Surviving the Apocalypse as an All-Time Best Overpowered Necromancer - Chapter 39

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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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Episode 39
39. Im Jaebum (2)
From the Third Floor, peering out the window, Lee Kanghyeok spotted a man on the road below, wandering and glancing about as if searching for something.
‘Who is he? Someone from the Union?’
He searched for something in this empty place.
By instinct, Lee Kanghyeok thought the man was looking for him, and the thought that he might be the dangerous person the Union had warned about made him exhale a quiet sigh.
“Sigh…….”
“Do you know him?”
“No. I don’t know him. But for some reason, it feels like he’s searching for me.”
“What? Ah! The one the Union mentioned!”
“It could be, or he might be someone who left the Union, or I don’t know where he’s from, but fortunately, it doesn’t seem like we’ve been spotted.”
With both identity and purpose unknown for now.
Lee Kanghyeok continued to observe the man, his brow furrowed, grateful they hadn’t been discovered yet.
He watched how the man attacked the Zombies to confirm what skills he used and how he fought.
At the same time…….
Seo Arin, observing the man just as carefully, snarled and cursed him as another Zombie came under attack.
“Ah! Ka, Kyle……. That bastard…….”
To think she could distinguish individual Zombies from a distance—it seemed she’d grown quite attached to them.
‘Come to think of it, only Arin cared for the Zombies like that.’
Lee Kanghyeok found her curious, but that wasn’t the priority right now.
Either way, not being discovered came first.
“If we stay here much longer, we might be spotted. We should withdraw.”
“What about those Zombies?”
As Lee Kanghyeok spoke, Seo Arin pointed toward the Zombies outside, her expression panicked.
She seemed worried that if they recalled the Zombies now, the man might notice.
Lee Kanghyeok understood this concern too, so he sighed and answered immediately.
“Unfortunately, we’ll have to train them again later.”
“……Yes.”
The moment he ended that exchange and released control over the Zombies he’d sent outside for experimentation.
The man walking on the road suddenly looked at the Zombies and began examining the building.
“!!”
Lee Kanghyeok quickly crouched down, realizing his mistake.
“It seems that man knows a lot about Necromancers. The instant I released control over the Zombies, he caught on.”
“What? Really!”
As Seo Arin gasped in understanding, a thin stream of water streaked past the window.
Splash—!
Shortly after, the stream split into several branches, undulating like a serpent, and seeped in through the window’s cracks.
‘Surely not…….’
Was he using water to probe his surroundings? But he has no eyes—how is that even possible?
As the panicked Lee Kanghyeok looked at Seo Arin, she wore an expression of shock as if seeing it for the first time.
But the moment the water beginning to seep through the window cracks started to take form, Seo Arin hurriedly activated her skill.
“Aqua Barrier!”
Splash—!
The instant a defensive barrier of water formed, a massive spear of water appeared before them—the kind that had pierced right through a Zombie’s body.
He expected it would attack immediately, but the created water spear hung motionless in the air.
Was that why?
Lee Kanghyeok judged that the opponent didn’t want to become Chaotic, and.
It made him wonder if this person might be an Awakener from the Jungnang-gu Union.
Because of that?
“What? You……. And Electric too? Hahahaha.”
For a moment, he thought conversation might be possible.
Im Jaebum, climbing the stairs to the Third Floor, couldn’t suppress his laughter when he spotted Lee Kanghyeok and Electric, bursting into a loud laugh.
Seeing him that way, Lee Kanghyeok instinctively understood this was not someone he could reason with.
‘This is getting troublesome.’
Thinking he’d foolishly released control of the Zombies, he shifted his gaze out the window.
‘Corpse Control!’
Whoosh.
Fortunately, the distance wasn’t far, so training the Zombies posed no problem.
But the real problem lay elsewhere: the Zombies he’d just trained would need time to reach the Third Floor.
‘This is insane.’
I should’ve kept control over the Zombies.
Then they wouldn’t have caught me, and I wouldn’t be in this desperate situation now…….
‘Damn it……. Get up here faster.’
Regretting his earlier judgment, Lee Kanghyeok attempted conversation with Im Jaebum, who still wore that smile, buying time until the Zombies he’d trained arrived.
“Who are you, and where are you from?”
“Hehe. Where? Right now, that’s not what matters to you, is it?”
“…….”
Either Im Jaebum noticed Lee Kanghyeok was stalling, because he shrugged and suddenly turned, closing the emergency door behind him.
From the way he only closed it without locking it, he clearly knew Zombies couldn’t enter even with just that.
‘Damn it.’
Through this action, Lee Kanghyeok realized the opponent had considerable experience fighting Necromancers, and without thinking, he glanced at Electric beside him.
The reality of them being colleagues suddenly sank in.
That moment…….
In response to Lee Kanghyeok’s question, Im Jaebum sneered, stroking his own chin as he spoke.
“Well, if you answer my question, I’ll tell you.”
“Go ahead.”
Lee Kanghyeok hid Seo Arin behind him and answered with a hardened expression.
Though unseen, she seemed to be opening the community app—that’s why he hid her.
Whether his intention worked or not, Im Jaebum showed no interest in her, merely pointing at Electric.
“That one beside you—is it your doing?”
“What if it is?”
Of course, being Electric’s colleague, he asks who killed him first.
Since the evidence stood right beside him, Lee Kanghyeok didn’t try to evade and answered the question.
Expecting the man to attack immediately, Lee Kanghyeok lowered his stance, but Im Jaebum waved his hand, telling him to relax.
Then he laughed heartily and praised him.
“Oh? That must’ve been quite difficult to kill, yet you seem pretty skilled. At that level, your status must be fairly high too……. How about you be straightforward with me? Then I’ll tell you too.”
“…….”
As another question followed, Lee Kanghyeok kept his mouth shut and glared.
Simultaneously, the man, understanding the meaning, shrugged and nodded.
“One for one, then. Fine. It’s your turn. Ask whatever you want.”
“How did you know I was here and find me?”
“I wasn’t looking for you—I was looking for that bastard. His contact suddenly went silent. It just happened that you were there.”
The fact that Electric had a team was already surprising and strange, but that it was someone watching his broadcast…….
And from what he was saying, this seemed to be the person the Jungnang-gu Union had warned about.
‘What kind of goddamn coincidence is this? Could he be seeking revenge?’
Bewildered, Lee Kanghyeok let out an involuntary sigh, then gestured to Seo Arin behind him to prepare for an attack.
Examining Im Jaebum’s state, he suddenly recalled Cha Dopil from the Jungnang-gu Union, and shook his head in annoyance.
If only Cha Dopil hadn’t revealed his affiliation on the broadcast…….
Then none of this would’ve happened…….
Grrr.
As the sudden thought made his brow furrow involuntarily, Im Jaebum, with a slight smile, shrugged and spoke.
“From the look in your eyes, you’re curious about a lot regarding me. Ask anything. I’ll tell you. Whether it’s my affiliation, my abilities, anything.”
Suddenly? He’d tell him? So readily? What was this scheme?
Unable to comprehend such words, the moment Lee Kanghyeok tilted his head in confusion, his expression hardened.
He’d understood what it meant.
“……You mean I’ll be dead soon anyway.”
“What? Hahahaha.”
At those words, Im Jaebum laughed loudly, then continued with a thin, serpent-like smile and a wry grin.
“What are you talking about? Why would I kill you? Did you really think that this whole time? I’d think the same if I were you. I understand. People on the broadcast said they’d kill you if they met you, so you must’ve been scared.”
“What? What do you…….”
No intention to attack?
Why? He clearly killed his colleague, and if he’d been watching the broadcast, wouldn’t he covet the equipment Lee Kanghyeok had bragged about enough to kill him?
To resist that?
Was he planning to make him feel safe first, then kill him?
‘Perhaps…….’
Lee Kanghyeok examined Im Jaebum’s expression, wondering if his suspicion was right.
‘Is he probing for information because he lacks it? And with inferior numbers, it’d be awkward to attack first anyway.’
The absence of information.
Perhaps that’s why he’d switched his stance instead of attacking.
Of course.
Even if the man before him watched his broadcast often, Lee Kanghyeok had never mentioned his Awakening or his Level on air.
And with his former colleague Electric now dead and turned into a Zombie, and an Awakener of the same Attribute standing behind him preparing for an attack…….
No sane person would attack recklessly.
As he was thinking this, Im Jaebum nodded as if he fully understood.
“Ah, did you think I came to find her and seek revenge? She’s not really a colleague—just someone from the same organization. I don’t have any particular attachment to her. So don’t worry.”
“Then…….”
“I was looking for that bastard, and someone nearby mentioned asking the largest Union if it was me. I guess they thought I’d harm you, so they wrote that. They’re probably worried I’d take you down wholesale. I belong to quite a large Union, you know. Honestly, I didn’t expect to meet you……. Since I’m here, let me ask—any interest in joining our Union? The woman beside you too.”
His serpent-like, narrow eyes gleamed. Just as Lee Kanghyeok suspected, he was lying to assess their power.
Was it really?
Doubtful, Lee Kanghyeok studied his expression.
“…….”
He intended to determine from his face whether he was lying or genuinely making a recruitment offer.
That was when.
“Ugh.”
Seo Arin, standing behind Lee Kanghyeok, released a strained breath, trembling under pressure.
“Right now, he’s intercepting the water I summoned. He seems to be gauging my Level through control. If I lose dominance, all the water I summoned will become his.”
“…….”
At her words, Lee Kanghyeok’s expression hardened.
Honestly, he hadn’t known. An invisible battle had been raging…….
It dawned on him that those who’d Awakened the same Attribute could even interfere with skills others used.
Seo Arin gasped heavily, struggling.
Yet Im Jaebum’s expression remained serene.
Realizing that Im Jaebum’s Level exceeded Seo Arin’s, Lee Kanghyeok judged it dangerous to let this continue and preemptively activated a skill.
“Flesh Melting!”
Sizzle—!
He’d expected the skill, used so suddenly, to naturally land.
Now flesh should be melting, releasing a putrid stench, and screams should follow…….
‘What?’
Noticing neither smell nor screams, Lee Kanghyeok examined the target area and found an enormous volume of steam rising, protecting his body.
Simultaneously, feeling his gaze, Im Jaebum shook his head with a smile, no longer hiding anything.
“I didn’t expect you’d be so sharp. You must train regularly. If you’d been lazy with your practice, you’d have died without even knowing. As someone with the same Attribute, I’ll give you my praise.”
“Ugh.”
The moment he spoke, Seo Arin’s expression stiffened and her groans grew louder.
Now that he was discovered, he seemed intent on openly interfering.
“And Survivor. Your attempt was good, but basic skills don’t work on someone like me. Remember that next time.”
Im Jaebum, no longer interested in her, looked at Lee Kanghyeok with a crooked smile.
An expression brimming with confidence.
Speaking to them as if instructing, his eyes now gleamed with anticipation as he surveyed his surroundings.
“No trained Zombies, the woman in back is low Level so useless……. Now what? Put up a struggle like a true Survivor. Give me some fun. It’d be a shame if all this effort to find you went to waste, right?”
Fun.
Not a trace of conscience about taking lives, treating it as a simple game.
At the sight of such a man, both Lee Kanghyeok and Seo Arin’s expressions froze solid.

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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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