episode_0270

‘Myungwol…’

It’s a name befitting a woman. Perhaps that’s why it feels like I’ve found a lover. Old Man Park, who had explained the origin of the sword’s name, left without a long explanation. He said he had something to do right away.

Anyway.

Immediately after the small event, a party began. The food and alcohol brought as gifts were highly praised. Especially, the eyes of those who saw the liquor bottles and beer cans shone sharply. If people hadn’t gotten drunk slowly, the alcohol, encountered after a long time, would have run out on the spot.

Of course, at first, they tried to restrain themselves…

“You can drink comfortably.” “What? But…” “Tonight will probably be safe.”

It was a mistake.

Thanks to that, people opened the floodgates of their hearts and let loose. The relief of having overcome a crisis, stimulating food, and alcohol, referred to as a gift from God. It instantly turned into joyful chaos.

When Sergeant Kang and Sohee’s kiss scene was re-highlighted, the two, perhaps embarrassed, quietly slipped away. And they didn’t return. Enraged by this, people filled their glasses once more and dropped off one by one. Miri’s dad, intoxicated by the atmosphere, couldn’t read the room. Because he boasted too much about his beautiful daughter and wife, he volunteered for a penalty drink. This included Incheol and Reporter Kim. Incheol, in particular, burned with fighting spirit, vowing to find a girlfriend himself, but well. With a feeling of pity, I quietly wished him good luck.

The last ones to remain were the three of us. My brother, Dong-woo, and I. Contrary to the initial momentum, the party ended quickly. Left alone, we eventually lay quietly in a corner and spent the night.

And the next morning.

“……”

As soon as I opened my eyes, I gazed endlessly at the quietly shining sword. The more I looked at it, the less I tired of it. A straight sword emitting a subtle light. It possessed a mysterious charm that captivated the eye, beyond mere beauty. I had encountered excellent weapons on the other side as well, but Myungwol was among the best, even considering that. I understood why the creator had been so obsessed with awakening Myungwol. A reasonable suspicion arose that perhaps the creator was a dwarf.

‘Its performance is solid too.’

The blade alone is 1m, the hilt 20cm. It’s slightly shorter than the broken sword, but there’s no problem with using it. Rather, its durability, of a different dimension, made my heart feel at ease.

Perhaps that’s why.

My hands were itching. A new weapon, by all means, must be tested. The tactile sensation from yesterday still felt like it lingered in my hand. Because of that, it was agony to suppress the urge to immediately wield the sword.

To calm my mind, I went for a walk and happened to run into Old Man Park.

“Oh. Just the person.” “…Old Man. Didn’t you sleep?”

Old Man Park’s face was a mess. His eyes were swollen and red, as if he had cried all night. His voice was completely hoarse. Anyone could see from his appearance that he had cried.

“Hehe. Well… something happened.”

Seeing his chuckling face, a sense of relief was clearly revealed without reservation. The faint shadow that had settled on his face had disappeared, and his overall impression looked different.

“Are you okay?” “Of course. I’ve never felt so relieved and peaceful in my life as I do now.” “Really? Then that’s a relief.”

Old Man Park smiled faintly and comfortably.

“…Thank you.”

It’s scary when a person suddenly changes.

“Suddenly?” “Thanks to you, I was able to fulfill a long-cherished wish passed down through generations. I can die without regrets now.”

Seeing his detached demeanor, without a trace of lingering attachment, I shook my head.

“If not you, Old Man, who will maintain this sword?” “What?!” “You’ll probably have to take care of it occasionally from now on too.” “You! You damn rascal!”

I chuckled softly, seeing his crumpled expression.

“So, take care of your health. Don’t talk nonsense.” “…Hehe. Yes. You’re right.”

Old Man Park nodded, not denying it. It seems he might have injured his head sometime during the night…

“Do you like the sword?” “It goes without saying.” “Hehehe. I agree. I’ve never seen a sword like that in my life.”

“Old Man. Are you really okay with giving it to me?”

At my question, Old Man Park stared fixedly into my eyes. I had impulsively accepted it in the moment, but I wasn’t sure if I could just take such a valuable sword.

“There’s no one else who can use it anyway besides you.” “Hmm.” “Myungwol chose you, so don’t feel burdened.”

Old Man, that’s not as easy as it sounds.

“…Is there anything you want from me?”

I couldn’t help but ask. Honestly, even if I offered up all the supplies in my inventory, it wouldn’t even come close to Myungwol’s value. The value of this sword is immeasurable.

“…There’s a teaching passed down through generations of my family.” “What is it?” “Create weapons that save people.” “Oh, is that the meaning of a life-giving sword?” “Well, something like that.” “So?”

Old Man Park paused for a moment.

“You are the owner of the sword anyway. How you wield it is up to you.” “……” “I’m not saying you have to step up like a saint. I just hope that when your heart is moved, you step up once in a while.” “Hmm.”

That much… depends on the situation?

“If you can’t even do that, just don’t act like a murderer.” “Old Man? What do you take me for?” “Khahahahat—!”

The Old Man, who seemed to find my crumpled expression amusing, laughed loudly and held out a sword.

“What’s this?” “This is also a Hwando. Among my works, this one is the best.” “And?” “I hope you use it along with Myungwol.” “……” “Will you accept it?”

The Old Man held out a short sword, about 50cm long.

“Thank you.”

I accepted it carefully, without hesitation. At this, Old Man Park smiled once more.

“It will be good for wielding in cramped spaces.” “That’s certainly true.”

I agreed with Old Man Park’s opinion. Considering how difficult it was fighting in the hallway before, it’s a good secondary option. Besides, it’s too wasteful to use a dragon-slaying sword to catch a chicken [a proverb about using excessive force for a minor task].

“If a problem arises, come find me anytime.” “I’ll rely on you.” “Ah. Leave those broken weapons behind.” “Why?” “If I get a chance, I’d like to melt them down together and remake them.”

If that’s the reason, there’s no reason to refuse, but in this situation, that…

“If only we had electricity, I think it could work somehow…” “Electricity?” “If you don’t stick to tradition, there’s a way.” “Ohh.”

It was a thought unbecoming of a craftsman, but his mindset of facing reality squarely made him all the more trustworthy.

“Then, since we’ve taken care of everything, I’ll see you next time.”

Saying that, Old Man Park strode away without looking back.

…He really is a cool old man.

‘Ah.’

A sudden thought flashed, and I shouted to the Old Man walking ahead.

“Old Man! What’s this sword’s name?!” “Danwol!” “……”

Is it a family tradition? Why do they love the moon so much?

I drew the sword the Old Man gifted me, and I could tell at a glance that it was a very good sword.

“I’ll use this carefully.”

Conscious of its noticeably lower durability compared to Myungwol, I put the sword away.

‘Ah, damn it.’

I came out to calm myself, but it had the opposite effect. With good weapons continuously falling into my hands, my body was now itching. Unable to bear it any longer, I finally managed to calm down only after walking around the shelter grounds for a long time.

***

The iron gate was repaired, but we couldn’t leave immediately. The problem was the troublesome corpses piled on the road. Because of them, we could only move after spending the entire morning.

“It would be good if you had a meal before you go.” “It’s fine.”

The leadership, who had been frantic with successive meetings, apologized for forgetting to offer a meal. Still, I declined CEO Kim’s subtle suggestion. The food situation here was obvious, and while it was edible, compared to home-cooked meals, it was a bit… Most of all, everyone was covered in fatigue, so it felt like we should leave quickly.

“Then we’ll be going now.” “Alright, alright. Tell Choi Seongjun to come again.”

CEO Choi, who had stayed up all night with the leadership, looked perfectly fine. Captain Lee, with hollow eyes, greeted us in a subdued voice.

“It’s late for me to say this. Thank you so much for helping us again this time.” “I’ve repaid the debt.” “…Debt?”

At his perplexed words, I lightly tapped my neck with a finger.

“Khahat—!”

Understanding what I meant, Captain Lee let out a hearty laugh.

“I wouldn’t mind if the debt grew even larger.” “I’ll decline.”

I shook Captain Lee’s outstretched hand. Turning around, I was about to get into our vehicle…

“Ah. Dr. Jang.” “Yes. Seonghan.”

I conveyed something that suddenly came to mind to Dr. Jang.

“Salt…?” “Yes. It foamed at the mouth and rolled on the floor, seemingly very happy. I’m not sure if it died or what happened.” “Hmm…”

I told her about a zombie that convulsed after being covered in salt a while ago.

“I’ve only seen it once, so I don’t know if it will be helpful. But I thought it would be good for you to know.” “No. It’s very interesting. It’s definitely worth investigating.”

I spoke, thinking it might help the research that had already begun, and Dr. Jang and Captain Lee showed deep interest.

“Old Man. Take care of yourself.” “Alright. Go safely.”

After our goodbyes, we split into groups and got into the vehicles. We slowly set off, leading the vehicles whose chassis had sunk, laden with ammo boxes in their cargo beds. Due to the sheer weight, I could directly feel the car had become sluggish.

‘We’ll just have to go slowly.’

The car my brother and I were in took the lead, guiding the way. I could feel people’s gazes fixed on us through the car window. Especially when passing the main gate, the stares were overwhelming.

But there was something even more burdensome than that.

“Ugh. The smell is no joke.” “I know, right.”

More burdensome than the stares was the stench of corpses. Passing the hideous hill of piled corpses made my head throb. It was only after getting some distance away that my nose felt comfortable again. I couldn’t believe how terrible the smell had become overnight. We grimaced at the terrible stench.

As the smell faded and my head cleared, my brother started filling the silence with conversation.

“Everyone’s doing well, right?” “Of course. We saw them yesterday. They’ve already blended in, so what’s there to worry about?” “Heh. Yeah, I guess so. But what a shame we couldn’t see everyone’s faces before leaving.” “It’s their own fault, I guess.”

Sergeant Kang and Sohee couldn’t be seen until we left. A reunion after a long time and a moderate buzz. It’s understandable for a hot-blooded man and woman to act that way.

“……”

Sergeant Kang: 1 stack acquired.

Incheol and Reporter Kim, who had gotten completely drunk, couldn’t get up. Only Hong Soohee, waking up groggily, saw us off.

Hong Soohee: 1 favor point gained.

“Did you see Incheol tearing up yesterday?” “No? Why?” “I don’t know. He was just blabbering about feeling unnecessarily sad.” “What a guy… Hehehe.”

As we drove smoothly, my brother and I relieved the boredom by exchanging pointless jokes.

“Hmm? Looks like it’s going to rain?” “It’s winter, why is it raining so much?” “I know. Isn’t it raining too much?”

As my brother worried, it rained a lot this winter. It’s better than a drought, but I don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing. Even now, the weather was changing so rapidly that the sound of the wind hitting the car window was clear.

‘No zombies…’

The road back was desolate. It seemed certain that the cleared area could secure a certain level of safety. It would be great if they could be active at Konkuk University Shelter. How wonderful it would be if they could gradually eliminate zombies and expand the safe zones. Especially if the research they started yielded meaningful results, that would be the icing on the cake.

‘Please, find something.’

While I held vague expectations, the slowly moving car reached the intersection in front of the shelter.

At that moment.

“Seonghan.” “I saw them.” “What should we do?” “Stop for now.”

We gently stopped the slowly moving car and stared in one direction.

[⇧Sagajeong Station]

“……”

A group of people running away with their backs to us. Our car didn’t move until the people, running without looking back, disappeared.