I'm a Young God, so Please Raise Me - Chapter 24
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 24
Mo Hae-in offered no response.
Wondering if my phrasing had been unclear, I restated it more explicitly.
“I would like you to turn me into a zombie.”
Only then did Mo Hae-in finally part her lips. But instead of an answer, a heavy sigh escaped first.
Since I’d anticipated this reaction, I pressed forward with my argument undeterred.
“Zombies don’t receive preemptive attacks. The same applies during the zombification process. Three hours after infection, I’ll be classified as a zombie.”
This was knowledge I’d gleaned from countless attempts to speedrun the game.
As long as an infected player doesn’t attack first, zombies won’t attack them.
It was a method usable only near the end, since there was no cure, but it worked.
I’d deliberately gotten bitten and infected multiple times before reaching the ending.
‘This is the best option I have right now.’
It would prevent Mo Hae-in from attacking a teammate, and as the weakest member of our team, I could avoid the boss zombie entirely—a solid strategy.
Mo Hae-in and I would repair the generator, while Gwak Han-muk handled the boss zombie.
Gwak Han-muk listened to my explanation calmly before asking a measured question.
“What if we ask Je Hyeon-o to handle the boss, and you and I do the repairs?”
“The delivery items are in urgent demand, and the emergency generator appears to be damaged.”
Je Hyeon-o’s attacks have a wide area of effect.
Since the boss fight would take place right next to the generator, his indiscriminate attacks could destroy the machinery.
For the same reason, I couldn’t entrust the repairs to Je Hyeon-o either. In terms of aggression, he was equally volatile.
He wasn’t the type to stand idly by watching while a boss zombie thrashed about nearby.
The probability he’d obliterate the entire basement area was roughly one hundred percent.
“I see….”
Gwak Han-muk nodded deeply, as if he understood completely.
When Mo Hae-in looked at him with anxious eyes, Gwak Han-muk uttered words that perfectly matched her concern.
“Then I should become a zombie too.”
“Gwak Han-muk!”
“What? The plan’s solid.”
Gwak Han-muk casually turned her world upside down.
“Sidaecheong can’t execute the entire Special Task Force if we’re all infected. They can’t afford to lose two team leaders, right?”
“That makes no sense…!”
“You can’t die.”
Mo Hae-in froze completely. Her head dropped low.
After a long moment, she called out to me as if speaking to herself.
“…Trainee.”
“Yes.”
“If we don’t achieve the true ending.”
“We will. Lee Ga-on confirmed she can produce the vaccine within three days once power is restored.”
….
Mo Hae-in had two days left.
I’d have no choice but to survive in a zombie state for at least a day.
I could manage a day, but anything longer wouldn’t be good for Mo Hae-in either.
‘I can’t stay in a zombie state for too long.’
Because of the zombie trait of feeling no pain, there was a risk I might self-destruct while stripped of reason.
Even if the infection was cured through the True Ending, any physical damage wouldn’t be restored.
My goal was to create both the vaccine and antidote within three days and clear DeZomDeal.
“Captain, please trust me and ask.”
“You’re just like Gwak Han-muk.”
“Thank you.”
“That’s not a compliment.”
“My apologies.”
The moment I quickly adjusted my greeting, Mo Hae-in let out a short laugh. She turned to look at Je Hyeon-o one last time.
“Lieutenant Colonel Je.”
The final decision rested with him. Je Hyeon-o gazed at me quietly.
I naturally tensed.
He was someone utterly unpredictable, yet his face was completely obscured by goggles and a gas mask, making his expression unreadable.
Je Hyeon-o was the type who wouldn’t bat an eye if he suddenly slashed me into pieces with that metal hand.
I was anxious about what expression he’d show.
His voice flowed out.
“Goyo.”
Whenever Je Hyeon-o called my name like this, nothing good ever followed.
I waited for what came next.
“If you wanted to die, you should’ve just said so.”
His metal hand spread wide open. Sharp edges gleamed as they caught the dawn light.
“I could’ve done it for you.”
“I absolutely want to live!”
At my quick response, Je Hyeon-o clicked his metal hand together.
As he tapped his fingers against each other, I swallowed hard.
A voice like scraping the depths of an abyss was driven into my eardrums.
“Don’t any of you die without me.”
Gwak Han-muk, Mo Hae-in, and I were all reflected in those black goggles.
Murderous intent radiated from him as he continuously clicked his hand. It was intent directed at Trial and at those deemed suitable.
“After I went through the trouble of keeping you alive….”
It was a statement that carried genuine weight. No one would think Je Hyeon-o’s words were empty.
“I’ll be careful.”
“I’ll be cautious.”
But the captains answered with casual indifference, as if accustomed to this.
As though they’d made a promise to die by Je Hyeon-o’s hand if they were going to die at all.
From their responses, I had the fleeting sense that Je Hyeon-o laughed briefly.
Of course, since his face was completely hidden, it was merely speculation.
“Quiet. Tell me what I should do.”
“I’ll organize a list of items to farm and their locations. Among them is a zombie blood sample, but it’s from a regular zombie, not a Dead Zombie.”
I scribbled the list on paper and pen I’d brought from the Research Facility, while also sending the information to Je Hyeon-o.
I’ll also send the list through the system window.
Given Je Hyeon-o’s physical structure, checking the paper one by one would be inconvenient.
There was also a purpose in demonstrating my consideration.
‘Please let me live.’
From this point on, I needed to be diligent so that Je Hyeon-o would keep me alive when he left DeZomDeal.
After receiving the item list and blood collection kit from the Research Facility from me, Je Hyeon-o headed toward the Emergency Stairwell.
Since the 5th Floor where the Research Facility was located had a corridor structure where windows couldn’t be opened, he needed to go up to the Rooftop to fly away.
Gwak Han-muk agreed to open the door for Je Hyeon-o and followed along to see him off.
Just before opening the Emergency Stairwell door, Je Hyeon-o turned back to look at me.
~ ~
What was that now.
Even as I told myself not to get caught up in Je Hyeon-o’s emoticons, I found myself pondering their meaning every time something new appeared on my goggles.
It seemed like the wavy marks might mean he’d be back soon.
And while I was contemplating this, Je Hyeon-o disappeared into the Emergency Stairwell.
Gwak Han-muk went with him, leaving me alone with Mo Hae-in for a moment.
Mo Hae-in and I sat down in a corner of the Corridor, our backs pressed against the wall.
“Should we do it before Captain Gwak arrives?”
At my suggestion, Mo Hae-in let out an exasperated laugh and quickly grabbed my arm.
“Don’t regret this, recruit. I’m going to bite you really hard.”
“…Actually, I’d prefer if you used this hand.”
“You’re not right-handed?”
At her question about whether it would be inconvenient, I laughed awkwardly. Fortunately, Mo Hae-in readily switched hands.
She grasped my forearm with her hand and met my gaze.
“I’m biting now.”
Mo Hae-in opened her mouth. Her even teeth had sharpened points.
Then she lightly bit my forearm. The sensation of her teeth made me ticklish.
When I flinched, Mo Hae-in quickly pulled her mouth away.
“Does it hurt?”
I shook my head.
“It’s just ticklish. It’s fine.”
“Got it.”
She took a deep breath for a moment, then brought her lips to my forearm again.
And this time, she bit down without warning.
The sound of flesh being pierced rang out clearly.
At the same moment, my heart pounded roughly.
Thump, thump—the heartbeat echoed as if my heart were beating right beside my eardrums.
My vision turned pitch black as the system window appeared.
You’ve been infected!
Zombification in progress. (Current zombification rate: 10%)
The moment the bite connected, fever seized my body—heat radiating from the wound with immediate intensity.
This was nothing like the game. The transformation into a zombie was far more brutal than I’d anticipated.
I steadied myself with deliberate breaths, waiting for my vision to clear.
Mercifully, the darkness receded quickly.
Yet pain still radiated from my forearm.
Mo Hae-in still had her teeth clamped around my forearm, breathing heavily through her nose.
She was fighting the primal urge to tear away a chunk of flesh. The veins in her neck bulged visibly with the strain.
“Captain.”
“Hnngh… huh…”
“Captain Mo. It’s all right. Take your time.”
“Nngh…”
She squeezed her eyes shut. A brief whimper escaped her, then with agonizing slowness, she opened her mouth.
With a wet sound, Mo Hae-in released my forearm.
Her lips and chin were smeared with blood as she muttered in a voice thick with self-loathing.
“I almost actually ate you…”
“You did well.”
I quickly stanched the wound and put distance between us. Staying close meant risking another bite.
I was awkwardly wrapping a makeshift bandage when Gwak Han-muk appeared.
“What? Already got bitten?”
He strolled over casually and, saying “me too,” extended his arm toward Mo Hae-in.
“Aaaahhh!”
Gwak Han-muk shrieked. Mo Hae-in had bitten down without hesitation or mercy.
It must have hurt terribly—tears welled in his eyes as he whimpered.
“Captain Mo… that f-freaking hurts…”
“Stop whining.”
Mo Hae-in licked her blood-stained lips and replied curtly. Then she fixed me with a long, pointed stare.
“…I’ll go get my bandage wrapped.”
I quietly retreated further into the shadows.
***
Before entering the Basement Area, I ran into Lee Ga-on.
The moment she saw me, she was about to scream, so I quickly spoke up.
“I got bitten on purpose.”
“….”
Lee Ga-on stared at me, lost for words, then lowered her voice and cried out.
“Why would you do that!”
I gave her a rough explanation—to avoid the zombies.
Before she could get truly angry, I offered her a bribe.
“Please accept this.”
“This is….”
It was a portable cassette tape player that Gwak Han-muk had given me.
I remembered from the game that Lee Ga-on had complained to Lee Se-eon about wanting to listen to music, so I brought it along.
Since Lee Ga-on was an NPC in this place, there shouldn’t be any problem with her using the player to listen to music.
“You might get bored during your breaks.”
Lee Ga-on gripped the portable player tightly. Her knuckles turned white as her hands trembled.
“If you don’t come back, sir.”
She made a terrifying threat.
“I’ll release all the viruses in the Research Facility.”
“I… would prefer if you didn’t do that.”
“Then hurry back.”
“Yes. I’ll be back.”
If Tak Ju-chul and Paeng Sang-do found out I’d been bitten by a zombie, things would get complicated.
Since I needed to keep it secret from them for now, I quickly finished the conversation and disappeared.
But there was another, more pressing reason I fled so hastily.
It was a thought that had surfaced in my mind.
I wanted to bite Lee Ga-on.
I could still suppress it sufficiently, but the moment that thought crossed my mind, I panicked and fled, afraid I might make a mistake.
The aggression zombies displayed toward humans was an instinct, like hunger.
‘So this is what it feels like to be a zombie.’
A zombie’s mindset that I could never have felt in the game.
With a slightly racing heart, I opened the Emergency Stairwell door.
“You’re here?”
Mo Hae-in, who had been sitting on the stairs, stood up.
Gwak Han-muk, who had been leaning against the wall, also rose to his feet.
He was wearing a small sling bag diagonally across his chest, which contained the items I had asked him to bring.
The three of us zombies descended the staircase.
The Emergency Stairwell had relatively few zombie sightings, but it wasn’t a safe zone.
Zombies began appearing from the 2nd Floor stairs onward, which Mo Hae-in and Gwak Han-muk hadn’t used.
Moving quietly past the zombies, we soon reached Basement Level 1.
Since the staircase leading to Basement Level 2 was blocked by collapsed debris, we had to move to Basement Level 2 from within Basement Level 1.
I had planned to use the Cargo Elevator.
Normally, I would have had to navigate painfully through the ventilation ducts, but now that I was a zombie, the Cargo Elevator was accessible to me.
Gwak Han-muk entered first, pushing the door open, and let out a soft whistle.
“Oh, the Cafeteria.”
The Emergency Stairwell on Basement Level 1 connected to the Cafeteria. Since I was already a zombie, I figured we could break through without much trouble.
“I think it would be good to farm supplies from the Cafeteria while we move forward. We can slowly check other areas as we go. And there’s a Cargo Elevator connected to Basement Level 2. Inside that elevator….”
A crackling noise erupted from the speakers.
I stopped mid-sentence and glanced around.
‘That sound came from the broadcast speakers?’
I was listening intently, wondering if I’d misheard.
Weeee-ooooo-!
A loud siren suddenly blared to life.
The zombies that had been sleeping throughout the Cafeteria area opened their eyes in unison and rose to their feet.
A recorded female voice cut through the Basement Area, piercing between the guttural cries of the zombies.
It was an automated emergency broadcast that activated during crises.
“Attention. All research personnel must evacuate the Research Facility immediately. The emergency generator is currently operating at less than 3% capacity. Estimated remaining power time is 15 minutes.”
Gwak Han-muk and Mo Hae-in turned to look at me simultaneously.
The broadcast continued.
“After 15 minutes, isolation shutters will activate in all zones, and the building will be sealed. I repeat. All research personnel must immediately….”
“Captains.”
I announced a new objective to the two of them.
“We need to repair the emergency generator within the next fifteen minutes.”
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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