Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 558

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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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To Kim Rok-soo’s words, Jang Man-su could only respond in one way.

“That’s… a lie…!”

But he hastily corrected himself.

“No, wait! Rok-soo, it’s not that you having an ability is a lie! It’s great if you awakened one! You deserve it! But that—”

He couldn’t find the right words. Then, faced with Kim Rok-soo’s calm, piercing gaze, he opened his mouth again.

“…Knowing people’s abilities and futures… honestly, that’s hard to believe.”

Jang Man-su spoke those words and lowered his head for a moment.
But soon he lifted it again, meeting Kim Rok-soo’s eyes, and let out a sigh.

“…It’s real.”

Kim Rok-soo’s eyes didn’t seem to be lying.

“Besides, you’re not the type to lie to me.”

Having said that much, Jang Man-su didn’t know what else to say. Of course, he had plenty he wanted to ask.
So much that it was overwhelming.

‘He figured out my ability?’

Did he awaken an ability to detect others’ powers?

‘No.’

That alone doesn’t explain everything.

‘He also foresaw the future.’

He said the Central Shelter would collapse soon.

‘If he got my ability right, then the Central Shelter story is likely true as well.’

Though I had long since abandoned my attachment to the world and drifted through life without purpose, it was precisely because of this that Jang Man-su could sit in one corner of this Shelter and observe the people within the Central Shelter more thoroughly than anyone else.

‘Kim Rok-soo is not the sort of man to lie about people’s lives.’

If he were, then it would be someone else wearing Kim Rok-soo’s face.

“…You’re really Kim Rok-soo, aren’t you?”
“Would you like me to recite your sleep-talking, sir? Or perhaps demonstrate how you snore?”
“Ahem. The way you’re nagging confirms it—you’re definitely Kim Rok-soo.”

Jang Man-su continued to mutter exclamations of disbelief to himself.

“…Sigh.”

He gazed at Kale Heniatus with a helpless expression.

“…The—”

Jang Man-su began to speak but stopped, glancing around. Everyone was occupied with their assigned tasks, and no one was paying attention to this corner.
He naturally lowered his voice even further than Kim Rok-soo’s, speaking in hushed tones.

“Is the Central Shelter really going to become like that?”
“Yes.”

The answer was resolute.
Jang Man-su’s lips trembled involuntarily.

The horrific image of what would unfold if the Central Shelter collapsed flashed through his mind.

Tap.
At that moment, Kale Heniatus placed a hand upon his shoulder.

“Sir, please help me with this.”

Jang Man-su was absolutely essential for this task.

“…Even if I help—”
“No, sir. You don’t yet realize the true extent of your own abilities, do you?”

Jang Man-su knew that he had gained an ability, just as Kale had said, but he had never actually used it.
He had thought that a shield’s power would be useless to someone who couldn’t even walk properly.

‘…But more than that, I simply didn’t want to live so fiercely.’

Jang Man-su swallowed the truth he couldn’t bring himself to speak aloud.
At the same time, his mind grew turbulent.

‘Everyone here might die.’

It doesn’t matter if I die alone. But why should I watch others perish?
There are people here who helped me, someone who can’t even walk properly.

He suddenly recalled something Kim Rok-soo had said moments earlier.

‘I intend to ensure that everyone here survives and moves to the Central Shelter.’

No one dies.
Those words sank deeply into Jang Man-su’s heart.
He thought of his deceased daughter—the girl who would have entered university, who would have pursued her dreams in this world, if only it hadn’t fallen into ruin.
That daughter and Kim Rok-soo were the same age.
So whenever he saw Kim Rok-soo, struggling desperately to survive, enduring such a difficult life, he wanted to give him something more.

“Can I.”

He asked Kim Rok-soo.

“Can I be of help?”

He could see Kim Rok-soo’s bright smile in response to his words.
It was an expression of genuine joy.

“Yes. I absolutely need your help, sir.”

Jang Man-su.
Kale needed him desperately.

‘He still doesn’t know.’

How strong his power truly was.

“…I find it difficult to move properly even if combat breaks out, and yet….”
“That doesn’t matter.”

Jang Man-su felt Kim Rok-soo’s hand pressing down on his shoulder with increasing force. There was conviction in that encouraging grip and in the voice that emerged.

“A shield is only truly magnificent when it stands firm without moving.”

Jang Man-su felt his heart stir in that moment.
In his heart, which had always remained still and sunken, small waves began to ripple—each time Kim Rok-soo spoke, another gentle swell rose within him.

“And I’ll carry you around on my back, so don’t worry.”

Jang Man-su let out a soft chuckle at those words and offered a playful response.

“You brat! How could someone as scrawny as you possibly carry a sturdy fellow like me?”
“That’s true, isn’t it?”

Jang Man-su saw Kim Rok-soo chuckling softly as well.

“Kim Rok-soo.”
“Yes.”
“I’ll help too.”
“Thank you.”
“No, I’m the one who should thank you.”

Those words from Jang Man-su came from the heart.
He understood it now.

‘My time has begun to move again.’

The clock that had stopped since the day of the great catastrophe—no, since he returned home and witnessed the horrific state of his family—had finally begun to tick once more.

‘This time, I will show a different outcome.’

He made that vow to himself.
Kale watched Jang Man-su’s expression and reflected.

Jang Man-su still didn’t understand the full extent of his own power.
I intended to help him wield that power properly, to use it with maximum efficiency.
If I could manage that alone.

‘With this, I can definitely save more than half of them.’

Now that Jang Man-su had joined me and shared my purpose, I could guarantee saving at least half of them.

“Sir, allow me to explain the details now.”
“Hm? Yes, yes. I should listen.”
“Then let’s step outside the back gate and talk there.”

That area was near the Shelter, so there were no monsters, and even fewer people. It was an ideal place for a confidential conversation.

“Yes, I’d appreciate that.”
“Of course.”

I carried Jang Man-su on my back and stepped outside the back gate.
Of course, my body swayed slightly under the weight.

“…I’m sorry.”
“…No, sir. I was always weak to begin with.”
“…That’s not really the point.”

I only stumbled at first, but since the back gate was right there, I was able to step outside quickly. Fortunately, no one paid attention to the two of us.
I set Jang Man-su down on the flat remains of a ruined building that leaned against the wall beside the back gate.

Click.
The old back gate closed, and I opened my mouth.

“You need to listen carefully to what I’m about to tell you.”
“Yes.”

Jang Man-su looked at me with tension and resolve in his eyes.
At that moment, I began to speak.

“The Central Shelter will collapse tomorrow.”
“What?!”

Jang Man-su’s eyes widened.

“Tomorrow? You mean tomorrow itself?”
“Yes.”
“W-what! So suddenly!”
“Didn’t I say ‘soon’?”
“Hah!”

Jang Man-su repeatedly tapped his thighs with his hands, at a complete loss for what to do.

“And for your information, the new Central Shelter won’t open until 24 hours have passed since this Central Shelter collapses.”
“…What?”

Kale continued speaking calmly as he watched the bewildered Jang Man-su.

“In other words, at most 24 hours. We’ll have to endure in this building, which is no longer a Shelter.”
“But that’s-”
“And that also means we have to survive through the night.”

Jang Man-su was left speechless.
Kale’s composed expression reflected in his pupils.
With great difficulty, Jang Man-su finally opened his mouth.

“…W-what’s the countermeasure?”
“First, since you’ve agreed to join us, we’ve achieved the primary objective.”
“…Then the secondary one?”

The secondary objective was simple.

“It’s the same as the primary objective.”

Kale’s gaze turned toward the Third Floor of the building.

“We need to persuade the people.”
“…Are you thinking of meeting Park Jin-tae? Would he believe your words?”

Kale’s gaze shifted back to Jang Man-su.
A smirk.
The corners of his mouth rose.

Jang Man-su had sensed it for a while now—that faint smile flickering across Kim Rok-soo’s face revealed that he had changed.
The thought crossed his mind that this fellow might have actually gained some ability.

“Yes. I believe in you.”

And that voice, brimming with conviction, left Jang Man-su with no choice but to nod in agreement.

* * *

Drip. Drop.
Blood droplets traced down my chin and fell to the floor.

“…Hah.”

The man drew in a deep breath and exhaled, then looked down at the one blocking his path.

“What is this about?”

Park Jin-tae’s eyes, returning from the hunt, turned toward Kim Rok-soo.

“I have something to say.”

Lee Chul-min, Park Jin-tae’s right hand, scowled at Kim Rok-soo.

“Hey! You tactless bastard! Don’t you see we just got back from hunting? Huh? Can’t you see what we look like?”

Kale studied those who had returned from the hunt carefully.
They all looked a mess.
Many of them bore injuries scattered across their bodies.

From this, I could tell that this hunt was neither an elegant pastime nor the hunt of a predator.

It was a desperate hunt for survival, a brutal scramble to secure food.

I could see several pouches clutched in the hands of those who had come in behind them.
They must have scavenged what edible supplies remained from supermarkets and grocery stores. Usually canned goods or instant noodles, but even those were precious beyond measure.

I answered Lee Chul-min, whose gaze seemed ready to pierce through me.

“You see well. I’m grateful for that.”

A flicker of something unusual crossed Park Jin-tae’s eyes.
But Lee Chul-min’s face flushed red.

“What. Did this bastard just speak to me like that?”

He seemed to be seething with anger at Kim Rok-soo’s casual tone, despite the latter being two or three years younger than him.

But the look in Kale’s eyes as he regarded him was cold.

‘Lee Chul-min was the first to flee.’

And he’d done so while evacuating the elderly and infirm—those Park Jin-tae considered the most useless among them—first.
With Lee Chul-min, who had been responsible for escorting the vulnerable, abandoning his post, the situation had descended into even greater chaos.

Kale remembered it all clearly, and he made a silent vow.

‘You won’t escape this time.’

Lee Chul-min possessed the third-strongest offensive ability in this place.
Such a valuable resource—it would be foolish not to use it properly.

A thin smile spread across my face.
The corners of Kale’s mouth lifted.

“I’m counting on you.”
“What? Has this bastard lost his mind?”

Lee Chul-min’s face twisted savagely.
With his already brutish features contorting further, he emanated a truly menacing aura.

Then Park Jin-tae raised his hand.

“Enough.”

Lee Chul-min clamped his mouth shut. Kale, of course, did not.

“There’s something I need to say.”

Park Jin-tae observed Kim Rok-soo intently.
Hunting expeditions always left him exhausted.

“Something you must tell me?”
“Yes. Something I absolutely must say.”

Park Jin-tae nodded.

“Fine. Come to my room.”

Lee Chul-min was taken aback by his words, but Park Jin-tae, as if his statement were complete, headed toward the Third Floor where his quarters were located.
Behind his departing figure, Kim Rok-soo’s voice reached him.

“I’ll need to call a few others as well.”

Park Jin-tae’s gaze shifted back toward Rok-soo.
After a few seconds, he turned his attention away and answered as he walked.

“Call everyone.”
“Yes. I’ll see you shortly.”

Kale turned his gaze from Park Jin-tae and gestured anxiously to Grandmother Kim and the Lee siblings, who had been watching the exchange between him and Park Jin-tae.

“Let’s head up.”

They needed to hear this too.
They had to be there together.

* * *

“So, what is it you need to say?”

Park Jin-tae sat upon a sofa—something truly rare in this modern world—and regarded Kale.
In Park Jin-tae’s room were Lee Chul-min, Grandmother Kim, Lee Jin-ju, and Lee Sung-won.

Only Grandmother Kim sat in the chair placed to Park Jin-tae’s right, while the others stood, their eyes fixed upon Kale.
Their gazes brimmed with curiosity.

Yet Kale paid no attention to the attention directed at him, his eyes meeting Park Jin-tae’s instead.

“I’ve gained an ability.”
“…!”

Park Jin-tae’s eyes widened in an instant.
The corners of his mouth lifted.

“…That’s unexpected.”

Even Lee Chul-min was startled, scanning Kim Rok-soo from head to toe.

‘That bastard gained an ability?’

However, Grandmother Kim’s face brightened with joy. Her siblings reacted the same way.

“My goodness, Rok-soo! That’s wonderful!”
“Wow, Kim Rok-soo!”
“Brother!”

Then Kale’s mouth opened again.

“So I can use foresight.”
“…What?”

Silence descended upon the space once more in an instant.

“Of course, I can also see some information that others don’t know.”

Lee Chul-min’s mouth fell open involuntarily.

“What kind of nonsense is that-”

Then, Kale approached Park Jin-tae.

“Hey!”

Lee Chul-min tried to stop Kale, but Park Jin-tae raised his hand to hold him back.
Kale walked without hesitation right up to Park Jin-tae.

“…Kim Rok-soo.”

The moment Park Jin-tae called out Kale’s name softly, Kale leaned forward and whispered so quietly that only Park Jin-tae could hear.

“You’re a multi-ability user, aren’t you?”

Until Park Jin-tae’s death.
His secret that no one in the world except Park Jin-tae had ever known.

“…You-, you!”

Park Jin-tae’s pupils trembled.
In that moment, Kale took a step backward.
And he spoke in a calm tone.

“Tomorrow at noon, 12 o’clock. The moment will come when the sun is obscured by shadow.”

The space filled with confusion at Kale’s revelation of his ability and the sight of him and Park Jin-tae.

“That moment lasts only 1 minute.”

Within it, Kale alone remained composed.

“After that 1 minute, all Central Shelters across the entire world will lose their function.”

His voice struck the ears of everyone present.

“Simultaneously, the monsters in the vicinity will launch an assault on the Central Shelters that have lost their function.”

In the suffocating silence, before all their gazes, Kale spoke alone.

“Like a tsunami, the monsters will surge forth.”

A breathless silence filled the room.
Author’s Note

Hello, this is Yuryang.
It has already been 2 years since I began serializing this work.

Wow!!! +ㅁ+

I’m thrilled.
Tonight, I plan to celebrate by enjoying a delicious meal. Hahahaha! Meat! Meat! Meat!

…Ahem, I’m a bit too excited.
Truth be told, I’m not someone who can juggle two things well at once.
Because of that, over these two years spent with this work, it has inevitably occupied the largest portion of my life.

I’m grateful for that fact.
And I’m thankful that I could dedicate myself this way.

While writing this, I often find myself thinking about how much I have to be grateful for.

Being rather blunt and lacking in eloquence, I wish I could convey my feelings with wit, yet I worry my repetitive words might grow tiresome—still, I share my sincere gratitude.

Thank you for being with me.
And I hope you always find peace and joy.

Thank you.

-Signed with excitement by one who plans to eat meat this evening-

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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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