Chapter 23

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

Chapter 23: The Barefoot Superhuman (1)

Ding! Ring!

…

Ding! Ring!

…

“What’s this now?”

Yeongwoo, awakened by the ringing tone, slowly opened his eyes.

Through the window left open yesterday, sunlight poured in.

Then again.

Ding! Ring!

Turning his head, he looked to the left.

The motel phone on the bedside table was loudly ringing.

“Crazy.”

Yeongwoo checked his wristwatch while picking up the receiver.

The current time was 8:02 AM.

Click.

“Hello.”

The habitual greeting escaped his lips without him realizing it.

On the other side of the line, there was silence for a while.

Then.

《There is 1 hour and 48 minutes left until check-out.》

A mixed voice of a man and a woman conveyed the announcement.

“What the hell…”

A shiver ran down his spine as he fully woke up.

Yeongwoo, who had cautiously picked up the phone, threw it far away without realizing it.

But the caller had already hung up.

‘This shitty situation….’

In any case, the wake-up call was effective.

It not only woke him up but also restored his sense of reality in an instant.

“Wh-what was it?”

Yechan, too, had hastily risen from hearing the phone ring.

He stood by the window, staring with surprised eyes.

Meanwhile, Yeongwoo, still looking at the body of the woman lying near the entrance, moved to the window and confirmed that the red mist had completely dissipated.

“It was a check-out notification. We should get going.”

Although there was still plenty of time until the check-out, there was no reason to waste time meaninglessly here in the deserted yard.

Yeongwoo opened the refrigerator, drank canned coffee and tea.

Then, he took out a dagger from the right arm of the woman lying on the floor, thinking it might be useful to strike the opponent’s weak point, just like the deceased had done.

“Now, what’s left is…”

Yeongwoo’s gaze fell on the backpack the woman had been carrying.

He had little interest in spare weapons and miscellaneous items, and what he was looking for was…

“Oh.”

As Yeongwoo rummaged through the backpack, he felt a familiar texture in his hand.

Click.

Sure enough, there was a pile of coins at the bottom of the backpack.

When he turned the backpack upside down and shook it, not only the crimson coins but also dazzling commemorative coins continuously poured out.

Swoosh!

‘That’s a lot. How many did she kill?’

Yeongwoo speculated that before coming to this room, the woman probably looted other rooms one by one.

The total amount of coins on the floor added up to a whopping 364,000 karma.

32 commemorative coins and 44 crimson coins.

‘I should consider myself lucky to meet her before she could convert these into stats.’

Now Yeongwoo’s cash assets were 810, translated into stats.

He immediately started distributing his stats to avoid making the same mistake as the woman.

‘As long as I don’t lose the Golden Flash, there’s no hurry to increase my senses.’

That leaves strength, stamina, and durability.

Strength had risen to 400 due to the ‘Furious Goblins’ ring, stamina and durability were still lacking at 150 each.

‘Maybe durability should take priority now? My body still can’t handle my maximum output.’

Yeongwoo left only 10,000 karma as ‘change’ and poured the remaining 800,000 into his stats.

『Character: Jung Yeongwoo07』

[Strength] 600 (19+581)

[Stamina] 350 (21+329)

[Durability] 550 (13+537)

[Sense] 100 (24+76)

These stats were configured under the assumption that the Golden Flash sense theft would apply to monsters and mutants, based on the premise of the artifact.

「Assassin’s Finger」 – Artifact Ring

【10% increase in stats in a one-on-one battle】

【–Empty Slot–】

The newly acquired ring had the term ‘one-on-one battle’ attached to it.

‘If the Golden Flash only worked on humans, they would have used the term ‘one-on-one battle’ as well.’

However, the tooltip for the Golden Flash was:

【Steal 50% of the enemy’s senses during battle.】

During combat, the ‘enemy’s’ senses were stolen.

Moreover, this was a legendary-grade item.

So, Yeongwoo was confident that it would be effective even against mutants.

Suaaat!

After investing in stats, a unique vitality spread throughout his body.

Yeongwoo took only a rope from the woman’s backpack, removed his gown, and put on his clothes again.

Yechan, who had been watching him blankly, belatedly grabbed his clothes.

* * *

Riverside Motel, 2nd floor.

As the two closed the door and came out into the corridor, loud noises pierced their ears.

Ding-ling!

Ding-ling!

It was none other than the ringing of phone bells coming from other rooms on the 2nd floor.

“…?”

Since all the doors were wide open, Yeongwoo could see into each room as he crossed the motel corridor.

“Oh my god.”

Just by looking at the scattered bodies in the narrow motel rooms, it seemed like something had happened yesterday.

Most of the victims were men, some in gowns, and others completely naked.

Some had only half-worn clothes on from the outside.

In some rooms, men and women were mixed, and the woman in question seemed to have had a hard time in such places.

There were far more traces of combat in this room compared to others.

‘At any rate, it’s impressive.’

Yeongwoo sincerely admired.

Combat skills aside, how did she manage to enter each room?

There must have been different gender ratios and compositions in each room, yet how did she successfully enter each time?

‘Well, in the end, I did open the door for her.’

Yeongwoo continued forward until he reached the last room at the end of the corridor.

“…”

In that room, two women who seemed to be a mother and daughter were lying without even holding weapons.

As Yeongwoo approached the door, a blue barrier appeared as if to block his way.

Since the check-out time was still valid, it meant that outsiders couldn’t enter.

Ironically, there was no longer anyone to unlock the barrier for this room.

The world had gone mad.

Glancing back, Yeongwoo noticed Yechan standing with a grim expression.

Although it would have been morally right to ask if he was okay, Yeongwoo didn’t bother.

“Let’s go now. We have to leave.”

“…Yes.”

They each dragged their bicycles to the lobby, passing by the body of the Level 1 Extra whose head and torso were separated.

* * *

Swoosh!

The bicycle carrying Yeongwoo reached its maximum physical speed.

They headed southwest towards the Gyeongbu Expressway.

In terms of the route, they were technically retracing their steps.

However, the scenery was completely different.

Bodies were strewn along the roadside as if a plague had swept through.

‘Probably killed by the red mist.’

In reality, it wouldn’t be far off to say it was death caused by acquired poverty.

Since warnings had been spread two hours before the fog appeared, it wasn’t difficult to find a place to stay if you had money.

That meant people who died on the streets were likely to be impoverished.

Thus.

“Ugh.”

“Another beggar.”

People who had been searching through corpses early on mostly ended up disappointed.

Yeongwoo and Yechan rode their bicycles through the bodies of the dead and the living.

Swoosh!

Perhaps because of the fast speed or because they spotted the early bird at Yeongwoo’s waist, no one dared to stop or attack the two.

‘Do mutants appear at a scheduled time every day? If that’s the case, we can plan our route accordingly.’

The major schedule in this world, as Yeongwoo had observed so far, was as follows:

– 9:00 PM, start of the lodging service.

– 10:00 PM, tax collection.

– 11:00 PM, abnormal weather occurrence.

– 10:00 AM, check-out time.

And at some point before sunset, goblins and mutants would appear.

However, the patterns of the remaining ‘events,’ excluding tax collection, were still unknown.

Whether they repeated at the same time every day or not was yet to be determined.

‘I’ll find out tomorrow, I guess.’

In an instant, crossing through Sinpyeong-dong, they reached Gumi Central Road.

Swoosh!

‘There it is.’

Visible in the distance on the other side of Central Road was the elevated expressway, the Gyeongbu Expressway.

‘Let’s jump over there. Now seems like a good time.’

Perhaps lifting Yechan and climbing onto the elevated highway was also possible.

Yeongwoo eagerly pressed the pedal, ready to quickly test his seemingly miraculous physical abilities.

Then, unexpectedly, with a sudden crack, his center of gravity shifted downward.

“Huh?”

Swiftly using one foot to touch the ground, he managed to support himself, but the bicycle that had been carrying him finally collapsed beyond repair.

“Ah…”

The bicycle frame couldn’t withstand Yeongwoo’s output and ended up completely broken.

Probably, the cause was getting overly excited after visually confirming the expressway a while ago.

“…”

As Yeongwoo stared at the shattered bicycle, Yechan, who had overtaken him, quickly stopped his bicycle.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, it’s just the bicycle that’s broken.”

Yeongwoo made a somewhat embarrassed expression, but on the other hand, he thought it wasn’t a big problem.

“I can just run with two legs.”

With a strength of 600, stamina of 350, and durability of 550, it might look a bit funny, but in reality, he could probably move faster than a car’s city driving if he ran seriously.

Yeongwoo securely tied the handlebars and the backpack hanging on his back to his body with a rope.

Then…

Thud.

In a state where his feet adhered closely to the ground, he sprung forward towards Yechan in front of him.

Papak!

This time, even before he could take two steps, a strange sound came from his feet.

Poong!

“Huh?”

The shoes couldn’t withstand the pressure of high-speed running and burst.

However, since his bare feet didn’t hurt particularly, Yeongwoo looked at Yechan, who was surprised, and passed by.

Waaaah!

Despite just running with two legs, a gust of wind rushed at him as if he had opened a window in a moving train.

‘Is… is this right?’

Amazed at his inexplicable athletic ability, Yeongwoo looked at the Gyeongbu Expressway, which was now approaching.

Although he had to lift his head to see the upper part of the road, for some reason, it seemed like he could easily jump up there.

‘I think it should work.’

With his two legs prepared for maximum output, Yeongwoo’s right foot kicked the ground, propelling his body upward.

Waaaah!

Defying gravity, Yeongwoo’s body soared vigorously.

‘Unbelievable.’

Easily leaping to the height of the elevated expressway, Yeongwoo smoothly entered the Gyeongbu Expressway.

Crack!

The asphalt ground beneath Yeongwoo’s heels crumbled.

Checking the condition of his bare feet, Yeongwoo shouted towards Yechan, who was still below the expressway.

“Can you climb up?”

In response, Yechan slowly rode his bicycle towards the road.

“No, it’ll be too difficult for someone like me, Mister.”

For some reason, Yechan’s tone sounded heavy.

“…?”

Sensing something unusual, Yeongwoo looked at him curiously and asked.

“Are you okay? Is there something wrong? I can help you climb up. I will just come down, and lift you up and jump.”

Then Yechan, who had arrived below the elevated expressway, looked up at Yeongwoo with a quiet expression.

“…Is it meaningful to go to such lengths?”

“Huh?”

Yeongwoo, puzzled by Yechan’s words, was about to ask what he meant.

However, Yechan, looking around, put one foot on the pedal of his bicycle.

“Anyway, even if I go up there, I won’t be able to ride at the same speed as you, Mister. It seems like this is as far as I’ll go in your debt.”

“In debt? What are you…”

Before Yeongwoo could find the right words, Yechan quietly continued.

“Go ahead. I now have some weapons and money, so I’ll figure something out.”

“Really? Are you deciding to be independent all of a sudden?”

“We weren’t really a family to begin with. So, rather than saying it’s independence, it’s just parting ways because the time has come.”

Yechan smiled with a bitter expression.

Only then did Yeongwoo realize that the other party was sincere.

However, was it really possible?

Could someone like him survive in this crazy world?

‘No, it’s just unnecessary worry. We weren’t family from the start.’

Yeongwoo forced himself to accept it.

From a practical perspective, Yechan was becoming more of a burden, and it was wise for him to become independent if he wanted to grow properly.

But how could relationships between people be measured only pragmatically?

From Yeongwoo, who had grown attached to him, it couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointing.

“I’m going to Seoul eventually. So, if I manage to survive, let’s meet in Seoul someday.”

At this, Yechan, with a momentarily blank face, looked up at Yeongwoo and burst into a hollow laughter.

“Seoul? Yes, sure. By the time we meet there, I probably won’t be ordinary.”

Of course, both of them knew that the likelihood of Yechan reaching Seoul alive was not very high.

“Well, take care of yourself.”

“You too, Mister. Thanks for everything.”

Yechan bowed his head in farewell, then confidently rode his bicycle under the elevated expressway.

Swish!

The sound of Yechan’s bicycle quickly fading away.

When Yeongwoo turned around, Yechan, who had crossed the elevated expressway and was running on the other side, gradually became a small dot.

Soon, he turned into a tiny point and disappeared into the cityscape in the distance.

***

Silence lingered as Yeongwoo bid farewell to his first companion.

However, there was no time to dwell on it.

Yeongwoo immediately turned his head and read the small road sign visible ahead.

‘Gimcheon, 27km… Can I make it by running?’

This would have been unimaginable in the past, but now it felt entirely possible.

There was a genuine sense of confidence.

No one was on the highway, and only sporadic stone-like remains of cars could be seen.

Taking a deep breath, Yeongwoo sprinted forward as if bouncing off the ground.

Swoosh!

The surrounding scenery began to rapidly pass by, similar to before.

‘Just running like this doesn’t make me tired at all. I really turned into a monster.’

It had only been two days.

‘I wonder how other Strongest Swords are faring….’

As Yeongwoo contemplated this, a change occurred in the forward view.

Although it wasn’t certain, a faint light appeared in the distance.

“Huh.”

Not long after, the uncertainty turned into conviction.

“….!”

Although still somewhat faint, there was no doubt that a reddish column of light was descending from high in the sky.

‘Marker of a mutant. It means they couldn’t eliminate the mutants in Gimcheon yesterday.’

Yeongwoo’s expression solidified as he sensed the impending danger.

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]