Episode 19: Threat (Part 3)
“Ugh, why isn’t that guy here yet?”
In one of the rooms of the unit’s living quarters.
Park Gwon-chang, with a rough demeanor, muttered as he looked at the stubbornly closed door.
It was evening, the time when all survivors gathered at the base after dinner.
But one of their comrades was delaying matters by being late.
“That kid was saying he wanted to eat some ice cream…”
“Heh heh. That Chan-jung, he has always had the taste buds of an elementary schooler.”
“He could’ve had whatever he wanted if he just waited a bit. Stupid kid.”
If there was a valid reason for being late, that would have been understandable.
But delaying things because he wanted snacks that he could only get by helping in the kitchen was just absurd.
“Why doesn’t he just wait and ask for it later?”
“He probably thinks he can get away with anything. He’ll probably just throw something together haphazardly later.”
With that reason in mind, the guy stubbornly went off to the kitchen.
“…Come to think of it, wasn’t it because that brat insisted, we wait for his turn?”
The biggest guy in this group, who had been with them since before half the world fell apart, was none other than Park Gwon-chang.
On the other hand, Chan-jung, who was currently absent, was the youngest, who used to light his cigarettes.
Originally, he wouldn’t even dare to confront Park Gwon-chang, let alone speak properly to him.
Feeling irritated that things were being delayed because of him, even though he had no reason to.
“It’s no use. Let’s proceed without him for now. Chan-jung can join later,” Park Gwon-chang declared.
“Really? Can we proceed without Chan-jung?”
“Kid! Even without him, we still have four awakened individuals among us. We’ve confirmed there are no awakened individuals among the soldiers.”
“Well, maybe, but what if…”
The reason why the others, including their leader Park Gwon-chang, were letting Chan-jung’s whims dictate the situation was simple.
“I had never thought that brat, who was nothing special, would awaken and grow so quickly.”
He was the most powerful awakened individual in their group.
Although all five of them had awakened, Chan-jung’s growth, being the youngest, was unparalleled.
Already at level 6, his ability to manipulate fire was unmatched.
“His ability was enough to remind me of a tank’s cannon.”
His incredibly powerful ability was even named “Annihilation Orb” among them.
“If I hadn’t been the leader even before the apocalypse, and if I hadn’t… it would have been hard to stick with him and make him listen to me.”
But regardless of the circumstances, he was now in the position of following his orders.
Regardless of what might happen later, there was no reason to disobey him immediately.
“Anyway! Let’s proceed with the operation. Chan-jung can join us later if he’s satisfied.”
So, the four men mobilized for the operation.
Though they called it an operation, these guys, who lived a thug’s life even before the apocalypse, couldn’t come up with complicated operations.
So, their plan was simple:
“Forceful Suppression.”
Simple but effective.
Park Gwon-chang kicked the door of the living quarters and shouted.
“Everyone, come out!”
* * *
The leader of the survivor group and the only awakened individual, Sang-ah.
She addressed the people standing in front of her with a stern expression.
“…Can I ask what this is about? Mr. Gwon-chang.”
Although her tone was sharp, the question contained genuine curiosity.
‘What on earth…’
She thought the difficult times were over.
Days of fleeing from zombies and monsters, sometimes fighting for survival.
The hellish days seemed to have ended when they finally arrived at the military base that still existed.
However, until Park Gwon-chang and his group burst into the living quarters after dinner…
They forcibly dragged the survivors out to the open space in front of the living quarters and made them kneel.
“Hehe, well, it’s nothing much. I have a chronic condition that causes a rash all over my body if I’m not the leader of the group.”
Park Gwon-chang replied to Sang-ah’s question.
His group was known among the survivors for being particularly rough and violent.
Nevertheless, he remained relatively obedient in front of the awakened Lee Sang-ah, and despite his violent tendencies, they continued to keep him in the group because they felt guilty about expelling him.
“Mr. Gwon-chang, were you not satisfied with your position as the representative of your group?”
“The five of us? Too small! This survivor group is too small.”
Then, another guy continued, looking around.
“If we had a unit like this… we could be somewhat satisfied.”
“Haa…”
Sang-ah sighed softly, crossing her arms and holding them close to her chest.
This was an inevitable situation.
“I’ve always thought that something like this might happen someday…”
What she brought out in her hands were two sharp pairs of scissors.
“Mr. Gwon-chang, do you know what these are?”
“What are you talking about?”
“When I first killed a zombie and awakened… I didn’t even dream that those people were zombies.”
On the day the world fell apart,
When people lost their sanity, they stormed the tailor shop where Lee Sang-ah worked, intending to kill the shopkeepers.
Without a moment of hesitation, she raised scissors and plunged them into the attackers’ skulls.
It was only later that she realized they weren’t living humans but zombies.
“For survival…”
Lee Sang-ah had effectively experienced murder.
If someone threatened her life, she wouldn’t hesitate to do it again.
“Heh… quite scary.”
Park Gwon-chang also knew how terrifying Lee Sang-ah was.
Despite her seemingly mild occupation as a seamstress, after one snip of her scissors…
What was cut wasn’t mere fabric but the heads of zombies or monsters.
“Hyung-nim, leave it to me.”
Standing before Lee Sang-ah was the second man among Park Gwon-chang’s group.
Though he seemed confident, Park Gwon-chang was cautious.
“Well, alright, but that woman is strong. Third, you too, join in.”
“Got it.”
Following the second man, the third one also stepped forward towards Lee Sang-ah.
From Lee Sang-ah’s perspective, they were just slightly bigger than average civilians.
Her eyes slightly squinted at the thought.
They must be aware of her abilities.
Yet, to approach her so boldly…
“Ha. So that’s what you were hiding—you’re actually an awakened one?”
“Isn’t that personal information? You should respect it.”
With laughter, the two men gradually approached Lee Sang-ah.
Then, they clashed.
“So, the most annoying woman is roughly dealt with.”
Despite Lee Sang-ah’s strength, the second and third men were Awakened individuals with level 4 occupations.
Moreover, Lee Sang-ah’s occupation wasn’t even combat-related but a seamstress.
While she might withstand against one, but it was clear what the outcome would be against two.
That’s when…
“What’s going on here!”
Soldiers sensing the disturbance rushed in.
Armed with firearms, dozens of soldiers.
Those who had been on surveillance duty around the base at night descended from the nearby buildings.
“Finally, they’re here.”
But Park Gwon-chang, far from being afraid upon seeing the guns, wore a mocking expression.
Corporal Seo Su-hyeok, leading the troops wielding guns, stepped forward and addressed Park Gwon-chang.
“I don’t know what’s happening here, but if you don’t stop right now…”
“If we don’t stop, what?”
“…I’ll open fire.”
“Heh… amusing.”
Even at the mention of gunfire, Park Gwon-chang didn’t flinch, rather wore an amused expression.
Corporal Seo Su-hyeok, leading the marksmen, glanced back.
Lee Sang-ah and two men were seen fighting, representing the survivors.
‘There are more Awakened individuals hiding.’
At least three, including the man in front of them.
But that wasn’t the reason for their confidence.
‘Awakened individuals are certainly strong, but…’
The soldiers who had succeeded in awakening were feeling their power more and more powerful with each passing day.
Becoming akin to extreme experts honed to their limits at the moment of awakening.
As their level rose or they began to equip themselves, they started to transcend even human limitations.
However,
“We are still no match for bullets.”
Even Sergeant Jeon Gwang-il, the strongest warrior among the awakened in the unit, could be fatally wounded by bullets.
Perhaps someday, he’d be able to deflect bullets with his bare hands, but it was absurd to think he had already reached that level.
Then that means there were two possibilities.
One was that the opponent had grown to a point where they could ignore even bullets with absurd probabilities.
The other was…
“Are they trusting the hostage?”
Simultaneously, the soldiers’ thoughts turned.
If that were the case, things would get complicated.
They couldn’t just attempt to subdue when hostages were involved.
“What are you going to do?”
“…What?”
But Park Kwon-chang didn’t seem to hold any hostages.
He approached the soldiers, distancing himself from the survivors.
“If you don’t stop, I’ll shoot.”
“What are you waiting for then? Just shoot?”
“…”
As if he was dead set on provoking us Park Gwon-chang spread his arms wide.
“Hehe, what’s with youngsters barely twenty years old threatening to shoot now?”
It was a blatant provocation.
“Is it not about the hostage, but rather they believe we won’t shoot in the first place?”
It was a highly plausible hypothesis.
The soldiers, although they appeared strong, were merely young men in their early twenties.
People who were not only afraid to shoot humans but even scared to kill a small mouse.
But…
‘They’ve been through too much.’
Though the target being human was undoubtedly terrifying.
For them, shooting living beings had become almost routine.
“Corporal Seo Su-hyeok?”
“Ugh, annoying.”
Muttering so, Corporal Seo Su-hyeok aimed his gun.
And without much hesitation, he put his finger on the trigger, but…
The awaited gunshot didn’t ring out.
“Huh?”
“Hmph! To think you’d try to shoot without a moment’s hesitation? You aren’t someone to be underestimated as a mere youngster.”
The bullets weren’t fired.
Corporal Seo Su-hyeok, feeling puzzled, tried to pull the trigger again himself, but the same result.
“Hehe… So many soldiers here, yet they thoughtlessly start trouble.” The survivors were murmuring and whispering about it.
Even though they were Awakened individuals, they couldn’t boldly stand against guns.
No matter how developed their physical abilities and strange powers were, they were still just humans who would die if shot.
Nevertheless, one of the reasons Park Gwon-chang dared to start trouble in a military unit was because…
He opened his status window.
[Awakened: Park Gwon-chang]
[Occupation: Arsonist Lv. 5]
[Attributes: Strength 12, Agility 8, Magic 10, Luck 4]
[Traits: Novice Grade Physical Resistance, Novice Grade Fire Affinity, Novice Grade Misdeed Knowledge, Novice Grade Magic Affinity]
[Skill: Novice Grade Flame Mastery]
[Novice Grade Flame Mastery]
[Has dominion over surrounding flames and phenomena related to fire.]
This is it.
“A gun is ultimately a firearm! It can only shoot if there’s an explosion from the ammunition. But all fire and explosions are under my control!”
Other weapons like grenades are the same.
And soldiers without guns are ultimately just civilians.
For awakened individuals like them, dominating a hundred with just five is easy.
“I’ve observed for a few days. Even when they’re hunting monsters, they only use guns!”
If they’re awakened, there’s no reason for such hassle.
The reason Park Gwon-chang had confidence to challenge them was right here.
“Now, all of you kneel. If you cooperate, I’ll treat you fairly. I might even help you gain power similar to mine…”
“What? Was that the plan?”
However,
That confidence became irrelevant.
“Sigh… They got scared for nothing.”
“…What?”
The soldiers weren’t bewildered.
Instead, they felt a sense of relief upon realizing why their firearms were rendered useless.
“What should we do then?”
“That side two? This side, well, two should suffice.”
“Shouldn’t we just overwhelm them with numbers?”
“Sang-ah trying to hold them on their own. We should send some to her side too.”
Even now, it seemed like they didn’t care about Park Gwon-chang in front of them.
They even started chattering among themselves.
“These guys… Can’t they understand the situation right now?”
Despite knowing they can’t use guns, their confident demeanor left Park Gwon-chang bewildered.
And soon, he figured out the reason.
“There are no awakened here, so they probably don’t know the power of the awakened.”
In that case, he just had to demonstrate.
Even being only Level 1 was enough to be called a superhuman.
As flames surged from Park Gwon-chang’s body, they soon enveloped him entirely.
“I should at least set an example by killing one!”
The monstrous figure engulfed in flames charged towards the soldiers.
“Then, that one will be handled by Han-il and Dae-won.”
“Okay, got it.”
“This’ll be fun after a long time.”
As Park Gwon-chang swung his fist, thinking of killing at least one,
Two relatively large soldiers rushed forward.
And…
“Haha! Are they suicide applicants or…”
Thunk.
“Huh?”
It seemed like a dark object was approaching him.
Thereafter a dull sound echoed in his ears.
“What’s with this guy?”
With just one blow,
Park Gwon-chang lost consciousness.
“He’s incredibly weak, huh?”
“What did he think he was doing?”
While falling,
It seemed like such voices were heard.
“…Have we become too strong?”
Episode 19: Threat (Part 3)
“Ugh, why isn’t that guy here yet?”
In one of the rooms of the unit’s living quarters.
Park Gwon-chang, with a rough demeanor, muttered as he looked at the stubbornly closed door.
It was evening, the time when all survivors gathered at the base after dinner.
But one of their comrades was delaying matters by being late.
“That kid was saying he wanted to eat some ice cream…”
“Heh heh. That Chan-jung, he has always had the taste buds of an elementary schooler.”
“He could’ve had whatever he wanted if he just waited a bit. Stupid kid.”
If there was a valid reason for being late, that would have been understandable.
But delaying things because he wanted snacks that he could only get by helping in the kitchen was just absurd.
“Why doesn’t he just wait and ask for it later?”
“He probably thinks he can get away with anything. He’ll probably just throw something together haphazardly later.”
With that reason in mind, the guy stubbornly went off to the kitchen.
“…Come to think of it, wasn’t it because that brat insisted, we wait for his turn?”
The biggest guy in this group, who had been with them since before half the world fell apart, was none other than Park Gwon-chang.
On the other hand, Chan-jung, who was currently absent, was the youngest, who used to light his cigarettes.
Originally, he wouldn’t even dare to confront Park Gwon-chang, let alone speak properly to him.
Feeling irritated that things were being delayed because of him, even though he had no reason to.
“It’s no use. Let’s proceed without him for now. Chan-jung can join later,” Park Gwon-chang declared.
“Really? Can we proceed without Chan-jung?”
“Kid! Even without him, we still have four awakened individuals among us. We’ve confirmed there are no awakened individuals among the soldiers.”
“Well, maybe, but what if…”
The reason why the others, including their leader Park Gwon-chang, were letting Chan-jung’s whims dictate the situation was simple.
“I had never thought that brat, who was nothing special, would awaken and grow so quickly.”
He was the most powerful awakened individual in their group.
Although all five of them had awakened, Chan-jung’s growth, being the youngest, was unparalleled.
Already at level 6, his ability to manipulate fire was unmatched.
“His ability was enough to remind me of a tank’s cannon.”
His incredibly powerful ability was even named “Annihilation Orb” among them.
“If I hadn’t been the leader even before the apocalypse, and if I hadn’t… it would have been hard to stick with him and make him listen to me.”
But regardless of the circumstances, he was now in the position of following his orders.
Regardless of what might happen later, there was no reason to disobey him immediately.
“Anyway! Let’s proceed with the operation. Chan-jung can join us later if he’s satisfied.”
So, the four men mobilized for the operation.
Though they called it an operation, these guys, who lived a thug’s life even before the apocalypse, couldn’t come up with complicated operations.
So, their plan was simple:
“Forceful Suppression.”
Simple but effective.
Park Gwon-chang kicked the door of the living quarters and shouted.
“Everyone, come out!”
* * *
The leader of the survivor group and the only awakened individual, Sang-ah.
She addressed the people standing in front of her with a stern expression.
“…Can I ask what this is about? Mr. Gwon-chang.”
Although her tone was sharp, the question contained genuine curiosity.
‘What on earth…’
She thought the difficult times were over.
Days of fleeing from zombies and monsters, sometimes fighting for survival.
The hellish days seemed to have ended when they finally arrived at the military base that still existed.
However, until Park Gwon-chang and his group burst into the living quarters after dinner…
They forcibly dragged the survivors out to the open space in front of the living quarters and made them kneel.
“Hehe, well, it’s nothing much. I have a chronic condition that causes a rash all over my body if I’m not the leader of the group.”
Park Gwon-chang replied to Sang-ah’s question.
His group was known among the survivors for being particularly rough and violent.
Nevertheless, he remained relatively obedient in front of the awakened Lee Sang-ah, and despite his violent tendencies, they continued to keep him in the group because they felt guilty about expelling him.
“Mr. Gwon-chang, were you not satisfied with your position as the representative of your group?”
“The five of us? Too small! This survivor group is too small.”
Then, another guy continued, looking around.
“If we had a unit like this… we could be somewhat satisfied.”
“Haa…”
Sang-ah sighed softly, crossing her arms and holding them close to her chest.
This was an inevitable situation.
“I’ve always thought that something like this might happen someday…”
What she brought out in her hands were two sharp pairs of scissors.
“Mr. Gwon-chang, do you know what these are?”
“What are you talking about?”
“When I first killed a zombie and awakened… I didn’t even dream that those people were zombies.”
On the day the world fell apart,
When people lost their sanity, they stormed the tailor shop where Lee Sang-ah worked, intending to kill the shopkeepers.
Without a moment of hesitation, she raised scissors and plunged them into the attackers’ skulls.
It was only later that she realized they weren’t living humans but zombies.
“For survival…”
Lee Sang-ah had effectively experienced murder.
If someone threatened her life, she wouldn’t hesitate to do it again.
“Heh… quite scary.”
Park Gwon-chang also knew how terrifying Lee Sang-ah was.
Despite her seemingly mild occupation as a seamstress, after one snip of her scissors…
What was cut wasn’t mere fabric but the heads of zombies or monsters.
“Hyung-nim, leave it to me.”
Standing before Lee Sang-ah was the second man among Park Gwon-chang’s group.
Though he seemed confident, Park Gwon-chang was cautious.
“Well, alright, but that woman is strong. Third, you too, join in.”
“Got it.”
Following the second man, the third one also stepped forward towards Lee Sang-ah.
From Lee Sang-ah’s perspective, they were just slightly bigger than average civilians.
Her eyes slightly squinted at the thought.
They must be aware of her abilities.
Yet, to approach her so boldly…
“Ha. So that’s what you were hiding—you’re actually an awakened one?”
“Isn’t that personal information? You should respect it.”
With laughter, the two men gradually approached Lee Sang-ah.
Then, they clashed.
“So, the most annoying woman is roughly dealt with.”
Despite Lee Sang-ah’s strength, the second and third men were Awakened individuals with level 4 occupations.
Moreover, Lee Sang-ah’s occupation wasn’t even combat-related but a seamstress.
While she might withstand against one, but it was clear what the outcome would be against two.
That’s when…
“What’s going on here!”
Soldiers sensing the disturbance rushed in.
Armed with firearms, dozens of soldiers.
Those who had been on surveillance duty around the base at night descended from the nearby buildings.
“Finally, they’re here.”
But Park Gwon-chang, far from being afraid upon seeing the guns, wore a mocking expression.
Corporal Seo Su-hyeok, leading the troops wielding guns, stepped forward and addressed Park Gwon-chang.
“I don’t know what’s happening here, but if you don’t stop right now…”
“If we don’t stop, what?”
“…I’ll open fire.”
“Heh… amusing.”
Even at the mention of gunfire, Park Gwon-chang didn’t flinch, rather wore an amused expression.
Corporal Seo Su-hyeok, leading the marksmen, glanced back.
Lee Sang-ah and two men were seen fighting, representing the survivors.
‘There are more Awakened individuals hiding.’
At least three, including the man in front of them.
But that wasn’t the reason for their confidence.
‘Awakened individuals are certainly strong, but…’
The soldiers who had succeeded in awakening were feeling their power more and more powerful with each passing day.
Becoming akin to extreme experts honed to their limits at the moment of awakening.
As their level rose or they began to equip themselves, they started to transcend even human limitations.
However,
“We are still no match for bullets.”
Even Sergeant Jeon Gwang-il, the strongest warrior among the awakened in the unit, could be fatally wounded by bullets.
Perhaps someday, he’d be able to deflect bullets with his bare hands, but it was absurd to think he had already reached that level.
Then that means there were two possibilities.
One was that the opponent had grown to a point where they could ignore even bullets with absurd probabilities.
The other was…
“Are they trusting the hostage?”
Simultaneously, the soldiers’ thoughts turned.
If that were the case, things would get complicated.
They couldn’t just attempt to subdue when hostages were involved.
“What are you going to do?”
“…What?”
But Park Kwon-chang didn’t seem to hold any hostages.
He approached the soldiers, distancing himself from the survivors.
“If you don’t stop, I’ll shoot.”
“What are you waiting for then? Just shoot?”
“…”
As if he was dead set on provoking us Park Gwon-chang spread his arms wide.
“Hehe, what’s with youngsters barely twenty years old threatening to shoot now?”
It was a blatant provocation.
“Is it not about the hostage, but rather they believe we won’t shoot in the first place?”
It was a highly plausible hypothesis.
The soldiers, although they appeared strong, were merely young men in their early twenties.
People who were not only afraid to shoot humans but even scared to kill a small mouse.
But…
‘They’ve been through too much.’
Though the target being human was undoubtedly terrifying.
For them, shooting living beings had become almost routine.
“Corporal Seo Su-hyeok?”
“Ugh, annoying.”
Muttering so, Corporal Seo Su-hyeok aimed his gun.
And without much hesitation, he put his finger on the trigger, but…
The awaited gunshot didn’t ring out.
“Huh?”
“Hmph! To think you’d try to shoot without a moment’s hesitation? You aren’t someone to be underestimated as a mere youngster.”
The bullets weren’t fired.
Corporal Seo Su-hyeok, feeling puzzled, tried to pull the trigger again himself, but the same result.
“Hehe… So many soldiers here, yet they thoughtlessly start trouble.” The survivors were murmuring and whispering about it.
Even though they were Awakened individuals, they couldn’t boldly stand against guns.
No matter how developed their physical abilities and strange powers were, they were still just humans who would die if shot.
Nevertheless, one of the reasons Park Gwon-chang dared to start trouble in a military unit was because…
He opened his status window.
[Awakened: Park Gwon-chang]
[Occupation: Arsonist Lv. 5]
[Attributes: Strength 12, Agility 8, Magic 10, Luck 4]
[Traits: Novice Grade Physical Resistance, Novice Grade Fire Affinity, Novice Grade Misdeed Knowledge, Novice Grade Magic Affinity]
[Skill: Novice Grade Flame Mastery]
[Novice Grade Flame Mastery]
[Has dominion over surrounding flames and phenomena related to fire.]
This is it.
“A gun is ultimately a firearm! It can only shoot if there’s an explosion from the ammunition. But all fire and explosions are under my control!”
Other weapons like grenades are the same.
And soldiers without guns are ultimately just civilians.
For awakened individuals like them, dominating a hundred with just five is easy.
“I’ve observed for a few days. Even when they’re hunting monsters, they only use guns!”
If they’re awakened, there’s no reason for such hassle.
The reason Park Gwon-chang had confidence to challenge them was right here.
“Now, all of you kneel. If you cooperate, I’ll treat you fairly. I might even help you gain power similar to mine…”
“What? Was that the plan?”
However,
That confidence became irrelevant.
“Sigh… They got scared for nothing.”
“…What?”
The soldiers weren’t bewildered.
Instead, they felt a sense of relief upon realizing why their firearms were rendered useless.
“What should we do then?”
“That side two? This side, well, two should suffice.”
“Shouldn’t we just overwhelm them with numbers?”
“Sang-ah trying to hold them on their own. We should send some to her side too.”
Even now, it seemed like they didn’t care about Park Gwon-chang in front of them.
They even started chattering among themselves.
“These guys… Can’t they understand the situation right now?”
Despite knowing they can’t use guns, their confident demeanor left Park Gwon-chang bewildered.
And soon, he figured out the reason.
“There are no awakened here, so they probably don’t know the power of the awakened.”
In that case, he just had to demonstrate.
Even being only Level 1 was enough to be called a superhuman.
As flames surged from Park Gwon-chang’s body, they soon enveloped him entirely.
“I should at least set an example by killing one!”
The monstrous figure engulfed in flames charged towards the soldiers.
“Then, that one will be handled by Han-il and Dae-won.”
“Okay, got it.”
“This’ll be fun after a long time.”
As Park Gwon-chang swung his fist, thinking of killing at least one,
Two relatively large soldiers rushed forward.
And…
“Haha! Are they suicide applicants or…”
Thunk.
“Huh?”
It seemed like a dark object was approaching him.
Thereafter a dull sound echoed in his ears.
“What’s with this guy?”
With just one blow,
Park Gwon-chang lost consciousness.
“He’s incredibly weak, huh?”
“What did he think he was doing?”
While falling,
It seemed like such voices were heard.
“…Have we become too strong?”
