Chapter 3: Awakening (2)

I thrust the metal rod without any emotion.

‘How can I kill the goblin efficiently?’

This was the only thought in my head.

Surviving was my top priority, and to do that, I had to kill the enemy in front of me.

Looking at the goblin’s ugly face, I thought.

It has eyes, a nose, a mouth, and its body structure is similar to a human’s.

So I guessed its weaknesses would be similar.

Stab

The metal rod I thrust pierced the goblin’s neck.

Green blood spurted out.

Kiek

Life quickly faded from the eyes of the goblin whose neck was pierced.

Because it was a creature I’d never seen before, I considered variables.

But without any complications, it died more easily than I expected.

‘The neck is definitely a weak spot. Next is the head…’

I kicked the goblin away with my foot and retrieved the metal rod.

Then, the voice I thought had finished spoke again.

[Remembering your life and soul.]

It’s a strange experience.

The voice, seeming to transmit directly to my brain, wasn’t bothersome at all.

It doesn’t distract my concentration either.

“Kirrk.”

Stab

So I kept moving while listening to the voice.

The goblin whose eye was pierced died instantly.

‘Are its bones softer than a human’s?’

In front of me, two overturned cars formed a narrow passage.

Goblins charged through that passage one after another.

I organized the information gained from fighting the creatures attacking sequentially in my head.

Meanwhile, the voice continued.

It mentioned considering my actions and mindset since the cataclysm began.

[The first act you committed was murder.]

At first, I didn’t understand.

Then I retraced my memories and realized what it meant.

‘Is it talking about that fat man?’

When I sensed the anomaly on the subway ride home.

I used the man in the same car for my own survival.

As a result, the man died, and I survived.

‘But what is it considering it for?’

The question about this out-of-the-blue statement was quickly answered.

[Awakening a Fundamental Skill.]

Something like a strong will was engraved onto my soul.

There’s no other way to describe it.

【Exclusive Survivalist】

Now, everyone is an enemy.

You can gain the experience points needed to level up from all enemies.

A unique power resided within me.

It was unbelievable, but clear.

‘Level up?’

Absurdly, a concept typically seen in games was conveyed.

And I could understand that this unique power was a system created by Earth’s immune system.

Kirrk

A huge change had occurred, but I didn’t show it outwardly.

I looked expressionlessly at the leaping goblin.

Stab

The goblin jumped quite high with its seemingly weak legs.

Aiming for its chest, I stabbed it with the rod, then pushed forcefully, skewering the goblin behind it in one go.

‘Level up… It’s real.’

That was when I had killed 5 goblins by myself.

[Level Up.]

I reached level 2.

‘It feels a little less strenuous.’

I carefully gauged the weight of the metal rod in my hand.

The burden had lessened.

Feeling this series of changes, I made a decision.

To level up quickly.

For me, who had imagined the worst-case scenario, this decision was perfectly natural.

And because I could hear my mother’s voice every time I leveled up.

The goblins charged with ferocious momentum, but the resistance from the armed humans was also formidable.

The fight dragged on.

It was due to the difference in weight class and reach.

The goblins had numbers, but they were unarmed.

Additionally, the vehicles on the road were acting as ramparts.

“You f*cking tiny bastards!”

A man who climbed onto a passenger car shouted excitedly, swinging his weapon wildly.

He’s right about them being small.

“Everyone’s doing well! Don’t get too excited!”

The man in the hat shouted, scanning the surroundings.

That person seems composed, like me.

“Ah, sht, it’s stuck.”

“Here.”

When one man gave up on the weapon he was using, a woman behind him quickly handed him another.

While he received the weapon, another large man pushed back the goblins.

Using a damaged guardrail, he pushed forward like a bulldozer.

‘They are holding out better than I thought, but…’

At first, I was prepared to abandon the people and escape at any moment.

The monsters are cruel and wild, but most modern people have never even wrung a chicken’s neck.

I thought that difference would quickly decide the outcome.

Indeed, many people were terrified, leading to dangerous situations early on.

But a few people pulled more than their own weight.

The fervor they exuded led the frightened people.

“Hyaaaaaap! This way!”

The most outstanding performance is from the man in the hat.

He’s also the man who gathered people initially.

When he shouted loudly, the goblins’ heads snapped towards him.

Even with people right in front of them, they tried to charge towards the man in the hat.

‘That person has definitely awakened too.’

So, thanks to the courage of a few people and that man’s awakening, they overcame the initial crisis.

Now, even those who had cowered seemed intoxicated by a strange fervor, swinging their weapons at the goblins without hesitation.

‘The problem is, it’s far from over.’

Goblins are intelligent.

When the human resistance stiffened, the creatures showed signs of stopping their assault and retreating.

They might have intended to regroup and slowly wear down the humans.

Or perhaps use tools.

Every time that happened, the man in the hat used a skill to draw the goblins back in.

‘His complexion has definitely worsened.’

How much longer can that man hold out?

Judging by his condition, it doesn’t seem like he can use the skill indefinitely.

There’s another problem.

The people are overly excited.

Watching them fight, they’re all ordinary people.

No matter how well they usually managed their stamina, it’s time for them to be exhausted.

‘The remaining number…’

There are still more living goblins.

With open eyes, I imagine and predict the end of this fight.

In the end, the humans will likely lose.

‘If the formation collapses, can I break through?’

I tried to move as efficiently as possible.

I need to conserve strength.

However, the crisis arrived earlier than I expected.

It was when I reached level 3 by continuously killing goblins.

“Aargh!”

With a single scream, a man collapsed.

A goblin, thought to be dead, was biting the fallen man’s ankle.

“Fck!”

The movements of the man next to him became larger.

“Over there! Someone from the support team, please help!”

The man in the hat quickly stated a countermeasure.

The support team referred to the people procuring weapons from various places.

One injured man and three women formed the support team.

While guarding the passage I was responsible for, I watched what they did.

“Uh, what do I do.”

“Young lady, you go.”

“Me? I can’t.”

The middle-aged woman pushed the woman I had helped earlier.

Then, she quickly ran away towards my direction.

“I’d rather help over here.”

Then, from behind me, she started throwing pieces of concrete or similar things at the goblins.

Thud

It didn’t seem very effective.

“Fck! Someone get over here, quick!”

The man suddenly left alone to handle one passage shouted fiercely.

It was overwhelming.

“Ughh. Sob.”

“Student. Even if it’s the student…”

Another woman collapsed, showing tears.

This time, the middle-aged woman pushed the man whose broken arm was dangling.

The injured man bit his lip, then stepped forward, gripping a weapon with one hand.

“Hyaaaap!”

The man swung the weapon diligently.

With one hand.

It seems he couldn’t put enough force behind it.

The goblin, hit on the shoulder, lunged and clung onto the man.

“Aaaaaargh!”

The man next to him hastily struck the goblin’s head.

But in that brief moment, a hole was pierced in the fallen man’s side.

“You monster bastards!”

The man in the hat shouted, trying his best to draw the goblins’ attention.

The remaining people squeezed out whatever strength they had left.

‘This isn’t good.’

I slowly prepared to withdraw.

It’s like a crack has formed in a dam.

If no variable emerges, it will collapse soon.

The variable I was waiting for was someone awakening a fundamental skill to mend the crack.

Now, I couldn’t guarantee whether a variable would appear before the dam collapsed.

‘I don’t even know how one awakens.’

At first, I thought killing goblins triggered awakening.

After observing for a while, I concluded that wasn’t the case.

Because everyone except the man in the hat was fighting normally.

ROOOOAR

While looking for the right timing and another escape route.

A variable appeared from a completely unexpected direction.

Kirik

Another monster appeared at the southern end of the bridge.

Its skin color was similar to the goblins, but it was much larger.

Taller than most adult men, with bulging muscles.

Ah, it was just as ugly as the goblins.

“Orc…”

The man in the hat muttered with a tense expression.

The aura of the newly appeared monster was extraordinary.

It felt like a gorilla had appeared among a troop of small monkeys.

“Kihik.”

Hearing the orc’s cry, the goblins made frightened noises.

The individual who had been watching the battle alone from the rear of the goblin pack turned its back to this side and backed away.

It was the one I had internally considered the goblin leader.

Thump Thump Thump Thump

The orc started running.

It charged forward at incredible speed.

“Fck… That thing is f*cking huge.”

Despair spread across the faces of the people who were catching their breath as the goblin assault paused.

Crack Crunch

The orc snatched the goblin leader in an instant.

Then, lifting the goblin leader with its large hand, it snapped its neck.

Seeing that, I immediately turned my body.

I can’t win against that.

‘First, I need to hide…’

It’s one disaster after another.

Even going north on the bridge, there’s no escape route.

Still, to even attempt anything, I first need to avoid the orc’s notice.

“Uh, where are you going?”

While everyone was captivated by the orc’s imposing presence.

The woman who had been next to me spoke quietly.

I gestured towards the orc with my eyes and shook my head.

“I’ll go with you.”

The woman followed me again this time.

It seems she also realized there was no hope in staying put.

As expected, the balance collapsed quickly.

After dealing with the goblin leader, the orc immediately attacked the people.

Fortunately, the orc wasn’t allied with the goblins.

A chaotic battle unfolded with humans and monsters running around everywhere.

“Pant… Pant… Wh-what do we do?”

I was running towards the north end of the bridge.

I looked for a chance to sneak out towards the southern end of the bridge, but it seemed impossible.

There was another orc at the end of the bridge.

“Hey!”

Glancing back, I saw three goblins chasing the woman.

Swish Stab

I abruptly slowed down and moved as I had imagined.

After stabbing the foremost goblin with the metal rod, I struck the next goblin’s head with the butt end of the rod.

“Kyaak!”

Seeing the startled woman fall, I rammed the remaining goblin with my shoulder.

Even as it fell, the goblin tried to bite me with its sharp teeth.

Thwack

Rolling once as I got up, I immediately kicked the goblin’s head.

Thwack Thwack Thwack

After a few more kicks, the goblin went limp.

At the same time, I leveled up to level 4.

With each level up, my strength and stamina are slightly increasing.

I can feel it even though I’m already quite exhausted.

“Ugh… You surprised me!”

As I retrieved the metal rod, the woman said, rubbing her scraped knee.

“What are you going to do now? There’s nowhere else to run…”

I looked at her and pondered.

While imagining slapping the woman’s face in my head.

Most of the stress I experience comes from people.

And imagination is free.

Following my mother’s advice, I’ve lived my social life keeping imagination as just imagination.

“Let’s climb up there.”

Near the end of the broken bridge, two subway cars lay overturned.

I helped the woman, who hesitated because she was wearing a skirt, climb up first.

“You touched me on purpose, didn’t you?”

“Now is not the time to argue about that.”

As I climbed up after her, the woman glared at me.

It was because I had pushed her butt while helping her get onto the subway car.

Ignoring the grumbling woman, I turned my gaze back in the direction we had fled from.

CRASH

The orc charged with tremendous force and slammed into a car.

Then, the man who was swinging a long weapon on top of the car went flying.

It was the man in the hat.

“Uh, what do we do. Really.”

Seeing the scene, the woman shook my arm.

Just then, the orc looked this way.

“Let’s jump.”

“What? Where?”

“Down there.”

The woman looked in the direction I pointed.

“Whaaat? Are you crazy?”

My fingertip was pointing towards the Han River.

The woman clung to me with a frightened expression.

“There’s no other way.”

Looking back again, the orc was heading this way.

Turning a few goblins into bloody messes along the way.

“There’s no time. Hurry.”

“Aah… Ugh. I’m not a good swimmer…”

“You jump first. I’ll jump as close to you as possible.”

The woman bit her lip.

She knew there was no other option.

“I-it’s scary. Haa.”

“Shall I help you?”

“What? How?”

There was no more time to argue.

I hugged the woman from behind and threw her with all my strength.

“Uwaaaaak!”

The woman screamed briefly as she fell.

I watched her carefully.

Splash

The woman quickly fell into the Han River.

Whoooosh

Then, strong currents immediately rose in the Han River.

I threw the woman first just in case.

‘That way won’t work either.’

Seeing that, I abandoned the plan to dive into the Han River.

Because a long shadow appeared in the water, and soon, blood began to spread.

The monsters weren’t only on land.

Thump thump thump thump thump

And the orc started running towards me.