20. Raid Again. (2)

In front of the underground passage.

It sounds like a loudspeaker is on.

The air vibrates with a rumbling sound.

I need to secure a retreat route.

Mixed in with the rumbling is a faint sound.

It’s not from the underground passage.

Far down the road somewhere.

A sound that’s a bit like a wolf howling…

…No.

It’s a man screaming.

…The sound has stopped.

He must be dead.

…The cockroaches are also on a raid.

The easiest prey for them are the neighborhood convenience stores and small supermarkets.

There’s nothing left for them to eat around here.

I’ve cleared it out, and Mr. Hoon has swept it all up.

We’re here.

From what I saw, they were scouting the boarding house, so they must be watching our movements.

The reason they haven’t come here is probably because of me.

So, their remaining option is the area around the medium-sized mart, the nearby alleys, and the shops.

They’re working hard, but…

From the scream just now, it seems someone got bitten again.

The way they immediately kill the bitten, no matter how much they beg or plead, shows that they’re getting better at this.

Yeah.

Survive there.

Kill each other off.

If you come here, you’ll die.

I chuckled, placed my hand on the hilt of my sword, and walked down into the underground passage.

Rumble-

The air shakes.

It seems to resonate more because it’s underground.

I slowly made my way down the wall of the underground passage.

I don’t know what the layout is like.

I’ve reached the bottom.

On the other side, there’s a road and stairs leading across.

There are no human beasts nearby.

I can hear them, so they must be in huge numbers.

I peeked around the corner.

A sign pointing to the subway is attached to the ceiling.

And beyond that, the underground shopping area spreads out.

Bookstores, cafes, and other shops are packed in.

There’s even an area like a park.

Benches, and in the middle… a small fountain?

It’s beautifully decorated with some kind of vine.

The beasts are there.

The scale is enormous.

Not even the underground parking lot of a high-rise or a large mart can compare.

It seems like the original high foot traffic, combined with people who fled here when the apocalypse hit, has created this.

And the subway.

There are many people getting on and off.

Even in broad daylight, some sections are always crowded.

I took a deep breath.

I need a place to hide.

The bookstore is completely open, with tables on the balcony, making it hard to move through.

The cafe is out of the question.

The other shops…

They’re all brightly lit and open, offering no cover.

The best place is the restroom.

It’s isolated from the outside, and the alley leading to it is curved, allowing me to completely escape the beasts’ line of sight. There are also stalls.

It’s the perfect hiding spot.

Is there a restroom nearby?

…There is.

It’s in an alley opposite the subway sign.

About 50 meters away.

Quite a distance.

“…Damn.”

Then…

I’ll have to fight my way through to get there.

If I clear a path to the restroom, I can use it as a forward base to lure and kill the beasts inside.

…Good.

So, the beasts blocking the way to the restroom…

I stepped away from the wall and walked down the corridor.

After a few steps, I took a deep breath.

“Come here!”

Clang!

My voice boomed through the underground passage, creating a short echo.

Krrrraaaaa!

The beasts all turned their heads.

They roar.

They howl.

The air trembles.

I drew my sword.

Swoosh-

The beasts charge.

They run, they fall, they trample each other.

They climb over, they collide, they fall.

They struggle as they are trampled.

The beasts create a human wave, colliding with each other.

They rush at me with incredible speed, madly, their faces filled with madness.

With the sole purpose of capturing and killing me.

Krrrraaaaa!

I held my sword and looked at the beasts.

My head slowly lowers.

My knees, my waist, gradually bend.

My arms spread wide.

The sword glints, reflecting the light.

It’s blinding.

I held two swords and looked at the horde of human beasts rushing at me like a wave.

Krrrraaaaa!

The sound hits the walls.

It echoes from all sides.

The echo is so intense, it seems to come from behind.

The ground shakes.

Krrrraaaaa!

They’re coming.

The beasts are coming.

…Here they are!

I smiled, pushed off with my knees, and leaped.

And, in an instant, I charged in.

I made my way up to the entrance of the underground passage, grabbed the railing, and caught my breath.

“…Phew.”

“Krrrrrruk!”

A strange sound accompanied by a rumbling, earthquake-like noise echoed.

The sound continued.

The beasts, tripping over the fallen, losing speed, colliding with those behind them, are creating a chain reaction, forming a wall of zombies.

I turned around and looked down at the beasts entangled below.

Blood dripped from my chin and hair.

I’ll rest a bit and then go back in.

I used 10 Accelerations.

If there weren’t so many stairs, I could have saved some Accelerations.

It’s a shame.

The closest place is…

The boarding house.

It feels like it’s been a while, even though it’s only been a few days.

It’s quite welcoming.

I wiped the blood dripping from my chin with the back of my hand and swung my sword to remove the blood.

Swoosh- Thud!

Swoosh- Click.

I sheathed my sword and returned to the boarding house.

Creak- Click.

The automatic lock sound.

And the stairs.

The clothesline.

Everything is the same.

I climbed the stairs and returned to the familiar attic room.

The clothes…

Tsk.

They’ll get soaked in blood again, so why bother?

I casually took them off and put them aside, then went to the shower to wash off the blood.

Leaving the toiletries behind was a good move.

I just leveled up by 3.

I immediately put the points into health.

Three raids a day.

I really want to try it.

Increasing my strength or the number of Accelerations is less appealing than being able to speed up the raids themselves.

Current health, 75.

Level…

Oh, 51?

That’s pretty fast.

It feels like just yesterday I was feeling lost, but I’ve already risen halfway.

If I can clear the underground passage well, I should be fine until the next specialization.

I finished my shower feeling good and went up to the rooftop to smoke a cigarette.

This is a pretty good strategy.

From this rooftop, I can see the alley of the medium-sized mart I cleared before.

Plus, the view is quite nice, and I can see the sky.

Most importantly, I can see the entire neighborhood, allowing me to track where the cockroaches are swarming.

Of course, the best view is from the building rooftops.

But this is closer.

The beasts are far away.

If they get close, I can respond immediately.

If possible, I don’t want the women I care about…

…to get hurt.

I’ve been watching over them, and they’ve become somewhat close. If they get hurt because of the cockroaches, I’ll feel terrible.

I might not hold back and exterminate all the cockroaches.

Whether they’re human or not, I don’t care.

So, it’s better if they don’t come this way.

I took a few puffs of my cigarette and stretched.

The view is nice.

I looked around the building.

Are the people there watching me from the windows or the rooftop?

No one is.

I chuckled and looked around the area again.

Right.

This was my base camp from the beginning.

It still is my base camp.

Ah.

I forgot the charger.

Current battery: 44%.

I wanted to watch YouTube while my stats recharge.

Tsk.

I’ll save the battery.

I put the phone away and went back into the room.

I ate some snacks from my bag and lounged around for a few hours before messaging Soo-hyeon.

[Soo-hyeon. I’m at the boarding house.]

[Huh? What are you doing there?]

[Just lying around.]

[Hahaha]

[Is everything okay?]

[Yeah. We’re about to have dinner. Everyone’s gathered on the rooftop. Come here instead of staying there.]

[I’ll head back down soon. Don’t worry about me, enjoy your meal.]

[There are a lot of zombies down there?]

I thought for a moment before replying.

[A lot.]

[T-T… Have dinner, okay? The others here want to see you too.]

Ah, Soo-hyeon…

You’re so cute.

No one takes care of me like you do.

I might make you my main squeeze, just…

I chuckled and sent a message.

[I’ll come back tonight.]

[T-T Can’t you come now?]

[^^]

I ended the conversation there.

Meat… it’s good.

I’m a carnivore.

But the reason I’m not going there is…

I’ll get horny after eating a lot of meat and resting a bit.

…It’s already rising.

If I see Soo-hyeon, Ye-eun, So-eun, Jung-eun, and other women, I’ll definitely lose control.

No.

Leveling up is the priority.

I’ll finish the night raid and then return.

After that…

I’ll think about it then.

Lying down and looking down, my lower body is indeed bulging.

…I’ll just rest.

10 PM.

I confirmed that all my stats were recharged, put on my blood-soaked clothes, and strapped on my lifting belt.

It’s midnight outside.

The stars are out.

I looked at the stars for a bit before going down the stairs.

I stepped out the front door and looked around.

It’s almost a habit now.

“…………”

I see movement in the distance.

It’s that utility pole again.

It quickly disappears when it notices I’m looking.

…Should I chase it?

No, it’s a waste of Acceleration.

Still, the cockroaches have definitely been observing our situation.

Whether they’re afraid, hostile, or both because they’re afraid…

Since that incident, they’ve been completely wary of me.

They’re not concerned about the people on our side. If they were, they wouldn’t have swarmed and caused chaos like that.

It’s me.

What the beasts are wary of is…

Yeah, keep being wary of me.

I chuckled and walked to the underground passage.

And, I went down into the underground.

Bodies are piled up.

Exactly 30 of them.

I stepped over the bodies and took a deep breath.

I drew my sword.

Swoosh-

And, I shouted.

“Come here!”

Krrrraaaaaak!

The air vibrates.