episode_0113

“I’ll handle it, so block the entrance!!!”

*Grit*

At Seonghan’s shout, Jihyeok gritted his teeth.

It was a chaotic mess that unfolded in an instant.

Everyone froze at the unrealistic sight, enough to make them snicker despite themselves.

The same went for Jihyeok.

He nearly lost his mind, but his body reacted to the shout.

What would have happened if it weren’t for Seonghan’s irritable shouting?

He almost met a fate he didn’t even want to think about, but he survived.

Not only him, but everyone nearby also saved their lives.

He led everyone inside and held out at the entrance until the very end.

He called out to his younger brother who was alone in front, drawing the zombies’ attention.

All he had to do was get himself to safety, but the reply he heard was a rebuke.

At this, Jihyeok gritted his teeth and didn’t think twice.

“I have to help!”

“Mm…!”

At Jihyeok’s cry, the Old Man was the first to react.

Jihyeok was about to rush outside, followed by the Old Man.

Seonghan’s companions’ eyes hardened.

A man squeezed his way through the crowd.

“I’ll go first.”

Kang Incheol raised the rifle he hadn’t let go of for a moment.

The way he took his stance and stepped forward was incredibly natural.

*Sigh*

A heavy sigh exhaled in the urgent situation.

It was the moment he was about to rush out without hesitation.

Dong-woo, with his round body, blocked the entrance.

Pushing Jihyeok and Incheol’s bodies with his soft belly.

“Wait! Wait, wait, wait!!”

“What are you doing! Move!”

Jihyeok, who hadn’t expected to be hindered, became greatly angered.

Normally, he would have responded calmly, but not now.

His nerves were frayed to their limit, and he had no time to think.

It was an urgent situation where their lives hung in the balance.

Outside, his much younger brother was risking his life to hold back the zombies.

He couldn’t just leave Seonghan, who had thrown himself into danger to save them.

Jihyeok knew that even if he went out, he wouldn’t be much help.

But he couldn’t stand idly by without even trying.

Perhaps thinking the same thing, the eyes of the companions, including the Old Man, grew fierce.

But Dong-woo paid no mind.

“If you go out now, you’ll only get in Hyung-nim’s way!”

“What, what?”

“Oh, seriously! Just trust Seonghan Hyung-nim! I told you, just block the entrance! Really! Truly!”

“Choi Dong-woo, what on earth are you…?”

The companions were dumbfounded by Dong-woo’s stubborn persistence in blocking them. But the word “hindrance” which pointed out a fact, felt like having cold water poured on them.

Jihyeok, whose head had cooled down a bit, couldn’t speak.

Instead, Kang Incheol subtly stepped forward.

“…It seems Dong-woo is right about this. We should block the entrance quickly.”

“K-Kang Ilbyeong?”

“I have a hunch. Let’s hurry.”

Saving his words, he slung the rifle over his shoulder.

Kang Incheol immediately lowered the security shutter and closed the glass door without hesitation.

As he grunted, trying to move nearby furniture, Jihyeok cursed and lent a hand.

With everyone working together, blocking the entrance was quick.

“Fifth floor! Let’s go up to the fifth floor!”

At Kim Heejin’s urgent words, people started climbing the stairs.

They had clearly blocked the entrance, but a chilling sensation pushing them from behind made them shiver.

They were only climbing five floors, but their breaths came in ragged gasps.

They felt their hands and feet grow cold and their bodies dull, but everyone ran up without looking back.

As soon as they entered Dr. Jang’s hospital, Jihyeok and Incheol looked for a window.

“?!”

“Th-th-that…”

The zombies had clearly multiplied in just a short time.

Clinging to the window, the people were speechless at the spectacle that created the illusion of surging waves.

The zombies had stopped and were facing off against Seonghan.

“What… what on earth is that?”

“……”

No one could answer the Old Man’s question, asked into the air with a dazed voice. It was a monster they had all seen for the first time.

Faced with a new fear for the first time, people were distraught.

Seonghan, standing alone facing such a monster, was covered in blood.

Among the people who had frozen at the unrealistic scene, Incheol quietly opened the window.

*Click*

Loading his rifle, he braced himself against the windowsill and prepared.

He adjusted the selector switch so he could fire immediately, at any moment.

But Incheol’s hand and the tip of his rifle trembled mercilessly.

‘Damn it! Get a grip!’

As he aimed at the massive zombie, past memories resurfaced.

The monster that didn’t die even when shot repeatedly.

Along with the memories he had tried to bury and ignore, the fear of that day was recalled.

He gritted his teeth seeing Seonghan covered in dark blue blood, holding a broken weapon, but he couldn’t calm down easily.

‘Fuck! Fuck! You goddamn chicken shit!’

Kang Incheol squeezed his eyes shut, his breathing ragged.

Hands were placed on both of his shoulders.

“…Calm down. Breathe slowly.”

*Pant- pant-*

“Right now, you’re the only one who can help Seonghan.”

“……Huuuuuh…”

Encouragement that clearly resonated in his eardrums.

Incheol gradually stabilized at Jihyeok’s words, which, though subdued, were spoken in a calm, clear, and comforting voice.

He closed his eyes and exhaled a long breath.

When Incheol opened his eyes again, his pupils no longer wavered.

The trembling subsided, his breathing became even, and he regained composure.

The wavering muzzle aimed at the large zombie’s small head.

And not a single tremor could be felt.

Jihyeok slowly removed his hand from his shoulder.

“Incheol-ah. I’m counting on you.”

“……”

Incheol felt his shoulders grow heavy with expectation and responsibility, but he no longer trembled.

You ape bastard!!!

*Roar*

*Bang!*

A gunshot mixed in amidst the passionate roars of the two creatures.

* * *

As the sudden gunshot erupted, the variant’s head was sharply thrown back.

A gunshot that rang out at a truly exquisite timing.

He didn’t miss that moment and initiated his action.

*Whiz- whiz- swish~*

*Whiz- whiz- swish~~*

He moved his hands at a speed that would make a con artist kneel.

He subtly took out two grenades and threw them, then immediately threw more.

When unleashing firepower, there should be no shortage.

Given its large size, he figured this much would be necessary to be effective.

He threw four grenades and swiftly moved out of the explosion range.

*Boom boom boom-!!*

“Oops!”

The power of four grenades exploding simultaneously at one point was considerable.

The ape zombie, reeling from the headshot and flailing, was sent flying into the air.

Nearby regular zombies were blown to pieces, decorating the air.

Not missing the opening, he rushed towards the ape zombie.

*Clack! Clang-*

A new weapon drawn from his inventory.

A sword he hadn’t expected to debut so soon.

It felt stupidly heavy for a sword, and his grip tightened.

Strong durability was felt from the thick blade, which was closer to a blunt weapon.

An ambiguous identity: a saber, a sword, or a blunt weapon.

It didn’t matter what it was.

Only good performance mattered.

To test its performance, he swung the drawn sword without hesitation.

The opponent of this monumental first draw was the variant ape zombie.

It was not lacking as a sacrifice.

*Slice-*

A single slash swung towards the massive body suspended in the air.

*Crack-*

On the large body, a smooth, fine line appeared from the crown of its head down to its crotch.

Unable to resist gravity, the variant’s body, heading for the ground, slowly twisted as if sliding.

Soon after, it messed up the asphalt ground.

*Splat-! Splat!*

The cut surface of the corpse felt as clean as if measured with a ruler.

The variant, unreservedly revealing its indescribably disgusting contents, twitched for a moment before ceasing to move.

But I didn’t stop and swung the sword.

*Swish swish swish-*

With a single swing, several zombies crumbled feebly.

The feeling of clean, refreshing cuts traveled up the sword’s hilt.

“Oh wow…”

Whether it was the massive variant or regular zombies, it simply cut them down without hindrance.

The exhilarating sensation in his hand was extraordinary.

The sturdiness felt from the tip of the sword was also exceptional.

It was as if it was proving itself to be an outstanding blade.

[Let’s see if you’re worthy to be my master. Swing me, won’t you?]

The sword in his hand seemed to whisper that.

Feeling great satisfaction at its unexpected performance, he began his rampage with the sword.

As if to humor me, who was a little excited despite the situation, the zombies began to rush towards me.

*Woosh- woosh- woosh-*

A sharp wind-cutting sound, slightly different from when he swung a crowbar.

Zombies in the path of the sound invariably crumbled.

And what was split was their necks or heads.

The sword, swung at high speed, didn’t leave zombies within its range untouched.

Rushing zombies lost their strength and fell the moment they entered its range.

They sprawled, scattering brain matter from their severed surfaces.

Zombie corpses began to pile up at his feet.

In front of me, and to my left and right, walls of rotting flesh soon began to rise.

For now, he continued to wield the sword without stopping.

Before long, the wall of flesh had piled up to my eye level.

He had cut down a considerable number, but the zombies’ relentless assault showed no signs of diminishing.

*Swish!*

In an instant, he stepped onto the wall of corpses that had risen higher than his height.

“Ugh…”

It was only a flesh wall of about 2 meters, but standing on it opened up his view.

And the sight that met his eyes was absurd.

Zombies filled the wide intersection.

The sight of those zombies, resembling surging waves, was astounding.

*Bang-! Bang-!*

Gunshots rang out in succession, perfectly timed.

The rifle, which had been continuously spraying bullets, adjusted its aim a bit more for me.

Thanks to that, it became slightly easier to deal with the zombies.

That didn’t change what needed to be done.

He swung the sword quickly and surely, over and over again.

Though it was only a slight advantage, he gained the high ground and fought to his advantage.

His field of vision widened, and the burden eased.

It became easier to cut off their necks or heads.

He climbed higher, stepping on the gradually rising wall of zombie flesh.

Around me, zombies that had been split and killed piled up in all directions.

I didn’t stop.

The zombies’ disgusting growls were suppressed by the intermittent gunshots.

It was a strange feeling, a sort of harmony, even without practice.

Accordingly, as time passed, a bizarre scene was created.

The result was a hill built from rotten chunks of flesh.

He didn’t know how many he had cut down.

The wall of flesh that began at my feet grew taller and taller, becoming a small hill.

The zombie horde, which had been like a massive wave, couldn’t continue its assault because of the hill I had built.

Their flow was interrupted by the small hill, and they could only cling to it and crawl like insects.

As a result, I gained some leeway.

It became easier to strike down, slicing through the zombies.

He would also coolly kick them away, sending them flying far.

He didn’t forget to throw grenades far away whenever there was a lull.

The situation turned favorable.

If he just had time, dealing with the swarming zombies would be no problem.

And it didn’t seem like he needed much time.

The zombies, which had created a surging spectacle, began to show their end.

The number of zombies filling Sagajeong Intersection had distinctly decreased.

The hill of corpses had grown proportionally taller.

Something stood out at the top of the small hill.

‘That’s…’

A zombie with a head taller than the surrounding zombies.

While no zombie was pleasant to look at, its appearance was particularly hard to stomach.

A variant he had seen before was mixed in.

It was approaching slowly from behind.

It felt as if it was sending the other zombies forward.

Even as he continuously sliced through zombies, their numbers dwindled.

Despite this, the variant merely approached at a leisurely pace.

It was a bit different from other zombies or variants.

Usually, any zombie or variant would roll its eyes back and charge at the human in front of it. But this one showed no sign of charging.

‘Arrogant bastard.’

Annoyance welled up at the zombie’s sky-high composure.

His neck warmer, soaked and dripping with blood, was cumbersome.

It felt like a wet towel, hindering his breathing and getting blood in his nose.

As if to vent his frustration, he roughly ripped off his neck warmer.

‘Who the hell are you being so leisurely in front of?’

Just as he was about to smash the climbing zombies and charge forward, regardless of the height.

*Bang-!*

With a single gunshot, fluids splattered from the head of the leisurely variant.

“Oh! Nice shot!”

I involuntarily let out a small exclamation.

It felt like having an itchy spot scratched.

A faint smile formed, feeling refreshed.

*Screech-!!*

“Oh, good!”

Unfortunately, even after being shot in the eye, it still stood.

Though he couldn’t kill it, the variant’s scream (?) was satisfying.

*Whiz- swish-!*

In response, he threw a grenade.

The grenade, flying in a shy arc, exploded near the variant’s head.

*Boom-!!*

Fluids and flesh splattered in all directions with the explosion.

Zombies near the variant lost their limbs and fell.

But the variant still stood.

*Gurgle! Gurgle!!*

‘Stubborn bastard…’

Its face was shattered, but it thrashed, making gurgling sounds.

The variant stumbled forward.

A bullet lodged in its eye, and a grenade exploded in its face.

Yet the variant still stood, charging at me.

‘……’

As the variant took damage, the movement of the zombies, which had been surging like waves, changed.

They felt strongly like they were becoming disorganized, dumber, and rampaging.

Charging at me aside, they were screaming in response to the gunshots.

Until now, even when gunshots rang out, they only charged at me.

Their appearance was like watching soldiers who had lost their commander and fallen into chaos.

‘Is it like a commander… a zombie?’

He doubted it, but the thought occurred to him.

If so, it was a problem that could be confirmed immediately.

Now that they had lost control and were showing their true zombie nature.

Seizing the large opening that appeared, he powerfully leaped towards the variant.

His push-off must have been strong, as the pile of corpses crumbled.

His body, having soared high, quickly fell in accordance with gravity.

“Gurgle! Gurgle! Kyaaaah—”

*Whoosh! Swish-*

He fell past the thrashing variant, brushing its side.

At the same time, he put power into it and quickly sliced its neck in a fluid motion.

*Sizzle-*

Unable to fully control his speed, his landing foot dragged slightly on the ground.

His body stopped only after sliding a bit.

*Whoosh- Splatter-*

He swung the sword to shake off the blood.

A line of blood was drawn on the already heavily stained asphalt ground.

And at the same time…

*Thud-*

The variant’s neck slid open, and its body also collapsed.

And then, the zombies’ frantic struggle began.

Zombies further away stood idly, dazed.

Zombies reacting to the gunshots raged towards the direction of the sound.

Zombies near me were charging madly.

“Hmm…”

With the variant fallen, a distinctly different scene unfolded.

I began to approach the zombies charging at me.

‘Thinking later.’

Not many of the zombies that had filled the streets remained now.

I could fight more without any problems.

The newly drawn sword was perfectly fine.

Its blade, glinting a sharp blue, seemed to share my thoughts.

I charged into the midst of the zombies, swinging my sword to finish them off.

*Bang-!!*

Incheol was with him.