Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Catch, Kill, Enslave - 3
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The path to the supermarket was incredibly dark.
The streets, devoid of human traffic, were so profoundly dark that the only light came from the moon hanging in the sky, as the streetlights were all dead.
Through it all, Park Seong-o walked at the front, killing zombies as they approached.
"Hey, Oppa. Can we talk for a moment...?"
"Yeah. What is it?"
"Well, you see..."
It was Eun-ji and Ha-rin, who was tightly gripping Eun-ji's sleeve.
Both wore expressions drained of color by fear.
They were probably acting this way because of how recklessly I treated Park Seong-o. Seeing my sadistic side must have made them anxious.
After all, Eun-ji and Ha-rin were ultimately my 'slaves'.
They were probably terrified, wondering when I might suddenly turn on them and treat them just as brutally. I understood completely. This was my mistake. I should have tormented Park Seong-o when the two of them weren't watching.
"I know what you're worried about."
"O-oppa. It's not that we don't trust you... Hrk..."
"It's okay, Eun-ji. Come here. You too, Ha-rin."
I pulled the two teary-eyed women into a tight hug.
They hadn't even been mistreated, but seeing my ruthless words and actions toward Park Seong-o must have frightened them on their own.
I had said those things hoping Park Seong-o would know his place, but the two who witnessed it took the lesson to heart a little too well and ended up fearing me... This is driving me crazy.
There's such a thing as an established image.
It's understandable that they'd be scared after seeing the ferocious side of their Master, who had always been so gentle.
"It's okay. Don't cry. Pull yourselves together."
If we caused too much of a ruckus, the aggro Park Seong-o was drawing might shift to us. First, I calmed them down.
"Hrk... Okay..."
"Phew... Eun-ji, Ha-rin."
These two were fundamentally different from that ordinary Awakened scum.
Would I be crazy enough to mistreat beauties with hidden jobs?
I never even had any intention of sadistically tormenting or treating them mercilessly in the first place.
If we were in a relationship of that sort of 'play', I might be a bit rough, but in daily life, I want peace.
'Was I too clumsy...'
Trust can crumble from a tiny mistake or a single misunderstanding. Earning trust is something you have to work at constantly.
These two had given me their trust. After all, they were slaves who had no choice but to trust me. So I wanted to give them my trust, too. That way, we could all live comfortably together.
Even though they were slaves, I didn't want to treat them as such. I wanted Eun-ji and Ha-rin to be my proactive sex partners and comrades I could have a proper conversation with, not just dolls that blindly followed my orders.
As I said before, I want a genuine exchange of affection with these two.
So, I would never give them insane orders like telling them to be bullet shields for that guy or to run off and commit suicide attacks.
"Was it because I was too cruel to that guy?"
"...Yes..."
"It was a... little scary... But... We are Master's slaves... If we were abandoned like that..."
"It's okay, Ha-rin. Eun-ji, too."
I only made them slaves because I wanted them not to betray me. This morning, and last night as well, I received the affection they gave me. Neither of them hates me. That's good enough.
Right, I should make this clear while I have the chance.
"I haven't treated Eun-ji or Ha-rin badly until now, have I? I thought I showed some affection..."
"Yes, Oppa..."
"You did, Master."
"Right. I'll continue to do so. Because you two are precious. I will cherish you always."
I have no intention of easily discarding or abandoning the two women I've been intimate with. I don't know what's in their hearts, but I already like them quite a bit. You could even say I love them.
"Honestly, I didn't expect you two to be this frightened. I'm sorry if I didn't give you enough trust."
"Ah, no. Oppa. It's just... your new side was a bit sudden..."
"I-I too... It was just... a little scary. It's not that I don't trust you... Master."
"Right. I understand. You two are far more precious than that guy. That's why I used him as a shield. I can't even imagine you two getting hit by a bullet."
The two women hugged me even closer. I hugged them tightly.
Yes, I like this. Just holding the two women relieves my stress. It gives my life meaning and a will to live.
Eun-ji and Ha-rin had already become one of the big reasons I have to live. Even though it had only been a few days, a ridiculously short time since we met, I had developed that much affection for them.
As a former loner, this was the first time a girl ever confessed to me. It was also the first time I shared a hobby with women and lay down laughing with them.
"Let's just think about 'us'. Honestly, that guy. He tried to kill us. If we didn't have this power, I'd probably be dead right now. And who knows what would have happened to you two if you'd been dragged away. Right?"
"That's right. That's for sure."
"Yeah, we're just going to think about the three of us. Of course, I might bring in another female Awakened later... but for now, it's just the three of us: me, Eun-ji, and Ha-rin. A community of three. Got it?"
"Yeah, Oppa. I'll only think about us from now on."
"Me too... I'll only think about the three of us..."
Both of them agreed. I don't really know what they're thinking, though. I just hope my sincerity got through to them.
Just then, Park Seong-o, who had been walking at the front, stopped.
"From here, turn into this alley and head for the back entrance. There's a guy named Kim Min-jun, an Archer, watching from the roof up there."
"Got it. See you in a bit."
"Yes."
Park Seong-o scrambled off toward the supermarket's main entrance. We watched him go, then slipped into the alley.
"Let's go, too."
"Yes!"
"Fighting...!"
We quietly hid in the darkness.
*****
Kim Min-jun, the crazy Archer who always watched the surroundings from the main entrance.
He used his skills, Farsight and Presence Detection, to survey the supermarket's perimeter almost all day. He was a pervert who enjoyed screaming whenever he spotted a suspicious intruder.
You could say he was like an alarm clock, getting excited and yelling as soon as he caught one.
Anyway, as he was scanning the area for intruders again today, he spotted Park Seong-o returning covered in blood.
"Hey! Seong-o! What the hell! Where's the motorcycle? Where are the others? You're crawling back alone!"
He yelled at Park Seong-o, who was trudging toward him empty-handed.
"Damn it! They're all dead!"
"What?! Hey, wait a minute. All dead? Was it the Daiso guys?"
"No! It was a huge Special Zombie!"
"What...?"
Kim Min-jun jumped down from the roof, landing in front of Park Seong-o in a heroic landing pose.
If a regular person jumped from the roof of a large supermarket like that, their legs would break and they'd die, but he was perfectly fine.
His Archer job skills made movement between high and low ground relatively free.
"No, seriously, all dead? What the hell is a Special Zombie?"
"A monster showed up while we were raiding the hardware store. Just one of them, and I barely escaped with my life. The others I took with me... Hah... Damn it... They were completely pulverized."
Park Seong-o wiped his face with a dry hand, letting out a sigh as if he'd witnessed something truly shocking.
At that, Kim Min-jun assumed he must have gone through something tremendous and looked at him with pity.
"What the hell is this... Don't tell me you led that monster all the way here?"
"No. I ran like hell through the alleys. Anyway, I need to report to the leader."
Kim Min-jun nodded regretfully as he looked at the cowed Park Seong-o.
"Hah... Damn it... Alright then. Glad you made it back alive, you bastard."
"Yeah. You work hard too."
Watching Kim Min-jun climb back up the wall to the roof, Park Seong-o hurried toward the back entrance.
On his way, he casually brushed off greetings from others, acting just as he usually did, so no one suspected a thing.
"Phew..."
He let out a sigh of relief. Four of his comrades had died, but no one was interrogating him. Perhaps because it was a group of neighborhood thugs, there were no strict rules. It was a simple hierarchy where Awakened were 'big brothers' and non-Awakened were underlings.
Moreover, they had won battle after battle against intruders, so they feared nothing. With Kim Min-jun guarding the entrance like a madman all day, it was no wonder they had become so lax.
On top of that, Ha Jin-seong, the boss of the supermarket, was strong enough to be called the strongest.
Having seen their leader's prowess with their own eyes—taking on three or more Awakened at once—they believed there was nothing that could threaten them.
They lived a life of glutting themselves on abundant food and various goods from the supermarket, occasionally kidnapping and imprisoning women to toy with.
With full bellies and warm backs, it was only natural for their discipline to loosen.
They had become frogs in a well.
It hadn't even been a week since the fall of civilization, yet their minds had grown lax and decadent.
They deserved to die.
The back entrance was blocked with furniture, but at the words of their anxious leader, Ha Jin-seong, they took turns standing guard every day. Of course, no one took it seriously. They all just sat around killing time.
"Oh, Seong-o, big bro."
A young thug was sitting stupidly by the back entrance, smoking a cigarette. He was a high school junior who was quite close with Park Seong-o. Park Seong-o squeezed his eyes shut. He had to kill this junior with his own hands now.
"Br-Bro? Why the steel pipe...?"
"Sorry."
Clang!
Park Seong-o brought the steel pipe down on the head of the thug who was looking up at him.
"Agh! Br-Bro..."
Maybe he didn't use enough force, as the thug didn't die instantly. He had no choice but to keep beating him until he was dead.
Clang! Clang! Crack!
Park Seong-o, who had struck so hard the steel pipe was bent, let out a ragged breath.
"Phew... Phew... Damn it..."
His heart wasn't at ease after beating a former comrade and close junior to death.
However, he felt nothing beyond that. He opened the door, which was barricaded with furniture, just as he was ordered.
"Okay. That was simple."
Jang Jo-jun, Lee Eun-ji, and Seong Ha-rin, who had been waiting outside, entered.
It was all too easy.
****
"Leave the bags here for now. Grab only what we need and head straight to the second floor."
"Yes, Oppa."
"Got it."
Eun-ji grabbed five screwdrivers and a hammer, while Ha-rin took a monkey wrench and strapped three hammers to her belt.
"Hey, Park Seong-o. Did you figure out where the Awakened are?"
"Yes. The Archer is still on the roof, and the rest are probably playing poker on the second floor since it's evening."
"So they're all gathered on the second floor, then. You know you have to give your life to put a tail on Ha Jin-seong, right?"
"Yes..."
"Good. I just need a crowbar... and you, Park Seong-o, that steel pipe should be enough, right?"
"Yes. This should be... plenty."
"Then let's go up."
On the way to the escalator, Park Seong-o brushed off the thugs’ suspicious looks, casually saying that Ha Jin-seong had ordered him to bring them along.
Luckily, that was enough, and no one gave us any more trouble.
We arrived at the escalator leading upstairs.
"Uh, Bro. What are those things behind you?"
"The big boss told me to bring them."
"Huh? We didn't hear anything about that..."
"Hey, do I have to explain every little thing to you, you bastard? Just shut up and do as you're told."
"Ah, understood."
Park Seong-o led us straight to the second floor where the leader was, perfectly acting his part with a nonchalant expression, blowing past anyone who tried to stop us.
We reached our destination far more easily than expected.
Since he was one of only seven Awakened in a group of just over thirty, we basically had a free pass. In fact, the moment we entered the supermarket, the difficulty of clearing it had dropped to rock bottom.
"This is easier than I thought? How come they don't suspect us at all?"
"They're just a bunch of neighborhood thugs, so they're not that meticulous. They just take things at face value. And since most of them get stopped by the Archer at the entrance, the moment you get past Kim Min-jun, it's basically all over."
With that, we approached the electronics corner. Then we hid in a corner and watched them.
There, four men were sitting at a table and chairs, playing a card game.
The rest were all on the first floor, and only Awakened were here. This is too simple. How were these lowlifes still able to hold this place?
"Ha-rin. Anyone else around?"
"Uh... Four over there, and two in the automotive supplies corner. It looks like there's no one else on the second floor."
"Hey, Park Seong-o. Is Ha Jin-seong in there?"
"Ha Jin-seong isn't here... The guy in the automotive supplies corner is probably Ha Jin-seong. He's probably rolling around with a woman he's captured."
"Then what about those guys? Who's the leader's brother?"
"The guy wearing the baseball cap, the one with the cigarette in his mouth, and the guy with the thick mustache are Warriors. The one sitting next to them, only in a tank top, chewing gum, is Ha Jin-woo."
"Our luck is holding."
As if on cue, the leader had gone off on his own, and we were attacking while he was separated. The timing was perfect. Was this also the power of my 666 luck stat?
From the moment we slipped past the Archer guarding the entrance, victory was already a foregone conclusion.
"Eun-ji, use stealth to take out Ha Jin-seong first. Stab him in the back with Paralysis Venom Fang. I'll heal the wound, so it's fine. He's only Level 9. Don't hold back. He won't get mad if you kill him. If it looks like it won't work, kill him right away."
At my words, Eun-ji flinched. Well, it's understandable to be scared when you're told to take down a guy with a gun. Of course, I had no intention of sending her alone.
"And Park Seong-o. You draw Ha Jin-seong's attention. So Eun-ji can attack from behind. Latch onto him and don't let go. You know what to do if he pulls out a gun, right? You need to tank well. If Eun-ji gets hurt, I'll kill you."
"Ugh... Yes."
Since Park Seong-o was going to tank, Eun-ji's expression brightened instantly.
"You can do it too, right, Eun-ji?"
"I can do it, Oppa."
"Good girl. Our Eun-ji."
"Then I'll be off."
Eun-ji hid her body in the darkness and immediately concealed her presence. She was already petite and hard to see when hiding, but now that she's using a skill too, it's difficult to even find her.
Park Seong-o began walking heavily toward the automotive supplies corner.
"Alright, Ha-rin. Then we have to take care of those guys."
"M-Master. Can we do it?"
"We have to. What else can we do? The moment we hear a gunshot or Eun-ji gives the signal, we jump out."
I was originally planning to use Tentacle Summon on the duo, but since Eun-ji is taking one of them, I can use it fully on these guys.
Three Warriors on par with Park Seong-o and one Fighter who's a taekwondo black belt. I can definitely handle this.
"You take the three Warriors, and I'll take the last one."
"Okay..."
"It's fine, you can do it. Use your skill the moment the fight starts."
"Yes, Master."
We waited for a moment. I prayed that Eun-ji could take him down safely... Just then.
Bang! Bang!
"Graaaah!!!"
Park Seong-o's scream rang out.
Two gunshots echoed.
Did Eun-ji get shot?
"Eun-ji!!!"
"Oppa! I got him!"
Thank goodness. Park Seong-o must have played his part well. Excellent.
Just then, one of the Awakened who had spotted us let out a shout.
"Ah, damn it!!! A gunshot!!! Hey. Hey, who the hell are you guys!"
Who are we? A surprise gift, of course.
"Alakum-ruye!"
A tentacle shot out from my hand. In an instant, it bound the body of the guy who had been chewing gum. He was Ha Jin-woo, the one second only to Ha Jin-seong in danger. With this, it was practically over.
"Ugh, damn it!!"
The moment the Warrior, who had his baseball cap pressed down low, grabbed a steel pipe to try and cut the tentacle binding Ha Jin-woo...
Bam!!!
A hammer slammed into his face.
Ha-rin, not holding back at all, had thrown a hammer that, thanks to her Stone Throwing skill, accurately crushed the guy's face.
"You bastards!!!"
"Intruders!!!"
Two Awakened remained.
Crack!
Ha-rin just hit another one. They were completely helpless. There was a heaven-and-earth difference in skill performance, and their levels weren't even that different, so it was a complete victory for us.