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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Xrecker
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Oh, there they were. But no dried anchovies. Were they in the refrigerator section?
I grabbed two bags of red pepper flakes, stuffed them into my backpack, and headed towards the refrigerators. Kimchi, pickled radish, dried seafood…
…I felt someone watching me.
I opened the refrigerator and glanced to the side. The large man was staring at me. He flinched when our eyes met.
“…Why are you staring at me? Do you have something to say?”
The large man averted his gaze, then looked back at me and said, “Uh… I… where do you live?”
…What was he talking about?
I spotted a large bag of dried anchovies in the refrigerator and pulled it out.
…Dried filefish? Why did these flat anchovies have such a strange, almost mystical name?
Whatever. I’d take them. And some kimchi too.
As I stuffed the items into my bag, I still felt his gaze on me. I looked over, and the man was still staring. …He almost seemed to be smiling. With his thick beard and awkward smile, he looked a bit…
“Where do you live?” I asked.
The man’s face lit up. “I live just across the street with my wife. We have a newborn baby… I… I’m here to get some food.”
Hmm… A baby. They had a baby at a difficult time… Of course, they hadn’t known the apocalypse was coming.
The man continued, “I… Isn’t it… a bit dangerous to be traveling alone…? I saw you have a sword… Is that a real sword?”
…Ah.
I understood where this conversation was going. He was scared and wanted someone to travel with. He had a wife and baby at home? Hmm… He was large and, despite being timid, he probably had some strength.
…A companion.
…I hadn’t really thought about having a companion, but just the other day, trapped in that storage room, I had wished for someone who knew how to fight.
…Would this guy be helpful?
I grabbed some canned tuna and dried squid snacks and stuffed them into my bag as I replied, “…Yes, it’s a real sword.”
It was pretty full.
Ziiiip—
I zipped up the bag, slung it over my shoulder, and walked towards the entrance. Then, I said to the man, “I’ve got everything I need for today. What are you going to do now? Do you need anything?”
The man wiped his sweat and said, “Uh… I… I need some diapers…”
Diapers?
Ah.
I nodded, about to say something, when someone strode into the supermarket.
“Hey, Hoon! What took you so long?!”
A wiry, older man, probably in his early to mid-fifties, with graying hair and a stern face. He stopped as he saw me, looked me up and down, and said, “…Who are you?”
Well, well.
I looked him up and down as well and replied, “Who are you?”
The wiry man’s face contorted, and he opened his mouth to say something, but I casually moved my hand to the hilt of my sword. His eyes followed my hand.
He closed his mouth.
…What an idiot.
Well, there were no police anymore, so…
I glanced at the large man and said, “Let’s meet here tomorrow morning, around eight? I think you’ll find diapers at a larger store. Let’s go together.”
“O… Okay.”
The wiry man raised his voice at the large man. “You damn idiot! You need to hurry up and get back! Do you know how many people are waiting?! Did I really have to come all the way here?! Huh?!”
Seriously.
I scoffed and left the supermarket. Time to go.
“Hurry up and get out here, you idiot!”
I heard a low yell from behind me. He was quite skilled. He wasn’t yelling at the top of his lungs, but his tone made it clear he was furious. I heard the large man respond meekly, apologizing profusely.
Seriously.
Such a big guy, and so timid.
I took a few steps, and then I heard a clicking sound behind me.
What was that?
[Auto-cast: Accelerate]
Accelerate?!
I immediately spun around.
The wiry man was right in front of me, eyes wide, staring at me. He was grinning, a cruel, predatory grin, his tongue darting out between his teeth.
And in his hand, he held a monkey wrench, raised in a striking position.
This…
This son of a bitch.
I ducked, drew my sword in a swift motion, and slashed at his neck.
Swish!
His neck split open, blood spurting from the wound. It was a deep cut, almost severing his head, except for the bone.
I immediately turned and stepped aside after the slash.
“—Gah!”
Blood gushed forward, splattering the ground. The man let out a grotesque, inhuman sound and collapsed face down.
Clang!
The monkey wrench clattered to the floor.
“Gurgle… gah!”
The man clutched his neck, his legs twitching. Blood poured from the wound, forming a rapidly expanding pool.
…He seemed to be in pain.
I tilted my head, looking down at him.
…I felt surprisingly indifferent. Not shocked, not surprised. I had intended to kill him, and he was dying.
Hmm…
What kind of person had this idiot been?
Well, it didn’t matter anymore.
I glanced to the side, and the large man was staring at us, his face pale. His hands were empty. He must have been planning to take the monkey wrench and attack me.
“Gah! Gurg…”
The wiry man continued to gurgle and cough up blood, clutching his neck. Almost his entire upper body was soaked in blood.
…It was taking him a while to die.
I had to remember that.
“Gurg… gah…”
…Just die already.
Tsk.
If I left him like this, would he turn into a human beast? Or would he just die?
…I was curious.
I’d wait and see.
Ten seconds? After about that long, the man’s movements gradually ceased. I didn’t know if he was alive or dead.
I’d wait a bit longer.
I took a step back, careful not to step in the pool of blood, and continued to watch.
…I felt nothing.
…Did you have to be bitten to become a human beast?
…Wait.
What about bodies that died naturally? There must have been bodies of people who died of old age or illness in hospital morgues. What happened to them? This guy was dying here. What if a human beast bit him? What would happen then?
…Hmm…
So many unknowns.
Should I just leave him here?
And see what happened?
…No.
This was too close to the boarding house. It was too dangerous to have a rampaging human beast near my base camp.
The man with the severed neck had stopped bleeding. But he was still twitching slightly. I didn’t know if it was a death throe or rigor mortis. But his eyes were glazed over.
Hmm…
About three minutes had passed. His heart must have stopped by now. He had lost a lot of blood. He was definitely dead. Since he wasn’t moving, it seemed like people who died without being bitten didn’t turn into human beasts.
…I couldn’t be sure. Maybe he would turn later. I’d find out eventually.
I raised the sword and brought it down on the man’s head.
Thwack!
I heard a gasp. The large man was still staring at me. I yanked the sword out and looked at him. He flinched when our eyes met.
…The sword was dirty.
I wiped the blood on the dead man’s clothes and sheathed the sword.
Shing—
A clean, crisp sound.
I liked swords.
I stepped over the body, walked over to the monkey wrench, and picked it up. Hmm. It was quite heavy. Perfect for using as a short mace. Tools were useful in many ways.
I held out the monkey wrench to the large man, but he just stared at me, his face pale.
…Tsk.
Should I throw it to him?
No, I’d just leave it. There was no need to make a loud noise.
I showed him the monkey wrench and set it on the ground. I stood up and said, “…Eight o’clock tomorrow morning.”
I turned and walked away. I had plenty of supplies, so I’d stop by the boarding house and then go out again. That fifty-something-year-old asshole had cost me an Accelerate charge. Damn it.
Soo-hyun, who was in the courtyard, greeted me with a surprised look.
“You’re back early.”
“Yeah, I’m going to rest for a bit and then go out again.”
I showed her my full backpack.
Soo-hyun smiled and followed me up the stairs. “Could you get me some nails and wire?”
“Sure, I’ll bring some back later.”
Almost all the downstairs windows were boarded up now. Soo-hyun was the most hardworking person here. I smiled at her. Good job.
Soo-hyun looked at me, then glanced away coyly. “Why are you looking at me like that? Trying to seduce me?”
I chuckled. “Yeah.”
Soo-hyun poked me in the butt and said, “Okay. I’ll come up tonight.”
Hmm…
Good.
I grinned and went into the main house. Ye-eun greeted me.
“You’re back early today.”
“I’m going out again soon. Where’s Grandma?”
Grandma emerged from her room. She smiled warmly as she saw me. Probably because I wasn’t covered in blood this time. The women’s faces lit up as I emptied my bag, revealing dried filefish, kimchi, pickled radish, canned tuna, and dried squid.
Grandma beamed. “Oh, young man, I don’t know how to thank you!”
“You can thank me by feeding me every day.”
I replied with a smile.
Grandma said, “Yes, young man. Next time, could you bring back some vegetables and meat?”
…Vegetables and meat.
Hmm.
I smiled. “Sure. I should be able to get some tomorrow.”
I was planning to go to the mid-sized supermarket with the large man.
I left the main house, leaving the women to enjoy their dried squid. So-eun seemed to like it too. She had been glancing at me shyly as she ate, which was quite cute.
I went back to the rooftop room and lay down. I’d rest for a couple of hours, recharge Accelerate, and then go out again.
Sigh…
It was quiet.
I had… just killed someone. Not a human beast, but a real person.
…I felt nothing.
I had just killed someone, and yet I could talk to these women as if nothing had happened. Normally. Casually.
…My emotions… were becoming numb.
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