19th Death - Cat Person

[Warning: Contains explicit violence and disturbing content.]

[Note: Themes and character actions in this chapter are not reflective of my personal views.]

[With that being said, hope you enjoy the chapter!]

"Status windows," Jang growled impatiently, kicking a half-eaten, dead cat out of his way as he stomped down the stairs. The lifeless body thudded against the wall, painting it with blackish blood.

'I fucking hate cats. Is there any worse creature? Lazy, ungrateful shitbags...' His thoughts spiraled as his lip curled in disgust. 'Laying around all day, acting like they give a fuck about you by sniffing your butthole all the time, buttering you up. Then ditching you the second some stranger offers a piece of fish. I'd strangle every last one if I could, hear them scream in agony all at once...' A wicked grin spread across his face as the image played out vividly in his mind.

"Rukman!" Jang barked, his voice cutting through the dark. "Pick up that cat carcass and squeeze the fucker right here. I wanna hear its bones snap and pop... calm myself down. I'm still not entirely cool after murdering that treacherous bastard zombie."

The zombie clumsily shuffled up the stairs, retrieved the cat's limp body, and walked beside Jang, dutifully cracking the dead creature's bones as ordered.

"Fucking music to my ears," Jang exhaled, his eyes nearly rolling back with an almost euphoric expression. "I've decided. Rukman, you're my favorite zombie after Doom Baby." He glanced away from the status window to look at the zombie, who was still holding the cat carcass, its brains now splattered out of its skull from the zombie's relentless crushing force.

"From now on," Jang continued, a twisted smirk curling his lips, "your duty is to find cats—preferably live ones—and murder them right next to me until I fall asleep, every single day, without fail."

He leaned in close, draping his arm around the zombie's stiff shoulders, voice dropping to a low, menacing growl. "You fail to do that, I'mma squish you like that cat. Got me, fucker?"

The zombie stared ahead, mindlessly obeying, its grip still squeezing the lifeless cat. The pressure increased, and more of the creature's bones cracked under the force, splattering the floor beneath them.

'Now...' Jang thought, eyes flicking back to the status window, his boots stomping down hard on the trail of corpses beneath him. The satisfying crunch of bones and flesh underfoot echoed with each step, the weight of his horde following behind him.

He glanced at a particular ability, his attention drawn to the countdown.

[Soul Drain - Level 2]

Effect: Absorbs the soul essence of a defeated enemy or an Undead Minion to restore HP.

HP Recovery: +20% HP per body.

Cooldown: 2 hours. (19:53 minutes remaining...)

'Oh well, still got my HP meter full... And a fuckload of zombies left to burn through,' he thought, his gaze shifting to Doom Baby. 'That little fucker gave me a scare at first, even landed a few lucky hits, but I handled it. Of course I did. I'm the main character in this shitshow... Nah, I ALWAYS was the main character. I fucking rock. Plot armor thicker than the Earth's crust. I even got this system backing me up. How the hell can I NOT be the main character?' Jang smirked to himself as he descended the last few flights of stairs.

Finally reaching the first floor, he heard a voice echo through the near-empty building.

"Par ici, Dame Amélie ! Quittons cet immeuble !" an elderly man shouted, the hurried stomp of footsteps reverberating across the floor.

Jang's lips curled into a twisted grin.

'Found the human rats...' He didn't bother announcing his presence, choosing instead to let his anticipation build as he crept down the last few steps.

He spotted them—two figures, desperate, almost at the exit. The glimmer of hope in their eyes made something dark stir in his chest.

Oh, how I love to crush hope...

Without hesitation, Jang pointed toward a corpse lying between Amélie, Marcel, and the exit. His voice was low and theatrical, but his expression twisted with rage as he bellowed:

"CORPSE EXPLOSION!!"

Marcel gasped, his head whipping toward the unfamiliar voice, only to be met with a sudden force, a blast that seemed to push from just over 4 meters in front of him.

The ringing in his ears was immediate. Disoriented, he lost his balance, his body hurtling toward Amélie. They crashed to the ground in a heap, Marcel barely managing to shift his weight in time to avoid crushing her completely.

They lay at Jang's feet, helpless and dazed.

======================

[Corpse Explosion - Level 2]

Effect: Detonates an undead minion or fallen corpse, dealing massive area damage to all enemies nearby.

Explosion Radius: 2 meters

HP USAGE: 2% PER CORPSE

======================

[1100/1100 -22]

[1078/1100 HP]

"Ah... Wh... Wha..." Marcel muttered, his vision swimming, the taste of iron filling his mouth. Blood dripped onto the cold floor as he scrambled to look toward Amélie.

She was further from the blast zone, her ankle twisted, her face contorted in agony. Bruises already blooming across her skin as she curled into a tight ball, trying to hide from the pain.

'She... she doesn't seem gravely wounded... And I was only hit with the shockwave, not the blast itself... But... what in the God's name WAS that explosion!? A grenade? Was a grenade thrown at us...!? Could it be...?!'

"Hmph... Wasn't that 2 meters?" Jang muttered to himself, barely paying attention to Marcel's panicked state. "If only I had some kind of gauge to see how close my enemies are to the bodies," he mused aloud, his voice dripping with mockery.

Enemies, he said...!! Marcel's thoughts spiraled, his breath quickening as he raised his eyes to meet Jang's.

"A... Are you..." he began in broken Korean, his voice weak, "from La famille Valroux...!?"

Jang's face twisted in annoyance. His tongue clicked sharply before his boot lashed out, connecting hard with Marcel's jaw. "Don't FUCKING look at me, old shitface." The kick sent Marcel flying, his body hitting the ground with a dull thud, the force propelling him back almost a meter.

"MARCELL!!" Amélie screamed, her voice hoarse, watching helplessly as her butler tumbled across the floor like a discarded toy.

"My name's FUCKING Jang. Not some Frenchie shit or whatever hole you think I crawled out of," Jang growled as he marched toward Marcel, who coughed and struggled to get back on his knees, disoriented.

'That strength... that young man... His strength... He must be them...!' Marcel's mind raced as he tried to understand. 'No... No, he isn't. His comment just now confirms it. The Valroux... they would take pride in this and themselves, and blatantly say it was them who did it, revel in the harm, but... if he's not... then why... why is he attacking us!?'

As Jang drew closer, Marcel's breath caught as his gaze shifted to the figures standing at the base of the stairs. Eleven zombies stood there, motionless.

Jang caught the change in Marcel's expression and smirked, reveling in the fear that rippled through the old man. "Did you see that, old SHIT?" Jang snarled, gesturing toward the zombies. "Those are fucking MINE. I CONTROL THEM."

Amélie whimpered from the floor, her ankle still throbbing, her eyes filled with helplessness. Jang's gaze lingered on her for a brief moment, savoring her vulnerability before his attention returned to Marcel. The smirk remained plastered on his face, unmoved by their suffering.

'Control them...? What...? How... How can this be!?' Marcel's mind raced, grasping at any possible explanation as he eyed the zombies, his heart pounding with growing desperation. The dim streetlight outside flickered, casting shadows across the ground—a path to freedom. 'The street... it's clear. We could escape...'

"W-Wait a minute, young man!" Marcel stammered, raising his trembling hands in the air. "We are not your enemies!! I-If you let us out, we will reward you handsomely! Let us cooperate!!"

Jang's expression barely changed, his eyes narrowing slightly as he crossed his arms, unimpressed.

"Cooperate?" Jang's voice dripped with disdain. "Wait just a fucking second..." Without warning, he drove his boot into Marcel's abdomen, causing him to double over as bile and blood spewed from his mouth.

"Did you just... hint at us being on the same level?" Jang's voice rose, his anger becoming palpable. "Did you, an old coot with a half-foot in the grave, who can't even level up, just say that I am on such a low level that I need to cooperate with you!?!"

Jang's face twisted into a snarl as he bent over Marcel, gripping the back of his head, pulling his face up so their eyes met. "HUH!? DID YOU!!!?" He screamed, spittle flying as Marcel's vision swam, his consciousness flickering in and out as he slumped against Jang's leg.

'This strength...!! He can't be... as strong as Monsieur Jiho, right...!?' Marcel's thoughts drifted in a haze of pain and confusion, but his disorientation shattered as a desperate cry pierced through the room.

"LAISSE MARCEL TRANQUILLE !!! NE LUI FAIS PAS DE MAL, ESPÈCE D'HOMME MALÉFIQUE !!"

'No... Lady Amélie... You mustn't get him to focus on you... You need to... run...'

Marcel's thoughts blurred as Jang slowly tilted his head toward Amélie, the cruel glint in his eye flaring to life. He removed his leg from Marcel, allowing him to collapse to the floor like discarded trash.

"Now lookie here..." Jang muttered, stalking toward Amélie, his steps slow, deliberate. He bent over her trembling, yet defiant form, his fingers curling tightly around her chin, yanking her face upward to meet his gaze.

"Wanna know what I hate just as much as I hate cats...?" His voice dropped low, venomous, as his grip tightened on her jaw.

"You might think I'm gonna say women, but nah, you FUCK those for a good reason, right?" Jang growled, his voice dripping with venom as he violently shook Amélie, forcing her to meet his gaze. She glared at him, helpless on the floor, but her defiance only seemed to fuel his rage.

"What I hate as much as I hate cats..."

"... Are blondes. All blondes in the world should die, right next to cats. And unfortunately for you..." He leaned in closer, his breath hot and rancid as he whispered, "You FIT into that category, you piss-haired whore—"

Before he could finish, a spray of spit hit his face, splashing across his cheek. He froze, eyes widening in shock. A surge of raw anger rose within him, burning through his chest. Without a second thought, his palm snapped across her face, the slap echoing through the building. Amélie was sent tumbling to the ground, a sharp cry escaping her lips as blood dripped from her nose.

"AAACHE!" Amélie screamed, her ears ringing as she tried to orient herself, the sting of the slap radiating through her body.

Jang stood over her, his chest heaving, his breathing heavy and erratic. His eyes bore into her, wild with fury. "You...!!! YOU FUCKING WHORE...!!! YOU...!!!!" He growled, towering over her as she reeled from the blow, squinting up at him with blurry vision.

"You... You..." He muttered, wiping his face with the back of his hand, his tongue instinctively darting out to taste a bit of the spit on his lips.

"Pfft..." Jang let out a small, amused chuckle. The sudden shift in his demeanor caused Amélie to tilt her head in confusion, fear mixing with disbelief in her distress.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" Jang cackled, his voice booming through the building, echoing off the walls. "THAT'S LITERALLY ALL YOU CAN DO, ISN'T IT, YOU WHORE!!!? HOW DOES IT FEEL!!!? HOW DOES IT FEEL KNOWING THE ONLY THING YOU CAN DO IS SPIT AT ME!!!? AAAH!!? HOW DOES IT FEEL!!!?" He screamed, his laughter maniacal as his face twisted in mockery and triumph.

"HOW DOES IT FEEL KNOWING YOU HAVE NO FUCKING POWER HERE!!!? NO POWER OVER ME!!!? HUH!!!? HOW DOES IT FEEL KNOWING THAT I HOLD ALLLLLLLL THE CARDS!!!?" Jang's grin widened, his eyes gleaming with a manic satisfaction as he stared down at her, basking in her helplessness.

"I... Am going to enjoy this—" He began, but before he could finish, a sharp, prickling pain shot through his upper back.

"Ah..." Jang gasped, his body stiffening as he slowly turned his head, confusion setting in. Marcel stood behind him, a blank, focused expression on his face as he drove a knife deep into Jang's heart.

'That fucker...!!' Jang's mind screamed as his eyes darted to his status window:

[1078/1100 -1078! CRITICAL HIT!]

[0/1100]

For a moment, everything seemed to slow down. Jang stared at the status window, feeling the blade lodged in his chest, yet he couldn't help but smile. A twisted, triumphant grin spread across his face as his eyes flickered with dark amusement.

'That fucker... doesn't know I'm the main character! He's FUCKED!' Jang thought as the familiar alert flashed before his eyes:

[TITLE EFFECT USED! Your HP has increased by 200 points! You are saved from certain death! Cooldown: 24 hours!]

[200/1100 HP]

Marcel's eyes widened in horror as Jang slowly turned his head to face him, blood dripping from his mouth, yet his smile remained, more wicked than ever.

"You're dead meat," Jang growled.

======== Meanwhile... ========

"...Was that an explosion...?" Jiho murmured to himself, his brow furrowing as the faint sound echoed up to him in the stairwell of the building. He slowed his pace, cautiously descending the stairs toward the second floor and downward, every step deliberate and quiet.

'The army, maybe?'