Apocalypse Tyrant

Jenga (6)

“…Alright.”

Cha Seolhee who belatedly came to her senses moved slightly away from my face that had been right in front of her nose.

“So I just need to kill zombies quickly if I don’t want to die by your hand too, right?”

I glanced at Park Hyoeun who had stopped the monkey wrench and was panting at her appearance asking me while gesturing ahead with her eyes.

“Haa—! Haa—!”

Park Hyoeun sitting on the floor like an idiot as if he had done something amazing.

I let out a hollow laugh while meeting Cha Seolhee’s eyes again.

It’s too obvious an awkward change of topic.

I know and Cha Seolhee surely knows too that’s not what I meant by that.

She gave a completely irrelevant answer to avoid this situation now.

“No way.”

But I deliberately didn’t show that and played along with her tune.

“I have no intention of making you do such things at all?”

It was already a great harvest just from her pupils that hadn’t moved at all until now shaking violently.

“You just stick next to me and watch. You can learn everything you want to know just by doing that much, right?”
“…Wait a moment, what did you say?! That’s nonsense!”

Cha Seolhee argued with her eyes raised at my instruction.

“I have no intention of being treated like a princess in an end where we don’t know what will happen, like you said! I need to at least know how to defend myself in urgent situations too!”
“Huh— A girl crush has appeared, appeared.”

Arguing with this woman always makes the conversation drag on like this every time.

I picked my ear as if to show her and tilted my head askew.

“Since I’ve conceded this much, you should concede one thing to me too. I can’t concede on this so just quietly stick next to me.”
“I too—”
“Or go back down.”

She closed her mouth discontentedly at the sentence I spat out firmly while interrupting her words.

I repeat as if telling her to keep in mind to her who was moving her lips as if something was boiling and bubbling.

“What you can do and what you want to do are different. If you don’t want things to become troublesome for me and you in a really urgent situation, don’t show off and just watch hard.”

I approached Park Hyoeun while warning Cha Seolhee again.

Park Hyoeun still panting and looking around above like a psychopath.

Thud—!

“Uw, uwaaah—!”
“Shh.”

Park Hyoeun having a fit as if convulsing as soon as I touched his waist lightly with my foot.

He finally looked up at me while swallowing saliva when I grabbed his head and whispered to be quiet.

“So-something rustling sasa— from above—”

I carefully scanned above at his excuse hurriedly spoken while stuttering.

Brightness where shapes can be confirmed with the naked eye, though slightly dark.

Regular shaped tiles forming the ceiling and top of bookshelves.

I shrugged my shoulders at Park Hyoeun after checking above where there was only darkness.

Park Hyoeun hurriedly trying to open his mouth as if wronged at my gesture.

“No— Really—”
“What does that have to do with this.”
“…Pardon?”
“What does sound coming from there have to do with you crying like a baby unable to kill one crawling zombie?”

Park Hyoeun couldn’t find an appropriate answer to my question asked with my head lowered.

“A premium part-timer who’s useless trash, right?”
“…”
“You should be thinking of Cha Seolhee’s safety from the position of receiving money, but that just now— was a bit idiotic, right?”

He maintains silence even when I throw back the pretentious words he had spouted exactly.

Where did that confident and self-assured Park Hyoeun from the beginning go, just a coward now quietly listening to my words while trembling violently.

But this wasn’t enough.

“Stop whining and quickly get up and prepare. I’ll specially give you one more chance.”

I almost forcibly pulled him up from where he was sitting.

Park Hyoeun showing a bewildered face at the word chance.

I smiled faintly towards him and continued speaking.

“I’ll do it with a zombie with intact legs this time so you should prepare thoroughly.”
“…Pardon?”
“Since you can’t use Taekwondo or boxing on zombies, kendo would be good, right?”

The monkey wrench in his hand starts trembling violently— as if understanding as my sneer turned towards it.

I whispered while lightly pushing his shoulder thud—.

“Whether it’s self-satisfaction or self-discipline, you have to try something when your life is on the line.”

Ah, and—.

I added words to Park Hyoeun who was again utterly terrified as if imagining something.

His anxious eyes looking at me again as my words didn’t end.

“From now on, you’ll only use your flashlight to check above. If something really comes out from above like you said, you’ll deal with it. If there’s nothing, you’ll have to take responsibility for that too, right?”

Thud—!

Park Hyoeun’s body swaying as if drunk at the shoulder I pushed lightly as a final warning.

I gestured to the search team while looking at his face that had turned white as a sheet.

The search team hurriedly continuing the search in sync with my instruction.

“…Still, the body that froze the second time would loosen faster than the first time, right.”

Like that, as we were about to enter the area that would be the survivor camp on the 2nd floor after passing through the center where books donated by graduates were gathered.

Cha Seolhee who had been quietly silent until then quietly muttered.

Her first words that I had left alone as she seemed to be deeply pondering something as anyone could see.

“No matter how scared, faster than the second time would be the third time. Faster than the third time would be the fourth time. You’d get used to it more quickly.”

Her answer to my words that she had listened to with her mouth tightly shut.

“I admit you’re more amazing than I thought. But someone else would get used to it like you too if time passes.”

She who had now recovered her clear gaze like before quite well continued speaking while watching me.

“I was like that too. At first, I was scolded so much by the trainer teachers for being terribly uncoordinated.”

But—

“Look at me. With time and effort—”
“Stop it.”

I cut off her voice with a quite irritated voice.

I could roughly understand what she wanted to say without needing to listen to the end.

I glared at her without hiding my irritation.

“Why does a smart kid keep throwing tantrums like this?”
“…”
“Am I watching a High Queens public service announcement or documentary? Well, you became top idols with dance and singing you worked hard at, so everyone can be like that if they try hard. So in reverse—”

I can do it like you too if I try hard.

“Is that what you’re saying? Stop pretending to be naive. Why is someone who should know everything suddenly throwing a tantrum like a child?”

I glared at her blatantly and whispered fiercely.

“You know too. The reason you’re sitting at the top, that is sitting on a pile of money, isn’t because you sing and dance well.”

I muttered as if grinding my teeth while scanning her face.

“It’s just that a fucking beautiful woman is good at singing and dancing too so she made money.”

She absolutely could not have achieved the same success now if her appearance wasn’t outstanding.

She already knows that something special besides will and effort is needed to achieve certain goals.

And of course I know why she’s arguing against my words like this as if throwing a tantrum, knowing that.

Well, if I were Cha Seolhee, I’d feel like going crazy too if her only available option was a foretold rapist who could explode anytime.

I would probably struggle desperately to find any option besides me like her too.

I would try to somehow avoid the current reality where the only option is a foretold rapist.

Still—

“I have a limit to my patience too—”

My mouth that was about to warn Cha Seolhee again hurriedly closed.

Keeeee—

A familiar monstrous cry quietly heard in my ear as I was glaring at Cha Seolhee.

I immediately raised my hand to stop the search team’s footsteps.

Keeeee—

The search team’s flashlight beams naturally chase the direction of the noise.

The upper left corner that would be perfectly the library camp’s area on the 2nd floor.

Bookshelves with artificially adjusted positions reveal their appearance in the faint light.

Bookshelves irregularly scattered and collapsed here and there.

Only one regularity flashes through my mind along the floor dried and stuck with blood excessively compared to other areas.

Keeeee—

That bookshelves were moved to block something.

Thud—!

I hurriedly stretched my hand back to block Cha Seolhee’s flashlight that was about to aim upwards.

Countless human legs flickering in her light beam.

Rotten legs keeping their positions while slightly twitching as if waiting for something.

Now I could understand why the 3rd floor was quite spacious compared to other floors.

It’s not that there were few zombies on the 3rd floor, but that they were gathered in one place.

Survivors that day desperately making barricades with bookshelves to somehow block zombies.

And more zombies drawn to survivors gradually gathering in one place.

A gap that can’t be easily blocked by bookshelves reflected in the faint flashlight beam.

And very clear dark bloodstains spread on those bookshelf gaps too.

Like that, where 3rd floor survivors and zombies all gathered unintentionally.

And we set foot in the area where everyone eventually became zombies.

Cha Seolhee and Ko Janghun’s flashlight beams linger precariously between the bastards’ legs.

Legs of bastards packed densely, seeming to easily exceed at least twenty.

Just as I was about to raise my hand to give the next order—

“Uw, uwaaaaaaah—!”

Suddenly a scream bursts out from behind in terror.

At the same time, the flashlight that had been checking the ceiling trembled violently— and shone forward.

“Keeeeeeeek—!”

A chorus of monstrous cries tearing through the 3rd floor of the library as if responding to the scream.

Flashlight beam and human scream.

The bastards started sprinting towards the place full of only things they go crazy for.

Whatever was there.

Bang—! Bang—! Bang—!

The bookshelves blocking the bastards sway greatly at the zombies’ flesh-and-blood offensive.

Zombies in front of the bookshelves desperately reaching out their hands towards the light, towards people.

Dozens of hands popping out through bookshelf gaps gradually increased their numbers even more.

Bang—! Bang—!

Finally—

Screech—!

Bookshelves unable to withstand the zombies’ weight slowly collapse.

I hurriedly organized my thoughts while watching the bookshelves falling to the floor as if in slow motion.

The large number of zombies didn’t matter to me at all.

I had already achieved Agility stats high enough to conduct guerrilla warfare while shaking them off.

I had no problems, but those behind me now were the problem.

It seemed possible to kill them all, but it was clearly impossible to kill them while protecting everyone behind me.

Then, should we run to the internal stairway like this?

It was another plan that flashed through my mind for a moment, but this wasn’t a very good method either.

The probability of others, especially Cha Seolhee, fending off the pursuit of zombies starting to break through the straight course was very low.

But it was too wasteful to consume Ko Janghun and the two minions to such zombies just to take care of Cha Seolhee.

In the end, fighting is the only way.

While fully protecting those behind too.

Places on the 3rd floor capable of accomplishing this goal flash through my rapidly spinning mind.

The 3rd floor with an almost identical but slightly larger structure than the 2nd floor.

The 2nd floor structure so familiar to me quickly overlaps with the 3rd floor.

Conditions I need now.

Close, narrow, and suitable for killing them while protecting the search team.

Bang—!

“Bathroom!”

I shouted loudly while watching the bookshelves collapse.

“Run—!”

Noisy footsteps of the search team quickly running to the bathroom echoed at my instruction.

Monstrous cries heating up the 3rd floor even more passionately in sync with that.

“Keeeeeeeek—!”

Zombies rush at me while trampling the zombies lying at the very bottom as bookshelves fall over.

Those trampled by such bastards also get up without any problems and follow behind.

I chose to get closer rather than further away from them.

But I couldn’t swing the metal pipe like every time before.

This time there were too many zombies that would rush in during the gaps when I swing the metal pipe.

I reached for the messily arranged bookshelves around rather than swinging the metal pipe.

Boom—!

Collapsing bookshelves diligently obstructed the zombies’ path.

Occasionally zombies dying right away crushed under bookshelves could be seen, but most zombies somehow escaped the bookshelves and reached out their hands towards me heading to the bathroom.

“Ko Janghun—!”
“Yeeessir—!”

Ko Janghun’s response is heard as he ran to the bathroom at my shout while diligently toppling bookshelves.

I shouted even louder without time to turn my head and check.

“Send Park Woojin and Kim Minjun into the bathroom first!”

I planned to quickly enter and clean up if the two minions blocked any zombies with shields—.

A clear answer of “Yeeessir—!” was heard at the order given omitting the lengthy explanation that didn’t need to be said.

Splat—!

Zombies rushing at me from close range gradually increased.

I diligently struck zombies’ heads while toppling everything visible that could become an obstacle.

“Keeeeeeeek—!”

The bastards’ roars still echoing vigorously despite the steady creation of obstacles and harmony with the metal pipe.

“Yaaah—! You fucking Park Hyoeun bastard—!”
“Stop—! Fuck we’re first—!”

At that moment, my head naturally turned at the two minions’ urgent shouts.

The bathroom door that has now gradually revealed itself to us.

The search team urgently running towards the bathroom existing in the exact same location as the 2nd floor enters my view.

The backs of the two minions hurriedly reaching out their hands and the search team’s vanguard their hands are directed at.

The muscular back drenched enough to be felt even from afar urgently flings open the men’s bathroom.

Flashlight beam illuminating the opened men’s bathroom and the zombie inside the bathroom reacting to that light.

Park Hyoeun’s flashlight at the vanguard danced erratically in the zombie’s wide open mouth as if roaring.

The bastard’s arm flailing like a drowning person found something to support.

And like a person pressing down on a support to escape the water’s edge, it thrusts forward the support caught in its hand.

Long jeans instantly dragged by the sudden desperate strength.

My eyes widened as if about to tear at the long hair fluttering in the wind.

My body reacted before I had time to think.

[Agility: 18 (17+1) -> 21 (20+1)]

[Remaining Points: 15 -> 0]

I poured all the remaining points I hadn’t immediately allocated to raise skills into Agility.

Boom—!

The sound of the last bookshelf collapsing and the sound of a stepping foot rang out simultaneously.

Crunch—!

Along with the sound of the floor distorting, Park Hyoeun’s back that had been quite far away instantly enlarged in size.

“Keeeeeek—!”

And the zombie welcoming even more violently the living sacrifice Park Hyoeun held out.

Boom—!

The charge without brakes ruthlessly pushes Park Hyoeun’s back.

I grabbed the neck of the zombie reaching out its hand in front of Cha Seolhee and Park Hyoeun falling face down on the floor right away.

“Keeeeeeeek—!”

I drove the bastard going berserk with its neck grabbed by me into the bathroom wall just like that.

Boom—!

The zombie reaching out its hand to me as if the impact of hitting the bathroom wall was nothing.

Crunch—!

A thrilling hand sensation of something breaking rose at the grip I applied quite a bit of strength to.

The zombie collapsing to the floor with its neck bizarrely bent.

Splat—!

Just as I was hurriedly turning my body after finishing a confirmation kill on the bastard’s head just in case—

Rustle—

Noise catching my extremely sharpened five senses due to the continued battle.

‘So-something rustling sasa— from above—’

Park Hyoeun’s terrified face and voice naturally echoed in my mind.

Park Hyoeun was looking up at the ceiling with that face in shock even now still in front of the bathroom.