Chapter 4

4====================

The Beginning of Chaos

The apartment corridor was quiet. Of course, with only two households, it was to be expected, but today the silence felt particularly heavy.

However, that oppressive silence shattered the moment the iron door leading to the stairs was opened.

Creeeeak…!

A chilling scream rose from below. Hyejin, visibly startled, clung tightly to Sehyun. He patted his frightened sister reassuringly and began to lead the way down the stairs.

"Really, you're going down?"

Hyejin's words came out in a stammer, as if her voice was lagging. She had been in a state of extreme fear ever since they left the apartment.

The air seemed cooler, and the ordinary stairs now felt shrouded in a sinister atmosphere. Moreover, the scream they had just heard made her feel like a supporting character in a horror movie, mindlessly venturing into a dangerous place only to meet a gruesome end.

She knew her brother was not ordinary, but she didn't know exactly how strong he was. Sehyun had never shown her everything.

He didn't think there was a need, or that there would be a situation requiring such power.

But now, it was different. At least in a place where no one else could see, there was no reason to hold back.

"Don't worry."

"How can I not worry! You said zombies are coming!"

"Shh! The zombies will hear us."

Sehyun silenced Hyejin, whose voice had risen involuntarily, and continued down the stairs. Hyejin, trembling with fear, followed closely behind her brother.

With no other choice but to stick with her brother, she clung to his clothes as if they were a lifeline.

"Here, hold this."

Sehyun suddenly handed her the scabbard of the sword Cheongwol. As she took it, a strange sensation of warmth and coolness mixed in her hand. It was a peculiar experience for her.

"Where did you get this?"

"From another dimension."

"Is this the sword Cheongwol?"

"Did I ever tell you that?"

"Once before."

At that moment, a scream that shook the entire emergency staircase echoed.

"Kyaahh-!!"

"Mom!!"

Hyejin, startled, saw a zombie in a suit with a terrifying appearance lunge up the stairs.

And in an instant, a flash of light appeared.

The charging zombie fell, and the staircase, which had been filled with a deafening scream, suddenly became quiet. Blood flowed from the right shoulder of the zombie, which had fallen noisily.

It was a surprisingly anticlimactic death for such a dramatic entrance.

Hyejin, staring at the fallen zombie in disbelief, was startled again when she noticed Sehyun holding his sword in a straight line.

"Did you do that just now?"

"Yeah."

"But I only saw a flash of light?"

"Trust me, you're safe with me."

Sehyun smiled. Of course, Hyejin still looked bewildered.

"Let's go."

Sehyun took the lead again. Hyejin, though still somewhat unstable, followed more confidently than before.

@

As they passed the fallen zombie, Hyejin was very afraid it might get up again. Of course, it didn't.

They encountered a total of three zombies on their way down to the first floor. Two of them were killed instantly, their right shoulders pierced before they even noticed the humans.

Fortunately, the weak point, where the parasitic body was located, was the same for all the zombies. If it had been different for each one, they would have had to cut them into dozens of pieces.

However, Sehyun didn't completely rely on this weak point. He always kept in mind that some zombies might have a different weak point.

So far, he had the luxury of time to target only the weak point, partly to spare Hyejin from seeing too many bodies.

Finally, they reached the first floor and checked the automatic door of the broken apartment entrance.

The mangled flesh and sticky blood on the shattered glass door were quite revolting. How many people who were going to work as usual this morning had died here?

Hyejin had been silent all this time.

She was busy clinging to Sehyun's clothes and looking around nervously. The sound of her heart, beating rapidly out of fear, was audible even to Sehyun's enhanced hearing.

"Relax."

"Huh?!"

Despite his gentle tone, Hyejin, who was already on edge, was startled.

"Don't be too tense. You said you don't understand why people are scared of horror movies, right?"

"Well, the situation is different. This is real."

"Just think of it as watching a VR movie. There's no danger."

"Is that what you call reassurance?"

After a brief silence, Hyejin asked:

"The things you just killed, they were people, right?"

"Yes."

"How can people change like that... It's too, too terrifying. Is this a dream?"

"Unfortunately, it's not."

"And what if there are problems later?"

"I don't know. But you can't just let them attack you, right?"

It seemed her mind was a mess.

The shock of the zombies and the potential problems that might arise later were weighing on her.

"What if those people aren't completely dead? If their bodies move on their own but they can still think, what do we do?"

"What do we do? The same as now."

"..."

"Think simply."

"Is that easy to do?"

"It gets easier with practice. Are you feeling less tense now?"

"Um, um... a little."

It wasn't a particularly useful conversation, but it seemed to help Hyejin relax. Her rigid posture had eased, and her heart, which had been racing, had calmed down a bit.

"Let's go. I'll say it again, don't be too surprised. Just think of it as enjoying a VR movie."

With that, Sehyun led the way outside.

Hyejin, who followed behind, was not as startled as before.

It wasn't because her mindset had changed. It was because the zombies were already falling before they even came into view. Once they fell, it was easier to notice their presence, so there wasn't much to be startled about.

Sehyun, who was using long-range attacks to consider Hyejin's safety, noticed something common among the zombies. They all seemed to be hiding in places where light didn't reach well.

Was it to ambush prey, or did they dislike light?

If it was the latter, it was quite useful information.

"How do you do that?"

At that moment, Hyejin showed her curiosity.

"This?"

Sehyun's left hand glowed with a purple aura.

"Yeah, that."

"Internal energy."

"Internal energy?"

"Have you ever read a martial arts novel?"

Hyejin shook her head. After a moment of thought, he began to explain.

"You know what qi is, right? The invisible energy that permeates the world."

"Sure."

"Internal energy is the accumulation of that energy in your body. The more you accumulate, the stronger you become. Once you reach a certain level, you can do things like me."

As he said this, Sehyun pointed in a direction. At the same time, a flash of light pierced a zombie that was creeping out of the shadows, leaving a hole in its shoulder as it fell.

Hyejin, startled, looked at the zombie. Again, she only noticed its presence after it had fallen.

"Completely like a superpower."

"Your sister can learn it too."

"Really?"

"I was planning to teach you anyway. Don't complain when it gets tough."

Until now, Hyejin, who had a job, hadn't had much time, so he had been putting it off. But in a situation like this, there was no reason to delay.

Even with the basics, she could easily handle zombies like these. It would be dangerous if they came in large numbers, but being able to handle one or two was a significant advantage.

They moved slowly again.

Sehyun shot a finger snap at every zombie he spotted. The zombies falling with a hole in their shoulder had become a familiar sight.

Suddenly, Sehyun's hand moved like lightning, startled by something.

Purple sword energy exploded, slicing through the air in an instant. The fountain in front of them shattered and collapsed noisily. It all happened in the blink of an eye.

"What, what, what is it?"

Startled by the sudden change, Hyejin stammered. However, Sehyun was staring intently at something in front of him.

He wasn't just showing off his strength by breaking the fountain. He was still holding his sword out, carefully examining the unknown entity that had appeared before him.

"Can't you see it?"

"What? What are you talking about?"

"Can't see it, right?"

Sehyun, still tense, slowly read the message.

- Conditions met. -

He spread his senses in all directions, just in case. Even after searching the maximum range he could detect, he felt no other presence. It didn't seem to be a trick by someone.

The visible content was quite concerning. He read it several times.

- You have become a user of the System Eredos. The functions currently available are the Status Window, Skill Window, and Shop. You can use each function by saying its name or focusing on it. -

- You can now communicate with all types of intelligent beings. -

- You can now hunt monsters to obtain the currency 'Rune.' The Runes you obtain can be managed in the Shop, where you can buy or modify items. -

- You can become stronger by choosing a profession to learn skills and improving your stats through the Status Window. For a detailed explanation of the system, use the 'Help' command. -

============================ Author's Note ============================

I hope you enjoyed it. A recommendation would be greatly appreciated! (__)

The next part will be up shortly.