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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Xrecker
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Two kills in the parking lot.
Level 38, 2 points.
I put them into Health, making it 28.
My growth goal was to reach 30 Health, a decent amount of Strength, and most importantly, secure more Accelerate charges.
…But what was the max level?
How long could I keep gaining stats?
Based on my gaming experience, some games had a level cap of 50, others 60 or 80.
What about me?
I didn’t know.
…I’d find out as I leveled up.
This was a bit frustrating, shit.
Since they gave me a status window, couldn’t they provide a more detailed explanation? Did I have to figure everything out by trial and error?
Seriously.
I leaned back in the chair and grumbled as I waited, and then Accelerate recharged.
4 charges, full.
I left the parking lot office.
It was still morning, a long way from lunchtime.
I carefully hugged the wall and walked towards the supermarket.
I didn’t know how many were inside.
I wouldn’t get greedy; I would take them out one by one.
Grrrr… grrrr…
A low, heavy sound vibrated through the air.
As I passed the wall, I saw a small shop attached to the supermarket, open to the street. It was a small shop selling grilled squid.
I crouched down next to the shop and listened intently.
“Gurgle… grrrr…”
…The shop owner? Or a supermarket employee?
I could hear one of them growling.
Past this shop was the main entrance.
…Should I use Accelerate?
I slowly drew my sword.
Shing-
“…Hoo… inhale!”
I stood up abruptly and pulled the sword back.
I looked inside the shop!
Empty!
Right, it was lying face down on the floor.
I leaned over and looked down. A woman in an apron was lying face down.
I gripped the sword with both hands and slowly extended it, positioning it above the woman’s head.
“Ha!”
Crack!
I pierced the back of her head.
[Level Up.]
Good.
It was a good thing I didn’t use Accelerate.
Now, the main entrance.
The main entrance was a glass double door.
It was designed to open automatically when you stepped on the “Welcome” mat.
…That was tricky.
I might not be able to escape even with Accelerate.
I had to keep the door open.
With something heavy…
…Damn it.
There was only one thing I could use.
I looked around.
The sun was shining brightly.
Quiet.
No one around.
“…Shit.”
I sheathed my sword.
I stepped onto the grilled squid display and entered the small shop.
Ah, it was cramped, shit.
The smell of squid was strong.
I grabbed the grilled, now cold, squid and tossed them into my bag.
About ten, it seemed.
The women would like this.
Zip-
I carefully zipped up the bag.
I looked to the side…
The door was open…?
…Ah. I could enter the supermarket from here too.
There was some blood on the door frame.
The human beast must have attacked while the shop was open, and the owner tried to close the door but couldn’t.
So they were bitten.
…Right?
I looked down at the woman’s body; the flesh on the back of her hand was torn off, exposing muscle and bone. Clear bite marks.
That was it.
Even though I could enter from here, it was better to keep the main entrance open.
I picked up the woman’s body and pushed it towards the squid display.
She was heavy, shit.
She must have weighed over 50 kilos.
Since she was already dead, I didn’t feel anything even when I grabbed her breasts.
The body slumped against the display like a wet blanket.
I grabbed her pants by the waistband.
Heave! I pushed her outside with all my might.
Thud!
Crack!
“Ha… huff.”
Shit.
I was sweating.
She was heavy, damn it.
I hoped nothing would come.
I put my hand on the hilt of my sword and waited for a moment, but there was no reaction.
It seemed like the human beasts didn’t react to sounds they perceived as natural.
Like a box falling over, or something collapsing.
…How much noise would it take for them to react?
I was curious, but I didn’t want to experiment.
I’d find out eventually.
Anyway, I heard something snap.
I stepped over the display and looked outside. The woman’s neck was twisted.
It must have broken when she fell headfirst.
Since she was already dead, I didn’t feel bad.
I picked up the body, blood trickling from her forehead and the back of her head, and slowly walked towards the main entrance.
…A glass door.
Would they see me?
I could start to see the inside of the supermarket through the glass.
There was a restroom to the right of the entrance.
It was quite large.
Separate restrooms for men and women, and even an accessible restroom.
And there was a long partition next to the restroom, with boxes stacked in front of it.
The supermarket was spacious and bright.
Even from this distance, I could see it was a well-maintained supermarket.
But now, with shelves toppled over and collapsed, it was a bit of a mess.
I could see heads popping up here and there, more than I expected.
There was a packing station to the left of the entrance.
Where customers could pack their purchases in boxes.
Between the restroom and the packing station, I could see at least eight of them standing.
Whether they were lucky or had poor eyesight, they didn’t seem to notice me moving around behind the glass double doors.
The sale posters on the automatic doors seemed to be helping.
“Hoo… hoo…”
The body was heavy, I was worried they would see me, and I was nervous.
I finally reached the sensor mat.
I stepped onto the mat, holding the body, and let go.
The automatic doors opened.
“Grrr?!”
They all looked at me at once!
“Shit!”
I immediately ran back.
“Kraw! Kaagh!”
Bang!
I heard the sliding glass doors slamming shut behind me. I didn’t hear the sound of shattering glass!
The glass doors must have been quite thick!
Shit, that was a relief!
I ran back to the parking lot office.
“Huff, huff.”
I could have charged in with Accelerate, but safety was the priority.
I would only attack when I was certain I could win.
If someone asked if I was scared, yes, I was.
Being scared was important!
It was a survival instinct!
To become stronger, I had to level up, and to level up quickly, I couldn’t get injured under any circumstances.
Be cautious, strike swiftly, and escape quickly.
That was all.
I heard banging sounds in the distance.
The glass doors seemed to be holding up.
“Hoo…”
…Damn it.
The glass doors…
…Wait a minute.
If they were banging on the doors instead of opening them, that meant they were locked.
…Why?
The human beasts couldn’t have locked them…
Did someone lock them?
…Who?
…There it was.
There was a survivor somewhere.
Someone familiar with this area.
Someone who knew that places like supermarkets, filled with human beasts, were dangerous.
…Ha.
A survivor…
I had only heard screams, I hadn’t thought there would be someone actually doing something in this situation.
I wanted to meet them.
And ask how they locked the doors.
…Anyway…
If those glass doors were that sturdy, I wouldn’t be able to enter through the main entrance.
They would spot me as I was going in.
…The automatic doors were the problem anyway.
I’d leave the inner glass doors to them.
…Good.
I left the office and walked towards the front of the supermarket.
The banging sounds grew louder.
I stepped onto the grilled squid display and climbed over.
Quietly, carefully.
I landed on the floor and drew my sword.
Shing-
“Kyaagh! Kaagh!”
Bang! Crash! Thump!
The sound of them hitting the glass doors was even louder inside the shop.
I held the sword and carefully peeked outside.
I could hear their growls clearly.
“Kraw! Kraaagh!”
Bang! Crash! Thump!
…The glass doors wouldn’t last long.
There was a wall right in front of the doors.
A narrow passage, barely wide enough for one person, and the packing station was right in front of it.
I leaned against the wall of the small shop and peeked outside.
…There were more of them.
I definitely saw eight earlier, but now there were at least twice as many.
The ones nearby must have gathered here.
Were they from the restroom?
They were all gathered in front of the glass doors.
As if the glass doors were their mortal enemy, they were banging and roaring.
“…Hoo…”
This was it.
…Deep breath.
“…Inhale!”
They were about 3 meters away!
I charged out and activated Accelerate.
Accelerate!
[Auto-casting: Accelerate]
“Kra-a—a—–”
Thwooom—thwoom—
Everything slowed down.
My footsteps, the human beasts’ roars, the cacophony of them banging on the glass doors, everything unfolded in slow motion.
I took two large steps forward.
And then another large step.
Thump—thump—
I gripped the hilt of the sword with both hands and thrust with all my might.
“Ha!”
Crack! Crack!
Two in one blow!
“—a–ugh!”
It wore off.
Accelerate!
[Auto-casting: Accelerate]
They hadn’t noticed me yet!
I thrust with all my might!
Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!
Four in one blow!
“–r-ugh!”
Accelerate!
[Auto-casting: Accelerate]
I stabbed the old man with glasses in the back of his graying head!
Clang-
…?!
Holy shit! I was out of Strength already!
I immediately turned and ran back to the squid shop.
The moment I turned the corner, Accelerate wore off.
Thud! Crash!
I heard the sound of several bodies collapsing.
“Kyaaagh!”
Shit! They were close!
Did they see me?!
Accelerate!
[Auto-casting: Accelerate]
I wouldn’t take any risks!
I immediately jumped onto the squid display and leaped over.
The moment I landed and took a step forward, Accelerate wore off.
“Kyaa!”
I didn’t know if they had seen me or not.
I was out of Accelerate charges!
I ran with all my might, past the supermarket, and into the parking lot.
Just then, I heard a crashing sound behind me.
The glass doors had shattered!
“Huff, huff!”
I immediately entered the parking lot office and closed the door.
Click!
I locked it, put my hand on the door, and listened intently.
“Gasp, hoo, ha…”
I could hear roars.
Not from inside the supermarket.
From the street.
They came outside.
“Hoo… hoo…”
…But the door was locked.
Even though they were roaring outside, they didn’t seem to know where I went.
They were just wandering around.
I felt a little relieved.
I pulled the chair closer to the wall by the door and sat down, leaning against it.
“…Hoo…”
A message was floating before my eyes.
[Leveled up 6 times.]
Including the woman from the squid shop, a total of 7 levels.
…Good.
“Ha… hoo… Status.”
Level 45 already.
Good.
First… 2 into Health.
That would make it 30.
Health was maxed out now.
The remaining 5 points…
…Securing one more Accelerate charge would definitely help with the hit-and-run tactics…
But it would take 9 hours to fully recharge.
…9 hours…
…Right.
Even if it was frustrating, I’d play it safe.
I put all 5 points into Spirit.
Survival.
Surviving and leveling up.
That was what mattered.
I checked my phone; it was 10:34 a.m.
…I might be cutting it close for dinner.
I should contact Soo-hyun.
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