Chapter 211
Chapter 211
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 211
Chapter Title: People Living in the Apocalypse - 6
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Drake was furious.
He had only come down to the surface to enjoy a tasty meal.
But suddenly, he got smacked, something sharp stabbed into his mouth, and it even exploded.
He barely regained his senses and shook his head.
"Hyah!"
When he raised his head, a small creature was falling while dropping something shiny.
He didn't know exactly what it was, but it was nothing good to get hit by.
Drake quickly twisted his body to escape the attack range.
However, Sung-ho had deployed a dimensional barrier and leaped into the air.
His target was Drake's eye.
The creature freaked out and turned its head to dodge the silver object.
Then it closed its eyes and started ramming Sung-ho with its head.
The impact was comparable to an armored vehicle charging.
"You're getting too cocky!"
Blocked by the dimensional barrier, Drake spun around and whipped its tail.
Drake's power didn't match an ogre's, but they shared one similar trait.
A tail swipe.
The massive tail hammered the dimensional barrier, cracking it with a creeeak, and the leisure vanished from Sung-ho's face.
"Knock more gently!"
The hand-to-hand brawl between human and drake continued.
No matter how high Sung-ho's stats were, close combat with Drake was a stretch.
Drake possessed agility unimaginable for its size, along with toughness and attack power that were no joke.
Wounds from the mithril blades increased one by one, but to Drake, they were mere scratches.
He needed to inflict a fatal blow.
At that moment, five mithril blades shot up from below the road into the air.
Finally, Sangsin had begun assisting Sung-ho with telekinesis.
Those five mithril blades were the result of Jaman in the shelter pooling points to buy them.
The swords pierced the air like salmon swimming upstream, disrupting Drake's attacks.
Pa-pa-pat—
Whenever Drake glared and charged, they obstructed its vision or struck its joints to make it stagger.
Drake couldn't keep its wits about it amid the mithril blades flying like houseflies.
Kroooar!
Suddenly, it let out a massive roar, spread its wings, and took to the sky.
The rope went taut, and in that gap, the mithril blades flew toward its wings.
"Don't block!"
The mithril blades halted mid-air as if braking.
Drake's maw gaped wide, and flames poured out from within.
Kwaaaa!
The flames crashed into the road and spread around, while Sung-ho slipped underneath Drake.
As his hand entered the dimensional gate, the familiar bolt shot out and mercilessly stabbed Drake's soft underbelly.
Bang!
Kuwek!
It hurt so much that Drake clamped its mouth shut mid-breath.
Its massive body wobbled, naturally plummeting to the ground like a crash landing.
As the mithril blades embedded in its back twisted aside, Drake couldn't endure the pain and screeched.
"Head! Aim for the head! Eyes, mouth!"
Sung-ho shouted that as he hurled the adamantite spear into its maw.
But Drake shut its mouth to neutralize the attack and tensed its body.
Its scales shuddered, and the mithril blades embedded in it were flung off in an instant.
"You're one tough bastard."
Sung-ho stared at it in disbelief.
Drake, having taken decent damage itself, didn't charge recklessly and just glared back at him.
If it could speak, it would have said the exact same thing to Sung-ho.
The tense standoff between them was broken by Huxley climbing up onto the road.
"God almighty... You're fighting that?"
He had been asked to draw aggro, but seeing Drake in person made it impossible.
But since he'd come this far, he had to do something.
Huxley had once been a promising track athlete.
He quit due to an ankle injury, but thanks to that, he gained an acceleration trait.
No one in Houston was faster than him.
"Hey! Chicken!"
As he ran, his voice scattered.
But Drake didn't turn its head, keeping its focus on Sung-ho.
It sensed the small creature before it was dangerous.
The five silver skewers were annoying but not fatally so.
But leaving this guy alone would definitely threaten its life.
Kuuh—
Drake feinted opening its mouth and charged forward.
Sung-ho, deploying his dimensional barrier and calling the bolt, had to hurriedly retreat from the charge.
Drake swung its forepaw mercilessly, shattering the thick concrete road.
That was when the mithril blades neatly stacked on the ground.
Sangsin had switched to manipulating concrete debris instead of weapons.
Pu-pu-puk!
Chunks over dozens of kilos struck Drake one after another.
Even for sturdy Drake, it couldn't ignore the blows.
The debris hit heavily and with incredible precision.
And one sharp piece succeeded in stabbing around Drake's eye.
Kroooar!
Drake writhed, blood pouring from its eye.
Sung-ho, who had been fleeing, abruptly changed direction.
He glanced back and created a dimensional barrier as a foothold to leap high.
Drake spread its wings to create wind pressure upon spotting the movement, but Sung-ho didn't budge.
"Take this!"
The omitted words were probably "and eat shit."
Sung-ho leaped over Drake's head and fixed the mithril blade downward.
Drake turned its head to dodge, but Huxley tripped its tail from behind, delaying its response.
That was decisive.
The mithril blade, carrying a human's weight and an ogre's power, plunged deep into Drake's eye.
A spluk sounded, and Drake's maw gaped as its body convulsed.
Sung-ho twisted and yanked out the mithril blade, opening a dimensional gate.
The bolt shot out and stabbed into the drake's ravaged eye.
Thud.
Dust rose slightly from the explosion, and Drake reared its head with a roar of agony.
Even with part of its head blown off, it wasn't dead yet.
Sung-ho paid respects to its vitality and delivered the final blow.
"Farewell."
The mithril blade pierced its brain.
Drake shuddered like it was struck by lightning, then went limp.
+ Points +250
+ New Skill: Bluescale
"Hoo..."
Sung-ho sat on Drake's snout and caught his breath.
Hard Skin was gone, but Bluescale was its superior version, so no issue.
And an option attached to the bulletproof vest he was wearing.
Drake must be why it granted fire resistance.
Anyway, Sung-ho now had substantial resistance to both cold and fire.
"Combining it with elemental resistance..."
A slight exaggeration, but he could stroll through a fire scene unscathed.
As he tried to stand, Huxley approached, looked at Drake, and clicked his tongue.
"What a horrific monster. Hats off to the guy who took it down."
"It was possible because you helped."
He raised his arm and shrugged his shoulders.
"What did I do? Just ran around a bit."
Sangsin soon climbed up, saw Drake, and gaped.
"Total freak. Anything to loot here?"
"Why wouldn't there be?"
Drake's claws made excellent weapon material.
Processing was tough due to durability, but performance was guaranteed.
Sung-ho pointed at Drake's claws with the mithril blade.
"Huxley. Grab three of those."
He was startled.
"Can I really take them?"
"You helped, so it's your reward. You can use them as weapons."
Processing was hellishly hard, but possible.
Sung-ho severed the tissue connecting claws and legs.
Sixteen forearm-sized claws clattered to the ground one by one.
"Take three."
Huxley grinned broadly.
Houston survivors now had decent weapons.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say long knives were standard.
But no one used drake claws as weapons.
Not even owlbear, let alone drake.
Meanwhile, Sangsin grunted trying to peel off Drake's scales with a knife but failed.
"Won't come off."
"Didn't drop in the game. Probably fused with muscle."
"Tch, so close."
His ambitious plan for scale armor went up in smoke.
Moments later, clan members arrived and surrounded Drake.
"God almighty, a human killed this?"
"Damn, too fast, couldn't see properly."
"Hey, you stink."
"This idiot actually shit his pants!"
As commotion arose, Natalie watched Sung-ho wipe blood from his knife.
Despite accomplishing the unbelievable, his expression was nonchalant.
Epic event for her and the clan, but daily routine for that man.
She approached him and knelt on one knee.
The clan members were shocked, and so was Sung-ho.
"Whoa whoa! Natalie, don't get weird ideas."
"It's not that. I just..."
"Just?"
Sung-ho asked, and she lowered her eyes.
"Take me as your disciple."
"Disciple?"
He expected a different request.
Sung-ho scratched his cheek and said,
"Sorry, but this isn't something you teach. I lack the skill and spare time to teach anyway."
His strength was purely traits and experience combined.
Plus, too busy to keep anyone around.
Natalie thought a moment, then requested again.
"Not necessarily disciple. If you have hunts, call me anytime to use me. Even as a tool."
"What's the rush to get strong?"
"Revenge. There's a murderer in Dallas who killed my sister."
Sangsin barely held back a Texas Chainsaw Massacre quip.
Saying that here would be unmanageable.
"I'm no different from that murderer. Killed lots of people. Even became a killer."
Few across all nations had as many kills as Sung-ho.
World's vast, so possibly some surpass him, but slim chance.
Natalie shook her head.
"Doesn't matter. Just need power to kill him. I believe only you can give it."
"I see..."
Sung-ho sighed and looked at her.
"Can't take you as disciple anyway. Too much on my plate."
"Then..."
"Come to Korea. Fight hard there, path might open."
"Korea? What's it like?"
"Not much different from here. Was Koreans only, but now crowded with people from everywhere."
Capital Seoul teems with people and even more monsters.
Without the Korea shelter axis, it'd be constant deathmatches.
Compared, Houston was peaceful.
Natalie stood with a faint smile.
"Got it. As you say."
Clan members were regretful but couldn't hold her.
Respect personal choice.
Huxley placed a hand on her shoulder, emphasizing,
"You'll return to Texas someday?"
"Of course, boss. Coming back to kill that bastard."
"Then let's hang like old times."
"Who knows. Might settle with some strong guy in Korea."
"Who could handle Natalie's ass?"
Someone shouted, and she flipped them a strong middle finger.
"Shut your mouth."
Clan laughed, Sangsin untied and packed the rope.
Sung-ho said to Natalie,
"Little past Crosby County, there's a ranch. My comrades there, head there first."
"Getting there tough. Better call them here? Labyrinth's here too."
"Not hard."
Sung-ho leaped off the elevated road and pulled out two motorcycles.
Clan below gawked, Natalie startled too.
Where'd those bikes come from?
"Sangsin!"
"Got it! Coming down! Natalie... uh... hop on."
A concrete chunk floated up, they rode it down.
Soon, motorcycle engines roared, and the three departed.
Huxley and clan watched their backs regretfully.
"Sounds like fun stuff happening in Korea."
"Probably..."
"Boss, how to process this? Teeth won't scratch."
Turned out to be Drake's claw.
They tried stone hammer and crude chisel, not even a mark.
How to process...
Huxley pondered, then said to clan,
"Guess we have no choice but Korea."
"Whoa, heard it's a total mess."
"We're total noobs compared to Koreans?"
"Average level over 25."
Some Koreans came to US via great labyrinth, exaggerating Korea's state.
Thus, Korea seen as expert zone in auctions.
"Boss, safe? It's our hometown."
As Oliver said, Houston was their home and livelihood.
But Huxley firm.
"Hometown needs remnants to be one. Nothing left but damn monsters. What's the difference from Korean cities?"
"Uh..."
"Boss right."
Ghoul flowers destroyed many buildings and roads, hard to tell apart.
Huxley turned to clan and declared,
"I'm going to Korea. Heard experts besides Sung-ho there."
Meaning Bunny Duo and Duck Down Quack.
Survivor1 too low presence.
Huxley wanted to see them.
Specifically, watch them fight and learn.
Someone objected.
"But boss, food shortage there? Here we got cows, horses; Korea's barren."
"Problem? Hunt animals! Great labyrinth too! Unite our strength!"
"Exactly!"
"Texas strong!"
Consensus reached.
Clan immediately returned to base to pack.
Oliver muttered blankly,
"Should've gone with them."
Clan leader Huxley belatedly inquired via auction house.
Got good news, grinned white teeth.
"Cool. Meet at great labyrinth entrance. They'll take us to Korea."
"Whew, relief. Scared of that labyrinth."
Great labyrinth entrances everywhere in US, but interest waned lately.
Too many deaths inevitable.
Passing required risking life; only Sung-ho and few free to do so.
Braves clan waited at entrance, joined Sung-ho's group.
As they headed to Korea, Lotus's group with Seok-hyun finally reached Luat Kingdom's capital.
Da-jeong poked Seok-hyun's side from griffon back overlooking below.
"Top-gong, swordsman."
No reaction.
Annoyed, Da-jeong yanked their ears.
"Still sleeping? Think this is a tour bus?"
"Huh? Oh?"
Swordsman woke babbling nonsense; Seok-hyun stretched.
"Yaaawn... What?"
"Look there."
Finger pointed at what seemed the palace; he simply assessed,
"We're screwed."
End of People Living in the Apocalypse - 6