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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Xrecker
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Two hours passed, and one Accelerate charge recovered.
My Health decreased a bit from recovering other stats, but recharging in two hours was pretty decent.
I put down the nacho chips I was eating and stood up.
The sword.
Time to try it out.
Shing-
I drew the sword and examined the blade.
Sharpened steel.
It seemed sturdy, but I also had a feeling it might break or bend…
…Let’s try it.
It was quiet outside.
Click.
I opened the door.
An unfamiliar scent wafted in.
Grrrr… grrrr…
There was one right in front of the door.
Its back was facing me.
It stood there, slightly hunched over, growling softly.
…A college student?
Or a high school student?
A young woman in a t-shirt and jeans.
What was she going to buy at the supermarket?
Did she go alone?
With a friend?
Or maybe with a boyfriend?
Thinking that, I slowly extended the sword.
Carefully, so it wouldn’t touch the door or the frame.
And thrust.
“Ha!”
Squish!
The head was pierced, and the body slammed against the wall.
Bang!
I yanked the sword out, and the body collapsed onto the floor.
Thud!
It pierced through… in one blow!
The other human beasts turned their heads towards the fallen body and roared.
“Kraw! Kraaagh!”
They lunged at the door.
Crash!
“Kraaagh! Kaaaagh!”
The door, blocked by the shelves, only opened slightly. It trembled with each impact.
“Kraw!”
They tried to squeeze their faces through the gap, but it was so narrow that only their eyeballs were visible.
They forced their hands and arms through, reaching for me.
Grabbing at the door frantically.
Accelerate!
[Auto-casting: Accelerate]
“Kwa-a–a—”
They slowed down!
I raised the sword and aimed for the face pressed against the gap.
A middle-aged woman with permed hair.
Was she at the supermarket to buy groceries?
I thrust the sword with all my might.
Crack!
The top of her head was pierced, and her eyes rolled back.
I swiftly pulled the sword out and aimed for the face above.
A young woman wearing a different colored apron.
It had some bakery’s name written on it.
She must have been working at the bakery inside the supermarket.
How did she end up at the entrance?
I thrust the sword with all my might.
Crack!
The sword pierced through her eye and into her brain.
I yanked it out, and then…
“–a-awk!”
Accelerate wore off.
“Kaaaagh! Kraaagh!”
Damn it, they were moving their heads up and down…!
I couldn’t aim properly!
“Ha!”
I thrust with all my might, but it only grazed the top of the head.
Then, the one below!
I angled the sword downwards, aiming for the one thrashing below.
A man.
He was wearing an apron too.
Was he a manager or something?
I thrust downwards with all my might.
“Hraa!”
Squish!
The man’s face, pierced from above, went slack. His eyes rolled back, and his mouth hung open.
“Kaagh! Kra!”
Something flashed past my eyes.
Damn it, a human beast’s fingers!
Two faces were pressed against the gap.
They were moving their heads so much that I couldn’t aim properly.
Would the door hold?
But…
I could take out at least one more…!
I tried to aim the sword, but their heads were moving too much, and my hand was shaking.
“Ugh, damn it!”
I gripped the blade…!
Wait.
I shouldn’t grip the blade!
I immediately reversed the sword and placed the blunt side against my forearm.
And aimed.
Stay still, stay still…!
Eyes… staring at me.
Wide, staring eyes!
Gaping maws!
“Ha!”
I thrust.
Crack!
The blade pierced through the mouth and out the back of the head.
The expression…
The beastly face instantly turned blank.
I yanked the sword out with all my might.
Thud! The body, with the sword pulled out, hit its head against the door frame and fell backward.
I could see it clearly now.
He was wearing a vest over his t-shirt.
A supermarket deliveryman.
Crash!
“Kaaaagh!”
A head slammed against the door.
“…!”
I… I’d seen this woman before.
She was… my neighbor from the goshiwon.
She… worked at the supermarket.
“Kaagh! Kraaagh!”
…I gritted my teeth.
I placed the blunt side of the sword against my forearm.
Two heads were at the gap in the door.
I didn’t know how many arms there were. A lot.
…Neighbor.
Sorry it had to be this way.
You gave me kimchi.
You said your husband’s business went bankrupt, and your family was scattered.
“…Ha!”
I thrust with all my might.
Clang-
“!”
Wh…what?!
The sword… wouldn’t go in!
I used the same amount of force?!
Again!
“Ha!”
Clang-
The sword wouldn’t penetrate!
W…wait.
Why?
Why wouldn’t the sword…?!
…Ah.
Five.
I’d taken out five.
Already?!
My Strength… reached 0…!
I had to close the door!
“Ugh!”
I pushed against the door as if hitting it.
Thud! A loud noise, but it wouldn’t close.
Three human beasts’ arms were through the gap.
“Shit!”
I threw the sword.
Clang!
And grabbed the large axe from the shelf.
I swung with all my might.
Thwack! Thwack!
Blood splattered.
Flesh splattered.
Arms were severed.
I kept swinging.
“Ha! Huff!”
Thwack! Thud!
Severed fingers rolled on the floor.
A gap opened!
I immediately started pushing against the door with all my might.
Damn it, there were too many of them! It was heavy!
“Kraaagh! Uwaaagh!”
Bang! Bang! Bang!
“Kraw! Kaaaagh!”
I pushed with all my strength.
I braced my back against the wall and pushed with my feet, pushing with everything I had.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The force of their banging and pushing against the door alternated.
I kept pushing.
Finally, the door, trembling and shaking, slammed shut.
Click.
I immediately locked it.
“Huff! Huff, huff!”
Bang! Bang! Bang!
“Kraaagh! Kaaaagh!”
I grabbed the drinks shelf and pushed it against the door again.
Screech!
“Huff! Ha… ha…”
D…
Done…
My legs gave way.
I stumbled and almost fell.
“Ha… ha…”
Thud, the large axe fell to the floor.
I leaned against the wall and walked to the corner of the storage room.
Squish.
Something soft and squishy under my foot.
What?
…A palm with four fingers.
Severed at the wrist.
Next to it, a forearm and some fingers were scattered.
Blood was everywhere.
Like a rain of blood.
“Ha… ha…”
I was dizzy.
Shit…
I grabbed onto a shelf and took a couple of steps to the back of the storage room.
And slowly sat down on the floor.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
“Kaagh! Kaagh!”
They were still going crazy outside.
I looked at the trembling door with every bang and slowly hugged my knees.
A message was floating before my eyes.
[Leveled up 5 times.]
Since when was that message there?
I didn’t know.
I was completely out of it.
…I killed five of them.
“Ha… ha…”
…I killed five.
Double digits in just these few days.
Almost 20…
How many exactly?
One… two…
…17.
I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the wall.
…I killed a lot.
17.
17 in just a few days.
I killed so many.
Those people, they must have had families, friends.
I killed them all.
“…Ha… ha…”
I would never have imagined this before.
Killing people and feeling nothing, the old me would never have imagined such a thing.
…Only a few days had passed.
It was just yesterday, or the day before, that I was throwing up after killing a few.
Now I didn’t even feel nauseous.
Was I becoming numb?
“Ha… ha…”
I would become numb.
More and more as time went on.
I didn’t know how many survivors were left.
Were there others like me, becoming numb as they killed those human beasts?
…If there were, we might be able to understand each other.
“…Ha… hoo…”
Sitting for a while calmed me down.
…Right.
I leveled up.
Stats…
“…Status.”
…Level 18.
5 points…
“Hoo… ha…”
…Where should I put them?
I could only kill 5 at a time, so I wanted to put more into Strength.
So I could kill more.
…No.
Right now…
Survival was the priority.
To survive, I had to recover quickly and recharge Accelerate faster.
I put all 5 points into Health.
…15 Health.
Recovery rate of 1.5 per hour.
It was 0.6 at the beginning.
Well, it had increased quite a bit.
More…
I had to raise it more.
To do that…
I had to kill more.
“…Hoo…”
I had also collected 18 Soul Stones.
I still didn’t know what they were for.
I couldn’t grab them or take them out.
They just kept piling up.
I didn’t know what they were, but I figured I’d find a use for them eventually.
“Ha…”
I killed five.
And how many were left…?
I didn’t know.
Ten at the supermarket entrance? Nine?
That’s how many I remembered.
…Not many left.
The next time Accelerate recharged, I could take care of them all.
I checked my phone; it was 10:52 a.m. on Saturday.
It was the weekend?
Normally, these streets would have been crowded with people enjoying their weekend.
Now it was just quiet.
Except for the human beasts banging and roaring at the door.
To recharge Accelerate…
…At least five hours?
Maybe around that much.
Hmm…
I might be able to make it back by dinner time.
Thinking that, I poked a hole in a plastic wrap with my finger.
A pack of twenty 500ml bottles of water.
I took one out and gulped it down.
Lukewarm.
But still refreshing.
“Ha…”
…As I drank the water, I realized.
I was covered in blood.
Damn it.
Too lazy to wipe it off.
Just… rest.
I lay down, spaced out, dozed off, played some puzzle games on my phone, and quite a bit of time passed.
Empty snack bags and a PET bottle filled with urine were scattered around me.
One Accelerate charge recovered.
“Hoo…”
Let’s do this.
I carefully moved the shelves and unlocked the door.
And opened it.
Creak-
…The hinges were completely shot.
The door creaked loudly as it opened.
Bodies were piled up in front of the door.
I stared at the tangled and overlapping bodies for a moment, then looked beyond the gap in the door.
…I couldn’t see them.
But they were there.
Whew!
I whistled, and immediately heard a grrr.
I whistled again.
“Kraaagh!”
Crash!
Two of them slammed against the door.
Two? Or was there one more?
I raised the sword and aimed it through the gap.
…A face.
My neighbor’s face…
Her neat bob was now a tangled mess, strands of hair clinging to her face.
Her gentle smile had turned beastly.
“Kaagh! Kraaagh!”
I placed the blunt side of the sword against my forearm and aimed for her head.
…Neighbor.
Thanks for the kimchi.
…It was delicious.
“…Hoo, ha!”
I thrust with all my might.
Crack!
The top of her head was pierced in one blow.
Her expression instantly softened.
Her eyes rolled back, and her jaw went slack.
A face like Munch’s The Scream.
I felt the weight.
The sword lowered.
“Ha!”
I yanked the sword out with all my might.
The body went limp and fell to the floor.
“Kaaaagh! Kra!”
“Ha… ha…”
…This felt so fucking awful…
Neighbor…
What were you doing there?
“…Shit…”
A human beast with a severed arm was pushing its head through the gap, its jaws wide open.
A young woman.
…She was wearing a ring on her left hand.
A newlywed…?
“Kaagh! Kra!”
…I didn’t need Accelerate for this one.
I raised the sword and placed it against my forearm.
“…Ha!”
I thrust with all my might.
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