I’m the Only One with Powers in the Apocalypse – Chapter 9

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Xrecker
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Gasping for breath, I muttered,

“…L-Let’s… rest a bit. Then again.”

I would kill them all.

I had made up my mind, but my jaw was still trembling.

My teeth chattered.

I’d been in fights before.

But killing someone?

I’d never even thought about it.

I had just killed someone.

No, not a person.

…He was a high school student.

He was wearing a school uniform.

No, he wasn’t a person!

I gripped the spear and slowly sat down.

“Ha… ha… ha…”

I heard So-eun whimpering. Ye-eun was comforting her, stroking her head and back.

Then she looked at me.

“…Thank you.”

Thank you?

I looked at Ye-eun.

Her eyes…

Even though they were brimming with tears, as if she was about to cry, she stared straight at me without blinking.

Her face was resolute.

A determination to survive filled her face.

At the same time, there was a sense of trust in me.

…Being looked at like that gave me strength.

I nodded.

I had to forget the horrifying feeling of the metal pipe piercing the skull.

I would have to pierce skulls and thrust weapons into them dozens, no, thousands, tens of thousands of times more.

I closed my lips, stared into space, and breathed slowly.

“…Sung-hoon.”

A raspy voice.

I looked back at Ye-eun.

“How many more are there… outside?”

I silently held up three fingers.

And then I said,

“…I just killed someone.”

I heard Ye-eun and So-eun flinch.

I said quietly,

“…I’ll rest a bit and do it again.”

Neither Ye-eun nor So-eun responded.

I looked back at Ye-eun.

She was also looking at me.

A tear rolled down her cheek.

I didn’t know why she was crying, but I didn’t feel like telling her not to.

I said,

“…Let’s get out of here alive. Together.”

Ye-eun nodded slightly at my words.

Right.

Let’s get out of here alive.

I put down the spear and closed my eyes.

We had rushed into this storage room.

It was cramped even with three people sitting.

Neither I nor the girls had imagined we would be trapped in this small storage room for so long.

We had to endure.

Endure and survive.

“Hoo…”

Sitting for a while helped me regain my composure.

While I was resting, Ye-eun spoke to me.

“Um… Sung-hoon.”

I looked at her.

Ye-eun said,

“Those three… outside… are they very… dangerous? My… my grandmother… is alone at home…”

…Hmm…

Judging by her tone and expression…

She seemed to be asking me to do something quickly…

Did she think I was enjoying this?

I also wanted to stretch my legs and relax.

How could I explain that I was waiting for Accelerate to recharge?

I thought for a moment and replied,

“I’m waiting for those things to calm down. I saw them lying down earlier. I’m not sure if those shelves would hold if a few of them attacked at once.”

“…Ah…”

Ye-eun nodded as if she understood.

Right, just stay like that.

Ah, right.

I leveled up earlier.

I opened the status window.

…Stats…

…Shit, this was another dilemma.

Securing more uses of Accelerate was important, but recovery was also important.

Raising Spirit wouldn’t help if my recovery wasn’t high enough, I’d just have to rest longer, but I wanted to get out of here as soon as possible.

…There were three of them outside…

If I killed them all, that would be 4 points, including the one I already killed.

…Right.

I put 1 point into Health and closed my eyes again.

Even if my recovery rate only increased by 0.1 per hour, it was fine. I wanted to recover as quickly as possible and get out of here.

After putting 1 point into Health…

Ugh… my Health was at 3.

It was at 5 earlier.

About an hour must have passed.

Then it should have been at 6.

But it was at 3.

…It was recovering three times per hour.

Was it deducting 1 Health every 20 minutes to recover other stats?

…If that was the case, the efficiency of the Health stat was significant.

Health…

Anyway, I understood.

My Strength had also decreased by 1.

Was it because I used a lot of force thrusting the spear?

My body felt fine, though.

…Did killing one of them consume 1 Strength…?

…Please, for fuck’s sake, I hoped not.

If that was the case, no matter how many times I could use Accelerate, I could only take out 5 at a time.

If that was true, just raising Spirit wouldn’t be enough.

No matter how many times I had Accelerate, if my Strength reached 0, what then?

Shit!

Crazy, please let that not be the case!

“Hoo…”

Frustration welled up, and I frowned, leaning my head against the wall. Ye-eun must have thought I was scared.

“…C-Cheer up. Okay?”

I chuckled and looked at Ye-eun.

I just nodded.

What else could I say?

She told me to cheer up, so I just nodded.

“I’ll rest a little longer.”

“…Okay…”

Two more hours passed before my Spirit reached 5.

I looked at my phone; it was 3 a.m.

So-eun seemed to be asleep in Ye-eun’s arms.

Sorry, but you had to wake up now.

“…Let’s do this.”

I stood up.

Ye-eun and So-eun jolted awake.

Ye-eun stroked her sister’s hair, then stood up and came behind me.

Huh?

Ye-eun looked at me and said,

“I’ll help. With… closing the door.”

Oh.

Good.

I stepped aside and pointed at the shelf.

“Stand here.”

Ye-eun pressed herself against the shelf.

I gripped the spear and grabbed the doorknob.

I had to remember.

How much force I used when I stabbed the high schooler’s head with the spear.

One at a time, straight into the head.

It would have been easier if the spear had a blade.

But it didn’t.

This was all I had.

I would thrust with all my might.

One at a time.

I had 5 seconds.

“…Opening.”

“Okay.”

She seemed determined.

I liked her tone.

I unlocked the door.

Click.

And slowly turned the doorknob.

…Creak…

Ugh. The hinges seemed damaged.

From all the banging those things did.

After a few hours, it was quiet again.

Looking at the floor, I saw three of them sprawled out.

Right in front of the counter.

Right at my feet.

…Wait.

They were right at my feet.

Their heads…

Were a bit far.

About a meter away.

They were piled on top of each other, making it a bit awkward.

I could only see the legs of two of them, and the back of the head of only one.

I slowly extended the spear.

Maybe I could take out one without using Accelerate.

I aimed at it and slowly pulled the spear back.

I could kill one without Accelerate.

I only had one chance.

I inhaled.

And kept inhaling.

Until my chest swelled.

I held my breath.

I tightened my grip.

I would strike down in one swift motion.

With all my might!

“…Ha!”

The metal pipe connected squarely with the back of its head.

Crack!

The spearhead pierced through!

Pull! Quickly!

“Fu!”

I exhaled and yanked the spear back with all my might.

At the same time, the other two roared and got up.

“Kraw!”

“Kraaagh! Kraw!”

They whipped their heads towards me.

I pulled the spear out!

They charged!

Their torn and mangled faces rapidly approached!

Shit, Accelerate!

“Krwa-a–a—”

The checkered shirt guy lunged, limbs outstretched like a frog, and the suit guy, only his grotesque face and hands visible.

They froze at the same time.

I gritted my teeth and thrust the spear into the checkered shirt guy’s head with all my might.

“Ha!”

Squish!

The metal pipe plunged into the top of his head.

I tried to pull it out, but it was stuck!

“Ugh!”

I pulled again with all my strength!

It came out!

No time!

I aimed the spear at the suit guy’s face.

“—a–a-”

Shit!

“Kra!”

I slammed the spear down onto his head with all my might.

Crack!

The feeling of something hard shattering and something soft being ripped apart transmitted through my fingertips.

A horrifying sensation.

Holy shit!

“-a-rawk!”

Crash!

The two roaring figures slammed against the door and collapsed.

And then, silence.

“Ha… ha… ha…”

My mind was blank.

I couldn’t think.

Gripping the pipe spear with both hands, I stood there, eyes wide, staring into space.

My breathing was ragged.

Was that my breathing?

After a moment, I heard a sound.

“…Whimper… sniff…”

…Who was crying?

It sounded like crying.

“Huff, ha… ha… hoo.”

I turned to the side.

My neck was stiff.

So-eun was whimpering and crying.

Ye-eun, I didn’t know when she moved, was holding So-eun.

“Don’t cry. Don’t cry. It’s over now.”

I watched them, panting.

I was barely sane.

In an instant…

I had eliminated three of them in an instant.

Ah.

I leveled up.

“Ha… ha… hoo… ha…”

Clang.

The spear fell.

My grip loosened, the strength draining from my hands.

Shit, no!

I bent down and picked up the spear.

“…Ugh!”

Shit, I felt like I was going to throw up!

I covered my mouth with both hands and lifted my head.

“Ugh!”

Holy shit!

I hadn’t eaten anything, why was I throwing up?!

I kept my mouth covered with both hands and endured.

Shit, don’t throw up.

Go back down!

There was nothing in my stomach, damn it!

Ah.

It passed.

The nausea passed.

I removed my hands and knelt down.

“Ha… ha… hoo… ha…”

I felt like my head was spinning.

I… killed three people.

No, four.

No, five.

…I killed five people.

In this convenience store.

…No.

Don’t be mistaken.

I kept making this mistake, I had to snap out of it.

Those weren’t people.

They weren’t human.

“Hoo… hoo…”

I grabbed the shelf and stood up, spear in hand.

“Hoo… hoo…”

So-eun was still whimpering beside me.

Snap out of it.

It was over.

Now, all I had to do was get out of here.

“Hoo… ha!”

Get a grip!

I pulled the spear.

Thud!

Something hit the door.

…Shit, it was the suit guy’s head.

It was still stuck on the spear.

I looked at Ye-eun and So-eun and said,

“…Don’t look.”

Ye-eun’s face was pale as she nodded. Then she hugged So-eun and buried her face in her sister’s hair.

I pushed the door open and pulled the spear at the same time.

Splat!

The spear came loose.

“Hoo… ha…”

…Done.

It was done now.

I was completely out of it.

I couldn’t think anymore.

I killed five people in one day.

I’d never imagined such a thing.

…This would give me trauma…

I tapped my forehead with my fist.

Get a grip.

Snap out of it.

I survived. That’s all that mattered.

I survived.

“Hoo… hoo.”

I took a deep breath and looked back at the girls.

They must have been in shock too.

Especially Ye-eun, she saw everything I did.

I said,

“…Let’s go. Home.”

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