Chapter 8: Escape Day 1 (3)
by fnovelpia
“Die!!!”
A survivor charged, swinging a machete.
Yuhyun angled his spear to block the blade.
Clang!
Sparks flew with a metallic ring.
Yuhyun twisted his wrist, sliding the machete off, and swung.
The spear traced a clean arc.
Slash—
“Gah!”
A survivor clutched their neck and collapsed.
A hammer flew from the side.
Yuhyun ducked, sweeping the spear low across the ground.
Thud!
Tripped by the shaft, a survivor stumbled, and Yuhyun pushed a zombie’s back, gifting it to the fallen foe.
“GRAAH!”
“Argh! Damn!”
Zombie and survivor tangled, rolling on the ground.
‘They’re starting to surround me.’
While facing two survivors and a zombie, the rest—zombies and survivors alike—closed in from both sides.
Wary of provoking the zombies, the survivors held back slightly.
‘Hm, let’s see… basic spear techniques were like this, right?’
Yuhyun gripped the rear of the spear, letting it hang loose.
The tip began to sway flexibly.
(Block)
Parry the enemy’s attack, securing space.
(Seize)
Swing the spear, using centrifugal force to slash.
(Strike)
Thrust into the gap with the shortest, fastest path.
In a flash, the spear whipped like lightning.
Crack!
It flowed naturally into a thrust.
Yuhyun wielded the spear with his whole body, blending attack and defense seamlessly, the trajectory growing sharper.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Slash! Stab!
– Wow… something’s… different…?
– Trash cut! Trash cut! Trash cut! Trash cut! Trash cut!
He deflected a side-swinging blade, then stabbed into an opening.
Dull thuds rang out as zombie heads shattered one after another.
– Damn, legit apocalypse warrior
– Alright, survivor superfans, zombie stalkers, “That’s as far as you go.”
– Insane, for real…
– Wait, wasn’t Tangle skilled with a knife? Why’s he good with a spear too?
In moments, the zombies ahead were wiped out, and the survivors behind started falling.
As expected—
“GUOOOAH!!”
Unable to just watch its kin die, the Patchwork Golem’s fist flew toward Yuhyun.
BOOOOM—!!
The punch dug into the ground, a heavy tremor echoing.
But Yuhyun was already gone.
Instead, survivors aiming for him got crushed by the blow.
– Finally, Patchwork Golem’s grand entrance!!!
– Damn, how do you even beat this;;
– What are these survivors doing? Still totally fine
‘So, this is a dangerous attack? One hit, and I’m done?’
Just a crater and a rumble.
In the other world, a punch like that wouldn’t even work as a shoulder massager.
Fresh from his return, adjusting to the gap was tough.
He’d thought facing zombies and survivors would be fun.
It wasn’t even that.
But mistakes always stem from carelessness.
Yuhyun tightened his grip on his slackening focus.
‘Right. Think of it like when Ball of Light abducted me. And I met this thing right after returning.’
That made it a fitting foe.
His current body felt similar too.
His ocean-like mana and tough muscles were now a deflated balloon, his hard-earned achievements and mastery gone.
All that remained was experience.
Against this monster, it was indeed a worthy challenge.
His pulse quickened, adrenaline surging.
A life-or-death, razor-edge battle.
This was the moment he loved most.
Without this thrill, he couldn’t have been a hero for ten years.
As the Patchwork Golem drew back its left arm to swing, Yuhyun tilted right.
WHOOSH—
A fierce gust whipped past where he’d stood.
Slash!
Yuhyun’s eyes flashed, his spear slicing a long gash across the Golem’s thigh.
Blood sprayed like a meteor’s tail.
“GUOOOOH—!!!”
Enraged by a puny human’s blow, the Golem roared, flailing fists wildly.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
A barrage of punches rained down.
Dodge, dodge, and dodge again.
Yuhyun moved like he read the Golem’s actions a step ahead.
Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!
Each dodge paired with a spear strike.
But the Golem’s thick legs limited him to scraping flesh off its lower half.
– Fat-legged freak ㅠㅠ
– Man, one solid hit would do it, but no angle
– Tangle’s good, but the size gap’s too big…
Viewers fretted over the lack of solid hits, but Yuhyun had a grasp on the Golem’s patterns.
‘Hm. This’ll work.’
Staring at the Golem, he began unwinding the rope from his arm.
– What’s he doing?
– Gonna tie it up and capture it?
“Oh, I had an idea earlier I wanted to try.”
A long-ago manga about giants.
He felt this body could mimic the protagonists’ technique against them.
The weighted rope unfurled, trailing to the ground.
“GUOOO—!”
Yuhyun spun and threw the rope, wrapping the Golem’s right arm.
As the Golem raised it, he didn’t resist the pull, letting it lift him into the air.
– He’s flying…?
Slash!
Soaring, Yuhyun carved deep into the Golem’s shoulder with the spear.
Pulling the rope, he closed the gap, stabbing at its back.
Stab!
The spear dug deep.
The Golem swung to grab him, but Yuhyun kicked off its back, darting away.
Head, flanks, back.
Winding and unwinding the rope, he targeted weak spots.
Yuhyun flitted around the Golem like a bird circling a tree.
Striking the softer upper body instead of the tough legs—
“Gu-huk— Gu-huk— Gu-huk—”
Soon, the Golem was riddled with deep wounds.
Rotten blood pooled on the ground, its breathing ragged.
Suddenly, the bloodied Golem staggered, hunching over.
Creak—
With an ominous sound—
WHOOSH!
Body parts stitched to it shot out like living tendrils, lunging at Yuhyun from all angles.
A dire, all-out assault!
But Yuhyun saw his chance.
‘Now!’
Whip—
The rope coiled around the Golem’s neck.
He stepped forward, sliding along the rope like a bolt toward the Golem.
And the next moment—
SLASH——
Yuhyun streaked past.
A beat later—
THUD—!
The headless Golem’s massive body collapsed.
Its giant head was impaled on his spear.
– WAAH!!!! Tore it apart!!
– He actually did it!!!!!!
– Crazy guy crazy guy crazy guy!!!!
– Tangle Yuhyun tears through golems!!!!
– What the hell did he do with the rope? How’d he do that?
– Chills haven’t stopped since the first dodge damn, legit 3D maneuvers lol
– Where’d the “Tangle’s overrated” crowd go?
– Shut up and bolted lol
– Haters grinding their teeth rn lol
– National Intelligence, Special Forces, ex-athlete ain’t a joke anymore;;;
– Wow damn
Ding—♪
A donation bell rang, and Yuhyun smiled, satisfied.
“Hmm~ What game should we play today~”
A woman with shoulder-length black hair, dark eyes, and full lips spoke in a sing-song tone.
Her name: Han Seola.
Streamer nickname: ‘FluffyBun’.
– Ready to grind your teeth again?
– Grind… chomp… grind… chomp…
– Same game every day, and you ask “what game” lol
– Please win within 10 tries today…
Terrible at games, her absurd skills and lively reactions drew aggro and a loyal fanbase.
“Hey, I’m, uh? It’s just bad team luck! With good luck, I’d win like I eat, highlights galore!”
– BS, a year into this game and every match is bad luck? Is that a game, girl lol
– FluffyBun (21 years without a meal)
– Fluffy’s gonna starve ㅠㅠㅠ
– Poor Fluffy ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
– Does our Fluffy even know what a full stomach is?
“Ugh, just watch today. I’ll show you.”
Burning with resolve to prove herself amid the taunts, a sound rang out.
Ding—♪
[‘HawkEye’ has donated 100,000 won!]
[Hey, before gaming, check this. ‘That game’ clip. You’ll regret missing it. Alpha moves, legit.]
“Gasp! 10-100,000 won! Thanks for the donation! Uh… a clip donation?”
Han Seola’s eyes sparkled at the hefty sum, then furrowed at the message.
‘That game.’
She knew exactly what it meant.
Escape.
The name alone dredged up sour memories.
Years ago, strapped for cash, she joined a game dev project.
They’d proposed using her likeness and personality for a tutorial NPC.
It seemed easy—lend her face and voice.
She’d agreed, hoping to draw viewers.
But the game was horror, her weakness.
Her role? A pathetic NPC who rushed zombies and died fast.
They’d made the zombies too realistic, leaving her crying buckets, struggling.
‘I had zombie nightmares for a whole month!’
It did boost her viewership, sure! But still!
– Oh ‘that game’ lol
– She’s too scared to watch, right?
– Always skips Escape clips lol
– ‘Alpha moves’ though, instant play urge
– For real lol
– You’re not watching!? Really not!?
Her viewers knew she’d worked on Escape.
‘…I’d rather not, usually.’
But, as they said, this ‘alpha moves’ thing piqued her curiosity.
Gulp.
Facing herself torn apart by zombies again wasn’t thrilling, but—
Curiosity killed the cat, right?
‘It’s old news! I’ll be fine now! Yep!’
With baseless confidence, Han Seola played the clip.
The screen opened on a grotesque giant.
“HIEEEE—!!”
She hugged herself, squealing pathetically.
– HIEEEE! So lame lol
– Girl, lose the chest lol
– Ugh, what’s that thing? So gross…
– Patchwork Golem lol, basically Escape’s final boss
‘Ugh, should’ve skipped! Should’ve skipped! Should’ve skipped!!!’
Who made such a disgusting monster!
Nightmares were 100% booked tonight.
But as the screen shifted—
“…Huh?”
Her eyes widened.
First, a handsome man atop a tree caught her gaze.
– Gasp!
– Waaaaah
– Wooow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
– Crazy!!!
– Super hot!!!!
– A vibe like this… in Fluffy’s stream…?
The chat flipped out.
But something else shocked her more.
‘I’m… alive?’
There she was, in the man’s arms, clinging like a lover.
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