Chapter 230
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 230
Chapter Title: Planned Murder - 5
Lee Beom-seok was already dead.
The one possessing his body was Judecca, the self-proclaimed king of all beasts.
I kept pounding on him until my transformation wore off.
And even while gasping from the aftermath, I didn't let go of his throat.
Judecca spoke.
"Impressive."
"Not beaten enough yet."
I smashed my fist into Judecca's face, but he slowly turned his head back.
Madness flowed from his already lifeless eyes.
"Abomination Polymorph magic places an enormous burden on the caster. To endure it... truly impressive."
"It was just exploiting a bug. Nothing special."
"Now I want you for myself."
"Shut your mouth."
I hurled Lee Beom-seok's body against the wall and drew my mithril blade.
If fists wouldn't do, I'd carve him into pieces with the sword.
As I approached, a cracked voice spoke—the real Lee Beom-seok.
"That sword must have killed countless people..."
"Yeah."
"Kill, kill, kill again... I can clearly see it... mountains of corpses piled around you..."
Not wrong.
I hadn't reached Seok-hyun's level, but I'd personally killed over a hundred people.
Regret it?
Not at all.
"In the end, no one will be left around you... I can't wait to see that day..."
"Sorry, but that day won't come."
I plunged the sword into Lee Beom-seok's stomach.
Then I stared straight into his eyes.
"There are plenty of people in this world who never cross the line. The ones who died by my hand? They crossed it."
"You alone decide who to kill... and who to spare... on your own terms. What gives you the right..."
"The right of the strong. If you don't like it, crawl into some corner and stay there. I don't have time to kill every last one."
Lee Beom-seok's head tilted slightly.
"In the end... you only know destruction... You never had the right to kill them..."
"Keep barking that bullshit, and your head explodes. That's just how it is in the apocalypse."
"Someone... will eventually appear... to stop your... bullshit..."
"You, driven mad by Judecca eating you up, waiting for who now?"
His face twisted in rage.
If it were me, I'd have bolted the moment I was marked as a villain.
Just survive 24 hours, after all.
With a trait like Blink, escaping is a breeze.
But Lee Beom-seok made the worst choice: trying to kidnap Jang Won-taek.
Something the old him never would have done.
And oddly, he hadn't used Blink's extra effects aggressively.
At level 50, he should've had several.
Relying on tentacles instead? Probably influenced by Judecca's possession.
I twisted the sword in Lee Beom-seok's gut and yanked it out.
Blood gushed out, and his lower body slumped down.
This time, it was Judecca speaking to me.
"You rejected my hand... So now I want to see your despair..."
"Planning to send some big shot after me?"
Judecca flashed a chilling smile.
"Fight... endure... and grow... Your growth will be my future..."
"Bullshit."
I had no intention of sharing a future with a monster like that.
I finally severed Lee Beom-seok's head.
The floor was a mess of blood and a bisected corpse.
Damn it.
I leaned against the wall, riding out the dizziness.
After Hyun-woo, now Lee Beom-seok had died by my hand.
Inadvertently, I'd severed both of Jang Won-taek's arms.
"If you don't know anything, just stay the hell out of it..."
In normal society, even if you stirred some trouble, it rarely ended badly.
At worst, prison—and you'd keep your life.
But in the apocalypse, it's different.
Mess around, and you bet your life on it.
Me too.
As Lee Beom-seok said, if someone stronger than me shows up, everything I've done becomes pointless.
And I'd die.
But no regrets.
"I'll keep killing, killing... and killing some more."
Until all problems vanish.
The stench of blood finally hit, and that's when Jang Won-taek opened the door.
His face looked a decade older.
"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry."
Jang Won-taek grasped the bloodstained hand of the dead Lee Beom-seok.
"I should have convinced him more... I'm sorry..."
I could say nothing as he sobbed.
.
.
.
In one night, eleven people lost their lives.
The culprit? Obviously me.
I cleared the Villain Subjugation Quest and received an Elixir as reward.
This potion's effect was astonishing.
Upon consumption, all negative effects vanish, wounds heal, and you gain 1 minute of invincibility.
Your body becomes immune to any attack.
You could hum through an ogre's strikes.
I leveled up from killing Lee Beom-seok, but that wasn't important.
Jang Won-taek had announced his retirement.
In a meeting with me and the shelter's key figures, he said:
"I never imagined sending off Kim So-ryeong like that, only for my chief of staff to leave too... This is all my failure, my fault."
"President..."
Tears welled in the eyes of Oh Seung-yeon and the others.
After I killed ten of them, not many remained.
Their gazes toward me held fear and dread.
Can hardly blame them—I'd wiped out their comrades overnight.
The now white-haired old man Jang Won-taek smiled hollowly.
"As of this moment... I lay down all my burdens. And I will leave this shelter..."
"Wh-where to, sir?"
Someone asked, and he pointed out the window.
"No place calls for this old body, but I have somewhere to go. Sung-ho."
All eyes turned to me.
"Yes."
"I don't resent you. Someone had to do it. A painless end would have been better, but with Judecca emerging... unavoidable."
"Once Judecca takes hold, death isn't clean. Negative emotions amplify, rational thought becomes impossible. The body turns almost monstrous."
He nodded weakly.
"I know. That's why I have a request for you all."
"..."
"Never yield to Judecca. His sweet words peel back to ugly greed. He seeks to brainwash us all for his desires. Don't fall for it."
"...We'll remember."
"One more thing I'd ask... if possible, stay here and assist Sung-ho. We need a few who know the shelter inside out..."
"Why not just step back and stay here?"
His end was obvious.
The world was a demon realm, no exaggeration.
Monsters everywhere, harsh environment.
An elderly ability user with low combat prowess? Dead on arrival.
But he refused.
"I could stay and advise, sure. But I want to let it all go completely... Living here has become too hard."
I understood his feelings.
He'd worked tirelessly near the end, only to lose two subordinates.
Regrettable that it was by my hand.
"If you insist, no choice. Mi-kyung will escort you."
"Thank you. The Foreign Ministry residence in Hannam-dong should do. No people there, so no monsters."
He handed me a stack of documents last.
"Pre-apocalypse schedule records. Also meeting logs with world leaders. Includes undisclosed time shelters... bunkers. Use them well."
Handing over such secrets meant he had no intention of surviving.
I met his eyes and lost my words.
Eyes of total resignation, staring past me into the void.
The old man's end would likely be suicide.
Jang Won-taek gave us a feeble smile.
"I wanted to form a government and officiate Sung-ho and Da-jeong's wedding... Haha, too late now. Everyone, you've worked hard. I'm no president anymore, just an old man, but I commend your efforts."
People wiped their eyes.
I called the auction house for Mi-kyung.
President Jang Won-taek packed light and left like that.
Leaving the Korean shelter in my hands.
.
.
.
In the now-empty office, I sank into thought.
This wouldn't do.
"Judecca... so that's how you want to play it..."
He hadn't given up on me.
His obsession had deepened; now he threatened torment.
"Endure, huh? You joking?"
Thinking of what he'd done ground my teeth.
Tricking Lee Beom-seok shook the entire Korean shelter; nearly split it.
Worse, to him, this was just a game.
To hurt him, I had to conquer the Great Labyrinth.
Another risk loomed.
From Jang Won-taek's documents, I checked the government's pre-apocalypse schedule.
They'd advised world leaders to build shelters.
Why haven't they surfaced yet?
"No way they're waiting?"
One year.
The deadline in the logs.
Extended estimate for the Metal Plague's dissipation.
Governments might be hunkered in shelters, waiting it out.
"Then next month..."
Armed forces from other nations could storm Seoul.
Pre-apocalypse allies? Meaningless now.
Kill and conquer—that's it.
"...Need to scout."
Especially US, Japan, China—where Great Labyrinth floor 1 entrances were confirmed.
No one knows what happened in their shelters this year.
"Nothing stops a madman like me from seizing power."
Jang probably didn't tell me out of uncertainty.
Didn't know the labyrinth connected cities either.
Putting it together, my tasks were clear.
With the demon realm ahead and foreign powers, settling for a handful of survivors wouldn't cut it.
"More decisive. More aggressive."
Ideally, claim Lotus before July and overhaul this shelter.
With the mood unsettled, give a few days' rest, then reorganization.
"Gather people... conquer the Great Labyrinth."
Hunting there would toughen survivors.
Supplies from Ji-man... good.
I summoned the shelter's key figures.
Hyung-jun hyung, Su-yeon, plus Oh Jeong-min, Lee Min-su from Hannam-dong, and So-ye too.
They waited anxiously for my words.
"...Lee Beom-seok is dead. Jang Won-taek left the shelter. Korean shelter's command is shattered."
Sighs erupted.
"Ah..."
"What now?"
The real work starts now.
I scanned their faces.
"Nothing changes. I'm taking over the shelter."
Their expressions brightened.
What mattered to them was someone to lead and direct.
"Shelter shuts down until June 5th. Then full reorganization. It'll be very different from before—prepare yourselves."
So-ye asked eagerly.
"What kind of preparation?"
"To fight. Full assault on the Great Labyrinth. Clashing with other nations' survivors. And... fighting Judecca. Ask my members—our members—for the knowledge you need. Hyung-nim, Su-yeon-ssi."
They nodded.
Sharing past events and Lotus info would let them prepare.
One more thing first.
I raised my voice.
"No forcing it. Scared of fighting? Don't want in? Leave now. Go back to quarters and list who wants out. They'll get ample supplies."
They glanced at me, but So-ye puffed her chest.
"Not a single one. Everyone knows this is the best spot."
"Well, yeah..."
"No screw-ups, and it's the best."
"Good food, solid defenses..."
"Just need more water."
"No worries on water. Once settled, unlimited supply planned."
Joy lit their faces.
In apocalypse, clean water trumps food.
Food from hunting or store bread in pinch; water? No substitute.
Han River polluted, scant rain—they must've been desperate.
So-ye pressed.
"Really unlimited?"
"Not for wasteful use like before. Enough for proper washing and drinking."
"That's luxury enough."
Message landed.
I dismissed them, then tasked Hyung-jun hyung and Su-yeon.
"I'm in charge now, but can't sit here forever. You two run it."
"Uh... honestly, no confidence."
"Me neither."
They shook heads.
Sudden handover from Jang and Lee? Daunting.
No need to worry.
"Just maintain. I'll set and execute big plans. Hyung-nim, handle supplies. Su-yeon-ssi, personnel."
Personnel and logistics solved—maintenance viable, my call.
Rest is mine.
"Just supplies?"
"Fairness elsewhere fine. But strict on firearms issuance. Mind that."
Hyung-jun hyung pondered, then nodded firmly.
"If you need help, that's nothing. Got it."
Su-yeon leaned forward.
"Me... people? HR?"
"Yes. Bringing in foreigners from zone 2. Guide them, handle assignments, complaints."
"That much... doable."
Luckily, positive response.
As a doctor, used to people.
I assigned similarly: reconnaissance and intel to Seung-yeon, Yu-hyun, Yeo-ul; defense to Sang-shin.
Last: four veterans.
No roles needed—they'd fight nonstop.
Perfect timing—Da-jeong and Seok-hyun commented: done.
Opened dimension gate; veterans emerged one by one.
They marveled at the explanation.
"So you took the shelter, Sung-ho?"
"Yeah. Old man left, so I had to."
"Not in the plan. You good?"
"Knew a day like this would come."
Geom-in wrinkled his nose, scanning the shelter.
"Not much changed? Just leader from president to Sung-ho."
"But Judecca attacked here?"
I explained Judecca possessing Lee Beom-seok and his demands.
Da-jeong frowned.
"What does he want from you? Pure blood this, pure blood that—like a parrot. So what?"
"Obvious."
Seok-hyun pointed at me and Da-jeong.
"He wants the child from you two."
"...A baby?"
"Fucking gross."
I agreed with Seok-hyun.
Precisely, I was key; Da-jeong next.
Judecca couldn't leave Great Labyrinth for some reason.
His limit: possess like with Lee Beom-seok.
To escape, needs new vessel—not damaged current one.
Stronger the better—so my highest-level blood, then Da-jeong's.
Could make level 50; needs me for pure blood.
Whatever that means.
Da-jeong cupped my face after hearing.
"Even if Judecca turns into a hot chick, don't fall for it. No hearts, no body. Got it?"
"No intention, so relax."
"But if corrupted by Judecca, bet you'd lay eggs. World's first egg-laying woman? Kinda hot."
Forgot.
Da-jeong was as much a troll as Seok-hyun.
She spewed vulgarities till Geom-in blushed.
Please stop.
End of Planned Murder - 5