Chapter 21: To Home

Jang Hoseop only used his invisibility skill during the initial ambush.

Despite that, he finished the battle without a single scratch.

He’s become quite adept at handling Goblins.

‘He said he’d never been in a fight in his life.’

It might have been good if he had Awakened a combat-related skill.

Fighting is an area where natural talent can’t be ignored.

“Did a general skill appear?”

“Yep!”

“Figure it out.”

Jang Hoseop also got a general skill upon reaching Level 10.

After telling him to find out about his new skill, I turned my gaze to the still-living Goblins.

‘Four of them. What should I do?’

First, I should probably tell the group about Goblins.

Their weaknesses, things to watch out for, etc.

If those people want to level up, they’ll eventually have to fight.

Jang Hoseop and I can help, but there’s something important.

The hesitation to kill a living creature.

This is a problem they must overcome themselves.

‘If I give all four to one person, will they level up?’

It’s ambiguous.

It might, or it might not.

I looked at the group, contemplating whether to have them each take one or give them all to one person.

“M-me!”

Lee Yuna shoots her hand up.

Thinking she’s quite proactive, I called the group over.

It was the moment I was about to have Lee Yuna practice first.

“Hyungnim. Just a moment.”

Jang Hoseop hurriedly approaches me.

He looks like he has something to say.

‘If he asks me to take care of his mother first.’

I am willing to do so.

So far, Jang Hoseop’s predictions have mostly been correct.

If he says his mother’s skill is the most useful, there would be a valid reason.

It wouldn’t matter even if he was just trying to take care of her first because she’s his blood relative.

However, it was neither of those.

“Hyungnim.”

Jang Hoseop sticks close to me and leans his head in.

“What is it.”

I instinctively recoiled.

Then, seeing Jang Hoseop holding his hand to his mouth, I felt uneasy but leaned my ear in.

“You’re going to make them kill Goblins, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Ms. Lee Yuna.”

Jang Hoseop’s voice isn’t that quiet.

It seems like the others can hear him too.

“How about trying out a skill?”

“A skill? With water?”

“Yes. We need to see if it has lethal power…”

I got a little annoyed.

“Hey. But why are you telling me this? Tell her directly.”

“Huh? No, rather than me, Hyungnim…”

Jang Hoseop backed away when I frowned.

“Haa. Goblins have similar weaknesses to humans.”

I kicked a struggling Goblin, flipping it over.

Its hideous nudity was fully exposed.

“First, the head. Hit it hard, and it dies. And the neck. They bleed too…”

I share the information I learned through personal experience.

They too have all Awakened skills, but they Awakened with just one.

Everyone listens quietly.

“Then, Ms. Lee Yuna first.”

“Yes.”

Instead of the knife she got from the department store, Lee Yuna takes out her personal water bottle.

It seems Jang Hoseop’s voice was indeed audible to her.

Gurgle

At Lee Yuna’s gesture, a stream of water shoots up.

Then it powerfully strikes the Goblin’s face.

Chwaak

“Kieeeek.”

The Goblin shakes its head violently as if annoyed.

That’s the end of it.

“Uh… A face wash?”

Hearing Jang Hoseop’s mumble, I held out my palm.

“Shoot it.”

“Huh?”

“Shoot it at my palm, just like that.”

Lee Yuna shot a stream of water at my palm.

It just felt like some pressure.

“It would be better to use a knife for the time being.”

“Ah… Yes. I’m sorry.”

Lee Yuna bows her head and answers with a dejected look.

It’s not something she needs to apologize to me for.

“Still, if you shoot it in the eyes or nose, they’ll be flustered. It would be good to aim for that opening.”

“Ah… Yes!”

Lee Yuna, who had bowed her head, lifts it.

Her face brightened, but then she met my eyes and bowed her head again.

“Hyungnim. Instead of that, how about trying to change its shape?”

“How?”

“Water Arrow or Aqua Arrow are basic skills, but… there’s also a method to draw it out thinly with higher pressure.”

Jang Hoseop says, leaning his head towards me again.

“No, but why do you keep doing that to me? Ms. Lee Yuna.”

“Yes!”

“Have a talk with him.”

“No, I’m more comfortable with Hyungnim…”

Lee Yuna laughs awkwardly.

Even so, Jang Hoseop continues to pour out various ideas to me.

“I know you have a rich imagination, so not me…”

“You have a good imagination too, Hyungnim.”

“No, that’s not what I meant. Never mind.”

“Huh?”

Today, too, I find Jang Hoseop hard to understand.

---

Eventually, Lee Yuna killed the Goblin with a knife.

She understood Jang Hoseop’s explanation but couldn’t put it into practice.

Aunt Sujeong and Mr. Lee Jangsu also killed one Goblin each.

And then we arrived at the Han River Railway Bridge.

“There’s only one clear path.”

The Han River Railway Bridge has a structure where four bridges are laid side by side.

Only the single-track bridge on the far left is intact.

“But can we pull the cart over that?”

“It won’t be comfortable.”

A bumpy railway track stretches on.

Broken and protruding structures are also visible here and there.

There’s a side path next to the tracks, but it’s so narrow that even people can barely pass.

It looks difficult to pull a wheeled cart through.

“Would it be alright if I tinkered with it for a moment?”

When Jang Hoseop and I were lost in thought, Mr. Lee Jangsu stepped forward.

“The cart?”

“Yes… I was wondering if we could temporarily put a support underneath so we can push it along the rails.”

Jang Hoseop talks with Mr. Lee Jangsu and then nods.

“Hyungnim. It looks like it’ll work.”

“Let’s do it.”

Materials are plentiful around here.

Mr. Lee Jangsu, with Jang Hoseop’s and my assistance, quickly modified the cart.

“Oh? If the track breaks, we can grab this and lift it.”

“Yes… I designed it that way.”

“Hey. Mister. I told you to speak comfortably to me, didn’t I?”

A temporary support that looked like a sedan chair handle was attached to the cart.

He said it could be quickly disassembled after crossing the bridge.

“Let’s go.”

We put the cart on the tracks.

It’s definitely convenient.

Jang Hoseop can push the cart by himself.

Whoooosh Thud

I walked a little ahead of the group.

Tossing the living Goblins far away.

These were the Goblins I had left alive earlier.

I can’t forget the monster I saw in the Han River on the first day.

I’m doing this just in case it might surge up.

“Kiek!”

Every time a Goblin falls onto the tracks, it makes a strange noise.

It seems like it would attract even monsters that would otherwise pass quietly.

Should I stop?

“No, why do the Goblins look pitiful?”

I hear Jang Hoseop’s mumble from behind.

When I turn around, Jang Hoseop changes the subject.

“Uh… Ah! Hyungnim, we need to lift the cart.”

It’s a point where the tracks are broken.

“I’ll help lift it!”

Lee Yuna quickly steps forward.

At that, Jang Hoseop panics and runs to the front of the cart.

Aunt Sujeong and Mr. Lee Jangsu also help.

“One, two!”

The four of them lift the cart and follow again.

The cart also contains liquids like water and alcohol, so it weighs quite a bit.

Even so, Jang Hoseop handles the front part of the cart by himself.

‘His strength must have increased too.’

Jang Hoseop told me his impressions after hitting Level 10.

About his new general skill as well.

My physical abilities jumped significantly at Level 10.

The same at Level 20.

Jang Hoseop said it felt like his power to use skills increased more than his physical abilities.

Using expressions like ‘Mana’ and ‘mental strength’.

We concluded that the benefits of leveling up can differ from person to person.

---

I slit the Goblin’s throat.

I continued to throw the now quiet Goblins as we crossed the Han River Railway Bridge.

Fortunately, no monsters jumped out of the water.

“Looks like they’re sleeping, right?”

“Yeah.”

Now we’re in Gangbuk. (North of the Han River)

We’ve arrived at the other side of the bridge, and one person is visible.

Below us is the Han River Park.

A little further, and there are stairs leading down to the park.

In front of those stairs, a barricade made of scrap materials is set up.

It’s a barricade that blocks the entire passage of the bridge.

A man is resting his arms on the chest-high barricade, dozing off.

“There’s one more person behind him.”

The feeling is strange.

Is it because there are people outdoors, not inside a building?

“Is that person dozing off too?”

“Probably. There’s no movement.”

“They’re out.”

Leaving the rest of the group, Jang Hoseop and I went to the barricade.

“Anyone there?”

Jang Hoseop approaches the man and offers a strange greeting.

I gripped my axe, ready to swing it at any moment.

“Excuse me!”

“Huh? I wasn’t sleepi— Eeheeheek?”

“What the? Shift cha— Sh*t.”

Two men jump up in surprise.

“Wh-what! Who are you people?”

“Hello. Just ordinary citizens.”

We confront each other blankly.

Then the man who had been dozing while standing suddenly performs a sentry challenge.

“Halt, halt, halt. Hands up…”

“Hey, you b*stard. They’re already here, what’s with the challenge.”

I grabbed Jang Hoseop’s wrist as he was about to raise his hands.

None of them seem to be in their right minds.

---

I told the two men guarding the barricade our purpose.

The older man asked for our understanding and then ran down the stairs.

Saying he would fetch the person in charge, it seems there’s a group of survivors nearby.

That’s probably why they’re guarding the passage like this.

‘Have they secured a territory?’

While waiting, I stood by the railing and carefully scanned the surroundings.

Goblin corpses lay along the Han River bank.

Orc corpses are also visible.

And I found traces of people on a road quite far from the river.

Like here, a barricade made of scavenged items blocks a narrow road.

“Mister. Are you a soldier?”

“Huh? Ah… Yes. I was on leave…”

“Him too?”

“No. I heard that hyungnim was discharged quite a while ago.”

While I was scanning the area and following the back of the man who had run down.

Jang Hoseop attempted to converse with the one who remained here.

“Phew, during your precious vacation period. Ah, what was your rank?”

“Private First Class.”

“Ah~ It’s really something that the world turned out like this… Still, not having to return to base is honestly a sweet deal, right?”

“Huh? Actually… Yes.”

The man who went down from the bridge arrived in front of a three-story building.

It’s quite a distance, but since there’s nothing obstructing the view in between, it’s clearly visible.

And, as if they knew the man was coming, several people came out from inside the building to meet him.

It seems to be thanks to the flag the man planted before he left.

“But it looks like this place serves as some kind of outpost?”

“That’s correct.”

“Oh. Do you live with many people?”

“Huh? Ah… Yes, well. A fair number.”

“That’s amazing. It must not have been easy.”

Jang Hoseop diligently gathers information.

Meanwhile.

The group conversing in front of the building started heading this way.

“What does this flag mean? It’s not like a horde of people are going to rush us and attack, right?”

“Huh? No. That just means something unusual has occurred…”

“Ah, I see. Perhaps the soldiers joined forces…”

“Um… You shouldn’t keep asking me.”

“Ah, really? My apologies.”

We could have just pushed through, but we waited.

The group coming this way from the building isn’t very large.

Also, Jang Hoseop is continuously sending signals.

He’s using his new general skill while conversing.

Jang Hoseop’s first general skill is ‘Lie Detection’.

He can identify false information.

That soldier is telling only the truth.

‘They’re here. Are they all Awakened?’

The group that started from the building entered my ‘Target Detection’ range.

All of them are Awakened.

Amusingly, a few are carrying guns they must have found somewhere.

They are all dressed in clothes padded around the torso and neck, like armor.

The magnitude of their aura is all smaller than Jang Hoseop’s.

Except for one.

“I’m just worried. The world is so dangerous… Ah, I don’t mean you’re a bad person, mister.”

“Our prosecutor is a righteous person. You don’t need to worry about that.”

A group of people comes up the stairs.

The woman at the front catches my eye.

Only that woman has a higher level than Jang Hoseop.

‘Level 15?’

Even the deceased Representative Kim wasn’t Level 10.

Yet the aura of this woman, who looks to be around my age, is much stronger than I expected.

‘Her physique is average. Is it an attack skill?’

I habitually observed her.

Gathering outwardly visible information and adding it to my imagination.

The woman wore comfortable sportswear.

Unlike the others, her clothing was light, with no padded areas.

And her walking posture and gait were stable.

What’s peculiar is that a long rod is attached to her left hip.

‘What’s that… a scabbard?’

A sword.

A real sword.

“This way.”

Finally, they arrived in front of us.

Jang Hoseop looked at me, so I signaled him to handle it.

“Hello. I’m Kang Haeseon.”

The woman and Jang Hoseop exchange greetings across the barricade.

As expected, that high-level woman was their leader.

“Are there five of you in total?”

“Yes.”

Kang Haeseon’s gaze shifts behind Jang Hoseop.

She glances at me briefly and then checks the other members of our group standing a short distance away.

Her eyes are sharp.

“Where are you headed?”

“Um… Do I have to say?”

“I asked because this is the first time anyone has crossed this bridge.”

They know our purpose.

To cross the bridge and go north.

But they seemed curious about us roaming around.

“You all know the world has changed, right?”

Kang Haeseon took the lead in the conversation.

How they banded together.

What the current situation is like, etc.

They are survivors from around here.

Kang Haeseon, along with people she already knew, fought and defeated monsters, and rescued people.

They are still continuously carrying out rescue operations.

“We’re similar. We were lucky to survive and came this far…”

“It doesn’t seem like just luck.”

She first shared her story and then naturally asked about ours.

Jang Hoseop answered briefly.

Where we started from and how we got here.

What monsters we saw, and how many people we met, etc.

The strange thing is that Kang Haeseon keeps looking at me too often.

“That’s amazing. Just five of you… But do you absolutely have to keep going?”

“Yes. We have something to find.”

“It won’t be easy. How about just joining our side?”

Kang Haeseon proposes we join them.

Jang Hoseop politely declined her offer.

“You could die… No, you’ll almost certainly die, won’t you?”

“Yes. But we still have to go.”

“Hmm… Open it.”

Kang Haeseon opens the barricade.

“I’m sorry.”

“Huh?”

“If I just let you go, it’s no different from aiding suicide.”

She wasn’t trying to let us go.

At her gesture, men started approaching.