While Scarfing Down Auntie Min-jung's Breast Milk, I Ran Into a Rape-Murderer [Mart Raid][3]

Rape first, then murder by strangulation—whether it happened mid-act or right after, I can't tell for sure, but that's what it looks like.

Getting a closer look at the corpse let Geum Tae-yang gather even finer details. Bruises still ringed the murdered woman's throat in livid blue. Finger marks remained clear enough to prove she had been choked to death.

And then he finished her off with an axe.

The blow that stopped her from turning into a zombie had been delivered by an axe—a pretty big one. Roughly a third of the victim's skull had been split open by that rabbit-chop.

Damn… Combat Mental Master is incredible. I'm staring straight at a human skull cleaved by an axe and I feel nothing.

Tae-yang stuck his tongue out at himself the moment he realized he was calmly examining a human skull that had been split open rather than a zombie's. He had always prided himself on a decent stomach, but this was nowhere near normal behavior. In the end it was all thanks to his Awakened ability.

Looking at the fingernails, she put up one hell of a fight. At this point it had to be murder during the rape itself.

After checking the head and neck, Tae-yang carefully examined the rest of the body for any other clues. What he found were the dead woman's fingernails—many of them torn clean off. Bits of what looked like the rapist's flesh still clung to a few of the remaining nails.

Honestly, the apocalypse has already started.

A murder this brutal happening in a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠decent neighborhood like Pyeonghwa-dong, and the body just left sprawled out like garbage? That only makes sense if we're already in complete anarchy.

The scene laid bare exactly what a closed quarantine zone really looked like. This wasn't a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠lockdown meant to stamp out the zombie virus—it was just a stalling tactic. No ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠public authority was managing anything here. This place was already the apocalypse.

"Krrrrrrr…! Krrt…! Krrrrrrr…!"

Past the murder scene and nearing Ondol Mart, Tae-yang finally started seeing zombies that still had some life left in them.

How many? One, two, three… six of them. More than I expected.

He counted from the corner. Six whole zombies. Considering how little traffic a closed zone should have, that was a solid number. Ondol Mart wasn't right on the main road, but it sat in an alley that connected to one. That many bodies almost certainly meant they had drifted in from the thoroughfare.

Five of them were clustered together; the sixth wandered a short distance away.

Which means there could be more farther out.

Even before Awakening, Tae-yang had handled four zombies without much trouble. Six in front of him was doable. The real variable was the possibility of more. If these six had come from the main road, what he could see might not be everything. A loud, drawn-out fight could pull every nearby zombie straight to him. The most commonly known zombie sense was hearing.

But taking the long way around just to play it safe is bullshit. These bastards are still zombie points.

There was a detour. Yet for someone whose growth engine ran on zombie points, six walking freebies didn't look like villains—they looked like temptation he couldn't refuse.

Okay. Kill them stupidly fast and satisfy both conditions at once.

In the end Tae-yang chose to wipe out the zombies in front of him as quickly and quietly as possible.

Let's do this. Now that I'm Awakened, enhanced physical stats aren't the only thing I've got.

And he had exactly the ability for it.

Projection!

Just like when he first summoned his Status Window, Tae-yang called up the mental image of the special skill Projection that had been burned into his mind.

Shhhhhhhhhhh!

Blue energy wrapped around the iron pipe gripped in his right hand. Mana energy.

Hell yeah. This is it!

A grin of pure confidence tugged at the corner of his mouth. Anyone watching would have called it a special ability without hesitation.

Dad really is looking out for me.

Tae-yang studied the Projection-coated iron pipe glowing with blue mana. Projection strengthened ordinary weapons—knives, iron pipes, baseball bats, even spears if you pushed it. Like every other mechanism in his Status Window, it was heavily influenced by psychology. The stronger the bond between the user and the object, the greater the power. Nothing in Tae-yang's life carried more emotional weight than his father's keepsake, and the pipe in his hand was currently showing the strongest Projection effect he had ever produced.

Soft steps… soft steps… soft steps…

Slipping out from the corner, Tae-yang walked toward the six zombies as quietly as he could. Zombies had sharp hearing but poor eyesight, so closing distance this way worked well up to a point—that was the consensus among the veterans on the community boards.

Okay. About thirty meters now.

His exceptional sensory traits sharpened not only his sixth sense but his distance judgment as well. The exact range where the zombies still couldn't sense him, the exact range where his burst speed would hit maximum—when that timing locked in, his eyes flashed.

—Dadadadadadadadada!!!!!

He exploded into a sprint.

One second… two… three…

With Combat Mental Master fully engaged, Tae-yang calculated his approach with perfect clarity.

—Flash!!!

3.6 seconds!

Thirty meters in 3.6 seconds. He raised the Projection iron pipe high.

—Puaaaaaaaah!!!!

Then he brought it down on the skull of the lead zombie.

—Psssssssssssh!!!!

That single blow nearly split the first zombie's head in half.

One-shot, one-kill!!!!!

One-shot, one-kill. Against multiple zombies that was one of the most important virtues, and the calculation that it was possible was exactly why Tae-yang had chosen this fight.

"Kieeeeeet!!!" "Keut!!" "Geueet!!" "Kieeek?"

The sound of a zombie skull exploding and a fountain of blood erupting finally alerted the rest. They turned toward him.

"Yeah, I'm right here, you bastards!!"

"Puaaaaaah!!!" "Puaaaaaah!!!"

If one-shot kills were possible, even a split-second window became absolute time. With short, compact diagonal swings, Tae-yang smashed the second and third zombies' heads in rapid succession.

"—Kueeeeeeeet!!!!"

The fourth zombie lunged with its jaws wide open.

—Sashak!!!

Tae-yang back-stepped, creating distance, then timed the vertical smash perfectly as the creature charged in.

—Psssssssssh!!!

—Kueeeeeeeek!!!

The fourth zombie's head burst like a smashed pumpkin.

"—Kueeeeeeeet!!!"

The fifth came charging right after.

"Whoa there… careful, you idiot."

A look of almost pity crossed Tae-yang's face. The fifth zombie had tripped over the corpses of its fallen comrades and gone sprawling.

—Puaaaaaaaah!!!!

He immediately caved in the back of its skull.

"—Kueeeeeeeet!!!!"

—Dadadadadada!!!

With the five in front finished, the sixth that had been wandering alone finally charged.

This is nothing now…

—Puaaaaaaaah!!!

It looked fierce enough, but for someone who could end things in one hit it wasn't even a warm-up. Tae-yang shattered its temple with a side swing.

Ssshk…!

All six down, he peeked carefully around the next corner—the one that gave a direct view of Ondol Mart.

Hmm. Luckily no extra zombies drawn by the noise.

About four zombies were still loitering near the mart. From the way they moved, they had been there from the start rather than responding to the fight. Just as he planned, the battle had ended so fast the aggro never reached the main road.

I still need to clear them if I want a full read on the mart's surroundings.

Soft steps… soft steps… soft steps…

Before entering any building you plan your exit first. Tae-yang intended to take all four. He hugged the wall and moved in sequence.

You first!!!

—Shhhhhhhk!!!

He closed on the nearest zombie and drove the Projection pipe into the back of its skull—not a swing, a thrust.

—Puuuuuuuuk!!!

One clean motion and the pipe punched straight through the first zombie's cranium. From the moment the mana coating appeared, this was already a high-level Projection. It wasn't limited to blunt destruction anymore; it had become a weapon that could handle every kind of attack.

No dead-end situations for me.

He cleaned up the remaining two the same way, then thoroughly checked the area around the mart and confirmed his escape routes.

Huh? These are human footprints. Not many, but definite.

Gulp. Gulp. Gulp.

Inside the mart, Tae-yang drank Kim Min-jung's breast milk from the water bottle to restore his stamina—and immediately tightened his guard. Bloodstains were scattered everywhere. Parts of the food section had been ransacked. Someone had looted Ondol Mart before him. It didn't feel like a large group, though.

Looks like someone else had the same idea I did.

Whoever got here first clearly knew the layout of Ondol Mart extremely well.

Ahh, this is so convenient! Freezer and fridge items stay perfectly preserved—this inventory is broken as hell!!!

Gulp. Gulp. Gulp.

He tried to stay alert, but once he started scooping up the food he needed, pure satisfaction washed over him. Feeling the sheer superiority of his Inventory skill made it almost impossible to keep a clear head. He finished the bottle of Min-jung's breast milk while happily stacking loot.

Auntie Min-jung loves oriental melons, so I'll grab some of those too~

She looks so pretty drinking coffee, so extra coffee it is~

After securing the most critical and urgent supplies, Tae-yang filled the remaining slots with everything Kim Min-jung and Park A-young had specifically requested. In the very last Inventory slot he prepared a little surprise for both women.

"Hey…! Aren't you Tae-yang?"

A voice called his name from the opposite side of the aisle.

—Wha—!!!

Tae-yang spun around, eyes sharp with wariness.

"I-it's me, Tae-yang. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Man-bok… you remember me, right?"

A man of average height and slightly thin build stood there, one hand hidden behind his back, giving a small wave.

"Oh! You! Kim Man-bok, right?"

Tae-yang recognized him. High-school classmate Kim Man-bok.

"Haha…! Thank god… I saw a big guy and thought I was screwed, but it's someone I know…"

When Tae-yang remembered him, Man-bok smiled in apparent relief.

Same old empty smile that only uses the mouth. A-young used to hate that smile so much.

Tae-yang kept his expression steady while watching him. Back then Kim Man-bok had liked Park A-young. A-young, on the other hand, had always said the guy gave her the creeps and got irritated just looking at him.

The moment those old memories surfaced—

What the hell out of nowhere?????

The second growth catalyst had come with an overwhelmingly perfect trigger involving Kim Min-jung, but having the third one unlock just from running into a high-school classmate made Tae-yang's eyes go wide.

But the next notification that appeared only made his eyes widen further.