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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Xrecker
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Crack!
The sword pierced through her head. I yanked it out, and her face went slack as she slumped forward, her head hitting the doorframe with a thud.
“Huff… huff… huff!”
Was it…
Was it over?
“Gaaagh! Gyaaagh!”
…Apparently not.
What?
What was left?
I couldn’t see anything through the gap.
What was it?
“Gaaagh! Gaaagh!”
What? Where was it?
I couldn’t see it. I peered through the gap, but there was nothing there. Just a high-pitched, childlike scream.
Childlike…
…A high-pitched… scream?
…No way…
“Gyaaagh! Graaagh!”
Bodies were piled up in front of the door. Something was moving, twitching.
…A hand.
…A child’s hand.
“Gyaaagh! Gyaaagh!”
…Damn it…
I leaned against the wall and closed my eyes. No, I couldn’t close my eyes. I opened them again.
“Hoo… ha…”
I placed my hands on my hips and took a step back from the door.
“Gyaaagh! Gyaaagh!”
I heard the sounds of slapping and scratching.
I just stood there, staring at the door.
“…Ha… ha…”
…I knew.
It was the apocalypse. It wasn’t just adults who were affected. Children too… even babies must have died or turned.
I placed my hands on my hips and turned my head away.
I sighed, looking down at the floor.
“…Ha…”
I ran my fingers over the leather wrapped around the hilt of the sword. This was a good sword. It didn’t slip in my hand, and the grip was much better than the makeshift spear. It was heavier than I expected, being made of metal, and with enough force, it could easily pierce a skull.
…A good sword.
“Gyaaagh! Graaagh!”
I placed my hand on a shelf.
Stop thinking.
From now on, I wouldn’t think.
I held a sword.
Beyond the door were human beasts.
I would fight.
The human beasts would die.
That was all.
Creak—
I slowly pulled on one of the shelves that was blocking the door. It moved to the side. I grabbed the other shelf, the one piled with snack boxes.
Scrape—
It was light and slid easily across the floor.
I stopped.
One more pull, and there would be nothing blocking the door.
Beyond the door was a child…
…No.
Beyond the door was a human beast.
I stood there for a long moment, staring at the door.
I closed my mouth, took a slow, deep breath, and stared at the door.
“…Hah!”
I yanked the shelf away.
Crash! The boxes tumbled to the floor.
“Gyaaagh! Graaagh!”
The door rattled and swung open, pushed from the outside by the weight of the bodies piled against it.
I gripped the sword with both hands and stared at the door.
Creak—
The door opened.
Bodies tumbled inside.
And then, a small, dark figure darted in.
Accelerate!
[Auto-cast: Accelerate]
“Gyaa—aa—aa—”
A small… a small human beast lunged inside, its movements slowed in mid-air, its posture like a nimble cat. Its eyes were unfocused.
I raised the sword. Rested the back of the blade against my forearm. Took a deep breath.
“…Hah!”
I thrust with all my might.
Crack!
The blade pierced through its temple.
…It went in more easily than with an adult.
I closed my eyes, unable to pull the sword out.
“—aa—ugh!”
Crash! The small human beast slammed its head against the wall and collapsed. The sword, still embedded in its head, vibrated against the floor.
“…”
Silence.
Utter silence.
I just stood there.
Staring at the floor, breathing slowly.
…Stop thinking.
I was alive, and they were dead.
That was all.
I took a deep breath and looked outside. I could see the empty kimbap shelves and the half-destroyed display racks.
I bent down and grabbed the hilt of the sword. I stepped on the small human beast’s head and pulled the sword out.
Thwack!
Blood trickled from the wound.
“…”
I looked up, staring at the wall.
The sword…
It was stained crimson with blood. It reflected the light in a disturbing way.
I grabbed the apron of the dead man lying on the floor and wiped the sword.
…It wasn’t coming off.
…How… how did you clean a sword?
…Could I… wash it with water…?
I blinked slowly, wiping the sword. And then, I slowly stood up.
I took a deep breath, sheathed the sword, and tucked it into my belt. I picked up the baton, matted with dried blood and hair, and tucked it into my belt as well.
With the two swords and the baton secured, I picked up the large axe.
…It was heavy.
I looked outside. It was quiet.
I stepped over the body and left the storage room.
[Leveled up 3 times.]
…Level 21.
Good.
I allocated all 3 points to HP, bringing it to 18.
Unfortunately, the hypermarket was out of the question. Even the smaller supermarket was too dangerous. I had already used Accelerate four times, and my HP was almost depleted. I needed to recover properly before going out again.
I grabbed some relatively fresh fruit packs, yogurt, bread, and instant ramen from the convenience store and stuffed them into my bag.
…Grandma had asked for red pepper flakes and dried anchovies. I’d try a smaller supermarket instead of the larger one. Once I was fully rested, I should be able to handle a local supermarket.
I slung the heavy bag over my shoulder and left the convenience store.
What time was it?
It was afternoon. Four o’clock, maybe?
I could make it back for dinner.
…Time to go back.
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Dinner was surprisingly cheerful. Grandma, Soo-hyun, Ye-eun, and So-eun didn’t make a fuss, even though I showed up covered in blood. I emptied my bag and told them I’d get the red pepper flakes and anchovies later. Grandma gave me a sad smile and nodded.
“You’ve worked hard, young man. You’ve worked hard.”
The women didn’t ask me what I had been doing outside, how many I had killed, or who they were. They just smiled and finished dinner, as if what happened outside had nothing to do with them, as if it were a separate world.
It felt a bit like denial.
But it was also strangely comforting. The world outside was hell, but in here, they were calmly discussing the taste of bean sprout salad.
Meanwhile, Soo-hyun was the only one being proactive. True to her practical nature as an engineering student, she had a definite can-do attitude. While Ye-eun and So-eun seemed to be escaping reality inside the house—Ye-eun immersed herself in her Japanese textbooks, and So-eun busied herself drawing manga in her room—Soo-hyun was dismantling her wardrobe to board up the windows and reinforce the house.
She was definitely useful.
While I was “working” outside, Soo-hyun was using the tools I brought back to turn the house into a fortress.
It was a good partnership.
And she felt good, sounded good too.
I lay in the rooftop room, thinking about it.
I had leveled up ten times today.
I had killed ten people today.
No, ten things.
I kept instinctively thinking of those human beasts as people, but I couldn’t do that. They weren’t human, and they weren’t alive. They were things, not people.
They weren’t deserving of empathy, and they couldn’t communicate.
Right.
I was still clumsy.
I kept unconsciously seeing them as human.
Gradually…
I had to detach myself emotionally. It became easier with each kill. One thing was certain: even after leveling up ten times, I was still weak. I had to keep leveling up, keep killing.
…Time to sleep.
The next morning, fully recovered, I left the house. My target was a local supermarket—not the one by the convenience store, but one in the opposite direction. I had to go through the residential area.
I walked slowly through the quiet alleyways. Every now and then, I heard faint growls coming from inside the houses. Some of them must have turned inside their homes, killing their entire families. I didn’t know how many human beasts had appeared when the apocalypse began. A lot, probably. That’s why the entire world had shut down in just a few days.
I found the supermarket.
…Hmm?
I heard a rustling sound. I slowly drew my sword.
Shing—
I cautiously approached the supermarket. I saw a man inside, through the window. He was quite large. …Probably a human beast.
I entered the supermarket, sword in hand. Thankfully, the awning blocked the sunlight, concealing my shadow.
Rustle, rustle.
…Huh?
A large man in a t-shirt and black jeans was stuffing instant ramen into a bag. I could only see his back, but I was certain—he was gathering supplies.
He wasn’t a human beast.
I spoke softly, scanning the inside of the supermarket, “Excuse me.”
The large man flinched and spun around, startled. He was holding a monkey wrench. …There was blood on it.
“Y… y… y… you… k… k… killer… wh… who…”
He was terrified, despite his size. I lowered the sword slightly and held out my hands, palms up.
“I’m human. I’m… not one of those things. I’m here for food.”
The large man had a thick beard. He hadn’t shaved in days. He was sweating profusely and trembling. He stared at me, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
…Had he even heard me?
“I’m here for food. Just like you. Put that down.”
I pointed at the monkey wrench, which was shaking in his hand. The man stammered, “Y… y… you… w… weapon… t… telling me… p… put it down… y… you’re going to… s… stab me…!”
…This was crazy.
This guy was terrified.
I had Accelerate, so if he tried anything, I could activate it, draw my sword, and stab him.
I slowly sheathed the sword.
“Better? Let’s not ask each other who we are or where we live. I’m here for food, and you can do the same. Got it?”
I said that while glancing outside, checking for any signs of movement. The man seemed to relax a bit after I sheathed the sword, and he slowly lowered the monkey wrench. But he was still sweating and trembling. I glanced at him and slowly walked further into the supermarket. If this idiot tried anything, I’d activate Accelerate and stab him in the head. The man also glanced at me as he reached for the ramen again. I passed a shelf, and there was a small room at the back of the supermarket—a bedroom with bedding and a TV.
This was a really old-fashioned supermarket. I hadn’t seen one like this in ages. A true neighborhood mom-and-pop store.
An old woman was lying face down in the room, blood pooling around her head. Her skull was caved in. I glanced back at the man. He must have done it. With the monkey wrench.
…Well, it happened.
I scanned the shelves, looking for red pepper flakes.
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