The Hedgehog's Suggestion
I came to Rising Energy Co., Ltd. at the suggestion of the hedgehog solar panel installation engineer. He had worked here before the apocalypse hit.
"Ugh!"
"One pot shot! You take one too!"
"Hey, you guys stop messing around and finish it properly!"
"Haha! Got it, got it."
They were joking around, but they never let their guard down. The party members could now easily suppress small groups of enemies. If we armed them with real weapons, their combat power would jump dramatically. They'd even be able to hunt zombie mutants on their own. When that happened, we'd shift from base defense to full expeditions. We couldn't afford to stop growing.
Yeonhee nuna's cooking had a slow spoilage rate, which made it perfect for supplies. On top of that, we'd stockpiled plenty of preserved food, so it would come in handy during long expeditions.
The scale has grown bigger than I expected.
At first, I never planned to build a group. My playstyle back on server one was almost pure solo. Somehow I'd ended up securing a safe zone around Suyeon Apartments and started sticking my nose in everyone's business. Humans are creatures who can't resist giving unsolicited advice. We even backseat-game pro gamers. I was no different. It was the feeling of a veteran player spotting a newbie. I simply couldn't just watch. If I'd left them alone, they would have stayed holed up in their homes until they rotted away.
I wonder if that kid is still alive.
The newbie I used to carry eventually adapted pretty well. He might even still be alive now that the apocalypse has begun.
While the party members and second-tier residents loaded the equipment, I scouted the perimeter.
I'm starting to see some WAW veterans around.
In the distance, a survivor group had formed a proper formation and was annihilating zombies. They were highly systematic, using their skills in all the right places. No wasted movements meant naturally low noise.
They're going for a small elite team, as expected.
There were only thirty of them. That approach actually had its advantages. Fewer mouths to feed and more manageable experience distribution. If their coordination was solid, they could nibble away at hordes without drawing much aggro. They might have already finished hunting mutants.
Our raid team isn't bad either.
Since we'd focused on raising our overall power, our average level was quite high. Groups of this size with such high average levels would be rare. The only ones who might compare were military units. Even without firearms, the army would still be formidable. Their cohesion was that strong. Though restoring the country was probably impossible. Hell, not even the city.
"Captain! We've loaded everything!"
"Head out first."
"Yes!"
I sent the party members ahead.
"Aren't you coming with us, Captain?"
"He must have something left to do. Let's go for now."
Everyone left except for Short-hair and Lee Hana.
"Are you going mutant hunting?"
"Yeah, but let's lure it far away first."
"Why?"
It was because of that small elite raid team. Unlike the Isan-dong Coalition, they weren't a bunch of amateurs. We couldn't risk leaking information to people who might turn into enemies or allies.
"There are other survivor groups nearby."
"Then we should definitely lure it away. We don't want to get them caught up in it."
There was no need to worry about those guys. If it was them, they wouldn't get swept up—they'd crush the threat instead.
"Let's move out."
"Got it."
Our target this time was a beast-type mutant. Despite the name, it wasn't an animal that had mutated. It was simply what we called mutants that had deformed so extremely they could no longer walk upright.
"I'll leave at least one leg intact this time."
For now, I planned to let her take the last hit. The experience you could gain from the first wave had its limits anyway. This was the perfect time to open up more inventory slots and unlock parts of the skill tree.
"Okay, I'll do it!"
Hana's eyes sparkled with determination.
"And I'll grow quickly so I can be useful."
"You're already plenty useful, so there's no need to rush."
Was she trying to repay a favor like some newbie? I switched my view back to the Longbow Tower.
A mutant with upper-body muscles swollen massively like a gorilla. Perfect—we were positioned in its blind spot.
Twang! The bowstring sang as it cut the air.
"Move out."
"Yes!"
Before the fire truck could even pick up speed, the creature charged at full sprint.
Twang! I fired a second shot. It was still far enough that I had some breathing room.
In the meantime, I checked on the elite raid team. They seemed bewildered by the zombie mutant's movements and were scanning the area with telescopes. I dismissed the Longbow Tower before they could spot it.
This should be far enough.
Twang! After getting well clear of the elite team's line of sight, I fired the third shot from a building rooftop. Less than two seconds after the arrow flew, the creature reached the building.
"Groaaar!"
Whoosh! It leaped so high it was hard to believe given its massive bulk.
Crash! Boom!
It didn't just shatter every front window—it smashed through the outer wall too. One leap brought it near the top floor. The moment it burst through the cloud of debris and jumped toward the roof again—
Creeeeak!
The Spike Maul Tower spun with a screech like a dying scream.
Squelch!!
It drove into the creature's upper body and ripped away flesh like a steel grater.
Riiiiip!
Where the miserably mangled mutant finally rolled off, only a steel hedgehog covered in chunks of flesh remained, gleaming with vicious light.
Click. Crack.
If it's this destructive, it might be hard to use often.
The tower creaked, struggling to withstand the enormous physical force.
Thud! A heavy impact shook me from my thoughts.
All-out fire.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh!
A barrage of arrows rained down on the lump of meat embedded in the asphalt. Every single one pierced the creature's knee joints.
"Graaawr!"
The creature that hadn't budged from the impact finally staggered to its feet.
Did I overdo it?
Half its upper body was torn and caved in, and one arm had been completely blown off. The Spike Maul was far more powerful than I'd anticipated. I hadn't meant to go this far. I still needed to let Hana gain some real combat experience. I worried the gruesome sight might shock her, but her eyes remained serious and coldly focused. It was a good attitude. There was nothing more complacent than feeling pity toward powerful monsters like mutants.
"For now, try handling that one. I'll let you take on another later."
"Understood. I'll be right back."
With those words, she shot forward in a blur.
Tap tap tap—
The fight was completely one-sided. The mutant couldn't even touch her, let alone react properly. The damage it had taken was simply too severe. It was barely clinging to life only because it was a zombie mutant.
Clap clap clap.
"Well done."
Even so, facing a mutant one-on-one wasn't easy. Without agile footwork like Hana's, the moment you closed in you'd be turned to paste by those massive fists.
"What, this is nothing! Hoo! Hoo! Hmph!"
Seeing her shoulders puffed up with pride made me chuckle.
"Wow, as expected of you, Hana. No wonder they called you the Fencing Goddess."
"I told you not to say that!"
Slash— Hana, who had somehow circled behind me, locked me in a headlock. My attention focused on the soft sensation I hadn't felt in a while.
"No, using steps is cheating though."
"That's exactly why! Don't call me that!"
Truthfully, I could have escaped easily if I used my skills. But there was no need. This was my reward.
"If you call me that again, I really won't let you off!"
"Alright, alright. Can you let go now?"
I made the request without much sincerity. I felt a pang of regret as her arms smoothly released me.
She's not insisting I call her nuna anymore?
It suddenly occurred to me because she'd stopped demanding it. She wasn't upset about me speaking casually to her, was she?
"But Suhyuk-ah, nothing dropped this time. Haah, what do we do?"
No drop item? My mind snapped back into focus.
"Can't be helped. This is how it normally goes."
Our luck had simply been too good until now.
"Let's head back. They're starting to gather."
"Yeah, let's go. Ugh, I hope something drops next time."
She didn't usually get like this, but today she seemed especially disappointed. Was it because I'd given her the cure? It would drop again soon enough anyway.
"Since the horde is coming, tell everyone to have a drink and wait."
"Yes, understood!"
I gave the briefing over the radio as I climbed into the vehicle. Not long ago, they'd struggled to handle even a small number of zombies. Now they were massacring them. Levels had risen, stats had accumulated, skill trees had been unlocked, and they'd gained combat experience in all kinds of situations. The food buffs had given them wings. Today they even drank the coffee nuna had brewed. There was no excessive shouting and no minor mistakes. The doping effect was clearly noticeable.
"Deliver these to the leaders of teams one, two, three, and five."
I sent the second-tier residents off with weapons produced at the forge. Since I'd given them weapons that matched their skills, their performance would shine even more. For mass-produced gear, the quality was surprisingly good.
Must be the materials.
Modern steel was on another level compared to the past. Sure enough, the speed at which they eliminated enemies rose noticeably the moment they received the weapons.
"You damn bastards! Die! Die! Die!"
"Leader, calm down! Don't go berserk!"
"Hey, idiot! You're breaking the formation!"
"Pull that one back!"
The leader of team one ignored the pleas of his team members and the other leaders.
"Hehehe, pot shots! Let's see some pot shots!"
He swung his mace like he was venting all his pent-up stress. I didn't spike the coffee, did I?
This is straight-up whack-a-mole.
Every swing of the mace made heads explode like clay pots. It was satisfying even to watch. This was exactly why good weapons mattered. I wasn't obsessed with drop items for nothing.
Of all things, it had to be a dagger.
If even a one-handed sword had dropped, I would have let Hana try it. The grip that fit so perfectly in the hand felt like a missed opportunity.
The battle ended earlier than expected. The difference real combat weapons made was huge. Maces were most effective, followed by spears. Swords had the lowest efficiency.
Can't be helped.
They were certainly powerful when using skills. But once mana ran out, they became helpless. Their stats still weren't high enough to cut through a zombie's neck easily. Still, they'd only grow stronger with time, so there was no need to worry too much.
The spears were quite effective. Stabbing between shields to keep enemies in check helped a lot. Long reach really was a major advantage.
Even now the forge was radiating heat as it continued producing weapons. I was excited to see how much our combat strength would rise once every party member was properly armed.
"Each team leader, have your members write down the weapons they want."
"Yes."
"Once you have them all, Mr. Cart, please organize the list."
"Yes, understood."
I left the weapon list organization to Mr. Cart. It looked like the forge's fires wouldn't be cooling down anytime soon.