I’m the Only One with Powers in the Apocalypse – Chapter 49

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Xrecker
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1 a.m.

Accelerate was fully recharged.

Leaving the office, I saw the children’s bodies.

…Done.

I left the calligraphy academy and walked to the door of the cooking academy.

Even as I walked carefully, trying not to make a sound, I could still hear the low growls.

I didn’t know how many were inside.

The door was wooden.

Unusual. Weren’t they usually glass?

Maybe because it was an academy.

I crouched in front of the door and drew one of my swords.

Shing-

I carefully grabbed the doorknob and turned it.

I opened it slightly and peeked inside.

I could see the cooking stations in the distance, and a partitioned office with glass doors and walls next to the entrance.

Inside the glass walls of the office.

Clearly visible.

The office was empty.

But the cooking stations weren’t.

Young men and women, each wearing chef uniforms and hats. The white hats and clothes were stained with blood, a chilling sight.

Some standing, some lying down.

At least twenty, at a glance.

There was another door next to the cooking stations, probably a storage room.

I slowly opened the door.

They didn’t notice, even when it was fully open.

…They were in a good position.

I stood up and took a deep breath.

“…Hoo… inhale.”

I strode inside and shouted, “Kimchi fried rice!”

…I don’t know, shit.

Braindead.

“Kyaa?!”

The cooking students’ heads snapped around.

Their faces contorted instantly.

“Kraaagh! Kyaaagh!”

The human beasts in white chef uniforms swarmed towards me.

They’re coming, they’re coming!

I smiled.

“Egg drop soup… extra!”

Accelerate!

“Ha!”

Crack!

7 Accelerate charges used.

22 human beasts killed.

Oh. 3 levels?

I must have killed a number ending in 8 or 9.

Still…

“…A bit disappointing.”

30 would’ve been nice.

I even invested in Strength, damn it.

With the 10 I killed at the calligraphy academy, that made 4 levels gained.

I clicked my tongue in disappointment, and then the storage room caught my eye.

…There might be more inside.

I walked to the storage room and grabbed the door.

5 Accelerate charges left.

There was no way 20 of them were crammed into this small storage room.

“Hoo… inhale.”

I took a deep breath and opened the door.

Click.

…?

Locked?

“…What?”

I put my ear to the door.

I thought I heard something.

I tried the door again, but it wouldn’t open.

Click, click.

“…Should I stab it with the sword?”

…No.

It was a metal door.

I could try that with a wooden door, but not a metal one.

Was there refrigeration inside?

“Ah, the key must be in the office.”

As I mumbled and turned around, I heard a crashing sound from inside the storage room.

“…?”

…What was that?

…A sudden sense of foreboding washed over me.

No way…

Shit, no way.

I sighed deeply and said, “…Is there anyone inside?”

No response.

I knocked on the door.

“Hey, can you hear me? Is anyone in there?”

There was definitely something inside.

I could hear sounds.

A rat?

Or a cat?

…Or a person.

I sighed.

“It’s safe outside. Come out.”

I waited, but there was no response, so I said again, “The key’s in the office, right? I can open this anyway. Come on out. It’s just me out here.”

After a moment, I heard rustling sounds, followed by a click.

Then the door slowly opened.

I involuntarily took a step back.

The smell!

The stench of feces, along with the cold air, hit me, and I choked.

A person came out.

It was a man.

I covered my nose with my arm and took a few steps back.

Oh shit.

A completely pale, skinny man in a chef’s uniform, his hair completely matted.

Barely twenty?

Was he? He had a very young face.

Short and chubby.

He looked like he shouldn’t be wearing a chef’s uniform…

“I-is anyone… out there…?”

“Yeah. Just me.”

He glanced at me, flinched, and stepped back.

Seriously, shit.

Probably because I was covered in blood.

“Um… th-the blood…”

“It’s not mine.”

“R-really…?”

“Yeah. It’s not.”

I coughed and took another step back.

“Shit, either come out or go back inside and close the door. The smell, damn it.”

This idiot must have been hiding here since the apocalypse started.

Trapped inside for almost two weeks, shitting himself.

He must have had plenty to eat in the storage room, but…

Seriously.

Chef Boy slowly came out and closed the door.

What a mess.

Even with the door closed, the stench of feces lingered; it must have permeated his clothes.

I coughed again.

“Cough, shit. I shouldn’t be saying this while covered in blood, but damn, that’s awful. You actually survived, huh.”

Chef Boy just stared at me, without replying, as if checking for injuries. Then he flinched as he saw the bodies piled up at the entrance.

“B-bodies… d-dead… they’re dead?”

…Seriously.

“They’re dead. All of them. I neatly stabbed them in the head. They can’t get up, so don’t worry.”

“Gasp… huh… ha…”

He collapsed onto the floor.

…Tsk.

I clicked my tongue and said, “Why are you so shocked by the bodies? How old are you?”

“…S-seventeen… seventeen.”

…He wasn’t just baby-faced; he really was a kid.

I wiped the blood off my sword and sheathed it.

Shing-

“Eek!”

He was even scared of the sound of the sword being sheathed.

“…Ha…”

What should I do?

Just leave him?

Then the kid said, “P-please… h-help me… I… I want to go… home… sob…!”

“…”

This was driving me crazy.

I scratched my head and said, “Your home is gone. The world has ended.”

The kid’s eyes welled up, and tears started streaming down his face.

He looked up at me.

Suddenly homeless.

Judging by his expression, he seemed to have expected it to some extent.

Well, anyone with any sense would know, except for kids who didn’t even know what the apocalypse was.

The kid stared at me, tears streaming down his face like chicken droppings.

He looked pathetic, crying like that, his chubby face covered in grime.

He didn’t even have proper facial hair, just a few peach-fuzz strands on his chin.

Seriously…

The kid said, “Wh-what… sob… should I… do now… sob… sob…!”

“How would I know?”

Anyway, I got him out, that was enough.

He was going to die trapped in that shithole, reeking of his own feces. This was good enough.

Whatever, shit.

Let’s go back.

I turned to leave, and the kid called out desperately, “E-excuse me… mister… hyung… p-please… help me… please… help me… sob…”

“…”

…This was driving me insane, shit.

I turned around.

The chubby kid was crying, reeking of shit.

This was seriously driving me crazy.

“…Ha…”

I looked up at the ceiling and sighed.

…He must have taken that as a yes.

“Sob… sniff… hyung…”

He stood up awkwardly and shuffled closer.

…Ah…

I picked up another stray.

Shit…

I looked down at Chef Boy, feeling exasperated.

He was short.

Barely 160cm.

Ah…

I wished this kid would just curse at me.

Then I could gladly stab him in the head.

…This was annoying.

Was I fucking UNICEF or something, having to save everyone I came across?

Ah… shit.

I felt incredibly frustrated.

I looked up at the ceiling, sighed deeply, and then said, “Don’t come closer. You stink.”

“Sob… sniffle… sob…”

Stinky took a step back.

Obedient.

Shit!

Why was he so obedient?!

Why?!

Curse at me, damn it!

So I could stab your head!

“…Ah…”

I clutched my waist and hung my head.

“Ha…”

…I didn’t…

…want to take Stinky…

…with me…

He was quiet and obedient, I couldn’t just stab him in the head…

I rubbed my forehead.

If I took this kid with me…

…to that house across the street…

Then…

…wait a minute.

The first floor was swarming; I had to use Accelerate to get through.

Stinky couldn’t get past there.

…Did I have to cover him?

…This was insane…

“Ha…”

I sighed deeply and thought about it.

5 Accelerate charges.

Enough to cover him, but I was low on Strength.

8 left.

I couldn’t afford to run out of Strength.

It was past 1 a.m.

…I’d have to leave in the morning.

I nodded and looked at Stinky.

Stinky flinched, startled.

I just looked at you, shit.

Ah… don’t get angry.

I inhaled, coughed because of the stench, and said, “It’s late. We’ll leave in the morning.”

“Sob… sniff… y-yes, hyung… sniff…!”

…Who’s your hyung?

Suppressing my exasperation, I pointed at the office.

“Rest there. I’ll rest in the calligraphy academy across the hall. See you in the morning.”

I didn’t want to be in the same room as this kid.

Stinky said, “Sob, sob… h-hyung… I… I want to stay with you…”

I don’t want to stay with you.

You reek, shit.

I suppressed the urge to curse and pointed at the office.

“I said, rest there.”

“Sob… sniff… sob…”

I didn’t even want to tell him to stop crying.

I just left the cooking academy.

And I thought,

It was a large building.

There could have been more survivors.

But…

Why did I save this kid?

…What if I hadn’t opened that storage room?

…Why did I even open it?

…Was it some unknown cosmic force that compelled me to open that door?

Then…

Wasn’t he my responsibility?

Hmm…

Something to ponder…

Thinking that, I returned to the calligraphy academy and slumped into the director’s chair.

“This is my fate, shit.”

Ugh.

And then morning.

Just past 9 a.m.

My emergency rations were gone, and my stats were fully recharged.

This was crazy.

With these stats, I could go to the upper floors.

Stinky… shit, I had to take him with me.

“Ha…”

…Let’s go.

I stood up and went to the cooking academy.

“Snore— snort—wheeze—”

…Seriously.

Stinky the Snoring Shit was sprawled on the office floor.

I nudged Stinky’s side.

Ah, the stench.

Why did he close the door, for fuck’s sake?

I covered my nose and mouth and kept nudging him, and Stinky flinched and woke up.

He blinked at me.

I said, “It’s morning. Let’s go.”

“Uh…”

His dazed, disoriented face slowly came back to reality. Then tension filled his grime-covered face.

“Ah, y-yes, hyung.”

…He didn’t even wash his face.

I hadn’t either, so I couldn’t say anything.

I didn’t wash up because I knew I’d be covered in blood again while getting this kid out.

This Stinky one could at least wash up.

Ha…

I went down the stairs, feeling frustrated.

I wasn’t empty-handed.

I was carrying the chair I took from the director’s office.

There was no way to get Stinky out of here conventionally, I would probably have to throw this chair as a distraction.

It was fucking heavy.

“Hoo…”

Stinky was slowly shuffling down the stairs.

I said, “Hey. Grab the chair leg. What are you doing?”

“Ah, yes, hyung.”

He awkwardly grabbed a chair leg and lifted it.

Slightly better.

Hoo…

“Let’s go.”

We went down the stairs, taking breaks in between.

We couldn’t make any loud noises.

And I gave him instructions.

“When I tell you to run, you run. If you fall or cower in fear, I’m leaving you behind. You’ll be caught and killed right there.”

I shook my head slowly for emphasis.

“I’m telling you, I won’t save you. When I tell you to run, run for your life. Got it?”

Stinky nodded vigorously.

“Yes, hyung.”

At least he was good at replying.

And then the second-floor landing.

Stinky was standing next to me.

His face tense.

I pulled Stinky closer and pointed at the broken glass wall.

Stinky nodded.

I said, “Run.”

“Hoo!”

Thump, thump, thump!

Stinky ran down.

“Kyarup?!”

Growls.

I threw the chair with all my might.

The chair tumbled through the air.

And the charging human beasts.

Collided.

Crash!

With a loud bang, the ones in front tumbled, and the ones behind them, unable to control their momentum, also fell.

I immediately ran down the stairs and out of the supermarket.

Stinky was running with all his might.

Shit, he was slow!

Get in shape!

“Kyaaagh! Kraaagh!”

“Uwaaa, huff, huff, uwaaa!”

I could hear them struggling behind us.

But we were already almost 20 meters away.

I heard footsteps approaching rapidly from behind.

I shouted, “Keep running! Don’t look back! See that convenience store up ahead? Run there!”

“Huff, huff! Yes, hyung! Huff!”

“Kyaaagh! Kraaagh!”

…Here they came.

Accelerate.

I stopped.

Tap—

I immediately drew my swords.

Shing-

I turned around.

1 meter ahead!

“Ha!”

Crack, crack!

I stabbed two heads and turned to run.

“–a-ruh!”

Thump, thud!

Tap!

The belated sound of my footsteps and the bodies collapsing.

Stinky hadn’t even moved yet.

The effect of Accelerate.

The moment Accelerate wore off, we ran forward.

Stinky tried to look back because of the collapsing sounds behind us.

I shouted, “Look ahead! Run!”

“Yes, hyung!”

I heard a thud and a fall behind us. They must have tripped over the bodies I just stabbed.

Their path was blocked twice.

We had put considerable distance between us.

The convenience store.

We immediately turned the corner and returned to the boarding house.

Slam!

We closed the door and caught our breath.

Damn it.

This was annoying, I was out of breath, and the stench of feces was overwhelming.

This was driving me crazy.

I could hear growls in the distance.

I seemed to have lost them.

“Ha… hoo… wait here.”

“Huff, wheeze, huff… y-yes, hyung… huff…”

I opened the gate and went outside.

Growls came from all directions.

They were wandering around.

It was the same at the hair salon.

They couldn’t see very far.

“…Hoo…”

I walked to the convenience store alley.

Five or six of them were roaming around the street and sidewalk by the hypermarket.

They didn’t know I was here.

…Hmm.

The more experience I gained, the more I learned about them, the easier they were to deal with.

I looked across the street.

…Small figures were moving around in the distance.

People.

I took a few steps closer…

…Cockroaches.

What were they doing?

I climbed on top of a car and looked.

…They were raiding the convenience store.

…Oops. Someone was caught.

Oh. Being bitten.

Several of them lunged at the bitten person and started beating them with clubs.

The person soon collapsed.

The others stared at the bitten person.

The bitten person stumbled backward, bleeding profusely.

Shaking their head violently.

They seemed to be saying something.

…Ah.

They started beating the bitten person.

…They were beating them relentlessly.

He must be dead…

…They were also desperate…

I scoffed at the sight and got down from the car.

I didn’t care what the Cockroaches did.

Let’s go back.

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