Chapter 33
Chapter 33
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Hunting a Named
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Kashnax's gaze clung to me persistently.
It scanned me intently. It was savoring me, assessing my state like a meal it was about to devour.
Knowing full well that the gaze was filled with such desire, I couldn't avoid it, nor could I reject it.
It was the only way to endure the heavy weight of a god's attention.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ ‘This is grating...’
How could I describe this unpleasant, uncomfortable sensation?
It felt like a gloomy girl sitting at the very back of the class, harboring twisted, dark intentions, was glaring at me. A chilling feeling, as if I could be stabbed at any moment.
What a nice boat.
‘Huh? A gloomy, big-chested girl in my class is glaring at me... This might not be so bad after all. Yeah, let's just say Kashnax is a gloomy, big-chested beauty... I'll go with that.’
Thinking of it as the lustful gaze of a gloomy classmate who secretly liked me made Kashnax's persistent stare, which had only felt grating before, somehow bearable.
In fact, this immense interest felt like love directed at me. Right, I decided to think of it that way. If I keep thinking about it, maybe Kashnax really will become a gloomy, big-chested girl and appear before me.
‘Thinking that way seems to have settled my churning stomach.’
It just goes to show that it's all about how you look at things. By simply thinking positively, even the pressure from the god became tolerable.
Maybe I'd entered some kind of 'Enjoying It Mode' due to the prolonged stress.
"Alright, everyone got their weapons?"
"Yes!"
"Perfect."
"Master. When can I drink blood??"
"Hold on a bit."
"Ah. Okay. Ah. I'm hungry. Ah."
Ignoring Kang Hwa-yeong's whining complaints, I arrived at the barricade blocking the mart's entrance.
Unfortunately, we had used up all the spray during yesterday's rooftop battle. Of course, at our current level, we could get by just fine without it.
"Alright, our destination for now is Daiso. We'll kill any Special Zombies we find on the way there."
Everyone nodded. I really liked the look in their eyes, all united with a firm resolve.
Kang Hwa-yeong still had a vacant expression, but that didn't matter. I'd more or less given up on her. As long as she followed my orders, she could do whatever she wanted.
‘I'd like to use Abyss Observation before we leave, but I only have one Sin, so it's a bit of a waste right now.’
Using Abyss Observation consumes one Sin, and making a contract would require even more. I still needed to perform more Human Sacrifices.
‘If there are people at Daiso, I'll have to kill a few to get some Sin.’
I'd have to kill some Non-Awakened and offer them to Kashnax or Indicron, even if they don't resist.
That is, assuming there are still people left to capture and offer.
We moved the items blocking the mart entrance just enough to slip out.
Once we were outside, we blocked it up again properly.
"It's a mess out here, too."
The area around the mart was littered with the corpses of zombies that had tried to crawl up to the roof and fallen to their deaths.
These would also need to be burned and cleared away eventually. If we leave the bodies as they are, a plague could break out. If rats eating the corpses led to the black plague, it would be a huge problem.
"Hyaat!"
BOOM!
While I was surveying the corpses around the mart, Ha-rin swung her axe without hesitation, splitting the heads of approaching zombies in two. No, it was more like she was smashing them to pieces.
BOOM! BOOM!
Every time the axe swung with a thunderous sound, clumps of zombies were swept away.
She was even mixing in her skills, chopping down dozens of them in a row without much effort.
"Using your skills?"
"Yep. I'm trying to use them properly now so I can use them right away in a real fight later. I'm trying to get used to them."
"Oh, right. Keep an eye on your mana."
"Got it!"
Ha-rin wiped the single streak of sweat from her forehead and swung her axe at the zombies again. The expression 'cutting them down' didn't quite fit; it was more like they were being crushed and destroyed by the axe blade. It was almost a massacre of lambs.
"Speaking of which, there are surprisingly few Special Zombies. I don't see a single one."
The Special Zombies that had swarmed us like crazy last night had all gone into hiding by morning.
Only slightly faster and more aggressive Normal Zombies were there to greet us.
Where did all those Special Zombies go? Did someone kill them all?
‘Was it me?’
Thinking about it, it seemed likely that we had killed almost all the Special Zombies last night, leaving none for today.
Thanks to that, the area was now swarming with only Normal Zombies, making it safer, but on the flip side, Eun-ji and Ha-rin couldn't level up from these guys, which was a shame.
‘It's boring without the Special Zombies. This is a mild-flavored Apocalypse.’
Killing Normal Zombies just isn't as satisfying. Now, mere Normal Zombies can't satisfy me.
Putting those idle thoughts aside for a moment, I shot out my tentacles at the zombies that were sneaking up, hiding behind car bodies.
"Rlyue."
FWOOSH!
A tentacle shot out from the purple summoning circle, scattering the approaching group of zombies and bursting them apart indiscriminately.
"Oppa, looking at how fresh they are, it seems the ones we killed last night were people who died recently."
Eun-ji said, stabbing a zombie in the eye with her shortsword and killing it.
The area around Eun-ji was filled with zombies whose eyes had been pierced all the way through to the back of their heads.
"You're right. There are quite a few corpses that haven't decayed much."
This was a clear sign of how many people who had been holding out well had died last night.
Hopefully, not everyone at Daiso is dead. I want to enslave the Awakened and sacrifice the Non-Awakened if possible. I also need to gather some blood bags for Hwa-yeong, who eats like a pig.
Just then, Kang Hwa-yeong grabbed the neck of a dead zombie corpse and approached me.
"Hehe... Master. Can't I eat this?"
Kang Hwa-yeong held up the corpse of a relatively fresh female zombie and asked me.
"Hey! Of course not! Are you crazy?"
"Aww. What a shame. What a waste. It looks like it'd be good to eat. Can't I? Just one bite..."
"No! You crazy bitch! Get that thing away!"
"Aww..."
Since it looked fresh, was she thinking of drinking even zombie blood?
What on earth is she thinking? No, does she even have thoughts?
‘This insane woman...’
She's just hopelessly stupid. How did she become such an idiot?
"Seriously, you're asking for a beating. Hey, but nothing drops when we kill zombies?"
"Nope. Nothing seems to be dropping."
Even after killing her first zombie, Kang Hwa-yeong didn't get the 'First Kill' achievement.
This implies that the 'First Kill' achievement is one that can only be earned by killing your first zombie and then Awakening.
As a player turned item, Kang Hwa-yeong probably doesn't meet that condition.
‘Well, it's a shame she can't get the achievement rewards, but her stats are great and her skills are good, so...’
As we made our way to Daiso, we killed countless zombies along the way.
As expected, while Eun-ji, Ha-rin, and I couldn't level up from Normal Zombies, Kang Hwa-yeong's level rose smoothly.
One interesting thing here was that Kang Hwa-yeong started with all her stats at 20, except for Willpower.
Most players, including myself, Eun-ji, and Ha-rin, had basic stats that barely exceeded 15 (excluding Luck) at Level 1, whereas Kang Hwa-yeong's Willpower was abnormally low at '5' while the rest of her stats were all '20'. This also seemed to be a class trait of the Cannibal Vampire.
‘Her Magic stat is rising particularly fast.’
⚔ STATUS ⚔ [Kang Hwa-yeong] Level: 3 Class: Cannibal Vampire Strength: 25 Agility: 26 Stamina: 27 Willpower: 9 Magic Power: 30 Luck: 42 Skills: Crimson Claws, Blood Drain Recovery, Blood Flow Acceleration ‘Her skills are good too.’
The unique thing about the Cannibal Vampire wasn't just the stats. The skill choices were also unique.
When I or others level up and get to choose a skill, we pick one from four options, but Kang Hwa-yeong only had a single choice, different from us.
‘You could hardly even call it a choice.’
It was more like a skill was unilaterally acquired.
While we grow our characters by choosing skills to fit our needs, the Cannibal Vampire has a structure where, with no choices to make, one of the class's latent abilities is unlocked each time it levels up.
It was definitely nice not having to struggle with skill choices, but the fact that her growth direction was fixed to one path was a bit of a shame.
‘But the skills she got are more than good enough to make up for that regret.’
To briefly explain the skills Kang Hwa-yeong obtained: 'Crimson Claws' is a skill that lengthens her claws to be used as weapons; 'Blood Drain Recovery' is a skill that heals her wounds by drinking blood; and 'Blood Flow Acceleration' is a skill that increases her physical abilities and maximizes her reflexes by making her blood flow faster.
Her stats are high, and her skills are well-balanced, with both combat-focused skills and skills that increase combat endurance.
It's a class brimming with potential in many ways.
"Haa, I'm hungry. I'm hungry. Ah."
Of course, due to the class's influence, her mental state was quite deficient, and her judgment had also deteriorated somewhat.
Fortunately, I can suppress her spontaneous actions to some extent with the Slave Mark's commands.
She does try to resist my commands occasionally, but... in the end, she moves according to my words.
‘She does follow my commands. And if I tempt her with blood, she becomes docile right away...’
There are plenty of ways to control her.
I just need to raise her well and use her effectively.
"Oppa, over there."
As I was walking while thinking about Kang Hwa-yeong, Eun-ji called out to me.
I looked in the direction her fingertip was pointing and saw something with its head bowed, eating a human corpse.
There were two figures positioned at the Daiso entrance.
Could they be wolves?
"Let's hide for now."
"Okay."
We quickly hid behind a building corner and observed them.
They were Special Zombies with appearances I'd never seen before. They were jet-black, with abnormally muscular bodies, threatening claws, and bare-chested, wearing only pants.
The most peculiar thing was that, unlike zombies, their upper bodies were covered in black fur. Like a beast.
"Those are new ones, right?"
"Yes. They're smaller than the War Boys, and their skin is black. They have fur, too. Oppa, are you sure those are zombies?"
"I don't know. They don't really seem like zombies. It's strange."
"Master, their claws are incredibly long. If you get hit once, your flesh will get torn to shreds..."
They looked completely different from the Special Zombies we saw last night.
They were different from the War Boys and looked nothing like the Zombie Spiders. And they certainly didn't look like the Bitchy ones that scream and gather other zombies. They're from a different lineage. Those guys don't seem to be zombies.
"Ha-rin. Use Heartbeat Tracking."
"I've been using it since the moment I saw them..."
"Yeah. Do you feel any heartbeats?"
"No. They're zombies, alright. I don't feel any heartbeats from them at all."
"So they're definitely dead."
The Special Zombies we saw last night were all grotesquely twisted versions of zombies, not something that looked like a completely different species.
"They look incredibly tough."
If the War Boys were big musclemen, these guys looked like the War Boys had been dyed black and compressed.
Their exposed upper bodies were covered in solid muscle. Most of all, the black fur that grew like a lion's mane was intimidating.
If we had encountered these guys at night, we might have been attacked before we even saw them. They're that dark. And the energy they're giving off is just sinister.
"This is ominous. Don't you guys feel something?"
"I'm getting a bit creeped out too, Master."
"Oppa, should we go back to the mart?"
"Hmm. What should we do."
Could I kill them with my tentacles? It seems like I could kill them...
I looked up at the sky. I was wondering if Kashnax might give me some information.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Do as you please. A heavy reverberation spread through my mind. Kashnax's indifferent, thrown-out line gave me the confirmation I needed. I would kill those things here.
‘She said I can fight them. If I can kill these guys properly, my level will go up. It's worth a try. Running away in fear isn't the best strategy.’
As I was pondering for a moment, one of the two lifted its head from the corpse it was eating and looked around.
"That one's eyes are white."
"The more I look at them... the more grotesque they seem."
"Ha-rin, you really don't feel anything?"
"I just feel... really creeped out, Unnie."
Ha-rin was openly getting goosebumps and calling them creepy.
These monsters were definitely worth killing; it seemed like all of our levels would go up by one if we took them down. And Kashnax had told me to do as I please.
They couldn't be a Named, could they? Even if they were, I was planning to try.
As long as they weren't some strange giant zombie from the end of the world, I was confident I could win. And with the Champions of the Gods looking for us, avoiding a fight with zombies was out of the question.
"I think we can take them."
"Hoo. Master. Should I use my skills?"
"Yeah. Let's try taking them down. What do you guys think?"
I asked for the party's agreement. It was just a formality. I was fully set on fighting. If Eun-ji or Ha-rin wanted to run... I'd have no choice but to order them. I wished they'd fight of their own will.
"I'm for it. I don't think the current Oppa would lose."
"I don't care what we do, as long as it's what you want, Master."
The two sent me looks full of trust.
In the meantime, Kang Hwa-yeong, who was between them, looked back and forth between Eun-ji and Ha-rin, then asked me.
"Huh? Were you asking me too?"
"No. You just have to follow."
I don't listen to the opinions of someone like her. She just has to do whatever I tell her to.
"I'll use my tentacles to hold them down first. I'll kill one as soon as we grab it, so you two handle the other one. You need to level up. And Kang Hwa-yeong, you just kill the zombies around us."
The reason I wasn't killing both of them outright was to let Eun-ji and Ha-rin level up.
As for Kang Hwa-yeong, she's still not even Level 5, so Normal Zombies should be more than enough for her.
"Alright, let's go!"
Having roughly laid out our plan, we immediately ran forward.
And I stretched both hands towards them and chanted the spell.
"Rlyue!!"
Purple summoning circles formed on both of my hands, and tentacles shot out.
Our targets were the two unnamed Special Zombies.
I planned to kill the one on the left right away and let Eun-ji and Ha-rin have the one on the right for experience.
"Huh?"
It dodged.
The one on the right twisted its body to avoid the tentacle, then immediately used its claws to cut through the tentacle that was trying to grab the zombie on the left.
"Th-This is unbelievable!"
I never expected it to dodge my tentacles. This was a first.
"KIAAAH!!!!"
"GROOOOAN..."
The two immediately lowered their waists and took a stance. Then, they glowed with killing intent and glared at us. As if they were confirming their prey.
Just then, words floated above their heads.
💥 NAMED! 💥 Black Claw, Keshak
Roaring Darkness, Kichia
"Wow. They're really Named..."
They were the Named I was worried about.
Why is a Named in a place like this...
"KRAAAAAH!!!!"
The question of why a Named was in such a shabby place was fleeting.
Kichia's scream made it impossible to think straight.
The scream that shook my eardrums wouldn't let my thoughts continue.
Moreover, the scream was starting to draw in the surrounding zombies.
"GROOOOAR!!!"
"Master. The zombies' eyes are turning black...!"
"The Named's influence..."
The update notes said that the Named's influence would affect the surrounding zombies. This is what they meant.
The Normal Zombies' eyes turned black, and their claws grew longer.
"Hey! Kang Hwa-yeong! You can kill all of them, right?"
"Huh?"
"I'll give you a ton of blood to drink."
"Yes! I can do it! They're super strong! I'll fight well!"
"Then go crush them fast! Kang Hwa-yeong will handle the approaching zombies, and the three of us will kill those two!"
THUD!
The moment I finished speaking, as if it had been waiting, Black Claw, Keshak, launched himself at me.
His black mane fluttered in the wind, leaving a black afterimage like a flash of black light.
He crossed the distance to me in a single leap.
Just how outstanding are his physical specs?
"HIAH!!!!"
There was no time to question his physical specs.
In an instant, as he flew towards me, Ha-rin charged at him with a Savage's Roar. At the same time, she swung her axe.
Now that she had drawn its aggro, she seemed to have no hesitation in roaring.
KWANG!!!
"DAMMIT!!!"
Even though he was affected by the Savage's Roar, Keshak used his insane physical abilities to twist his body in mid-air and evade the incoming axe.
Ha-rin gritted her teeth as she pulled her axe, which had been embedded in the asphalt after cutting through empty air.
Keshak, who had barely avoided Ha-rin's axe swing, lost his balance for a moment due to the excessive movement.
‘So this is the might of a Named.’
They were definitely much tougher than Special Zombies.
"Alakum Ploto"
While Keshak was staggering to regain his balance, I had already used the skill I had prepared.
FWOOSH!
In the blink of an eye, darkness gathered around Keshak's right shoulder, then transformed into a grotesque maw.
Hundreds of teeth made of an even denser darkness than Keshak himself.
The Abyss Maw, with its gloomy teeth packed together, had a rather repulsive appearance.
CRUNCH
Where the Abyss Maw had bitten, only Keshak, whose right arm had been torn off, remained, screaming.
"KIAAAH!!!!"
Does it feel pain even though it's a zombie?
"Rlyue."
This time, he couldn't dodge my tentacle.
Thanks to being closer, the tentacle shot out instantly and properly bound his limbs. As Keshak tried to break the tentacles with his strength, Ha-rin brought her axe down on his head.
KWASAJAK!!!
His head split in two, and Keshak died.
✨ LEVEL UP! ✨ Player 'Jang Jo-jun' has leveled up. Slave 'Seong Ha-rin' has leveled up. Player 'Jang Jo-jun's Agility has increased by 1.
Player 'Seong Ha-rin's Strength has increased by 1.
Item: Keshak's Black Dagger has been dropped.
As befitting a Named, the rewards were generous.
For now, I quickly picked up the item that had fallen to the ground.
‘Keshak's Black Dagger’ was a black, matte dagger with no light reflection.
"KRAAAH!!!"
Now, all that was left was the Roaring Kichia.
Right after the battle began, Eun-ji had hidden herself in the shadows and approached it.
She must have been planning to assassinate the Roaring Kichia.
From the looks of the shortswords embedded in both of Kichia's shoulders, it seemed Eun-ji's surprise attack had succeeded.
"KIAAAAAH!!!"
KUGUGUGUN!!!
An impact wave erupted from Kichia's pained scream, shaking the ground lightly.
Eun-ji, caught in the shockwave, was flung away and slammed into a bongo van parked on the side of the road.
"Oh no!"
Luckily, Kang Hwa-yeong, who had already moved towards Eun-ji's side, protected the unconscious Eun-ji by tearing apart the approaching zombies with her crimson dagger and claws.
"Kra...!"
As if that scream was its last struggle, Kichia fell to its knees and collapsed.
✨ LEVEL UP! ✨ Slave 'Lee Eun-ji' has leveled up. Player 'Lee Eun-ji's Agility has increased by 2.
Item: Kichia's Black Whistle has been dropped.
Ha-rin and I quickly approached that side. Since a drop item had appeared, Kichia was definitely dead.
"Wow... It's been torn to shreds."
The back of the fallen Kichia was full of wounds.
Broken Shadow Blades were stuck all over it, and from the holes pierced in its legs, it seemed Eun-ji had started by tearing at its legs with Shadow Spikes. It looked like she had thrown all her skills at it to kill it.
"Eun-ji. Are you okay?"
"Ah... Oppa. Hehe. I killed it by myself..."
"That's amazing. You're incredible."
Eun-ji had only lost consciousness for a moment from the shockwave and had no other injuries. She got up and dusted herself off right away.
Eun-ji is tough, too.
"Haa..."
We ended up hunting a Named. From the looks of it, they were a pair.
In any case, Eun-ji and Ha-rin's levels went up, and I even broke through the Level 10 barrier. Kang Hwa-yeong, who had been killing the enhanced zombies, also reached Level 5.
Just as we were clearing away the last of the approaching zombies and praising each other...
Someone appeared.