Chapter 25
Chapter 25
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Wild Boar
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For now, he decided to take the little one and keep moving.
But a child's footsteps were far too slow.
Zombies began to gather, drawn by that sluggish pace.
-Thud! Thud! Thud!
Zombie heads burst open like watermelons under my spear thrusts.
But at this rate, I'd end up wiping out every zombie in Daejeon.
How long would it take to reach Seoul like this?
I could tell this wouldn't work.
I scooped the kid up in my left arm.
As if waiting for it, the little one wrapped their arms around my neck.
Judging by that, they didn't seem too wary of me.
I'd been worried they might kick and scream, but this was a relief.
And then I ran.
About thirty minutes in?
Dozens of zombies were chasing us before I knew it.
Not a fan club, but one hell of a welcome party.
The experience points were negligible, and dealing with them one by one was a hassle, so I left them be for now.
Suni must have picked up on the Corrupted Being and issued a warning.
It seemed to be inside an invisible residential neighborhood off the road.
Level-ups and rewards were the goal.
I couldn't just pass it by.
If it was the same breed as those monster dogs from the apartment complex, I couldn't fight while protecting the kid.
I needed to secure the little one's safety first.
A four-story shopping building with a clothing store caught my eye.
I darted into the narrow alley between roadside shops.
"Hup!"
With the kid in my left arm, I lightly jumped and grabbed the window sill on the building's second floor with my right hand.
Then I pulled hard with my right arm, launching my body upward.
I felt the small arms around my neck tense up.
As my body rose, passing the third floor, the fourth-floor window sill came into view.
My own body, yet this strength was truly miraculous.
I grabbed the fourth-floor sill and sprang up once more, landing on the shopping building's rooftop.
Below us, the zombies that had followed were swarming.
I looked around.
The rooftop door was locked.
Would this be safe for the kid?
Zombies wouldn't make it up here, after all.
"What?"
'Another one? How did it get so close without me noticing?'
Did it have some kind of cloaking ability?
Thinking that, I peered down from the rooftop.
One of the zombies in the horde was undergoing a bizarre mutation.
-Krrrk!
Its skin was swelling and expanding.
It reminded me of the zombie from the mart.
Was this how zombie Corrupted Beings transformed?
Whether mutation or evolution, it was a golden opportunity.
"Stay put here. I need to take down a monster."
-Nod.
The kid seemed to understand and nodded.
They weren't bawling or defiant—a well-behaved little one. What a relief.
The zombie was still swelling with flesh, mid-transformation.
"Can't wait for the full makeover."
I leaped straight down from the rooftop toward the transforming zombie.
Summons Mjolnir and swung it down with all my might.
The hammer's immense weight made every muscle in my body scream.
"Hrah!"
-KABOOM!
A deafening roar echoed as the asphalt caved in, sending nearby zombies flying.
"Phew... flattened it."
I spouted a line that felt oddly familiar.
Where had I heard that before?
My memory was fuzzy.
The transforming zombie was reduced to an unrecognizable pulp.
This hammer was honestly too much for my body to handle yet.
I could somewhat understand how other Awakeners felt using Manz's greatswords.
'Gotta level up Body Strengthening again soon.'
I stored the hammer in my inventory, and a glinting mana stone appeared amid the gore.
I pocketed the mana stone too.
Glancing up at the rooftop, I saw the kid peeking out, eyes wide as saucers.
Seemed fine.
Had it heard the hammer's racket? A three-meter-tall, bulky zombie monster barreled through the horde toward us.
More ripped and agile than the one from the mart.
I charged straight at it, weaving past lunging zombies.
Unlike the initial monster dogs, this zombie Corrupted Being was sluggish—easier to handle.
Those dogs had been nimbler and trickier.
I trampled a charging zombie and leaped.
My body soared two meters up, bringing the hulking zombie's head into range.
I thrust Gungnir spear.
-Thud!
It hit the head, but the aerial strike lacked power—didn't shatter the skull.
The zombie's eyes blazed with rage from the impact.
"Grraaah!"
The brute roared and swung a massive fist at me.
My shield popped out from inventory to block it.
I quickly stowed the spear and gripped the shield.
-Boom.
The impact jolted through the shield, lifting my body upward.
I hurtled toward the building like I was about to crash into it.
Twisting midair, I planted my feet on the wall, using the momentum.
Then I launched myself at the giant zombie again.
'Will it dodge this?'
Both hands now gripped the massive hammer Mjolnir.
I wouldn't have tried it against nimble monster dogs.
These zombies didn't seem to know the concept of dodging—a gamble worth taking.
"Hup!"
My muscles stretched taut, on the verge of tearing.
The enormous hammer plummeted toward the brute's head.
It sensed the danger and crossed its arms to guard.
-KABOOm!!
-Spluuurt!
All that effort for naught—a dust cloud rose over a circular crater, leaving only mangled flesh behind.
Just two swings of the hammer, and fatigue was setting in.
The raw power had me hyped up in the heat of battle.
Until I leveled Body Strengthening, I should hold back on using this hammer.
That was when it happened.
-ROOOAAAR!!!
A colossal beast's howl reverberated through the air.
My hair stood on end as I raced back to the rooftop where the kid was.
The little one huddled there, hands over their ears, trembling.
"...What the hell is that?"
Far off, a silhouette like a wild boar came into view.
Its size was absurd.
Even from this distance, its shoulder height nearly reached ten stories.
-Thump. Thump.
The ground shook with each step.
It moved slowly, but at that insane scale, it was blistering speed for any human.
And unfortunately, it was heading our way.
'Shit... Did my hammer noise draw it?'
I'd been swinging away excitedly, and the bangs were thunderous.
Seemed I'd pulled aggro for nothing.
In the monster world, size meant power.
Back as a Supporter, I'd seen a B-rank once—half that size, from memory.
Even that had been terrifying.
Dozens of Awakeners died back then.
This thing was double that. The pressure was immense.
"That's... at least A-rank."
I'd never seen A-rank or higher.
Not even in my original world's Korea had one appeared.
No way I could take it down.
No question about it.
'Run.'
I scooped up the kid and bolted from the spot.
Had I ever sprinted this hard since arriving in this world?
How long did I run with the kid in my arms?
Looking back, the massive wild boar stood where we'd been.
Its sheer size made it visible from afar.
A wave of relief hit me—it wasn't pursuing.
Scanning around, one building stood out amid the low-rises: a ten-story structure labeled "SY Building."
Below was an "S World" telecom shop, with the building entrance beside it.
I entered the lobby and climbed the stairs.
The rooftop door was locked, but no obstacle.
-Crack!
From the rooftop, I spotted the distant giant wild boar monster.
I hadn't climbed up here just to gawk.
I set the kid down and pulled a drone from my inventory.
The kid stared wide-eyed at the drone I'd summoned.
"Not a toy."
I ignored the pout and launched the drone.
-Whirr.
Still, a rare chance.
Info like this needed to be gathered while possible.
I considered approaching for a rank scan myself, but risking it for one reading? Nah.
As the drone neared, details emerged.
Its body was covered in pitch-black fur, grotesque tentacles writhing here and there.
-Crunch. Munch.
The giant wild boar devoured the zombies below like feed.
Noticing the buzzing drone, its massive crimson-black eye locked on.
The gaze felt like it pierced right through me—my spine chilled.
Then the drone feed cut out.
'Smashed.'
Whatever smashed it, I couldn't tell.
I launched another drone from inventory.
This time, I observed cautiously from maximum distance.
Heart pounding—what if it came this way?
The boar munched a few zombies, lingered, then lumbered south.
-Thump. Thump.
Thankfully, opposite my direction.
Still, I needed maximum distance.
High-rank monsters claimed territories.
Common knowledge from my world, but probably held here too.
If Daejeon was its turf, I had to bail entirely.
But witnessing such a monstrosity brought a flood of new worries.