Immortals vs. Grim Reapers - chapter 11
Chapter 11: Grim Reaper Tutorial (Part 3)
‘…Permission for enhancement?’
Gangrim was disconcerted by the interruption of his minor epiphany, but he immediately checked Bimang.
Before he could send a message to Yu Wolryeong or Yeomna, a message arrived first.
“Yeomna: The Death Sword granting enhancement permission on the first day? Your talent is insane, absolutely insane”
“Yeomna: Seems like you were born to die and become a grim reaper.”
“Gangrim: It seems you’re saying something quite absurd.”
Gangrim couldn’t fathom how Yeomna knew about the Death Sword before he even mentioned it.
But since this wasn’t the first time such a thing had happened, he assumed there must be some kind of synchronization.
Just then, the Death Sword trembled and flickered with light.
Strangely, Gangrim felt he could sense the sword’s will.
“Gangrim: So what do I do now? It’s telling me to quickly choose what to enhance?”
“Yeomna: You can select from the Death Sword enhancement list on Bimang.”
“Yeomna: Bimang was created because rookies couldn’t understand the old-fashioned procedures and etiquette. It’s designed to be familiar to the new generation, so use it actively.”
He had seen it. There was a list that appeared when entering the ‘Enhancement’ window on Bimang.
Gangrim followed Yeomna’s instructions and entered the ‘Enhancement’ window on Bimang. The five options that were originally grayed out and inactive were now softly glowing.
‘Attack, Defense, Speed, Stealth, Spirit Power… Is that all?’
“Yeomna: As I said, the Death Sword is a reaper’s insignia, clothing, weapon, handcuffs, and companion.”
“Yeomna: The Death Sword doesn’t just serve as a weapon, but also as your armor, darkness to hide you, and power to restrain enemies. You’re now deciding what kind of reaper you’ll become.”
“Gangrim: …Which one is the best?”
“Yeomna: Don’t ask questions like an elementary school kid searching ‘strongest character growth guide’ on Naver.”
“Yeomna: You know best how you want to fight.”
Gangrim fell into contemplation.
Having played various games, Gangrim felt all the options seemed plausible.
‘Attack’ was undeniably important.
Though the Death Sword was maintaining an impressively sharp state, that was limited to flesh.
It sometimes got stuck when hitting thick clothes or hard bones.
Moreover, if he were to face enhanced zombies, abominations, or even Immortals, enhancing attack ability was crucial.
‘Defense’ was relatively less important. Gangrim had already become able to reject death as a grim reaper.
However, his physical body was still that of an ordinary person. If his body were damaged by an unexpected blow, who knows what might happen when he’s defenseless. Besides, the enemies he’ll face from now on aren’t ordinary zombies.
‘Speed’ would clearly play a crucial role in short-term decisive battles against zombies.
‘Stealth’ also seemed useful to Gangrim, who had been unilaterally decimating zombies in the darkness.
‘And Spirit Power… is it.’
Originally, Spirit Power would have seemed the most ambiguous. To Gangrim, who possessed ‘Dog’s Eye’, Spirit Power had felt like a utterly useless ability.
Now he knew its importance. Physical recovery, immortality ability, and even the power to use abilities would all be influenced by Spirit Power.
However, Gangrim soon realized he didn’t need to deliberate for long.
He had already seen and returned from a world that met its end.
If he thought about how he should fight against the Immortals in such a world, the answer was roughly determined.
Gangrim chose the ‘Stealth’ option.
“The reaper’s stealth ability is enhanced.”
“‘Hunter in Darkness’ trait acquired”
“Reduced noise generation.”
“Increased attack power in darkness.”
“Reduced presence in darkness.”
Upon selecting the stealth option, a message appeared on Bimang indicating that not only his ability to hide had improved, but his attack power had increased as well.
Gangrim tried walking slightly as a test. He could definitely feel his footsteps had become quieter.
Just then, Yeomna sent a message.
“Yeomna: Stealth? Unexpected.”
“Gangrim: Didn’t you say I’d know best?”
Gangrim typed out a reply saying not to give unsolicited advice like an uncle watching a kid play games, but then deleted it.
He’s my superior. He’s my superior. He’s my superior.
Despite Yeomna’s concern, Gangrim was confident in his choice.
Zombies are weak but incredibly numerous, and the Immortals are hiding in the very heart of humanity’s pinnacle. No matter how close to immortality Gangrim had become, he was clearly still the underdog.
‘But you don’t know me, and I know you well.’
Gangrim had thoroughly grasped information about the VIPs while attending to General Gerald for years.
He’d have to sort out which among them were Immortals, but he was confident in his ability to strike from the shadows.
‘Stealth’ was a means to further enhance his strengths.
“Yeomna: Anyway, your growth looks promising. My eye for talent must be acknowledged.”
“Gangrim: I’m the one who did well, so why are you the one getting praised?”
“Yeomna: It feels a bit like raising an auto-hunting character.”
“Yeomna: SSS-grade auto-hunting rookie grim reaper.”
Gangrim felt exasperated yet somewhat empathetic.
Who wouldn’t like seeing someone they personally recruited growing well?
Gangrim suddenly recalled his time under General Gerald.
A period when he felt he was progressing yet sensed a vague wall. The pressure that seemed to say no matter how hard you try, this is your limit.
‘Compared to that time…’
Having a superior who acknowledges your good work is a pleasant thing.
His gaze turned to the corpses of the family in the wardrobe.
Gangrim gripped the enhanced Death Sword once again. Praying for their souls to rest in peace, he left the building.
‘Zombie hunting’ continued daily.
Gangrim had no intention of ending his training after clearing just one villa.
Thinking of it not as simple training, but as his duty as a grim reaper to put zombies to rest, made him even more determined.
The mission completion messages and steadily accumulating soul pay somewhat diluted the meaning, but work was work.
“Phew.”
The third day, daytime.
Gangrim exhaled briefly and slowly opened the door.
Through the crack, he saw one zombie. Gangrim immediately flung the door open while striking the zombie’s head, then surveyed his surroundings.
Two zombies were rushing towards him from the kitchen.
Two steps back.
The moment the zombies lined up, he swung his hand axe again, taking off one zombie’s head.
Kicking the corpse, he made the other zombie stumble, then delivered a blow to its forehead.
Thud.
The flow of clearing one house was completed almost in a single breath.
He wasn’t even out of breath anymore. Minimize energy consumption, eliminate visible zombies as quickly as possible, and maintain a state of alertness at all times.
These were the basics of anti-zombie combat.
Gangrim looked out the window. It was still daytime, the sun not yet set.
‘Now I can hunt during the day without issue.’
Once the handling of the hand axe and zombie hunting techniques were fully ingrained in his body, he decided to try hunting during the day.
And as expected, Gangrim now felt he had almost completely returned to his zombie hunter days.
‘Is it because my recovery speed is faster? Muscles are building up quickly.’
He had been told that as long as the spirit form was intact, the flesh would try to return to its original state.
At the time, he had only thought his wound healing speed was fast, but it was more than that. The spot where the enhanced zombie had bitten him had already healed, and his muscles were considerably more developed compared to three days ago.
‘No, this is still strange.’
Gangrim had been fighting in a way that minimized energy consumption, so there shouldn’t have been room for muscle growth like before.
He hadn’t been doing any separate physical training, after all.
But as Gangrim examined the traces of muscle, he suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu.
‘Could it be recovering to the state before I died?’
Colonel Gangrim, as one of humanity’s last survivors, had possessed a powerful physique.
Though not at the level of a high-ranking awakened one, he had been trained to the point of approaching the limits of ordinary humans.
If his body was returning to that state, the current muscle growth made sense.
Gangrim worriedly checked for wrinkles, hoping he wasn’t aging as well.
Just then, a notification sounded on Bimang.
“Mission: Another Night (Repeatable) Completed!”
“Objective 1: Hunt Zombies (Completed)”
“Reward 1: 10 nyang soul pay per 10 zombies”
“Additional Reward: (Special) 100 nyang soul pay for completely clearing the area (Achieved)”
‘So this was the last house.’
All this time, he had been eating food Yu Wolryeong brought and sleeping in empty houses within the villa complex that was little more than ruins.
He had only stayed at the hotel Yu Wolryeong had arranged on the first day.
‘I’d like to wash up now, though.’
Living and eating in a zombie-infested city was familiar to Gangrim.
Water and electricity hadn’t been cut off yet, and some places still had gas. Finding supplies or creating safe hideouts was child’s play.
Since Bimang’s battery didn’t drain, it was easy to kill time during the day when he was likely to be surrounded by zombies.
‘The early stages of the zombie plague were quite manageable, no matter how many zombies there were.’
Compared to when the zombie plague was raging across the world, this was literally a peaceful life.
All hell broke loose when gates started opening in every direction.
Zombies became generally stronger, and abominations and enhanced zombies poured out, so people hiding alone died quickly.
Only organizations with powerful awakened ones and well-equipped armaments could hold out.
Recalling those nightmarish times made the present feel like a dream.
Just then, a message arrived. It was from Yu Wolryeong.
“Wolryeong: It seems you’ve finished clearing the area.”
“Wolryeong: How much soul pay have you gathered now?”
“Gangrim: About 860 nyang.”
“Wolryeong: You’ve gathered quite a bit. I would have spent it all by now.”
“Gangrim: …On Today’s Fortune?”
He could try Today’s Fortune, but Gangrim wasn’t fond of gambling.
Having already won a ‘Legendary’ grade fortune once, Gangrim thought he had used up a month’s worth of luck.
“Gangrim: I’m planning to save it for now.”
“Wolryeong: I see.”
“Wolryeong: Now that this place is almost cleared, I think it’s time to move on to the next stage.”
Finally.
Gangrim stood up.
The villa complex was now completely cleared.
He had been expecting news soon, as he had achieved the special objective of “Additional 100 nyang reward for completely clearing the area” yesterday, increasing his soul pay.
“Wolryeong: First, escape from here and return to the hotel.”
“Wolryeong: I’ll notify you of the next destination afterwards.”
“Gangrim: Ah, wait a moment.”
“Wolryeong: ?”
“Gangrim: Is it alright if I stop by somewhere before that?”
There was a place he had been postponing visiting to prioritize mission completion.
While cleaning the villa complex, Gangrim had thoroughly familiarized himself with the surrounding geography. He was currently near the south of Itaewon.
And if his memory was correct, something quite memorable had happened nearby.
“Gangrim: I heard an enhanced zombie appeared around here. If it’s alright, I’d like to catch it.”
“Gangrim: No, I’d like to put it to rest.”
While catching ordinary zombies, he had felt a growing thirst for a real challenge.
Moreover, having enhanced the Death Sword and obtained Bihyeong’s Eyes, it didn’t feel real without a worthy opponent.
Yu Wolryeong didn’t respond for a moment.
Gangrim wondered if he had overstepped, but soon Yu Wolryeong replied.
“Wolryeong: Can you tell me which zombie it is?”
“Gangrim: It’s one nicknamed Sergeant Lopez…”
Gangrim pondered how to explain this zombie.
In fact, there had been debate until the end about whether it was truly an enhanced zombie. It was hard to find similar zombies after it was caught.
Before Gangrim could explain, Yu Wolryeong sent another message.
“Wolryeong: Interesting.”
“Wolryeong: As it happens, our next objective was about that.”
That?
Gangrim thought Yu Wolryeong was referring to the enhanced zombie in an odd way.
But there was a reason for Yu Wolryeong’s peculiar way of addressing that enhanced zombie.
“Wolryeong: A clue about an Immortal has been detected in this area.”
“Wolryeong: That enhanced zombie might be a type of Immortal.”