Chapter 24
Originally, the protagonist would struggle endlessly in the tower at the beginning, but since the original story no longer matters.
‘Meeting the healer early might be better, after all.’
Baek Yi-heon was surprisingly hot-blooded and had a fighting style that didn’t spare his own body in battle.
It would be better in many ways to find the healer companion first.
Of course, I’m not going to Busan for Baek Yi-heon’s sake. My interests lie elsewhere.
Namely, using magic stones to create barrier stones myself.
I know how to imbue magic stones with power, turning them into mana stones.
Of course, unlike permanent monster repellents, these break when the mana in the magic stone is depleted.
‘That’s why I had it as a backup plan…’
Still, it should be enough to keep monsters at bay while I make my way to the shelter alone.
‘With the power of the awakened one in Busan, ‘Choi Yudam’…’
“Noah, are you planning to stay here?”
Baek Yi-heon asked, looking at me as if examining my thoughts.
I quickly exclaimed,
“No! Busan, I want to go with you!”
At my answer, the corner of Baek Yi-heon’s mouth twitched slightly.
Does he not like it? Well, he might find me cumbersome, with no special abilities or strength.
I hastily said,
“You know, I’m actually an apocalypse maniac with lots of survival knowledge. I may be a lowly minor god, but I’m awakened too.”
[(Messenger) Indra, who had been quietly listening, flinches at the sudden personality attack.]
“And, since I used to drive a truck, I know geography well and I’m an excellent driver. Also…”
“I’ve confirmed that.”
Baek Yi-heon cut me off bluntly.
What’s this, why is he interrupting, so does that mean he wants me to come along? Or…
“Let’s go together.”
Still in that gruff tone.
But once again, I knew this was his best effort.
I smiled brightly.
This time, it was genuine.
Without any ulterior motives about survival cheat keys or protagonist, his words “Let’s go together” made me happier than anything else.
…It felt like he was saying, ‘It’s okay for you to be alive here.’
“……”
Unusually, Baek Yi-heon didn’t turn his head away abruptly.
He stood there for a while, looking at me with a blank expression I had never seen before.
💎
“You’re in pain?”
I asked Sehun, who was clutching his stomach with a worried expression, after returning to where people had gathered.
“Yes, yes… My stomach hurts, and I feel a bit unwell…”
“Where exactly and how does it hurt?”
I asked with a serious expression.
Sehun has the ability to sensitively detect malice.
‘Could it be that those people have appeared again? Or is it monsters?’
“Well, my stomach, it seems to hurt a bit…”
“Is it physical pain? Not like last time when you felt nauseous?”
“Well, you see…”
As I asked with a serious expression, Sehun’s words became increasingly vague.
What is it? Is there some immense evil nearby that he can’t express in words?
Just as I was getting tense, one of the ladies eating stew beside us suddenly burst into laughter.
When I looked at her with a puzzled expression, she asked with a friendly smile,
“That child, he’s not your biological son, is he?”
“Ah, no.”
“I see. The child seems to have grown quite attached to you, young lady. Look at him pretending to be sick.”
“Pardon?”
I opened my eyes wide in surprise.
“Children are like that. They often can’t express themselves well. They often act like this when they don’t want to be separated from their mothers. My son did exactly the same when I was about to go back to work after my maternity leave.”
The lady’s expression became very gloomy when talking about her son.
“Well, it’s not always pretend. In severe cases, they might actually throw up due to separation anxiety.”
I looked at Sehun with wide eyes as he fidgeted, clutching my clothes.
Did he sense my decision to leave this place? Children really are sensitive.
“I, I can eat just a little bit of food.”
“……”
“I’ll practice ‘Guess What’ even harder. I’ll guess correctly when bad people approach.”
Suddenly, I saw my own image overlapping with the child’s face, pleading to Baek Yi-heon just moments ago.
I hesitated for a moment, looking at the child’s small hand gripping my clothes.
To survive, one must be cold-hearted.
I’m a psychopath, a worthless extra, a coward who turned away from salvation.
‘…But Sehun’s ability will certainly be helpful.’
In a ruined world, human selfishness is as dangerous as monsters.
Moreover, while Baek Yi-heon is the strongest in combat, he’s hopeless and useless when it comes to psychological insights.
‘Yes, that’s why.’
After hesitating for a moment, I took Sehun’s hand in mine.
His teary eyes, which had been watching me anxiously, lit up with joy.
The child happily squeezed my hand back.
The high body temperature typical of young children feels warm.
‘I’m taking him because it’s advantageous for survival.’
I repeatedly muttered to myself, as if making excuses for my decision.
It definitely wasn’t because of the warmth of our joined hands.
💎
04. The Most Desperate Wish
After staying one more night at the prison, we set off.
Our group consisted of me, Baek Yi-heon, and Sehun.
The remaining survivors said they would band together and search for another survivor camp.
The distinction between civilians and criminals had already largely disappeared among them.
“Thank you once again.”
Though it was a small group, someone had already taken on the role of leader.
A brown-haired man with a likable face gave a representative greeting.
“We will definitely survive. If we ever meet again, we’ll surely repay your kindness.”
“Try going to Ganghwa Island.”
I blurted out nonchalantly.
“Ganghwa Island…?”
“Yes. Well, it’s a historically significant refuge. Other people might gather there too, you know.”
‘Actually, I’ve already read about this in the novel.’
Although Ganghwa Island doesn’t have walls like the prison, it’s a natural fortress that can efficiently block invasions with minimal defenses.
In terms of scale, the largest survivor camp was established on Ganghwa Island.
‘…Although it gets annihilated in the end by an invasion of the evil god’s avatar army.’
Its large scale ended up making it a target for enemies.
But that happens near the very end of the novel, so they should be able to hold out for about 8 years, probably.
“Ganghwa Island, Ganghwa Island… Indeed, if it’s there… Thank you!”
The man, now having decided on a direction, bowed with a bright smile.
After bowing in return, we got back into our hidden camper van.
“Wow! A bed! We’re going to Busan now, right?”
Sehun asked excitedly, jumping onto the bed.
“Yes. …But before that.”
I glanced at Baek Yi-heon’s empty hands as I naturally took the driver’s seat and he sat in the passenger seat.
The ‘Giant Mole’s Claw’ had been destroyed during the battle with Bang Yohan.
Of course, we could obtain similar weapons by hunting monsters on our way, but we couldn’t rely on such low-level items forever.
‘…I guess I need to help our protagonist level up his equipment.’
For that, our next destination should be ‘Mangsang Beach’ in Donghae City, Gangwon Province.
💎
I slowly reversed to gain some distance, then floored the accelerator and charged forward.
Crash!
The rusting shutter door of the Lott* Mart broke apart.
“Done.”
I grinned, gripping the steering wheel.
“I’m not sure if this is really okay.”
The morally upright protagonist muttered with an uncomfortable expression from the seat next to me.
“If you want to pay, go ahead, Baek Yi-heon-ssi. Though there’s no one here.”
“……”
Feeling guilty about raiding a mart while the world has ended – he’s truly someone who could live without laws.
On the other hand, I, who absolutely couldn’t live without laws, was so happy to find an unraided mart that I felt like singing and dancing.
I smirked like a bandit and murmured,
“Seeing that the door was locked, this must be a goldmine.”
💎
Thank you for reading! ♡
