.
Meanwhile, Hyun-woo caught his breath on the roof and witnessed the grotesque scene.
Limbs and heads flying chaotically.
Sung-ho passing through silently.
Not a fight.
Unilateral slaughter.
As bodies piled, Chinese finally realized.
A monster they couldn't face had arrived.
Separate to Survive - 4 End