Chapter 15

“…” Jun-sang silently cheered. Although there was a limitation to physical skills only, and the value wasn’t as high as he expected, cooldown reduction was an incredibly crucial seed for him, especially when using the Berserker combo. He quickly equipped the newly acquired seed into the empty slot of his Blood-Soaked (R) card, then stood up.

As he got up to search for other zombies, the man in the patient gown called out to stop him.

“W-wait a minute!” But Jun-sang ignored him, scanned for presences, and upon hearing something metallic, started running towards the sound.

“Hah! Wait for me!” “…” The man in the patient gown gasped and began running after Jun-sang. Jun-sang heard the man following him, frowned, and briefly debated. Should he just punch him and knock him out, or simply let him follow, pretending not to notice? Even if the man used magic, if he took a direct hit from Jun-sang, it wouldn’t just end with him being stunned. Even if he didn’t die, being unconscious in a forest like this would be nothing more than an invitation for zombies to feast.

The man in the patient gown, unaware that he was once again narrowly escaping death, panted and tried to call out to Jun-sang.

“J-just a moment! Just there…” Had he really cleared the tutorial? Jun-sang felt irritation welling up and stopped.

“Ah, thank goodness…” The man brightened when Jun-sang stopped and tried to say something, but before he could finish, Jun-sang’s outstretched hand grabbed him by the collar. Then, as if he was lifted into the air, he was violently slammed onto the ground, hitting his back hard.

“Gah!” With a gasp of surprise at the intense, breath-stopping impact, the man’s eyes widened. Jun-sang calmly stepped on his neck, pressing down, and quietly said, “Shut up.”

The man’s face paled. Even with his breathing already labored from the recent blow, his throat was being pressed down, making suffocation a natural outcome.

“H-help…” Jun-sang looked at the man with cold eyes, then slowly lifted his foot. Only then did the man begin to cough, curled up on his side.

The magical ability this man possessed was unique. If the target was something like a zombie, he could easily deal with it by just firing moving shots from a distance. Its power was also excellent, capable of neutralizing a zombie with a single blow if aimed properly at the head. Even if it hit other parts, the freezing effect could slow them down, so there was no need for close-quarters combat with blood splattering like Jun-sang. It was unknown what other abilities he had, but Jun-sang judged that this one ability alone was enough to contend with a dungeon master.

Given that he was wearing a hospital gown, it was likely he had been lying in a hospital and was suddenly transferred, so his panic due to being unprepared was understandable. However, wasn’t the tutorial also started with nothing but bare hands? Based on his brief combat experience, Jun-sang understood this quest’s purpose as a kind of warm-up. A warm-up to bridge the gap created by returning to the original world after completing the tutorial, and to reflect on his own abilities. For a player who had defeated the dungeon master and obtained its rewards, the zombies shambling around in the forest were essentially nothing more than punching bags. Of course, it was true that a large number could be dangerous, as seen just now, but even so, there was no need to panic.

Jun-sang silently watched the man in front of him, who was still gasping for air, then realized someone was approaching them and turned his head.

“…” “…” For a moment, Jun-sang’s eyes met those of a woman. She was also wearing a patient gown and looked rather young, just like the man lying on the ground. Her hair was tied in pigtails, her face was a slender oval, and her round eyes with aegyo-sal (fat pockets under the eyes) gave her a rather cute impression. The woman silently observed Jun-sang and the man, then pointed the club in her hand at Jun-sang and spoke.

“Sung-jin, is that you?” The man writhing on the ground reacted to the voice.

“Ugh… Su-Su-yeon?” Jun-sang frowned. He realized things had taken an odd turn.

“Did you attack Sung-jin?” “…” When Jun-sang didn’t answer, Su-yeon abruptly swung the club in her hand at Jun-sang. The moment he saw the club rapidly descending from above his head, Jun-sang knew this woman was a properly trained kendo practitioner. But the instant that judgment was made, Jun-sang had already begun his counterattack. He tucked his arms to his sides, lowered his stance, and began to sway his body left and right, charging towards Su-yeon.

The moment the movement known as a duck weave unfolded, Su-yeon felt as if Jun-sang had vanished before her eyes.

“Gah!” Su-yeon instinctively sensed danger and tried to pull back, but by then, Jun-sang had already approached right under her chin.

Thwack! It was a single blow. With one liver blow launched from Jun-sang’s hand, Su-yeon felt her vision turn yellow and collapsed.

“Cough!” Before she could even react, the club fell from her hand, and her knees buckled. Su-yeon fell forward, her head hitting the ground.

“Su-Su-yeon!” Sung-jin gasped and called the woman’s name, but then, hearing a small groan escape her lips, he calmed his beating heart. And his surprise turned into anger towards Jun-sang.

“Why on earth?!” “Don’t be noisy.” “What?” “Do you want to attract all the zombies around?” “…” Only then did Sung-jin realize why Jun-sang had resorted to such drastic measures. Furthermore, Su-yeon had also attacked first, which led to her counterattack. However, sometimes one understands a situation intellectually, but emotions don’t follow. Indeed, it would be strange if one wasn’t furious after being beaten up like that. Even a worm will wriggle when stepped on, let alone someone who has gained the unprecedented power of cards!

“…” Sung-jin slowly stood up and glared at Jun-sang. But Jun-sang had no intention of tolerating such behavior.

“Look down.” “…” “Or do you truly wish to die?” “…” Sung-jin suddenly felt something like a shimmering haze rising from Jun-sang’s body. And then, he belatedly realized again. If Jun-sang had truly intended it, he and Su-yeon would have already been dead bodies, writhing in pain, without even a moment to feel it. He had forgotten for a moment due to the chaos, but he belatedly recalled Jun-sang’s zombie-slaughtering appearance from just now.

“…” In the end, Sung-jin could only bite his lip and lower his head. Jun-sang quietly watched Sung-jin, then slowly turned his back and disappeared. As he walked away, Sung-jin quickly went to the fallen Su-yeon and helped her up.

“Are you okay?” “Ugh…” Su-yeon finally came to her senses when Sung-jin comforted her.

“Sung-jin?” “Yeah, are you conscious?” “…” Su-yeon frowned, then noticed the wound on Sung-jin’s shoulder.

“You, that wound…” “Ah… I was called here while I was sleeping, and I got it.” “…” Su-yeon frowned again after hearing Sung-jin’s answer.

“What on earth was that man?” “Well…” Sung-jin hesitated for a moment at Su-yeon’s words. He didn’t know much about it either.

“He saved me when I was being chased by zombies.” “Saved you?” “Yeah.” Sung-jin didn’t mention that he had been hit by Jun-sang for thoughtlessly shouting. However, even with this brief explanation, Su-yeon could easily understand that she had been greatly mistaken.

“…” But even if there was a misunderstanding, one should try to resolve it, not beat someone so brutally. Su-yeon, conveniently omitting the fact that she had attacked first, frowned while rubbing her aching side.

“I want to get up.” “…” Su-yeon stood up, still rubbing her throbbing side, and Sung-jin also stood up, following her, and said, “What do you want to do?”

At Sung-jin’s sudden words, Su-yeon frowned again and replied, “What?” Every time she spoke, the spot where Jun-sang had hit her ached, and she couldn’t help it. But Sung-jin continued to speak, seemingly unconcerned by Su-yeon’s expression.

“We don’t even have a phone to receive messages, let alone any items.” “So?” “Fortunately, if this quest ends quickly, it might be fine, but…” “…” She didn’t need to hear the rest of his words. Su-yeon rubbed her side, then picked up the club she had dropped on the ground.

“What are you trying to say?” Sung-jin hesitated a little and then replied, “That man… he looked strong, didn’t he?”

Su-yeon frowned and shook her head. “He didn’t just look strong. He is truly strong.” Otherwise, she, a kendo black belt, wouldn’t have been knocked down in one blow. Moreover, Su-yeon now possessed the unprecedented power of cards. There’s a common saying that one needs three times the rank to face a kendo black belt bare-handed. Regardless of its veracity, it’s certainly true that there aren’t many people who can incapacitate an expert like Su-yeon with a single bare-handed blow.

“Besides, did you see what he was wearing? You have to consider that he was fully prepared for something like this.” “…” In fact, studded gloves and military boots are quite cumbersome for everyday life. And the fact that he wasn’t wearing a hospital gown made it clear that he had returned earlier than them and made various preparations. Su-yeon said to Sung-jin with a displeased expression,

“Don’t you have any guts, man?” “What are you talking about?” “Aren’t you trying to cling to him?” Sung-jin gave an awkward laugh at Su-yeon’s directness. “Well… the expression might be a bit too blunt, but you’re not wrong.”

Su-yeon glared at Sung-jin, who readily admitted it, and abruptly turned her head.

“I don’t want to.” “Why?” “I’ve never seen a decent man who hits women. That’s why.” “…” Sung-jin could only force a bitter smile.

“Even if you don’t want to, I have to cling to him.” “You…” “I can’t help it. I don’t want to die.” “…” Su-yeon’s expression hardened at Sung-jin’s serious face. Sung-jin looked at Su-yeon and smiled bitterly.

“There’s no need to be that serious.” Su-yeon turned her head and replied, “Who’s being serious…” “Then fine.” “Tch.” Su-yeon grumbled and took out a handkerchief from her pocket to tie up Sung-jin’s wound.

“Ugh…” “Bear with it.” “Yes, yes…”

After quickly finishing the first aid, Sung-jin and Su-yeon began to follow Jun-sang. Following him wasn’t difficult. All they had to do was follow the sounds of flesh tearing and bones breaking. When Sung-jin and Su-yeon caught up to Jun-sang, he was in the process of dispatching three or four zombies and searching their heads for seeds.