Chapter 7
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 007
Chapter Title: Humanity's Enemy (4)
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In the end, I promised to grant So-hee's request.
It was to uphold my own life philosophy: favors and grudges must be repaid without fail.
"Absolutely not because of the survival time."
At least... that's what Min-jun's heart believed.
Mumbling to himself, Min-jun tossed and turned on top of his sleeping bag.
'Pretty cozy. Should I take this tent with me when I leave...? Now that my strength has increased, carrying it shouldn't be a problem.'
As the sun set, everyone handled their preparations, finished discussing departure at dawn the next day with So-hee, and Min-jun was resting inside the tent set up in the leisure goods store.
A sudden thought made him sit up.
'Oh right, there was something I didn't check earlier....'
Since this might be his last chance to rest, he needed to inspect everything he could right now.
He pulled out the tomahawk hanging from his bag and gripped it.
He had checked the other items to some extent, but he hadn't looked into the most important weapon yet.
"It definitely had something extra in front of the item name...."
The system window had definitely said it had a 'special option.'
He didn't know what it was, but since it was called the 'first silver achievement privilege in the district,' it had to be something good, right?
"Item window? No, not that. Then item info?"
Reacting to Min-jun's murmur, the system displayed the tomahawk's information.
「['Loyal' Tomahawk]
Grade: Common
Info: Hand axe for close-range or throwing.
*Special Option: Recognizes its owner and has the ability to return to the owner.」
'It recognizes its owner? What, it's not like Mjolnir or something.'
Min-jun examined the tomahawk this way and that. He knew from using it himself that it was a sharp, sturdy hand axe.
But no matter how he looked, it was just an ordinary hand axe—no signs of mystical powers or anything holy about it.
'Well, in this situation, having even one useful thing makes sense.'
Min-jun jumped to his feet and stepped out of the tent. He placed the axe on the ground and took ten steps back.
'But how do I make it come back....'
There was no explanation on how to use it in the item info, so he fumbled around a bit.
"...Huh? ...H-Huh?"
Just by wishing for the axe to return, it flew straight back into his hand.
Stunned, Min-jun rubbed his shoulders to loosen his tense muscles and stared at the axe again.
"I've only been using it for swinging."
When fighting the larvae, he hadn't had time to check info and just swung it wildly, but if he'd known about this function earlier, he could have fought more efficiently.
After that, he began various experiments to test its utility further.
Stuck deep into a wall and retrieve it.
Retrieve it with obstacles in the way.
Retrieve it from around a corner wall, and so on.
After two hours of grunting effort, he learned two things.
First, no matter how deeply the tomahawk was embedded in something, it returned without issue.
Second, the tomahawk flew straight back to him in a straight line.
If something blocked the path midway, it would hit the obstacle and fall to the ground.
'Still, just the return function alone is incredibly useful. I can throw it or use it in close combat.'
Min-jun practiced throwing and retrieving against a wooden wall until his back was soaked with sweat, then finally stopped.
He wanted to practice more, but there was one more thing to check.
The [Common Grade Weapon Exchange Ticket] obtained after catching the giant larva.
Since the Loyal Tomahawk was also common grade, he might get another item with a special option, so he couldn't help but look forward to it.
'I need to pick something that'll help with survival going forward.'
Thinking that inwardly, Min-jun opened the [Space Market], and as the scroll bar shortened, countless weapons appeared before his eyes.
Blade weapons ranged from fixed knives like kukris, Bowie knives, machetes to folding knives and automatic knives—every type was there.
Other weapons included fire axes, sledgehammers called ohmamas, tactical shields used by riot police, recurve bows, and more—nothing was missing.
Among them, the ones that caught Min-jun's eye were three.
['Accumulating' Small Shield], ['Sure Hit' Compound Bow], and ['Silent' Fairbairn-Sykes].
The ['Accumulating' Small Shield], an aluminum police shield, had a limit but could store and release impacts.
The ['Sure Hit' Compound Bow] guaranteed arrows would hit even for beginners.
The ['Silent' Fairbairn-Sykes] was a dagger with a slender blade that erased the wielder's presence.
"Hmm, which one should I pick."
He remembered combat being easier with the shield when using the signboard earlier, but he hesitated because the other items caught his eye too.
A bow might let him earn survival time without risk.
If the dagger's effect could negate [Apostle's Nemesis], that would be great too.
After agonizing for a while, Min-jun squeezed his eyes shut and pressed the purchase button.
* * *
Beep. Beep. Beep.
When his wristwatch screen showed [05:00], the alarm blared.
Waking to the rustling of his sleeping bag, Min-jun groped for the camping lantern.
Just stretching his arm made his muscles scream. It was the natural result after yesterday's chaos.
"Ugh...."
Click. Cold LED light flooded the tent.
'Can't wake up.'
It was because he'd stayed up late devising a plan for So-hee's request and preparing for it. But now he had to get up.
He needed to check outside, meet So-hee, and explain the future plans, so he had to move busily.
Min-jun sluggishly got up and started packing with half-closed eyes.
A moment later, after packing everything and exiting the tent, So-hee was already waiting out front, flashlight in hand, smiling brightly.
"Min-jun, sleep well?"
"You're up early."
"The power went out last night, so I just went to bed early. Thanks to the flashlight you picked, morning was no problem."
So-hee waved the flashlight he'd chosen.
"It was bound to happen eventually.... Looks like the facility manager completely botched the machine room maintenance. An emergency generator for a building this size shouldn't have died already...."
Since Min-jun's old office was an architecture firm, he knew a bit about machine rooms.
It felt a little off, but since they were leaving soon anyway, he brushed it off and prepared to depart with So-hee.
* * *
In the pitch-black apartment living room, filled only with darkness.
Young-ho, called Secretary Kim, couldn't comprehend the nonstop murders unfolding around him.
After the blackout, people in Golden Apartments kept dying, and now his own life was in danger.
'T-The... assemblyman is the culprit.'
He'd held on with loyalty to the assemblyman until now, but the scene he just found betrayed his beliefs.
"Huff... huff..."
Secretary Kim Young-ho stepped through the blood-soaked floor and hurried to the entrance.
He had to escape before getting caught.
Bang.
He kicked the door open and ran into the stairwell.
Without looking back, he descended the stairs briskly.
In the endlessly spiraling stairwell, he fell into a loop of self-questioning.
'Where did it all go wrong?'
When someone accused the assemblyman of murder, and he defended him to the best of his ability?
Or when he followed him into this apartment?
Or when fleeing bugs on the surface, ignoring that bastard Lee Gi-dong's 'mistake'?
All wrong. It was wrong from the moment he was born stupid.
'But still....'
No matter how much he'd been played for a fool, he couldn't just sit and die.
'I need to find that person.'
He had no shame after his rash mistakes, but that young man who snapped him and the others awake.
That guy could save him from this crazy murderer.
With that hope... he reached the first floor of Golden Apartments.
Clunk. Clunk clunk.
"Fuck, why the hell is this locked too!"
What Young-ho faced on the first floor was an emergency door firmly blocked by something.
'If they'd deliberately blocked it from the other side, fine—but why is this—'
If this was blocked, where should he go back to? Maybe not Jamsil Station, but out to the street? Young-ho racked his brain as much as he could.
Thud—before his thoughts could continue, he felt a cold blade pierce his throat and despaired.
A familiar cologne scent wafted over.
"Grrk.... Assemblyman.... Why....?"
"Secretary Kim, thanks for all your help. Made the job so much easier. As expected, our Secretary Kim is the best at his work! The absolute top! Heh heh heh."
As blood-spewing Young-ho collapsed like a puppet with cut strings, Assemblyman Lee Gi-dong wiped the blood from his dagger.
"['Silent' Fairbairn-Sykes]? This thing's effect is killer! Well, a weapon with a special option has to deliver this much."
Saying that, Lee Gi-dong inspected the dagger closely.
The sword hilt, close to a round guard, fit perfectly in his hand, and the narrow, pointed blade was perfect for slicing through flesh and severing breath in an instant.
Above all, the presence-concealing effect was cheat-like, especially overwhelming in this darkness.
Seeing the weapon's effect immediately made him think of visiting the machine room—still a brilliant idea in hindsight.
"This Lee Gi-dong hasn't lost his touch! Haha! Alright, let's check how much I've earned. [Status Window]."
As the assemblyman muttered into the air, the system window appeared.
「[Status Window]
Name: Lee Gi-dong (Bronze)
Title: Deceiver
Survival Time (ST): 3,263 hours
Karma: -3.2
Stats
[Strength Lv.2] [Vitality Lv.2] [Agility Lv.2]
Passive Skills: [Self-Justification Lv.2], [Sweet Lies Lv.2]
Active Skills: [Shadow Step Max]」
"Kekeke.... Earning time this easily, why should I bother catching those bug bastards?"
'Let's see, now I need to go after that arrogant little shit.... Still, I should invest a bit.'
Muttering to himself, Assemblyman Lee Gi-dong clicked on each stat in his status window.
[Consume 1,800 hours to raise Strength by 1, Vitality by 1, Agility by 4? (Y/N)]
Without hesitation, he hit Y, and soon felt power surging through him like boiling over. He grinned wickedly.
"Heh heh.... Kids must play games for this rush. Whoosh! Not a sound from my mouth. Whoosh whoosh."
Drunk on strength, his sloppy punch still cut through the air with a fearsome sound.