Chapter 1853 – 1853. Eternal Eden
The gangsters held small, red beads in their hands. If they were real beads, they wouldn’t have put them in their mouths, so they were definitely drugs.
The gangsters’ appearances didn’t change after taking the drugs. However, smiles appeared on their faces, which had been fearful of the turret’s bullets. It was combat excitement. They returned fire despite the bullets pouring down.
Bang, bang, bang, bang!
They hit the turrets accurately. Their accuracy was considerable. This also seemed to be a doping effect.
‘The turret’s counterattacks are slow. The accuracy is also low. This is a manually operated type.’
It was already a crude turret with only one gun attached. After being hit by a few bullets, it couldn’t withstand it and exploded.
It didn’t take long for the three turrets to be destroyed. On the other hand, the gangsters had no casualties except for the three who died while initially fleeing. All 17 were fine. As soon as the turrets were neutralized, they jumped up.
“Hahaha! Did you think you could do anything to us with those shoddy turrets? Doctor Na! Life is a choice, and you made the worst one! Don’t expect us to treat you like a guest!”
Jin Kang-gu and the 17 gangsters approached, laughing. Some of them were pointlessly shooting their guns at the walls.
“…How long do I have to keep watching? Didn’t you say you’d prove it?”
Na Chae-young’s voice came through the speaker. She tried her best to hide it, but her voice was trembling. She seemed to be nervous.
I fiddled with the hilt of my sword. A sotado. I didn’t like the fact that the blade was curved. My preference was for a straight sword.
‘In my current state, I can only do it once. And that would only last a few seconds. I have to kill them all within that time.’
The gangsters spread out as they walked. They would shoot me from the side. If I moved next to the wall, another guy would shoot me.
About 5 seconds. If I dragged it out for more than 10 seconds, I would lose.
‘It’s doable.’
I jumped out from behind the pillar and ran towards them. Thanks to them coming closer, I reduced the time it took to close the distance.
“You stupid bastard. I’ll show you the greatness of guns! Kill him!”
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!
A barrage of bullets poured down as if they had been waiting. But none of them touched my body. They either missed or fell to the ground.
Thunder Sky Style (雷天流) Electromagnetic Barrier (電磁氣幕).
“What the hell?!”
“Why are the bullets missing?!”
“Die! Just die!”
I slashed the necks of two nearby men. I didn’t cut them completely. I only cut their carotid arteries. That alone was a fatal wound. Blood spurted out.
The electromagnetic barrier was still active. There was no time to take a breath. I moved forward again. A gun was aimed at my forehead, but I trusted the electromagnetic barrier. The bullet grazed my head.
I cut another carotid artery.
“Shibaal!!”
The guy cursed. It seemed like he couldn’t feel the pain, probably due to the drug’s effects.
‘Annoying.’
Even though I had killed two people in an instant, no one was backing down. The gangsters were spreading out. I kicked the body of the guy whose neck was half-cut. His body was pushed into the gangsters. Perhaps because they couldn’t shoot their own comrade, the gangsters’ barrage of bullets stopped.
‘Now’s the time.’
I slashed, slashed, and slashed again. I aimed for their necks as much as possible. The guy who tried to protect his neck had his eye stabbed with my sword. I pushed the slashed guys into the gangsters. That was the only way to create even a small gap.
The electromagnetic barrier disappeared.
And some guys started throwing themselves on the floor. I finished them off with the pistols I had taken from them. Even if I wasn’t good at shooting, could I really miss an enemy 1 meter away?
Five left.
‘I’m getting tired.’
My legs were starting to feel heavy. The five of them simultaneously aimed their guns at me and pulled the triggers. I grabbed a corpse lying on the floor and used it as a shield. Bullets hit the corpse. Occasionally, some bullets pierced through. Fortunately, I wasn’t injured, but my neck felt cold.
Click, click!
“Damn it, I’m out of bullets!”
“Me too!”
“You idiots! You should have taken turns shooting!”
I chuckled. It was fortunate that they were idiots. I ran forward and stabbed a gangster’s neck with my dulled sword. I shot the other guys with the pistols I had taken.
Click, click.
The pistol’s bullets were also gone. But it was okay. Out of the 17 enemies, only one was still standing.
When I threw away my pistol, Jin Kang-gu also threw away his pistol.
“Throwing away your gun? Are you stupid?”
“I’m throwing it away because I’m out of bullets, you idiot.”
“…You didn’t even bring extra bullets?”
“If I knew there was a guy like you, I would have brought a whole bunch. And you’re out of bullets too. Don’t worry, I’ll kill you with my fists.”
“Can’t you see my sword?”
“That bloody sword? After slicing up more than 10 people, there’s no way the blade is still sharp. And listen, I’ve beaten more than 10 swordsmen like you to death. Especially a tired swordsman. You’re nothing more than a punching bag.”
“……”
My hands and feet were trembling. My heart had been pounding like it was about to burst, and it was hard to control my breathing. Was it because I was scared? No. It was simply the limit of my physical body.
Jin Kang-gu’s fist flew towards me.
I can’t dodge this.
I could see all the scars on his fist, but I couldn’t dodge it. Regardless of what I could see, my body wouldn’t support me.
And then his fist hit my face.
Pzzzzzzzt!
I released lightning. The output was weak. But it was more than enough to surpass an electric shocker.
Jin Kang-gu and I fell at the same time. I fell because I was punched, and Jin Kang-gu fell because he was electrocuted and fainted.
‘The legend of 17 against 1 was written today…’
My nose hurt. It felt like my nose bone was broken. The stuff dripping out was probably blood. He said he was confident in his punches, and it was definitely a bit spicy.
‘Damn it. That bastard is definitely a punching bag.’
Step, step.
Na Chae-young walked out of the building. She was wearing a white gown, and in her hand was a pistol.
“Chae-young.”
“Just call me Doctor Na.”
“There might be a few survivors. Kill them. Oh, don’t kill Jin Kang-gu. We need to interrogate him.”
“……”
Her body was trembling. The reason was obvious. Even though she made and sold guns, she had never killed anyone directly.
“You’re not scared, are you? You’ll have to kill a few people later anyway. Well, if you really don’t want to get your hands dirty, just wait a little. I’ve decided to be your sword, so I’ll take care of it.”
“…It’s okay. I can do this much.”
Three gunshots rang out.
After 30 seconds, I slowly raised my upper body. It was aching here and there, but I could move my body. It was probably thanks to the recovery effect. My nose bone, which I thought was broken, was already fine. My injuries recovered faster than my stamina.
‘Or did I use up additional stamina while recovering?’
Na Chae-young was sighing as she looked at the scattered corpses.
“Doctor Na. What are you going to do?”
“……About what?”
“The deal. I proved myself. One hour a day. That I can use the sharpest sword?”
“There’s a condition.”
“Tell me.”
“…I don’t necessarily have to swing the sword once a day. So, I’d like to be able to accumulate the time when I don’t use it.”
“Accumulate, huh. Not bad. Well, now that the deal is done, let’s shake hands.”
I held out my bloody hand to Na Chae-young. She paused for a moment, then took my hand.
• • •
Sung Yu-jin and Na Chae-young roughly scattered the gangsters’ corpses in the fields, and Jin Kang-gu, who had fainted, was tied to a chair for interrogation. Afterward, Sung Yu-jin took a shower in the bathroom, and Na Chae-young stared intently at the computer monitor. The monitor was replaying the battle scene between Sung Yu-jin and the gangsters.
Na Chae-young doubted Sung Yu-jin’s strength because of his characteristic of being a dullard. No matter how many multiple abilities he awakened, even if his potential was top-tier, it was meaningless if his talent bloomed late. With the world ending in 30 days, she couldn’t afford to wait leisurely for him to grow.
However, after seeing his combat power, she changed her mind.
‘Is he really a dullard? He’s not even a normal person, and he defeated 17 gangsters armed with guns by himself.’
The bullets the gangsters fired didn’t hit Sung Yu-jin. He created an electric barrier to block the bullets. The electric barrier only lasted for a few seconds, but those few seconds determined the outcome.
The sword fight that started from the moment he approached. The trajectory of the sword, swung without hesitation, was even beautiful.
‘I knew he wasn’t normal. But can he really kill people without hesitation like that…?’
What kind of man is he?
She put her questions aside for a moment and focused on his current value. A multiple ability user who took down 17 gangsters head-on. His combat power was already so outstanding that it didn’t matter if he had the ‘dullard’ characteristic.
‘That’s a dullard…. Did the effects of the characteristics I know change as the game became reality?’
Anyway, since they had already decided to join hands, she and he were on the same boat.
• • •
After showering and changing into spare clothes, I returned to the workshop. Na Chae-young was sitting on a chair with her legs crossed, seriously watching the video of the battle that had just taken place. Seeing her watching my highlight reel made me feel proud for some reason.
I checked the things on the workbench. Some cash, the pistols the gangsters had, and the red drugs the gangsters were taking.
There were almost 30 pills. They must not be expensive drugs if they were carrying so many. I picked up a pill and asked Na Chae-young.
“Doctor Na, do you know what this drug is?”
Gulp.
I quickly swallowed a pill.
“It’s probably Bister I… You idiot! Why are you swallowing a drug you don’t even know?!”
Na Chae-young glared at me and then sighed.
I was curious, so I tried it. Seeing the gangsters taking it without hesitation, I knew the side effects weren’t that severe. Besides, my ability was recovery. I wouldn’t die unless it was a deadly poison.
Thump, thump.
I could feel my heart beating rapidly. My senses were a bit clearer, and my physical abilities were… I wasn’t sure. It seemed like they had increased. The doping effect was less than I expected. Disappointing.
“It’s not that great.”
“Bister I is a basic drug that Bionics can make in the early stages. The ingredients are the blood of quadrupedal beasts. The effects are a slight increase in physical abilities and the elimination of fear of combat. The pain will also disappear to some extent. The drug’s duration is 10 minutes, and there are no side effects if you take it only once every 10 hours.”
“A slight increase in physical abilities? It’s hard to feel.”
“Bister I is mainly used to eliminate pain and fear. It’s mainly given to soldiers with weak mentalities.”
“The fact that gangsters have this drug means…”
“…It means that Bionics is attached to the gangsters. Even if that’s not the case, it’s definitely related to Bionics.”
She and I looked at Jin Kang-gu, who was tied to a chair. Interrogation was necessary to get more information.
