Surviving the Apocalypse as an All-Time Best Overpowered Necromancer - Chapter 67

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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 67
67. The Zombie Horde from the West (3)
“Wow… that’s incredible…”
“As expected… a skeleton wielding a shield—now our formation won’t collapse!”
“…”
Despite the two of them speaking in wonder, Lee Gang-hyuk said nothing.
“Gang-hyuk?”
Noticing his silence, Seo Hwa-rin met his gaze with a question in her eyes.
He appeared absorbed in reading something that had materialized before him.
Realizing why he hadn’t answered, Seo Hwa-rin nodded knowingly and smiled.
“Gang-hyuk…”
“Shh! I think a notification came up.”
“Huh? Oh!”
Just as Seo A-rin tried to call him, Seo Hwa-rin stopped her and watched quietly instead.
Meanwhile, Lee Gang-hyuk was reading the notification that had appeared the moment he created the shield-wielding skeleton, just as she’d said.
[Bone Shielder has been created.]
[Achievement Unlocked!]
[Basic Melee Troops.]
– You have created 3 different types of basic melee troops.
[Bonus experience granted for achievement unlock.]
[Congratulations. Your Level has increased. All physical stats increase by 1.]
…
[Passive Skill granted for achievement unlock.]
[Skill ‘Troop Formation Combination’ has been added.]
[Troop Formation Combination][Passive]
– When you construct a formation by combining troop types, all skeletons’ abilities increase (if combinations overlap, only 1 combination can be activated).
(Active) Basic Melee Combination.
– Bone Swordsman, Bone Shielder, Bone Spearman.
– Attack Power +1
– Defense Power +1
Bone Shielder.
That was the name of the skeleton created with a shield.
Creating a shield-wielding skeleton, as Seo Hwa-rin had suggested, was already cause for celebration.
But he’d leveled up while achieving the milestone.
And now he had gained a new skill—Troop Formation Combination. It was a skill that increased his skeletons’ abilities when he constructed a formation by combining different troop types.
‘It would’ve been better if the stats stacked.’
He was pleased the skill existed at all.
But it was disappointing that he could only activate one combination’s benefits.
Still, having something was better than nothing.
Lee Gang-hyuk smiled with satisfaction and thanked both of them.
“This is thanks to you both. I really appreciate it.”
“What? That’s your ability, Gang-hyuk. I just happened to ask out of curiosity…”
“I, I didn’t really do anything either!”
At that, both of them shook their heads in denial.
While they had made the suggestion, it was ultimately Lee Gang-hyuk’s ability at work, and he would certainly have discovered it on his own eventually, if not now.
“It was because you both brought it up first. Without that, it would’ve taken much longer.”
Despite their protest, Lee Gang-hyuk seemed to think otherwise. He thanked them once more and crafted another Bone Shielder.
A moment later…
The Bone Shielders naturally moved forward, took their positions among the zombies, and raised the shields in their hands defensively.
“That’s good.”
Before, with only zombies on the front line, there was something unsettling about it. With the Bone Shielders added, a sense of stability settled over them.
But there was still something missing.
“Hmm.”
Lee Gang-hyuk stroked his chin in thought at the sudden realization, then nodded as understanding dawned on him.
At the same time…
He removed the Dual Rings that the zombie and Im Jae-beom had been wearing and handed them to the Bone Shielders.
“Now we’ve addressed the defense issue too. Before we fall further behind, shall we get moving?”
“Yes!”
* * *
After creating the Bone Shielders, the hunting pace accelerated dramatically.
The Troop Formation Combination boosted all the skeletons’ abilities, but more importantly, with the Bone Shielders holding the line, the Bone Swordsmen and Bone Spearmen could focus purely on offense.
As their offensive power increased, the Bone Assassins’ movements grew faster too.
Before, when the zombies had been in front, their weak defense forced them to spread their attacks thin. Now that the Bone Shielders held the line solidly, the rear guard could expose itself more easily, allowing them to move even faster.
Was that why?
Seo Hwa-rin and Seo A-rin never needed to use their skills.
It was true they needed to conserve mana before hunting the Cricket, but still—
Just following along without anything to do left Seo Hwa-rin and Seo A-rin sighing in embarrassment.
How many minutes had passed?
Having single-handedly cleared all the zombies inside Jangam Station, Lee Gang-hyuk was peering out the window searching for more when—
He noticed something and turned to look back at Seo A-rin.
“Seo A-rin, could you check out that building ahead?”
“Yes? Of course!”
Seo A-rin smiled at finally having something to do—but the moment she deployed the Water Snake toward the building Lee Gang-hyuk pointed at, her expression froze.
Then she cried out,
“There’s a survivor in there!”
At her words, Lee Gang-hyuk pressed further.
“Are you certain?”
“Yes! I’m sure. But… it looks like they’re injured.”
“As I thought… I wasn’t seeing things after all.”
At Seo A-rin’s report, Lee Gang-hyuk exhaled deeply.
“What should we do?” asked Seo Hwa-rin.
She understood the weight of that sigh.
The dilemma: save them or leave them.
“…”
Lee Gang-hyuk stared at the building for a moment, then spoke with a tone of resignation.
“If we leave them and they’re turned by a zombie, it becomes a risk to us. So we rescue them.”
“Understood.”
They hadn’t even dealt with the Cricket yet, and they couldn’t afford to create another Mutant Zombie nearby.
True, they needed Mutant Zombie cores, but the danger was too great. They decided to rescue the survivor and headed toward the building.
Fortunately, there were no zombies inside.
Whether they’d been lucky or had calculated it correctly,
The three of them were relieved no new Mutant Zombie had been created. They approached the survivor.
Soon, hearing movement nearby, Lee Gang-hyuk spoke as gently as he could to reassure them.
“…Are you here? We’ve come to help.”
“…”
The moment he spoke, the sound stopped.
“Seo A-rin.”
“We’re really here to help you. Please trust us.”
As Seo A-rin spoke, there seemed to be some reassurance.
“C-come in.”
The man’s voice was younger than expected.
He sounded barely into adulthood. On the other hand, his voice trembled and lacked strength—signs of a serious injury.
“I’ll scout the area with the Water Snakes first.”
Before approaching the man, Seo A-rin considered this might be a trap. She summoned the Water Snakes to patrol.
After that, Lee Gang-hyuk stepped forward with the zombies and skeletons leading the way.
It could be a raider feigning injury to ambush them. He was taking precautions.
When the man heard Seo A-rin’s voice, he seemed reassured. But the moment he saw the zombie and skeletons approaching, his eyes filled with tears of terror.
“P-please… save me… I don’t want to die. Please…”
Seeing his genuine fear, Lee Gang-hyuk determined he wasn’t a raider.
Still cautious, he positioned himself behind the zombie and skeleton to calm him.
“These are creatures I’ve summoned, so you can relax. As long as you don’t attack first, they won’t harm you.”
“What? Y-yes… I won’t attack! P-please, just let me live!”
The man’s sobbing pleas reinforced that this was genuine terror, not deception. Lee Gang-hyuk silently examined the man’s condition.
‘The thigh?’
As he confirmed the bleeding, his brow furrowed.
No matter how he looked at it, these weren’t zombie bite wounds.
Something…
Something sharp had pierced through the thigh.
“Where are you from, and how did you get injured?”
Suspicious, Lee Gang-hyuk asked directly, and the man answered immediately.
“I, I came from Yangju City Hall. My leg is…”
“Yangju City Hall? What happened there?”
At the mention of Yangju City Hall, Lee Gang-hyuk pressed without waiting for more context.
Seo Do-gyeong had come from there.
Someone presumed killed by the Cricket had come from there.
And now this man had come from there too.
He suspected that was the source of the recent influx of people from outside.
“Ugh…”
The man’s composure crumbled at the question, and tears spilled over.
There was definitely something there.
The moment Lee Gang-hyuk realized this, the man finally spoke.
“From the west… A zombie horde suddenly came down from the west… and our Shelter…”
“A zombie horde?”
“Yes…”
At those words, everyone’s face hardened.
But Lee Gang-hyuk’s expression was subtly different from the others.
Seo Hwa-rin and Seo A-rin were remembering their own encounter with the zombie horde.
But Lee Gang-hyuk was worried that the horde might follow the refugees who’d fled here.
“Where is the zombie horde now?”
“I, I don’t know.”
“You weren’t being chased by it, were you?”
“No! N-no, absolutely not!”
The man shook his head violently in denial.
His face went pale at the same time. He was clearly terrified—worried that if he admitted he’d led the horde here, they’d kill him.
“As I said, we came to help. Tell us the truth so we can respond properly.”
“I’m telling the truth! I saw the horde and ran immediately. It must’ve chased someone else.”
The man’s confession came pouring out, and Lee Gang-hyuk released a breath of relief.
“Understood. Then how did your leg get injured? That doesn’t look like a zombie bite.”
“…I fell from a construction site while running from the zombies.”
“…”
For a moment, Lee Gang-hyuk’s face twisted with disbelief, and the man, cowed by his expression, muttered defensively,
“I’m serious…”
Disregarding the excuse, Lee Gang-hyuk turned to Seo Hwa-rin and asked,
“What time is it now?”
“Yes? It’s… 11 o’clock.”
Since they’d started hunting right after breakfast,
There was plenty of time before sunset.
With enough time to spare for hunting the Cricket, Lee Gang-hyuk gestured at the injured man and shrugged.
“Then let’s make a quick trip to Dobongsan Station.”
“Dobongsan Station?”
“Yes. I’m thinking of getting him on a cart there and sending him to Banghak Station.”
“Ah, that makes sense…”
At those words, Seo Hwa-rin and Seo A-rin nodded, recalling the Jungnang-gu Alliance at Banghak Station. But the man, anxious, spoke up hastily,
“Y-you’re not going to abandon me, are you?”
“No. I’m not. I’ll save you. Just stay calm and cooperate.”
“What? W-what do you—aaahhhhh!”
Before he could finish, a skeleton approached, and the man shrieked in terror.
But it passed quickly.
“Heh…”
Once the skeleton had lifted him, the man’s tension eased, and he let out a hollow laugh. With that, they headed to Dobongsan Station.
* * *
A moment later…
Upon arriving at Dobongsan Station, Lee Gang-hyuk crafted a cart using Bone Beads and bound a zombie to it, speaking as he worked.
“Once I’m far enough away, my control over it will fade, and it’ll keep moving, trying to eat you. Don’t worry—you’ll be safe. Just leave it be. That way, it’ll keep moving without stopping. Do you understand what I mean?”
“Huh? I don’t quite…”
The man tilted his head in confusion, and Lee Gang-hyuk continued with a faint smile,
“You’ll see once we start. Anyway, I’ve already contacted them over there, so just bear with it, no matter how scared you are. That way, you’ll survive.”
With that, Lee Gang-hyuk gave the cart a hard push.
“W-wait! Hold on, hold on! You bastard!!”
The moment the cart moved away, Lee Gang-hyuk’s control over the bound zombie faded.
And then…
The zombie, spotting the man, began thrashing, trying to devour him. The cart, which had started to slow, suddenly lurched forward again.
“Good—it’s working. Shall we get back to it?”
Lee Gang-hyuk remarked as he watched the cart disappear into the distance. Seo Hwa-rin and Seo A-rin shook their heads in response.

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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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