Chapter 38
Chapter 38
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: The Approaching Threat
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We returned safely to the mart.
Eun-ji and Ha-rin, completely exhausted from the battle with the murderous thug, went to wash up first. I gave the Non-Awakened I'd brought from Daisyo their roles on the fly. For now, two of the men were on cleaning duty, and the two women were in charge of meals.
Then, Kang Hwa-yeong, saying she was hungry, started sucking the brat's blood as soon as we arrived at the mart.
"By the way, this brat isn't waking up."
Han Tae-yang was still unconscious. Even when I kicked him a few times, he didn't stir. He was breathing, and he'd groan faintly if poked, but he still hadn't come to his senses.
"Ah, stop it..."
When I nudged my foot against her brother, Han A-reum recoiled in disgust and blocked my foot.
"Huh. Are you blocking me right now?"
"Ah, no. It's just... Dammit..."
Why are they scared of me again?
For some reason, people would fear me and avoid me when I smiled. Even though my stats had gone up and I'd gotten quite handsome, no one liked my smile except for Eun-ji and Ha-rin.
"Unnie, what are we going to do with Oppa now..."
"I don't know either... Uh, is there a doctor here?"
Han A-ram asked me with a face full of worry.
She'd been staring at me with a deadpan expression just moments ago, but she treasures her family like crazy.
It makes me want to laugh. An orphan like me, with no family or anything, should just live in misery.
"There's no doctor here. I haven't been able to make a doctor into a slave yet. If I get the chance, I'd like to catch one. A female doctor, maybe. Hehehe."
"Ah..."
"What should we do..."
I can't just stand here and watch these bastards worry about that worthless worm.
I need to level up, and I have a lot to do. I can't waste precious time on a dying idiot.
"Enough. You two go wash up now. This guy will probably wake up in a bit."
"Ugh..."
"Okay."
Reluctantly, they followed my orders, leaving Han Tae-yang behind and heading for the bathroom.
Han A-reum glared at me until the very end. As if she were cursing me.
"I've got something to look forward to."
I clicked my tongue as I watched the two women's retreating figures, my eyes glued to their butts.
Leaving the women to wash together, I headed up to the roof.
"Ah, Big Brother. I saw you come in. Are those new slaves?"
"Yeah. Pretty awesome, right? You guys don't have to do chores like cleaning the roof anymore. I caught some Non-Awakened, so you can just have them do it. And there are two aunties who are good at cooking."
"Aunties? Gulp... Wow! You really are amazing!"
Hwa Jin-sung, who had been praising my achievements for a while, told me that nothing had happened since we left.
But his words that no one had come by and not many zombies had passed by made a strange unease creep up from somewhere deep inside me.
'It feels like the calm before a storm.'
I tried to erase the unease and called Hwang Su-min to get the Great Magician's Earrings back.
I'd only lent them to her to guard the place while I was away, since she had the highest firepower. It wasn't a permanent gift. I even took the Green Demon Stone Ring, which made Hwang Su-min look incredibly depressed.
I didn't take the Oak Tree Staff. Hwang Su-min was the only one here who could use it.
'Right, I'll give the Green Demon Stone Ring to Ha-rin. And the earrings to Eun-ji.'
Ha-rin, who mostly fights on the front lines, moves around a lot, so I'll give her the ring. Eun-ji uses skills often, so I'll distribute the earrings.
As for me, I'm overflowing with mana, so I don't really need them.
"Then... let's wash up quickly..."
It's time to taste the Han sisters. I'm tired, but there's no way I'm going to just sit still with a virgin in front of me. I don't know what will happen tomorrow, so I should eat the delicious things first. I'd be the only one to regret it if I saved them for later and they went bad.
Of course, I'm not just thinking about mindless sex. The Han sisters are part of my newly acquired slave harem, so I should take a closer look at their classes, level up their skills, and so on. That should take up the whole day.
'There are over ten Awakened. Bring it on if you want...'
Thinking that, I also went to wash up. Completely unaware of what was coming.
*****
Dawn, at a three-story villa.
Creeeak!
The sound of a rusty hinge groaning its last as a door that had been closed for over a week was finally opened.
Inside, blackout curtains were drawn, making it a dark space where not a single ray of sunlight could enter.
Only now did a single ray of light seep into the stuffy, putrid-smelling room.
Thump. Thump.
A man armed with items he'd obtained by killing countless Special Zombies and Named monsters cautiously walked into the room.
"Hee-seon... I'm here."
He called out to the woman chained in iron with a gentle greeting.
"Grrr...!"
The zombie chained up answered savagely.
Clank! Clank! Grrraaahh!!!
The woman who once called his name with the most beautiful smile in the world had turned into a ruined zombie. As she caught the scent of the man approaching, she thrashed about violently, trying to break free from her chains.
However, the tightly bound chains showed no sign of coming loose; instead, they only tore away the zombie's rotting flesh.
Watching this, the man let out a deep sigh and lamented.
"Haa... Hee-seon, stop it."
He slowly approached the zombie and took off the white mask he'd been wearing without ever taking it off for the past few days to hide his face.
His bare face, revealed from behind the mask, was covered in hideous scars and wounds, too painful to look at directly.
From his right temple to his jaw, he was slashed, and countless other scars were etched into his face.
Even though not even two weeks had passed since the fall of civilization, the man's face was strangely covered in wounds.
Those wounds and scars showed just how many desperate battles he had fought in that short time. And they also revealed that he had killed more than just zombies.
Ever since the moment she became a zombie, the man had neglected himself.
He had simply charged relentlessly toward his given goal. And now, finally, his efforts were about to bear fruit.
"Hee-seon. The people who will fight with me today came with me. They all received the same revelation. But I didn't bring them in? I thought you'd be embarrassed if you had too many guests. They're all waiting on the first floor."
"Grr... Grrraaah... Tsk. Tsk. Tsk."
The man spoke to the zombie with a wistful gaze.
If he failed, he knew he wouldn't be able to return here again. He felt that this might be their last meeting.
So, he wanted to have a longer conversation with her, even though the time had already passed.
Even if she couldn't understand him at all, he spoke to her.
He came to face her—the one who used to be her—to reaffirm his vow to never give up, no matter what adversity befell him.
"There's a bad person. They say if we kill him, the world will become a more peaceful place. I've already killed several people... but this one will be tougher."
"Grr... Kiah... Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Grrraaah!"
It was the 'Goddess of Hope' who had taken him in when he had lost his will to live and was on the verge of death.
She whispered to him.
'The kin of the Profane Ones have appeared on this land.'
He had asked what that had to do with him.
Then, she warned him. 'If you leave that being be, everyone will fall into hell.'
Of course, he didn't listen. He was already in hell.
Nevertheless, the Goddess urged him again. 'You must kill that wicked being and contribute to the salvation of humanity and world peace.'
He completely shut his ears. He had no interest in world peace.
In the end, as he shut his ears completely and was about to die, the Goddess of Hope whispered this to him.
If he accomplished this great feat, she would grant him 'one wish.'
She said she would do her best, even if it was the resurrection of someone already dead.
And so, the Goddess forcibly stitched his torn heart back together and fanned the small ember of hope. As a result, the man slaughtered his enemies like a madman, burning with fighting spirit.
"Once this is over, then... She said she'll bring her back then. So, let's just endure a little longer until then... You understand, Hee-seon..."
He wasn't looking at a zombie that had lost its reason and only craved the flesh of the living.
The man was looking at something far away. It was a memory deeply embedded in his heart, a fantasy born of affection.
He was looking at his one and only 'love,' whom he had once loved passionately, promised to grow old with, and ultimately given everything for.
What the man was seeing wasn't a zombie about to chew him up, having lost its reason, but a beautiful 'wife.'
"Seon-ah... Hee-seon-ah..."
He carefully examined the face of the zombie who still didn't recognize him and was only crying out with strange sounds.
It was very difficult to find traces of the past on the zombie's rotting face, but to him, it appeared more beautiful than anything else.
Looking down at the face of his beloved, he recalled a moment from the past that had already passed.
The fresh school days when they walked the streets together, holding hands and whispering love in each other's ears.
Further back, the single room where they lay face-to-face, whispering "I love you" and sharing kisses.
And finally, her warm embrace as she smiled brightly and hugged him, even though his clumsy proposal was awkward and full of mistakes.
"Grrraaah..."
At the zombie's cry, the man returned to reality.
What was reflected in his eyes upon returning to reality was a stark despair.
Reality was so harsh and cruel that it could make one's heart crumble first, leaving them too crushed to stand.
Looking at his wife's form, now completely rotted and even harder to find her past appearance, the man recalled the day he couldn't be with her.
The moments of that time, so regretful he felt like he would vomit blood, flashed back uncontrollably and tormented him.
They came back to him with disgustingly vivid clarity. The night the fall began.
That day, for some reason, he had hoped his wife would come home early.
He had replied indifferently to his wife's text that he was busy and would be late.
In the end, he sensed something was wrong and rushed home, but by then, almost everything was already over.
The front door was wide open. His wife's screams were coming from the master bedroom.
'Hee-seon!!!'
'Kyaaa...! H-here!'
His wife, who was being attacked by a zombie, reaching out for help.
Her arm had already been bitten by the zombie.
Watching her thrash in pain as she turned into a zombie, the man froze in fear for a moment, unable to do anything.
He couldn't take another step, standing still and denying reality, saying it was absurd.
Then, he came to his senses and ran to save his wife.
However, by then, his wife had already completely turned into a zombie.
He was too late. In a matter of minutes, he had lost everything.
If he had come home just 10 minutes, no, even 1 minute earlier. Or if he had run to her the moment he received her text.
Could he have saved her? Could they have been together?
He cursed himself.
"Ugh..."
At the memory that resurfaced, the man forced himself to swallow the rising nausea.
He forced down the disgust and self-reproach for not being able to save his wife. Now was not the time to be lost in such regret.
Yet, the man thought. It was a thought he had repeated countless times.
If only he could turn back time.
If only he could return to that day.
He would never leave her side again.
No matter what, even if they died together, he would have held her and spent that day with her. He regretted it endlessly.
"Right. Hee-seon-ah. Once this is over... let's live together again."
The man gently reached out his right hand to the zombie. Without a hint of hesitation or fear.
He offered his right hand to the hideous zombie, who now recognized nothing and only craved the blood and flesh of the living by instinct.
Gnash!
Crunch. Gurgle. Gulp...
The zombie thrust its head toward the man's approaching hand and bit down mercilessly.
It bit, chewed, and swallowed. It greedily devoured the man's rough fingers.
The man, who openly offered his right hand to the zombie, didn't even frown.
Rather, with an infinitely gentle smile, he simply offered his right hand for the woman he loved.
Even as it was chewed and torn, he didn't show a single sign of pain.
He simply endured it silently.
He thought that she, who had waited for him alone, must have been in more pain. More agony. More hardship, pain, loneliness, and fear.
He swallowed the overwhelming agony that threatened to make his teeth chatter. Pain was now a very familiar thing to him.
He stretched out his left hand, which hadn't been bitten, and stroked the head of his beloved lover, caressing the zombie's matted hair.
With his blood-soaked hand, he stroked the head of the woman he had loved, loved, and would love forever for a long time.
"No matter what happens, I will bring you back."
Tears no longer flowed from the man's eyes.
At some point, even his tear ducts had dried up completely, and his heart was infinitely cold and empty.
"So. Wait for me."
He stood up as he had before and moved away from the zombie.
Soon, his right hand, which had been torn away, slowly regenerated.
Bones grew where his fingers had been, muscles attached, and it returned to its original state.
The skill 'Limb Regeneration' he had gained by reaching Level 13.
Now, as long as he had enough mana, he could regenerate his hands and feet, even if they were damaged.
Furthermore, he had acquired a divine body that wouldn't turn into a zombie even if bitten.
Thanks to the skill 'Toxin Immunity' he had obtained by reaching Level 15.
Now, he could freely caress his beloved wife's head.
That's why, before what could be his final battle, he was finally able to visit his wife, who had been left alone.
"I will. I will 'definitely' bring you back to your original self. I swear. I will bring you back..."
He repeated the same words to her, his one and only childhood friend and only love, to whom he had given his pure love and received the same in return.
It was a desperate resolve, a determination, and a firm promise.
There is no failure.
Kill the target.
Retrieve his wife.
He is no longer shaken.
He has gained a will as solid as a rock and the strength to not back down even in the face of death.
"Well then, I'm off."
The door closed again. As he left the house, the man put his mask back on.
Only a single zombie remained in the dark room, howling desperately as if trying to hold back her husband, who was leaving for the world of the dead.
****
"You're late."
"I'm sorry, Church Leader."
A man in a torn suit, holding an Ankh-shaped cross, approached the man.
His name was Park Ki-hoon. He was once a pastor of a cult church, but when the world fell, he awakened as a true 'Priest' and became the actual Church Leader.
"Ah, damn it. I told you not to call me Church Leader."
And currently, he hated being called 'Church Leader' with a passion. He said he was the team's actual leader, but he was sick and tired of being called Church Leader.
"Understood, Pastor."
"You damn fool... I'm not a pastor anymore either."
Behind him stood people armed with various weapons.
They were all players with a single common goal, Prayers belonging to the faction of the True Gods, each worshiping a different deity.
"Mister. What's that wound on your hand? Should I heal it?"
A girl with golden hair that clinked as she approached, Kim Ye-won, asked as she saw the man's bleeding hand.
In her hand, she held an unknown old scripture and a flail covered in zombie blood and flesh.
She had awakened as a 'Saint Maiden,' even changing her hair color, and was the most blessed member of the team.
She was a girl known as the 'Saintess.'
Of course, she was called a girl, but she was well into her 20s, not a real girl. But due to her unique, childlike beauty, everyone treated her like a child.
"Really? Then let's get going. It's time for that damn 'heretic hunt'."
Then, a bald, muscular man, Kang Chan-seok, who had approached to show off, forcibly joined the conversation to impress Kim Ye-won.
He was also a strong man who had reached Level 15 and acquired 'Toxin Immunity,' and had awakened as a 'Monk,' gaining a powerful body.
"Right, let's go. Sorry for making you all wait because of me."
The man bowed his head slightly to the people who had waited for him.
They replied with trusting smiles. The man was a reliable vanguard and a battle-crazed warrior.
The eight-member squad, gathered to kill the evil god worshipers, each armed with their own weapons, charged forward without hesitation toward the same goal.
Each imagining a different future, resolved to create a better world, and to retrieve someone they had lost.
'I will surely kill you... Cultist.'
The man fixed his eyes on the mart building, which he could now faintly see in the distance.
His name was Lee Han-seok, who had awakened as a 'Holy Knight.'
A Level 15 Holy Knight and a man who displayed the fighting spirit of a Berserker.
A Holy Knight 'never' falls.
He will crush everything that stands in his way.
He simply moves forward.