Surviving the Apocalypse as an All-Time Best Overpowered Necromancer - Chapter 49

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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 49
49. The Laughing Zombie (4)
While Im Jae-beom was conjuring a water serpent.
Lee Gang-hyeok signaled for a retreat and narrowed his eyes toward the direction from which he’d heard the laughter.
How was this possible?
The creature that should have been in the Building with Patterns—how was it here?
‘Could it have followed me? Then the laughter I heard earlier…….’
Was it just fatigue making him hear things that weren’t there?
But how?
He had definitely fled down the opposite stairwell and returned to the Hideout.
Even on the way back, careful not to be followed, he’d taken side alleys and moved with every precaution.
The question lingered only briefly.
‘Right now, that’s not the issue.’
The Corridor was dark, invisible to the eye, but the creature was definitely in there.
Yet it wasn’t moving.
Even the laughter had faded away.
Which meant…….
Like a predator stalking prey, it was hiding in the darkness, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
But without knowing what abilities it possessed, countering it would be difficult. Moreover, there were Mutated Zombies nearby—this wasn’t a suitable place to fight.
If he had to face it, fighting in a place without Mutated Zombies and without darkness would give them the advantage.
“Tell Hwa-rin to prepare to flee. I’ll draw its attention with the zombies inside.”
“Understood.”
As Lee Gang-hyeok whispered quietly, eyes fixed on the Corridor, ready to counter the moment it attacked, Seo A-rin answered briefly and stepped back.
At that instant…….
“Kik, kik-kik-kik.”
The creature that had maintained silence let out a bizarre laugh.
Had it reacted to seeing Seo A-rin move?
His brow furrowed in confusion, and the creature’s laughter vanished in an instant.
He was thinking it had hidden again after realizing it lost its chance to hunt.
Then—
A scraping sound across the floor.
“!!”
Something was sliding across the ground.
‘Attack!’
Convinced he’d heard the creature moving, Lee Gang-hyeok commanded Im Jae-beom and the zombies inside to attack.
“Gyaaaagh!”
“Gyaagh!”
Responding to the order with gusto, they snarled and charged into the Corridor.
But the zombies that entered found no target—they simply stood, confused, looking around.
‘Gone?’
What?
He had definitely heard the creature move moments ago.
He’d heard laughter too.
Seo A-rin heard it as well—so it couldn’t be an auditory hallucination.
Yet…….
‘How?’
Was its ability that of Hong Gil-dong himself?
Vanishing on the east in a flash.
Reappearing on the west in a flash.
It simply materialized out of nowhere and disappeared despite being right in front of him.
“…….”
Bewildered by this incomprehensible situation, Lee Gang-hyeok called over a zombie and handed it the Torch he’d been holding.
Since he couldn’t approach directly, he planned to use the zombie to light up the Corridor.
But even as the torch-bearing zombie illuminated the passage, nothing was visible.
Why was that?
It was definitely there.
So why couldn’t he see its form?
The moment the question arose, Lee Gang-hyeok suddenly recalled the man he’d locked away in the Hideout.
‘Could it be Stealth?’
If it was right there but invisible, it might be using Stealth.
Or some ability similar to it…….
‘But why isn’t it attacking?’
So Stealth is its ability—he understood that much.
Given that he couldn’t detect it now, it should be able to ambush them anytime. So why not attack?
‘Now that I think about it, that man’s Stealth didn’t break until he was attacked, did it? That’s right…… in games, Stealth breaks when you attack or get attacked—that’s a universal rule.’
If the same held true here as in games?
Maybe it was waiting, cloaked, for the perfect moment to land a decisive blow?
“It seems to be a Stealth-type ability.”
“Really? That’s…….”
At those words, Seo A-rin furrowed her brow as though contemplating the worst-case scenario.
Seeing her expression, Lee Gang-hyeok made a gesture for silence, then sent a hand signal.
‘Let’s change positions.’
Nod.
Confirming the signal to relocate, Seo A-rin nodded and withdrew.
“…….”
Silence.
Unlike before, even as she moved, the creature didn’t react.
Was it because the torch-bearing zombie was nearby?
‘Maybe…….’
Did its Stealth break just from moving?
‘It seems more restricted than I thought…… Could that creature actually be weak in combat?’
He couldn’t be certain, but it seemed likely. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be hiding like this and would have attacked long ago.
‘It seems Stealth is so overpowered that its other abilities are diminished…….’
Since this too was mere speculation, he was about to relocate according to the original plan.
Then Seo Hwa-rin and Electric came in from the Cargo Handling Yard and activated their Skills.
“Burst Burn!”
Whoosh—!
“Hwa-rin!”
As the surroundings suddenly brightened, Lee Gang-hyeok spun around, startled. Seo Hwa-rin immediately answered as if she knew what he was about to say.
“The Cargo Handling Yard shutters are down! Unless it’s a Strength-type, ordinary creatures won’t get in.”
The main reason he wanted to relocate was fear that nearby zombies would swarm at the sound of fighting.
On the other hand, since the Corridor was dark and without lighting, he’d planned to lure the creature somewhere brighter and safer to hunt it down.
With Seo Hwa-rin joining, everything was resolved.
No longer needing to move, Lee Gang-hyeok nodded and shared what he’d determined so far.
“It’s a Stealth-type. It’s still in the Corridor, but its Stealth may break if it attacks or is attacked.”
“Roger! Flame Stream!”
Whoosh.
The moment she heard Lee Gang-hyeok’s words, Seo Hwa-rin unleashed flames like a flamethrower.
“Kiiiieeeeek!!”
Immediately, the creature that had been hiding while cloaked appeared, shrieking grotesquely.
As expected, upon taking the attack, its Stealth broke.
Simultaneously…….
The creature fled in panic toward an inner door, showing no intention to fight.
It didn’t seem like an intentional lure.
It looked genuinely terrified.
Through this, Lee Gang-hyeok could be certain.
‘Without its Stealth, it’s nothing to fear.’
He hadn’t crossed blades with it yet, but among all the Mutated Zombies he’d encountered, this might be the weakest?
‘Maybe its laughter was a ploy too—trying to exploit a moment when I was unnerved and cowering. To kill in one blow.’
Regardless of the reason, he couldn’t let it escape like this.
Like the man he’d imprisoned on the 30th Floor.
A Stealth-type couldn’t be allowed to roam freely.
Lee Gang-hyeok commanded the zombies to seize the fleeing creature.
“Attack!”
“Gyaaaaaah!”
As the order fell, the zombies in the Corridor surged toward it in unison.
Electric, joining late, made his presence known by activating a Skill.
Crackle-crackle.
“Gyak!”
Whump—
As a Lightning Bolt manifested in midair, Im Jae-beom created a massive water serpent.
‘Is he merging ten of them into one to boost attack power?’
Puzzled by this unfamiliar application, Lee Gang-hyeok cocked his head just as Seo A-rin conjured a water serpent slightly smaller than the one Im Jae-beom had made.
‘It’s like watching a master and apprentice.’
When Im Jae-beom activates an ability, Seo A-rin copies it exactly.
Whether she was doing so to avoid being overwhelmed by the zombie or to make his former strength her own.
‘Well, either way, growing stronger is good.’
If Seo A-rin became stronger, the team’s survival rate would increase.
More than anything, learning from a zombie might inspire disgust or resistance in others, but Seo A-rin showed no reluctance—there was something genuinely admirable in how she absorbed the knowledge.
‘Hmm, could that be……?’
Lee Gang-hyeok smiled unconsciously, then stroked his chin as if remembering something, gazing at Seo Hwa-rin.
Then, confident in his realization, he nodded.
‘I’m certain. It’s not a Skill.’
The fact that Seo A-rin could replicate Im Jae-beom’s techniques meant none of the abilities he’d seen so far were actual Skills.
In other words, she was controlling the power in her Core to manifest it like a Skill…….
If that were true, wouldn’t it work even with different Attributes?
“Can you do the same, Hwa-rin?”
“What? A water serpent? I’ve never tried, but…… let me give it a shot!”
Startled by the sudden question, Seo Hwa-rin glanced at Seo A-rin without thinking.
Then, reaching the same conclusion as Lee Gang-hyeok, she nodded with eager eyes.
She released her Core and unleashed flames in all directions.
But…….
Perhaps because it was her first attempt?
The flames manifesting in midair moved somewhat to her will but failed to form a serpent’s shape.
Was it due to the Attribute’s nature?
Or simply a matter of control?
Either way, it was worth trying now.
So Lee Gang-hyeok refrained from interrupting Seo Hwa-rin, issued fresh orders to the zombies, and scattered the Bone Orbs he’d crafted during his fight with Im Jae-beom.
As expected, the Bone Orbs alone posed no threat—the Mutated Zombie showed no reaction.
Perhaps it was focused on clearing the zombies blocking the door to escape and didn’t notice the Orbs.
But now that Bone Orbs carpeted the floor, there was no way the creature could escape.
“Tactical Crafting!”
Lee Gang-hyeok activated the Skill on the Bone Orbs, attempting to manifest the Bone Prison—a necromancer’s Skill from games.
Whump—
Whump—!
The spheres scattered on the floor suddenly transformed into spikes and shot upward, but due to lack of materials, the Bone Prison was so riddled with gaps it barely deserved the name.
“Kek!”
Still, it served as an obstacle—the creature attacking the door-blocking zombies recoiled in surprise.
“Tactical Crafting!”
Seizing the moment, Lee Gang-hyeok designated the zombies Seo A-rin had killed as material and reinforced the incomplete Bone Prison.
Shortly after, a more complete Bone Prison rose in the middle of the Corridor.
It wasn’t meant to trap the creature itself, but to block its escape route.
“Kik, ki-hi-hi-hi.”
As its escape was cut off, the creature suddenly laughed.
Had it abandoned flight and decided to fight?
That’s what he thought, but…….
The creature’s form vanished in an instant before his eyes.
“Aqua Barrier!”
Simultaneously, Seo A-rin activated a barrier in case of the creature’s surprise attack.
Seo Hwa-rin, manipulating flames in the back, seemed to have grasped the technique—she launched every flame she’d kept suspended into the air.
“Hot—!”
Whoosh.
Whoosh-whoosh.
While not forming a serpent as perfectly as Seo A-rin and Im Jae-beom, the fireballs—resembling one of her Skills, Burst Burn—filled the Corridor and attacked the creature.
“Kiiiieeeeek!”
Just as expected, the creature hiding in the Corridor with only its appearance concealed saw its Stealth break under the assault, and it shrieked.
Had it really thought it could use Stealth openly in plain sight?
‘Even with heightened intelligence, a zombie is still a zombie.’
Astonishing.
How could something be so stupid as to fail to properly use its own abilities?
Worse, for a Mutated Zombie, it was absurdly weak.
“Hmm.”
Still, disposing of it so easily wasn’t the worst outcome. Lee Gang-hyeok then furrowed his brow in puzzlement, stroking his chin.
Something gave off an odd sense of dissonance.
‘Something’s off.’
When he’d encountered it on the emergency stairwell of the Building with Patterns, it had been far more violent than this.
But now, that savagery was gone—instead, it seemed excessively fearful.
As if it were a different individual entirely.
Puzzled, Lee Gang-hyeok watched as the creature shrieked and attacked the zombies.
“Kyaaaaah!”
Bang—!
By sound alone, it was unmistakably the creature from before. So why this unease?
Just as his confusion deepened, a different laugh suddenly came from within.
“Kik. Kik-kik-kik.”
“Tactical Crafting!”
Only then did Lee Gang-hyeok understand the source of his unease. He reshaped the Bone Prison like a stopper, blocking the inner door to prevent the other creature from joining.
“Gyaagh!”
Whump—!
Crackle-crackle.
At the same time, Im Jae-beom, reading his intent, manifested water serpents to coil around the door, while Electric attempted to block the inner creature with a Lightning Bolt, but…….
A single body tackle shattered the door, and the creature inside revealed itself.
“!!”
In an instant, the expressions of all three froze. The creature before them was so massive that the one they’d been fighting seemed like a child by comparison.
Its grotesquely overdeveloped upper body made the impression even more pronounced.
Simply looking at it made his knees weak.
“Kraaaaaaagh!!”
Whooosh—!
Crash—!
Thud, thud-thud-thud.
It wasn’t just outward appearance—the creature roared and swung its fists wildly, shattering the spikes that blocked the passage.
“!!”
Alarmed by the menacing display, all three scrambled backward, their zombies filling the gap and raising their Shields.
That was when.
“Kik, kik-kik-kik.”
“Kiiiik! Kik-kik.”
As the three retreated, both creatures suddenly began to laugh.
As if everything had gone exactly as planned.
‘What…… Could it be……?’
The moment he saw it, something clicked in Lee Gang-hyeok’s mind. He raised his Shield and shouted with all his strength.

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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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