NOVEL NEXT Chapter 3
Chapter 3 – Perhaps the One and Only Ability (2)
—–CROW—–
‘The survey itself wasn’t difficult.’
Why the protagonist failed.
What methods could be used to overcome that failure.
Those sorts of questions were the main focus.
In other words, a rough guideline for what Seong-ho had to do was already laid out.
‘I don’t know what point in time this is, but…’
He could use the contents of the original novel as a reference.
Having organized his thoughts, Seong-ho asked the empty air, “What happens after I change the ending of this world? Will you send me back?”
There was no answer.
But he had to believe he could return. Otherwise, he felt like he would go insane.
‘For now… let’s think positively.’
That was the only way.
Seong-ho rubbed his face roughly, as if resigned. He was still angry and frustrated with everything around him. But this wasn’t the time to vent.
Having calmed himself, Seong-ho got out of the car. Then he started stripping the zombie of its clothes.
‘I have to survive for now.’
Only by staying alive could he take revenge, return home, or do anything at all.
Tears blurred his vision, but his hands didn’t waver as he stripped the zombie.
A moment later, the zombie’s t-shirt, sweater, and thin lightweight padding were piled on Seong-ho’s shivering body. They were a bit large, but not unwearable.
After putting on the zombie’s jeans, it was time to take care of his feet. He had injured his soles running barefoot on the asphalt.
‘Why did I have to stumble upon a zombie without shoes?’
In the end, Seong-ho ripped his pajama shorts. The relatively clean cloth he had left was these and his original t-shirt. He had used the t-shirt for the wound on his arm, so he intended to use the shorts for the wounds on his feet.
He placed some of the fabric on the soles of his feet and tore the rest into strips to tie the cloth and his feet together.
“Huu…”
Wincing at the stinging pain, Seong-ho tentatively tested his power on the wounds. Unfortunately, there was no change. His power was completely ineffective in healing wounds.
‘Seeing as the zombie isn’t moving anymore…it seems like it’s only for extracting the virus from zombies.’
Judging by the completely still zombie corpse, it seemed impossible to turn a zombie back into a human, as he had originally hoped.
‘Then what about a pre-mutation infected person?’
He would have to check that later. Even if it didn’t work, he didn’t need to be disappointed right now. Things might change depending on the outcome of the damage claim.
‘That’s for later.’
Having dressed himself, Seong-ho began searching the car. Fortunately, there were some usable items.
A greasy rag.
Two pairs of socks that looked like someone had discarded them.
A paper map book with markings in red pen.
And a lighter found under the car seat.
‘Half full of gas.’
It was incredibly lucky that these items were left behind. They were probably under the car seat, hidden from others.
Seong-ho shoved the items into the pockets of the lightweight padding. Then he hesitated for a moment, looking at the socks. It didn’t take long for him to realize it was a pointless concern.
‘It’s a bit unsettling, but…’
He had placed the thin cloth between his wounds and the socks, so he had to endure. The weather was too harsh to walk barefoot.
‘I need to find more clothes and medicine.’
He needed antibiotics or disinfectants to properly treat his injuries. He doubted he would find them, but…
‘I have to at least try.’
Seong-ho wiped his bloodstained hands on his face and checked the map he had found in the car. Thanks to the markings left by someone, he was able to figure out his location relatively quickly.
‘Yeokchon Station on Line 6…? Is this Eunpyeong-gu?’
He frowned involuntarily.
‘Why did they drop me in northern Seoul?’
The protagonist’s main area of activity was Gangnam. From Incheon to Gangnam, and from Gangnam to Gyeonggi-do, including Suwon.
The protagonist didn’t cross the Han River to northern Seoul until around year 4.
‘No way… I haven’t been dropped into year 4, have I?’
If so, he wouldn’t be able to do anything about saving or pioneering.
Seong-ho felt the need to figure out the time he had entered as quickly as possible.
‘Meeting a survivor would be the surest way.’
Even if not for that, he needed to meet someone. He had to get treatment if he didn’t want his injuries to fester.
As he looked at the map, a familiar name caught his eye.
‘Eunpyeong Hospital…’
It was a place he had a connection to. It was where the orphanage director had been hospitalized for a long time. Seong-ho had visited the hospital countless times, and as a result, he knew the internal layout like the back of his hand.
‘Let’s go there.’
In the original novel, hospitals often became bases for large-scale camps because they had medicine and medical equipment. If survivors had settled there, there might be medicine and medical personnel.
Even if there weren’t any survivors there, he could still search the hospital building and its surroundings.
As soon as he made his decision, Seong-ho set off. At the same time, he continued to search with a sliver of hope. But unfortunately, there were no results.
‘It definitely doesn’t seem like the early stages of the virus outbreak…’
The city was too desolate. The windows of most of the buildings that appeared to be shops were broken. Most of the abandoned cars had their fuel tanks open. There was almost nothing left in the area.
‘It’s definitely not immediately after the virus outbreak.’
At least a year, maybe two years, had passed. In the worst-case scenario…
‘Years 3 or 4 would be too late.’
There wouldn’t be much he could do at that point.
Seong-ho looked around with mixed feelings. Suddenly, he ducked and slipped into an alleyway between buildings. He had seen something moving at the intersection ahead.
*Peek.*
He cautiously peeked around the corner and confirmed that he hadn’t been mistaken. Two zombies were shuffling around the intersection.
One was wearing a backpack and winter clothes, while the other was dressed for summer. The difference suggested the time each zombie had been infected.
Seong-ho watched the unfamiliar scene, holding his breath, then quietly retreated. Fortunately, he was still quite a distance from the intersection, and the zombies hadn’t noticed him yet.
‘Let’s avoid them.’
He didn’t want to take unnecessary risks. Since he was only wearing socks, he could move almost silently if he was careful.
Seong-ho tiptoed forward to go around the building. But after only two or three steps, he stopped again.
‘Is avoiding them… the right thing to do?’
Seong-ho needed the virus. He had to consume it to increase his stats. That meant confrontation with virus-carrying zombies was inevitable.
‘They seem like ordinary zombies without any special abilities…’
He shouldn’t avoid them, he should confront them.
As soon as he realized this, his heart pounded in his chest. Sweat beaded on his palms from the rising tension.
Seong-ho wasn’t surprised by his reaction. It was perfectly natural. He was about to do something he had never done before. It was only natural that his body and mind, which had been steeped in peace just a few hours ago, would react this way.
But he had to overcome this resistance.
‘That’s what a challenge is, and there’s no change without a challenge.’
He recited the phrase that had guided him for the past 30 years. Taking a deep breath, he turned around. He retraced his steps and stood with his back against the corner.
‘For now, I can subdue zombies with this power.’
Being able to deal with zombies empty-handed, without weapons like knives or axes, was a huge advantage. The problem was that he didn’t yet know the limits of his power.
‘Does it have to make direct contact with their skin? Or does it work even through clothing?’
He racked his brain, but there was no way to find the answer on his own. He had no choice but to formulate a battle strategy based on what he already knew.
Seong-ho raised his hands and practiced a few moves. When he judged that he was sufficiently prepared, he stepped out from behind the corner.
‘I don’t know how many more zombies are around.’
So, he couldn’t carelessly provoke the ones at the intersection. Fortunately, the merciless winter wind was still blowing. The sounds he made while moving were masked by the strong wind and didn’t reach the zombies.
Nevertheless, Seong-ho tiptoed forward, heels raised, in case of unforeseen circumstances.
*Whoosh!*
He moved along the edge of the building, braving the harsh wind. After a while, he successfully reached the edge of the intersection. Fortunately, the two zombies were the only ones within visible range.
Then there was no need to be cautious anymore.
Seong-ho stretched his hands forward and opened his mouth.
“Come on!”
His clear voice served as an excellent lure.
*Groar!*
The zombies turned their heads with surprising speed. They craned their necks towards Seong-ho, their bodies following suit. A bizarre movement that would be invisible to an ordinary human. Instinct, gripped by fear, screamed at him to run.
But he wouldn’t give in. Seong-ho glared with bloodshot eyes, muttering in a trembling voice, “Focus, focus, keep watching…”
He had to get used to this situation. To survive in this world, he had to be able to deal with weak zombies like these at any time.
So don’t run, fight.
He held his breath, patiently waiting like a hunter for his prey to fall into a trap. When the frantically approaching zombies got close enough, Seong-ho crouched low. At the same time, he kicked off the ground and lunged forward, stretching out both hands. Towards the exposed necks of the zombies, who hadn’t yet fully turned towards him!
There were two zombies.
‘And I have two hands!’
A bright light burst forth, and both zombies’ necks fell into Seong-ho’s grasp. A powerful force pushed against him. Instead of resisting, Seong-ho relaxed his body and fell backward.
*Flash!*
*Crash!*
With a bright white light, two zombies and one person tumbled onto the asphalt.
「1 Merit Point earned.」
「10 Discrepancy Points earned.」
「1 Merit Point earned.」
「10 Discrepancy Points earned.」
He knew the result of his hunt in advance through the system messages.
“Good, I can use both hands simultaneously.”
An Awakened’s power could be further developed with effort. If he could release his power from places other than his hands…
Seong-ho would be able to secure absolute safety the moment he came into contact with a zombie.
‘It wouldn’t be bad to try developing it into a ranged attack…’
He muttered to himself as he got up, rubbing his sore backside. He then collected the virus marbles that had dropped when he fell backward and popped them into his mouth. The numbers on his status window changed accordingly.
[Character Status Window]
– Character Information –
Name: Han Seong-ho
Role: Fate Pioneer
Level: 1 (3/5)
Physical Ability: 4
Special Ability: 2/5
– Activity Information –
Merit Points: 3
Discrepancy Score: 30P
Influence: None
Title: None
Seong-ho scanned the status window and fixed his gaze on the Discrepancy Score. It was clear that it increased by 10 points every time he dealt with a zombie. On the other hand, he still hadn’t figured out how to reduce it.
‘Is there even a way to reduce it in the first place?’
He didn’t understand the role of the steadily accumulating Merit Points either. To make matters worse, he only had two uses of his Special Ability left.
—–CROW—–