Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Scouting Earth-23
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I'd already decided where to go with Suni's help.
I figured modern zombies would be weaker than fantasy ones, at least.
Zombies like the ones from old movies might be a disaster for civilians, but for an Awakener, they'd be F-Rank monsters at best.
Language was an issue, too.
If I went to Pantera, there was a chance we wouldn't even be able to communicate.
All things considered, Earth-23 seemed like it had lower risks than Pantera.
"Earth-23."
-Vwoom.
A rectangular silver passage rippled, revealing a distorted view like paint smeared across a canvas.
The scenery was warped, so I couldn't make out details, but it looked like a modern city.
The door, which had resisted before, now let my hand slip right through without pushing back.
"Whoa!"
I yanked my hand back in surprise.
I examined it closely, but there was nothing wrong.
"So this is how you enter?"
Suni warned me, sounding worried.
"I know, Suni. Thanks, secretary."
My body was fully geared up already.
Well, it was just the company Combat Suit Jin-ah had given me, but even that offered solid defense.
All the necessities were packed in my Inventory.
"Alright, let's go."
I stepped forward, pushing my body into the rippling portal.
The scenery shifted in an instant.
A clear blue sky stretched over an eerie silence I couldn't quite adjust to.
'A rooftop?'
And a message popped up in front of me.
Eliminate the Corrupted Beings
📍 Additional EXP for eliminating Corrupted Beings.
⏰ Lower Corrupted Being x10 Reward: Skill Point x1
⏰ Mid-tier Corrupted Being Reward: Skill Point x1
⏰ High-tier Corrupted Being Reward: Skill Point x5
⏰ Top-tier Corrupted Being Reward: Skill Point x10
Skill Points were basically the root of my power growth.
And this was offering them up.
Points I could only get one of through a level-up.
Quests were clearly better than grinding dungeons.
"Should've come here sooner?"
I felt a twinge of regret, but it was a rich problem for an Awakener like me.
I ran a scan, but nothing came up.
No monsters, no people.
'Can Scan even detect Corrupted Beings?'
Monsters in the original world fell into two categories.
Corrupted Beings from Dimensional Rifts and those from Gates.
If Corrupted Beings were like our world's monsters, it should pick them up.
'Are Corrupted Beings the same as our world's monsters?'
I wouldn't know until I saw one.
Looking around, it seemed like the rooftop of an old Korean apartment building, about 15 stories high.
'Where'd my clothes go, though?'
I'd definitely been wearing the company Combat Suit Jin-ah gave me before entering.
Now I was just in the skintight black Combat Suit from the skill.
Anything not me or in my Inventory couldn't pass through, it seemed.
'Damn. Should've stored the suit in Inventory first.'
"Give me some workout clothes."
My favorite workout clothes appeared on me in a flash.
One of the conveniences of using Inventory through Suni.
Once you got used to it, you couldn't go back.
Behind me was the dark rectangular passage, like an unlit screen.
When I placed my palm on it, a message appeared.
It was on cooldown.
"Save Point?"
The passage was like the one from Login.
The entry point from when I Logged In seemed to be the Save Point.
Save Points increased by leveling up the skill.
Adding one more would let me set up another door like this.
Meaning I could choose between two spots to enter?
What about the cooldowns?
Did they apply separately?
Questions popped up, but since the messages weren't responding, I'd probably need to level up Login to find out.
If cooldowns ran independently, Login might be worth investing in after all.
Still, it was low priority.
Scouting came first.
I looked around the rooftop, but nothing stood out.
The rooftop door was locked.
I considered breaking it open and heading down, but instead pulled a drone from Inventory and launched it.
Lowering the drone's altitude revealed zombies.
Drawn by the noise, they started charging toward it.
Zombies running looked threatening enough to civilians.
But they didn't seem that strong.
More gathered at the sound, about a dozen following the drone.
'Nothing much to see.'
I flew the drone around for a rough scan of the area.
No signs of life.
[Daejeon Complex Terminal 4.5km]
The road sign told me it was Daejeon.
The Login spot being in Korea made sense, but was the entry point linked to where I lived somehow?
Time... I'd left in the afternoon, but here it felt like morning.
I couldn't pinpoint the exact time, but judging by the sun, it was around nine or ten.
Magnolias in bloom suggested spring.
I circled as much as possible, but no people—just zombies wandering.
Not much to show for it, so I recalled the drone.
-Crack.
I broke the rooftop door handle.
Stairs led down into the apartment.
A musty, unpleasant smell wafted up.
The buildings looked like a typical modern city.
Tech level seemed similar.
Ours had sealed the Gates, so why was this place so ruined?
Maybe they'd evacuated somewhere...
Our original world had nearly collapsed outside major cities at first, too.
Still, Daejeon was a big city, right?
Couldn't jump to conclusions that the whole world had fallen.
To just zombies?
Maybe in movies, but reality? Doubtful.
This entry was for scouting anyway.
Plan was to spend 24 hours and head back.
Also check time differences with our world.
'Hope it's not like years have passed when I return.'
That'd be nightmare fuel.
For now, find a spot to hole up.
Decided to search apartments starting from the top.
It was an old hallway-style apartment.
The 15th-floor hall had some bloodstains here and there, but was cleaner and quieter than expected.
Checked the first apartment right by the stairwell.
My Awakener senses picked up movement beyond the door.
Scan showed no real reaction.
High chance it was a zombie, not human.
Zombies apparently didn't register on Scan.
The door was closed.
I grabbed the handle and opened it.
-Crunch.
The door splintered open, and a grotesque zombie charged with a metallic screech.
-Kraa!!
Too mangled to tell gender, but the clothes suggested it used to be a woman.
I kicked its gut, sending it flying back faster than it came, tumbling away.
But it got up like no big deal and charged again.
Pulled a massive spear from Inventory and thrust it into the zombie's belly.
The over-3-meter thick spear Gungnir from Manz.
The zombie thrashed in place, impaled, unable to overcome my strength.
I shoved the spear, pinning it to the wall.
-Thud.
It tried lunging despite the spear through its gut, but the sturdy weapon held firm.
I observed the zombie.
Blackened eyes.
Twisted, grotesque skin.
Black veins writhing over the skin.
"Hm. Not much decay..."
How recent was this outbreak?
"Doesn't seem like our Corrupted Beings... but kinda similar."
Pulled a machete from Inventory and gripped it.
-Slash.
Severed one arm.
Black blood oozed from the stump.
But it clotted quickly, not much bleeding.
No sign of pain.
"Kraaa!"
It flailed its remaining arm at me, aggression intact.
-Stab.
Thrust the machete into its heart.
"Kek!! Gack!"
Some black blood trickled from its mouth.
Still not dead.
But it took damage if blood came from its mouth.
Wonder if it'd die if I waited longer.
-Slash.
-Roll roll roll.
Sliced off the head; it bounced across the floor.
-Thud. Clack.
The severed head glared at me, teeth snapping.
"Kinda fascinating up close."
-Splat!
Machete through the head—eyes rolled back, motion stopped.
A tiny bit of EXP trickled in.
Zombies counted as living beings, at least.
But not a Corrupted Being.
Quests wouldn't come easy, huh.
Made sense—ten of these would break balance.
"What a shitty grind... Cost-performance is trash. Do these things even drop Mana Stones?"
Zombie tenacity made them hard to kill without headshots, yet they gave less EXP than F-Rank monsters.