The Returned Hunter Has Awakened to a Hidden Class - Chapter 65
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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65
Chapter 65
Zombie Apocalypse (2)
The zombies here are broadly divided into five types.
First, regular zombies.
The basic type that drags its feet and approaches slowly.
The lowest form of existence that even a level 10 Hunter can easily handle.
They’re so weak you’d wonder if this is really the 27th Floor, but the problem is their numbers.
These creatures pour out endlessly from the first day to the last.
Second, the variant species called Speed.
The moment when Hunters who were relieved by the leisurely difficulty of the first day truly begin to despair.
These are the ones that signal the start of that despair.
Appearing from the second night, these creatures actually ‘run’ despite being zombies.
And at full speed, no less.
Third, the Pig.
With a belly swollen so full it looks like it would burst with just one needle prick.
A disgusting existence that wanders around drooling all day long.
The problem isn’t the smell.
Its real threat lies in ‘self-destruction.’
The moment its belly bursts from an attack, an unimaginable stench spreads in all directions.
And the surrounding zombies that smell it come rushing over in droves.
As if a dinner bell had been rung.
They appear starting from the third day.
Fourth, the Tank.
The complete opposite of the Pig. This one boasts a sturdy, muscular body.
‘If Park Min-soo became a zombie, he’d probably look like that.’
That comparison naturally came to Kim Jun’s mind.
Regular zombies have rotting skin and look sickly, as if they’d collapse at any moment.
But the Tank is different.
I don’t know where it gets its protein, but it has muscles built like a bodybuilder.
And that strength is truly tremendous.
Enough to demolish a single-story building.
And finally.
The one called the ‘Lady.’
The most dangerous existence on the 27th Floor.
A frail body with pale skin.
At first glance, she looks weaker than other zombies, but that’s the trap.
She possesses abilities on a completely different level from other zombies.
The ability to actually ‘control’ zombies.
She moves dozens, even hundreds of zombies at will.
Like moving pieces on a chess board, she strategically corners Hunters.
“…”
In the distance.
Kim Jun’s gaze went further, much further away.
The ruins of collapsed buildings. A place that should have been 6 floors high but had become single-story.
Someone was standing on the debris.
Heheh-
‘Laughing?’
That person, no, that ‘being’ was laughing.
An eerie smile that could be felt even from afar.
As if enjoying this entire situation.
‘Who is that?’
It doesn’t seem to be a zombie or a Hunter.
But there was no more time to think.
Kieeeeeek!!
Kieuuuuk!!
The Speed’s screams were getting closer.
Already 50 meters ahead.
A distance it would reach in just a few seconds.
Kim Jun’s mind raced quickly.
‘I need to survive first.’
The 27th Floor is a space that perfectly recreates Yeouido’s terrain.
The size, building layout, and road network all match reality.
However, if you go beyond that range, a transparent barrier blocks further movement.
And most importantly.
‘Never go north.’
The three bridges connecting Yeouido and Gangbuk.
Seogangdaegyo, Mapodaegyo, Wonhyodaegyo.
From there, zombie waves pour down like waterfalls at regular intervals.
A hellish scene where hundreds rush in at once.
Going north would be like choosing death.
Then there’s only one answer.
‘To higher ground!’
Kim Jun’s eyes turned toward one building.
In this ruined world, the only high-rise building still standing tall.
63 Building.
“Everyone, over there!”
Kim Jun pointed and shouted.
“Run at full speed right now! To 63 Building!”
Grrrrrrowl!
The Speed had closed in to 30 meters ahead.
There was no more time to hesitate.
“Stop spacing out and run!!”
“R-run!”
“Carry me! Park Min-soo!!”
With Kim Jun’s shout, the group began moving all at once.
*
Actually, mere zombies pose no threat to Kim Jun.
One strike would be enough. No, even one strike would be wasteful.
Yet right now, Kim Jun was.
“Kill them without touching!”
Swoosh-
Running away while swinging his sword.
Across Yeouido Park, past the collapsed subway station, to the street lined with bank buildings.
One goal. The golden building visible in the distance, 63 Building.
The reason was clear.
‘Infection.’
No matter how strong a Hunter is, there’s no answer if they get infected by zombie blood.
Just one scratch, one small wound with zombie blood splashing on it, and it’s over.
Her body grew hotter and hotter, her consciousness blurred, and eventually she would turn into a monster.
That’s why the 27th Floor is the worst place for close-combat hunters and advantageous for ranged hunters.
No matter how strong you are, no matter how many you kill, even a single drop of blood is fatal.
Of course, a high-level healer like Lee Seo-yeon could slow down the infection rate, but…she couldn’t overcome the Tower’s system itself.
Once it spreads, it will inevitably consume the entire body.
‘I need to secure a shelter first.’
At minimum, creating a safe stronghold and fighting defensively from there would be the best strategy.
The purpose here is survival, not elimination.
Even if you get infected, don’t we have the「Antidote」?
The problem is the drop rate of supply items.
They’re hard to find, and the probability of finding an「Antidote」among them is even lower.
It feels like it’s lower than the legendary item drop rate in domestic RPG games.
No, it would be more accurate to say it’s similar to the ‘mythic’ grade probability in certain games.
Even before the regression, I had searched all of Yeouido to save as many people as possible.
The result was.
‘Just one.’
And I only found it on the last day.
“You don’t have a single mobility skill?”
“Haha!”
“Don’t laugh!”
Hunters have a limited number of skills they can learn.
There are limits by grade, level, and class.
Being able to learn unlimited skills like Kim Jun or Ryu Ji-a is an extremely exceptional case.
So most hunters choose carefully.
Rather than useless skills, they fill their slots with core skills that match their combat style.
What about Park Min-soo, the tank?
He doesn’t have a single mobility skill.
It’s all the result of focusing on party play, but.
“Haha…when you put it that way…it hurts my feelings too…”
Lee Seo-yeon said with an awkward smile.
“Ah, unnie is excluded!!”
Ryu Ji-a hurriedly waved her hands.
“Why is noona excluded!! That’s a double standard!”
“Be, because she’s a healer!”
“I’m a tank though?”
“You’re a muscle pig!”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Lee Seo-yeon, the healer, wasn’t in a different situation.
She hadn’t learned any mobility skills either.
She had filled her slots solely with healing skills and buff skills.
In the end, all five of them had no choice but to run desperately on their own two feet.
They had to match their pace.
Panting, gasping for breath, and yet.
Kiiiek-!
Kraaaak-!
They ran while cutting, blocking, and dodging the zombies pouring in from all directions.
How long had they been running?
It felt like about 20 minutes had passed.
Their breath was gradually reaching their throats, and their legs were starting to wobble.
The 63 Building was getting closer and closer.
‘Just a little more.’
That’s when.
Wiiiiing-!
[5 minutes until nightfall!!!]
[5 minutes until nightfall!!!]
[5 minutes until nightfall!!!]
Along with an eerie warning sound, red text appeared.
“Al, already?”
Ryu Ji-a shouted in a surprised voice.
“Is this right?”
Park Min-soo also looked clearly flustered.
“Hurry!”
Lee Seo-yeon shouted urgently.
Kim Jun’s brow furrowed.
‘This is strange.’
The entry time to the 27th Floor is definitely fixed at 1 PM.
The first night should normally come at least 6-7 hours later.
But after only 20 minutes?
‘Where did things start going wrong?’
Something is different from before the regression. What variable keeps causing these changes?
And that ‘human’ from earlier.
That being who was grinning wickedly on top of the ruins.
It was definitely quite different from the zombies.
‘Who is it?’
A strange feeling, both familiar and unfamiliar.
I definitely feel like I’ve seen it somewhere, but I can’t remember.
Swoosh-!
Kim Jun swung his sword again and severed a zombie’s neck.
‘Now is not the time to think.’
Thinking comes later.
For now, just run.
“Focus!! More are coming!”
Kim Jun shouted.
An apartment complex spread out before their eyes. Once they passed this place, they’d reach the 63 Building.
However.
Kieeeek-!
Uuuuuk-!
Zombies were running frantically from both sides of the apartment complex. There appeared to be at least a thousand of them.
And from the hospital next to them.
Kwaaaak-!
Zombies wearing white gowns came pouring out of the building in droves.
Zombies that had been doctors, nurses, and patients.
There appeared to be at least a hundred of them.
“Ji-a!”
Kim Jun shouted.
“I was waiting for this!”
Ryu Ji-a stopped in her tracks.
Crackle-
Spark-
Mana began to swirl around her as the center.
The surrounding air instantly became heavy and oppressive.
The wind stopped, and only the sound of fallen leaves sweeping across the ground broke the silence.
The zombies drew closer and closer.
30 meters.
20 meters.
10 meters.
And then.
Psssssss-!
“「Lightning!」”
Ryu Ji-a’s short cry.
──!
Lightning poured down from the sky like a waterfall.
KWAKWAKWAKWAKWANG-!!
Thunder struck their ears. An intense flash erupted, too brilliant to keep their eyes open.
And when that light disappeared.
Grr…
Grooooo…
All thousand or so zombies had collapsed to the ground.
The smell of burning flesh vibrated through the air.
“Ji-a! Next!”
Kim Jun shouted urgently.
If they relaxed now, it would be over.
Before his regression, countless hunters had been caught at exactly moments like this.
When they killed zombies and were feeling relieved.
What was the purpose of the 27th Floor?
What was the emphasis placed on?
Not elimination, but ‘survival’.
The thing to be most careful of here wasn’t the zombies right in front of them.
It was ‘infection’.
Zombies were just carriers. The real threat was the infection they spread.
And it was an unbelievably easy infection to catch.
When hundreds of zombies died at once, that much blood splattered in all directions.
It became microscopic particles invisible to the eye and spread through the air.
If that entered through the nose or mouth?
It was over.
No, that wasn’t all.
It could seep into small wounds while sleeping, or infect through contaminated water or food.
It reacted to secondary, tertiary, and quaternary contact too.
Even just touching objects with zombie bodily fluids on them was dangerous.
Before his regression, Kim Jun had witnessed countless tragedies.
The sight of comrades they’d fought alongside suddenly becoming zombies in the morning and attacking.
The horrific situation where someone sleeping in a shelter turned into a zombie and infected everyone else.
The moment when someone who seemed perfectly fine suddenly collapsed and became a monster within minutes.
They couldn’t even tell when or where the infection had occurred.
Moreover, the spot where the zombies in front of them had died was right in the path they needed to take toward the 63 Building.
“「Frost Nova」!”
Ryu Ji-a quickly activated her next skill.
KAGAGAGAGANG-!
Instantly, frigid cold exploded outward.
The blood floating in the air froze and fell to the ground.
“Now! Run!!”
With Kim Jun’s shout, all five of them rushed into the 63 Building at once.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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