The Protagonists Are Murdered By Me Chapter 26: 131-135, a 13 tzameti fanfic

Aracelli woke up only after two days had passed. Since Yoo Seodam was always with her, it could be said that the two were sleeping side by side for two days.

"Euugghh……."

Aracelli struggled to open her heavy eyes as she struggled from severe headache. She found this simple task to be harder than the time when she worked day and night to figure out the fourth law of Magic Mechanics.

"Are you awake?"

"…..Professor."

Yoo Seodam squatted down and held out a plate. It was a plate of warm soup. As soon as Aracelli saw his face, she woke up and hurriedly asked.

"Are you okay now?"

"That's my line! Is your body okay now? And.. Why are you giving your mana to other people when you can't even breathe without it?"

"I'm okay!!"

After receiving the bowl from Yoo Seodam, Aracelli realized that she was wearing a strange outfit. The blood that covered her body has been cleaned and she was even wearing clean underwear.

Yoo Seodam smiled awkwardly and said.

"There was a risk of contamination, so I cleaned it up a bit…. Moreover, you'll feel cold if I leave you alone."

"Ah…."

Her face was burning hot. She had never shown her body to any man in her entire life. But soon after realizing that the other person was Yoo Seodam, she smiled.

"I guess it's okay."

"Re…ally?"

"Yeah! Because it's Professor."

Does their relationship have anything to do with this? As Yoo Seodam pondered over her answer, Aracelli started drinking the soup. She had a hard time finding proper food after arriving in this world, so the soup was like a divine gift for her. She ate it slowly while savoring it.

After confirming that Aracelli had started eating her meal, Yoo Seodam walked slowly towards the railing.

Aracelli had brought his body and settled on the top floors of a tall building for safety reasons. it was a pretty wise decision, and for two days, Yoo Seodam didn't move from their dwelling.

Rain sfx*

Heavy rain poured down from the sky.

Yoo Seodam leaned on the railing and looked at the world.

『I Alone Have A Shop Window In A Destroyed World』

#Apocalypse #Survival #Awakener

#Cider_Oriented #Shop_Window

It was a dead world.

The gray high-rise buildings which were similar to the buildings on earth were extremely desolate. Torn signs and leaflets were soaked in the rainwater lying on the ground. The words 'The end of the world has come!' was scribbled in red spray and had faded, but the despair contained in it was vividly conveyed.

Yoo Seodam initially thought this world was a perished Earth. But, fortunately, the system told him that this place was another world with a similar level of science, technology and civilization with Earth.

[Your current lifespan: 1978 Days, 6 Hours, 49 Minutes]

His lifespan had decreased drastically due to Bang Ho-win's hunt. It could be said that he still had plenty of lifespan, but the amount was not enough to return to Earth.

['The Desolate City, Cartan' world where level 201 protagonist 'Kim Ha-soo' resides]

In other words, in order to return, Yoo Seodam had to find and hunt the protagonist, Kim Ha-soo.

"Professor."

While Yoo Seodam was staring blankly at the destroyed city, Aracelli approached him and grabbed his sleeve.

"Have you finished your food?"

"Yes. By the way, where did you get the food?"

"I always carry it in a place similar to a subspace."

"….You can use subspace in another world?"

"You can't?"

"I can't even come with clothes. The only thing I could carry is the bullet Professor gave me…."

Aracelli said so as she fiddled with the bullet in her neck.

Somehow Yoo Seodam felt guilty about it. He never thought that Aracelli would keep the bullet he threw at her at their farewell.

"It's not even an expensive or a good bullet, Shall I change it to something better?"

"No!"

Aracelli cut Yoo Seodam's words off unknowingly, and because she was embarrassed, she immediately said.

"Well,…I like this one. It's the first gift Professor gave me."

"Is that so? Okay then."

After that, when Yoo Seodam fell silent, Aracelli stood right beside him. It was her first time in a world with an earth-like civilization. As she stared at the pouring rain, Yoo Seodam pointed to a building in the distance with his finger.

"Can you see that?"

"….Ah."

At the place where Yoo Seodam pointed, Aracelli could see a huge monster. There was no other word to call it except 'monster'.

At first glance, It looked like a giant earthworm. However, its body was made of a liquid-like substance. Moreover, its distinctive trait was that it has a human face. It was incredibly scary.

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"Just what is that……."

The humanoid-faced monster had enormous, out of proportion eyes. And, it was staring at the place where Aracelli and Yoo Seodam stood.

"Don't worry. That guy can't see."

"Sorry? How do you know that, Professor? Have you ever seen that before?"

"No, it's my first time seeing it."

Just because Yoo Seodam was a veteran hunter, doesn't mean that he knew all kinds of monsters. Moreover, it was impossible to know all monsters from different worlds. However, since he had fought numerous monsters his entire life, he was able to discern their characteristics to some extent with their appearances alone.

"From its eyes, I could guess that that monster was a kind of monster that lived in the dark. You could say that those eyes were kind of a failed evolution, because for monsters who lived in the dark, evolved hearing are more suitable for survival. That monster is an entity that escaped from the darkness after failing to evolve."

"Then how does it know that we are here……."

"From vibration."

"…Is that even possible?"

Aracelli questioned. The monster that she saw was sitting on the rooftop of a building at least 5km away. Through vibration? In this rainy weather?

"Monsters are like that. Anyway, we have to move out from this place today. Because, yesterday, that guy was farther away. But, little by little, he's moving towards us."

Yoo Seodam estimated the rank of that monster was at least S-rank. In other words, this place was so dangerous that an S-rank monster was kicked out of the survival race and came out to the city centre.

As Yoo Seodam turned around and sorted out his luggage, a question crossed his mind.

'If Earth somehow lost the war against monsters….'

wouldn't Earth become like this too?

It was a useless question.

"There will be other survivors."

As Yoo Seodam had expected, the streets of the city were full of monsters.

Both Yoo Seodam and Aracelli wore poncho to shield them from the rain as they carefully roamed around while having conversation. Even though the rain was so severe, they didn't have any difficulty in conversing because of their superhuman hearing.

"How do you know that?"

"I looked around and found out that all the food was stolen. It was proof that the survivors struggled for a while to survive even after the war was over. Time seems to have passed quite a bit… If they are alive, the survivors would have formed a group."

"Ah!!!"

Aracelli's expression brightened at the word 'group', but Yoo Seodam couldn't be relieved.

Groups in the apocalyptic world were highly likely to become a kingdom of disorder that did not attach much significance to order and deviated from normal laws. In other words, the possibility that the group was nothing but a criminal gang couldn't be ruled out.

Those with strength become rulers, and those with food become law. Rather than monsters, those groups could be more dangerous. Of course, that didn't mean that the monsters weren't dangerous.

Swoosh!

Aracelli's eyes were opened wide as she saw Yoo Seodam cut off the neck of a wolf-like monster, which had been running towards them silently with a sword.

'So it turns out that Professor wasn't a wizard.'

Aracelli admired him because she thought that he's a professor of Magical Science, but it turns out that he's not a wizard. However, he still deserves to be called 'Professor' one way or another, and she didn't have any intention to stop calling him Professor anytime soon.

'Because Professor is Professor.'

Aracelli thought so, and closely followed behind Yoo Seodam.

"It is the entrance to the subway station."

"Subway? Is it similar to magic railway?"

Was it called that in Vivienda Empire? Yoo Seodam's memory was vague since it had been a few years since he had left that place. Nonetheless, he still nodded.

As Yoo Seodam carefully entered the station while looking at the sign that was different from Earth but written in a similar language, several monsters turned their gaze towards him. But before they could even run towards him, a hole carved in the head of the monsters by the silencer-equipped Winchester.

Afterwards, Yoo Seodam beckoned to Aracelli to follow him after he checked the safety of the station.

Currently, the amount of mana inside her body was about 5%. It was tricky to properly fill her mana in this place because the amount of natural mana here was lower than Earth. Because of this Yoo Seodam decided to fight while keeping her behind.

She takes off her poncho and moves along the path. Aracelli frowned at the sight of monster corpses which died with their corpses deformed and ruptured.

"You are incredible…. How did you kill those things with just one shot?"

"Because I hit them on the head." (T/N No shit Sherlock.)

Yoo Seodam readied his Winchester and then asked Aracelli.

"Have you ever encountered monsters like this?"

"Well, there were very few monsters like this back in my hometown. The ones I fought against was the demon army… They were devils that were much smarter than humans, so they bothered us in a more vicious way."

Aracelli used her brain to beat the devil and became a hero of the world by killing all demonic hordes in her world.

"Even when I travel to other worlds…. I always avoid monsters. Even if I meet them occasionally, I pour out my mana to kill them."

Aracelli was not a battle wizard. Rather, she was closer to an outstanding scholar. She was only able to exert powerful strength in battle because she is a 9th Circle Magician.

She practiced self-defense to some extent for dealing with people, but she couldn't deal with monsters using only that. If Aracelli, who had little to no experience in dealing with monsters and is only able to beat her opponents due her overwhelming mana, lacks mana, she would become completely defenseless.

"By the way, Professor, why are you going underground like this?"

"I'm searching for possible survivors. I have to find someone."

"…Who is it? Are you referring to those who absorb all the 'Blessings of The World'?"nov𝑒𝓵𝔲𝐒𝑏.𝓒\o/𝓜

(T/N quick reminder, 'Blessing of the world' is Aracelli's way of addressing 'Probability')

At her words, Yoo Seodam turned his head and stared at her eyes. At first glance, her blue eyes, which are as clear as the sky, seems innocent. However, they contained deep wisdom underneath them.

"You are right."

Yoo Seodam replied briefly, and Aracelli did not inquire further.

They walked the subway for a long time while silently removing the monster. And at some point, they found junk blocking their way in the distance.

Aracelli told Yoo Seodam that it was a dead end, but Yoo Seodam raised his arms and told her.

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"Pretend to surrender for now."

"Yes."

Shortly thereafter, someone shouted from a distance.

"Who are you! Identify yourself!"

The man shouted through a very small gap between the door of the collapsed train, which was filled with various junks. Perhaps it was a barricade to prevent monsters.

"We are humans. A wanderer who was passing by and came here because we wanted food."

Of course, there was still plenty of food in the inventory, but Yoo Seodam lied as a part of the act. It's because he didn't think they would answer honestly if he said 'Let me ask you for direction.'

"We have nothing to do with you! So fuck o.. No, wait. Come closer. Quickly!"

"Which one I should believe?"

"If you don't want a bullet piercing your head, you'd better do what I told you to."

It was ridiculous because both Yoo Seodam and Aracelli's physical durability was not so weak that they could easily penetrate by a bullet. And if they wanted to, it was possible for both of them to bounce off a bullet that was being shot at them.

As Yoo Seodam and Aracelli approached, the lights ignited and lit their faces. It was then that Aracelli realized that there were lots of men beyond the barricade.

'What is that? Did I see it wrong? They are such great merchandise. I've never seen anything like them before.'

'How can such a thing still remain in the wild these days….'

'We have to catch them unconditionally. Hopefully, we'll get a bonus from the boss.'

'Let's get it in quickly!'

They joked quietly among themselves, and before long the one from before shouted again towards Yoo Seodam and Aracelli while pointing his gun towards them.

"Come in!"

The door of the collapsed train slid open with a noise. Upon entering there, Yoo Seodam could see there were four men armed with firearms that did not exist on Earth. However, as soon as Yoo Seodam saw the guns, he recognized the characteristic features of their guns.

Is it using a 5.56mm bullet? The gun is at the level of the Earth in the late 20th century to the early 21st century.'

After that, Yoo Seodam scattered a bit of mana to the air and confirmed the strength of the men around him. One of the four men had a D-rank level of 'ether'. In other words, it means that this world has the same superpowers system as Earth.

'I guess that awakener or whatever tag refers to this.'

Yoo Seodam assumed that the D-rank awakener was the leader among the four, and he approached Yoo Seodam with his gun muzzle facing towards him. No, he kept his gaze fixed towards Aracelli.

"Food trade. You must have known what we want for the trade, don't you?"

"Who knows?"

"Everything we want!"

Then he laughed as he pointed his gun at Aracelli. His laugh and expression were both unpleasant.

"Women are a good currency. The younger and prettier they are, the higher their value will be. I don't think I would be able to find such a fine merchandise anymore. Anyway, congratulations. If you trade her to us, you will at least not starve. I don't know if you will like the 'food' though."

At the words of the man, Yoo Seodam's brows scrunched. It was evidence that he couldn't manage his facial expressions, but those who did not recognize the signs of danger slowly flocked towards Aracelli.

"Professor….."

Aracelli called him. It wasn't because she was terrified. Rather, it was as if her cold eyes were asking, 'Can I scare this bastard a little?'.

Yoo Seodam sighed. He contemplated what he should tell Aracelli. But before he even gave an okay sign, the men did it on their own.

"Wow, little girl. Don't be scared. Before taking you to the boss, we will do a quality check-"

He suddenly stopped talking, no, he couldn't speak any more.

Swoosh!

Because his tongue has been plucked off.

"Uh…uhh?"

Knowing that his tongue had been plucked off, the man retreated as he tried to stop the blood from his tongue. Then, belatedly, she realizes that the girl in front of him, who looked like she had never held a knife in her entire life, was holding his tongue in her finger and smiling coldly.

"Wha..what the hell…!"

The other guys screamed as they quickly aimed their gun and tried to fire, but there was only the clicking sounds from their gun. When they hurriedly looked at their guns, they realized that all the bullets had been removed.

'What? Where??'

They turned their heads and saw Yoo Seodam, who looked like a pushover because he wasn't even armed, was holding three magazines in his hand.

"As expected, this magazine is also the same as the one from the world I lived in."

When? How? They didn't have time to think about it.

It was because a dull, unpleasant sound echoed through the subway. Their limbs couldn't function anymore. Yoo Seodam then grabbed the throat of the D-rank awakener and choked him harder.

"Oh, woo-wook!!"

"Does it hurt?"

The four men had shiny, greasy faces. Yoo Seodam had encountered guys with such faces quite often on the battlefield.

In a world with little to eat, there was only one thing a greasy face meant.

'Cannibals.'

In fact, there was no reason to touch a cannibal unless they hurt you. They must have been turned like this in order to survive in this destroyed world.

However, the problem was that they tried to touch Aracelli.

'I was going to quietly get information about Kim Ha-soo so I could return…'

Yoo Seodam squatted down and tapped their wriggling cheeks before saying,

"From now on, you will crawl and guide me to your boss. Then who knows? Maybe I'll let you live."

Nod!

The D-rank awakener desperately nodded his head up and down while muttered towards himself.

'Unlike us, Boss has real superpowers… The moment we go there, they are all dead!'

Then, 30 minutes passed.

The boss of the subway survivor group also crawled around on all fours in front of Yoo Seodam.

The total number of survivors in the subway were 70 people and 113 humans regarded as livestock.

"Livestock?"

Yoo Seodam frowned at that offensive word. The boss of the survivors, who had his head on the floor, immediately said, "Yes…. They are edible humans."

'Wow.'

Yoo Seodam exclaimed unknowingly. He knew that cannibalism was common in the apocalyptic world, but not even in his wildest imagination he would have ever thought that they would run a farm and treat human beings like livestocks.

Yoo Seodam didn't let his inner thoughts leak out, because looking at the reaction of the survivor boss, it seemed like it was a very natural thing in this world.

"Okay then. By chance, do you know anything about 'Kim Ha-soo'?"

Currently, a group of 70 cannibals were all lying face down on the floor, with all their limbs bent in weird directions. If they visited a hospital, it was something that could be fixed. However, since there would be no professional doctors in this perished world, they will have to live the rest of their lives as a cripple.

"B…by Kim Ha-soo are you referring to the guy who acts as a dictator in the midst of all this chaos and settled down in 'Yeoron Island'?"

"Dictator?"

"That's right! He is a madman who built a fortress in Yeoron Island. His awakening ability is a golden carriage or something… Anyway, he's a guy who could pull things out of the air, and he created an armed group."

Even when he felt the pain from his twisted limbs, the boss clenched his teeth and gave an answer. He thought that by doing so he could increase his chances of surviving even a little more.

'Monster-like bastard!'

He was also an awakener of the physical reinforcement type. And although he had tremendous physical abilities, he was no match for the man in front of him. He couldn't even see the man's fist when he swung it at him, and only after his limbs had been broken did he realize that he was lying on the floor.

"Fortress, huh?"nov𝐞𝓁𝚞𝒮𝑩.𝑐\o/𝑚

Yoo Seodam imagined the character called 'Kim Ha-soo'.

His ability was called 'Shop window', or referred as 'Golden Wagon' by the people of this world. His ability's level could be considered extremely high since it could supply enough things to fortify an entire island. Perhaps that was all possible because it consumes the 'probability' of this world.

Unless Kim Ha-soo was different from other protagonists he had met till now, Yoo Seodam was sure that he wouldn't be giving out infinite supplies from the store to other people. Seodam was right. He held the monopoly of everything he could remove. Yoo Seodam would also do the same if he was in Kim Ha-soo's shoes.

However, Yoo Seodam was worried that killing him could be rather tricky.

'In exchange of having 'shop window' ability, his physical ability should be mediocre at best. His level was probably manipulated by the amount of equipment he carried. The fortress he built must have been included as part of his level in this world.'

Post-apocalyptic age, an era where monsters roamed freely. It wouldn't be strange for people to die suddenly.

In other words, Yoo Seodam could just go and kill him directly. It wouldn't be against the 'probability'. He won't have to run around in order to prevent a regression like his previous mission in the romance fantasy world.

'If only we could meet and fight one-on-one, it would be possible to just fight and kill.'

However, there was a huge 50% difference between their levels. He had to keep the possibility of losing in his mind.

'It's not too late to worry about that once I meet Kim Ha-soo.'

Once he finished thinking, Yoo Seodam asked the boss once again.

"How can I meet with Kim ha-soo?"

"Uh…it will be difficult. Even when we asked them to take us in, those bastards pointed their guns at us and threatened us to leave. I haven't even gone near their base lately."

"Is there any other way?"

"Well…I don't think so…"

As Yoo Seodam raised his right foot, the leader hurriedly tried to think of something to tell him.

"Th….then, why don't you go to another group of survivors? Oh yeah! There is a pretty large group in the nearby Munhwa Department Store… I heard they are interacting with Kim Ha-soo's group!"

"Map."

"Pardon me?"

"Give me a map to that place."

"Ah, yes, yes!"

Once again, it was proved that violence was the best buff that could make human brain think faster.

After receiving the map, Yoo Seodam rubbed his chin and fell in a deep thought. Even though the department store was quite far, he could still reach there if he walked for a few days.

'Department store…'

Kim Ha-soo's group didn't interact with the subway group, but interacted with the department store group.

Yoo Seodam didn't know the reason, but it didn't seem like a bad idea to go to the Munhwa Department Store first.

Once he finished organizing his thoughts, Aracelli, who was busy running around the subway platform, returned.

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"Professor! I have rescued all survivors that were locked up."

Yoo Seodam looked around, he could see a group of humans with dirty appearance and exhausted and hungry faces approaching him. As they walked closer, the group on the ground flinched and broke into a cold sweat.

"Good job."

Yoo Seodam praised Aracelli, but his expression was not very good. She soon knew why.

"Let's go. We have somewhere to go."

"Sorry? Then, what about them?"

"We can't take them around-"

He didn't have to explain why.

"-don't you know the reason too?"

"…."

Yoo Seodam and Aracelli had to travel a long way. They had to move quickly while secretly killing monsters in their way. It would probably take days before they arrived at their next destination. Their food supply was also limited. Moreover, once they finished their objective in this world, they would disappear.

"Your role is over once you save those who almost became food. Now, they have to learn how to live on their own."

"Yes…."

After saying that, Yoo Seodam stood up without hesitation, followed by Aracelli.

As the most intimidating person, Yoo Seodam, walked away, the group of survivors who had been captured slowly approached the group lying on the floor.

After that, it was obvious to the point that you don't even have to imagine what happened next.

"This motherfucker… were you the one who ate my son…?"

"Ahhhhhh! Spa…spare me! spare meeeee!"

"Die! Die! Die! Bastard Dieee! "

"Were you the one who said that my arms weren't fleshy and it was so dirty and tasteless? Your belly looks plump, I guess it will be very delicious!"

"Please, ahhhhhh! Ooooooooooh no!"

In the distance, Aracelli covered her eyes from the terrible shriek.

While moving in an apocalyptic world, secrecy was more important than speed. It was because if they encountered one monster, other monsters would also flock towards them. The loud sounds of battle and blood would attract their attention.

They came across A rank monsters several times and such monsters had to be avoided at all cost. If it couldn't be killed in a single slash, they would eventually get caught up in a horde of monsters.

It would be nice if they could use magic, but… Since they don't know what will happen in the future, they decided to conserve Aracelli's magic as much as possible.

"Try to use this."

Yoo Seodam had taken a pistol and a few rifles from the subway station. Each gun had a silencer, which was difficult to obtain in a perished world, attached to it. He gave it to Aracelli to practice her shooting.

To be honest, Yoo Seodam didn't expect much from Aracelli. Still, he taught her with great care. Starting with shoulder positioning, holding breath and aiming. There was no need to teach her any advanced skill.

And, surprisingly.

Pew!

-Kwoah…

"Oh….?"

After learning simple aiming techniques, she demonstrated her excellent shooting skills. She couldn't hit the target well if the opponent was moving, but she was pretty accurate while shooting at a static target.

As she watched the monster fall, Aracelli had a smug expression on her face as if it was saying 'I did well, didn't I?'.

"How did you shoot so well? Isn't this your first time touching it?"

"I don't know. I just did it. You know uh… with feeling."

"I don't know what you are talking about.."

Seodam laughed, thinking that it was also part of the ability that an Archmage had. Actually, if someone knows how to fire a gun, they will be able to carry their own weight. If they could even shoot well, it's an icing on the cake.

Once Aracelli was able to join the battle, their journey became much easier.

Pew!

The rains in this world would pour down in the late monsoon to early winter season. And since it rained all day long, Aracelli became noticeably exhausted as they continued traveling for a week without any breaks.

Aracelii told Yoo Seodam that she started exercising from the year she turned nineteen because of which she had gained strong stamina. However, as she was exposed to the 'fragment of time' and kept getting younger, her stamina as well as muscle had also decreased.

"Before… Professor transform my age back to my mid-twenties. Can you do that again?"

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In fact, Yoo Seodam didn't know how he did it either. When he touched her, the system reverted her back to her age on its own. So, he tried to ask the system once again.

It's impossible.

'What? Why?'

At that time, the original age, that is, the age of Aracelli, including both the soul and the body, was in the early-to-mid-twenties. So, it was possible to remove the fragments of time and bring it back.

'Then you mean, right now, it's not the case right now?'

The client affirmed.

Yes, you are correct. Now it looks like the age of that body as well as her soul is 17 to 18. In other words, it's the exact same as her appearance.

'No way… Aracelli should be around the same age as me or maybe even older than me.'

Yoo Seodam knew that Aracelli had achieved 9th Circle after she graduated from the academy, and that was at least 10 years later. And after she started moving through dimensions, her physical age should be over 30.

But, 17 to 18? That was her academy age.

Yes…. I was also not sure about it, but now I know for sure. Yoo Seodam, you dedicate 'probability' in exchange for traveling between dimensions. If you don't have it, you pay with your 'life force', right?

'Right.'

She too, pays a price. However, she seems to be paying with 'age', not 'life force'.

'…..what?'

As Yoo Seodam panicked, the system added.

Fortunately… There is no problem with her lifespan at all. In other words, if she continues to pay with her age to travel from one dimension to another, she can live forever. There is also a downside of it, which is it will be difficult for her to display her abilities fully since she is young.

Of course, it was difficult for her to properly activate the magic of the 9th Circle. And the self-defence she learned after she turned 19 could not be used properly because her body could not keep up with her mind since her physical strength had returned to the state when she was an ordinary girl.

"……"

"Is something wrong, Professor?"

Aracelli looked at Yoo Seodam anxiously.

'Can't you take Aracelli to Earth? I want her to stop travelling.'

Right now… it is impossible. But I think it would be possible if you had a life-span of over 1 million days? If she heads to Earth now, there is a possibility that her existence itself will disappear.

Aracelli's way of dimensional movement could be said as a 'raft'. A technique that allows her to float on the shore of a calm lake and move to the land on the other side.

However, the system's dimensional movement was a 'super-fast jet'. A technique that allows Yoo Seodam to move freely anywhere, even if it was on the other side of the earth, without being restricted by geographical features.

"Aracelli."

"Yes, Professor?"

"How many times have you travelled through dimensions while chasing after me?"

"I'm not sure.. I think it's been over ten times."

When Yoo Seodam roughly calculated it in his head, it seems that one year of age was used for one dimensional travel.

He took a slow, deep breath, and said to her.

"You can't return to your original age anymore."

"Sorry?"

"Whenever you travel through dimension, you use one year of your age."

Aracelli looked surprised, but Yoo Seodam continued explaining to her what the system had told him. You are traveling by using your age.

You can't go back to your original age.

However, even after hearing such an explanation, she was still as composed as ever.

"Then…"

She smiled widely before continuing. "….I can travel with Professor for a little longer. Maybe, forever."

At the moment, Yoo Seodam was baffled, and it was clearly shown on his expression.

'What is she talking about now? She is still smiling brightly. Should I be glad she isn't shocked? I don't know.'

Yoo Seodam's mind was filled with complicated thoughts. He felt guilty and his heart kept feeling heavy.

"In a strange world, meeting a lot of strangers, and going through terrible things like earlier, or in the previous world, feeling happy and joyful. Either way it's not that bad.. A march like this… Um, it's so exhausting and difficult, but it's still good. Because I'm with you, Professor."

"……"

It continued raining. heavily

Yoo Seodam silently stretched his hand and stroked Aracelli's head. Although it was wet because of the rain, Aracelli's head felt warm.

"Alright then. Still, I will definitely take you to Earth later."

"Yeah!"

Yoo Seodam thought that he was very fortunate. Because, Aracelli, who must have been very tired, was still beaming with a smile.

It took three more days before Yoo Seodam and Aracelli arrived at the Munhwa Department Store. They had to walk for ten days straight. It was really an arduous journey.

"I can see it over there."

Beyond the heavy rain that fell endlessly, they could see walls made up of rubbles piled up to a height of 6m, surrounding the Munhwa Department Store inside. There was something like a 'guard post' made of rubbles at a fixed distance between each other with two people carrying guns looking out from it.

'Who is it?'

'I think they're wanderers.'

'First, let's report it to the captain.'

Yoo Seodam could hear the conversation they exchanged through the radio. It was only possible because of his S rank physical ability.

Yoo Seodam and Aracelli walked closer to a distance that ordinary people could communicate by yelling when the people on the guard post pointed their guns and shouted at them.

"Stop! Identify yourself!"

Both Yoo Seodam and Aracelli raised their hands to express their intention to cooperate.

"We are just wanderers. We are seeking shelter for a while before we continue our journey once again. Please let us in."

The people on the guard post whispered once again.

'Are they crazy?'

'To come without any weapons…'

'I think they are really seeking a temporary shelter, though? If that was not the case, would they come without any weapon like that? They look desperate….'

The first principle of safe encounter in a perished world.

Never trust another person.

In case of an encounter between two different organizations or individuals, carrying minimum weapons was a must. In an extremely sensitive world such as this, being unarmed was never considered to be a wise move. They could be kidnapped and held as hostage, or they could be enslaved and raised for food.

That was the reason why they were wary and taken aback after seeing Yoo Seodam and Aracelli without any weapons with them.

Once they reported to their captain via radio, they shouted at Yoo Seodam and Aracelli.

"Come closer!"

They approached slowly.

"Take off the hood!"

Then, their bare faces, which were quite tired from the long journey, were revealed. Their complexion wasn't very good because they had only eaten simple soup so far. Judging by their appearances, it did not seem like they were cannibals. They then turned to Aracelli.

"…A girl. Boss would hate it."

Hate it? By the time Yoo Seodam could process the man's subconscious comment, someone with a sturdy physique in a black suit appeared followed by three escorts.

Then, she jumped down from the top of the 6m wall.

Boom!

'Woman?'

Looking closely at the person in front of him who seemed to be the captain, Yoo Seodam realized she was a woman. She was around 180cm tall, with wild and sturdy muscles. She also had three claw-shaped scars covering half of her face. With her fierce appearance, it seemed that she had worked hard to survive in the apocalypse.

Her gaze alternated between Yoo Seodam and Aracelli for a long time, then said while scrutinizing them,

"You're a wanderer?"

"That's right."

"…To come here means that you know me well. Do you want to die that much?"

"Sorry?"

What are you talking about? Yoo Seodam did not hide his confusion when he heard her question.

"I hate two kinds of people. First, a religious man. And secondly…"

She pointed towards Aracelli with her chin.

"….Man who carry women with them in this destroyed world."

"……."

Only then did Yoo Seodam realize the meaning behind her words. He was aware of how women were treated in the post-apocalyptic world because he had learnt about this genre before.

"What is the reason for a man to keep a woman with them when they can't help much in battle?"

Yoo Seodam's face hardened. He knew that it was better to back down rather than pick a fight here. He racked his brain to find a plausible excuse, Family? Sibling? What kind of excuses would be believable? While he was trying to find a good excuse, Aracelli lifted something out of her arms suddenly.

It was a pistol fully equipped with a silencer.

Flinch!

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At Aracelli's action, the captain, her escort as well as Yoo Seodam were taken aback. Then, she pointed the pistol to the right and shot three times in a row.

Then, three monsters who were hiding on the upper floors of a building crashed to the ground.

Aracelli looked at the monster's corpse for a brief moment before turning her head and looked at the captain with cold eyes.

Only then the captain realized that she had made a mistake. The captain laughed dryly with an apologetic expression.

"Huh…. I'm sorry. I said something offensive. I sincerely apologize. You are better than those bastards who suck their fingers and hide behind others."

She didn't praise Aracelli's shooting skill. But rather, she complimented her guts for pulling a gun and shooting monsters in front of her group members. Because guts were one of the most essential elements to survive in a destroyed world.

In fact, Aracelli was able to pull that off not because she had guts but rather because she was confident that she wouldn't die. But she had no intention of telling anyone about it.

"Alright, kid. I like it. My name is Park Han-seo, the leader of the survivor group here at Munhwa Department Store. I will allow you to stay at my discretion for a day or two. Follow me."

After that Park Han-seo turned around and walked towards the Munhwa Department Store building.

Then, Aracelli looked at Yoo Seodam. She was asking him to praise her.

Yoo Seodam smiled and nodded his head with a baffled expression.

"Yes, good job."

The department store was surrounded by dozens of guard posts, as well as lights and barriers in all directions, so it seemed that it would be quite difficult for monsters to invade. In fact, if monsters appeared in the vicinity, they would be shot by guns, and Park Han-seo said some monsters didn't even get close to the barriers around here.

"Isn't there any shortage of bullets?"

"Not yet."

It may be lacking someday. But not yet.

"In a destroyed world, bullets are treated as more valuable currency than gold or diamonds. We use bullets when trading food or water."

"Is that so?"

Park Han-seo didn't bother to explain that there were cases when they shot bullets in order to trade.

When Yoo Seodam and Aracelli entered the department store, they could see a clearly structured interior. They had removed the unnecessary junk and used blankets as partitions to mark each person's territory. It was similar to a shelter when a disaster occurs. However, it was very different from disaster shelters. People did not have clean water to wash themselves and were very dirty.

"Let's pray. Everyone, get down on your knees."

""Let's pray.""

In the distance, they could see a woman, who seemed to be in her early 30s, gathering about 100 people and was giving a sermon with something like a bible in her hand.

Park Han-seo looked fed up as she saw them.

"Those crazy people are starting again…."

However, she ignored them without any intention to stop them and climbed the unfunctional escalator. Yoo Seodam looked at the priest as he followed closely behind Park Han-seo.

It was not that Park Han-seo didn't have any intention of stopping it, but rather she couldn't.

Religion was a wonderful haven for people in the world that had changed for the worse.

Those who hoped to be saved from this terrible despair carried a huge hole in their hearts. Religion effectively penetrates this gap and solidifies itself in their hearts.

A suitable religion may be a help to survive in Apocalypse. However, if it was a 'pseudo-religion', the story will completely change.

'Pseudo-religion is also a cliché in post-apocalypse….'

For Yoo Seodam, those guys reeked of trouble. It was a cliché in an apocalyptic story that pseudo-religion would cause an accident every once in a while.

Yoo Seodam caught up with Aracelli who was walking behind Park Han-seo. She was in a bad mood as she told them about the origin of this cult.

"At first, everybody said she was a crazy woman, and no one believed her."

"I bet that was the case."

"But as time passed, people started to believe that crazy woman's bullshit. 'Believe in God, you will be saved.' They tweeted like sparrows all day long, and even cried loudly when they heard such words."

Once Park Han-seo said that, Aracelli looked at the believers downstairs. Horrifyingly, they were staring at them.

"Those people… feel weird."

Aracelli's remark sounded very strange. Because they seemed to be crazy already.

'Ah.'

Then, Aracelli met the eyes of the religious woman who was preaching other people. She was staring at her with displeasure, as if she saw something she did not like.

Aracelli couldn't help but frown when she felt that unpleasant feeling radiating from that woman. However, she tried her best to not show it in front of Yoo Seodam.

"…..You want to meet Kim Ha-soo?"

"Yes."

Those who were in high positions always seek high places. Just like any other leader, Park Han-seo also claimed her own room on the top floor of the building. At first glance it seemed like it was a weapons room.

"Well, I understand you. That place is a really good place to live… But will he accept you?"

"I'm curious about that too. What do I need to do to be part of his group?"

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Then Park Han-seo answered simply.

"You need to be a useful person for Kim Ha-soo."

Park Han-seo told a story from back when the destruction began.

When monsters suddenly struck this world, all armed military units in the world evaporated into thin air. They just disappeared suddenly, no one knew where they went.

For modern civilization who lost its army, they were very vulnerable to the monsters. And when humanity was struggling for survival, Kim Ha-soo fortified an entire island and fought safely from there.

"The first person who entered there… Um… Did he say he was in charge of the maintenance of the tidal power plant?"

"Is a power plant technician useful in this destroyed world?"

"It turns out that it was useful. I heard there are a lot of electronic items, including televisions and computers, adult films, movies, entertainment shows, and cultural art. There's nothing missing."

At a glance, I understood why a power plant technician was deemed as 'useful'.

"After hearing the rumors, many people flocked towards his island. Some were accepted, some weren't."

"Then you are…."

"I did get accepted. But, I refused."

"Sorry?"

As my eyes opened up in surprise, Park Han-seo said, while pointing downstairs.

"To be precise, it was only 'me' who was accepted. How can I go alone when those people who are like my own family and have been together with me for years since the beginning of destruction, have been rejected?"

"What is the reason for the rejection? Did Kim Ha-soo deemed that they were useless?"

"No, that's… I don't want to talk about it."nov𝞮𝐿𝚞𝓈𝑩/𝑪/o\𝓂

Park Han-seo was silent, and I didn't ask any more questions.

"…So, is this reason why you come here simply to stay overnight? I don't think that's it."

"You are correct."

I confessed the reason why I came here.

"As I said, I want to enter Kim Ha-soo's fortress. I heard that he doesn't meet anyone easily… but I also heard that they are interacting with you. I need help."

However, as expected from her facial expressions which had deteriorated since I brought up Kim Ha-soo's name. She rejected me.

"I don't even want to go anywhere near his place. I'm sorry, but I can't help you with that."

"……I see."

I nodded. Then, Park Han-seo stood up.

"Anyways, take a good rest over there. Because your friend is already asleep."

I turned around and saw that Aracelli had fallen asleep on a blanket, as if she was dozing. Luckily for her, I had washed the blanket with the help of silver pot before she fell asleep.

"Yes. Thank you."

When Park Han-seo walked away, I carried her in my arms and moved her onto the mat. There was only one mat in this narrow corner, and she told me to sleep on it while she herself tried to sleep on the floor.

Her intentions were touching, but I preferred to sleep on the bare ground since I was already used to it from the field missions I had attended.

So I fell asleep on the floor.

And at late dawn.

I had no choice but to open my eyes because I felt something warm in my arms, but soon I laughed wryly.

"….Gosh."

Even though I had put her on the mat, Aracelli had crawled into my arms at night and held me tightly.

"Aracelli. Go sleep on the mat."

"Eum….. No, I don't want to."

When I pushed her slightly, she only snuggled deeper in my embrace.

Then, I gave up completely and covered her body with a blanket. Either there, on the mat, or here, it would be best to sleep in the most comfortable place.

So, I fell asleep again while hugging Aracelli.

It was a very cozy and warm night.

The dawn when everyone was asleep.

-I'm thirsty….

A plant on the pot which was quietly sitting in the corner of the room, slowly raised her head. With her at the centre, a pure white powder was scattered across the room.

The silver spirit looked out of the window blankly and slowly shook her leaves.

Then, the flower floated on its own towards the window. The pots, which carefully settled by the window, began to soak in the rain.

Although the body of the silver spirit was a plant, her body, including the lower body had become more human-like, and now she looked like a small girl sitting on a flower.

She shook her legs and hummed.

-I like rain….

Another day in the destroyed world passed by.

The saying 'Sun has risen in the middle of the sky' does not seem fit into this destroyed world where rain is constantly pouring down.

As soon as I opened my eyes, I checked the local time using the system. it's 7 am right now. I slept for quite a long time.

When I lifted my head, I saw Aracelli sitting next to the window. She was holding Flower Pot tightly in her arms while staring blankly outside. There were only ruins and heavy rain outside, so I don't think there's anything interesting to see.

'By the way, what the hell is this rain? why doesn't it stop?'

At this point, it wouldn't be strange if there's flood all across the city. So, something is strange.

"Did you sleep well, Professor?"

"Yeah, I had a good sleep. What about her?"

"Oh, Silver Spirit is sleeping. She must be tired."

"Tired? Sleep? That spirit?"

Well, her condition seems a little bit off these days. By the way, why did she call her Silver Spirit? Her name is Flower Pot.

When I went closer and looked at Flower Pot, something definitely changed about her. But I'm not sure what changed. She seems to have grown up a little?

"Let's go down."

"Yeah."

After getting dressed appropriately, we went down to the first floor. What greeted us was the sight of people gathering together while making difficult faces. Among them was Park Han-seo, who had an unusually serious expression.

"What's wrong?"

I led Aracelli towards Park Han-seo and asked.

At my question, she sighed and pointed out towards the window.

The place she pointed at was the second floor of a building in the distance. But because of its enormous size, we could see it clearly.

"That's…… 'face monster'?"

It was the same giant monster that I saw on the top of the building back when I was tending Aracelli who had passed out.

The grotesque and scary human face of the monster stared at this place with its huge, empty, but human-like black eyes without even blinking.

Aracelli grabbed my clothes from behind and stuttered.

"I…Is that the same monster as before?"

"…I don't think so. It looks like a different entity, as there must be several of them around here."

While wandering around the city for several weeks, I couldn't get a glimpse of its shadow, let alone its face. So, I thought that this department store was just extremely unlucky.

However, it wasn't just that.

[The episode of the Protagonist Kim Ha-soo, 'Forming a Special Battle Team for Monsters (1)' has begun.]

This Munhwa Department Store was struck by a misfortune carried by the episode, a storyline of the world which centered around the protagonist.

Why? As I was thinking, I looked at Park Han-seo unintentionally.

The protagonist Kim Ha-soo wanted her. It may be because she was useful, or it may be simply because he has a different reason. However, Park Han-seo declined Kim Ha-soo's proposal, because she still had colleagues left in the Munhwa Department Store.

'But, what if Munhwa Department Store collapses?'

The people would be annihilated and Park Han-seo would be the only one who would survive. Then, in despair, she would go under Kim Ha-soo and pledge her revenge towards the monster. That way, one episode of a supporting character is completed.

'But… With this kind of force, I don't think they would be wiped out?'

It will be inevitable for the department store to collapse since S rank monsters seemed to be overwhelming in this world, where the average level of the awakeners were low. However, if this group of people armed with personal weapons moves systematically, at least half of them could survive and relocate. Why did they get annihilated…

"I'm going to fight right now! Hurry!"

As Park Han-seo gave orders, the combatants started moving quickly.

At the same time, I was able to realize the reason why the Munhwa Department Store was annihilated.

"Everyone put down your guns! All of this is the will of God."

It was because of the fanatic woman.

When all the people who were groaning in panic noticed her, she slowly opened her mouth and said.

"Do not try to resist the will of God. This is also a fate that must be accepted."

"Are you saying that God is trying to kill us?"

"Yes. But it's okay. Once upon a time, the first believer Tatlan cut one of his arms and offered it as a sacrifice to prove his faith. We can also make sacrifices and prove our faith!"

"No way…!"

It was nonsense. However, people still believed it was real. Their eyes gleamed with insanity and madness. The fanatics sobbed and slowly approached the combatant.

"Put the gun down now!"nov𝐄𝑳𝑈𝔰𝑩\𝐜/o\𝚖

"Did you not hear the Saintess-nim?! If you use the gun, God will be angry!! What will you do if that happens?"

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"Disarm everyone!"

"Let's put down our guns and pray together."

It was a world where one could not survive without being crazy, so it is natural that they try to survive desperately.

"What, what is…."

"Are you really crazy? Don't come closer or I'll shoot! Don't come closer!"

Even with guns in their hands, the pure madness of the fanatics made the combatants fall into deep terror. It was a really scary sight to behold.

As the combatants began to step back, the so-called Saintess' voice got louder.

"Don't blaspheme God!! Don't blaspheme God!!"

As the situation escalated further because of the fanatics who sympathized with the Saintess, Park Han-seo eventually shot her pistol towards the air.

Pew~!!

In an instant, the commotion stopped. Park Han-seo then said to the people.

"What the hell is this bullshit when we don't even know if we are strong enough to protect our home!"

Silence.

Everyone looked at her.

"When this department store collapses, we will have nowhere to go anymore. How long do you think you can survive in the wild with no food and no buildings to stay safely through the night? Everyone get your shit together! To survive, everyone has to fight back with their weapons!"

The charisma in her voice resonated throughout the department store. At that level, it seems that people will come to their senses….

"She has fallen!! She must have been stained by Satan!"

…. Or not.

Rather, the so-called Saintess rebuked Park Han-seo's statement with an even more excited voice. While doing so, she also pointed to Aracelli, who was standing right next to Park Han-seo.

"Yes, that woman is the problem! As soon as she came in last night, a monster suddenly appeared! Satan must have led the monster to push us into a darker darkness than the abyss! God, is this the ordeal you bestowed upon us!"

The attention turned into Aracelli.

"She has exceptionally clean skin and a non-human appearance…… If that's not Satan, what is she?"

"That's right!"

"Get Satan out of here!"

"Banish her!"

Depending on the situation, sometimes being too pretty is also a problem.

The so-called Saintess stepped up, she pointed at Aracelli and me, and said.

"We have to atone! We have to atone by offering them as sacrifices to the monsters! That's the only way we can be saved!"

"Atonement! Offering!"

"Offer Satan right now!"

Even in the midst of such confusion, Aracelli looked rather dumfounded than bewildered.

"To think that a day where a demon hunter like me would be called a demon would come…"

(T/N: She used to be a demon hunter in her world, I hope you guys have not forgotten this~)

When I heard her mumbling, the situation was indeed quite funny.

Then, Park Han-seo said to me with a serious expression.

"I'm sorry. It seems like I could only let you stay for one night. Now, please go ahead and leave through the back door. There are few monsters there, so you can safely get to the fortress island. I'll try to stop them as much as I can, so hurry up!"

I greatly respected Park Han-seo who really tried to help us amidst the situation. There must be a backlash from her group, nevertheless, she still tried to help us.

Though, I don't really mind staying here and watch the situation develop further. In the first place, I don't really feel any danger from such a monster. But….

'….This situation, it can be used.'

As I silently pulled the Lost Morning Star I looked around. I could see Aracelli stared at the so-called Saintess with an irritated expression. Well, I understand her feelings. She's been under a lot of stress lately, and when a crazy religious fanatic suddenly picks a fight with her for no reason, of course she can't let it slide.

"Aracelli. How much Mana you currently have?"

"Yes? Ah… there are about 9%."

"Would you like to relieve your stress a bit?"

At my question, she smiled brightly and nodded her head.

"Yeah!"

Shortly thereafter, a ray of light erupted from Aracelli's body.

"Right at this moment please, that Satan…… uh, huh?"

The crazy saintess who was busy shouting suddenly opened her eyes wide and stood there with her jaw dropped as she saw the girl she claimed to be Satan float in the air. The others were doing the same.

The reason is too simple.

"God…?"

"God, to save us…."

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"She came directly…!"

The radiant brilliance generated by the magic of the 9th Circle Mage seems to be too 'godly' for the pseudo-believers.

Eventually, Aracelli walked out of the department store. And as she began to attack the monster with splendid magic, all the fanatics fell on their faces and bowed in tears. Those who blamed her began to bleed as they banged their head to the floor.

The crazy woman was stuttering and faltered back.

But she kept on insisting that Aracelli is a demon.

However, in the eyes of the believers, the same exact woman who she had been condemned as a demon was actually the God they have been praying to, who came to save this place.

Park Han-seo, who was watching the situation, did not miss the opportunity.

She shouted out loud. Louder than the saintess.

"Who brought our Savior?!?!"

Then, people turned their heads and looked at the so-called saintess, before looking at Park Han-seo once again.

"Y..you Captain!"

"If so, whose words should you trust from now on?!"

"Yours, Captain!"

At the same moment, a white glow was fired from Aracelli's hand, burning all the monsters nearby, including the face monster.

'…If you do that, the magical power you have accumulated so far will be halved.'

Aracelli was relieving her stress in a very violent way. It was only natural since she was unable to use her power ever since she arrived in this world and had been forced to hide behind me.

Thanks to her action, Park Han-seo would have an even stronger influence in her group.

"She dared to incite us all by falsely telling the will of God! Who is the true Satan? Answer me!"

"That, that…!"

"Can't you answer me?"

"It's Lee Ha-woong!!"

People shout in unison.

Turns out, the name of the so-called saintess is Lee Ha-woong. She was able to gather power through selling the name of God. But since someone who looked more like a god appeared, her power burst easily like a bubble.

"I want you guys to put her in front of me!"

"Wa..wait! I've been set up! It's not God's will! This, this is something…!"

"Shut up!"

It was a simple, violent, and straightforward world. In this kind of destroyed world, humans were simply unable to think deeply. That was why people could just drag a woman who was, until a moment ago, worshiped like a god and force her down on her knees.

"In this age where it is impossible to know whether we will be able to survive today or tomorrow, the sin of inciting people and leading them to death is great. Do you know your sins?"

"I, I am innocent! This is all God's will…! You guys, aren't you afraid of God's punishme-aaaaaahhh!!"

Park Han-seo kicked Lee Ha-woong's knee. It was a light kick, but the result, her knee was bent backward. As Lee Ha-woong rolled over the floor and screamed, Park Han-seo shot a bullet an inch away from her head. Then, while moaning, Lee Ha-woong's scream subsided a little.

Park Han-seo grabbed Lee Ha-woong and pulled her up, and then, she met her eyes. Then, Park Han-seo whispered so quietly that she could only be heard by Lee Ha-woong.

"God's punishment? God has already abandoned us. You don't know even after seeing what happened to us?"

"You dare to insult God…."

"If there was a god, the world would not have been destroyed like this in the first place. If it was a god who has abandoned humans, it is not worth serving him anymore."

"You will be punished! I assure you, you will receive it! You will be punished…!"

"Really? Then please pray as hard as you could and ask your god to give me a punishment."

After saying so, Park Han-seo ripped one of Lee Ha-woong's ears.

"OHHAAAAAAHHHHH…!!"

The leader of the survivor group needs to take the initiative in their group whenever there is a chance. It was because the leader's job was to decide whether to save a person or to kill them at a critical moment when life and death were at stake.

"Drag her away and lock her in the basement but don't kill her."

Park Han-seo had a serious expression on her face, and Lee Ha-woong was able to see it even while being dragged away.

"Because I'm going to 'punish' her in person."

"Ouaaaaahhhh…!!"

Lee Ha-woong struggled to free herself. But, she was beaten by others and she passed out.

While everybody was focusing their gaze on Aracelli, Park Han-seo approached me.

"….Thank you. You saved my life. It was really dangerous. Still, because they were like my own family, I couldn't threaten them with guns and it was a headache…."

After listening to her words, I know for sure. She was probably going to lose all of her precious family while trying to save one more person. Well, that would be the case if I wasn't here. It doesn't matter much because it won't happen anymore.

"Well, I just did what I had to do."

"Is that so? Then, do you have something you want?"

"Of course, I have something that I want."

"….."

In response, Park Han-seo sighed before immediately laughed and nodded her head.

"…Okay. Since I have received such great help, I can't refuse you, can I? I will accept the request you made yesterday."

Munhwa Department Store was a shelter with security features that far surpassed the shelters of other survivor groups. There were emergency sirens, solar lights to obscure monster's eyes, walkie-talkies at each post, and many more. Although it was an item that couldn't be made anymore, technology from modern civilization was indispensable in this post-apocalyptic world.

In addition, they also converted a 9.5 ton truck into a combat vehicle, equipped with a barbed wire with electricity flowing through it, and thick walls made of few layers of steel that couldn't be penetrated easily at the back of the vehicle.

Currently, Aracelli and I were inside the moving long blue truck, referred to as the Blue Dragon.

On the way, we had encountered several monsters. But most of them were killed by the machine gun installed at the top of the truck. And when a slightly larger monster came out, they were killed using missiles. Park Han-seo informed me that this area was cleaned up periodically, so it was okay to make some noise.

"Where did you get all these things?"

From what I remembered, most of the post-apocalyptic genre novels always start when the end is approaching, so I was curious about how Park Han-seo could procure such excellent weaponry.

"We bought it from 'Jay Company'."

"Jay Company?"

"Yeah. That is how people around here call Kim Ha-soo's fortress."

"Oh….."

Well, Kim Ha-soo was someone who could buy anything he wanted using his 'Shop Window' ability. I'm still not sure about his motive of trading with people from the outside world, but, for me, the fact that it was a thread that connects me with Park Han-seo was enough.

"Jay Company also trades with other groups besides us. They often support the awakeners and the troops. It was also thanks to Jay Company that the Republic of Koran is still standing today. If they didn't build a huge 10m high wall in the northern part of the 'Koran Peninsula' to block monster invasion, the Republic of Koran might have perished a long time ago."

(T/N Koran is not a typo guys~)

"……"

The more I got to know about Kim Ha-soo, the more I thought about him. Thankfully, because Munhwa Department Store wasn't that far from 'Yeoron Island', we arrived at the fortress in about 3 hours.

"There……."

In the distance, through the pouring rain, I could see a huge island.

The island was surrounded by approximately 12m high concrete walls. On top of it, from the numerous parabolic antennas built around the island, it seems like it was also guarded by radar and satellite. There were also numerous troops on the lookout bunkers in the wall.

The anti-aircraft missile launcher showed its majesty on the turret which was built in the east, west, north, and south directions.

According to the topography, 'Yeoron Island' is similar to Yeoui Island in Seoul back on Earth. However, Yeoui Island consists of two islands and is located in Incheon.

"Originally, there were seven bridges leading to Yeoron Island. However, six of them were blown up by the Jay Company. The only one left is this Yeoron bridge."

Of course, as the only bridge left, Yeoron Bridge was thoroughly armed with a state-of-the-art security system. After riding through it for a few minutes, a booming sound from a loudspeaker suddenly greeted us.

-Stop there! Identify yourself!

After stopping, Park Han-seo was the first person to wear a raincoat and get off. Then, Aracelli and I followed her closely with our respective black raincoats. From the other side, five thoroughly armed soldiers approached us.

'Woah… Their equipment is no joke.'

They wore chain armor that covers their whole body, or body armor that covers the upper body, complete with all kinds of optical equipment. They were also equipped with state-of-the-art assault rifles with laser dot sights. It was far inferior from the equipment from 2050, the era I lived in. However, it's still good to see that their equipment was a product of modern science.nov𝑒𝓵𝐔𝑠𝒷/𝑐\o/𝗆

Very few monsters of this world can tear that sturdy chain armor at once. Moreover, because monsters of this world don't have ether coating their skin, they can be easily cut down by one company of fully armed soldiers like them.

'It's a chain armor.'

If I remember correctly, before the ether suit was invented, Earth used chain armor during Monster World War I. I guess, in every world, people tend to think similarly. That's why the Earth-like culture and science spread around quite a lot of the world.

"It's Park Han-seo. I come here because I have business with President Kim Ha-soo."

"…Report to the captain. If you say that Park Han-seo is here, he will respond quickly."

As I stared at the grenades hung on their waists, I was relieved that it wasn't an ether grenade. Therefore, it posed no harm to my equipment.

Well, even if they throw it at Aracelli, she wouldn't bat an eye even though her current mana is only 5%.

'What is the current repair progress on Bright Season armor?'

[It is 71% fixed.]

Currently, I was wearing a first-grade thin lightweight ether suit inside my coat. My main armor was damaged because of Bang Ho-win's powerful attack. Fortunately, hero-level items have [automatically equipped] option as well as [automatically repaired] option, which enables the item to slowly restore itself just by putting them in the inventory.

-Bztzzttt, ah ah. Can you hear me?

Kim Ha-soo's cool voice came from something I presumed to be an interactive communication, not a walkie-talkie.

"Yes. I can hear you well."

-Haha! Park Han-seo! Long time no see! You still have a sexy and cool face!

"I'll only listen to your praise."

-Are you finally joining our company?

"I'll join you anytime. If you accept my men, though."

Then Kim Ha-soo sighs and says.

-Didn't I tell you before? We will never take those who have become a 'cannibal'. Human taste is so sweet and intense that those who have tasted it will never forget it. Even if it's your younger brothers, I can't help it.

"……"

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Park Han-seo bit her lips at his remark.

'That's why he didn't accept them….'

The other day, the survivor of the subway station had told me that they were rejected by Kim Ha-soo when they tried to go under him. Now I know why. It turns out, Kim Ha-soo has the ability to distinguish normal people and those who have indulged in cannibalism, and he only brings people to his fortress after thorough verification.

"Forget it then. Rather, I brought you some guests. They will be extremely useful to you."

-Guests?

"That's right. Didn't you say you needed a combatant? Take these friends instead of me."

-Hmm…. I don't accept unverified people. Are you confident in your skills? One is a young girl and the other one is a young man in his early twenties. I don't think they are qualified though.

He pondered for a moment, then said once again.

-Well! You are people brought by our Park Han-soo, so I can give you a chance to prove your skills.

As soon as his words ended, Aracelli slightly flew to the air. When the soldiers saw it, they were frightened, and started stumbling and stepping back.

With a faint glow wrapped around her body, she flew to the railings, put one of her legs on it, and conjured a bullet in front of her finger. After that, she closed one of her eyes and took an aim towards somewhere.

Her target was a giant turtle monster that was floating on the sea.

As a magic circle formed on her fingertips, I was completely taken aback.

'She reduced the mana cost by omitting the automatic aiming spell and personally taking aim?'

It seems like this was Aracelli's unique way of using magic when her mana is limited while traveling through numerous worlds. Even though a 'rebound phenomenon' would occur if she failed to calculate even 1 character, she is still calmly doing it.

-Oh… Are you an awakener?

"You'll know when you see it."

And then, Aracelli made a motion of firing a gun with her fingers. A yellow laser travelled at lightning speed and pierced the turtle's neck.

-This is…. a little, surprising. I think I disrespected such an important guest.

"That's not the end. Last night, that kid hunted an S rank monster alone and rescued our department store."

-S rank alone? I can't believe it, I can't believe it…

Aracelli's impact was so strong, Kim Ha-soo didn't even care about me.

"That young man is also a very capable person."

"Yeah! He is my professor!"

-Oh, really? This is going to be a really sexy day!

"……."

Hearing Aracelli's words, it seems like Kim Ha-soo thought that I am some sort of her teacher… But I'm not. I might not be able to reach even her toe when she is in her peak, but I could surely catch up to her when she's in her weakened state like right now.

There were two cards that I could reveal right now.

It was my S rank physical ability and mobility or a C~B rank magic with the help of Winchester and Flower Pot. In this world, S rank stats were likely to be overly noticeable, and I couldn't afford to reveal all my skill in the midst of not knowing when I would face Kim Ha-soo, so I lifted up Winchester, which I had on my back in advance.

-It's a gun.

It's not strange for an Awakener to have a personal firearm, but it will surely look very ordinary compared to Aracelli who defeated monsters in the distance with single magic. It doesn't matter though. In the first place, I don't want to stand out.

I deliberately turned Winchester around and loaded it. Then I approached the fence and put one of my legs on it just like Aracelli. I calmed my breath and aimed towards a swimming monster in the distance.

Then, I pulled the trigger.

Pew~!

The very next second, the bullet struck the neck of a giraffe-like monster which showed up above water in the distance. However, the monster recognized that its neck and head were its weak points and had evolved in the direction of covering both of it with thick leather, so it could not be killed instantly.

-Hmm······.

At the same time, Kim Ha-soo's voice, which seemed a little disappointed, came out.

Pajijijijik!!!

Suddenly, an electric shock flowed through the monster's body, and it died immediately.

It was as I expected…. Or not.

Out of nowhere, the spark soared about 5m high to the sky just like a thunderbolt, and scattered with a loud rumbling to all directions, stunning all monsters within 10m radius.

'What?'

My magic bullet doesn't contain that much power. Something is strange, it feels like my strength has become stronger.

'Flower Pot. Did you do it?'

My magic only gets stronger when Flower Pot tampers with it. So, I called her, but there was no answer from her.

-Huh? What, what kind of bullet did you use?

I'm also not sure…. But anyway, my goal of attracting interest from Kim Ha-soo has succeeded.

I told him a lie that I had prepared in advance.

"My abilities can give properties to bullets."

-It's a great ability!! Could you share those bullets with others?

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"It is possible, but it is quite difficult."

-Good. Very sexy! (T/N it's the raw, don't blame me for this sexy out of sudden.)(E/N: Can I presume that there could be some gaybait moments from here? w)

If Aracelli proved herself as an individual with great combat power, I proved myself as a good combat assistant. The ability to assign attributes to bullets may not be that great alone, but if the bullets were shared with multiple people, it will surely shine.

-OH!!! Let me personally pick you up. Wait there sexily!

"Ah, yeah…."

Tuk, the communication was cut off.

When I heard the beep sound, I could only stand blankly. Park Han-seo tapped my shoulder.

"Then, I pray for you. I hope I can see you alive in the future."

After saying that, Park Han-seo turned back and returned from the same path we had taken to come here. Meanwhile, Aracelli and I were able to enter Jay Company's fortress with Kim Ha-soo, who picked us up in an armored car.

The fortress was more secure than I thought. On top of it, it was totally modern. All sorts of radar equipment were scanning the territorial waters and airspace 24 hours a day, dozens of guard posts were manned by dozens of guards to detect intruders. This place was far from an ordinary group of survivors from a destroyed world, it was looking more like a military base.

Kim Ha-soo, who was sitting next to me, said as we passed between buildings that were built in similar shapes.

"Yes, you look sexier when I see you myself. I love it!"

"Yes……"

He was an Asian in his mid to late 30s. If the Koran Peninsula in this world is the same as Korean Peninsula on Earth, he could probably be considered a Korean. His name also sounds Korean, so my guess is probably correct.

"You must have heard the story from our cute Park Han-seo?"

"I heard you are trying to organize a special force."

"That's right. Originally… I couldn't get any more people, but you'll be able handle it and make my dream come true!"

"Dream?"

I could see barracks were installed on every street that we had passed, and soldiers were running around the streets to train their physical strength.

'That's a machine factory. Is that… a butcher shop? Or is it a meat store? A small coal mine and a granary…. From a power plant to base station. What's missing?'

When I came in, I realized that Yeoron Island was a place that had been developed beyond imagination. It was good to see all modern facilities were integrated to this place.

"…Just what more do you want in this perfect environment?"

"Look over there."

Kim Ha-soo pointed out the window. Only then was I able to find another island which was located right next to this island. It was a little bigger than this island, the barrier around that island was also thicker. There weren't many facilities. But……

'Is that an apartment?'

There were dozens of apartments. There were also 'residents' living there.

"They are civilians. I remember the faces of all of them."

"……"

"Not every one of them are nice. But they are all very sexy people who haven't abandoned their humanity!"

I inadvertently turned my head and looked at Kim Ha-soo.

On top of his head, I could see a text that clearly indicated that he was the protagonist. In other words, his existence is something that is rapidly leading this world to destruction.

However,

"My dream is simple. I want to kill the monsters who occupy the northern plains and take over the land."

"Is there any reason to do that?"

"This land is too cramped. I can't feed them all with my shop window alone. I need land, a land for farming. And with that land as the cornerstone, we will establish a 'country' once again. How about it, isn't it a very sexy and sensible plan? Haha!"

"…….."

I couldn't answer his question.

It wasn't because his plan was absurd.

If his dream was true, it means that the existence of the protagonist Kim Ha-soo is very essential in this world.

Shop Window. An ability to recover all modern culture and technology that were lost at the time of destruction was also the only way to revive a perished world.

"Professor…."

Aracelli, who was listening to the story, took my hand with an anxious expression. Without knowing about the worries that plagued our minds, Kim Ha-soo laughed out loud while looking somewhere farther away than the place I was looking at.

"So, I hope you can help me with that sexy ability of yours!"

[E/N: Honestly I am imagining him as a buff gym bro from the way he talks]

"……"

I couldn't give him any answer.

And, that evening.

[An Episode has been skipped.]

[The probability of the world has been drastically consumed.]

[The world moves swiftly towards the 'ending']

The end began to come to the world that was slowly destroyed.