Surviving the Apocalypse as an All-Time Best Overpowered Necromancer - Chapter 17

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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 17
17. Underground Parking Lot Subjugation Battle (2)
“This rain shows no sign of stopping.”
The next day.
Lee Gang-hyeok woke to find the rain still falling, and he exhaled a small sigh.
Clear skies would let him generate electricity through the Solar Panel Generator.
But two days of continuous rain meant the power output was far below expectations.
Starting the car in the Lobby to charge the Backup Battery was also problematic.
There had been no word yet of the Fighter who was leading the zombies being caught.
Still, he had previously charged batteries that could sustain them for several more days, so while fortunate, he couldn’t afford to be complacent.
Following yesterday’s progress, he decided to continue clearing the Underground Parking Lot to secure vehicles.
Going up to the 23rd Floor to check on Seo Hwa-rin’s condition, he found two figures constructing legs while wearing Bone Armor.
Just watching them conveyed their strong resolve. Even the sound of hammering was louder and more crisp than before.
It felt as though all their worries had vanished and they’d found peace of mind.
But that was something he needed to verify separately.
If today was like yesterday, then inevitably, his connection with them would end here.
Living alone as before felt far more comfortable than carrying around a bomb that could explode at any moment.
“How are you feeling?”
It hardly seemed necessary to ask, but unsure how to broach the subject, he announced his presence by inquiring about their condition as he approached them.
“Oh, you’re here! Thanks to your thoughtfulness, I rested well and feel much better. My Core’s power has returned significantly… and my vision is crystal clear now.”
“That’s good to hear. And you, Seo A-rin?”
“I feel fantastic! And with all this rain, my Core is just overflowing with power!”
Honestly, he could tell just from her expression. But since he didn’t want to seem like he was only looking after Seo Hwa-rin, he’d asked out of politeness.
Lee Gang-hyeok, surprised by her remark about the Core being full, asked with genuine curiosity.
“Does a Core respond to environmental conditions?”
“I can’t speak for others, but I’ve always felt this way on rainy days.”
“I see.”
Fire wouldn’t rain from the sky, so establishing a baseline for environmental influence on Cores would be difficult anyway.
Still, if Seo A-rin felt it that way, the influence wasn’t entirely absent.
Having learned something new, Lee Gang-hyeok looked at the faces of these two people—faces he suspected might not see tomorrow—and spoke.
“Good. Everything seems prepared, so let’s continue where we left off yesterday.”
“Yes!”
With that, the three of them standing before the emergency door connected to the Underground Parking Lot exchanged glances and nodded silently in agreement.
The strategy would be the same as yesterday.
Send in the zombies first to secure space, then enter and illuminate the area while Seo A-rin and Electric attack the zombies.
Since they’d already coordinated once before, there seemed no need for a different plan, so they proceeded as before.
“Entering.”
“Graaagh!”
The start was excellent.
The entry went smoothly, contrary to his worry that the zombies that had come up from Basement Level 2 the day before would be blocking the door.
Securing the space and illuminating the area proceeded naturally, like water flowing downhill.
But that made him even more uneasy.
And for good reason.
Before withdrawing the previous day, he’d confirmed zombies coming up from Basement Level 2.
From the sounds, it seemed like dozens, but upon actually entering the parking lot, there were only three.
Had they gone outside after hearing the rain? Or was there another reason?
“That’s odd. I expected more… But to be safe, let’s keep our guard up and use the stairs instead of the ramp to head down.”
“Understood.”
The original plan was to clear Basement Level 1 and descend through the internal ramp, dealing with zombies along the way.
But with the zombie numbers mysteriously reduced, moving through open space was dangerous. Using the emergency stairwell was the safest choice.
Descending via the emergency stairs, the three of them cleared Basement Level 2 the same way as Level 1: deploying zombies first, securing the space, then entering.
“Kyaaaak!”
“Screech!”
Upon entering Basement Level 2, roughly a dozen zombies shrieked and rushed forward.
“Aqua Field!”
“Electric, Lightning Bolt!”
Crack!
But before the creatures could close in, Seo A-rin and Electric’s combined attack left them all paralyzed.
“Attack!”
At the command, the zombies wielding Bone Axes unleashed a barrage, quickly severing the paralyzed creatures’ necks.
[Congratulations. You have leveled up. All physical abilities increase by 1.]
He’d leveled up.
He was now Level 14.
The rate of leveling had slowed considerably since his initial Awakening.
But that was acceptable.
There were plenty of zombies to gain Experience from.
‘I’ll hold back again this time.’
Feeling that fifteen zombies were sufficient, Lee Gang-hyeok saved the points he’d gained and continued issuing commands.
“Fall back and maintain a defensive formation!”
“Graaagh!”
He’d killed all the creatures near the emergency door.
But dozens of zombies remained, so Lee Gang-hyeok pulled his trained zombies back and formed a defensive line.
Without needing to name the formation, the zombies naturally positioned themselves, reading his intent.
“How much Experience do you two have left?”
“I think I’ll level up soon! Catching stragglers while being chased by the horde helped more than expected.”
“Me too, any moment now!”
The two answered as Lee Gang-hyeok asked.
So they’d be leveling up soon—good.
But he was somewhat surprised to hear that Seo Hwa-rin hadn’t leveled up yet.
She’d mentioned having about half her Experience bar remaining when they first met on the bridge. Yet she hadn’t leveled up…
“What’s your current Level, exactly?”
“Twenty-two.”
“…That’s quite high.”
Lee Gang-hyeok asked, and Seo Hwa-rin answered immediately.
Level 22.
Not all Awakened Ones’ Levels are public knowledge, but among those disclosed, the highest is Level 33. At Level 22, she wasn’t in the top rankings, but she was in the upper tier.
“Hmm.”
Recalling her destructive power from yesterday, he scratched the back of his head, wondering if using her only to illuminate the area was the right call.
“I’m Level 17!”
“…I see.”
Even Seo A-rin was higher than him.
Well…
Since he’d only recently Awakened, being lower Level than both was natural, but there was no helping the slight embarrassment.
The two women, reading his expression, didn’t bother asking his Level.
High Level or low, Lee Gang-hyeok was the leader.
From the moment they were first rescued by him until now, his survival knowledge surpassed not just the executives of the Shelter they’d lived in before, but even the Shelter’s director.
With nowhere else to go and lacking survival knowledge themselves, they had no choice but to remain by his side.
In silence, the two women crouched low, positioning themselves within the gaps of the defensive formation.
Zombies hiding in corners had already crept closer upon hearing the sounds.
“Aqua…”
As Seo A-rin instinctively began to use Aqua Field, Lee Gang-hyeok stopped her immediately.
“There’s still water on the ground that hasn’t dried. No need to waste it. Conserve your Mana as much as possible.”
“Got it! Water Ball!”
Seo A-rin nodded, then used the relatively Mana-efficient skill to strike the approaching zombie.
“Electric, Spark!”
“Screech!”
Crack!
Simultaneously commanding Electric, Lee Gang-hyeok glanced sideways at Seo Hwa-rin’s expression, anxiety clear in his eyes.
She still looked fine.
In fact, her expression seemed brighter than yesterday.
‘No need to worry then.’
Reassured, Lee Gang-hyeok nodded and raised his hand, unleashing a skill.
“Flesh Melting!”
Sizzle.
“Graaagh!”
Lacking a proper offensive skill, he melted the flesh of creatures approaching his trained zombies, creating openings.
The zombies maintaining the formation brought their axes down on those that stumbled before them, killing them one by one.
“Tsk.”
While this was sufficient to eliminate zombies without issue, the lack of a real offensive skill frustrated him, and he suddenly recalled a post he’d seen on a community board.

‘At Level 15, one supposedly learns a skill suited to their behavioral patterns up to that point, right?’
People commonly called this the Promise of Level 15.
The segment where, after Awakening, by the time you reach Level 15, you gain skills unique to yourself based on your actions.
No doubt, Seo A-rin had developed Aqua Field from her experience managing fields in the Shelter.
And Seo Hwa-rin had likely gained the skill Burst Burn from hunting zombies under the Shelter’s barrier protection.
‘That bastard gained the Volt Step skill from looting Necromancers to escape zombies, apparently.’
Thinking of the man who’d tried to rob him and lost his life, his body now controlled as Electric, Lee Gang-hyeok found himself staring at him.
“Graaak?”
Whoosh.
Seeing Lee Gang-hyeok stare without issuing orders, Electric snarled and thrashed his hands through the air.
Who knew what he was on about.
Lee Gang-hyeok sighed involuntarily, shook his head, and issued an order.
“Electric, Lightning Bolt! Rest of you, advance while maintaining formation.”
“Graaaak!”
Trudge, trudge.
With the number of zombies hiding in corners halved, Lee Gang-hyeok advanced his trained zombies, gradually expanding his territory.
Moments later…
Just as the zombies of Basement Level 2 were nearly eliminated.
The trained zombies suddenly began to snarl.
“!!”
This behavior…
It was identical to before the zombie horde appeared.
‘Could it be?’
Had the Fighter he’d seen in the Lobby leading zombies arrived? Was that why Basement Level 1 had no zombies?
But it was far too quiet for that.
“…Wait. Hold position.”
Suspicious, Lee Gang-hyeok told the two to wait, then quickly surveyed his surroundings.
Simultaneously, Seo Hwa-rin and Seo A-rin took stance and unleashed their Cores’ power.
The order to hold position was unprecedented, signaling an unexpected situation that required immediate response readiness.
Even so, Seo Hwa-rin showed no sign of repeating yesterday’s mistake.
The moment she unleashed her Core’s power, she brightly illuminated the parking lot interior exactly as Lee Gang-hyeok had emphasized, securing visibility.
It was a precaution to protect everyone from unforeseen danger.
‘What in the world…’
With the surroundings now visible, Lee Gang-hyeok could immediately spot a massive shadow standing on the ramp descending to Basement Level 3. It hadn’t moved at all, seemingly unaware of their presence.
‘Despite all that commotion, it hasn’t moved. Is it deaf? Or unable to move? Either way, that’s fortunate.’
Based on the creature’s behavior, he made guesses, but the distance to the ramp was too great to confirm.
And then…
Realizing the reason the zombies were snarling was the shadow on the ramp, he raised his hand to direct the two women’s attention, then slowly backed away.
Without knowing its identity, attacking recklessly would be dangerous.
And so…
As he backed toward the emergency stairwell, keeping his gaze fixed on the shadow.
Suddenly, the shadow caught a zombie ascending the ramp, its mouth fell wide open, and it began devouring the creature.
Crunch.
Slurp-crunch.
“…”
At the sound of it consuming a zombie, all three of their faces went rigid.
A massive body.
Minimal movement.
Zombie predation.
There was only one Mutated Zombie matching these criteria.
Grizzly Bear.
The name originally referred to a hybrid born from polar bears and grizzlies breeding, but having consumed humans and become mutated, and then taken to devouring zombies as well, it had earned this particular designation.
That such a creature was living in the parking lot…
“…Now I understand why there were so few zombies. Its Mana won’t be intact either. We need to withdraw now.”
Having grasped why the zombie numbers were reduced, Lee Gang-hyeok whispered to the two and immediately began to withdraw.

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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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