I've Become a Bug Character

Han Chaei wanted to keep practicing, but I made her rest anyway. After washing up, eating a proper meal, and getting some sleep, the aftereffects should ease up.

'Time for me to go stack some experience too.'

I headed to a spot I'd scouted earlier. It was just outside the zone I'd claimed with Territory Control. I confirmed the zombies' positions. With towers already summoned there, nothing should pose a real threat.

I approached a staggering zombie in front of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a building. Ghost Step layered on the stealth. Even when I slid my arm right in front of its neck, the creature didn't react at all. Because I was already behind it.

Shuk— I gripped the sharp dagger in reverse and sliced clean through its throat. It died instantly. I caught its collapsing body and lowered it quietly to the ground.

Getting behind zombies wasn't difficult. I had the towers for that. I'd given them specific orders: mark any zombie with its back to me with a green indicator. Frontal ones got red. Ambiguous angles were orange. The real-time updates worked like traffic lights, making targets easy to read. Occasionally I'd switch perspectives to check alleys before entering.

Even without picking extra skills from the tree, hunting felt effortless. My advantage was obvious, even to me. Unlike other people, I felt zero agitation when killing zombies directly. Because I didn't experience even a shred of guilt, my hands never hesitated.

The reactions of the raid members—and even Han Chaei's usually cold, serious demeanor—were completely different from mine. Only now did I truly understand how psychopaths differ from normal people. I could kill any target without hesitation, zombie or otherwise. Previously I'd thought the lack of feeling came from simply ordering the towers around. But that wasn't it.

Thud— The sensation of driving a dagger into a carotid artery. A collapsing zombie. Spraying droplets of blood. None of it stirred anything in me. It felt exactly like playing a game. Just hunting for experience. For EXP. That was all.

I recalled how the raid members looked when facing zombies—the ragged breathing, dilated pupils, the curses that burst out like rebellion, the sudden violence. All of it was the polar opposite of my own reactions.

Thump. Thump. Thump. I buried the dagger into the backs of zombies that had turned away from me. Which spot was weakest? Which strike would be fatal? I tested them methodically.

I wasn't so much calm and composed as simply unchanged from my usual self. Killing felt completely natural. The difference was so vast that comparison felt meaningless.

'Good.'

An assassin couldn't afford to hesitate. A question from one of the newbies I'd carried on Server 1 came to mind. Even with stealth, how can you move so coldly among monsters? How can you kill the boss and withdraw so calmly? And how the hell did you dismantle that entire raid?

I felt like I could finally give him an answer.

'I can start assigning stats and skills now.'

This much practice was enough. I deliberately avoided frontal fights. The moment you fought head-on, you'd already failed. And if I was going to fight face-to-face anyway, other weapons would serve better. A dagger was simply too short. Practicing actual combat could wait until after I picked the skills.

"Haa… haak."

Han Chaei washed and ate just as Kim Suhyuk had instructed. But she couldn't manage a nap. What visited her after battle wasn't torment or guilt. Instead, a strange urge gripped her. Sexual desire.

"Huuu…"

Before she realized it, her hand had slipped between her legs. The hazy memories sharpened. The memory of Kim Suhyuk's caresses, the sensations, resurfaced. The electric thrill that had gathered at the peaks of her breasts replayed itself.

"Eut!"

She remembered the moment Kim Suhyuk had slapped her ass. The tingling pleasure that had bloomed across her buttocks was branded into her like a hot iron.

"Haa…"

Han Chaei felt as if her body no longer belonged to her. She'd never experienced anything like this before. For the first time in her life, she craved pleasure. The object of that craving took shape in her mind. Her imagination ran wild, without end.

Lee Hana felt considerable pressure. The thought that a single small mistake from her could endanger everyone kept circling through her head. Kim Suhyuk wasn't with them this time.

"Blocking that alley should do it."

"Were there any other openings?"

"No."

"Then let's begin."

She slipped out from between the building shadows and threw a rock at a zombie that was swaying like it was dozing off.

Thud.

"Grrraaagh."

The instant it spotted her—

Tatata—

"Grrraaagh!"

It began running on instinct. The sound triggered a chain reaction as more zombies swarmed in.

"Get ready."

"Yes ma'am."

A wall of shields filled the narrow alley. It had always looked reliable, but today it seemed somehow precarious.

"Graaaargh!"

"Grrraaagh!"

"Graaagh!"

The zombies crashed against the shield wall like a sudden flood. Tat—Thud— Hana thrust her rapier through the gaps. It was the same entrance-blocking tactic as ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠always. It should have been routine, mechanical. But today felt different. Every nerve in her body was stretched taut.

Suhyuk-ah, I can do this, right?

She felt a flicker of resentment at being sent out alone so suddenly. She had known a day like this would come. Still, she'd thought he'd keep fighting beside her. What other schedule could possibly be more important?

'Hup!'

When she snapped back to focus, the zombie swarm had already been cleaned up.

"Moving to the next location."

"Yes ma'am."

She moved on with a calm expression. Mistake. I need to concentrate! What if an accident happens because of this?! Strength flowed into her fingers.

The main zombie cluster was nearly wiped out. Now she just had to draw the mutant's aggro while the squad leaders handled the remaining few.

"Beginning."

"Yes ma'am."

She hurled the javelin Suhyuk had given her at the mutant.

"KROOOOAAAR!"

Crackle— The mutant shot forward like lightning before the spear even landed. I want to stab it. A fierce impulse surged at the hostility directed toward her. She wanted to drive her rapier straight into the hideous monster's eyes as it charged. She wanted to finish it with her own hands before any accident occurred mid-battle. Had Suhyuk felt the same? Had he wanted to end things himself before she could get hurt?

Only now did she realize just how heavy a burden had been placed on Suhyuk. How on earth had he stayed so composed? Leading people and taking responsibility was hard. It felt like being left completely alone. There was no one she could lean ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠on.

"Grrraaagh!"

A massive palm filled her vision. Tat— It was a good thing she'd consulted Suhyuk about the skill tree. Without Step, transcendent dynamic vision, and reflexes, she would have been in danger.

Focus! What are you thinking about in the middle of a fight?!

Stab— She reflexively pierced its shoulder. The rapier sank in without resistance, like cutting through tofu. She'd made another mistake today. She hadn't meant to disable the arm.

No. Don't dwell on every little thing.

Suhyuk would have said exactly that. The anxiety eased, if only a little. With its arm disabled, she gained more breathing room.

"Hana! We'll attack now!"

Tadat—

"Got it!"

The squad leaders charged the mutant that was obsessively chasing her. Tadak— The leader of Squad 1 used a stomp skill to leap high.

"Haaahp!"

Whoooosh—Crunch!

He brought the massive axe down with all his strength. The mutant couldn't fully absorb the impact and toppled forward.

"Now!"

"Haaap!"

"Die, you bastard!"

Before the mutant could rise, its joints were shattered. It was over.

"Huk… huk… huk…"

"Huu… damn, that was rough."

"Thank you for your hard work, Hana!"

"You did great!"

The squad leaders finally looked like they could breathe again. Suhyuk's absence had weighed on all of them, not just her.

"Everyone worked hard."

"Hahaha! As expected, Hana is amazing!"

"Seriously, how can you stay so calm against a mutant?"

"No way I could ever be an evasion tank. Never happening!"

They think I was calm? Not even close… Still, the mood after battle was warm and friendly.

"I can finally tease Suhyuk that we don't need him anymore. Hehe."

He'd definitely make a weird face if he heard that. The thought made her laugh.

"Of course! Even if the raid leader steps away, we can handle it!"

"While we're at it, shall we do one more?"

"Hey! Hana did all the hard work and you're trying to add more?"

"Ah, right. Sorry, Hana."

"It's fine. I'm okay."

She said that, but mentally she was a little exhausted.

'Come to think of it, what items dropped?'

Fresh anticipation surged. She hurried to check.

'Nothing…?'

She circled the mutant's corpse but found nothing. It felt hollow. After struggling so much, to gain nothing at all. It made her realize just how easily they'd been hunting mutants until now. All her energy drained away. Suhyuk had never seemed this disappointed. She felt foolish for letting herself get so emotional over a single outcome.

"Hana, shall we head back?"

"Yes. Let's go back."

If that Suhyuk bastard had just been slacking off, she wasn't going to let him hear the end of it. Her steps felt lighter.

'Hmm. Skill points are a bit short.'

It was about time to start upgrading the Altar, but I needed to keep some points in reserve. I never knew when a new skill might become necessary or when another branch might open. Choosing skills according to the situation was a skill in itself.

I checked the skill tree for Reaper's Walk. The tabs were named Bewitchment, Erasure, and Harvest.

'Let's start with a movement skill.'

There was a suitable one in the Bewitchment tab.

It was an escape skill, fitting for the assassin class. The idea was to leave the spot, observe the situation, then strike again when the enemy's weakness showed. Used well, it could easily serve as an offensive tool too.

'This ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠will do.'

I learned Afterimage. Now even close-range combat carried far less risk. At least until the second wave.

Next were the stats. I'd deliberately kept hunting zombies until the cooking buff expired. Only then could I accurately gauge the limits of my pure stats.

After considering Reaper's Walk, the skills in its tree, and my past playstyle, I concluded that going all-in on Agility was the right move. Strength and Agility both affected melee attacks. The question was simply which to emphasize more. Even if I dumped everything into Agility, raw power would still increase—just by a smaller margin than investing in Strength. The same applied in reverse. Putting points only into Strength wouldn't stop me from becoming far more agile than a level 1 player.

The reason I was going all-in on Agility was simple: I would never wear metal armor. Metal armor is heavy. Agility alone couldn't compensate for the weight. Without sufficient Strength, movement would become restricted. That was why I'd had Hana invest in Strength too.

Assassination relied on stealth, speed, and timing. Wearing metal armor would only raise the chance of failure. The skill tree had also solidified my decision. There would be no need to wear heavy armor if I could avoid danger entirely.

'Still, I'll put one point into Strength.'

Not everything would go according to plan. In WAW I had always played with contingencies in mind. That was how I'd survived. And now that the world had been patched, there were even more variables.

'One point into Stamina should be fine too. I have ten stat points after all.'

In truth, Stamina was a double-edged stat for dealers. Higher Stamina let you fight longer and increased survivability, which was nice. But investing in it meant your damage would permanently lag behind other dealers of the same level. The gap could never be closed. Most people avoided it if possible. But I was different. I could gain stat points through the Altar. As long as I survived, I could grow infinitely stronger.

"This is actually insane. Isn't this basically cheating?"

Looking at the numbers after assigning them, the values seemed absurd. Somehow I'd achieved extreme survivability. With high Agility, dodging enemy attacks would be easy, and even if I took a hit, I wouldn't die easily. On top of that, I had two branches of the skill tree.

'I've turned into a bug character.'

A laugh escaped me. Bug or not, I'd use every advantage I could get. I began thinking about how to make even better use of the Altar.