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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Xrecker
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Back in the rooftop room, I immediately stripped off my blood-soaked clothes and showered. The sight of blood dripping from my hair made my stomach churn.
This was fucking infuriating. Not only had I wasted two Accelerate charges, but I’d also ruined the clothes Soo-hyun had given me. I couldn’t keep borrowing clothes from the landlord; I’d already returned several blood-soaked outfits.
…Damn it.
I needed to get some clothes. For real. Something light and easy to wear. T-shirts and shorts would do. Wear and toss, wear and toss.
I could hear Soo-hyun banging around downstairs. She was probably dismantling or assembling something to use as a barricade. She had already boarded up most of the second-floor windows. At this rate, the house would be pretty secure within a week. I needed to bring back more useful materials for Soo-hyun’s projects. There was so much to do, and those thugs had cost me two Accelerate charges.
Should I go back and bash their heads in again?
Damn it, I was pissed.
It would take at least three hours to fully recharge Accelerate.
Sigh…
At least I had increased my HP, so I was recovering at 2.3 per hour. The HP drain wasn’t too bad.
But the recovery was too slow.
Damn it.
Around eleven o’clock, I’d rest lying down and then go out. Eleven o’clock: 21 HP, 3 Accelerate charges.
Time to get some clothes!
I left the rooftop room and headed downstairs, running into So-eun, who was hanging laundry on the second-floor balcony. She flinched when she saw me.
Hmm… My clothes were covered in blood. I wasn’t going to explain.
“I’ll be back.”
“…Um…”
So-eun called out to me as I went down the stairs. I looked up. She was holding onto the railing, looking down at me.
“…Be careful.”
…Hmm.
My irritation faded. I smiled.
“Yeah. You too, finish hanging the laundry and get inside. It’s dangerous.”
I waved and left the house.
Clothes. I needed clothes. There was a clothing store on the way to the hypermarket. With my hand on my sword, I headed down the convenience store street towards the hypermarket.
I passed the green sign of the Korean medicine clinic. …How many were inside?
Hmm…
I had to pass the clinic and the rice cake shop to get to the clothing store, so I might as well scout them out. I couldn’t see inside the clinic from the outside. I walked closer and pressed my ear against the door. I could hear low growls.
…More than three.
…Should I open the door?
Hmm…
No. If I ran into one at the door, I’d have to waste an Accelerate charge. The clothing store was my target.
I turned and headed towards the rice cake shop. I couldn’t see inside this one either. A sign read, “Sesame oil, red pepper flakes for sale.”
Hmm…
I pressed my ear against the door.
…Nothing? Was anyone even inside?
A rice cake shop… There probably wasn’t anything useful there.
I’d skip it.
“Aaaaagh!” A man’s scream echoed from somewhere. I didn’t even react anymore. Let them die.
I cautiously scanned my surroundings and approached the clothing store. A fairly large building stood before me. The hypermarket was right next to it. …I wanted to visit a real hypermarket, like Homeplus or Emart, not one inside a building. I was certain it would be swarming with human zombies. Hundreds, at least. Would the day come when I could clear a place like that? …The thought made me smile.
I leaned against the wall and peeked inside the clothing store. The hanging clothes obscured my view, but they were there. I could make out human shapes between the clothes. An arm here, a leg there, a head… all separate.
…Three. That’s how many I could see.
…I needed to check more thoroughly. I had to be sure.
I crouched down and looked at the floor.
…I could see an arm and a leg.
…One of them was lying down. Okay.
I crouched lower and walked towards the door, drawing my sword as I went.
Shing—
“…Hoo…”
Tomahawk?
…No. Just the sword for this one.
I crouched down and placed my hand on the clothing store door.
Deep breath.
Inhale… exhale…
—Inhale!
I pushed the door open and stepped inside!
Bang! The door slammed open.
“Grrrr?!”
Heads snapped towards me!
Accelerate!
[Auto-cast: Accelerate]
“Gaaa—aa—aa—”
Multiple faces, eyes widening, mouths opening, noses wrinkling.
Slowly.
The middle-aged woman standing in front of the women’s underwear display.
I thrust the sword!
Thwack!
I pulled the sword out from her temple!
Downward!
The young woman lying on the floor!
Thwack!
She was lifting her head when the sword pierced through the top of her skull. Had she come with the other woman?
I twisted my body as I pulled the sword out.
The woman in black clothing, straight ahead!
An employee?!
“—Aa—raagh!”
The women’s arms suddenly shot up!
Accelerate!
[Auto-cast: Accelerate]
Their lunging movements slowed to a crawl.
I thrust the sword with all my might.
Thwack!
I pierced the employee’s head, the blade going in through her eye and out the back of her skull! I yanked it out, and blood droplets floated eerily in the air.
Next, the middle-aged woman by the cash register!
I took a large step forward, pushing off the ground with force.
Thoom—aaa—aa—
Even the sound of my footfall was slow.
I twisted my body and thrust the sword!
“—Garr… gah!”
—Bang!
Thwack!
Accelerate wore off.
The sound of my footfall finally echoed through the store. The sword had pierced through her eyebrow.
“Hah!”
I pulled the sword out, and the remaining human beasts collapsed around me in a heap.
Blood sprayed everywhere, splattering the clothes and underwear.
…Ah.
This kind of defeated the purpose of coming here for clothes.
[Leveled up 4 times.]
“…Ha…”
Good. Four levels!
Small stores were the best for leveling up.
I’d look around, just in case there were any more. I cautiously walked around the store, sword in hand.
…Nothing. If there had been any more, they would have come out when I’d opened the door.
“…Hoo…”
Time to grab some clothes. I picked up a few pairs of women’s panties and wiped the blood off my arms, face, and sword, then grabbed a bunch of clean t-shirts, shorts, and men’s underwear, stuffing them into my backpack until it bulged.
…Panties…
I stood in the bra and panty section, admiring the display.
“…Hmm…”
A pleasant sight.
…What should I get for Soo-hyun…?
…I couldn’t choose; they all looked good.
I didn’t know anything about women’s bra sizes. Soo-hyun’s were pretty big… C or D, maybe?
…I didn’t know. Damn it. I was a guy; how was I supposed to know about bra sizes?
I grabbed a few paper bags from under the counter and filled them with bras and panties. Then, I scooped up armfuls of women’s clothing—dresses, shorts, skirts—and stuffed them into a few large paper shopping bags.
This should be enough. I’d let Soo-hyun choose…
…I’d just dump them all in front of the women.
It was too much trouble.
If they didn’t fit, I could always come back. They could use the clothes that didn’t fit as rags or something.
I slung my backpack over my shoulder, grabbed the half-dozen paper bags filled with clothes, and left the store.
Silence. Utter silence. I carried the bags in both hands, scanning my surroundings, and carefully made my way back to the convenience store. I was out of Accelerate, so I’d have to drop the bags and run if anything happened.
But nothing happened. The streets were always quiet.
I returned to the boarding house and knocked on Soo-hyun’s door.
“Yes?”
A voice called out.
I said, “Soo-hyun, come up to the main house for a sec.”
And then, I quickly went upstairs. The women’s eyes widened as I set down the six bags filled with clothes and underwear.
Soo-hyun, who arrived a moment later, also stared at the clothes in surprise.
“My clothes were so dirty, I went to get some new ones and grabbed these while I was at it. I don’t know anything about sizes, so I just grabbed a bunch. Choose whatever you want.”
Ye-eun stared at me, her eyes wide. “…Th… Thank you.”
“Thank you,” So-eun mumbled, looking slightly dazed.
They both seemed surprised, but there was a hint of a smile on their faces. They seemed happy. Grandma also came out, exclaiming and looking pleased.
Good.
I left the women to their chattering and rummaging through the bags and went up to the rooftop room.
Damn it, this blood-soaked t-shirt and shorts… I had to get rid of them. I stripped them off and tossed them into the trash can in the corner, then opened my backpack and dumped the contents onto the floor. T-shirts, underwear, and shorts spilled out.
This should last me about ten days.
I showered again to wash off the remaining blood and collapsed onto the bedding.
…Hmm…
That had been quick. It wasn’t even midnight yet. I could go out again tonight.
I had earned 4 stat points…
Hmm…
Where should I go tonight?
…Wait.
I remembered there were about three in the pharmacy. And the chicken restaurant was next to it. How many were in the chicken restaurant? I’d seen two.
…I’d go there tonight.
After thinking for a moment, I allocated 2 points to Strength and 2 points to Spirit. I had to increase my Strength eventually, and I needed more Accelerate charges, so I just split the points evenly.
Now, level 30.
7 Strength, 17 Spirit.
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By nine o’clock, I was mostly recovered. It would be better to rest for another couple of hours to fully recover, but three Accelerate charges should be enough.
I left the house and headed down the convenience store street. Past the convenience store, past the two empty storefronts… and then the pharmacy.
Shing—
I drew my sword.
“…Haa…”
I took a deep breath, pushed the door open, and stepped inside.
“Grrrr?!”
A white coat behind the counter. A man in front of the bottled drinks display. A woman by the supplements section.
Accelerate.
[Auto-cast: Accelerate]
“Graaa—aa—aa—”
A rising hand,
A gaping mouth,
Lunging legs, all slowed down.
“Hah!”
Thwack!
I pierced the man’s head. I yanked the sword out, ignoring the blood spray, and leaped over the counter.
“Hah!”
I stomped on the ground and thrust the sword with all my might.
Thwack!
Too—oo—oo—
I yanked the sword out and ran towards the supplements shelf. I took a step, and…
“—Aa—grrr!”
—Thud!
Accelerate.
[Auto-cast: Accelerate]
The woman lunged at me, reaching out as if to claw, even though I was no longer there.
I sidestepped and thrust the sword with all my might.
Crack!
The blade went straight through her temple. As I pulled the sword out, blood droplets floated slowly into the air.
“…Hoo…”
Everything was slow. Everything was in slow motion. The collapsing human beasts, the countless blood droplets floating in the air—they all moved languidly, like they were dancing in thick jelly.
I looked around and waited.
“—Aa—raagh!”
Accelerate wore off.
Crash! Thud!
I flinched and closed my eyes. Blood splattered against my eyelids.
Damn it.
[Leveled up 3 times.]
I wiped my face with the back of my hand, walked over to the pharmacist, grabbed his coat, and wiped the sword. I could throw away the blood-soaked clothes—I had plenty—but not the sword. I had to keep it clean.
“…Hmm…”
That was quick. I was getting used to this.
I looked around the pharmacy. Was there anything worth taking?
Should I grab some Bacchus energy drinks? Ah, Grandma seemed to have trouble walking.
I sheathed the sword with a smooth, shing—click, and walked towards the pain relief patches.
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