22. Third Specialization. (1)

7 AM.

A bit early.

I rubbed my eyes, got up, armed myself, and went down to the first-floor mart.

My eyes are a bit sore, but I feel quite refreshed after getting a lot of sleep.

The vegetable, fruit, meat, and seafood sections in the mart were completely empty. Some meats and seafood are no longer edible, and the edible ones were probably eaten by people before they went bad.

The vegetable and fruit sections were emptied as people planted what they could and discarded the rest.

I opened the freezer to see if there was anything to eat and found it full of prepared and frozen vegetables. Other households probably have the same situation.

The garden team must have come and gone, organizing these food supplies. The corpse team is still busy cleaning up bodies.

I looked around the empty shelves and walked over to the snack section.

It’s quite a large mart.

There’s still an abundance of food.

I grabbed some energy bars and snacks and went outside through the shutter that the inline club member was guarding.

“Have a good trip.”

“Yeah, see you later.”

He nodded, and I nodded back.

I have 12 levels left.

I should be able to finish them today.

It had been drizzling since morning.

The sky had been gloomy for a few days.

The rain started the day after Jung Eun-seo’s brother died.

I don’t want to read too much into it, but it is a bit strange.

A small funeral.

Some people wiped away tears, but no one seemed to be overwhelmed by the death of one person. Too many people have already died, and they’ve adapted to death, whether consciously or unconsciously.

Jung Eun-seo was looking at me during the funeral.

Jung Eun-seo didn’t say anything to me.

I didn’t say anything to her either.

But her eyes were asking for a lot, pleading with me.

She wanted revenge.

She wanted the bastards to pay, and her eyes were screaming at me.

Yeah.

It’s not hard.

It will happen when the time comes.

I don’t know how it will happen.

People’s patience is almost at its limit after Jung Eun-seo’s brother’s death. If the cockroaches make even a slight move, the collective restraint will snap.

When that happens…

It will happen.

For now, the new specialization.

Level up.

 * * *

It was well past 9 PM.

“…Phew…”

Three raids.

And, level 100.

I sat on a bench by the fountain, opened my status window, and allocated my stats.

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Chosen One

[Specialization – Survival Expert] [Level – Max.]

[Title – Strengthened]

Status

[Health – 91/100] [Senses – 2/2]

[Strength – 0/45] [Agility – 4/4]

[Spirit – 11/71] [Intelligence – N/A]

[Unallocated Points – 0]

Skills

[Passive – Soul Tattoo Lv. 2]

[Passive – Recovery]

[Active – Acceleration] (Auto-cast)

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71 spirit…

Quite a bit of leeway.

Whatever.

14 uses of Acceleration isn’t bad.

The specialization tab is blinking.

I raised my hand and tapped on Survival Expert.

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ㅡ. Time Adjuster (Max)

ㅡ. Survival Expert (Max)

1. Shadow Warrior.

2. Wild Hunter.

3. Space Explorer.

4. ??? (Unselectable)

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Yeah…

This is it.

Shadow Warrior.

Wild Hunter.

Space Explorer.

I need to think carefully this time.

I can’t just randomly select one.

The Time Adjuster specialization corresponded to spirit, and the Survival Expert to health.

The remaining stats are strength, senses, and agility.

The 4th specialization is probably linked to the intelligence stat, which hasn’t been unlocked yet.

It might unlock when the 4th specialization is available.

So, which of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd specializations correspond to which stats?

And what are the features of each specialization?

The only clue is the name.

Warrior…

Hunter…

Explorer…

…Hmm.

Wait.

There’s another aspect to consider.

The rewards for specialization achievements.

When I chose the Time Adjuster specialization, I got a storage room.

I don’t know what it does.

When I occasionally check it out of boredom, the only thing there is a Soul Stone, which I can’t even touch and just shows a number.

When I got the Survival Expert specialization, I received maintenance gloves.

Maintenance gloves.

They’re quite useful.

Choosing a new specialization means getting a new reward.

The more I think about it, the more complicated it gets.

I crossed my arms and stared at the specialization selection screen for a long time, pondering.

This time, I definitely want a specialization directly related to combat.

But the Space Explorer doesn’t seem to have much to do with combat.

So, the choices are Shadow Warrior and Wild Hunter.

…Damn.

I can’t decide.

I have a choice disorder.

How can I know which stat and reward correspond to these names?

The Shadow Warrior feels like it’s agility because of the assassin vibe, but the Wild Hunter could be strength because it makes me think of a barbarian with an axe, or agility because it could be a hunter with a bow, or senses because it’s about the wild. I don’t know, damn it!

Let’s just flip a coin.

I searched my pockets, but there was no coin, only my phone.

I sighed deeply and held the phone close to the ground.

I balanced it on my finger and took a deep breath.

“Please don’t break the screen. There’s no service center now.”

Heads is Shadow Warrior.

Tails is Wild Hunter.

Okay.

Phew, phew.

I took a deep breath and lifted my hand forcefully.

Smack!

Clatter!

The phone spun around.

Damn, I should have just spun it on its edge.

Don’t break!

Thump, thump.

The phone fell.

The camera was visible.

It was tails.

Wild Hunter.

Damn.

I don’t know if this is the right choice for my current situation.

I have no clue.

If I keep thinking about it, I’ll never decide.

I tapped on Wild Hunter.

[You have obtained a new specialization.]

[You have obtained a new skill.]

Alright.

“Phew… Status.”

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Chosen One

[Specialization – Wild Hunter] [Level – 1]

[Title – Growing]

Status

[Health – 91/100] [Senses – 2/2]

[Strength – 0/45] [Agility – 4/4]

[Spirit – 11/71] [Intelligence – N/A]

[Unallocated Points – 0]

Skills

[Passive – Soul Tattoo Lv. 2]

[Passive – Recovery]

[Active – Precision] (Auto-cast)

[Active – Acceleration] (Auto-cast)

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…Oh.

I have a new skill.

Precision…

I have a feeling I know what it does, so I tapped on the skill.

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Active – Precision

Projectile always hits the enemy’s weak point.

Costs 1 sense per use.

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…1 sense?

So, it corresponds to the senses stat.

Always hits the enemy’s weak point.

That means guaranteed headshots on human beasts.

…Wait.

What’s my current sense stat?

[Senses – 2/2]

…Damn it!

2 points?!

Just two shots?!

What happens after two headshots?

“…I’m really going to lose it.”

I held my forehead and sighed deeply.

I wanted a combat-related specialization.

I chose it, but it only has 2 points in the corresponding stat.

If it had been a strength-based specialization, it would have been more useful since I have 45 points in strength.

Maybe Shadow Warrior would have been better.

I can’t undo my choice now.

Moreover, it’s a projectile skill, which means ranged combat.

Where can I get a ranged weapon?

A gun?

The police station is out of the question, and even at a larger police station, they probably use revolvers.

Five shots.

Five shots aren’t enough to feed anyone. It’s better to use Acceleration and slice them with a sword.

A proper gun. It would probably be in an armory or military base, but I don’t know where they are.

Military base…

It would be great, but I can’t go there.

It’s too far, and the roads are blocked in places, so I can’t use a car.

…A motorcycle…

If I had one, I could travel longer distances.

The problem is that if I attract attention while riding, I might cause a zombie wave.

Motorcycles are quite noisy.

If I use a modified one, it could draw all the nearby zombies.

A bicycle?

…No.

Even an electric bike would be tiring on uphill slopes.

Even if that weren’t the case, I can’t leave without proper shelter, food, and other essentials.

Plus, there are the cockroaches.

I held my forehead and sighed.

I should have discussed ranged weapons with Soo-hyeon earlier.

But then again, even if she’s from the mechanical engineering department, how could she magically create a ranged weapon?

She’s already busy reinforcing the building all day.

I can’t burden her further.

…A bow?

A bow…

I picked up my phone and opened Google Maps.

YouTube still works, so Google should too.

Indeed, it does.

…If I follow the Cheonggyecheon stream, there are a few places.

There are traditional archery shops and archery centers.

I can’t cross the bridge to Gangnam because of the zombie wave, and the west side is too far.

Cheonggyecheon is the best option.

…A bow.

It’s not a bad choice.

…Arrows?

Arrows are the problem.

I thought about this before, but if I have to retrieve them, it’s less effective than using Acceleration and stabbing.

“…Ah.”

Right.

Specialization achievements.

Maybe there’s something there.

I opened the achievements window.

“Achievements.”