Episode 8
“Zombie hunting? Didn’t we just wipe out all the zombies around here? Are we going to kill every zombie in the world?”
Yoon Jinwoo grumbled, sounding annoyed.
“We don’t know where the survivors might be. We have to rescue them if they’re out there.”
Kim Sunghyun, on the other hand, nodded with a determined look on his face, filled with a sense of mission.
“That’s only relevant for the first few days. Do you really think there are survivors out there who still need help? They’ve either survived on their own or have already turned into zombies.”
“It’s too early to jump to conclusions. We just rescued Ms. Eunha today.”
“Yeah, and she was already on her way to becoming a zombie.”
“Mr. Yoon Jinwoo!”
“Alright, alright.”
Yoon Jinwoo and Kim Sunghyun had a brief argument, which ended with Yoon Jinwoo giving in with an annoyed sigh.
Just like when they were arguing about whether or not to bring me back to the guild, it seemed that their arguments always ended with Yoon Jinwoo backing down.
“Are you two done bickering? Then let’s really get started this time.”
The guild master called for our attention once again. When no one else spoke, he displayed an image on the screen in front of the table.
“The power plant?”
I murmured involuntarily at the sight of the familiar building on the screen. While it was called a power plant, strictly speaking, it no longer produced electricity. After the appearance of the Gates, mana had become the primary source of energy.
The old terms like electricity and power plant were still used as remnants of the past, but the official name was now “Korea Energy Production Agency.”
“That’s right. It’s time we took it back.”
Ki Yoo-sung nodded as if he had heard my murmur. I frowned at his casual words.
The power plant was where the Hunters from the first dispatched mid-sized guild had let their guard down and all turned into zombies. It was also the main reason why the zombie virus suppression efforts had missed the golden time.
The Hunters who had turned into zombies at the power plant were all still able to use their Hunter abilities. This was why the zombies had spread so far, despite the presence of capable Hunters.
Of course, their intelligence had declined, so they couldn’t use their abilities as effectively as before, but even if it was just a mid-sized guild, the abilities of the Hunters who were dispatched first in a disaster situation were not to be underestimated.
Moreover, it was said that there was a Caster-type Hunter in the party that was first dispatched to the power plant. If we recklessly entered the power plant, we would surely be caught in a barrage of their magic.
“But do we really need to go right now? The energy we need for now can be sufficiently supplied by our own generators, right?”
“I’ll relay your words to the energy team. Don’t you feel sorry for those two struggling on their own?”
“What? Since when did you care about other people?”
Nari pouted at Ki Yoo-sung’s retort. Ki Yoo-sung chuckled and continued, “Our current production levels are insufficient. We’re planning to start operating the lab equipment in full swing.”
“Ah.”
Now I understood why he wanted to go on a subjugation mission right after handing me a weapon. A massive amount of energy was needed to operate the lab at full capacity. Ki Yoo-sung was planning to secure that power by retaking the power plant.
“It’s going to be a pain from now on.”
“But it’s necessary for a better future.”
Yoon Jinwoo’s grumbling and Kim Sunghyun’s rebuke followed like a set piece. However, no one paid much attention to it, as if it were a common occurrence.
“So, am I joining the combat team this time?”
Yeonhee asked, raising her right hand slightly.
‘Was she not originally part of the combat team?’
Perhaps noticing my puzzled expression, Nari spoke up in her cheerful voice.
“Yeonhee is a Caster! Isn’t that amazing? Casters are super rare. Aside from the two in the energy team, she’s the only one in our guild.”
“Ah, so she’s a Caster.”
I nodded as if I understood, but in reality, I didn’t really get it. What did being a Caster have to do with participating in battles?
“After the power plant was taken over, the energy team has been producing all the energy the guild needs. But it’s quite a burden for a team of only two to handle everything. So Yeonhee has been temporarily removed from the combat team and has been helping out the energy team.”
As always, it was Kim Sunghyun who came to the rescue. Nari nodded enthusiastically beside him, as if to say that was exactly what she was trying to say.
“Ah, that’s right. It’s not just for this battle, but once we retake the power plant, she’ll be back on the combat team. We’re giving them the whole power plant, so once we’ve set the table, it’s up to the energy team to eat.”
“The people on the energy team are working hard too.”
Yeonhee replied with a wry smile but then nodded. She seemed to be concerned about the two people who would be working hard, but she didn’t seem to dislike returning to the combat team.
“This time, the party consists of everyone here. The positions are as follows.”
The screen changed once again, this time displaying a position chart.
Tank: Han Nari
Close-Range Dealer: Kim Sunghyun, Seong Eunha
Long-Range Dealer: Ki Yoo-sung, Kim Yeonhee
Healer: Yoon Jinwoo
“With the addition of new members, we have more close-range dealers, so I’ll be taking the rear with a gun.”
“Wait, why am I a Dealer?”
The position displayed on the screen for me wasn’t Tank, or even my previous class, Healer.
Close-range Dealer, out of the blue?
“It’s simple. Because we can’t use you as a Tank.”
“What do you mean, ‘can’t use me’?”
I might have just gotten it, but I was a Tank with an S-rank skill. I looked at Ki Yoo-sung, demanding an explanation.
“A Tank isn’t just someone who takes hits, but someone who takes hits instead of their party members. They need to be able to reliably draw aggro, and they need a lot of combat experience to be able to read the situation on the front lines. What can you do out of all that?”
Indeed, there was nothing I could do. When I first got my skill, I thought it was a cheat skill, but reality was always cruel. Or was it a good thing that I would be taking fewer hits?
Ki Yoo-sung smiled as he saw me lost in thought.
“But you have excellent qualities as a Dealer.”
It was a baffling statement. He was saying he couldn’t use me as a Healer or a Tank, even though I had the skills, but that I had qualities as a Dealer? I glanced at the black sword I had just acquired.
“Is this weapon that good?”
I asked, because that was the only thing I could think of. Ki Yoo-sung chuckled in amusement.
“All A-rank weapons are pretty much the same.”
It was a statement befitting an S-rank Hunter decked out in S-rank equipment from head to toe.
“You have something much better than an A-rank weapon. An S-rank skill.”
“That’s a Tanking skill.”
I retorted as if telling him to stop talking nonsense. Was he trying to console me? He didn’t seem like the type to care about other people’s feelings.
“You’re more closed-minded than I thought. What’s so important about the class classifications set by others? Just use them as needed.”
But he seemed to be serious. He continued, looking at me, still with a confused expression.
“For example, let’s say there’s a boss monster we absolutely have to kill. Killing it wouldn’t be difficult, but there’s a horde of zombies in front of it. We can’t just charge in recklessly. If we try to push through the zombies, we’re done for if we get bitten, and killing them all would be a waste of time.”
He paused for a moment. His jet-black eyes met mine.
“How useful would a Dealer who doesn’t die even when bitten by zombies be in that situation?”
I swallowed hard. So, he was saying he was going to throw me into the horde of zombies?
I suddenly remembered Ki Yoo-sung’s satisfied expression when I chose the sword. He was serious. A chill ran down my spine as I realized that.
But Ki Yoo-sung didn’t seem to care about my fear and just looked at me with an expectant gaze. In a way, that was worse than fear.
Ten years ago, the people who told me I would become a Healer had that same look in their eyes. What followed was a look of disappointment, as if to say I had failed. I had no good memories of living up to other people’s expectations.
“Don’t be ridiculous. I can’t handle a boss monster on my own.”
So, I had to crush his expectations first. I didn’t care about disappointing others anymore, but I wanted to avoid being thrown into a horde of zombies alone.
However, Ki Yoo-sung unexpectedly agreed with me readily.
“Of course not. If a Tank who’s never even fought before could suddenly take down a boss monster just because I gave them an A-rank weapon, I would have retired peacefully long ago.”
I was relieved, but at this point, I was starting to wonder if he had ever been serious.
Well, whatever. I smiled lightly at him as if to say I understood. But what I found there was an expectation that still hadn’t faded.
“You’re not ready yet.”
“What?”
His additional words sounded rather pleasant, so I couldn’t help but ask back. He gave me a disapproving look, as if wondering what I had taken his words to mean.
“Did you really think you could just pick up a skill on the street and instantly perform like an S-rank Hunter? How naive can you be?”
“That’s not what I meant… No, that’s not it. It’s just that the way you said it makes it sound like I’ll definitely be able to do it someday.”
“That’s up to you.”
Ki Yoo-sung replied in a light tone.
“Anyway, the point is that you’re the only one with even a possibility right now.”