Chapter 36: Suspicion (4)

Five days ago, at Kangil Girls’ High School.

On a foggy afternoon, the police officers in charge of guarding the main gate stared beyond the barricades with more tense expressions than usual.

With visibility less than 10 meters, no one knew what might emerge from the fog.

“It’s almost time for the shift change.”

“We should tell the next shift to bring more lanterns. Five won’t be enough to secure visibility like usual.”

“Yes, I’ll let them know.”

Just before 6 PM.

The police officers about to change shifts were discussing their colleagues who would be on night duty. As the officer of constable rank was about to turn around,

“Wait a moment.”

“…Yes?”

“Something seems to be approaching.”

One of the officers of inspector rank suddenly tensed up and grabbed his pistol. His gun was pointed towards the fog beyond the barricade in front.

A moment later, a blurry shadow flickered as he had said. The police officers who belatedly noticed this all aimed their guns.

Is it a survivor? Or a zombie?

They couldn’t tell due to the poor visibility.

The police officers stared intently at the shadow before them with heightened alertness and tension.

Soon after, they widened their eyes.

“Z-zombie…!”

As the identity of the shadow was revealed, the police officers aimed at the zombie’s head without hesitation.

Just as they were about to pull the triggers,

An unbelievable thing happened.

“I, I am, not, an enemy.”

The zombie that had stopped in front of the barricade suddenly raised both arms and spoke.

Though awkward, it was clearly human language.

Faced with this unexpected situation, the police officers were taken aback, and meanwhile, the zombie continued speaking.

“I wanted, to, talk, with you all, so I, sent, this zombie. I am, a survivor, from, across, the Han River.”

Survivor. At those words, the police officers exchanged glances. Shortly after, one officer ran inside the school grounds, and soon three men and women came out to the main gate.

Paladin Oh Suho. Purification Mage Kim Mi-young.

And Blacksmith Heo Woo-seok.

All three were high-level survivors belonging to Kangil Girls’ High School’s command.

“Where is the talking zombie?”

“It’s waiting over there.”

In response to Mi-young’s question, one of the police officers shone a flashlight beyond the barricade.

There stood a zombie that looked like it had just started decomposing, with both arms raised.

An obviously unusual sight.

The three from the command briefly conferred, and soon a man representing them all stepped forward.

It was Blacksmith Heo Woo-seok.

“You say you’re a survivor from across the Han River?”

“That’s, right.”

“How did you get here? The bridges nearby must be crawling with monsters…”

Did the same monsters give them a pass?

As he was having such an absurd thought, the zombie pointed towards the Han River and answered.

“I came, by, walking, underwater.”

“Under the Han River? But the depth…”

“It wasn’t, deep. About, 5 meters.”

That was news to me.

Woo-seok feigned surprise before clearing his throat. Then he got back to the main point.

“What business do you have here?”

“That, is…”

“If you wish to join our side, state your name, job, and level. And if possible, I’d like you to explain your skills as well.”

We don’t usually ask about skills.

However, if they have a skill to control zombies, that’s an exception. We need to explain this fact to the other survivors so they won’t be anxious.

But the reply that came back was unexpected.

“I didn’t, come, to join.”

“What?”

Then why did you come here?

Just as Woo-seok was about to ask that,

“First, let me, introduce, myself.”

The zombie preempted him.

It stared at Woo-seok with hazy eyes and revealed its identity.

“I am, a Mage.”

“…A Mage?”

What is this nonsense?

As Woo-seok frowned at this sudden statement, Suho, who was standing at a distance, spoke up.

“Oh, could this be the Mage who posted about the Vampire Tree on the Information Strategy Board?”

“You mean the Mage of Fire Thunder?”

“That’s right.”

Then he remembered.

Woo-seok nodded a couple of times and glared at the zombie that had introduced itself as a Mage.

“But how can we believe your words?”

The talking zombie is certainly fascinating.

However, Woo-seok wasn’t naive enough to simply believe the other party’s words based on just this.

Meanwhile, as if anticipating this situation?

“Then, please, look, over there.”

The zombie suddenly pointed across the Han River.

Towards the Gangdong District Office. Everyone’s gaze followed the zombie’s finger. After about ten seconds had passed,

Rumble! Boom!

Along with a sudden loud noise, a dark red flash flickered beyond the fog.

Lightning had struck.

The lightning that had hit a specific point quickly disappeared. Though it was a brief moment, the scene was clearly imprinted in everyone’s minds.

“F-fire thunder…”

A police officer muttered with a surprised face.

As he said, what they had just witnessed was undoubtedly fire thunder. After all, the flash had been close to red in color.

As everyone was gaping, the zombie turned back to face them.

“Is this, enough, proof?”

Woo-seok kept his mouth shut.

In fact, he had never seen the Mage’s lightning up close. He had only occasionally heard the sound of lightning striking across the Han River.

However, what he had just seen was clearly lightning.

Both the sound and the flash.

Having seen the very symbol of the Mage, it was difficult to deny the zombie’s words any longer. So he sighed and addressed the zombie.

“What business does the Mage have here?”

“I have, a, proposal.”

“A proposal?”

“I want, to, join forces, with, you all, to subjugate, the Vampire Tree.”

The Mage’s proposal was simple and clear.

He proposed to dispatch the zombie army he controlled to Kangil Girls’ High School, and cooperate to subjugate the Vampire Tree in Ttukseom.

Hearing his proposal, Woo-seok seemed to ponder for a moment before shaking his head.

“It’s an enticing proposal, but we don’t want to take such a risk.”

The command’s top priority was survival.

On the other hand, the Mage’s proposal was like poking a hornet’s nest. So he was about to refuse, but a concerning reply came back.

“This subjugation, is, for, your sake.”

“What? What do you mean?”

“The, Vampire Tree, is about, to, rank up, soon. If it, successfully, ranks up, this place, will be, annihilated, in half a day.”

The Vampire Tree’s level and rank up. Even the recent anomalies that had occurred in Ttukseom Hangang Park.

The Mage explained the worst-case scenario that would unfold if the Vampire Tree wasn’t subjugated.

Hearing this quite plausible story, not only Woo-seok, but the expressions of the others listening hardened like stone.

“So, I’m saying, let’s, attack, first.”

“…What are the chances of success?”

“Alone, it’s, fifty-fifty. But, if, you help, over 80 percent.”

“What’s the basis for that probability?”

“Re, resistance.”

“Resistance?”

“The Vampire Tree, has, resistance, to skills. If you, keep, attacking, with one skill, it develops, resistance. But, if you, use, various skills, repeatedly, it’s, easy, to defeat.”

This was news to him.

But he couldn’t easily dismiss it either.

At this point, the one who knew the most information about the Vampire Tree was the Mage of Fire Thunder who had posted the strategy guide.

“I’ll, take, the first strike. You just, need to, attack, safely, from, a distance.”

He repeatedly emphasized that this subjugation operation wouldn’t be that dangerous. And he added one more thing that would tempt anyone who heard it.

“I, only, want, the Vampire Tree’s, corpse. You can, have, all, the other, loot.”

Handing over all the loot.

They already knew from auction house comments that enormous amounts of valuable loot dropped when subjugating elite monsters.

Quite a mouth-watering proposal.

It’s tempting. Woo-seok’s eyes gleamed.

“Let’s hear more details.”

He pointed inside the main gate.

The Mage’s zombie nodded, and soon the discussion about subjugating the Vampire Tree continued.

And back to the present.

Paladin Oh Suho, who had explained what happened back then to Ji-hye, spoke with a sigh.

“After that, things progressed smoothly. And the day before the scheduled subjugation, the talking zombie came to us once again.”

The zombie said.

That they needed to verify the accuracy of the information one last time before subjugating the Vampire Tree.

Accordingly, they requested the dispatch of an investigation team composed of high-level survivors. With the purpose of cooperating with the zombie army to gather information together.

“We sent an investigation team to where the Vampire Tree was, guided by the zombie army. It was an elite force composed of those above level 15.”

An investigation team of twenty elites.

Blacksmith Heo Woo-seok from the command took charge as the team leader. Since Woo-seok had been the main person communicating with the Mage’s zombie, no one opposed this decision.

“The Mage also sent nearly twenty zombies. Thus, the investigation team of about forty in total left the base as soon as day broke.”

The investigation team’s schedule was simple and clear.

First, they would check if there were any new variables around the Vampire Tree, then investigate Ttukseom Hangang Park in the afternoon and return.

“But even when night fell, the investigation team didn’t return. And that night, the Vampire Tree tilted towards our side, and after that…”

A massive attack began.

With those words, Suho concluded his account of what had happened. Meanwhile, Han-seong, who had been listening to the whole story through the Collector, hardened his expression.

-Mage, could this be…

Ji-hye spoke up then.

Though she didn’t finish her sentence, he could easily guess what she meant. Han-seong too had a hunch as soon as he heard the story.

‘Someone claiming to be the Mage approached Kangil Girls’ High School using a talking zombie.’

But this was a lie, and innocent elite forces were sacrificed. Moreover, considering the investigation team’s schedule, it also somewhat explained how the Vampire Tree, which had been level 29, suddenly became level 30.

As the accumulated questions were gradually being answered, Han-seong turned his gaze towards the shopping mall.

A suspicious figure came to mind.

After all, there was only one being in this area who could control zombies.

“…Necromancer Kim Tae-min.”

Han-seong’s voice lowered.

As soon as he identified the suspicious individual, he immediately opened the map. Then he checked inside the shopping mall but soon realized it was empty.

‘Did they go out to hunt zombies?’

Tae-min’s group would scatter to hunt zombies in the morning and only return to the shopping mall in the afternoon.

Recalling this, he carefully examined the area within a 1km radius around the shopping mall. But even so, no blue dots were visible.

‘Just how far have they moved?’

Han-seong’s eyes narrowed.

As he was about to widen the search range,

“So, about that…”

A familiar voice heard through the Collector.

It was Young-cheol. He looked back and forth between Ji-hye and the Collector and spoke up.

“I was wondering if there might be a being that can handle zombies in this area. I have a feeling the Mage might know.”

Young-cheol’s eyes shone with desperation.

Soon Ji-hye’s whisper came back.

-What should we do?

“Let’s tell them. We need to find him too.”

-Alright, understood.

The conversation with Ji-hye ended like that.

She addressed Young-cheol.

“There is someone who comes to mind.”

“R-really? May I ask who…”

“Necromancer Kim Tae-min.”

“A Necromancer?”

“Yes, a man living in that shopping mall who has a skill to control and manipulate dozens of zombies.”

“Dozens of zombies…”

Young-cheol’s expression hardened.

Come to think of it, the one who had impersonated the Mage also handled a zombie army.

He and the people from Kangil Girls’ High School stared intently at the shopping mall Ji-hye had pointed out.

“According to the Mage, there’s no one in the shopping mall right now. Usually around this time, they would go out to hunt zombies.”

Just then, Ji-hye corrected part of her answer after hearing a whisper from Han-seong. Suho nodded silently and asked another question.

“Then has that Necromancer ever dropped dark red lightning?”

“I don’t know about that. I’m not interested either.”

“Hmm, I see…”

“But I can say this one thing for certain. The lightning the Mage uses is definitely not dark red.”

“What? Really?”

Suho asked back with a surprised face.

It seemed better to show them directly.

Han-seong told Ji-hye the direction to drop the lightning, then designated a group of zombies about 2km away and used the skill.

[Activating skill.]

[Remote: Call Lightning]

Some time later.

Lightning struck at those coordinates. Along with a dazzling white flash. Witnessing this scene, Suho’s eyes widened.

“I-it’s true. But then why is he called the Mage of Fire Thunder…”

“We don’t know either. We don’t even know who gave him that name in the first place.”

Ji-hye’s words were true.

Han-seong too had only realized at some point that he was being called the Mage of Fire Thunder, but didn’t know who had given him that name.

Meanwhile, Suho nodded and carefully spoke up again.

“May I ask one more thing?”

“Go ahead.”

“I’d like information about the Necromancer you mentioned. We need information that can identify the target, like a description of his appearance.”

“Hmm, what I know is…”

Soon Ji-hye’s explanation began.

The fact that he wears Jingwang High School’s uniform, and that he has a thin build and wears glasses.

She revealed all the information she knew about Tae-min. Hearing this detailed account, Suho’s eyes gleamed as he took notes.

“Thank you for the information. We happen to have a survivor from Jingwang High School on our side, so I’ll ask about this.”

“If you find out anything during your investigation, please let us know too. I’m sure the Mage would want to know as well.”

“Of course, certainly.”

Suho grinned.

The conversation ended like that, and the people from Kangil Girls’ High School started their parked cars. As Young-cheol was about to get back in the car,

“Mr. Park Young-cheol.”

“Please come over here for a moment.”

Ji-hye suddenly calling him.

Young-cheol hurriedly approached her.

“D-do you have something to say to me…?”

“The Mage says he has a question for Mr. Park Young-cheol.”

The Mage? For me?

What could he want to ask?

Feeling unnecessarily nervous, Young-cheol swallowed hard. However, the question that came from Ji-hye wasn’t that serious.

“By any chance, among the survivors currently at Kangil Girls’ High School, is there someone like a Poison Master?”

“P-Poison Master…?”

“Please answer the question.”

Ji-hye said, putting force in her voice.

Young-cheol pondered for a moment but couldn’t think of anyone like a Poison Master. So he gave his honest impression based on what he had seen and felt.

“Since I’ve only been there for a few days, it’s hard to say for certain, but I haven’t found anyone as vicious as that man yet.”

“I see. That’s a relief.”

“Yes, it’s all thanks to the Mage.”

Young-cheol said with a grin.

Having finished his answer, he bowed his head to Ji-hye and the Collector. Then he got in the car and left with the people from Kangil Girls’ High School.

As he was watching their retreating figures through the Collector’s view, Ji-hye’s voice echoed in his mind.

-What do you think, Mage?

Though it was a question thrown out without context, the intent of the question was clearly conveyed. Han-seong muttered about the person who might have impersonated him.

“It was probably the Necromancer’s doing.”

-You think the same as me.

“Though I don’t know why he did such a thing.”

Only the Necromancer can control zombies.

So as soon as he heard Suho’s story, he could guess who had impersonated him. But everything else was full of questions.

It was difficult to understand why he had approached Kangil Girls’ High School, or what he had hoped to achieve by sacrificing high-level survivors to the Vampire Tree.

That’s when Ji-hye whispered her speculation.

-Maybe he was trying to turn all the people at Kangil Girls’ High School into zombies?

“…That’s not something a person would think of doing.”

-Well, he’s not a very human-like man.

Even so, trying to turn hundreds of perfectly normal people all into zombies?

In a way, that’s even more vicious than the Poison Master. On the other hand, Ji-hye still stood firm in her assertion.

-From the start, that man seemed to lack some emotions compared to normal people. It’s like he can’t empathize at all.

“Hmm, empathy…”

Han-seong could understand Ji-hye’s words to some extent.

However, no matter how much they discussed, it was all just speculation at this point. Han-seong stared towards the direction of the empty shopping mall and muttered.

“I guess the surest way would be to find the Necromancer and question him directly.”

-Then shall I go look for him?

Ji-hye volunteering to search.

Since becoming a vampire, her physical abilities had improved dramatically. She could now shatter a zombie’s skull just by swinging her fist hard.

And unlike before, her hesitant personality before combat had completely disappeared. That’s probably why she offered to look for Tae-min.

However, Han-seong shook his head.

“No, I’ll look into it.”

-You, Mage?

“Yes, but can I ask you for a different task?”

-Of course. What should I do?

“I’d like you to investigate where the Vampire Tree’s pillar is, along with the Collector. I’m curious why that monstrosity hasn’t disappeared.”

-Understood. I’ll go right away.

After answering, Ji-hye moved towards Jamsil Bridge. Han-seong instructed the Collector to follow behind her.

Now, let me get to work too.

“Open Map.”

Soon, a map covering a 12.5km radius centered on the officetel unfolded.

Han-seong carefully examined places with blue dots while gradually widening the observation range.

He found something that caught his attention.

‘Three survivors.’

About 3km away from the officetel.

The blue dots discovered near Gangdong Station somehow bothered him. Han-seong trusted his intuition and immediately began checking.

[Remote: Detection]

And his prediction was correct.

[Seo Ha-eun: Level 20, Shadow Assassin]

[Kang Eun-ji: Level 12, Healer]

[Yoo Min-cheol: Level 18, Assault Warrior]

Found them. Han-seong smiled coldly.

Although the Necromancer wasn’t with them, he was satisfied just finding his companions.

If he kept tracking them, he would eventually encounter the Necromancer. In fact, they were continuously moving somewhere.

‘I’ll keep them under surveillance for now.’

I just learned a relevant skill too.

Han-seong designated Seo Ha-eun, whom he was somewhat familiar with, as the target.

[Remote: Mark]

[Target: Seo Ha-eun]

[Precise Observation activates.]

Immediately after Mark skill activated.

Soon the scenery near Gangdong Station unfolded before his eyes, and he could hear the conversation between the three people.