Jeokto Reborn
After stumbling into the zombie apocalypse novel, I spent some time on inspections. The first thing I checked was Jeokro. Honestly, if I was only planning to roam around Busan, there wouldn't have been much need for extra work. A quick pass with the grinder to smooth out the sharp edges would have sufficed. But I intended to travel to multiple places for a while, so additional modifications were obviously necessary. I needed to increase its load capacity and durability. At the very least, it had to hold up even if it rammed into five or six zombies without getting pushed back. Naturally, I knew nothing about welding or anything mechanical, so the engineering students had to handle it. Still, everyone poured their hearts into the upgrades. They reinforced Jeokro's frame, converted the empty interior space into storage, and swapped out the tires for actual car tires ripped off and bolted on. That still wasn't enough, so they linked up chains and gears to boost the power and even added a makeshift sidecar on the side. By the time they finished, Jeokro had grown noticeably larger. What used to look like a small or mid-sized motorcycle now bordered on full-sized.
“Whoa…”
They painted the body red so blood wouldn't show as easily, and it looked exactly like the reincarnation of Jeokto. So I changed the name to Jeokto. Calling it Jeokro felt wrong—like naming it after a horse that kills its rider. Besides, with my current strength, the names of Guan Yu or Lü Bu suited me just fine. If I'd wiped out all those zombies and made it back alive, then “Among men, Yeji; among horses, Jeokto” wasn't an exaggeration.
“You seem excited.”
“Why wouldn't I be? My beloved steed got a flashy makeover in just a few days.”
“Well, I suppose so.”
Ignoring Kang Siwoo's sour look, I went shopping. Well, “shopping” was a generous word for it. I was looting nearby clothing stores, which technically made me a thief. But since the original owners had all turned into zombies, there was no one left to complain.
“It looks like you plan to be gone for quite a while. I gave permission, but…”
“Hah, I just wanted to try a bicycle trip for once.”
“Don't die from carelessness. Come back safely.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Paying no mind to Kang Siwoo's grumbling, I kept circling the area and gathering supplies. Since I'd be sleeping outdoors for days—maybe even weeks—I had a lot more to worry about now. Starting with the clothes I was collecting, I also grabbed feminine products, pillows, and blankets. Thankfully, these items were easier to find than food. Everything was neatly packed and stowed away on Jeokto. By now, I was ready to leave. I had food and water. Extra supplies for other needs. I'd even learned how to read a map after getting thoroughly scolded by Kang Seonghwa. Everything was in order. But there was still one thing missing: weapons.
The Beopbong was a five-kilogram iron club. It worked great against zombies—more than great, really. A regular baseball bat weighed less than a kilogram, and even those had killed people according to the news. The Beopbong was five times heavier, so its destructive power was five times greater. I hadn't actually calculated it, but I didn't need any other weapon. I'd already gotten used to blunt weapons, and the only real downside was reach… which the engineering students had fixed by attaching a new handle. Still, I figured I should get one more weapon, so I dragged over Lee Ayoung, who had been chatting with the engineering students. Two heads were better than one when it came to finding a decent backup.
“That bat… isn't it enough on its own?”
“I keep losing it. I need a backup weapon for when it's gone.”
“You need a backup weapon too, Yeji?”
Lee Ayoung, standing nearby, asked with a look that suggested someone with my strength could probably use their bare hands as weapons. Honestly, my raw power did make my fists terrifying, but the ability only activated under specific conditions—conditions that were basically impossible to meet on purpose. One was being on the verge of death. More precisely, when my body recognized that I couldn't win by enduring and had to kill the enemy first. That was the easiest trigger to activate. Just get beaten half to death and turn it around at the last second. The problem was that the stronger I got, the harder it became to reach that near-death state. I'd need to be hit much harder than the first time the ability had activated. At this point, I'd basically have to become a masochist to use it properly. No normal person could trigger it otherwise. I mean, I'd been grabbed by a five-meter-tall monster, slammed into a wall, and still survived—even getting my stomach smashed against a sign on the way down. If the ability didn't activate in a situation like that, then…
“You know, Ayoung.”
“Yes?”
“My strength only kicks in when I'm basically about to die, you know?”
“I know that.”
“But now I don't think even falling off a roof would kill me.”
“Ah…”
“Of course, it doesn't have to be near-death every time, but I still don't know the exact conditions.”
I remembered the zombie attack last time. I was pretty sure the ability had activated even though I hadn't been in critical condition. Whether it was just from getting angry or some other emotion, I couldn't tell. Maybe time would reveal the answer.
“So in the end, it just means you're a regenerating meat shield with a bat as your only real weapon.”
“Ahaha…”
“Must be nice for you. You've actually got skills.”
Lee Ayoung had been showing more and more of her original-timeline saintess traits lately. Even though laundry was a pain, she insisted on wearing only white clothes. She fought zombies without getting a single stain on her outfit. And she'd switched from a spear to a scythe. Every time I saw her, she felt exactly like the saintess from the novel. Even Kang Siwoo had instinctively grabbed his sword hilt around her once. Watching her fight, though, it made sense.
“Ayoung, you said your hobby was mowing the lawn, right?”
“Yes. When I'm mowing, I can just zone out and not think about anything.”
“No matter how much you practiced on grass, you can't exactly kill people with a sickle or a Korean scythe… I'm jealous, seriously.”
“You're pretty good at fighting too, Yeji.”
“I just charge in like an idiot and swing the Beopbong until the other guy drops. It's all about outlasting them.”
That was always how it went. I'd tank hits with my body, swing the Beopbong, and win by sheer endurance.
“So I can't use any weapon that requires technique. Something I can just swing around easily.”
“But… there isn't really anything like that, is there?”
“Tch. Nothing but brass knuckles, huh…”
“Ahaha…”
Lee Ayoung laughed awkwardly. She probably felt bad that she'd come to help but couldn't offer much. Since we were already here, I decided to ask how she fought so well.
“Ayoung.”
“Yes, Yeji.”
“You were just a regular student before all this, right?”
“Yes. Why do you ask?”
“Do you have some kind of mindset or trick? I just charge in with my body.”
“I think I understand what you mean. When I fight zombies, I…”
“Yeah?”
“I think of them as grass.”
“…What?”
“Grass. Tall grass. So I just cut them at the waist to make them short, or slice off their heads in one go.”
“…”
Lee Ayoung smiled brightly. She quickly added that it was just a metaphor and she didn't actually think that way normally. Still, the image of her calmly mowing down human-shaped zombies like grass was… unsettling. It felt like she was slowly giving up on her humanity. I was about to nod along and escape when she grabbed me, saying she had a question.
“I've been wondering for a while…”
“Yeah? Go ahead.”
“Where did you get that?”
“This?”
She pointed at the Beopbong. Now that I thought about it, she'd always paid special attention to it.
…Was it because she was Christian? “Beopbong” was a Buddhist term, so maybe it bothered her. No, her expression said it wasn't that.
“An older sister I know carries something like that around.”
“…What?”
“She lives alone in Jangyu. Her father is a blacksmith.”
“Uh, okay.”
“She was planning to work a bit longer, retire, and take over the family business.”
“Right.”
“But living alone as a woman is dangerous, you know?”
“I guess it could be…”
“So she made a pair and kept them for self-defense.”
“Wait, a pair?”
A vague memory surfaced. Back during the Yahweh's Paradise arc, there had been a woman Kang Siwoo had charmed once. Her father was a blacksmith, and the two of them had been exploited under the guise of faith. The novel mentioned she carried two bats at her waist. The exact material wasn't described, and she was just a minor character—apparently killed after serving as an informant. But I remembered her name.
“Is that sister's name Gong Yeseul?”
“Yes, that's her.”
“…I think she might have saved my life…”
Everything clicked into place. When I'd helped Captain Han Daewi last time, Noh Changhun had said he saved me. But even Noh Changhun couldn't have opened an apartment door and gone inside. Plus, the handwriting on the note left there didn't match his—I'd seen his writing before. And that guy was a terrible cook; there was no way he'd made kimbap.
“Does that sister hate the military?”
“Her younger brother got injured during his service. He didn't end up disabled, but she's disliked the military ever since.”
“Ah, right. So that's how it all connects.”
After I briefly explained the situation, Lee Ayoung's face lit up. She and Gong Yeseul had been close, and she'd been worried after losing contact. Seeing me suddenly show up with her belongings must have been alarming. She didn't think it was the worst-case scenario and figured Gong Yeseul had probably headed to southern Busan.
“If it's not too much trouble, could you pass along my regards when you go that way?”
“Of course. We're not exactly strangers, are we?”
“And if you mention my name, I'm sure she'll make something for you.”
“Got it. I was actually hoping for a heavier bat anyway.”
Now I had even more places to visit. Haeundae, then Nam-gu. But I didn't mind. It had been a long time since I'd been on my own, and honestly, it felt good. After a few more days of preparations, I said my goodbyes at the main gate and set off on my journey.