Chapter 9: Resolve (2)

I successfully lured the Gnoll pack.

The secret was a thin, heavy piece of scrap metal.

I had collected several pieces of scrap metal from a collapsed building.

Thanks to my increased strength, the scrap metal became an excellent throwing weapon.

Shhhhwiiik Thwack!

The piece of scrap metal, thrown sidearm like skipping a stone, accurately hit the leader Gnoll.

“Keng!”

It seems to be quite painful.

Provoked by the leader Gnoll’s scream, the Gnolls stick out their tongues and chase after me.

Tat Tat Tat

I arrived at the pre-scouted location.

I strode up the debris of a building piled up like a small hill.

On one side stood an undamaged highway soundproof wall.

On the other side, a partially collapsed apartment building stood tall.

So, this place is a narrow hilly terrain.

“Similar to Goblins!”

I tell Jang Hoseob, who is invisible, about the Gnolls’ energy.

Jang Hoseob also knows about my skill, ‘Target Detection’.

‘Invisibility also masks smell.’

Jang Hoseob’s invisibility even conceals smell and presence.

So, no matter how good the Gnolls’ sense of smell is, he won’t be discovered.

I just need to do well.

Kang Kang Kang

I climbed onto the debris and struck the ground several times with the metal rod.

The Gnolls, seeing me, diligently follow.

“Woof woof woof!”

The leader Gnoll, who was at the forefront, barks loudly.

Then it stops and sends its subordinates first.

“Kiheng!”

The Gnoll pack tried to leap up the hill made of collapsed building debris just like I did.

But suddenly, they staggered as a group.

‘As expected… they seem to have trouble balancing.’

It’s not a well-trodden path.

There are no flat stairs.

They have to step on tilted concrete chunks, and sometimes their footing is unsteady.

Furthermore, the Gnolls are already exhausted just from chasing me this far.

“Keong!”

Eventually, the Gnoll pack gives up bipedal movement and places all four paws on the ground.

They crawl up the debris.

Naturally, they have no choice but to drop the weapons they were holding.

“Yes. That’s right.”

I felt a sense of satisfaction at the Gnoll pack’s beastly appearance.

Gripping the prepared rebar, I descend the hill.

It’s nothing grand, just rusty rebar.

Shhhwiiik Puk—

As I went to meet them, a Gnoll opened its maw wide.

I thrust the rebar I was holding in my hand into its maw.

The Gnoll clamps its maw shut and convulses.

It looks like it’s experiencing a new world with the rebar piercing its uvula.

Tat

Seeing the other Gnolls get up and struggle to balance, I quickly leaped back up the hill.

This time, I grab two rebars.

“Kkiihihiik.”

The Gnoll pack erupts in frustration.

Then, their legs tremble, and they drop back down on all fours.

“Heh heh.”

I went down the hill again.

Skillfully picking only the solid parts to step on, I approach a Gnoll.

This time too, a Gnoll opens its maw without fail.

It seems to be a conditioned reflex since its prey is right in front of it.

Puk—

I stick a rebar into the Gnoll’s automatically opening maw.

Deeply.

Puk—

When the angle isn’t right, I stab its yellow eyes.

I discard the distributed rebar without regret and return to the top of the hill.

“Keoheong!”

It was when I had caught ten Gnolls like that.

The Gnoll pack had now passed the midpoint of the hill.

When the leader Gnoll lets out a cry, the creatures close the distance.

“Hmm…”

This time, I grabbed the metal rod I’d had since the bridge.

Its reach is much longer than rusty rebar.

Whooosh Thwack!

Getting just close enough not to be caught by the Gnolls, I swung the metal rod.

The Gnoll, hit on the crown of its head, staggers.

The Gnoll’s head is so big it’s easy to hit.

‘They’re tougher than Goblins.’

The Gnoll staggers but is still alive.

Its skull is really hard.

“Kkihik!”

I kicked the creature hard, sending it rolling down the hill.

The Gnoll next to it tried to bite, so I thrust the metal rod into it as well.

‘These guys need to be stabbed.’

Stabbing is more efficient than striking.

“Kaeeng!”

Down below, Jang Hoseob deactivates his invisibility and appears with a sreureuk.

Then he slits the throat of the Gnoll I had rolled down.

“Kiheng?”

At Jang Hoseob’s appearance, the Gnolls become confused and stop moving.

In that gap, I dispatched another Gnoll.

“Keong!”

Position, reach, and momentum.

This place is an extremely advantageous battlefield for us.

The Gnolls were tragically ravaged by Jang Hoseob and me.

“Hyungnim! These things have more trouble going down?”

“Heh heh. Indeed.”

The leader Gnoll tried to break through by choosing either up or down.

At first, it chose to go down where Jang Hoseob was.

At that time, I killed a lot of Gnolls.

The Gnoll pack struggled to go down, and I easily stabbed the turned backs of the Gnolls.

“You saw, right? They were flustered when I bolted.”

The leader Gnoll, seeing Jang Hoseob flee, tried to attack my side again, but that wasn’t a good choice either.

By then, there were more dead Gnolls.

I firmly defended the top of the hill using my superior reach.

Occasionally, if one rolled down, Jang Hoseob would appear and finish it off.

And so, with the leader Gnoll being the last, we killed the entire Gnoll pack.

“I’ll hit level 10 soon too!”

After finishing the battle, we are moving to the place where we first discovered the Gnoll pack.

Jang Hoseob shouts excitedly.

He seemed to struggle a bit when he first caught a Goblin, but he seems fine now.

“What about you, Hyungnim? Not level 20 yet?”

“Yeah.”

Gnolls gave more experience than Goblins.

The amount of experience seems to be proportional to the size of their energy.

“But what kind of skill will I get?”

Another thing.

Jang Hoseob is speculating that I will learn one more general skill when I reach level 20.

“Somehow, I don’t think it’ll be a combat skill.”

Is it because there’s a concrete result of leveling up?

Or is Jang Hoseob’s mental world also a bit different from ordinary people?

‘The pharmacy people kept struggling.’

The pharmacist said so.

Killing is a difficult thing for modern people.

But Jang Hoseob adapted splendidly in just a few days.

“Somehow, I think it’s related to the fundamental skill… Strictly speaking, your skill isn’t combat-related either, Hyungnim.”

“Ah, I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to probe…”

We’re almost there now.

There might be remaining Gnolls.

“We’re almost there, so be quiet.”

“Ah! Yes.”

We stepped onto Olympic Expressway.

“Woof woof!”

As expected, there were remaining Gnolls in the Gnoll pack’s habitat.

However, their build was much smaller compared to the Gnolls that had chased us.

“Uh… they look like pups?”

There are also a few large Gnolls.

Could they be females who were looking after the pups?

We cleaned up the remaining Gnoll pack without any significant damage.

The pup Gnolls gave almost no experience.

“Hyungnim. But those people…”

After completely clearing out the Gnoll pack, people remained.

Living people and corpses are mixed together.

On one side, Goblin corpses are also piled up.

“Crazy, what is this… Ugh.”

Jang Hoseob trails off, looking distressed, and then dry heaves.

It’s because the condition of the people captured by the Gnolls is so horrific.

‘Were they trying to keep them alive as long as possible?’

Traces of beatings and attempts to stop bleeding remain on the people’s bodies.

Is it some kind of monster instinct?

Goblins also didn’t kill people right away.

‘Still, it would have been better to be caught by Goblins…’

It feels like Gnolls understand humans better than Goblins do.

Like which injuries are more fatal.

Maggots swarm on the bodies of the living.

Their limbs are rotting away.

Everyone has holes pierced in their calves, and long ropes pass through those holes.

So, they are barely breathing, not truly living.

‘On the other hand, this side…’

When Jang Hoseob and I arrived.

A few female Gnolls and pup Gnolls were eating.

I look at the corpse of the woman they were tearing apart.

They ate the breasts and organs first.

“Jang Hoseob.”

“Yes.”

Between the place where the people are gathered and the Gnolls’ feasting spot.

There is a man left alone.

His limbs are tattered, but this man is also still alive.

“Kill this man.”

Jang Hoseob looks at me with surprised eyes.

“Yes?”

“This man. You kill him.”

Jang Hoseob’s trembling pupils.

I said it clearly once more.

Can Jang Hoseob also gain experience through killing?

I want to confirm it for sure this time.

“Stab him with that. Like when you kill monsters.”

“No… Hyungnim. I…”

Jang Hoseob shakes his head.

His eyes tremble nervously.

Just then, a very small voice was heard.

“…me.”

It’s the fallen man.

Surprisingly, he’s speaking.

“Yes? What, what did you say…”

Jang Hoseob lowers his posture and listens to the man’s voice.

“Kill… me.”

I heard it clearly.

The man is asking for death.

“Hyungnim.”

Jang Hoseob looks at me.

I quietly nodded.

Jang Hoseob thought of himself as an ordinary university student.

That thought didn’t change even when he chose to take a leave of absence due to a panic disorder.

‘It’s just a little inconvenient. I can rest for a bit and start again.’

Jang Hoseob’s rest time grew longer and longer.

Because the life of sitting in front of the computer until he was overcome with sleep, then sleeping to his heart’s content and waking up, was too enjoyable and comfortable.

Even so, he believed he could return to his daily life at any time.

That belief shattered on the day the ‘Great Cataclysm’ arrived.

‘Monster Apocalypse?’

Jang Hoseob made a quick judgment.

Now that an event that seemed only possible in novels had become reality.

He would never be able to return to the daily life he wanted.

‘Is suicide the answer?’

Jang Hoseob had no confidence to live.

Even though he fought and defeated Goblins thinking of his mother and awakened his fundamental skill, he couldn’t see a future at all.

To make matters worse, even a dragon appeared.

The dragon soared into the sky and let out a disastrous roar.

‘Breath… breath.’

Jang Hoseob felt the vivid fear of death.

Just like when he first felt panic in the library, he thought he would die like this.

In his eyes, one man came into view.

‘Wow.’

The man slaughtered the ferocious monster in an instant.

While watching him move so vividly, Jang Hoseob unknowingly felt a sense of calm.

His suffocated breath opened up, and Jang Hoseob focused on the man as if mesmerized.

‘Sai Hyeon…’

Yi Hyeon’s existence took root in Jang Hoseob’s heart as hope.

He had a chilling side, but it didn’t matter.

‘I will definitely stick by Hyungnim’s side.’

That was the conclusion Jang Hoseob reached.

Like a hero’s sidekick.

Like a character who is the protagonist’s right-hand man.

To do that, he thought he needed Yi Hyeon’s acknowledgment.

‘First, I need to be useful… and I shouldn’t do anything annoying.’

Jang Hoseob observed Yi Hyeon.

He paid attention, trying to understand him.

It wasn’t easy.

To him, Yi Hyeon was too unfamiliar a being.

‘No… let’s not try to understand. Just accept.’

Jang Hoseob did what he could do immediately.

He wrapped electrical tape around the fruit knife he acquired during farming, steeling his resolve.

Let’s keep sticking by Yi Hyeon’s side and survive.

“You kill this man.”

The hand holding the fruit knife trembles.

Unfortunately, Jang Hoseob’s resolve did not include ‘murder’.

He thought that courage to fight against monsters charging with bloodlust was enough.

“Hyungnim.”

Jang Hoseob looked at Yi Hyeon.

The man who had only felt reliable was now urging him to commit murder with an expressionless face.

‘This is a test. I can’t hesitate any longer…’

Jang Hoseob made a quick decision this time as well.

Puk

He stabbed the neck of the man who desired death.

It wasn’t as difficult as he thought.

It was similar to stabbing a Goblin’s neck.

He didn’t feel the shock of a first murder or any urge to vomit.

He just felt numb.

“How is it? Do you feel anything? Any changes?”

“Yes? That is…”

Yi Hyeon asks Jang Hoseob, who is like that.

Only then did Jang Hoseob look at the dead man’s face and seriously contemplate.

‘I killed him. I… killed him.’

The dead man looked ordinary.

He looked to be in his 30s and probably worked in an office.

Somehow, it seemed like he wasn’t married and had many friends.

He had such thoughts.

“Level? Still the same, right?”

“Yes? Level? Ah… yes. Still the same.”

“Right.”

At Yi Hyeon’s subsequent question, Jang Hoseob finally realized.

That what he killed wasn’t a monster, but a person.

That he had ended a world with his own hands.

“Hyungnim. I… this person… I mean. Uh…”

Jang Hoseob stammers.

“He would have died soon. You eased his pain.”

Yi Hyeon speaks briefly to Jang Hoseob and turns away.

Then he begins to kill the remaining people expressionlessly.

Thwack Thump!

People collapse one by one.

So fleetingly, it makes one wonder if it should be this easy.

Finally, after killing all those people.

Yi Hyeon gathers the corpses and handles them with careful hands.

“Hyungnim…”

Jang Hoseob stared blankly at Yi Hyeon, just as he had on the bridge.

Under a sky full of dark clouds.

Only Yi Hyeon moves alone.

He brushes away maggots with his hands and closes open wounds.

He covers hideously damaged bodies with cloth and offers a silent prayer before them.

‘Ah. I’m having such a hard time… Hyungnim is.’

Suddenly, the dark clouds part.

A single ray of sunlight pours down onto Yi Hyeon’s head.

Jang Hoseob watched the entire scene with wide eyes.

‘To let me know.’

Yi Hyeon committed a great sin.

The sin named murder.

But Jang Hoseob felt a certain reverence in Yi Hyeon’s actions.

‘Yes. Turning away won’t solve anything.’

Jang Hoseob thought as he looked at Yi Hyeon’s back.

That there were many meanings contained in his order to kill.

‘Test, resolve… and sacrifice.’

It was a test to make him realize the weight of murder.

Because the world he would live in from now on required that much resolve.

‘He makes all the difficult decisions himself… Even this is hard for me.’

Yi Hyeon, reflected in Jang Hoseob’s eyes, was an adult.

An unwavering adult who moves forward.

A being who leads those as precarious as himself with a steadfast heart.

‘Do not doubt… That’s right. I just needed to accept it.’

Jang Hoseob rose from where he had collapsed.

And he approached Yi Hyeon.

“Hyungnim. I’ll help too. Hyungnim, carrying such a heavy burden alone…”

“It’s fine. It’s fine, so go over there and see if there’s anything useful.”

Yi Hyeon points to a pile of junk.

The Gnoll pack had carelessly piled up things they had taken from people.

“As expected of Hyungnim… Yes. I’ll grow quickly and help.”

Jang Hoseob spoke softly to Yi Hyeon’s back.

Because he had now been acknowledged.

Because Yi Hyeon was sacrificing himself to protect his heart.

Jang Hoseob resolved not just for his own survival, but to stay by Yi Hyeon’s side and repay his kindness.

‘What is he saying.’

Jang Hoseob suddenly spouts incomprehensible words.

Even though he can’t increase his load further because of his invisibility.

‘Ah, does the range of invisibility increase when his level goes up?’

There’s a possibility for skill growth.

Still, I’ll have to wait and see in what direction Jang Hoseob’s skill will change.

On the other hand, some things have become clear.

First, Jang Hoseob did not gain experience through murder.

So, gaining experience through murder can be considered a special feature granted by my fundamental skill.

‘Moreover, the experience efficiency is also good.’

As the level increased, the experience efficiency of Goblins decreased.

We speculated that this was a penalty due to growth.

However, murder doesn’t have such an experience reduction.

I even feel like the acquired experience has increased.

Although the amount of experience varies from person to person.

This also seems to be an effect of my fundamental skill.

‘Thanks to that, I reached level 20.’

Another thing that became clear is Jang Hoseob’s speculation.

[Awakening a General Skill.]

My mother’s voice was heard, and a new general skill was created.

【Mana Stone Extraction】

Extracts mana stones from all enemies.

Unlike existing skills, the skill created this time is used directly by concentrating consciousness.

But I don’t know what a mana stone is.

“Hyungnim. I’ve sorted through them and brought some…”

While I was lost in thought alone.

Jang Hoseob brought a few items.

Jewelry and watches that looked expensive.

“There was no food. The clothes were all tattered too.”

“Why do you keep packing cigarettes?”

“Yes? Well, of course, to barter with cigarettes… Should I just throw them away?”

Jang Hoseob has an uncanny insight into this unfamiliar new world.

It’s surprising how he rattles off monster names, and his idea of bartering with cigarettes also seems plausible.

“No. Let’s pack them.”

“Yes! Smokers will probably look for more cigarettes.”

So I asked.

“By the way, do you know what a mana stone is?”

“A mana stone? Ah, no way… Do these guys have mana stones?”

Jang Hoseob looks at the Gnoll corpses.

“So, what is it?”

“A mana stone is… like a mystical stone. It’s used as an energy source and as a substitute for currency…”

“Currency? Like coins?”

Jang Hoseob rattles off various explanations.

Since I didn’t know what he was talking about, I asked which country used such things, and the kid laughs awkwardly again.

“Just in fantasy…”

“Ah. So that’s what it was?”

I told Jang Hoseob about my new general skill.

“Huh? Did you hit level 20?”

“Yeah.”

“No, earlier…”

Jang Hoseob nods.

As if he noticed something.

“You level up quickly, Hyungnim.”

While I was wondering if I should lie even if I didn’t want to.

Jang Hoseob continues to speak.

“Well. You catch all those monsters by yourself.”

Fortunately, I don’t have to lie.

And I decided to try out the new skill before leaving.

“Then I’ll try it.”

“Yes!”

I knelt on one knee in front of a female Gnoll corpse.

I extend my hand over the Gnoll’s torso.

“Mana Stone Extraction.”

I said the skill name as my instinct dictated.

“Ooh!”

Then, Jang Hoseob lets out an exclamation.

It’s somewhat embarrassing.

“Hmm… Hmm?”

However, even after 10 seconds, there is no change.

A sound tinged with puzzlement escaped Jang Hoseob’s lips.