22. Third Specialization. (3)

The next morning, I gathered emergency food and water from the mart and left.

I was heading to get a bow.

According to Google Maps, if I walk for about two to three hours, I’ll reach a traditional archery shop.

I don’t know what condition it will be in, but I have to try.

Soo-hyeon didn’t come to the room today either.

The girls seem to have some kind of nightly party, and I can occasionally hear their laughter. It seems that Jung Eun-seo is recovering quickly.

It feels a bit awkward to ask Soo-hyeon, “Hey, can you make me a ranged weapon?”

Soo-hyeon is already busy with various tasks, and I can’t burden her further with building reinforcement work.

If all goes well, I should be able to return in half a day.

If something goes wrong and I have to hide somewhere, it won’t be too concerning since I’ve been going out frequently for leveling up.

A bow. And arrows.

And, this damn ribbon.

This damn ribbon.

How the hell do you use it?

The sword is clearly ineffective.

I spent the whole night wrapping it around the scabbard, but it didn’t replicate at all. It looks more like a beautifully crafted ornament.

It seems I need a proper projectile.

I walked for a while, then stopped and turned around.

The cockroaches are on my mind.

The shutter is closed, and the place is reinforced, so nothing will happen immediately.

I’ll hurry back.

The rain is still falling.

It must have rained heavily last night, as puddles are forming in some spots.

The streets are deserted.

And, I am also at ease.

The rain muffles the sounds I make, and I walk quietly out of habit, so the human beasts in nearby shops are not easily provoked.

After about two hours of walking, I reached Cheonggyecheon.

The bushes and vines growing along the walls, the neatly grown trees, and the wide steps.

The lights installed on the stairs leading down.

This stream, which seems out of place in the middle of high-rise buildings, has a unique and picturesque charm.

I looked at the stairs near the artificial waterfall, which is still beautifully lit under a strangely shaped sculpture.

Cheonggyecheon.

Should I walk along the stream or the road?

On one side are buildings, market alleys, and various convenience stores and shops.

Entering the market alley might lead to a zombie horde, and there might be something in the stream too.

Hmm…

Let’s go down and see.

If anything goes wrong, I can use Acceleration to cut through and run away.

I walked down the stairs and along Cheonggyecheon.

The stream is still very clear.

The nameless freshwater fish swimming in the stream seem to be at ease.

However, I couldn’t see any human shadows on the straight path that slightly curves in the distance.

There are stairs and open spaces here and there, but for now, there are no signs of human activity.

“…Hmm.”

It’s a bit reassuring.

I walked along Cheonggyecheon, keeping an eye on the roads and small bridges above in case anything appeared.

After walking for a while, I reached under a bridge.

A bird was sitting there.

It has a long, black neck and is quite large.

It’s about the size that would fit snugly in my arms.

A crane?

I don’t know much about birds, so I don’t know its name.

The bird had its long, slender legs in the middle of the stream and was looking at me.

I looked at the bird and walked slowly.

It didn’t run away.

I kept walking.

Looking at the bird.

The bird was looking at me too.

The bird’s head slightly lowered.

Hmm.

Is it trying to run away?

I got quite close.

Suddenly, the bird spread its wings.

“Squawk!”

[Auto-cast: Acceleration]

“E–E—-E——“

What?!

I looked around in surprise.

Nothing.

Just the bird.

The bird!

Its beak is open.

In its beak…

It looks like… some grains…?

…Fangs?!

The bird seemed to be trying to take off from the water.

The fully spread wings were impressive.

It looked even bigger with its wings spread.

But why…

Why fangs?

I stopped thinking and immediately drew my sword, slashing downward.

I felt the distinct sensation of cutting something.

But it didn’t feel heavy or resist.

It felt like cutting tofu.

“–Squish!”

The bird let out a final scream as its body split and fell forward.

The headless body, the headless torso.

The scattered innards.

The red blood.

I took a deep breath and looked down at the bird.

The headless body was motionless.

That body was dead.

But the body with the head was different.

It was still flapping its one remaining wing, rubbing it against the ground.

Even without a heart.

“Squawk! Squawk! Squawk!”

Crazy.

I stomped on the bird’s neck.

It was soft yet firm.

“Squish! Squawk!”

The head, which had been thrashing and spitting blood, stopped moving.

I held the sword upside down and aimed at the bird’s head.

Then, I struck down.

Thud.

“Squish.”

It made a strange sound and slumped over.

I pulled the sword out and looked around.

Tension rose.

This thing, it was a bird.

But it was no different from human beasts.

It moved even after death, and it tried to bite even without a heart.

Moreover, I’ve never heard of a bird with fangs.

It wasn’t just humans.

“…Apocalypse.”

Yes.

Apocalypse.

The end of the world.

Everything in the world…

Everything has changed.

I had subconsciously thought it was only humans.

The world is not just inhabited by humans.

There are countless living things in the sky, in the water, in the mountains and fields.

The apocalypse has come.

The apocalypse of all living things.

Grinding my teeth, I swung my sword.

Slice.

Blood splattered on the wall.

“Am I going to die?”

Grinding my teeth, I sheathed my sword.

Swoosh- Click.

Let’s go.

To get a weapon.

If the apocalypse has come to all living things, and if I will eventually sink into it, I will hold weapons in both hands and swing them until the end.

My nose wrinkled.

I didn’t let my guard down.

I walked on.

After about an hour, I spotted the sign of a traditional archery shop.

I climbed the stairs and left Cheonggyecheon.

The rain was falling.

Shaking the raindrops from my hair, I entered the building.

The stairs were empty.

The elevator…

It works.

Traditional archery shop.

Traditional archery.

Is it Korean archery?

I took the elevator to the designated floor.

Creak-

The sound came as soon as the door opened.

I placed my hand on the sword hilt.

A large building.

The entire floor is an archery center.

It seems to have a shooting range.

A glass door with posters.

I took a deep breath, opened the door, and went in.

“Squawk?!”

The creatures turned to look at me.

Their eyes flashed.

Their faces contorted.

“Roar!”

…Acceleration.

[Auto-cast: Acceleration]

“Whoosh!”

Crack!

The sword pierced through a head.

It was light.

Light!

The sensation was different from what I had felt before.

I stabbed out of habit, but I immediately realized.

Health!

I immediately twisted my body and sliced the sword that had stabbed.

Splat! Squish!

The sword blade cut through the head, splitting it in half.

The sensation in my hand was like cutting a banana.

…Enough!

“—Squawk–“

Acceleration.

[Auto-cast: Acceleration]

The head and forehead of the creature I had slashed flew into the air with the head.

The cleanly cut brain matter was visible.

Blood spurted out.

I turned my head and swung the sword.

Squish, Squish!

I smiled.

Laughter escaped.

“…Haha, Haha!”

 * * *

I took a deep breath and looked around.

None.

All dead.

A total of 23.

I realized the joy of cutting.

A new…

pleasure.

The floor was scattered with 23 bodies, each cut into dozens of pieces.

…I should avoid this in the future.

While it was fun to swing wildly, now that I see the result, I wish I had just stabbed the heads cleanly.

I’ll try to cut off only the heads in the future.

[Level up.]

“Phew.”

…Hmm?

I looked at the message window.

Over 20 were killed, but only one level…

…20 for one level?

“Sigh…”

Of course.

Checking the status window, I saw that out of 45 strength points, 21 remained.

…The bird was also counted.

Indeed, the bird was an evil body (惡體).

My hypothesis that all living species had changed was correct.

I sighed and shook my head.

This…

I should avoid telling our people if possible.

They’ll find out eventually, but…

It’s okay to let them enjoy this peace a bit longer.

I nodded and looked around.

It looks like a small archery range.

A large room that could be an office or a display area.

A wider and longer room with targets.

Buffers blocking the windows beyond the targets.

They must have set them up to prevent arrows from accidentally flying through the windows.

Pretty good facilities.

Among the bodies on the floor and the targets, there were bows scattered around.

I briefly looked them over and entered the display area.

Might as well get a new one.

The display area had various types of bows lined up on the walls and displays.

At least thirty, I’d say.

A rugged shortbow, a bow shaped like a 3, and even a large bow that you’d only see in Olympic archery competitions, which seems out of place in a traditional archery shop.

Which one should I choose?

I’d love to have a crossbow that allows for rapid firing, like the one used by the Demon Hunter in Diablo, but finding a fantasy weapon here is unrealistic.

Which one should I choose?

I picked up each bow one by one.

First, the Olympic bow.

It’s the coolest.

The design is just amazing.

The curved painted body, a sight or some kind of rod sticking out like a lightning rod, and its size is quite large, making it look like you’re carrying a bow.

The traditional Korean bow is quite small.

About the length of my arm?

But when I lightly pulled the string, it felt stiffer than the Olympic bow.

The arrows for the two bows seem to be different.

I need to think carefully about the purpose.

The Olympic bow looks cool.

There’s no debate about that.

But I need to carry multiple weapons.

I need to be able to carry it with my sword.

“Damn… A bit disappointing.”

After admiring the tempting Olympic bow, I picked up the 3-shaped bow.

There’s a guide or something?

…Made from animal horns, hence the name 3-shaped bow?

I don’t know about that.

I pulled the string of the 3-shaped bow, making a twang sound.

Then, I pulled it all the way back.

…Wait.

This requires more strength than I thought?

When I pulled it back and held it for a moment, I could feel the strain on my arm and back.

It’s not as intense as the health skill, but it definitely requires more strength than swinging a sword.

Bowmanship…

Is it strength-based?