Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Body Strengthening
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Lee Ji-ah grew up like a flower in a greenhouse.
She was what they called a sheltered princess.
From a young age, she was showered with her parents' love.
She had never even boiled a single pack of ramen herself.
At 171 cm tall, she had a beautiful face.
Naturally, she received countless casting offers and became a model.
Thanks to her stunning looks and figure, she skyrocketed to fame as a hot new model.
She had come to Daejeon for a shoot when the zombie outbreak suddenly hit.
But even in the survivor group, her beauty shone through.
Even when her group was shattered by mutants and scattered in all directions, the men desperately protected Ji-ah.
And the scattered group reformed into a six-person survivor team: four men and two women.
"Oh... Oppa, what's this?"
Ji-ah asked, looking at the cosmetics the man held out to her.
"Picked it up on a supply run. Looked nice, so I grabbed it for you."
The man flashed what he thought was a charming smile, but it didn't seem to impress Ji-ah much.
"Ji-ah, here."
Soon after, another man brought her something else.
"Wet wipes?"
"Figured you'd need some, so I got them."
"Th-thank you."
If Su-ji found out, she might chew him out for not bringing back food and grabbing junk like this instead.
The men often brought back little gifts like this whenever they returned from outside.
Ji-ah felt burdened, but she couldn't ignore their sincerity.
And this kind of thing had been commonplace for her even before the zombie outbreak.
"Fuck. How long is that bitch gonna get away with being pampered like this?"
Su-ji unnie seemed pissed.
"Ji-ah's not like you."
"What? You little shit, what the hell is that supposed to mean?!"
Su-ji unnie's face twisted into a scowl.
"N-no, I mean... she's still young..."
"Young my ass! How much older are you?!"
Ji-ah overheard Su-ji unnie arguing with the oppas.
The oppas had begged her to stay put in the shelter, but she thought Su-ji had a point.
"I'm sorry. I should have done something sooner..."
"Ji-ah, it's not your fault."
"Yeah, exactly."
The oppas offered comforting words.
But Su-ji unnie's face only grew more distorted.
"This time, I'll go out and scavenge food too!"
"J-Ji-ah, it's dangerous out there."
"Y-yeah, what if you get hurt?"
"Oh, please. What bullshit."
Su-ji unnie shot the oppas a pitiful look.
Ji-ah realized that at this rate, the group would split because of her.
The farther they got from the giant wild boar, the more low-grade Corrupted Beings increased in number.
It was hard to tell if this was a bad sign or a good one.
For me, more prey meant it wasn't bad.
Or maybe this was normal?
Was the area where I started abnormally empty?
I recalled the giant wild boar chomping through zombies like pig feed.
Or maybe it was because of that massive boar.
And doubts arose about heading north toward Seoul in the first place.
Me, going to Seoul?
It was because I knew the conveniences of civilized society.
To hunt and level up more comfortably in a good environment.
And as a bonus, solve the kid issue.
But seeing that giant wild boar changed my mind a bit.
Seoul might not be in such great shape either.
If the original world's Korea had something like that, it probably wouldn't be like this now.
Might've ended up like North Korea.
So, was there any need to push that hard to get there?
Instead of wandering around exhausted, maybe better to set up a base and make a hunting ground.
Still, escaping Daejeon was unavoidable.
I didn't know the boar's range, but it was definitely a monster I couldn't handle.
As night fell, I found a relatively clean building and prepared to level up and upgrade skills.
I fed the kid, tucked her into the tent early, and headed to the rooftop.
While traveling with the kid, I'd taken down more low-grade Corrupted Beings and already claimed the skill point reward.
And I learned that this quest could be repeated.
Great news for me.
'How much until level up?'
[Estimated that absorbing 1-2 D-Rank Mana Stones will allow leveling up.]
D-Rank Mana Stones cost about ten times as much as F-Rank ones.
I'd been diligently mining Mana Stones from low-grade Corrupted Beings.
Spending one or two D-Rank stones was no big deal.
Processing those low-grade ones had filled my EXP this much.
I could fill the rest with just hunting, but...
With so many skills to upgrade, I couldn't resist dumping Mana Stones and cores into leveling up.
The strength gains from skill levels were so obvious—how could anyone hold back?
No one could.
"Do it."
As Suni predicted, absorbing two D-Rank Mana Stones leveled me up.
Seeing the system messages, I had a pretty good idea now.
All skill enhancements seemed to offer at least double the current effect.
Body Strengthening probably wasn't different, despite the vague description.
The higher the level, the exponentially stronger it got.
Of course, skill point costs would skyrocket too.
I had no idea if there was a limit.
As expected, I chose Body Strengthening for the upgrade.
Login or Combat Suit would be fine too, but Body Strengthening was priority.
Login hadn't given me much benefit so far.
When facing mid or high-grade Corrupted Beings, combat ability was key—and that meant Body Strengthening.
I had 2 skill points from level up and quest rewards.
"Enhance."
Suddenly, it felt like an explosion rocked my body.
My vision went white, and a mild dizziness hit.
I was used to it from previous upgrades.
-Crack.
My mind cleared, like a blockage bursting open.
"Hoo..."
It was like shedding a tight layer of skin.
Without electricity, the surroundings were pitch black, but it didn't affect my vision.
A unfamiliar sensation washed over me, one I hadn't felt before.
Focusing my mind, I could feel mana surging from my heart, flowing through my veins across my body, and cycling back.
Sensing the mana coursing through me, I got lost in the new feeling.
Is this mana?
'Amazing.'
My clothes felt tighter, so my build must have grown again.
I'd half-expected it.
Based on before, I was probably nearing 2 meters now.
"Suni, larger size clothes."
[Yes, understood, Master.]
My current clothes vanished, replaced by new workout gear.
Good thing I'd prepared just in case.
Naturally, power overflowed far beyond before.
I'd surpassed D-Rank.
Wonder if I can use a mana blade now?
I pulled out the greatsword and infused it with mana.
'Ah, no good?'
My face soured involuntarily.
It felt like it should work, but it didn't.
'No clue. Need some technique? Or am I still lacking something?'
Not a weapon issue.
Weapons C-Rank and above reduce mana consumption and enhance expression—they don't enable it from scratch.
I summoned and gripped Mjolnir, the giant hammer.
I could lift it effortlessly with one hand, no burden like before.
But still, no mana expression.
Why not?
Need a tutor or something?
Time to check my boosted physical abilities too.
Were all gains piled into physical?
My body itself was far stronger and larger.
I threw a light punch, and the air trembled with a shockwave.
-Boom!
"Hm..."
Who'd call this D-Rank?
Isn't C-Rank defined by mana expression?
One more Body Strengthening level and it'll work?
Next upgrade would take 4 skill points.
I hadn't tested, but I could guess.
'Damn. If mana expression won't work, just deliver similar impact with raw power, right?'
With this physical prowess, it seemed possible.