Chapter 88 – Time to Get Stronger (1)

“Mutant… It is a word that means mutation or mutation. So why don’t we name the monster a mutant?”
“Build anything. It’s not like I’m going to exhibit anywhere, so I can just build it roughly, what are you thinking about so seriously?”
“… “

Camilla, who has become a monster naming artist by naming my words Biter or Eater, looks sullen.
But no one in the conference room, including me, pays any attention to Camilla’s sullen expression.
Because other issues are more important than those things right now.

“Hajin Kang, so if you have the trait of blood madness, you’re saying that you’ll turn into the monster you dealt with?”
“Almost certainly. The characteristics of blood madness were stat increase through slaughter, loss of self, and body transformation.”
“Then… Are you saying you’re forced to become a monster if you’re unlucky enough to get that bloody madness trait by increasing your luck?”

Not only Park Jun-mo and Camilla, but also Kim Hyun-joon stare at my face at Choi Ho-il’s serious-faced question.
Even though these people know the answer, they must say it with my mouth… Oh, maybe you don’t know.
Because I’m the only one with full 4 talents in the Shelter.

“Once you know that, right? There is no such thing as the right to reject the traits gained by increasing luck, or the right to discard traits that have been acquired.”
“Then… “
“Listen to the end.”
“Yes…”
“There is only one way to avoid becoming a monster. How to get 4 full traits and trade them for other traits before becoming a monster.”
“To do that, raise Luck to level 50 or get someone else..!”
“You have to kill it. Minimum of 4 people. If you’re lucky, add one more person if you have the same trait. Until then, the precondition is that you don’t lose your ego and don’t become a monster.”
“Nonsense… Ah! Wasn’t Hajin like that last time?! You got the characteristics without killing anyone!”
“It was. I got bitten by a zombie and didn’t get the vaccine, and I just endured it. Give it a try. Because I can be an uncle.”
“… “

Choi Ho-il shook his head at my recommendation.
Although the process of being infected, enduring, getting vaccinated at the last moment and being cured is very painful, you might still get a free feature, but if you’re like me, I’ll give it a try.
Anyway, I knew after hearing Choi Ho-il’s words.
That the monster I fought, the one Camilla named a mutant, might not have become that monster because he wanted to.
The most persuasive hypothesis is that he acquired the characteristic of blood madness unintentionally, and then inevitably killed zombies to make a living and lost his self and became a monster.
At most, I wouldn’t try to become a monster myself like the choice I made.

“Anyway, the best way to meet a mutant is to kill it. Because the moment we first met is when he is at his weakest.”

A monster that continues to grow stronger through slaughter while losing its self.
It is best to kill mutants as soon as they are discovered, if possible.
Of course, if it is possible, the precondition is attached.

“By the way, did everyone give up this time? Are you going to give up your traits while saying nobly, I don’t kill?”
“… “
“… “
“… “
“… “

At my words, Kim Hyun-jun, Park Jun-mo, Choi Ho-il, and Camilla shut up as if they had promised.
Of course, the eyes of the four people are slightly different.
First of all, Kim Hyun-joon decided to kill in order to get the characteristics.
After all, the people caught at Itaewon Station are the enemies of the shelter, and Kim Hyun-jun is not a fool enough to show mercy to the enemies.
However, of the other three, Park Jun-mo and Choi Ho-il seem to be in a severe internal conflict, and Camilla is reluctant to notice.
Well, it doesn’t matter anyway.
I was worried because there were more buyers than sellers anyway.
However, the first thing I asked them was to give them the right to purchase first, as the representatives of each faction need strength to straighten their shoulders and raise their voices.
However… If that’s the case, there’s not much difference between me and them?
Of course, I’m just returning what they did, but people are my own.

“But, rather than that, shouldn’t we discuss the group they talked about?”
“Hey, I still say that there is this man and that man with respect, but why do you keep talking half-heartedly?”
“Because I’m only talking to you. Like you now.”
“Shit… It makes me speechless.”

After organizing Itaewon Station, one of the many things I confirmed when I took the coin while checking the characteristics was that they were fugitives who ran away from a certain group.
The place where they stayed before running away was Dongdaemun Plaza, which is 4km away from Itaewon Station in a straight line on the map.
It is also said that many people survived and several forces were divided, just like our shelter, and it is said that the guy I killed, Park Seung-woo, was a representative of one of those forces.
However, it is said that, in a fit of anger, he ambush the guy who leads the biggest force in anger because the force he is leading is constantly being pushed back while fighting for power in an implicit way to seize the initiative or internal circumstances such as this or that.
However, the guys explained that they had failed and fled to Itaewon Station with their men who had joined the surprise attack to avoid the pursuers.

“You looked at the map and explained. It is 4km to Itaewon Station and it is over 5km from here. But what are you talking about? They’re people you’ll never see.”
“But if you’re still looking for them, chance might find you here.”
“So what? You want me to go and kill you first?”
“Whoa… That’s not what I meant.”

It is said that the guys there are quite strong if the guy named Park Seung-woo ran away.
Of course, Park Seung-woo arrived at Itaewon Station and acquired characteristics through human trafficking and made them pop up, but the guys who saved them stated that all methods of using people in that way were the way they had been done there.
After hearing those words, to be honest, I am not without a sense of crisis.
If Park Seung-woo is strong enough to run away, like the mutants, I can’t just boast that I’m stronger.
But here there is a very big difference from other places.

“It’s useless now, don’t worry about it. We just have to live on our own. After all, we have guns.”

Yes, the gun.
We have a very good weapon called a gun.
Of course, guns are just one of the items sold in stores.
As long as there is a coin, anyone can have it.
Of course, it’s about whether you have the ability and afford to pay for that coin to buy a gun.
A regular revolver costs 1500 coins, an automatic pistol costs 2500 coins, and a rifle costs 7000 coins.
In addition, 9mm bullets for 30 coins and 5.56mm bullets for 50 coins must be purchased separately, so it is unreasonable to be armed with firearms except for places like our shelters, which are basically equipped with firearms.
Of course, you can do it if you want to, but your physical ability will be reduced, so you can attack it enough by luring and pushing in a few biters or eaters, so it doesn’t pose any threat.
So you don’t have to worry about it now.
Now.

“… “
“… “
“… “
“… “
“No, why are you looking at me like that? Do you see it that way?”
“Because you said we are now.”
“That’s right.. This is the first time, Mr. Hajin used that word…”
“Have you finally opened your heart too?”
“You’re talking nonsense again, really…! When I’m done talking, I’m leaving. You should follow along and choose your characteristics.”

I leave the people who give meaning to useless words and leave the meeting room with Kim Hyun-jun.

“What kind of meeting is this with so many injuries?! I need to get treatment first!”
“That’s right! And how long did my sister and I wait, but they didn’t come to the shelter right away and went somewhere else and fought again?! You have a mind, you don’t have one!!”
“Ah… Nagging really..! I heard the same thing from this guy, so don’t add to yourselves!”
“What nagging is this! I’m worried!”
“Sister, take me to the infirmary first!”
“Okay, don’t resist and follow me!”
“Oh, Mr..!”

I have to get treatment anyway, but it’s not too late to get it after dealing with the guys I brought with me.
Rather, it’s better to finish the work neatly and take a break while receiving treatment, because it’s disgusting to take a break while leaving work to do.
However, because of Minseo and Juha hugging me and dragging me to the infirmary, I decided to postpone the disposition of the guys I caught from Itaewon Station for a while.

Hook!!

“Evil!! Take it easy!”
“Under… Then why don’t you get treated by another doctor? I am not the only doctor.”
“Whoa… That’s why I said I wouldn’t take it from you!”
“Be still, brother. The doctor said he was sleeping because he couldn’t sleep because he was treating Americans yesterday.”

Damn it, there are only five more nurses and only two doctors out of hundreds of people in the shelter.
But what about that!

“Then wake me up. All I have to do is this, so why are you sleeping hard?!”
“It sounds really dirty. Do you know how easy our job is?! If it sounds so easy, why don’t you do it alone?”

Yeo Min-jung, who still harbors ill feelings toward me for killing her real sister, who is neither a stranger nor a close sister, grumbles and mercilessly inserts a needle with a thread into my torn skin.
No, she admits to some extent, but she is still like this.
Eunjung Yeo created a monster that almost killed everyone in the shelter, and until the moment she died, she refused to give up the experiment she was doing.
It was a natural choice to kill Yeo Eun-jung, who became a real risk rather than a potential danger, and the fact that that choice was unavoidable was that her younger sister, Yeo Min-jung, now acknowledges and understands it to some extent, but she still has a damn attitude towards me.
Since there are only two doctors, I can’t kill you just because I’m annoyed..!
Whoa… Be patient, be patient

“Heh heh… Heh heh heh… “

I’m going to die of annoyance, but when I turn my head with a distorted face at the unpleasant laughter I hear from the side, Kwon Joo-hyuk, who is wiping the ax that Park Seung-woo used clean with a towel, looks at me and smiles even deeper.
Why did I give that to that bastard…
And you can’t spit on her smiling face?
You’re fucking shit, I could spit in that face right now.
I’d spit it out even if it was just a little bit closer… Shall we go and spit it out?

“Heh heh… “
“Fuck, stop laughing! And why are you laughing and fucking bad here?! Won’t you go away?!”
“Oh, are you a tsundere? Why do you talk that way when you think of me like this?”
“Do I think of you? You’re fucking That’s 800 coins. Pay it back within a week.”
“How can you pay that many coins back in a week?!”
“Or sparred with me once a day.”
“You bastard…! I’m going hunting, Juha!”
“Brother!! Ha… I told you to stop bullying my brother?!”
“What am I?”

After hearing Joo-Ha’s words to stop bothering Kwon Joo-hyeok with one ear and letting it go in the other, I got out of the medical room and headed to the place where the 12 guys I had caught from Itaewon Station were.
Everyone in the shelter except the guards gathers around them, who kneel before pointed guns with their hands tied behind their backs.
His eyes mixed with anger at the humans who endangered his safe shelter in hell, and anticipation that he might be able to acquire the trait.
But why is that piggy here when he said he was going hunting?
After all, he’s a guy who never misses something to eat.

“Are you here?”
“I’m a little late because of them. But have you decided now?”
“That is… First of all, on our side, the captain, I, Taejin hyung and Minsu hyung decided to do it, and on the American side, Jackson decided to do it… “
“However?”
“Because people say it’s unfair…”
“What unfairness?”
“Of course it’s not fair! There was no explanation as to what criteria the opportunity to acquire traits was given only to them, and there was no reason that the excluded people could understand. In particular, these are the victims’ families and acquaintances. If there is a chance to kill those people, wouldn’t it be right to give these people that chance first?”

I asked, staring at the woman who had jumped out of nowhere and said everything she had to say without hesitation in front of me.

“Do you want to have a characteristic?”
“Ah, no… It’s not what I want… So if I have to give them a chance, I’m saying it’s right to give it to them.”
“If you give it, will you have it?”
“… If you give me a chance… “
“Then what is right?”
“… “

Turning my gaze from the momentarily mute woman to the people, I spoke so everyone could hear.

“Now, if you need standards and explanations, I will. The criterion is, first of all, the strong people who are in the top ranks in the shelter, and the explanation is that strong people have to become stronger so that you can safely hunt even if stronger monsters appear. Do you have any objections?”

There can be no objection
You can clearly check your stats and characteristics, so you can’t force yourself to be stronger, and as I said, you need a fence to protect yourself from stronger monsters if you want to survive by hunting without dying.
And it doesn’t make sense to say that you’ve been hunting safely by sticking to the strong until now, and now you’re going to have a fair chance.
Of course, there may be exceptions.

“500 coins. If there is anyone who will pay me 500 coins here, I will give you a chance to acquire the trait.”
“Gee, are you going to sell someone’s life right now?!”
“No?”
“Of course not… “
“Aaaaa!!! Hey, it’s a dog !!! Then what is the difference between you and us!! Why are you killing us!!!”

One of the eight people I first encountered at Itaewon Station screamed and screamed.
Yes, as I said, if I get a coin and sell him and other guys, I’m no different from them.
The act itself is the word.
But there is something decidedly different.
Of course, as I thought a moment ago, it’s a naeronambul, but.

Jerk-jerk-jerk-
Swoop-

I took a step forward and leaned down and whispered in the ear of the guy who was screaming.

“What is different? That’s right, nothing is different. You’re just dying because you’re weak. And if you’re weak, at least you shouldn’t have done anything bad.”
“This crazy…!”

That’s how all 12 people in the shelter that day acquired D-class characteristics.
Of course, that’s still not enough.
I need to be strong, but other people need to be stronger too.
Even more.
Even for a bigger fight to come.
Hmm… But should I have told you what Park Seung-woo said before he died?

‘They will come..! Certainly!! So let’s join hands with me Even you can’t defeat them!!’