episode_0097

Groups become hamlets, hamlets become villages, and villages become cities.

Going one step further, they develop into nations.

Of course, by then, it would only be possible with talented individuals full of ideals, who wish to lead the people.

Whenever people gather, disputes and problems are bound to arise.

To solve these, a representative or leader is always chosen.

Such individuals wield authority and lead the people.

Therefore, when dealing with a large number of people, the leader’s capability is crucial.

Though extreme, even the country where the god of football was born, far away, cannot escape ruin due to a lack of excellent leaders.

Its citizens live in pain.

“Ah, damn it. This isn’t the mountain?”

It’s like Napoleon’s anecdote, where he made a grand blunder that cost no lives but became a page in history.

The soldiers, burdened with heavy packs, who followed orders, were innocent.

It was merely the foolish mistake of the representative in authority.

Even for me, it was not once or twice that I suffered immensely and cursed under my breath because of a foolish manager at work. Back then, I at least got reimbursed for a company dinner as an apology, but…

“Kyaaaak!”

Not these thugs, who are getting beaten by me and sent flying.

Contrary to their initial fierce charge, the thugs now hesitate, unable to attack. Their eyes are filled with disbelief, as if they can’t believe what they’re seeing, but unfortunately, it’s reality.

‘When else would they get beaten like this?’

Whether they’re the ones rolling on the floor or the ones trembling in front of me.

They’re suffering this mess because they met the wrong leader.

From the hospital entrance hall to the hallway.

Though a short distance, thugs lie sprawling, unmoving.

Fresh blood is splattered everywhere, cooling quickly.

Occasionally, burst or torn flesh is scattered here and there.

It’s as if a beast rampaged through and passed by.

The people who are here amidst this chaos.

The thugs, that is, have realized the reality and are gripped by terror.

The one who first ordered them to “finish me” is no exception.

He is pale, turning ghostly white.

Everyone is simply horrified by this abnormal, atypical process of corpse creation.

I stood on the still twitching corpses amidst the carnage I created.

It didn’t take long.

In a short while, more than half of the thugs had turned into corpses.

Thanks to that, I’m now drenched in blood again.

“…My skin’s going to break out.”

A queen from a folktale I once read favored a crazy beauty regimen: bathing in the blood of young children to maintain her youthful beauty.

My poor skin is covered in dirty, oily, impure blood.

A metallic, raw smell lingers around my mouth.

The sticky, clinging sensation of blood is very unpleasant.

I roughly shook off my body and spoke to the front.

“Aren’t you coming?”

I merely spoke, but the retreating thugs gasped.

“…Monster.”

“What, you son of a bitch? Who are you calling a monster? Do you want to die?”

“Aren’t you going to kill us all anyway?”

The thugs looked at the middle-manager thug with surprised eyes.

Unfazed by their gaze, the man clenched his teeth, his face pale.

I found his reaction amusing and spoke softly.

“I’ll spare one person, you know?”

“Are you telling me to tell on the boss?”

“I don’t need everything. Just tell me where he is, and I’ll spare you.”

“…Don’t fall for that nonsense—”

“Third floor! He’s in a third-floor patient room!”

Suddenly, someone from the front row shouted.

I turned my gaze to see a thug trembling uncontrollably.

He was slightly covered in blood, sending me an earnest gaze, his hand raised high.

As expected, I knew someone would step forward.

It was worth fighting so spectacularly, spraying blood everywhere.

In the chilling atmosphere, his desperate self-promotion to survive felt just like a passionate job applicant interviewing for a position.

“You, get out of the w—”

“Gasp!”

The one who cut off my words about sparing someone was the boss’s precise knife attack.

The way he charged and stabbed from behind showed the skill of someone who’d done it many times.

The stabbed thug soon rolled his eyes back and slowly collapsed.

“…I do not forgive betrayal.”

I was dumbfounded by his furious expression, trying to act imposing.

His line was tragically heroic.

“Go to hell.”

“…Monster. You will die here.”

“Hmph. Try me.”

I sneered deeply and began to step forward.

Since the one I was going to spare died, there’s no one left to spare.

I’d also heard the leader’s location, so there was no need to waste time.

Just as I was about to charge again.

I heard several footsteps behind me.

And immediately, the thugs parted ways, stepping aside.

A middle-aged man appeared, leading a new group of thugs at the front.

He stopped a short distance from me and scrutinized me from head to toe.

“…Hmm. We’ve clearly never met. Why are you causing trouble in my territory?”

He was distinctly cleaner than the other thugs.

A middle-aged man in a luxurious-looking suit.

Though his physique was somewhat small, he spoke to me in a deep voice.

“Are you Yeom Seongjin?”

“Yes. You seem to be looking for me, but it’s too noisy to tolerate.”

Seeing him chatter lightly, as if complaining about floor noise, actually baffled me. He didn’t seem to notice the corpses around him.

The fact that he led people down here suggests he’s quite impatient, but it works out well for me. It saved me the trouble of searching for him.

“Why is such a young-looking friend looking for me?”

“Because what you did bothered me.”

“Hmm. Problems are bound to arise in business. I’m not sure what you mean, what incident are you referring to?”

His sly, subtly patronizing demeanor made me incredulous.

His calm, irritating composure.

The sudden opening of a dialogue was funny, but I decided to play along a bit.

I pointed my thumb at the pile of corpses behind me.

“Because I saw something similar.”

“Hmm… I’m not sure what you mean—”

“Red Hospital.”

“Ah~~”

At my words, he clapped his hands, nodding as if he’d remembered, which triggered a strong urge to punch him. This man truly has a knack for infuriating people.

“They were uncooperative, you see. It was a necessary measure for the business.”

“…Even killing a child, too?”

“Hmph. You’re more moral than you look. Or, were you acquainted?”

“……”

I seem to have found the right person.

Now that I face him, he seems to be a person with a screw or two loose.

He shows no emotion, considering the number of lives he’s taken.

He might be insane, but this man is truly armed with a businessman’s mindset.

“That doesn’t seem to be the case… It seems you truly invaded because you didn’t like me.”

“That, and you’ve been carelessly leading zombies around, which is annoying.”

He chuckled at my words, saying, ‘Oh, those mere zombies.’ I understood then.

“You guys. You’ve never encountered a variant, have you?”

“…Variant? What do you mean?”

“You wouldn’t be running around so recklessly if you knew.”

“…You seem to know more than I thought. And your skill, too…”

Yeom, thinking something for a moment, scratched his chin.

“I like you. I’ll compensate you for the damage you’ve suffered. I’ll treat you well, so come work for me.”

His sincere proposal, accompanied by a small smile, seemed familiar.

“I had a thug say something similar earlier today.”

“Ohh…?”

“That guy told me your name. He said he was Team Leader 2, right?”

At my words, Yeom Seongjin’s expression immediately hardened.

His sly eyes turned cold.

I sensed something in his change.

“What did you do to Team Leader 2? Where is he now?”

“…?”

“I’m asking, you bastard! Where is he now!”

Yeom’s face turned red, and he was on the verge of exploding, completely changed.

I shouldn’t feel this way, but it felt satisfying to see his facade drop.

“Can’t you tell by me being here?”

“……”

“He’s mixed in with the pile back there, so go find him.”

At my words, Yeom’s eyes, looking at the pile of corpses, began to bloodshot.

It was worth the trouble of bringing all those dirty corpses.

“You’re more emotional than you look. Or, were you acquainted?”

When I returned his exact words, his reaction was priceless.

“…You bastard!”

“Oh. ‘Bastard,’ he says. Haven’t you read too many martial arts novels? Shouldn’t it be ‘Halt!’?”

*Grind!*

The sound of teeth grinding was clear in the quiet room.

Given his textbook reaction, I decided to give him one more piece of information.

“I stuck a knife in his Achilles tendon so he couldn’t run away. His crying and peeing himself, begging for his life, was quite a sight.”

“……”

“He even roughly told me this location, so I was late checking it on the way here. Oh! I spared him for giving me information, but he died anyway. No perseverance.”

“…You! You will pay the price for killing my brother!!”

…So he was his brother.

“Um… Looks like both brothers are going to die by my hand on the same day…”

“…Forget about dying peacefully, you crazy bastard.”

His expression burning with rage, he gave a rough gesture, issuing an order.

As the newly arrived personnel were about to move.

*Thud! Thud!*

“Kyaaaak!!”

I plunged a kitchen knife into Yeom’s knee as he tried to retreat.

His sly attempt to provoke me and then slip away was infuriating.

“Where are you going?”

“Ugh! What the hell…!!”

He seemed surprised by the sudden knife.

He wouldn’t have perceived me drawing it out or throwing it.

“You’re the one who should forget about dying peacefully.”

*Thump-thump—*

Loosening my body just enough, I began to walk forward calmly.

In response, the newly reinforced thugs rushed at me fiercely.

‘Oh…?’

The group charging with shouts had a different intensity than the thugs I’d faced so far. They seemed to charge with even more killing intent, excited.

From an ordinary person’s perspective, these were truly dangerous individuals.

The way they wielded their weapons was clearly on a different level.

With cheerful anticipation, I plunged into the flurry of blades.

And then, I truly began to move my body.

*Splat!*

I utterly burst the head of the thug charging at the front.

Fragments of brains scattered with the sound of a heavy balloon popping.

The shouts ceased, replaced by a sound that shouldn’t come from a human body.

The thugs, suddenly covered in blood, froze.

“What just happened?”

They all stood with their mouths open, saying nothing, but their eyes and expressions spoke volumes.

I chuckled at their foolish expressions.

*Smash!*

I powerfully kicked the thug who was standing there dazed.

The kicked thug flew, pushing his comrades aside, and crashed into a corner.

He seemed to cough up blood, then his head slumped.

“Why are you getting distracted after charging?”

Along with my advice, I unleashed attacks with my hands and feet without mercy.

Consecutive sounds of bodies bursting followed, spraying fountains of blood.

Only after getting drenched in their comrades’ blood did the thugs come to their senses and charge again.

Their cries, indistinguishable from roars or screams, were forced out unwillingly. Though still filled with killing intent, their momentum was not what it had been moments ago.

A struggle for survival.

They had charged thinking only of the sticky pleasure of killing, but then realized it.

That they were about to die, that things had gone terribly wrong.

Screaming rather than shouting, the thugs stabbed their weapons, spitting out various curses. Nonsensical foreign words were mixed in, suggesting some from the continent were also among them.

“If you came from another land, you should just earn your money and leave quietly, what’s with all the knife-wielding?”

Should I say it’s typical of the troublesome race?

They always seem to be involved in bad things.

Now, as I slaughtered this international group of murderers.

There was no need to go all out against opponents of this level.

But a visual effect was necessary.

Therefore, I showed no mercy in my actions.

My bare-handed attacks, without even wielding a crowbar, were lethal.

If I touched them, they burst. If I touched them, they certainly died.

Fast, powerful, and threatening attacks.

The thugs couldn’t even react properly.

Splattering blood and flesh never ceased.

The standing dwindled, and the fallen increased.

There were no intact corpses.

The thugs hesitated, seeing the shockingly gruesome, incomplete corpses.

They began to be crushed by fear.

Some, covered in blood, even turned their eyes away from the surreal sight.

In this regard, humans are easier to deal with than zombies.

Zombies charge mindlessly until the end, but humans don’t.

Wielding tools and weapons makes them dangerous.

But if you instill fear like this, it becomes easy.

That’s why I fought somewhat brutally, and the results were good.

Thugs collapsed, crushed by fear.

I easily killed and brought down a considerable number.

But there are still some left, so I won’t stop.

“Sa-save—”

*Smash!*

An unknown thug, whose head exploded from a powerful uppercut swung from bottom to top, was slammed into the ceiling, looking like a half-burst tomato splattered on a wall.

Dripping blood and dangling intestines created a grotesque scene. A sight that should not exist in a hospital.

*Swish!*

With a quick movement, I snatched the blade aiming precisely for my neck.

But the opponent persistently tried to stab me with their other hand.

*Grab!*

*Crunch!*

“Kyaaaak!!”

I crushed the hand I grabbed.

Listening to the shrill scream, I applied pressure, twisting and writhing my grip.

As I further mangled his ruined hand, the thug whose hand was gripped began to foam at the mouth.

*Stab!*

I plunged his own knife into the neck of the presumptuous thug who had tried a dual-wielding style.

He seemed somewhat skilled, but dual-wielding isn’t for just anyone.

“The price of showing off is your life.”

I left my heartfelt advice to the thug, who was slowly gasping his last breath, spurting blood, and stood up.

“Hoo.”

“……”

There was nothing left breathing around me.

No one except Yeom, who had been trying to act the benevolent boss.

Yeom, with knives stuck in both knees and unable to think of escaping, was denying reality with eyes half-lost focus.

“No, no way. What, what is this…”

“What do you mean, ‘no way’?”

I spoke blandly, slowly approaching Yeom.

His pants were soaked, not just from the blood flowing from his knees, but from something else.

He was so overwhelmed by fear that he couldn’t even tremble, his body stiff.

“You brothers piss yourselves the same way.”

“I-I can’t… It’s just beginning… It’s just beginning…”

Yeom muttered to himself, seemingly not hearing my taunt.

For a man who had committed such insane acts, his mental fortitude was weak.

“Why, why… Why was this necessary…”

“Then why did you need to kill all those people?”

I cut off Yeom’s words, as he half-lost his mind, blaming me.

“…Why did you need to kill a child, too?”

“…What’s so special about that damn brat?!”

Yeom, on the verge of collapse, exploded and began to rave.

I pulled down my neck warmer and brought my face close to his.

“Why didn’t you gather all those people and hunt zombies instead? Then you wouldn’t have clashed with me.”

“Nonsense…!”

“If you guys had lived your thug lives cleanly, I wouldn’t have needed to come here.”

“……”

“You bothered me, and you provoked my acquaintances.”

“When, when did I ever do that?!”

I slapped Yeom’s cheek as he screamed convulsively.

With a high-pitched shriek, flesh torn from his cheek, he writhed in pain.

“Your brother attacked my acquaintances.”

“Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!”

Leaving Yeom, who was panting heavily as his torn cheek hurt, I picked up one of the weapons dropped on the floor. Yeom’s eyes followed my hand, looking pathetic.

“And you stirred up my painful memories.”

“……”

“I didn’t care what you guys did. Provoking me. That’s why you’re dying.”

Yeom, who had listened to my words blankly, soon burst into laughter.

Lying on the floor, he laughed for a long time, then seemed to deflate.

“Who knew there’d be a monster like you in this small town. Hahaha.”

“If you knew? Would anything have changed?”

“Of course! Who would dare challenge a monster like you! Damn it! If I’d known, I would’ve left this place!”

“…Well, what can you do? It’s already happened.”

“Damn it! Damn it! Everything was ready! It was just beginning! Because of this monster!!!”

Since he kept calling me a monster, I slapped his other cheek.

Who is he calling a monster, hurting my feelings like that?

He was such a hollow individual, considering the insane things he’d done, so I was about to finish him off.

“…What about the people upstairs?”

“…What? How do you know that?”

I felt the presence of many living beings upstairs.

“You… What is your true identity… *Gasp!*”

I grabbed Yeom’s throat and lifted him, as he panicked.

“Let’s check first.”

*Choke! Gurgle!*

I dragged Yeom, who was losing his mind from the choking pain, upstairs.

I felt like killing him already, but it didn’t seem to be the right time yet.

It wouldn’t be too late even after checking the situation upstairs.

Killing him is a bit premature.

Just yet.

Thinking that, I suppressed my killing intent.