Chapter 90
Chapter 90
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 90
Chapter Title: Peaceful First Night
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Monday arrived, and several evolved zombies charged into the mart.
BOOM!! BOOM!! BOOM!!
A Revenant's greatsword was smashing through the barricade at the first-floor entrance.
The entrance seemed like it would give way any moment under the relentless assault of the Revenant.
"Fuck... no. No. This isn't happening. Fuck!!"
The moment Ha Jin-seong laid eyes on the Revenant breaking through the first-floor entrance, his body began to tremble uncontrollably. It was because the situation felt eerily similar to last week's disaster.
As memories flooded back of that day when Kim Il-woo, Kim Min-jun, and the mart's initial members had been slaughtered en masse, Ha Jin-seong found himself frozen, unable to act.
It had been less than a week. No matter how hard he tried to forget, it was still too fresh. And because he'd been so close to them, it hurt even more.
"Fuck... fuck! We're... we're all gonna die!"
Ultimately, Ha Jin-seong succumbed to PTSD, flailing about in panic. Flashbacks played of people being torn apart by Draugr hands, Revenants laughing as they crunched survivors' skulls, Kim Il-woo exploding, Kim Min-jun being crushed, and Lee Eun-hye being ripped to shreds.
Ha Jin-seong lost the will to fight amid these hallucinations, his morale plummeting as he muttered nonsense incoherently.
Seeing this, Ha Jin-woo rushed to his brother.
"Hyung! Hyung!! Hey, you fucker!! Snap out of it!!! What the hell's wrong with you all of a sudden!!"
Ha Jin-seong finally lifted his head at his brother's shout, staring up at him with a dazed expression.
"J-Jin-woo..."
"Hyung! Get it together! Are you crazy?! What's with the freakout!! Get up already! We've got way more people this time. We're not gonna get wiped out like last time!"
Ha Jin-woo slapped his brother's cheeks repeatedly, hitting so hard that blood trickled from Ha Jin-seong's nose.
The sharp shock snapped Ha Jin-seong back to reality, tears welling up in his eyes.
"Right... yeah... I must've lost it for a second. Sorry, little bro."
Ha Jin-seong quickly scanned his surroundings.
Thanks to Jang Jojun busily capturing a ton of Awakeners as slaves, they had far more people than last week. Plus, there was the hidden class Possession Warrior and the ridiculously strong Dullahan on the first floor, along with three Mages on standby. With this lineup, defeat seemed impossible, and courage welled up in Ha Jin-seong.
'And above all, the Ebony Cockroach is guarding this place.'
They weren't about to lose to mere Draugr and Revenants.
"And hyung, there are fewer of them than last week. They didn't swarm here organized to kill us—they're just random zombies that evolved nearby and came straight at us. No strategy or anything. We can handle them easy."
Only then could Ha Jin-seong properly take stock of the situation.
Breaking through the first-floor entrance were just two Draugr and one Revenant. Unlike last week's merciless horde smashing everything, this was nothing.
'They're few, we're many. They can't breach this place.'
Ha Jin-seong hypnotized himself. His shaken mind finally stabilized, at least temporarily.
"That's really all of them?"
"For now, yeah. Just take those out. Zombies around here are thinned out anyway, so not many showed up."
While the Ebony Cockroach had been laying eggs like mad in zombie bodies, the area around the mart was zombie-free. It had even wiped out the ones hiding in the sewers during the sports center raid, turning Our Mart into a zombie-free zone.
Only a dozen or so evolved zombies had approached the mart as a result. And even those were getting picked off by skills from the rooftop.
Of course, no one had noticed yet that the melting flesh of the dead was endlessly spawning Skeletons.
"Hey! Ha Jin-seong, how long you gonna stand there bawling! Get up and earn your keep!!"
Kang Eun-jeong grumbled while kicking a Draugr's shin. Having fought alongside her so often, Ha Jin-seong—who harbored a subtle crush on her—wiped the blood from his nose and stood back up.
"Got it! I'm up!"
With his resolve renewed for battle, Ha Jin-seong clenched his fists and shouted. His brother and Kang Eun-jeong were cheering him on—there was no way he could stay down.
"Fuck!! Let's just fight!"
He stepped forward to confront the Draugr trying to enter the mart, courage restored.
The lone Revenant was already being soloed by Dullahan Gu Gyohan, and the remaining Draugr was getting battered by Possession Warrior Lee Hoon and other Awakeners dividing roles.
Soon, Ha Jin-seong joined his brother and Kang Eun-jeong to finish off the Draugr. With more Awakeners, it was much easier.
Especially thanks to Hwang Su-min smashing its skull at the perfect moment, plus spells from the two Mages, they won without a scratch.
"Haa... haha. That was nothing!"
Standing triumphantly over the Draugr's corpse, Ha Jin-seong shouted with newfound confidence. Realizing he'd killed these former objects of terror with his own hands filled him with self-assurance. He tried to push last week's massacre from his mind.
As Ha Jin-seong regained his spirit, the other Awakeners on the first floor erupted in cheers, praising each other and reveling in victory.
"Um... can I take these?"
Son Ha-eun, who'd been watching the fight, asked. Since zombie corpses were useless anyway, Ha Jin-seong nodded.
She asked the Dullahan to drag the Draugr and Revenant bodies to a corner, then muttered some incantation, trying to resurrect them.
"Ah... still not working..."
But it failed, and Son Ha-eun sighed in disappointment. The zombies toppling over as they tried to rise was oddly comical, like a kid playing alone. For some reason, it made Ha Jin-seong think tonight felt incredibly peaceful.
'Good thing they didn't swarm like last week... Hope it stays this peaceful from now on...'
Ha Jin-seong indulged in the happy fantasy that tonight might pass just like this. He hoped the night would end without incident.
He desperately clung to optimism. But then, a strange sound reached his ears as he forced visions of a bright future.
Kihihihi.
It was laughter.
The mocking cackle made Ha Jin-seong's hair stand on end.
It grated on his nerves, filling him with disgust.
Like the creepy laugh of a female ghost from a horror movie.
"W-Wait! Everyone, quiet down!"
"Hyung, what now?"
"Shh... You hear that? Something... laughing. Like a woman or a kid."
"What...? Huh...? Yeah, what is that..."
Ha Jin-woo's expression turned serious too.
Something was laughing. And the laughter was drawing closer.
Kihihihihi.
Soon, everyone on the first floor could hear it.
Something was watching them.
A gaze prickled at their backs.
Everyone felt something standing right behind them.
"W-What!!"
Ha Jin-seong whirled around, yelling louder to shake off the creeping fear tightening his throat.
"..."
Nothing there.
He could've sworn something had stroked his nape and touched his cheek. But turning around revealed nothing.
"F-Fuck..."
Ha Jin-seong spat a curse and turned back.
"Huh?"
Now everyone who'd been gathered on the first floor was gone. He stood alone in the mart.
No signs of life anywhere. It was as if the entire group had vanished.
"J-Jin-woo!! Eun-jeong...! Jojun hyung-nim!"
Terrified, Ha Jin-seong called for his comrades. No response.
Kihihihi...
His comrades didn't come, but something that shouldn't entered the mart, crawling in.
An indescribable dread chilled his spine.
"W-What are you..."
A pitch-black woman with dripping hair stood unnervingly close, as if she'd been there all along.
Drip... drip...
Water droplets fell from her hair.
She was soaked.
Her fingertips were blackened. Her skin was unnaturally pale, eyes wide and unfocused.
Whoosh...
A wind blew from somewhere, extinguishing the torches scattered around the first floor.
Darkness descended in an instant.
"F-Fuck..."
Ha Jin-seong swallowed hard, staring at the approaching woman. He couldn't look away. Blink, and she'd be right in front of him.
Squelch... squelch...
Her footsteps echoed unnaturally loud.
An oppressive silence hung heavy. Alone with his fear, Ha Jin-seong felt like he might piss himself.
The woman slowly approached—one step, two—then glared at him through the gap in her dangling hair.
Bloodshot eyes bulged. Veins throbbing in those sinister orbs, she stared. Then she grinned wide.
Ha Jin-seong panicked at the grotesque sight straight out of a J-horror flick.
The ghost's eerie aura invading the mart rattled his mind. The temperature dropped, an unpleasant stench spreading.
Soon, she closed the distance, right up to him.
For some reason, his body froze—he couldn't move.
Like sleep paralysis standing up. He wanted to run but couldn't.
"Why... why me... why..."
His body shook as the ghost approached, dripping black muck.
Finally, he squeezed his eyes shut.
"Gotcha."
That was when Lee Hoon, right behind him, snatched the woman's neck.
"Huh...?"
Ha Jin-seong, eyes clenched shut, blinked in confusion.
He'd thought he was done for, but the ghost vanished, lights reignited, and everyone was back.
"Haa... I-I lived..."
He collapsed.
It all felt like a dream.
As he sat gasping, Ha Jin-woo approached.
"Hyung, what're you doing by yourself?"
"Huh? What do you mean? We all just saw the ghost, right?"
"Hyung, seriously, what's up with you today? You were just standing there zoning out. Lee Hoon touched your shoulder, and you collapsed?"
"W-What are you talking about..."
"Dude... hyung, just go upstairs and sleep. You're tired—quit saying weird shit."
Ha Jin-seong was at a loss. Everyone else had felt and seen nothing, leaving him more confused.
'We all heard the ghost laughing and trembled together... or... did we? What...'
From the moment he'd heard the laughter, Ha Jin-seong had been enthralled alone. Since his PTSD breakdown, he'd been targeted by the ghosts.
If Lee Hoon hadn't quickly exorcised the ghost clinging to him, he might not have seen morning.
'So they attack like this. Dangerous bastards...'
Possession Warrior Lee Hoon had observed the whole thing quietly.
After Ha Jin-seong killed the evolved zombies and shouted triumphantly, he'd suddenly stared into space, motionless. Lee Hoon realized something had him bound.
'This is what enthrallment looks like.'
He watched a bit longer, then decided to act, grabbing the ghost scratching at Ha Jin-seong's neck from his shoulder. Ghosts were souls—perfect fuel for a Possession Warrior.
"Bon appétit."
When no one was looking, Lee Hoon devoured the captured evil spirit. It got sucked into his gaping maw, pitch-black and writhing.
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"Pluto."
From the rooftop, Jang Jojun used his skill to catch and kill ghosts flying toward the mart.
As an apostle of the evil god, he was immune to such enthrallment. But some Awakeners on the roof had been enthralled, trying to jump the railing.
As a result, Jang Jojun sent everyone except his women downstairs.
'But do these count as offerings?'
He bit into one ghost with Abyssal Maw and offered it to Indicron.
"Here you go."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
[Hmm... Bland. Not high-quality offering material. Not really in the mood...]
"Ah... Got it..."
Surprisingly, spirits could be offered as human sacrifices. But she wasn't thrilled—in fact, she seemed annoyed.
Like a cat owner handed a stray gift from the pet.
'Wait... this reminds me of last time...'
Right—similar reaction when he'd tried offering demon-corrupted souls. Back then she'd refused outright, but now she accepted, just without joy.
This was worse than nothing.
"Eun-ji."
"Yeah? What's up, oppa?"
"Bring the Possession Warrior from downstairs. You know who."
"Yeah, Lee Hoon?"
"Yeah. Get him up here."
"On it!"
Soon, Lee Hoon arrived on the roof.
"You called?"
"Yeah. Hey, these ghosts..."
"I absorb them. Already ate a few."
"Oh... quick. Can you sense them too?"
"Vaguely."
"Damn... You guard the mart tonight. Switch to night shift while we're at it."
"Understood."
As a Possession Warrior, Lee Hoon could eat ghosts.
He could even detect spirits somewhat, making it easy to catch stealthy infiltrators from within. Of course, covering the whole mart alone was tough, so entering the Missing Persons' Forest remained necessary.
'Who knew our natural counter to ghosts was on our side...'
Good call capturing Lee Hoon.
Lee Hoon looked thrilled himself, arms wide to wailing ghosts flying about, saying he could replenish his losses. Like a gym rat gifted premium protein from overseas.
'Thanks to Lee Hoon, we've blocked the ghost attack for now... Zombies are quiet unexpectedly... The issue is the unprocessed corpses.'
The update said relatively intact corpses would revive as Skeletons.
'Every body in the sewers will turn Skeleton...'
Zombie numbers were down from mass kills, but corpses weren't disposed of properly, so soon the mart's surroundings would be crawling with bones.
'Can't lay eggs in Skeletons... Ebony Cockroach loses utility.'
The Ebony Cockroach's strength was its hordes of offspring. But eggs needed zombie or human hosts, and with Skeletons outnumbering zombies soon, its value would drop sharply.
"Haa... Nothing lasts forever."
Time for a new summon. And hitting level 16 had granted a new skill.
'Chaos Observation.'
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
[Chaos Observation: Consume karma to peer into chaos. Communicate with chaos entities.]
Where Abyss Observation enabled contracts with abyss entities, Chaos Observation allowed those under Kashnax.
'And Eternal Contract upgraded...'
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
[Eternal Contract (2): Form permanent contracts with otherworldly beings to make them summons. Observation skills increase slots.]
Acquiring Chaos Observation upgraded Eternal Contract. Now up to six permanent summons. Key point: separate slots for abyss and chaos—three each.
Currently, only Kyseria and Ebony Cockroach. Tonight, he'd burn all accumulated karma to fill them.
'Luck-based, of course...'
Until now, besides those two, few responded to Abyss Observation, and those that did were worthless slot-wasters.
With 666 luck, it was shocking how few gems appeared.
'Please tonight...!'
Praying for gacha luck, he activated Abyss Observation.
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