episode_0147

Our hero, Tony, once said:

Sometimes you have to run before you can walk.

It’s a wonderful saying, highlighting initiative and boldness.

I deeply resonated with it and have experienced it firsthand.

That’s why I was able to survive.

And now, I am putting that famous quote into practice once again.

‘About forty of them?’

The zombies, perhaps having been hiding somewhere, charged forward in a group.

They rushed forward with tearing screams, looking dangerous even at a glance.

It was like a pack of rabid dogs charging.

‘Perfect.’

The zombies charging blindly down the straight market street were good targets.

I lined them up in my sights and gauged the distance.

Then I gently pulled the trigger.

Bang! Thud!

It hit, but in the chest.

The zombie, swaying slightly, its eyes glinting, charged again.

‘…A little higher…’

Bang! Thwack!

The second shot precisely hit its head.

It was a successful result for my first time shooting, but there was no time to celebrate.

The zombies, still charging in a group, remained.

And they were rapidly closing the distance on us.

Bang! Bang bang bang! Bang! Bang!

Muzzle blasts erupted continuously from my gun and the other three’s.

As advised, I pulled the trigger, setting it to single shot, not rapid fire.

The loud gunshots strained my ears, but it wasn’t unbearable.

I focused my mind and aimed at the targets ahead, just as I had learned.

Perhaps due to the sense of crisis, my concentration seemed to increase the closer the zombies got.

And my accuracy was also gradually improving.

One, two, three.

Soon after facing the zombies, I got a general feel for it.

Maintaining my stance, I calmly took down the charging zombies.

As the distance shortened, I vividly felt the viscous emotions they emitted. And perceiving the targets became easier.

The acrid smell of gunpowder, emitted by the guns the four of us were firing, began to fill the air.

And the continuous firing steadily brought down the zombies.

Thud! Thump-thump!

While hitting them was certain, aiming for the head with a single shot wasn’t easy.

Having at least gotten a feel for it, I strived to increase my accuracy.

I gripped the gun firmly, putting strength into my hands so the muzzle wouldn’t waver.

Conscious of the recoil, I leaned my upper body slightly forward and braced myself.

It wasn’t a trick or anything sophisticated.

It was a brute-force method, crushing factors that lowered accuracy with sheer power.

Even when the gun spat fire, my body didn’t budge.

Thanks to this, I absorbed the recoil of each shot directly, but there was no problem.

‘This is doable?’

There was absolutely no remaining damage to my body.

As soon as even the slightest tremor vanished, the effects immediately began to appear.

Bang! Thwack- Bang! Splatter!

Almost every shot was a headshot with high probability.

Someone once said that the feeling of impact could be felt with your ears too.

I now confirmed that those words weren’t entirely wrong.

Even though I hadn’t directly smashed them with my hands, I felt a heavy impact.

The feeling of a refreshing sensation, something that erased stress, shooting up my spine and into my brain as I watched heads explode like watermelons.

I felt like I understood, even if only a little, why people enjoyed shooting guns.

In addition, I was clearly realizing the advantages of a gun.

Being able to reliably kill enemies from a distance was a huge advantage.

More than anything, not having to get drenched in disgusting bodily fluids was quite appealing.

‘Its performance is definitely reliable!’

How much rotting blood had I been covered in until now!

I might be able to go home clean for the first time in a while.

I continued firing, slightly intoxicated by the exhilarating sensation.

The zombies couldn’t cross a certain distance and fell to the ground.

At least, that was the case in front of me.

“Re-reload!”

“Uwaaaah!”

I glanced sideways at the other members.

Hyung, Dong-woo, and Incheol looked flustered.

Incheol, needless to say, was showing excellent skill.

Almost every time he pulled the trigger, he blew their heads apart.

Even if he occasionally missed, his ability to immediately compensate was extraordinary.

In contrast, Hyung and Dong-woo…

“N-no! The, the magazine!”

“……”

Hyung maintained a semblance of calm and continued to fire.

His accuracy itself wasn’t bad.

Considering the close range, at least he wasn’t missing.

He consistently hit the upper body and shoulders.

However, aiming for the head didn’t seem easy, as he was struggling.

Dong-woo needed to buck up in many ways.

Even now, he was panicking, dropping his magazine, and not knowing what to do.

Seeing how much he panicked as the zombies approached, I acknowledged it.

He would have to suffer quite a bit to properly pull his weight.

‘Hmm.’

Incheol was fighting well, but I could see his stability significantly decreasing as the zombies approached close range.

I stopped shooting and stepped forward.

“?!”

“Hold your fire for a moment.”

I called out “Cease fire” and stepped forward.

As I intervened while they were frantically shooting, the three were startled and stopped firing.

“What are you—”

Thwack!

I powerfully kicked the abdomen of a zombie that had charged to close range.

The kicked zombie flew backward, its body folded, blood gushing.

The ones running behind collided, were crushed, fell, and rolled backward.

Thud! Thump!

I kicked a few more times and threw punches, pushing the zombies back with force.

The zombies that had flown and rolled a considerable distance couldn’t get up easily.

They were already dead, so they probably felt no pain, but bodies are honest.

Whether it was lingering impact or something broken, I couldn’t tell, but the struggling zombies’ movements visibly slowed and became restricted.

I moved out of my companions’ firing range.

“What are you doing? Hurry up and finish them off.”

“……”

The three, who had been momentarily stunned by the sudden close-quarters combat, came to their senses and hastily prepared themselves.

Replacing magazines, reloading, and getting into firing positions.

Incheol’s series of movements were definitely quick.

A feeling of almost no wasted motion.

Hyung seemed like he’d improve reasonably well with some training.

And Dong-woo seemed to need a lot more effort…

The number of zombies had greatly decreased from the brief engagement.

About seven or eight remained.

I put away my gun and said to the three:

“Incheol, stand by. Hyung and Dong-woo, you two try to finish them.”

“The two of us?”

Hyung asked back, slightly surprised, keeping his gaze forward.

“Don’t worry about them charging; stay calm and see it through. Dong-woo, you need to stay focused too. You’ll die quickly if you act like that.”

“Yes, roger!”

Incheol, who immediately understood my intention, held his position without relaxing his stance.

Now that the distance from the zombies had widened, Hyung and Dong-woo, calmer, quickly replaced their magazines and continued firing.

Hyung and Dong-woo slowly but steadily adapted to the weapon known as a gun.

Their accuracy itself wasn’t bad, but perhaps their precision was lacking.

Still, the remaining zombies steadily fell one by one.

Only after I pushed the zombies back with force a couple more times were they able to finish them off.

Thump-

“Hoo! Hoo!”

“Ugh…”

Confirming there was nothing moving in front of them, the three sank to the ground.

“Haa… What was that all of a sudden…?”

“Hyung-nim… I can’t feel my hands…”

“Still, we managed to take down all those many… sir.”

The three, each saying a short word and panting, seemed quite surprised. Incheol’s forgotten military speech pattern resurfacing showed he was indeed startled.

Seeing them all drenched in cold sweat, I felt a little sympathetic…

“You all worked hard.”

At my small encouragement, the three loosely looked up at me.

“…You…”

“I know what you want to say, but practical experience is also the best training.”

“No, but there’s still a limit, you know…”

Watching the gasping Hyung, I subtly smiled.

It was certainly a violent action that began without much order.

It’s also true that systematic training should be done step by step.

However, there’s a lack of time and resources for that.

There’s an extreme shortage of bullets for training.

I have a fair amount, but I can’t gauge if it’s a lot or a little. Even now, we’ve used quite a few bullets.

Considering what’s ahead, this started from the thought that it would be a waste to use bullets for training.

If we’re going to do it anyway, we should maximize the effect.

I shared these thoughts with the three.

They pouted their lips at my words but didn’t object.

“That’s true too.”

“But I think we definitely got the hang of it, didn’t we?”

“That’s true, but…”

“Look on the bright side. The results are clearly showing, aren’t they?”

“……”

Hyung seemed to have lost his words and fell silent.

Incheol, who had been listening quietly, voiced his own thoughts.

“Still, as training goes, this would be considered incredibly high intensity. It’s like shooting moving targets after only a brief explanation.”

“And our lives are on the line, too.”

“That’s right. Honestly, I thought I was going to get stomach cramps.”

“My heart actually hurts. Ugh…”

“I’m completely disoriented…”

Each of them expressed their feelings about the intense and nerve-wracking time they had just experienced.

Seeing their reactions, I couldn’t help but smile wryly.

“Alright. Get up now and don’t forget to retrieve the empty magazines.”

“Oh, right.”

The companions exclaimed “Oops!” and hurriedly gathered the empty magazines.

[“Seonghan! What’s going on there!”]

Sohee’s urgent voice streamed from the radio.

‘Oh, right.’

I had forgotten about the two waiting at the entrance.

I picked up the radio and received the call.

“Some zombies appeared, so we took care of them. All clear.”

[“Are you alright?”]

“No problem. We’re going further in, so please stand by.”

[“Understood.”]

The three, seeing me exchange a brief radio communication with Sohee, widened their eyes.

“It’s not over?”

“What are you talking about? It’s just starting.”

Huk!

“Form up. We’re moving out.”

The companions, with slightly weary expressions, didn’t complain.

They simply followed behind me as I slowly started walking.

Thump-thump-

Incheol, who was at the rear, spoke softly.

“Seonghan Hyung-nim.”

“Why?”

“Hyung-nim, at your level, couldn’t you tear zombies apart with your bare hands?”

Feeling that the other two shared Incheol’s curiosity, I could feel them staring intently at me.

“I haven’t tried, but I probably could?”

“…Are you a superhuman?”

I only chuckled, offering no reply.

Then Hyung and Dong-woo joined forces, beginning to chatter about their small suspicions regarding my identity.

Incheol, listening to their talk, seemed to have a complicated mind.

He seemed confused by a situation that, despite seeing it directly, was hard to believe.

It’s not a common sight to see someone smack zombies flying at such close range.

It’s not that I don’t understand, but…

From my perspective, listening quietly, I could only laugh.

I should raise the appropriate tension again, but for now, I left them be.

There was also the fact that there was no sign of zombies nearby, but more importantly, they needed a moment to catch their breath.

It started out tough, but it definitely had an effect.

For starters, all of us had gained a certain feel for shooting.

Though in my case, it was more about resolving it with sheer force.

Perhaps because they had personally taken down zombies themselves, they had developed a tolerance for it.

Seeing them pass through about forty corpses without difficulty, it seemed I wouldn’t have to worry too much in the future either.

Their attitudes were quite composed, to the point where one wouldn’t think they had been gagging just a moment ago.

We spotted a large supermarket in the middle of the market and cautiously entered.

Inside, there were some neglected corpses, but the three were no longer flustered. They merely frowned a little.

The fairly large market was almost empty.

Only thick layers of dust had accumulated where food and goods had once been displayed.

Blackened, dried bloodstains clung to the floor.

…There was nothing salvageable in the messed-up market.

“It doesn’t seem like zombies; I think there was a fight among people.”

I nodded at Incheol’s deduction of the situation.

My opinion was the same.

It seemed likely that a fight had broken out over food.

Alongside the corpses flattened on the floor were traces of weapons that had likely been used, and some rotting, damaged food items.

The remaining forms of the corpses were not good.

They were so severely damaged or bore so many stab wounds that it was hard to simply call it a fight.

Violence beyond necessity, and its outcome.

All that remained were lumps of flesh, rotting amiably beside the zombies.

‘Did they lose their reason?’

It was quite aggressive and brutal to be something done by humans.

The cruelty that reared its head due to the desire to live, in front of food.

It was a situation where it wouldn’t be strange for people to start losing their minds.

The situation would only get harder from now on, and I didn’t know how crazy people would become.

We slowly looked around the dusty interior of the market.

All we salvaged from the nearly empty market were a few dusty cans and some jam or sauce in glass bottles.

Since we couldn’t go back empty-handed, we took what we could see.

“It’s okay if it’s dirty, but absolutely nothing with even a drop of blood or a piece of flesh on it.”

“Roger.”

“Rather go back empty-handed than ever be greedy.”

I reminded them of the points I had stressed from the beginning.

Dong-woo, nodding continuously, carefully packed the small amount of food into his backpack.

Although the quantity wasn’t much, his expression wasn’t bad, perhaps because he had gathered the harvest himself.

The clinking sound every time Dong-woo walked was, one might say, a point of amusement.

It was somehow cute to see the bear-like guy walking like that.

Having achieved meager results, we emerged and traversed deeper into the market.

‘…Today’s a bust.’

That was the thought that came to mind the further we went in.

Not only was everything a mess, but the market itself had been almost completely cleared out.

Common side dish stores, specialized raw chicken shops, and even stores selling rice cakes or oil had been thoroughly ransacked.

Even small clothing stores with obscure names were completely empty.

“People really scraped it clean, didn’t they?”

“They really did…”

We searched to the opposite end of the market but found nothing.

All there was was dust swirling around and a few occasional zombies.

When a zombie appeared, they shot it, and if it got too close, I pushed it back.

The appearing zombies, naturally, became experience points for Hyung and Dong-woo.

Incheol, watching the series of events, clicked his tongue in amazement.

“No matter where you go, such hunting—no, training—wouldn’t even be conceivable. It’s only possible because Hyung-nim is here.”

“Hmm… well…”

“Even if we don’t know much, the effect will be certain.”

“Right?”

I gave a small smile, seeing Hyung and Dong-woo quite exhausted, even from just a minor skirmish.

Incheol also seemed tired from watching the two of them nervously.

But I was perfectly fine.

And somehow, I was enjoying myself.

‘So this is why instructors push soldiers so hard.’

I was helping my companions train and gaining a sense of accomplishment.

On top of that, I was just pursuing a bit of personal enjoyment.

Flinch!

The three, who had been catching their breath for a moment, suddenly shivered.

The three glanced around before their eyes met mine.

“Why is your expression like that?”

“Why? What about my expression?”

“…It’s kind of… something…”

“It’s just your imagination.”

“……”

Receiving Hyung’s narrowed gaze, I merely shrugged.

After a brief conversation and checking the market to its end, we turned back.

Unfortunately, there were no significant gains.

The only things we gained were my companions’ experience and their proficiency with guns.

‘If we repeat this a few more times, they should get better…’

There were still bullets left.

If we poured them into making our companions stronger, it would be a profitable venture.

My companions, staggering, climbed into the vehicle.

I felt the corners of my mouth faintly curl up.

Though I didn’t know if my companions would like it or not.