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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Xrecker
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Shhhh.
I stood in the shower, the cool water cascading over my head, one hand resting on the wall. The cold water soaked my hair, washing away the blood and sweat as it flowed down my body. Tiny droplets of water splashed playfully against my toes like a rain shower. I looked down and closed my eyes.
My mind was a mess.
The monster cat.
And the pack of monster dogs.
The countless human heads that were surely inside their bodies.
There were countless large, powerful animals in the world, and nearly eight billion people for them to prey on.
…Eight billion.
Not everyone had turned, but judging by what I had seen today, it was only a matter of time before the animal forces surpassed the human beast forces.
I looked down at my hands.
My palms were calloused from gripping and swinging my swords.
And, from the back of my hand to my shoulder.
The burning tattoo, wrapped in a ring.
Proof of my abilities.
But even with these abilities, could I kill all the creatures that grew bigger by eating people?
The perks I had gained from the Strength and Sense 100 achievements.
Two hundred melee attacks.
Two hundred ranged attacks.
That was it.
I slowly clenched my fist.
…If I encountered them, I would have to fight.
But I wished I had more power.
More strength.
It was only natural to feel that way after fighting the monster cat and facing the pack of monster dogs.
I looked in the mirror. My body had become quite defined. My abs were a clear six-pack even without flexing, and my chest and shoulders had thickened. I hadn’t had a body like this just a few months ago. It was partly from running around and using my swords, but the dramatic change in my body seemed to be related to the status window.
But what good was a nice body?
My attack count was only 400.
“…Tsk.”
Whatever.
Let’s not overthink it.
If I couldn’t do it alone, I’d just have to mobilize a military-sized force.
I could just shoot rockets or portable missiles and blow them all up.
…Would the Sense stat affect rockets?
I was curious.
I chuckled as I thought about it while showering.
How was I supposed to carry a huge missile launcher that weighed dozens of kilograms?
A lifting belt?
Of course not.
I chuckled and stepped out of the shower. The special forces members all looked at me.
“Sung-hoon. What are you going to do now?”
I nodded, drying my hair with a towel, still in my underwear. “Let’s go back to the US military base tomorrow.”
“The US military base.” Sung Kyu-hyuk tilted his head. “Do you think they’ll accept our proposal this time?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know. My goal is to work with the US military to deal with those animals and get weapons, but judging by how they said they could handle it themselves yesterday, I don’t think they will.”
“Then why…?”
I picked up an old t-shirt from the floor in front of the bathroom door, one that must have belonged to the previous owner of the house, and put it on. “I just encountered and fought a beast. The problem is, I don’t think that’s all of them. As you all know, this place is only an hour away from Seoul. What happens here could happen in Seoul.”
I opened the refrigerator and found a bottle of cold water. I took it out, took a long drink, and sat down with the special forces members. “The US military commander said they could handle it. That means, at the very least, they have a grasp of the scale of the beasts. That’s what I think. Then, we should at least be able to get some information.”
The special forces members looked at each other and slowly nodded. I noticed that Sung Ga-yeon had been looking away. She finally turned to me and said, “I hope the negotiations go well this time.”
I chuckled. “We’ll see.”
The next morning.
After a simple meal of cup ramen we had raided from the convenience store, we got ready and left the building.
As if to herald the rising sun, a bluish hue was blooming in the distant sky.
We walked through the still quiet downtown area, the cool morning breeze on our faces, and entered the runway.
The other end of the runway.
I could see the shadows of people. They seemed to have spotted us. A few people went into a building, and a few others came out onto the runway, looking busy. We looked at each other and walked down the runway.
“It must be the US military. What are they doing? It doesn’t look like they’re on guard duty.” Sung Ga-yeon muttered.
No one answered.
After walking for a while, as the sun rose and the world brightened.
We arrived at the US military base.
The young American soldier who had been watching us from the beginning. It was the same young man from yesterday.
The young American soldier lifted his chin slightly and said, “Hey.”
Hey…
His tone was quite soft.
Sung Kyu-hyuk tilted his head and smiled faintly. “Did you guys expect us? Cuz you look like it.”
The young American soldier shrugged and said, “Can’t say no.”
…What were they saying…
Couldn’t they speak Korean?
The young American soldier turned his gaze to me immediately after replying. And he stared at me. That gaze… it was hard to describe.
The young American soldier approached me. And he held out his hand. “I’m Sergeant Garcia. Luke Garcia.”
Was he asking for a handshake? I shook the young American soldier’s hand. His expression seemed to be waiting for me to say something. I slowly opened my mouth. “I, I am. Hoon, Han Sung… Hoon?”
What the hell.
How do you say your name in English?
Ah, Sung-hoon Han.
And this guy’s name was Garcia?
No, Luke?
The young American soldier smiled and nodded. “I’m glad to see you again, Hoon. I admire you.”
The expressions of the special forces members, Sung Kyu-hyuk and Sung Ga-yeon, all changed.
Sung Ga-yeon asked, “Did you just say you admire him? Why?”
The young American soldier looked at Sung Ga-yeon and smiled. “I think you already know. And now we all know what he’s capable of.”
What.
Why were you guys talking amongst yourselves.
I was deaf, able to hear but not understand, so I just stood there.
“Do you…?”
Just as Sung Kyu-hyuk was about to say something, another American soldier walked over from the barracks. He exchanged a look with the young American soldier and then went back inside.
The young American soldier said something.
Sung Kyu-hyuk turned to me. “The commander is waiting for us. He says we should all go in.”
I glanced at the young American soldier, who was smiling at me with a completely different attitude than yesterday, and nodded. And I walked towards the barracks.
The American soldiers I encountered on the way, white, black, and Latino men and women. They all stopped when they saw us. And they looked at me.
…Their stares were quite burdensome.
Americans staring like that was really not in line with our culture.
Why were they looking at me like that?
Sung Ga-yeon and I, who had been here before, led the way up the stairs to the conference room.
An American soldier was waiting in front of the conference room. He saw us and smiled. And he offered me his hand for a handshake.
The black man who shook my hand smiled, showing his white teeth. “It’s an honor, Sir. He’s waiting for you.”
…What was he saying?
Could someone translate?
Sung Kyu-hyuk and Sung Ga-yeon just looked slightly surprised and didn’t translate for me.
I nodded awkwardly. “Uh… okay?”
The black American soldier smiled and opened the conference room door for us.
As we entered the large conference room, the US military commander and a few other people who had been sitting in chairs stood up.
The US military commander saw me and smiled brightly, babbling something. Then he held out his hand.
Sung Ga-yeon said, “He was hoping to see you again. He says to sit down.”
I nodded and sat down.
After all the team members were seated, the US military commander spoke.
I looked at Sung Ga-yeon. She slowly turned her gaze to me. “…He says he saw everything. He’s asking how you were able to do that.”
I narrowed my eyes. “…Saw everything? What do you mean?”
After Sung Ga-yeon translated, the US military commander smiled and nodded to a civilian-looking person next to him.
The Latino civilian looked at me, smiled, and then pulled out a projector from under the table and placed it on the table. And he pulled down a white screen from the conference room wall.
…Was that some kind of home theater…
At that moment, my eyes widened. “…You filmed it?”
The Latino man started the projector. It was footage shot from the air. There was me, and the monster cat. The cat jumped, smashing through the roof. At that moment, I shot my bow. In an instant, a dozen arrows poured out of my bow in a fraction of a second. It looked like a machine gun. The cat, its head a pincushion of arrows. It collapsed, smashing through the wall. Immediately after, the Shadow Warrior leaped out of my hand.
…Even the Shadow Warrior was recorded.
The sword returned to my hand, and I finished it off with my bow.
Everything was recorded.
And a pack of dogs appeared in the village.
I could see myself in a staring contest with the giant monster dog, the alpha.
…Looking at it like this, it didn’t seem like I was at a disadvantage at all.
And the recording ended.
The conference room was silent.
Except for Sung Ga-yeon, this was the first time the other special forces members had seen me fight. They were all staring at the blank screen with wide eyes.
I slowly looked at the US military commander. “…How did you record it?”
The US military commander smiled and spoke, and Sung Ga-yeon translated. “We have a military reconnaissance drone.”
The Latino civilian pulled out a white, flimsy piece of plastic, no, a poorly made half-airplane, from under the table.
…That was a military reconnaissance drone.
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