The Apocalypse Has Been Downloaded – Chapter 21

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: JayM
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“Argh!!!! They’re coming up!!!!”

“The rooftop access door has been breached!!!!”

“F-fuck!!!! Centipede!!!!”

The rooftop had already been breached.

And with it, zombies were crawling up on the centipedes.

It was obvious what would happen to the non-Awakened in this situation.

Even the Awakened would have a hard time surviving.

Of course, me, Eun-ji and Ha-rin wouldn’t die since we had our sprays, but…

The moment the rooftop access door was breached, and the zombies poured in, I decided to run.

Even if I used the spray and fought to defend the supermarket, I would need considerable firepower to kill special zombies like the War Boys, which were tougher than regular zombies, and the zombie centipedes.

I would have to use my skills one after another, and I didn’t have enough mana for that.

My Magic stat of 30 was far from enough to kill all the special zombies in sight.

It would be a huge waste of time to use the spray, fight, rest, and fight again, so I decided it was better to escape to a less populated area with fewer zombies.

Honestly, I had no obligation to save all the people here, nor did I have a way to save them all, so it was a quick decision for me.

I didn’t feel bad about leaving them behind.

I never valued the non-Awakened for more than their labor anyway.

The thugs didn’t have any useful skills and were non-Awakened, and the women weren’t worth the effort of saving just for me to have sex with them.

Still, if I had to pick a few things that were unfortunate, it would be losing a rare-class Mage, an obedient level 9 combat slave, and the supermarket I had just conquered…

Was it worth using the precious spray and holding out on the rooftop for the Ha brothers, and the Mage?

Was this supermarket worth the blood, sweat, and tears to protect it?

With the rooftop already breached, there was no way to escape without using the spray.

My point is, were they worth sharing our precious spray charges?

If we shared the spray, the three of us would barely be able to escape, let alone have the luxury of taking other slaves with us.

And with my low mana, there were many special zombies that would be difficult to kill without skills.

There didn’t seem to be a way to retake the supermarket.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure.

Even if I used the spray generously and held out until morning, the supermarket’s rooftop had already drawn too much aggro.

The odds weren’t in our favor.

It seemed better to abandon everything and for the three of us to escape.

It was a shame about the slaves, but I could always capture other useful Awakened individuals elsewhere.

It was also a shame about the food and supplies in the supermarket, but it wasn’t like this was the only supermarket around.

Of course, if there were any supermarkets that survived the zombie attacks even after the update, they would likely be occupied by strong Awakened who had overcome such difficult raids…

But wouldn’t there be at least one place where Eun-ji, Ha-rin, and I could squeeze in?

And if the Awakened were strong enough to be roaming around freely after the update, they would probably be too strong to be easily captured, right…?

As I was weighing these various concerns and calculations in my mind, and ultimately deciding to flee…

“Choose whatever you want.”

A peddler appeared before me.

The items he was selling were likely to be the key to overcoming this obstacle.

And such a peddler appeared at just the right time.

Could it be that the entity that directly influenced my luck stat and class was watching me now and giving me a little help?

Was this a donation to me?

The fact that the peddler appeared right here, right now, had to be due to my luck stat of 666.

And this abnormal luck stat and my Cultist class seemed to be deeply connected to some unknown ‘god’ mentioned in the Human Sacrifice skill.

‘God… What do you want from me…? Do you want me to save the slaves and reclaim the supermarket? Yeah, it would be a painful loss to have it taken by these zombie bastards. Depending on how useful the peddler’s items are… maybe I can save a couple of slaves and try to reclaim the supermarket…’

Perhaps this was a chance given to me by the heavens.

Maybe it was a divine revelation telling me not to throw away all the slaves I had just captured on the first days of the update.

Yes, it must be a sign to not so easily give up the supermarket full of food that I had worked so hard to take.

The moment the peddler appeared so conspicuously before me, my favorability towards this ‘god’ skyrocketed.

I felt a gaze from somewhere far above in the sky.

Ever since the update began at midnight, I had been feeling some kind of gaze on me.

I couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was staring intently at me.

‘God… When I level up this time, I’ll definitely learn the Human Sacrifice skill first.’

I wasn’t sure if the one helping me was really the ‘god’ I had in mind, but I decided to appreciate the miracle in front of me for now.

This felt like receiving anonymous aid from an unknown benefactor, and it warmed my heart…

‘Yeah, even if it’s an unknown evil god, it doesn’t matter as long as it helps me.’

As long as it didn’t try to take over my body, or demand Eun-ji or Ha-rin as sacrifices, I didn’t think it would be bad to get closer to this ‘god’.

Maybe the ‘god’ was even considering this, and was helping me to lower my guard…

Well, whatever.

“Hey!!! Ha Jin-seong!!! Ha Jin-woo!!!! And you all!!! All my slaves, come here!!!!”

The slaves responded to my voice and rushed to my side.

They reacted faithfully to my command, regardless of whether the non-Awakened around them were being killed by zombies.

“Wh, what!? Hyung-nim! We’re all going to die like this! Huh? Who is this!?”

“Fuck! Who the hell is this guy!? Where did he come from?”

The Ha brothers rushed over, pointed at the peddler, and screamed.

Their reactions were identical.

Were they really brothers?

I didn’t have time to answer their questions.

I had to check the peddler’s wares and decide whether to run again or try to save the slaves.

‘Yeah, I’ll buy some items and fight, and if it still doesn’t work out, I’ll just run away with Eun-ji and Ha-rin.’

If the peddler’s items were good enough to help us escape this crisis, I would try to save the other slaves and reclaim the supermarket, but if it didn’t work out, I would escape with just Eun-ji and Ha-rin as originally planned.

“You guys, keep the zombies away from me as much as possible! If we do this right, we might all survive.”

“Yes! Hyung-nim!!!”

“Argh!!! You bastards!!!”

At the mention of survival, the Ha brothers, with determined expressions, started punching and kicking like mad, diligently beating back the zombies that had climbed up on the zombie centipedes.

Along with them, Kim Min-joon and the warrior Kim Il-woo also swung their weapons, pushing back the zombies.

If they got bitten… it would be a shame, but for now, those guys had to buy me some time.

“Eun-ji, Ha-rin. Spray your faces and fight! No, protect me!”

“Yes! Oppa!”

“Yes!!”

I had them use the repellent.

I felt like I would be mentally unstable if either of them got bitten.

For now, those two also had to protect me safely while I purchased the items.

“How do I buy these items?”

“Pick one. Read the description. Pay the coins.”

There were six items on display.

‘The ring first…!’

I picked up a ring with a green gemstone.

“Purchase!”

I bought it immediately.

I couldn’t not buy this.

I always had to sit still and rest to recover Magic, but this item eliminated that need.

Thanks to my slaves who were earning me coins in real time, I was able to purchase it quickly.

I immediately put on the ring and picked up a syringe filled with blue liquid.

‘Why would they even sell this?’

I didn’t have enough coins to buy it anyway.

And I had no intention of buying it.

‘Wait, maybe… this could be good for torture…’

I didn’t have time to think about it now, so I moved on to the next item.

It was an incredible item that could turn a non-Awakened into an Awakened, but it wouldn’t be of immediate help in battle.

If I bought this, I might not be able to buy other items.

I would put it on hold until we got through tonight.

The remaining items were a red book, a blue sleep mask, and a black orb.

‘These three don’t seem like they’ll be of immediate help either…’

For now, Eun-ji and Ha-rin were holding out, so I decided to check them all.

It was interesting, but a salamander wouldn’t be of much help in the current battle.

What I needed now wasn’t a small, cute lizard, but a huge fire dragon.

It was cheap, but it wouldn’t help in the current battle either.

‘The last one… Please let it be something useful…’

Just as I was starting to think that I should just run away…

‘This is… Fuck… Ah… This is driving me crazy…’

I was hesitant to give it to someone else because they might die…

And I was also hesitant to take it myself… but I couldn’t give it up.

It increased Magic by a whopping 200 points!!!

This item could instantly turn the tide of this grim battle.

It was probably being sold at a relatively low price as a life gamble.

It seemed to imply that those on the verge of death should just take it.

It was almost like a suicide pill.

A 22% chance of instant death…

‘A 22% chance of instant death… A real gamble with my life…’

Fortunately, I had enough coins saved up.

The slaves were also supplying them to me in real time.

I could buy it.

‘Should I give it to Hwang Soo-min…?’

As a Mage, Hwang Soo-min needed Magic the most.

Of course, as a Cultist, I was also chronically short on Magic, but…

‘If I give her this and have her spam magic, we might be able to defend the supermarket…’

But what if I gave it to Hwang Soo-min and she died?

22% was a pretty high probability.

Shouldn’t it be considered almost certain death?

If Hwang Soo-min died after taking it, it would be a waste of a slave, a waste of the core, and a waste of coins.

And a waste of time.

‘Then what about me taking it…’

Could I avoid that 22%?

‘Fuck, my luck stat is 666, but…’

I didn’t intend to rely solely on my luck stat.

I wasn’t confident that I wouldn’t die.

But for some reason, I felt like I wouldn’t die if I took it now…

I looked up at the sky without realizing it.

Like a devout believer seeking an answer from God.

‘Can I take it…?’

The large moon and stars silently twinkled in the night sky.

I still felt someone’s gaze on me, but there was no answer.

If I had learned the Human Sacrifice skill and became closer to ‘god’, would I have received a proper answer?

‘Sigh… If I take this… I’ll be saying goodbye to my Magic shortage. An increase of 200 in Magic… It’s 200… This is a crazy, unbelievable number.’

An increase of 200.

I couldn’t even fathom how many levels it would take for me to reach that number.

Considering that stats randomly increased by 1 to 5 when leveling up, an immediate increase of 200 was a huge boost.

And if I took this now, my Magic would become 230, which meant I could use “Summon Tentacles” with both hands and create dozens of slaves one after another.

I could spam “Unholy Touch” and melt War Boys, zombie centipedes, and everything else.

The various skills I would acquire in the future would surely consume a lot of Magic.

Shouldn’t I just take this no matter what?

A chance to become overpowered…!

‘Magic… 200…’

I couldn’t give this up.

Yeah, let’s just close my eyes and take it.

I had a feeling I could do it.

I felt like the ‘god’ up above was nodding at me.

‘Gambling is my, Jang Jo-joon’s, thing… I have always been strangely good at drawing lots since I was a kid.’

Honestly, I was excited from the beginning when I saw that it could increase Magic by 200.

‘Jang Jo-joon… You wanted to take it from the start…’

Yeah. And it was even cheaper than that TS Syringe.

The story wouldn’t progress if I didn’t take it now.

‘Sigh… Fuck. I was going to take it anyway, why did I waste so much time thinking about it… Purchase…’

I didn’t have time to hesitate anymore.

From the corner of my eye, I saw that Eun-ji and Ha-rin were still killing zombies relatively easily.

But their breathing was becoming ragged.

The warrior Kim Il-woo was being beaten and crushed by a War Boy.

The archer Lee Eun-hye was also screaming and running away from a zombie centipede.

The Ha brothers were also surrounded by zombies and on the verge of death.

Hwang Soo-min seemed to have run out of Magic already.

Where the fuck did Kim Min-joon go?

“Purchase!”

I quickly purchased the Black Serpent’s Core.

God was watching me…

Please don’t let me die…

Please! Luck 666, do your job…!

“Sigh… fuck!!!”

With my eyes tightly closed, I popped the Black Serpent’s Core into my mouth.

I wondered if I really needed to take this gamble… but my soul was telling me I needed this.

That I had to take this no matter what.

That if I didn’t take it now, I would regret it for the rest of my life, clutching my small mana pool and pathetically calculating my mana consumption.

I couldn’t do that.

This was a chance…!

Gulp!

“Argh!!!!”

I did it!

I was trembling with excitement.

I could feel the dense magical energy within my body!!!

“God!!!!”

I shouted to the sky.

Since I had received so much help, I should offer a generous amount of sacrifices through Human Sacrifice.

I could always find people to sacrifice.

What was there to fear with a mana pool of 230?

As soon as my Magic increased, I used a skill.

“Al-la-kum-R’lyeh!”

A purple magic circle immediately formed, and tentacles burst from my hand.

The tentacles, which felt strangely more powerful than before, instantly grabbed and crushed the head of the War Boy that was about to kill Kim Il-woo, and then grabbed and crushed the zombie centipede that was chasing Lee Eun-hye, along with three other unknown special zombies.

“Yes!!!!”

My level increased the moment I killed a large number of special zombies.

I had killed a lot of regular zombies over the weekend, but my level hadn’t increased until now.

“O, oppa…!”

“Master! Huh? S-something… seems to have changed…?!”

“Wait, Oppa, what do we do now? Are we going to keep fighting?”

As I joined the battle, Eun-ji and Ha-rin, who had been struggling with the War Boys, called out to me.

They were asking if we should run or keep fighting.

Their eyes sought my decision.

The surroundings were a mess of zombie and human corpses.

Fortunately or unfortunately, there were still a few non-Awakened who had survived this melee.

All the Awakened were also alive.

“We keep fighting. Ras-Jakun.”

As I chanted the spell, a sticky green slime was secreted from the palms of my hands.

It was the effect of the skill ‘Unholy Touch’.

It consumed 3 Magic per use.

It rotted, corroded, and melted anything it touched.

If it touched a zombie, it would die.

Remaining Magic: 218.

I consumed 6 Magic by killing five special zombies simultaneously with “Summon Tentacles”.

I used another 6 by activating “Unholy Touch” on both of my hands.

I could only use “Summon Tentacles” 2 more times, so I couldn’t use it carelessly.

So, I would use my repellent spray and use “Unholy Touch” to kill all the special zombies for the next 2 hours.

I could use “Unholy Touch” 72 times, and my Magic would recover while I was fighting thanks to the Green Mana Stone Ring.

I felt like I could do anything now.

“I’m going to kill all the special zombies first! How dare they try to take our home! These motherfuckers!!!”

“Okay!”

“Yes! Master!”

Eun-ji and Ha-rin seemed like they could still fight.

If we could just kill all the special zombies, we could kill the rest with crowbars.

It was worth a try.

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T/N – Hell, yeah! That’s what I’m talking about! We finally see the MC kick some zombie asses in the next chapter.

Also, lol at that comment of the story not progressing if the MC didn’t eat the stone. MC’s becoming self-aware.

Finally, I knew the store had what he needed to turn his situation around. I also knew the MC would survive that 22% chance of death due to his 666 luck. The fact that the MC commented that all his thinking only wasted time resonated with me so much, it actually ticked me off. I feel like the author did it on purpose 😅

If you find any mistakes, feel free to point them out in the comments.