Surviving the Apocalypse as an All-Time Best Overpowered Necromancer - Chapter 79

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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 79
79. The Harsh Winter Begins (3)
“Ambush tactics and playing dead—I underestimated them. I thought they were just weaker than Mutant Zombies, nothing special, but I’ll have to be more careful from now on.”
“Sigh.”
At Lee Gang-hyuk’s assessment of the Snow Creatures, Seo A-rin let out a heavy breath.
Dealing with Zombies alone was already overwhelming; now they had to face Snow Creatures too. The road ahead looked bleak.
Seo Hwa-rin patted her sister’s shoulder in comfort, her expression turning bitter as she spoke.
“Now I understand why so many people want to move into a Shelter.”
“Quite possibly….”
Lee Gang-hyuk, offering a wry smile in response, recalled those waiting outside the building.
Of course….
He also ordered them to bring back the corpses of the Snow Creatures they’d just killed.
Once they returned inside, Lee Gang-hyuk descended to the lobby and found himself stroking his chin as he gazed at the ten Snow Creature corpses before him.
He was wondering, almost without thinking, what he could craft from them.
Weapons?
Armor?
Accessories?
‘There’s plenty of material.’
After a brief moment of consideration, he decided to make everything from the abundant material and reached out his hand.
“Bone Accessory Crafting!”
He’d start with accessories.
He’d neglected crafting accessories infused with Core Power for some time while busy making weapons, so this time he wanted to prioritize them.
[Insufficient materials for crafting.]
The notification that followed made Lee Gang-hyuk’s brow furrow involuntarily.
‘Insufficient materials? What do you mean….’
That couldn’t be right.
The Snow Creatures had definitely used special abilities.
Though weaker than other Mutant Zombies, if they used abilities, they should naturally have Cores. Yet the system says materials are insufficient?
‘Could these things not have Cores?’
As bewilderment twisted Lee Gang-hyuk’s expression, Seo Hwa-rin beside him asked the reason.
“What’s wrong? Can’t find anything suitable?”
“No, it’s more that… these creatures seem to have no Cores.”
“What?”
Seo Hwa-rin, who had thought his silence was just deliberation, questioned his words, while Seo A-rin asked back with surprised eyes.
“No Cores? But these are Mutant Zombies, aren’t they? Don’t Mutant Zombies always drop them?”
“I assumed they always did too…. But since there are no Cores, it seems these aren’t Mutant Zombies after all.”
Like Seo A-rin said, he’d always assumed Mutant Zombies always had Cores.
But the Snow Creatures have none.
Because of this, Lee Gang-hyuk concluded that Snow Creatures weren’t Mutant Zombies.
Then what were they?
If they weren’t Mutant Zombies, what was their true nature, and how did they even come to exist? Didn’t they evolve from eating humans?
Following that line of thought, he stroked his chin while examining the creature’s corpse.
“…….”
The silence that followed his conclusion prompted Seo A-rin to ask again.
“So… what exactly are these creatures?”
“Hmm.”
Lee Gang-hyuk, still examining the corpse, let out a small sound and answered her question.
“They might have been created naturally. Right now, that’s the only explanation I can offer.”
“…….”
In that moment, both women’s expressions hardened.
“I’m going to the third floor to see what we can craft from these bodies. A-rin, contact that person and tell him to wait there until winter ends—tell him not to come back just yet.”
“Got it!”
“And Hwa-rin, check the community forums. Gather all information related to Snow Creatures and report it to me. If my suspicions are correct and these creatures are naturally occurring…. In the worst case, new ones might spawn every season.”
“Yes.”
The two women nodded at his words and hurried up the stairs.
A short while later….
After moving all the Snow Creature corpses to the third floor, Lee Gang-hyuk activated his skill to check what items could be crafted from them.
‘Everything works.’
Relief washed over him as he confirmed all items except those requiring Cores could be crafted.
‘So only the Cores are missing? Well, at least crafting is possible. But please don’t tell me the performance is similar to equipment made from ordinary Zombies….’
Anxiety struck the moment his relief settled, and Lee Gang-hyuk clicked his tongue as he began crafting the armor.
‘The Mana consumption….’
His brow furrowed as significantly more Mana was consumed than when crafting Bone Armor from ordinary Zombies.
Nearly twice the Mana had been expended.
But his surprise was fleeting.
‘When Mana consumption is that high, it usually means better performance!’
On the other hand, Lee Gang-hyuk expected it to be superior to the existing Bone Armor he’d made, and with anticipation, he checked the stats of the completed armor.
[Frost-Laden Bone Armor]
– Armor crafted using the bone of someone infused with the magical power of the Harsh Winter.
– Defense +5
– Cold Resistance +10%
“Ha….”
The moment he saw the stats, a hollow laugh escaped him.
Not only was it the highest defense among all armor he’d crafted so far, but it also had Cold Resistance!
He’d expected decent results given the Mana consumption, but he hadn’t anticipated it would be this good.
‘It seems like a kind of bonus. To endure the Harsh Winter, defeat the newly emerged Snow Creatures. Something along those lines, I suppose…. Don’t tell me every season brings something similar?’
A minimum bonus to survive the harsh winter weather.
If this were actually true….
The same would apply to creatures appearing with each season.
And that meant seasonal calamities that would torment people were about to become a recurring phenomenon.
Of course, this was still just speculation, not confirmed fact, so it could be wrong.
But the moment doubt crossed his mind, the joy of crafting vanished.
Still, he had to make what needed making.
‘It’s not confirmed yet anyway. Let me focus on solving what’s right in front of me first.’
With that resolution, Lee Gang-hyuk pushed aside his anxiety and continued crafting.
After crafting five sets of armor from the Snow Creature corpses, Lee Gang-hyuk was about to head up to the twenty-third floor when
he noticed femur bones remaining in the pile of bodies and naturally began stroking his chin.
Femurs were used in nearly every weapon except the Bone Dagger.
‘Could it work?’
The vertebrae, the main material for Bone Spears, went into armor too, so that wouldn’t be possible, but couldn’t he craft Bone Swords?
Following that thought, he set down the Bone Armor he was holding and activated the skill. As expected, Bone Sword appeared in the crafting list.
‘I almost left without noticing that.’
With hunting limited due to the snow and materials already scarce, he could barely manage even if he converted all remaining bones into shards for use.
To have almost walked away without taking it….
‘There’s still a long way to go.’
A sigh escaped Lee Gang-hyuk as he watched the Bone Sword in the list. After a brief wait, the moment he checked the stats of the completed blade, his face broke into a smile.
[Frost-Laden Bone Sword]
– A sword crafted using the bone of someone infused with the magical power of the Harsh Winter.
– Mana +2
– When using Water or Ice Attribute skills, Mana and Core Power consumption is reduced by 10%.
* * *
“How does it look?”
Lee Gang-hyuk, who had gone up to the twenty-third floor with the Bone Sword and Bone Armor, asked Seo Hwa-rin, who was sitting on the sofa biting her nails.
Honestly, he could tell from her expression alone.
But just in case, he asked anyway. As expected, finding nothing of particular importance, Seo Hwa-rin let out a quiet sigh.
“I looked around, but there’s still no useful information available.”
“I see.”
Lee Gang-hyuk offered a wry smile at her response.
He understood completely.
The Snow Creatures had only recently appeared, so having scarce information was natural.
As time passed and more witnesses came forward, information would naturally accumulate.
“Keep looking just in case. I’ll check in whenever I have a moment too.”
“Understood.”
Seo Hwa-rin nodded in agreement, then belatedly noticed the unfamiliar items and asked with curiosity.
“Are these things made from Snow Creature corpses?”
“Yes. Fortunately, even without Cores, crafting was possible. So we made armor for us to wear and a weapon for A-rin to use.”
Bang-!
The moment he answered Seo Hwa-rin’s question, Seo A-rin came rushing out of the room in haste.
“Me? A weapon for me to use?”
Surprise painted her face.
A subtle smile glinting beneath her shock made Lee Gang-hyuk extend the Bone Sword toward her.
“It’s a sword made from Snow Creatures, and the options were perfect for you.”
“Th-thank you so much!”
After taking the Bone Sword and expressing her gratitude, Seo A-rin’s eyes gleamed and she giggled happily, not even bothering to check the stats first.
Though she hadn’t shown it outwardly, it seemed she’d really wanted a weapon of her own.
“Whoa!”
After examining the blade for a while, Seo A-rin finally checked its stats and gasped in surprise, spinning back to look at Lee Gang-hyuk.
“It’s exclusive to Water Attribute skills! And it cuts down Core Power consumption too! This is amazing!”
Delighted, she held the sword and bounced in place while shouting with joy.
Could she be any happier?
‘Still, seeing her this happy does feel good.’
Lee Gang-hyuk found himself smiling without thinking.
But realizing immediately the significant gap in weapon quality between the two, he laughed sheepishly and spoke.
“Yes, though Snow Creature materials aren’t as good as Mutant Zombie materials, so its power is less than ideal…. Once we obtain a Core, I’ll combine them and remake it for you.”
“This is already more than enough! Now we need to make a weapon for you!”
At those words, Seo A-rin shook her head vigorously, clutching the Bone Sword to her chest in surprise.
As if to say she didn’t need another weapon.
‘Well… like sister, like sister, they say.’
Seeing her, Lee Gang-hyuk let out a suppressed laugh.
He was certain she was doing this on purpose. If not, knowing how she was, she’d swap his weapon for a better one right away. There was no doubt she was expressing herself this way.
‘I need to make my own weapon soon.’
He was sure that no matter what he offered, she’d keep refusing until he’d made his own.
“Understood. I’ll make my weapon soon too. And from now on, wear this armor. It’s not just the defense, but it also has Cold Resistance.”
“Oh!”
“When you make items from Snow Creatures, they gain Attributes! Water, Ice, and Cold Resistance! It’s perfect!”
Cold Resistance.
The moment they heard those words, both women’s faces brightened considerably.
From their reaction, it seemed their reservations about the Bone Armor had completely vanished. Or perhaps it was just the cold weather? That might be it.
‘Indeed, wearing armor and then adding clothes on top does feel suffocating.’
Whether their hesitation had faded or the cold had driven them to accept it, seeing the two women satisfied made Lee Gang-hyuk’s smile deepen.
And at that moment….
Seo A-rin, who had been turning the Bone Armor over in her hands to examine it from every angle, suddenly lit up as a good idea came to her.
“What if we sew some padding onto the armor? That would make it even warmer, I think….”
“Padding? It’s not a bad idea, but do you think it would work?”
Though her suggestion came suddenly, it seemed like a decent notion, so Lee Gang-hyuk tilted his head in curiosity. Seo A-rin smiled brightly in response.
“I just need to sew padding on the inside and attach it. Let me give it a try!”
With those words, Seo A-rin stepped outside for a moment, then suddenly returned dragging Electric behind her and disappeared into her room.
“The energy she has….”
The moment he thought to ask if it was hereditary seeing how she moved right after speaking, Lee Gang-hyuk caught himself and closed his mouth. Seo Hwa-rin, picking up on his intent, spoke up quickly.
“It must be hereditary. Father had that same quick temperament when he was alive. And I have some of it too….”
“I see.”
As if she’d read his thoughts, Lee Gang-hyuk scratched his head in embarrassment, and at that sight, Seo Hwa-rin broke into a bright smile.
That smile seemed….
Like she was telling him not to feel so apologetic, that it was fine.
Lee Gang-hyuk sensed that Seo Hwa-rin had predicted his thoughts and spoken accordingly.
Offering the same smile in return, Lee Gang-hyuk watched her face brighten.

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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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