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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Xrecker
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“Hah!”
I pulled the sword from the woman’s head, and blood droplets shimmered in the air.
Thirteen kills.
Three Accelerate charges used.
“Hoo…”
[Leveled up 3 times.]
Thud! Crash!
The sounds of collapsing bodies echoed from all directions.
Blood splattered.
I looked around.
Snacks, drinks, bottled water…
some blood had splattered onto the boxes, but it didn’t matter.
I searched the restrooms, confirmed they were empty, and left the third floor.
It was a shame there hadn’t been more.
I was getting greedy; I wanted two hundred per floor.
What was I expecting from a storage area and some offices?
I had 9 Strength and 7 Accelerate charges left. Still plenty.
I went down to the second floor and knelt down on the landing.
Grrrr… Grrrr…
Hmm.
That chair would be in the way.
No, wait.
I’d leave it.
I stood up and went down the stairs,
rounding the corner.
Bright light flooded my vision.
People appeared before me.
“Gah?!”
“Haa…”
Accelerate.
[Auto-cast: Accelerate]
I charged inside, thrusting my swords.
Wherever my eyes landed, the swords followed.
I felt the sensation of skulls being pierced.
Thwack!
Thwack!
Thwack!
Thwack!
I reactivated Accelerate
just as it was about to wear off, continuing to stab, weaving between them.
Two Accelerate charges, then three. Nine heads pierced.
I turned and jumped over the chair.
[Level Up.]
I passed through the side entrance, stepping on shattered glass.
“—Gyaa—ugh!”
Thud! Crash!
Nine bodies collapsed at once.
“Graaagh!”
They were coming.
Accelerate.
[Auto-cast: Accelerate]
I sprinted forward, disappearing from their sight.
I ran to the convenience store and stopped, turning around.
I had lost them. I pulled out my phone, catching my breath.
Ugh, it was covered in blood.
Was it around 1:00 AM?
Not yet. 12:49 AM.
I flicked the swords, scattering the blood, and sheathed them.
Shing—click.
“Hoo…”
After all the running and killing since the first day of the apocalypse, I could definitely feel my stamina increasing.
I wasn’t even that out of breath after running this much.
…Was there something there?
I stepped onto the road beyond the convenience store.
I couldn’t see clearly.
I climbed onto a car.
Thump, thump.
I stood on the roof and looked around.
A large group of people had gathered in the distance.
They looked… organized?
Mostly men, and they were holding things— baseball bats, wrenches, things like that.
…Ah.
They were raiding the convenience store.
One of them ran out, chased by a few human beasts.
The men charged at the human beasts, swinging their weapons.
Dozens of them were attacking three human beasts.
Oh…
Wait a minute.
Dozens?
Dozens of men…?
That couldn’t be right.
…Ah.
They had brought people out of their homes.
They were increasing their numbers.
A group of capable fighters, systematically gathering food.
As long as they didn’t make too much noise, the human beasts wouldn’t swarm them.
They could do this if they were careful.
They were quite skilled.
Last time, one of them had been bitten and then beaten to death by his own group.
They must have continued raiding after that.
Ah, they had to.
To get people to leave their homes, they had to offer them food.
And they needed food for themselves.
Judging by the number of men—dozens— there were probably about a hundred people in total, including women, elderly people, and children.
A single convenience store wouldn’t last long.
We were a small group, so what we had was enough.
And since I was the only fighter, we could live comfortably, even with limited numbers.
But they were different.
To clear out even a small convenience store, with only two or three human beasts, they needed a dozen or so physically capable men.
If one of them was bitten, even just a scratch, they would be beaten to death by their own group.
They had to overwhelm and subdue the human beasts quickly, before they could bite anyone.
And for that, they needed numbers.
But the more people they had, the more supplies they needed. Which meant they had to keep raiding.
That was their method.
Well, if they didn’t have someone like me who could kill dozens single-handedly, that was probably the most effective strategy.
I chuckled and climbed down from the car.
The Cockroaches had their own way of surviving.
I’d leave them to it. Let them beat their own bitten comrades to death, no matter how close they were—brothers, fathers, sons…
It wasn’t my concern.
I walked past the convenience store and entered the boarding house alley.
Hmm?
…At the end of the alley, by the supermarket…
by the utility pole… I thought I saw something.
A human figure?
I tilted my head and slowly walked down the alley.
After a few steps, I heard a rustling sound.
It was a person.
What?
…Were they scouting?
What were they up to?
I scoffed in disbelief.
A genuine chuckle escaped my lips as I returned to the boarding house.
Scouting… what were they planning to do?
Start a fight?
Please, come.
I’d be happy to cut off your head.
I smiled as I opened the gate and entered the courtyard.
They didn’t know what I was capable of.
Even in our group, only Hoon and Jung Eun-seo had seen me fight firsthand.
Even Stinky hadn’t seen me kill, since he’d been locked inside.
…Hmm…
…Should I show them tomorrow?
If they were scouting, they must have been up to something.
I didn’t want them causing trouble at the boarding house while I was gone.
How many were left at the supermarket entrance?
About twenty, it seemed.
It was time to move.
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I showered, lay down, and checked my status.
Level 31, 54 HP.
Always one point short.
17 Spirit, so it would be fully recharged by morning.
7:00 AM.
I showered and went downstairs.
They were preparing breakfast.
Stinky, or rather, Han-tae, was also there.
He was definitely the type to never miss a meal, his dedication evident in his physique.
“Han-tae.”
“Yes, hyeong.”
“After breakfast, tell the others to start packing for the move.”
Hoon and the women
all looked at me.
I smiled.
“It’s time to go. Pack your things after breakfast.”
“That was fast,” Soo-hyun said with a smile.
“I thought it would take about ten days.”
“Why would it take ten days?
Oh, and make sure you pack all the tools.
I haven’t checked the residential floors yet.
There might be some empty units, and some that aren’t.
We’ll all go check them out today.”
The apocalypse had started during the day.
The single-family homes would have been empty, with people at work.
And there were probably some vacant units as well.
Plus, there had been dozens of human beasts
at the hypermarket entrance—probably residents from the upper floors who had come down and been bitten.
That meant there would be plenty of empty units on the residential floors.
We should be able to find enough rooms for everyone in our group.
Soo-hyun and Hoon nodded.
“Okay. Anything else?”
Hmm… anything else…
I thought for a moment.
“I’m going to clear out the supermarket entrance today.
We need to barricade it so nothing can get in.
We can clear the inside of the supermarket later, but if the entrance is open, those things will be able to come up the stairs.”
Soo-hyun exchanged glances with Hoon and nodded.
“I’ll weld the aluminum panels after you bring them over.”
Han-tae looked surprised.
“Y-You can weld?”
Hoon also looked at Soo-hyun.
“Come to think of it… did you learn that in school?”
Soo-hyun smiled.
“No, my family runs a scrap metal yard.
I’ve been helping my dad with machines and welding since I was a kid. That’s how I got interested in mechanical engineering.”
I smiled.
“Oh. I thought it was unusual for a woman to be in mechanical engineering. So that’s why. Were there other women in your department?”
“No, there weren’t. I was the only one! One woman in Electrical Engineering, and one in Mechanical Engineering.”
I chuckled.
“You must have been popular.”
Soo-hyun grimaced.
“Oh, please. I had one boyfriend, and that was enough.
I prefer playing games.”
She sighed dramatically.
“I miss WoW.”
Hmm.
She had said she was taking a break, not quitting.
I’d never played that game, but judging by her reaction, it must have been fun.
After breakfast, everyone started packing.
They tied up stacks of aluminum panels salvaged from the cars with rope and gathered their belongings.
Soon, it was almost lunchtime.
“Mother, you don’t need to bring chopsticks and things like that. They have everything at the supermarket. Pots, pans…”
Hoon tried to persuade Grandma.
He was right.
We could get metal tools and utensils from the supermarket, and those things would last practically forever if we took care of them.
The problem was consumables—things that were difficult to replace.
We packed bags and bundles of food, toilet paper, and other necessities, and the preparations for the move were complete.
The inline skaters, who didn’t have much to pack, helped carry the bags, which made things easier.
The inline skating men still had dark bruises on their faces, but they seemed to be recovering. There was life in their eyes.
“How are you feeling?”
“Much better, thanks to you.
Here, let me carry that.”
One of them reached for my Adidas backpack.
I smiled and handed it to him.
It was better to be unencumbered when clearing out the supermarket entrance.
Thirteen bags and bundles filled with food and toiletries, and a heavy bag of tools for Hoon to carry.
Everyone picked up a bag, and we left the house.
I was the only one empty-handed.
I looked towards the utility pole by the supermarket.
No one there.
The scout must have gone to lunch.
“Let’s go.”
I strapped on my two swords and led the way.
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Thanks Xrecker!