Chapter 74
Chapter 74
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: It's You Again - 4
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"Follow me."
The Zombie Queen stepped into the high school at the center of the residential neighborhood.
The gym members trailed closely behind her.
They had no desire to compete in the First Kill event.
In truth, it was more like they knew they weren't skilled enough and wanted out.
But what could they do?
The Zombie Queen, who had looked after them for the past few days, had called them.
Though "looked after" carried a bit of irony, they couldn't deny they'd received her help.
With the Zombie Queen handling the Kimhae Clan in the background, they'd been able to live comfortably.
Even as she dragged them along now, saying it was time to earn their keep, they didn't even think to resist.
Half out of gratitude, half out of fear.
Da-jeong was usually as kind as her name suggested, treating them well.
But every now and then, she showed glimpses of madness.
That madness won't explode today... right? everyone thought.
Especially Yoo Hyun-i, who had been kidnapped by zombies before, flinched at just Da-jeong's gaze.
It had only been dragging her out in the middle of the night to listen to drunken ramblings, but it was still a terrifying experience.
A paper airplane flew over, and Yoo Hyun-i whispered something to Da-jeong.
She nodded, then spoke at the entrance.
"You all stay on the first floor with my cutie pies."
The "cutie pies" were, of course, the zombies.
Each had an idol-like name attached, and the gym members had all memorized them.
Hearing names like Sugar Sung-hoon or Strongest Geo every day would do that.
Hyung-jun stepped forward and asked again.
"We don't have to go up to the second floor?"
"You wanna go meet the scary Orc sis?"
Da-jeong grinned widely, and he frantically shook his head.
Goblins and kobolds were tough enough opponents; he had no desire to face an orc.
In fact, he wanted to leave right now, but saying it was incredibly difficult.
Da-jeong seemed sweet at first glance, but inside... she was a bit—no, very twisted.
Only a veteran player like the one she'd gamed with could handle that personality.
Maybe even Sung-ho had fled from it.
At that moment, monsters causing chaos in the classrooms burst into the hallway.
Da-jeong struck a model pose and called out Girls' Generation.
The zombies charged out, and she kicked off her high heels, taking two long knives from them.
"Let's get started. Oh, and if you run, I won't forgive you. Got it? This is all~ for your sake."
The gym members squeezed their eyes shut.
They couldn't voice their wish to just stay home and rest.
No choice but to give it a try.
Hyung-jun cracked his knuckles and stepped up.
"No worries. These are the same guys we always fight. Soo-yeon, focus healing on me."
"Got it. Charge in without a second thought."
"Mi-kyung, disrupt the monsters from the side. Yoo Hyun-i, stay behind me and target only the goblins pulling out their spears. Got it?"
"Yessir."
Fighting monsters alongside zombies was something they'd done several times before.
If only not for the red ribbons around the zombies' necks.
While the four fought the monsters, Da-jeong lightly ascended to the second floor.
Only two zombies followed her.
The strongest and fiercest ones.
But she wouldn't need their help against the orc.
Kobolds burst out on the second floor, blocking her path.
One zombie handled them, and Da-jeong's eyes fixed on the end of the hallway.
"My orc must be hiding over there."
As if in response, the orc shaman charged out with hobgoblins in tow.
It had probably planned to stay hidden, but it clearly underestimated Da-jeong.
The orc shaman slammed its staff into the floor, sending tremors rippling like an earthquake.
"Aha."
I get what its power is.
The zombie guarding her to the end set down its backpack and charged the monsters.
While it kept them busy, Da-jeong rummaged through the bag and swapped items.
"If the dress code changes, you should notify people. What's this?"
The orc shaman advanced, shaking its staff at her mutter.
No matter how strong the zombie, it couldn't handle three hobgoblins and the orc at once.
Thanks to that, Da-jeong faced the orc shaman one-on-one.
Kruk!
The orc's staff struck the floor again, rippling like waves.
The second-floor monsters toppled en masse, but Da-jeong endured with astonishing balance.
And she declared:
"Sung-ho was worried about me. He said if a zombie that seals traits shows up, it'd be dangerous."
Kruk?
"I need to catch you to prove I can handle it alone. If I take down one orc, he'll acknowledge me, right? So... come at me."
She beckoned.
The orc didn't understand her words, but it got the taunt.
Baring its teeth with a roar, it charged at Da-jeong.
This puny thing... one charge and...
But the charge failed.
Da-jeong dodged with minimal movement, slicing a gash into the orc's side.
It was shallow, but the long knife was razor-sharp, splitting the hide wide open.
Kraaaagh!
Enraged, the orc wildly swung its staff.
But Da-jeong danced around the attacks, gifting cuts across its skin.
She wasn't strong, nor were her strikes precise.
Just one thing.
Her agility was nearly 20.
The result of going all-in on items.
A time when normal people struggled for one or two items.
Da-jeong had amassed a ton using her zombie minions.
Allowing her to toy with the orc unilaterally.
Just like now.
"Focus, focus!"
She swung the long knives, and two of the orc's fingers flew into the air.
The orc shaman howled in agony, slamming its staff into the wall.
Glass shattered from the windows, raining down on her.
Da-jeong downed a potion but never took her eyes off the orc.
The moment she was cut by glass, the orc's wrist flew off.
Kwoooogh!
The orc wailed in pain, and the Zombie Queen licked the blood from her lips.
"Since I bled, you need to bleed a lot more."
How much? She decided.
By then, her minion zombie had finished the three hobgoblins and glared.
But Da-jeong stopped it.
"Watch from there, Strongest Geo. I acknowledge your love for me, but we're not meant to be. Understand?"
The zombie and orc both tilted their heads.
Da-jeong crossed her two long knives and leaped at the orc.
Slash slash slash!
After several exchanges, the orc knelt, bleeding from head to toe.
Da-jeong could have killed it outright but deliberately pulled back.
"...Gotta give first place to my friend."
A pitiful friend whose trait wasn't combat-oriented, forced to hide.
He might not get first, but he'd be right behind with a little yield.
She believed Topp Gong thought the same.
Opening the ranking page, Da-jeong's expression turned strange.
"Huh?"
"Huff... huff..."
Survivor1, Bae Geom-in, panted heavily.
Copying the Blink trait to find the orc quickly had been fine, but a mistake occurred.
The monsters resisted more than expected.
The awakeners meant to back him up couldn't reach the second floor, forcing him to evade for a while.
Mooks were manageable, but hobgoblins and the orc together were too much.
The copied trait lacked extra effects, reducing efficiency.
Growing anxious as the orc remained intact, he cursed inwardly.
Hurry up, you idiots!
He couldn't curse aloud; he couldn't treat them roughly.
He'd lured them here with gifts; he couldn't let them go.
Every member was precious now.
"Still far?"
The timid Geom-in shouted.
As if in answer, two bloodied figures arrived.
"We're late!"
"Where's the guard squad?"
They immediately engaged the three hobgoblins.
Thanks to them, Geom-in got a one-on-one with the orc shaman.
I'm the first kill!
Geom-in hurled a fire can.
Then something astonishing happened.
Fire spewed from the orc shaman's staff, igniting the can mid-air!
A pillar of flames filled the hallway instantly, and the orc shaman fled to the first floor.
"Fuck...!"
Geom-in tore at his hair in despair before blinking away.
The road in front of the arts center turned into chaos in seconds.
"Watch the staff tip!"
"Just don't get close; it's not a big deal!"
Flames spewed, and the orc's roars filled the road, but the survivors stayed calm.
Not veterans, but they'd faced orcs before.
One orc shaman popping out wouldn't cause panic.
Thanks to them, Geom-in stabbed the orc's back with a long knife.
The sharp blade tore into its side instantly.
Success!
Geom-in reveled in ecstasy.
He slashed its throat next; the head rolled grotesquely.
He had no doubt he was first.
A few seconds delay? Everyone faced hiccups.
Plans go awry the moment they start, as the saying goes.
While survivors still fought monsters, he opened the ranking page in the road's center.
Determined to etch "Survivor1" into the records.
But...
Geom-in flinched at the ranking page.
Why were there already three records?
He rubbed his eyes, thinking he'd misread, but they remained.
As he nearly got attacked, other survivors saved him.
"Geom-in! Let's check after we deal with these!"
"Still tons of monsters!"
But it fell on deaf ears.
He stared at the page in disbelief.
A blinking cursor next to the last 3:31 record, as if urging him to enter his name and leave.
"...Why?"
He muttered blankly.
He never imagined three ahead of him.
And first was that bastard again.
Kim Bap Jo-ah, whom auction house folks dismissed as lucky in the labyrinth.
"...Just luck?"
Creation trait, they said?
Then what was this?
Geom-in glared at the people with bloodshot eyes.
If these fools had come 10 seconds sooner, first would be his.
A monster pounced on the motionless him; an exasperated survivor saved him.
"Geom-in! What are you doing here?!"
His shoulder shook roughly.
Boiling with rage, Geom-in finally exploded.
"Uwaaaaaah!"
Meanwhile, Vice Chief of Staff Beom-seok, watching the arts center from afar through binoculars, lowered them.
"He's wailing. Final rank is 4th. Everything but 1st is 2nd, though."
"Hah... 4th, even after rushing like that?"
Jang Won-taek sounded regretful, and Beom-seok chalked the records on the wall.
"1st at 3:21... Impressive."
"Even with Geom-in's prep, he couldn't top it. Speedruns aren't luck, and the trait isn't creation."
"Then what do you guess?"
"Still... sent people to trace, but no leads."
"Definitely in Gyeongnam?"
"Seok-hyun and Da-jeong are both there. Probably around Changwon... searching Seongsan-gu."
Jang Won-taek scratched his cheek with a hum.
"Keep looking. Even if we can't recruit, we must convey our intent."
"Will he listen? He hid info to the end."
"...Drop it."
The former president and chief of staff fell silent.
What trait required hiding to the end? Unimaginable.
Combat prowess seemed exceptional too...
Beom-seok's head ached.
"Find that bastard quick!"
People bustled around the bank.
Members of the Employee Uniform faction.
No.5 Whiner, veins bulging on his neck, yelled hoarsely.
Stealing rice after it was cooked? No wonder he was furious.
"It's a competition anyway. What's the big deal?"
After rolling on the floor with the orc, I swiftly stabbed its throat with my long knife.
Various skills activated, letting me move before it reacted.
The orc shaman died with half its neck severed, and I clocked 3:21.
Then I ran like hell back to base.
Planning to hole up until the fuss died down.
"Let's see... Status Window."
Finally hit level 17.
"Points are whatever..."
The orc's unique skill, Hard Skin, caught my eye.
"20% damage reduction, right?"
Not comparable to ogre's Stone Skin, but percent-based physical mitigation was solid.
From items, I got the bone necklace the orc wore.
+2 Dexterity and Perception—rare stuff.
"Dual-stat items are hard to come by."
Tri-stats were a nightmare drop rate.
Most users over 1,000 hours never saw one; I'd only gotten two.
"The real prize is this."
I unrolled the scroll.
Knew it'd be unique, but this...
Didn't exist in the original game.
System registers you as murderer after two kills.
Near three or more users? Forced deathmatch.
Heartbeat reveals position, making normal life impossible.
Murderers didn't last long.
Always fighting someone—long life is the anomaly.
Reverse that?
"...Auction it, and it'd fetch a fortune."
No, better give to Da-jeong.
She killed for me.
Could happen again.
Topp Gong too; whoever hits murderer first uses it.
I sorted items and opened the ranking page.
"Oh, nice."
Topp Gong and Duck Down Quack took 2nd and 3rd.
No meaning beyond 1st in this event, but still.
4th was someone unknown.
2nd 00:03:31 Fuck kill:6 points:30
"Swearing in the name?"
Similar boat as me?
Auction house was mayhem, as expected.
Then someone dropped a weird comment.
I watched the comments for a bit.
Well, no rule saying no Japanese survivors.
Even without game knowledge or traits, there's a way to survive.
But posting in auction house means level 15 achieved.
"Did they awaken too?"
People saw foreigners in the labyrinth before...
They might be under the system too.
Writing in Korean is odd, though.
Anyway, flustered by the aggression, he stopped posting.
Checked the ID: a name appeared.
"Yuzuka? Name's Yuzuka?"
World. A real Japanese person.
End of It's You Again - 4