Surviving the Apocalypse as an All-Time Best Overpowered Necromancer - Chapter 38

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

Episode 38
38. Im Jae-beom (1)
‘If he’d been here, he would have left a mark.’
Im Jae-beom, who had decided to attack the Jungnang-gu alliance before dealing with Lee Gang-hyuk, found the traces that Lee Jae-hyuk—a fellow member of the same alliance—would have left behind.
And for good reason.
In the Chungmuro Union, independent marauders were required to leave their own mark at designated locations to prevent them from attacking each other and tangling their routes.
So Im Jae-beom first checked whether his mark was there, and upon finding it, nodded and scanned the surroundings.
It meant Lee Jae-hyuk was somewhere nearby.
But…
‘It’s far too quiet for him to be here.’
As an Awakener with an Electricity Attribute, Lee Jae-hyuk made a great deal of noise whenever he used his power.
Yet all Im Jae-beom heard now was the growling of Zombies.
Nothing else was audible.
Something felt off.
Usually there would be prey near the traces…
But no matter how carefully he looked, there was nothing particular to find.
“Did he finish hunting already and move elsewhere?”
Puzzled, Im Jae-beom accessed the Community to ask about the situation, but received only the same answer—still no contact.
No report back.
That meant he was still here.
According to alliance rules, moving to a different location without reporting to the Master was equivalent to betraying the alliance.
That was why the woman had ordered him to find Lee Jae-hyuk in the first place.
He had to be somewhere nearby.
Of course, there was a possibility he’d betrayed them, but the Lee Jae-hyuk that Im Jae-beom remembered would never betray the alliance.
A textbook example of Self-interest Protection.
He was the sort who trusted the alliance’s strength and enjoyed plundering others.
Im Jae-beom assumed Lee Jae-hyuk was somewhere in this area and scanned the surroundings.
Soon he spotted Lee Jae-hyuk’s mark drawn a short distance away and smiled.
“That’s what I thought. He moved that way.”
Having found the mark, he nodded as if he’d expected this and moved quickly.
* * *
“What’s the matter with you, hyung? An emergency dispatch?”
Jang Man-ho, who had been searching the area around Nowon Station, startled at Park Mu-jin’s sudden appearance.
He looked exactly like someone caught red-handed doing something he shouldn’t.
But Park Mu-jin showed no sign of blaming him and answered his question.
“Separate from you, I’ve been ordered to find Lee Gang-hyuk. So I’d appreciate it if you’d tell me the range you’ve already searched. I’m planning to exclude that area from my search.”
“The hyung doesn’t trust me again…”
At his words, Jang Man-ho’s lips pouted with dissatisfaction.
It was always like this. He always did the hard work, and Park Mu-jin came in at the end to clean up.
So he voiced his complaint thinking it was the same this time, but Park Mu-jin shook his head, saying that wasn’t the case.
“It’s not that the hyung doesn’t trust you. The situation just got urgent, so don’t get the wrong idea.”
“Urgent?”
“Didn’t you see on the Community? The Chungmuro Union is searching for Lee Gang-hyuk too.”
“Huh? Who has time to check during an operation? I did log in briefly just now… but I didn’t see any posts like that?”
At the mention of the Community, he shook his head as if flabbergasted.
Then, as if caught out by his own admission, he confessed, and Park Mu-jin sighed and spoke shortly.
“A broadcast.”
“A broadcast? In the middle of the world falling apart, he’s doing a broadcast… That guy isn’t right in the head either.”
In the midst of the world’s devastation after the Catastrophe, he was leisurely broadcasting…
Would someone like that really be helpful to the Shelter?
The doubt lasted only a moment.
Park Mu-jin tapped his wrist as if urging him on.
“Anyway, given the situation, you hurry too. Whatever happens, you need to find him before the Chungmuro Union does.”
“Tch, understood. The areas we’ve searched are marked on this map, so check it over… How about we make a wager on who finds him first? Loser buys drinks. I heard that liquor I made a while back has aged well—what do you say? And I hear this time they’re trading winter clothes for weight.”
Unable to resist the urging, Jang Man-ho laughed as he handed over the map, and Park Mu-jin, who had been looking at him incredulously, soon smiled as if it wasn’t a bad idea.
“A wager? Good. If we find him, the hyung will surely overlook this much. But remember: if you mess up this operation, it won’t end with confinement.”
“Ugh.”
At those words, Jang Man-ho’s expression hardened and he scratched his cheek awkwardly.
At the same time…
Judging that he’d said enough to make himself understood, Park Mu-jin laughed kindly and patted his shoulder.
“Still, I’m really looking forward to drinking the liquor you’ll buy.”
“Well, I’m looking forward to drinking the liquor you’ll buy for once.”
Even though he was under confinement because of liquor, as long as there was a clear objective and a corresponding reward, he’d move fast.
So he’d accepted the wager, and Jang Man-ho, who knew better than anyone that he’d agreed for that reason, smiled and extended his hand.
“Heh. Well, go on then. Break time’s over. When you get back, I’ll set up a drinking party, so bring nothing but winter clothes.”
“What are you saying? You be careful too. Don’t overdo it trying to win and end up hurt. Watch yourself.”
* * *
“Done!”
Two days of bathroom renovation had finished.
The work took longer because Lee Gang-hyuk had caused an accident in the middle of it.
Still, thanks to that, Seo Hwa-rin, who’d made it even sturdier than before, smiled contentedly and gave a thumbs up.
Seeing this, Lee Gang-hyuk also seemed inwardly satisfied, nodding and smiling.
“You worked hard. It’s really sturdy.”
“It’s thanks to you bringing such good materials. Really, thank you for all the hard work.”
“Bringing them is easy. Making them is the hard part. So I’ll go get him…”
Just as Lee Gang-hyuk was saying he’d go fetch the man from the Valve Room while the two of them exchanged pleasant compliments, Seo A-rin’s hand shot up.
“I’ll get him!”
“Will you be okay?”
“Of course!”
At her unexpected declaration, Lee Gang-hyuk asked back, taken aback, and Seo A-rin wore a confident expression as if there was nothing to worry about.
A moment later…
Splash.
“Oh? That method you mentioned back then…”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Seeing the ball of water covering the man’s face, Lee Gang-hyuk witnessed the method Seo A-rin had described a few days ago—restraining the opponent with water—and scratched his head in embarrassment.
Indeed…
With that method, there was no way to resist.
If he attacked her while in that state? Unless he killed her with a single blow, he’d be the one to die instead.
The man seemed to know it too.
Perhaps he had no intention of resisting from the start.
He quietly entered the renovated bathroom.
Gush!
The moment he removed the water covering his face and exhaled the breath he’d been holding, the man expressed his displeasure with an irritated hiss.
“Hm, it’s not the most pleasant experience, but compared to where I was just before, it’s fairly livable.”
“Hmph.”
At the man’s persistent attitude, Lee Gang-hyuk expressed his exasperation and shut the iron door.
Following that, Seo Hwa-rin closed another iron door and fastened the bolt, then, as if that wasn’t enough, added a padlock as well.
If he escaped despite all that, it wouldn’t be their problem—it would be his achievement.
Lee Gang-hyuk thought as much, nodded, and then turned to Seo A-rin, pointing at the tamed Zombies.
“That method you just used seems like it would work well against Zombies too. I’m not sure if Zombies breathe, but now that you mention it, should we test it? If it works on Zombies too, it could be strategically useful.”
“Huh? That’s okay?”
Seo A-rin asked back in surprise at his suggestion to test her ability on the tamed Zombies.
She’d grown fond of them without realizing it, so she was taken aback.
Lee Gang-hyuk understood her to be asking if it was okay to attack the Zombies he’d tamed, and nodded with a smile.
“Of course. It’s faster than going down to the 1st Floor just to run an experiment. There will be plenty of Zombies to tame once we go outside anyway. No problem.”
At his continued words, Seo A-rin hesitated for a moment, studying the Zombies’ faces, then shook her head as if she couldn’t do it after all.
“It’s just that… I don’t feel right attacking Kyle, Kai, or Kasami. Let me go down and check, then come back.”
Insist on going?
From Lee Gang-hyuk’s perspective, Zombies to experiment on were all around them, so her insistence on going down to check made no sense at all.
It would be a waste of time and stamina to go down and come back.
But realizing that her reluctance must stem from her affection for the Zombies she’d tamed, he nodded and agreed.
“Mm? Well… okay then. Let’s go down together. I want to observe the Zombies’ reaction too.”
“Okay!”
As Seo A-rin’s face brightened at his suggestion to go together, Seo Hwa-rin, hoping the two would become friendlier this way, pointed at the iron door.
“I’ll stay here and keep an eye on this one. I made it sturdy in my own way, but since it’s just finished, I’m a bit anxious. I’ll prepare dinner while I’m here, so check on things and don’t come back too late.”
“Got it. I’ll go down, check quickly, and be right back.”
“See you later!”
With those words, the two descended, and a smile bloomed on Seo Hwa-rin’s face.
Come back safe.
Go ahead.
Dinner’s ready soon, so don’t come back too late.
The exchange they’d just had felt so ordinary.
It felt like they’d returned to everyday life before the Catastrophe.
“Mm-hmm~. What should I make for dinner tonight?”
Thinking she was alone, Seo Hwa-rin hummed to herself without worries and headed toward her room on the 23rd Floor, where the stored provisions were kept.
At the same time…
Seo A-rin, who’d come to fetch the Bone Armor and witnessed the scene, felt her sister would be embarrassed if she went back out, so she didn’t even take the armor and just went downstairs.
Of course…
Lee Gang-hyuk, learning of the situation while he was coming down, made a new armor for her.
Soon after, the two of them descended to the 1st Floor and, using the tamed Zombies, kidnapped one wild Zombie from outside.
“Okay, here goes. Water Ball!”
Gush!
Since she felt no particular attachment to this new Zombie, Seo A-rin immediately activated her skill the moment Lee Gang-hyuk brought it in.
Splash!
As the ball of water she summoned engulfed the Zombie’s face, Lee Gang-hyuk checked the time and observed the Zombie’s condition.
Gurgle.
Bubble-bubble.
“These creatures do breathe.”
“Then I’ll keep it up!”
Seeing air bubbles forming inside the water covering the Zombie’s face, the two confirmed that Zombies did indeed breathe, and immediately followed up by testing exactly how long they could hold their breath.
And so…
Around three minutes passed before the water-covered Zombie suddenly collapsed with a thud.
The sudden collapse with no warning shocked them only briefly.
When a small amount of Experience Points came in, they knew the creature’s breath had ceased.
“So we can hunt them this way too—that’s very useful to know.”
“Right? I only knew it could restrain an opponent. I didn’t think it would work on Zombies! This is incredible!”
As Lee Gang-hyuk expressed his surprise, Seo A-rin wore a shocked expression as well.
She hadn’t known Zombies breathed either.
But soon Seo A-rin’s expression hardened.
If Zombies could breathe, then might there be a way to turn them back into humans?
The thought suddenly occurred to her.
“Unless we find such a method someday, for now we focus only on our own survival. As it’s written in the Survival Rules, compassion only hastens your own death.”
“Huh? Oh! Right, I understand!”
Perhaps it was her tender heart.
Or perhaps it was simply her nature.
As her turmoil showed plainly on her face, Lee Gang-hyuk invoked the Survival Rules.
At that, Seo A-rin’s cheeks flushed red.
Apart from her thoughts being read,
she was ashamed of herself for entertaining such naive thoughts even after nearly being killed by Zombies not long ago.
Her clenched fists showed her resolve, and Lee Gang-hyuk, satisfied with her nod, spoke again.
“Then shall we catch a few more and head back up? We’ll get better results with larger sample sizes.”
“Okay!”
To confirm whether only the Zombie they’d just caught had long breath-holding, or if all of them could, she released the Zombies again.
That instant…
Whistle!
Bang!
Splash.
A massive lance made of water came flying from somewhere and pierced straight through the Zombie’s body.
“!!”
“!!”
Startled by the sudden attack, the two hurried to hide in the emergency stairwell, then rushed up to the 3rd Floor to search for whoever had attacked the Zombie.

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