EP. 4 Not a Gangster, but a Treasure Goblin?! (18+)

4 Not a Gangster, but a Treasure Goblin?!

[Reward Selection!] 

Strength Stat +1 

Zombie's Inherent Setting 

Zombie-like Super Strength (Beginner) 

This is truly surprising. 

There are three key elements that define a zombie. 

Virus, toughness, and super strength. 

It felt like I had finally found the last puzzle piece. 

Although the information obtainable from the inherent setting was very intriguing. 

I wanted to get what I needed right away. 

I chose super strength. 

[Zombie-like Super Strength (Beginner)] 

Description: Exerts force equal to 0.1 t of your current strength stat. 

※Consumes 10 MP per activation. 

This is a stat-proportional skill. Plus it has a mana cost too. 

Alright, should I raise my stats while I'm at it? 

'How do I raise them? Do I use Desire Points or something?' 

I imagined raising my stats. 

Then the status window appeared automatically. When I looked at strength, a change occurred. 

100 points were deducted from the 900 points, and strength increased by 1. 

The level, which was 0, also increased to 1. 

'Oh, this is similar to soul-type games.' 

My strength is 10. So if I use Zombie-like Super Strength, does it mean I can exert at least 1 ton of force? 

'A 1-ton punch is possible?' 

It probably won't be limited to just punches. If I grip a tool and swing it, the kinetic energy would also be in the 1-ton range. 

It was truly an amazing skill. 

'This will be incredibly helpful in both combat and sex.' 

This isn't the time for that. 

I lightly knocked on the glass door. 

"Noona, Hara noona!" 

My voice couldn't be heard. 

Is noona not here? That can't be. 

I was anxious, wondering if noona had also been attacked and turned into a zombie. 

I kept knocking. More desperately than ever before. 

"Noona! Hara noona, it's me!" 

"..Ikhyun?" 

Soon, noona appeared looking haggard. I quickly examined her and it didn't seem like she had been bitten anywhere. 

I let out a sigh of relief. 

The door opened soon after. 

I was so happy to see noona again. 

"Noona, are you okay?" 

"Hic, Ikhyun... Uhuheung!" 

Hara cried in my arms. 

I let Hara cry. 

I naturally took her to the sofa and held her. 

After crying enough to soak my top, Hara finally regained her composure. 

Holding Hara noona. It really feels like a dream. 

Hara moved back a little. 

"Ah, sorry. I must have looked awful?" 

"What are you saying? Are you okay?" 

"Yeah, I was cleaning after you and unni left. Suddenly strange letters appeared and then a person showed up." 

"A zombie." 

"Zombie? Haa, it suddenly attacked so I was surprised and hid behind the closed door. I was so, so scared..." 

I looked at Hara. 

As I patted her shoulder to comfort her, I became curious. 

'It's fortunate she's safe, but what happens if I kill the zombie noona was supposed to kill?' 

I need to ask directly. 

"Noona, listen first. I've figured out the situation, you know?" 

"Really? As expected of Ikhyun. I always said you were smart. I thought you'd go to Seoul National University." 

"Does university feed you? Anyway, listen." 

I explained what I knew about this situation. Noona, who showed surprisingly real reactions, was the best listener. 

"Oh my, skills? Status window?" 

"Yeah. What about you, noona?" 

"I don't have anything like that? Um, status window!" 

Noona shouted "status window" while looking around in the air. Eventually, she shook her head. 

"Nothing appears for me." 

"Maybe it's because I killed the zombie you were supposed to kill." 

"So you really did kill it."... I scratched my head. 

This, if it's like this, it gets a bit complicated. 

'This is bad. In a world like this, becoming a player increases your chances of survival.' 

I felt guilty, thinking I might have somehow blocked noona's way to survive. 

But as if she knew what I was thinking. 

Hara cupped my face with her hands. 

It was warm. So warm I wanted to stay like this forever. 

"I'm okay." 

"Noona..." 

"Anyway, I need to go home." 

"No, your home is far. Everywhere will be chaos right now." 

"How did the world become like this? Why... It was already hard enough." 

Hara was frustrated. 

I knew she had been going through a lot emotionally until now. 

It seemed like all that pent-up sorrow was bursting out in an instant. 

She cried again but then forced a smile. 

"Suddenly I want to tell you something!" 

"Noona..." 

"I might die later so I'll say it now." 

"No, noona." 

"I wanted to try making webtoons? It's fun just to look at them. I even won an award in a contest. But my parents, hic. Whenever I saw the state of my parents and family, I couldn't push my stubbornness." 

I nodded. 

I knew Hara was interested in becoming a webtoon artist. 

I sighed deeply and stroked noona's back. 

It was really soft and smooth. 

I wiped away her flowing tears and smiled. 

'Let's try it here. The hero of the person I like, that I've been dreaming of all this time.' 

I decided to be brave. 

After a moment's pause, I said. 

"Just do it then!" 

"How?" 

"Noona, come to think of it, did I tell you?" 

Hara stopped crying and showed interest. Okay, I've got her attention. 

"You know, near the old courthouse. The one-room building overlooking the river." 

"Mmm. Why?" 

"I sometimes use a place there as an office." 

"Gasp, really? Even monthly rent is expensive these days. But how did you get it? A river view must be super expensive." 

I smiled bitterly for a moment. 

It's not something to brag about. 

But since it's noona, I'll tell her. 

"Noona, you know I live alone, right?" 

"Yeah. Both your parents..." 

"Yeah, that bastard father ran away somewhere. And mom left saying let's cut ties, leaving something behind. What that woman left behind, along with the house, is that building." 

"I see. I'm sorry for making you talk about it." 

"It doesn't bother me anymore. Anyway, when we get the chance, let's go there and work together! My storytelling isn't great, but I'll help!" 

"...Ikhyun. Yeah, thank you. I'll try hard to be helpful to you too." 

The woman I love, Yeo Hara. 

The reason I love her is exactly this. 

No matter how desperate the situation. 

Her sun-like appearance, trying to smile and find strength. 

That's why I endured by thinking of her even when I was in the military. 

To put it a bit childishly. 

I thought she was like a queen captured by the demon king. Although I'm neither a prince on a white horse nor a hero with a transformation belt. 

I wanted to save her. 

Because the most beautiful and kind queen suffering seemed against the principles of the world. 

I stood up and reached out my hand to her. Just her existence gives me great strength. 

Hara took my hand and stood up. 

Then she looked around the hair salon silently. 

Her eyes were full of regret. 

"I won't be able to work for a while, huh?" 

"Yeah, probably." 

It's going to be chaos from now on. 

A government that can't even run the country properly because it's divided left and right normally has no chance of resolving this situation. 

So laws will disappear, and people's conscience will disappear. 

Rape and murder happening here and there will be common. 

That's why I needed power. 

The power to protect myself from those bastards. The power to achieve something. 

Hara smiled softly. 

She even shrugged her shoulders as if it was nothing. 

"It's okay, I liked talking to people. Can't be helped. Let's go." 

"I'll protect you from now on." 

"That's reassuring! Our Ikhyun!" 

We left the hair salon and headed outside. I made a decision internally. 

'I need to take noona to our house as safely as possible. Let's do this well.' 

I was nervous for no reason. 

I wasn't even like this when participating in game tournaments. 

There was a big hospital on the way to the apartment. 

The terrain was complicated because it was originally built by cutting into a mountain. 

'There are a lot of corners here, so it's unsettling.' 

I wanted to take the path through the apartment park if possible. 

Looking around, I saw the gate was locked. Usually it's left open. 

I clicked my tongue and moved forward. Then I felt the need to scout ahead. 

"Noona, wait a moment. Hide behind this bench." 

"Okay!" 

I looked around the corner to check for zombies. As long as there aren't any on the way home. 

I peeked out past the bushes. 

There were a few corpses visible on the road. On the street, there were crumpled cars in a chain collision, as if there had been an accident. 

It looked like an artwork an artist had started but given up on. 

At least there were no zombies in sight. 

That was fortunate. 

It would be difficult to fight while protecting someone if there were many zombies. 

'None here, lucky!' 

I was about to go back to noona. 

Then I heard a scream from behind. 

"Aaaah, honey!" 

"So this is where you were, you bitch." 

I whirled around. 

The gangster husband had appeared and was grabbing Hara's hair. 

The first thing I felt was a sense of incongruity. 

'Strange. I kept watching behind us before coming here. There was nothing there.' 

It's as if the husband suddenly dropped from the sky. 

Clicking my tongue, I moved quickly but carefully along the mountainous path. 

Even then, I could hear their voices. 

That ignorant bastard of a husband was yelling in a place where there might be zombies. 

"...make you find me? You're so lucky." 

"Ugh, honey, wait, please let go!" 

"Who are you to give orders, you bitch. You really need to be torn apart to come to your senses. I'll make sure you can't walk for a week, you whore." 

The gangster gritted his teeth and tried to strip Hara's clothes. 

At that moment, after reaching a certain distance, I leapt straight towards the bastard. 

'Shine, my super strength!' 

Something flowing gently inside my body responded to my will. 

The energy, mana, that had been swirling swiftly and refreshingly. 

That mana instantly gathered in both my hands. 

And I activated the skill. 

I swung the knife down hard towards the gangster's back. 

But I must have aimed wrong, as I ended up stabbing the back of his neck. 

"Kuheaak!" 

"Gasp!" 

Hara stepped back in surprise. 

I looked down at the gangster who fell while screaming. 

He was just opening his mouth and screaming. 

He couldn't move, as if the nerves below his neck had been severed. 

"Ugh, uh! Save me..." 

"You idiot, you can't even protect your only woman. How long are you going to oppress her?" 

"You son of a bitch. You whore, so you were cheating after all!" 

"No, honey!" 

I raised my hand to shield Hara protectively. 

Then I kissed Hara as if to show the gangster. 

"Hmph!" 

"Mmm? Hup, mmph♡" 

I deliberately stuck out my tongue to lick Hara's lips. 

Her lips were really soft. 

After gently tasting her lips with the tip of my tongue, I gradually parted her lips and went inside. 

She was trembling in surprise. 

Her breathing was very rough. 

But I stroked her back as if to reassure her. 

Finally, I met Hara's tongue and gently rubbed against it as if greeting. 

Unexpectedly, her tongue came out to meet mine. 

Hara's tongue wrapped around mine like a snake, gradually applying more pressure. 

I rubbed hotly against her tongue, persistently secreting saliva. 

"Mmph, hngh♡ Hmph♡" 

Taking it a step further, I put my hand on her breasts. 

At first I was going to rub gently. 

But surprisingly, Hara actively grabbed my hand and made me knead her breasts. 

The unexpectedness of someone who usually doesn't act this way. Her active appeal. 

I felt strength gathering at the base of my penis. 

I could feel the firmness of her breasts in my hand. I exhaled excitedly. 

After kissing for a while, I separated our lips. Hara just stared at me in surprise, while I mocked the gangster. 

"This isn't cheating. Noona never liked someone like you from the start." 

"You, son of a bitch...!" 

"How could a person like an animal? Your fake marriage? Abduction? Whatever. Think of it as a nice dream you had. For someone like you, even that is a reward, isn't it?" 

"You bastaaaaard!" 

"Noona, close your eyes if you don't want to see." 

I raised my foot and stomped on the bastard's face. 

As the ton-unit force was transmitted, his mouth was pathetically torn. 

I mechanically lifted my foot to stomp, then lifted and stomped again repeatedly. 

White tooth fragments flew everywhere. Red blood splattered, forming a puddle. 

Soon the bastard died. 

[Victory!] 

[Gained 300 Desire Points (DP)!] 

I turned to look at Hara. Her eyes were closed. I stood in front of her, catching my breath. 

"You can open your eyes now. It's okay." 

"Is he dead?" 

"Yeah. Do I seem like a bad person?" 

"...No. Thank you for protecting me. And about that kiss earlier." 

"Did it make you uncomfortable?" 

Hara was about to answer but shook her head. She just smiled an unreadable smile. 

Then she silently embraced me. 

I felt like I could get drunk on her scent. 

Catching my breath, I glanced behind me. 

I was shocked to see the reward notification appear. 

'Oh, this bastard?!' 

Wow, this. 

He was more amazing than I thought. 

"You bitch, your heavenly husband