Chapter 88
Chapter 88
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 88
Chapter Title: Bunny Duo - 3
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That evening after Sung-ho left for the mainland.
The Dodam Island members finished their meals and were tending to their respective tasks in their assigned areas.
Soo-yeon thriftily used her share of water to wash up and brush her teeth.
As a doctor, she placed great importance on hygiene.
"Time to sleep for today..."
She was exhausted from wandering around the mainland during the day under the pretense of farming.
At least nothing had happened, thanks to the ropes the two students had set up.
When she got caught by the orc, spotting those ropes had brought her such immense relief.
Sung-ho had been spot-on in insisting they install them in advance.
That made sending him off alone feel all the more regrettable.
Dingo had gone with him, but the pup was just a dog, after all.
'Maybe I should have insisted more forcefully...'
No, he wasn't the type to let anyone tail him.
He had too many secrets...
Soo-yeon slipped under the blanket and closed her eyes.
As she fidgeted, mentally reviewing tomorrow's tasks, she heard a whining voice.
"Eeeeng, unnie."
"...Mi-kyung?"
"Unnie, can I slip under the blanket for a bit?"
How does a 22-year-old act so spoiled?
Soo-yeon lifted the blanket slightly to let her in.
Her skin felt cold, probably from getting some evening air.
This winter's going to be harsh...
Having a sturdy man by your side would make it cozy, though.
"Unnie, something upsetting happened this morning..."
This morning—before Sung-ho left.
Was it related to him?
She waited patiently, and Mi-kyung explained.
"I think I made ajusshi—no, oppa—mad..."
When did Sung-ho go from ajusshi to oppa?
But that wasn't the point.
She had straight-up told him he seemed suspicious.
She had worded it carefully, but Sung-ho had gotten serious and scolded her.
Oh, my head.
Soo-yeon pressed her forehead and nudged Mi-kyung away with her hip.
Mi-kyung whined and snuggled right back up.
"I told him I was wrong and that he should treat me comfortably, but it's okay, right? It'll be fine, right?"
"...Did he really say it was okay?"
"Yes!"
"Then it's okay. Sung-ho... he keeps secrets, but he doesn't hold grudges."
In other words, if Sung-ho were going to hold a grudge, he'd just cut ties instead.
This was Soo-yeon's guess, but it probably wasn't far off.
"Good, then. I really apologized profusely..."
A sigh escaped her automatically.
She, Yoo-hyun, and Mi-kyung had discussed it before.
"Why cross the line? Yoo-hyun said that too, right? To stop thinking about him like that."
"I know, but since he's leaving now, I just wanted to create some connection..."
I want a connection too, Soo-yeon thought but couldn't bring herself to say it.
Instead, she hugged Mi-kyung tightly.
"We're practically family now, aren't we? We can't be separated."
"I think so too."
The gym members had grown close over the past few weeks of sticking together.
They'd faced life-and-death crises at times and shared their pasts seriously.
But Sung-ho was different.
No one knew what he'd done before the diner or what his past was like.
Hyung-jun might have some inkling, at most.
"Sung-ho isn't. To be precise, we see him as family, but he doesn't see us that way. Get what I mean?"
"That feels weird..."
"Nothing weird about it. He just has something inside he can't show others."
Mi-kyung pressed her cheek to Soo-yeon's chest and gasped in surprise.
"Unnie, your boobs are so big..."
Oh, my head.
This girl really can't read the room.
No wonder Sung-ho's line got crossed in one go.
Soo-yeon decided it was time for a firm talking-to.
She peeled off the clingy Mi-kyung—who was cooing about how soft they were—and grabbed her ear.
"Everyone has boundaries, right? I have mine, and you have yours. Lines you don't want others crossing."
"Yes..."
"Sung-ho has his too. He subtly told us not to cross it, but you barreled right over without noticing."
"I didn't mean to..."
"Didn't mean to, but your mouth ran ahead anyway? This mouth?"
She lightly tapped Mi-kyung's lips, and she pursed them like a clam.
Soo-yeon pressed on.
"Normally, it might be no big deal. I'd think he was overreacting. But this is the apocalypse. People are dying on the mainland right now."
"I know..."
"A few survivors begged us earlier to let them on the island. Why did Hyung-jun oppa refuse?"
"Um... that was..."
"Because Sung-ho brought everyone he deemed okay. Ji-man, Yeo-ul, Jun-ho, Do-hyung... all four are sweet and kind. No harm to us. So what does refusing them mean?"
"Preventing potential trouble before it starts?"
Eh?
What did this girl eat wrong?
Looking at her suspiciously, Mi-kyung grinned and said Yoo-hyun had explained it.
"...Right. We don't trust them. And Hyung-jun thinks there's no need to do what Sung-ho didn't. Dodam Island is a great shelter. We just need to defend it. No point expanding recklessly and ruining everything."
"Then what about those people?"
"Not our problem. I told you—people are dying elsewhere right now. How can we live worrying about every one?"
She'd meant to emphasize the apocalypse, but the topic veered off.
Soo-yeon cleared her throat and refocused.
"Sung-ho doesn't care about just anyone. And even if he shows interest, he doesn't see them as 'his people' completely."
In her view, Sung-ho truly considered only two as his own.
Hyung-jun and Ji-man.
Hyung-jun made sense from their pre-apocalypse ties, but Ji-man was unexpected.
Maybe because the kid was so pure?
Listening to their whispers, they were like brothers.
Everyone regretted Sung-ho leaving, but Ji-man took it calmly.
As if certain they'd meet again.
Soo-yeon placed a hand on Mi-kyung's shoulder and lowered her voice dramatically.
"Without him, we wouldn't be alive. All he asks in return is silence. Not hard, right?"
"Y-Yeah... unnie, you sound just like oppa..."
"Practiced a bit. Anyway, keep that mouth shut, you. Got it?"
"Sniff."
Seeing her clamp her mouth shut made Soo-yeon unsure whether to laugh or cry.
At least it ended there—thank goodness.
If Mi-kyung had pushed further, Sung-ho might not have come back at all.
Mentioning that made her eyes widen.
"H-He won't not come back, right? Because of me..."
"He will. Why do you think he gathered us?"
"Um... why?"
"Home. Home."
From her observations, Sung-ho could handle loneliness.
More precisely, he didn't feel lonely alone.
What he needed was a home to return to.
A comfortable haven after long journeys.
Sung-ho had gathered them for that.
So Soo-yeon believed.
.
.
.
"That guy's completely insane."
The murderer tried to grab my arrow.
He didn't know it was an adamantine arrow, but it meant he did this often out of habit.
Had he racked up a lot of grudges?
Makes sense for a murderer.
As I readied my second shot, I spotted someone beating up the murderer.
Hidden behind the big guy, probably.
He was stark naked.
Stripping down completely in the apocalypse? Not right in the head.
And as far as I knew, only one person qualified for that.
"...Tok-gong?"
The man flew around like a whirlwind, pummeling the murderer.
Made me question if his trait was levitation.
My arrow had clearly given him the opening.
But the assault didn't last.
His flurry of punches got blocked, and they locked into another grapple.
These guys sure love power struggles.
I slipped into the building ahead during the gap.
From the rooftop, the full scene unfolded—along with that telltale heartbeat sound.
A few bodies lay sprawled far off.
"No zombie raid is surprising."
The one dominating the fight had taken them out while moving.
Precise distance sense—definitely a veteran.
Tok-gong it was.
Before joy at finding him, there was work to do.
Kill the murderer facing him.
Party or not, clear the area first, right?
I opened a dimension gate, grabbed what I needed, and emerged.
Then tied a small firecracker to the arrowhead.
The Duck Down Quacks made these special.
Regular firecrackers are too big—risk drawing all monsters.
Miniaturized, they stun just one target.
Hats off to them for figuring the recipe and mixing in flint and gunpowder.
Trajectory's a bit off, but not at this range.
Not aiming to hit anyway.
I lit it during their separation and drew the string.
The murderer dodged the incoming arrow with a torso twist.
Sorry, this one explodes.
It flashed right in his face.
"Ack!"
His scream carried here—must've hurt bad.
Tok-gong, sensing backup, went wild on him.
But that was it.
The murderer had taken a barrage but seemed barely fazed.
What insane specs? How many has he killed?
Got rapid regen too?
Why no knife, though?
Most murderers had ceramic blades.
...Anyway, to kill him, need something heavy.
I opened the gate and sent Dingo in.
Then asked the Quacks.
"When I signal, have Dingo pull this string, got it?"
Nod nod.
Gate by the ballista, and it's ready.
Open gate, toss rock inside, ballista fires.
Exhausted and sub-adult, but it downed a gryphon in two shots.
No matter the stats, it'd be lethal.
"One shot to end it..."
Need to close in, but that means deathmatch.
I hooked a grapple to the railing and rappelled down.
Retrieved it and hid in the parking lot, watching them fight spiritedly.
Too fast for openings.
The process—gate, signal, fire—is lengthy...
"Hahaha! Even 2-on-1, you can't beat me! What a waste of the name Tok-gong!"
Definitely Tok-gong.
Mop-top hair, balanced build.
Ignore the dangling bits below.
The murderer blocked Tok-gong's aerial kick, spun, and flung him.
Tok-gong recovered mid-air but got shoved back by the charging murderer's strike.
"What, filming an action flick...?"
People at the limit of human physique.
With a few Tier 2 skills in that state, they could face an ogre.
Face, not beat.
It's a real monster.
If only I could restrain him decently.
Tok-gong's struggling, so no—gotta step in.
I crept toward the fierce duo.
High perception—Tok-gong spotted me first.
"Where you looking?!"
The murderer's brutal fist smashed Tok-gong's face sideways.
Sorry.
.
.
.
Seok-hyun was thrilled.
He'd taken a hit from the murderer for glancing away, but he'd finally met a friend.
The infamous killer terrorizing Changwon area.
Few would sneak up while he fought one.
Tok-gong glanced at him mid-fight.
Tall and burly.
Black stab-proof suit, sharp eyes.
Long knife on hip, backpack and bow on back.
Textbook survivor gear.
But different from others.
His eyes locked on clearly.
Determination shone from his stoic face.
Seok-hyun paid for the glance.
The murderer had closed in and gripped both wrists.
"Too careless! Do I look weak?!"
His face loomed large.
Seok-hyun twisted to escape, but brute grip held firm.
How high is that strength stat?
Thud.
Foreheads collided like a drum.
Seok-hyun reeled.
Vision blurred as headbutts rained.
A brick between them would've shattered.
"Hard Skin! Impressive! How's that? Bearable? I'm fine!"
Blood from his forehead obscured vision, but Seok-hyun stayed conscious.
His eyes snapped open.
He caught the exact moment the murderer released his wrists to swing.
"Yah!"
Kiai and whoosh—but Seok-hyun was gone.
Uncoiling, his head uppercut the murderer's jaw.
"Guhk!"
The strike that might've killed a normal man snapped his head back.
Cheol-seong staggered and crumpled.
Finish here.
Delay, and his Survival Thirst activates too.
Seok-hyun wound for a knee kick, but a sudden voice tensed him.
"Dodge!"
His friend's voice.
Gazing from dozens of meters away.
Action beat thought.
Seok-hyun leaped aside.
"You rat bastard..."
Cheol-seong glared and rose—just as a finger-thick bolt shot from thin air.
It pierced his sturdy body effortlessly.
"Gaaahk!"
Agony gaped his mouth.
Instinct screamed: danger, flee.
He barely blocked Tok-gong's lunge.
Shock dizzied his head.
"Ngh, out of the way!"
Cheol-seong shoved Tok-gong bodily and bolted.
Zombies swarmed nearby.
Sung-ho aimed another bolt but gave up.
The murderer had mixed into the zombies.
"What now?"
Then something astonishing.
Zombies ignored him, shambling toward them with usual groans.
Familiarity skill maybe?
To maintain it, his kill count dwarfs mine.
The murderer grabbed a ghoul's head and hurled it at Seok-hyun.
It tumbled, righted, and bared teeth at Tok-gong.
Thud—and deathmatch erupted.
Cheol-seong laughed raggedly amid zombies.
"Hahaha! Survive and win!"
Sung-ho squinted. Is he nuts?
Tasted the bolt's heat, yet deathmatch here?
"Let's see how long."
Tok-gong yelled at the charging survivor.
"My friend's here—you're dead now!"
Cheol-seong's face twisted.
No way it's Kimbap Lover?
Bunny Duo - 3 End