Surviving the Apocalypse as an All-Time Best Overpowered Necromancer - Chapter 42

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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 42
42. Im Jaebeom (5)
“Fire Wall!”
At the signal, Seo Hwarin immediately activated her skill where the Liquid Monster stood.
Hissssss—!
As the wall of fire surged forth and consumed the creature, steam erupted again, blanketing the surroundings.
She’d thought it was fine, just like before, but the steam generated by the creature’s body evaporating in the intense heat caused the skin of the Zombies at the front to rapidly decay in an instant.
“I’m sorry. I’ll attack with a different skill. Burst Burn!”
Whoosh.
The moment she saw the abnormal state of the Zombies, she grasped the reason, immediately apologized, and cancelled the Fire Wall, then activated a different skill.
Dozens of small flames materialized in the air, circling around the Liquid Monster without attacking it directly.
When she’d used Burst Burn at the Parking lot, she’d kept the flames suspended in mid-air to attack enemies, but….
Unlike before, the small flames didn’t simply hover in place—they moved continuously and attacked the enemy, suggesting she’d definitively grasped the sense of utilizing her abilities through combat with Im Jaebeom.
‘Not bad.’
Lee Ganghyuk’s mouth curved up ever so slightly.
For a day he’d thought was the worst, he’d gained something.
‘If I just eliminate that creature, things would get even better.’
Once the Liquid Monster was gone, it would be over.
The moment he thought he wanted to dispose of it quickly and rest, that impulse seemed to transmit to the Zombies, and their movements accelerated sharply.
Slash—!
Screech!
Was it because the movements became faster, and the attack speed increased along with it?
The Liquid Monster couldn’t even properly defend against the relentless barrage of attacks.
If he kept pushing like this, he’d win.
Thinking so, he continued his assault, but for some reason the Liquid Monster’s condition wasn’t significantly different from before.
Shhhhik—!
Tss-tss-tss-tss.
Even when the small flames circling around it made contact, only steam rose.
It seemed to inflict no real damage.
Was it his imagination?
‘What the hell….’
He couldn’t figure out why.
Somehow it felt like he was just spinning his wheels.
Even though he was clearly overwhelming the Liquid Monster, the situation didn’t seem to be improving at all.
Lee Ganghyuk, struck by a strange inexplicable feeling, examined the condition of the Liquid Monster as it took hits from the Zombies.
Whoosh—
Thud! Screech.
“Graaaaah!”
At the same time, a Zombie’s Bone Axe severed the Liquid Monster’s left wrist.
Taking the damage, the Liquid Monster let out a cry of agony.
Thinking it was just his imagination, he soon saw otherwise.
The severed wrist writhed as if alive, crawling back to the Liquid Monster, then was absorbed as naturally as water rejoining water—and the severed wrist regenerated.
‘So that’s why.’
Now Lee Ganghyuk understood why he’d felt that way, and his brow furrowed involuntarily.
The situation was clearly in their favor, but if they couldn’t stop the Liquid Monster’s regeneration, this fight would never end.
No, there was a way.
They could abandon the Liquid Monster and run.
But he couldn’t leave the Liquid Monster here.
Because their hideout was directly above this building….
‘Damn creature.’
If it was going to die anyway, it could at least die quietly. Instead, in its final throes, it had released something unwanted.
Irritated, Lee Ganghyuk looked at the Zombie that had been Im Jaebeom.
Just then, Im Jaebeom summoned ten water serpents and sent them at the Liquid Monster, and as they bit the creature’s left wrist, it cleanly severed.
“…….”
A few minutes ago he would have been pleased, but now that he knew it would regenerate immediately even if severed, he was only irritated.
“Sigh.”
The moment he thought he needed to find a way to dispose of the Liquid Monster as quickly as possible, Lee Ganghyuk tilted his head.
‘What? Why isn’t it regenerating?’
Strange. When the Zombie had severed the wrist a moment ago, it regenerated right away, but when Im Jaebeom’s water serpents severed the same part, it didn’t regenerate at all.
Could it be because it was already a regenerated spot?
Or perhaps….
‘Because it’s a skill Im Jaebeom used?’
The latter seemed far more convincing, so Lee Ganghyuk recalled the orders Im Jaebeom must have given before he died.
It wasn’t certain, but dying as he was, he couldn’t have given detailed commands.
He must have issued a blanket order to annihilate all enemies in sight.
Based on that logic, from the Liquid Monster’s perspective, the Zombie that had been Im Jaebeom wouldn’t be classified as an enemy.
Of course….
The question of why the spot hit by the water serpents didn’t regenerate remained, but the other mystery was solved.
‘It recognizes him as an ally, so it doesn’t defend against the water serpents he launches.’
Now it made sense.
Why it hadn’t attacked the water serpents collecting the Beads, why it had simply taken the hits every time the serpents attacked.
Still just speculation, but the proof wouldn’t be difficult to obtain.
“Attack!”
“Graaah—!”
Screech.
When Lee Ganghyuk gave the command, Im Jaebeom, reading his intention, summoned no serpents but used Water Ball to attack the Liquid Monster.
It didn’t defend when Im Jaebeom attacked.
To properly verify this, and just as Lee Ganghyuk predicted, the Liquid Monster didn’t defend against Im Jaebeom’s Water Ball, took the hit directly, and went flying backward.
“Seo Hwarin! I’ve found a way to defeat it.”
“I saw it too!”
When Lee Ganghyuk called out that he’d found a way to neutralize the Liquid Monster, an immediate response came back.
Watching the situation, she must have realized it as well.
At the same time, Seo Hwarin apparently judged there was no need to waste more mana, dispelling the flames hovering in the air.
Her attacks would only get in the way, so she created an environment where Im Jaebeom could act freely.
And so….
The moment the flames hovering in the air disappeared, Im Jaebeom activated his skill again.
Water serpents filled the space the flames had vacated, rushing toward the Liquid Monster.
Screech—!
Thud! Crack.
With the onslaught, the Liquid Monster’s limbs were torn to shreds, and its size gradually shrank.
After five more attacks, the Liquid Monster’s size had shrunk to about a tenth of its original mass.
Could Seo Hwarin’s attacks get through now?
Thinking so, he turned back and saw her nod, having reached the same conclusion, as she extended her hand.
“Flame Stream!”
Whoooosh—!
As flames erupted from her hand and engulfed the Liquid Monster, steam rose just as before.
But unlike before, the Liquid Monster’s form didn’t persist and simply evaporated away.
Yet Seo Hwarin didn’t stop her skill.
Because she hadn’t received a notification that it had been defeated.
So Lee Ganghyuk hadn’t stopped her either, but realizing the Liquid Monster was a creation of a skill, he quickly signaled her to stop.
“That’s enough now. You can stop.”
“But…. Oh!”
Seo Hwarin understood the reason and nodded, withdrawing the flames.
“Sigh….”
As the situation concluded, a sigh escaped naturally.
He hadn’t expected fighting an Awakener to be this grueling.
‘I was lucky back then.’
As Lee Ganghyuk, recalling the fight with Electro right after his first awakening, let out another sigh of relief, Seo Hwarin approached him.
“Are you all right? You’re not hurt anywhere, are you?”
“I’m fine. How about Arin?”
“She’s still unconscious, but her breathing is steady, so I think she’ll wake up once her Core Power recovers.”
“That’s good. Here, put this on. It should help restore Core Power.”
“Got it!”
Hearing this, Lee Ganghyuk handed her a Bone Necklace that accelerated natural Core Power recovery, then straightened up the Zombies as he spoke.
“Take Arin upstairs first. I’ll head out for a bit and come back.”
“What? Where are you suddenly—”
Startled by the sudden announcement, Seo Hwarin asked.
With the battle having just ended, their stamina and mana weren’t fully intact, so she was worried about Lee Ganghyuk heading out.
To her concerned question, Lee Ganghyuk explained by pointing to Im Jaebeom.
“That one was this one’s comrade. The fact that he came here even though it’s been long since he died suggests there’s some kind of Mark between them. So I want to scout the area before it’s too late.”
“A comrade…. I see. Then please at least tell me roughly which direction you’re planning to search. That way I can provide support immediately if something happens.”
“I’m thinking of checking the direction he came from first. I’ll go to Dobong Station and then circle back from Suraksan Station. From the rooftop, I should be able to see this distance.”
“Understood! I’ll keep watch from the rooftop. Please don’t push yourself!”
“All right. Then I’m counting on you.”
From the rooftop, she could simultaneously confirm the man confined on the 30th floor and the area around Dobong Station.
Even if she couldn’t land attacks, just relaying information about the surroundings would be enough to handle things.
After asking Seo Hwarin to provide cover, Lee Ganghyuk led the Zombies and headed outside.
* * *
“Commander! The scout team has arrived.”
“Sounds like they found something. I’m coming down.”
“Yes, sir!”
At the word that the scout team had arrived, Park Mujin set down his Canned Tuna and headed out.
Moments later, a man smeared black from head to foot approached him.
“Scout Team 1, Choi Gangrok, reporting!”
“Well, did you find anything?”
“Yes! There were Zombies killed recently, forming a trail toward Dobong Station.”
“Dobong Station? Hmm.”
Upon hearing the report, Park Mujin stroked his chin, glanced at the direction he’d originally intended to go, then smiled and nodded.
“Seems the heavens are guiding us. Once we finish eating, we head to Dobong Station.”
“Yes, sir!”
They were heading there anyway, if not entirely certain.
So without regret, Park Mujin modified their route, told everyone to finish eating, and entered the makeshift tent.
It would be wasteful to leave the Canned Tuna he’d just opened, and also prudent to rest in case he faced whoever had killed the Zombies near Dobong Station.
Thirty minutes later.
While heading toward Dobong Station after finishing the meal.
Upon arriving at the location Choi Gangrok had mentioned, Park Mujin examined the condition of the Zombies.
“Water Attribute Awakener’s handiwork. The one who came from Chungmuro also had the Water Attribute…. Why would that one come here?”
After examining the Zombies’ cause of death, Park Mujin recalled the attribute of Im Jaebeom, who was said to have come from the Chungmuro Alliance, and stroked his chin.
But soon realizing the reason, he furrowed his brow and shouted to his men.
“The benefactor must be somewhere around here. Scatter and search immediately. You may eliminate any threat to the benefactor.”
“Yes, sir!”
Though one might be startled by such a sudden command, Park Mujin’s men shouted in practiced unison and scattered in all directions.
* * *
[There are a lot of people near Dobong Station. They look like they’re searching for something—you should be careful.]
‘I don’t know where they’re from, but there’s no reason to run into them.’
While searching about for a Mark that might not even exist.
Lee Ganghyuk, checking Seo Hwarin’s note, furrowed his brow and hid his body in an Abandoned house.
Unable to determine their affiliation, he decided it was safer to hide before encountering them.
‘Returning seems difficult…. I’ll just sleep here tonight and head back early in the morning.’
It was safer to rest thoroughly here than to risk being caught by them if he ventured out now.
So Lee Ganghyuk sent Seo Hwarin a note saying he’d sleep here tonight and would be careful not to be detected, then pulled bedding from a wardrobe.
Before awakening, he’d often spent nights like this when he ventured out to scavenge for food and the sun set along the way.
Naturally and familiarly unrolling his bedding, Lee Ganghyuk hid between the curtains to check the situation outside before resting, peering out the window.

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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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