Surviving the Apocalypse as an All-Time Best Overpowered Necromancer - Chapter 37

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 37
37. Team (4)
“How did it go?”
Kim Tae-sik asked, and Cha Do-pil, standing beside him, answered at once.
“The benefactor left a comment.”
“A comment?”
The moment he heard those words, he logged into the community and, upon seeing the post Lee Gang-hyuk had left, stroked his chin thoughtfully.
“Hmm.”
A brief pause.
But soon his expression shifted to a smile, as though a decision had been made.
“We should do as the benefactor wishes. Call Mu-jin for me, would you?”
“Captain Park Mu-jin? But the other party is an Awakener affiliated with the Chungmuro Alliance. If trouble arises between us and them…….”
When Cha Do-pil, startled, pressed back on Kim Tae-sik’s request to summon Park Mu-jin—his sworn brother and captain of the Vanguard Strike Force—Kim Tae-sik waved his hand dismissively.
“The benefactor himself asked us directly to protect him. As those who owe him a debt, we have no choice but to honor his request. And whatever happens afterward—that’s their fault, not ours, wouldn’t you say?”
“But……. If by any chance they use this as a pretext to start a fight…….”
“Then we fight.”
Kim Tae-sik answered flatly to the objection.
“Is Lee Gang-hyuk someone worth breaking with the Chungmuro Alliance over? You know their scale as well as I do, don’t you? Five shelters united to form that alliance. By sheer numbers, they’re the second-largest in Seoul. And yet you know this perfectly well, and you’re still asking if I really mean to fight them?”
Despite Cha Do-pil’s continued disbelief at Kim Tae-sik’s response, he shrugged and pressed on.
“We have the moral high ground. And if—as you say—we do end up fighting the Chungmuro Alliance, we simply align ourselves with the Gangnam Alliance. I’ve heard they’re planning to expand their influence across the river. The moment we attach ourselves to Gangnam, who do you think stands to lose the most?”
“…….”
Cha Do-pil didn’t bother answering.
If the Jungnang-gu Alliance and the Gangnam Alliance joined hands, the Chungmuro Alliance would naturally be squeezed out.
And when that happened, the Chungmuro Alliance would have no choice but to seek expansion eastward or northward instead of westward.
But to the east, the Seodaemun Alliance—centered on Independence Gate with its unified shelters—had already taken root, and to the north, the Northern Alliance, led jointly by the Kookmin University and Seokyeong University shelters, held sway.
Expansion was essential to secure food and supplies, yet every alliance found it difficult to expand in any direction without encountering resistance.
So what if the balance tipped in one direction?
The weakened alliance would inevitably fall under the dominion of another.
“That’s why they won’t dare make an enemy of us over one troublemaker. Don’t worry yourself so much. The worst thing that could happen to us right now is losing Lee Gang-hyuk to those bastards. Do you understand?”
“……I understand. I’ll summon him at once.”
“Good.”
With that, Cha Do-pil withdrew, and alone once more, Kim Tae-sik clicked his tongue as he studied the map spread across the table.
“Everything he said suggests he’s somewhere in Nowon-gu……. But why does it keep feeling like he’s somewhere else entirely?”
They were searching the area around where the first report of the fighter had come in, yet they’d found only signs of stolen food—no trace of any human habitation.
Yet Lee Gang-hyuk was definitely nearby. Wasn’t that why the broadcast had carefully avoided mentioning Nowon-gu, speaking only of the Jungnang-gu Alliance?
And yet…….
The way the Chungmuro Alliance was searching Jungnang-gu, the sharpness in Lee Gang-hyuk’s response—was it possible he actually lived not in Nowon-gu but in Jungnang-gu? That thought only made his head spin further.
“Still, if they found traces leading toward Bulamsan Station, the Vanguard Strike Force should be able to locate him quickly. No……. We absolutely have to find him before that Chungmuro Alliance bastard does.”
He couldn’t allow Lee Gang-hyuk to be snatched away—nor all those countless pieces of equipment he carried.
If everything fell into the hands of the Chungmuro Alliance, the gap they’d barely managed to close would widen again.
If that happened, the future of the Jungnang-gu Alliance held only one path: subjugation to a larger alliance.
So…….
He had to find Lee Gang-hyuk first and draw him into his own alliance by any means.
That’s why he needed to grow stronger, and fast. Before the great alliances could absorb him…….
‘I have to find him before the Gangnam Alliance arrives.’
Kim Tae-sik waited for Park Mu-jin, his sworn younger brother, to arrive while thinking exactly that.
* * *
“Phew.”
As the work finished, Seo Hwa-rin sank to the floor and released a small sigh.
“……Is it done?”
Upon seeing the result, Lee Gang-hyuk tilted his head uncertainly.
It looked sturdy enough to the eye…….
‘But one good tap and the whole thing might just fall apart…….’
Tap.
The moment doubt struck, his hand reached out almost unconsciously and tapped the secured door lightly.
In that instant.
The door he’d thought so solid toppled over, threatening to crush Seo Hwa-rin as she sat on the floor.
“!!”
“!!”
Startled by the sudden turn of events, both rushed their hands toward the door and managed to catch the iron barrier before it buried her.
“……I’d only temporarily fastened it before doing the final welds…….”
Before she could even answer whether the work was done, he’d caused a disaster—Seo Hwa-rin muttered quietly, nearly in tears.
“Ah! I—I’m so sorry.”
Lee Gang-hyuk apologized quickly and set the fallen door upright, but the moment he released it, the welds cracked and it toppled again.
“Ah! Why—why is this happening? Haha.”
Flustered that the door wouldn’t stay fixed, Lee Gang-hyuk laughed awkwardly.
Seo Hwa-rin, watching him from her seat, found it amusing enough to break into a full smile as she rose to her feet.
Then, picking up the welder she’d set down, the Zombie electric that had been sitting nearby sprang up and naturally grabbed the cord.
Whether it was the Command Domain Effect
or learning through repeated commands—
whatever the reason, its brisk, soldierly efficiency was quite satisfying.
Already familiar with the routine, Seo Hwa-rin didn’t even look at Electric as she spoke to Lee Gang-hyuk.
“Keep holding it just like that. I’ll weld it right now.”
“Yes!”
Saying so, she began welding the connection points, and before long, she removed her welding mask with a smile and gave a thumbs up.
“Good! That’s it. You can let go now.”
“Oh? Yes!”
Even though she said it was done, Lee Gang-hyuk—worried the door might fall again—withdrew his hands as carefully as possible and stepped back.
Fortunately, the door remained secure.
She must have joined it more solidly this time.
“I feel terrible for causing that…….”
As Lee Gang-hyuk hung his head in relief, Seo Hwa-rin waved her hand and smiled.
“It’s fine. Thanks to you, I was able to make it sturdier. If I’d finished it in that state, it might have come undone the moment we tried to escape. Since it’s been so long since I’ve welded anything, I made a mistake. Next time I’ll double-check properly!”
She apologized, as though it had been her fault.
Though anyone could see it was Lee Gang-hyuk’s fault, the way she framed it eased his heart at once—he smiled and expressed his gratitude.
“Thank you for saying it that way. It puts my mind at ease.”
“Don’t mention it. I was just being honest. Oh, and by the way—I caught bits of what you were saying earlier, and it sounds like someone’s looking for you. Is that okay?”
“Oh.”
He’d thought she was too focused on the work to hear, but it seemed she’d been listening the whole time.
At her question, Lee Gang-hyuk scratched the back of his head, recalling the post he’d left on the community board.
“I’ve already redirected their attention elsewhere……. But just to be safe, since we’re on the subject, should we seal off the stairs?”
He’d laid groundwork to make it seem he was in Jungnang-gu, enough to throw off both the Jungnang-gu Alliance and anyone else searching for him.
But as he spoke, unease crept in—he pointed to the stairs, and Seo Hwa-rin picked up her welder.
“That’s not a bad idea. We’ll need welding for that, so shall we head down right now?”
Just as she seemed ready to move, something occurred to Lee Gang-hyuk—he gestured to the iron door to finish work there first and waved her off.
“Oh, it’s fine. I can handle it alone. There’s something I want to check while I’m at it.”
“Really? Understood! But if you need any help, just call whenever!”
“Got it!”
For a moment, a hint of disappointment crossed Seo Hwa-rin’s face, but hearing he had something to verify, she readily nodded and smiled without protest.
And so…….
Leading the Zombies down the stairs, Lee Gang-hyuk stroked his chin and examined his surroundings.
The bodies of recently hunted Zombies filled the space.
‘I was told I could craft what I want during combat……. So I should definitely be able to make a Barricade, right?’
Since he’d never used the skill after obtaining it, he couldn’t be sure how it activated or how items were crafted—he’d come down the stairs to test it out, and now he severed his control over one of his trained Zombies.
“Gwaaaahhh!!”
The moment control was lost, that Zombie reacted immediately.
“Grab it.”
“Grrrrrrgh.”
“Gaaahhh!”
Lee Gang-hyuk issued the command, and the Zombies standing nearby seized it.
With its limbs restrained and bound, the Zombie bared its teeth, desperate to attack Lee Gang-hyuk by any means,
yet it couldn’t escape the enhanced Zombies boosted by the Command Domain Effect.
Watching the scene, he was reminded of his first awakening.
‘Back then everything felt novel…….’
A small laugh escaped Lee Gang-hyuk as he shrugged, then activated the skill.
“Tactical Processing!”
[Tactical Processing activation conditions are satisfied.]
[Please envision the desired item.]
Just as expected!
Simply by holding the Zombie that had lost control was enough to register as combat.
“Good.”
Satisfied that he didn’t need to bring another Zombie, Lee Gang-hyuk immediately envisioned a spiky Barricade that would completely seal off the stairwell.
At the same moment…….
An alert appeared confirming sufficient materials, and the Zombie corpses around him began emitting brilliant white light.
‘More noticeable than I expected…….’
A sudden burst of light in the middle of combat?
If other Awakeners or Zombies witnessing this light had their vision obscured by the sudden flash, that would be one thing.
But if they were unaffected by the light just as he was…….
‘It just gives them time to prepare……. I wish the crafting speed were faster……. But it’s not really fast enough……. Something feels off about it.’
He decided to check other people’s reactions to the light later and waited for the crafting to finish.
Moments passed…….
Upon seeing the completed Barricade, Lee Gang-hyuk nodded to himself with satisfaction.
The sturdy barrier with spikes exactly matched what he’d envisioned.
The Mana consumption wasn’t excessive either.
About ten percent? He was pleased, but the crafting speed still felt unsatisfying. It would’ve been better if it were faster……. Thinking so, as he gazed at the finished Barricade,
“Hmm. Was the speed slow because of the size?”
A thought suddenly occurred to him.
Wondering if that might be true, he activated the skill again and immediately envisioned a Short Dagger the size of his palm.
Slash-!
The moment he pictured it, it was crafted.
As expected, size had been the issue.
And the Mana consumption was lower than the Barricade as well.
Around four or five percent?
‘That’s definite……. Since it was said that Mana consumption depends on power.
Having understood the consumption rate, Lee Gang-hyuk installed two more Barricades, then naturally looked upward.
‘So should I test how other Awakeners react to the light?’
If other Awakeners were affected by the light emitted from Tactical Processing, he could find many more ways to use it.
So Lee Gang-hyuk asked permission from Seo Hwa-rin and Seo A-rin, and used Tactical Processing right in front of them.
In doing so, he was able to confirm that anyone but him was blinded by the light as if struck by a flash grenade, and that even those he considered teammates would immediately enter combat if they had any intent to attack.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————