Baek Sorin — Part 3
An unexpected bonus.
I felt a wave of satisfaction.
Baek Sorin’s awakening was nearing its completion.
I pulled two packs of combat rations and two bottles of water from the golf bag.
“Ah…”
Baek Sorin, who had just finished awakening, looked up at the ceiling with a dreamy expression.
Mana was flowing through her like waves.
Her face, which had been covered in blood and grime, was now glowing and smooth.
She touched her own body, pressing against her muscles here and there.
It must have felt amazing.
With her mana sense now open and the omnipotent feeling surging through her body.
“Come and eat.”
“Huh? Eat? Combat rations?”
“When you head into places like forbidden zones, you need to be prepared in advance. It often takes days.”
“But didn’t you say we’d finish quickly today?”
“It’ll still take a full day at least.”
In contaminated zones like the first landfill site, I wouldn’t bother bringing food at all.
The contamination would directly fill your body with toxic mana, making it dangerous to eat anything.
Though death mana is toxic, it’s weak compared to contaminated mana, so eating is still possible here.
The combat rations I’d prepared were Type 3, instant-to-eat meals like in the original world.
The taste was…
“This is delicious!”
Baek Sorin’s eyes sparkled.
Delicious?
I looked at her with disbelief.
It was the same product I’d tried before, and it was far from tasty.
The same old bland military rations. I’d even eaten one before entering this place, and it had been just as bad.
Identical to the combat rations from the original world, the flavor was nothing special.
If she’s saying it tastes good… just how poorly had she been eating?
‘Ah.’
Then it hit me. Baek Sorin had just awakened.
Her body must be craving carbohydrates.
After swinging her sword, running around, and getting bitten by zombies all day, no wonder.
“Want mine too?”
“Uh… is that okay? What about you, Teacher?”
“I’m not hungry.”
“Then I’ll take it, thank you!”
I passed her my half-eaten combat ration.
That wasn’t enough, so I ended up opening two more packs for her.
It didn’t matter since we were going to clear the forbidden zone by the end of the day, and I had plenty of rations prepared.
Baek Sorin rubbed her belly, looking embarrassed.
“I ate too much, didn’t I?”
“Superhuman warriors typically do. They burn a lot of calories, so don’t worry about it and eat as much as you want.”
“Is that normal? But you don’t eat much, Teacher.”
“That’s because my mana efficiency is better than most superhumans.”
“Oh… Shouldn’t I try to be more like you, then?”
“Everyone’s different. You burn a lot of calories, so it’s better for you to just eat plenty.”
“Yes! I’ll do my best to eat!”
The combination of Heavenly Killing Star and Rampaging Train.
It consumes massive amounts of mana and calories.
‘As for Rampaging Train, that’ll be easy to manage.’
Indomitable doesn’t grant immunity to status effects.
It just provides strong resistance.
After fighting on the edge of madness and composure, she’ll naturally acquire Rampaging Train.
The only thing left now is…
‘What about Nine Lives?’
Come to think of it, she’ll inevitably get it.
I patted my trusty golf bag.
I had spent a fortune to buy a teleportation magic chip, so even in the worst case, we wouldn’t die.
The best outcome, of course, would be to clear this place without using the magic chip.
“Let’s go. From now on, don’t hold back—go all out and kill everything.”
“Yes, Teacher!”
“There are going to be tougher enemies coming, so stay sharp.”
“Yes, sir!”
We blitzed through the lower levels.
Now that Baek Sorin had become a superhuman, she was overwhelmingly strong.
The moment she spotted a zombie, her eyes flared as she charged, slicing the enhanced zombie into two with a single blow.
Skull?
Ribcage? Sternum?
Whatever she hit got sliced clean through.
And she was only using a mass-produced factory sword.
Once she gets her hands on a proper weapon, it’ll be something to see.
“Teacher! Look at this!”
Swish! Bam!
Before I knew it, Baek Sorin had acquired the [Dash] trait.
Then, she gained [Leap], [Acceleration], and [Breakthrough] in quick succession, tearing through zombies left and right.
In one of the larger chambers on the next floor, we encountered about twenty zombies, and her display of power was truly terrifying.
Like a rampaging train, she mowed down the zombies.
It made me seriously consider whether I should acquire the Rampaging Train trait myself, the spectacle was that impressive.
‘Nah, it doesn’t suit me.’
Rampaging Train certainly has tremendous destructive power.
But it doesn’t allow for any retreat or tactical withdrawal.
It’s a trait for pure, aggressive fighters—berserkers and gladiators.
“You’re doing great. Keep it up. You’ll hit level 2 today.”
“Already?”
“You feel it too, don’t you? The mana flowing into you with each zombie you kill.”
“Yes, I can feel it.”
“That’s because of Heavenly Killing Star. You grow by fighting and killing. Training is useless for you, so don’t even bother.”
“B-But shouldn’t I meditate or something?”
“No need. You’d be better off taking a nap. If you’re mentally struggling, come to me.”
“Yes, Teacher!”
Baek Sorin handled all the battles from here on out.
Zombie hordes, enhanced zombies, mutant zombies, armed zombies, mage zombies, necromancer zombies…
Watching her grow stronger at this rate was almost frightening.
I became strong quickly too, but not like this.
I might need to drink more nectar soon.
I can’t let her surpass me while calling me ‘Teacher.’
With Seo Woojin, I had no choice, but…
Drip, drip.
Water dripped from the ceiling of the cave.
Oddly, the droplets shimmered with a strange black gleam.
The cave walls had an eerie, lacquered sheen to them as well.
I raised a hand to stop Baek Sorin.
“This is the final stretch. You stay back.”
“Can’t I do it?”
“Do you have a way to deal with ghosts?”
“G-Ghosts?”
“The thing behind here is a ghost.”
The level 3 boss.
Honestly, it’s only because I’m the one here that I’m thinking of tackling it solo. Usually, a fully prepared level 3 party is needed to take down this monster.
If you’re a warrior-type superhuman, a magic sword is essential.
At the very least, you need to bring consumable oils or something similar.
Baek Sorin backed away, step by step.
“I’ll stay in the back…”
“Don’t stay completely out of it. The frost aura is strong, but you can endure it. Watch out for the soul spears it occasionally throws, though.”
“Frost aura and soul spears? Is it a lich?”
“Pretty close.”
The path to the boss room was blocked by several layers of golden threads.
Golden seals crisscrossed in an X-shape.
Unlike what I saw in the game, the seal was intact.
Once I destroy this, the zombie outbreak will start in earnest.
The death mana and cold mana stored inside will flood out.
Clang!
I swung the pickaxe and broke the golden threads.
Magically strong but physically weak, the threads shattered the moment the pickaxe hit them.
“Ah!”
Baek Sorin grabbed one of the broken threads, startled.
As soon as she touched it, white smoke hissed from her fingers.
She reflexively flung it aside, and the thread quickly turned black, crumbling into dust.
“Don’t touch magical items. Don’t even look at them until a mage has appraised them.”
“Ugh… Do you think I’ll be okay?”
“It’s not a cursed item, so you’ll be fine. Just be careful from now on.”
“There’s so much to learn… I thought everything would be easy once I became a superhuman.”
Honestly, most curses wouldn’t be a problem for her.
With the Indomitable trait, she’d bounce most of them back.
Finally, I broke all the golden threads.
Holding the holy sword, I strode forward.
After passing through a long, dimly lit corridor, we arrived at a chamber with an unmistakably artificial atmosphere.
A hexagonal, concrete chamber.
Could the electricity still be working?
The fluorescent lights on the ceiling glowed faintly.
The air was cold. Every time Baek Sorin exhaled, her breath formed clouds of mist like cotton candy, as she wasn’t wearing a gas mask.
In one corner of the chamber, I saw a slightly open steel door.
Cold air was pouring out from within.
It was the freezer Baek Sorin had discovered in the game.
The loot must be inside.
“Wh-Where’s the ghost?”
Baek Sorin asked, her voice trembling.
I silently watched the center of the chamber.
A skeletal hand protruding from the concrete floor.
In its decayed, fragmented fingers, it held a smartphone, from which a cheerful melody was playing.
[Three bears living in one house♪ Daddy bear, Mommy bear, Baby bear♪]
The song didn’t match the eerie atmosphere at all.
Even in the original world, people complained that it was in poor taste.
Was this really necessary?
I walked forward slowly.
My footsteps echoed, and as if in response, the song started to drag out unnaturally.
[Threeee bears… arrrreeee… liiivinggg… innnn… oooonnnneee… houuuuseeeee…]
The pitch lowered.
The mechanical sound from the smartphone distorted.
Together, it created a grotesque and chilling ambiance.
A hand shot up.
From the skeletal hand, a spectral hand emerged.
A dark, semi-transparent creature, tainted by death mana.
Baek Sorin stiffened in fear.
“W-What is that?”
Even at a glance, it looked horrifying.
It wasn’t a typical ghost of a person. It looked like it was formed by layering and stitching together corpses, with only the soul extracted to create it.
A mass of bodies turned into a single ghostly entity.
It floated through the air, humming faintly with its eyes closed and mouth open—like something straight out of a nightmare.
“That’s a ghost amalgamation. It’s a monster born from the resentment of vengeful spirits fused with death mana.”
“Don’t zombies usually form from it?”
“Normally, yes.”
But things change when there’s a powerful artifact involved.
The main reward of the shopping mall dungeon.
It’s best to process it into weapons or armor, but if you give it to one of the four major factions, they’ll trade it for a high-quality item.
“Get ready.”
“Huh? Wh-What?”
As I spoke, the ghost let out a long scream.
There was no sound.
Instead, a bone-chilling cold swept through the area.
The air turned to icy shards, and the entire chamber began to freeze over.
Frost formed on my goggles, and ice crusted over my gas mask.
“Ugh…”
Baek Sorin shivered violently.
Even with her Indomitable trait, the cold was almost unbearable.
I quietly swapped out my traits.
[Einherjar Cultivation Technique], [Endurance], [Vigor]
[Mountain Breaking Sword Art], [Insight], [Black Flame]
Endurance alone wouldn’t be enough to withstand it.
Even when pushing my mana technique to its limits, it barely held up.
From now on, it was a matter of time.
Creak, creak.
I struggled to lift my ice-encrusted boots with each step.
Baek Sorin had already fallen behind.
When I raised the holy sword and pointed it at the ghost amalgamation, the sword began to glow on its own.
[Screeeeech!]
The ghost amalgamation shrieked in agony.
It raised its spectral hand and pointed at me, launching it forward.
A soul spear!
It was fast.
But from the moment it pointed at me, I could see its trajectory clearly.
No, I sensed it.
The effect of Insight.
I dodged easily.
The ice hampered my movement, but it didn’t matter.
I had the boots of speed.
I only activated speed when evading the soul spears, then continued my slow advance.
I didn’t rush.
I just kept an eye on Baek Sorin’s condition as I closed in on the ghost amalgamation.
Swish!
[Screeeech!]
Finally, I struck.
In the instant I attacked, I swapped [Vigor] for Slash.
The holy sword passed through the ghost amalgamation, shining brilliantly, and Black Flame blazed fiercely.
The ghost’s scream pierced directly into my brain.
It wasn’t a critical hit.
The ghost amalgamation was still intact, and the cold aura was growing even more intense.
“Do it right.”
[Screeeeeech!]
The ghost amalgamation slowly turned.
One by one, spectral hands rose from the ground.
Then, it targeted me, launching a barrage of soul spears!
I dodged with the Evasion trait.
I blocked with the Defense trait.
Speed helped me move.
Thanks to Insight, I could anticipate the attacks.
Whenever I was about to be hit, I activated the Fortress and Iron Skin traits.
The ghost amalgamation was a typical gear-check boss.
Its pattern was simple.
An aura of cold that covered the entire battlefield and continuous soul spears.
The proper strategy was to have enough survival skills and then deal as much damage as possible.
‘Let’s pick up the pace.’
I could hold out for days if I had to.
The problem was Baek Sorin behind me.
“Ugh… Uuugh…”
Her face had already turned pale blue.
She hadn’t gained enough experience compared to in the game, so survival was difficult for her.
Still, she would endure this much.
I swung my sword silently.
Dodging, blocking, slashing!
At some point, I noticed the cold had lessened. When I gained the [Cold Resistance] trait, my speed increased.
In my right hand was the holy sword.
In my left, the Axe of Fury.
I activated Fury as well.
I used Mountain Breaking Sword Art’s Breaking the Mountain and Splitting the Mountain back-to-back, engulfing the battlefield in Black Flame.
A boss that normally required a full team of level-3 superhumans.
But to me, it was nothing more than a punching bag.
Six perfectly selected traits.
Magic equipment that covered my entire body.
A holy sword that was particularly effective against evil beings.
And Black Flame, which dealt additional damage to intangible enemies.
I was the perfect counter to the ghost amalgamation.
Compared to a clumsy level-3 team that would slowly chip away at its health, I dealt far more damage on my own.
“It’s over!”
The final strike.
[Flash]
A dazzling light erupted.
My sword, trailing a bright comet-like tail, pierced through the ghost amalgamation.
–TL Notes–
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