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Although the zombies I was worried about did appear, only one with 「Light Body(lv.2)」 managed to make it across to the central building.
And as soon as it crossed over, I, who was prepared, immediately crushed its head, and it tumbled to the ground with the other zombies.
By slowly but surely reducing the number of zombies, I was able to clear out all the ones that had gathered.
I only yelled once, but I had to jump around like a grasshopper for nearly two hours. Because the number of zombies that could climb the external stairs at once was limited, I had to gather the stupid zombies multiple times.
Anyway, I was able to accumulate a lot of points in just two hours.
▷Current Packets : 5.24p
After leveling up 「Clairvoyance(lv.1)」 and 「Extraordinary Iron Will(lv.2)」, and putting away 「Cold-Blooded(lv.3)」 into storage, the points that had been running low were now being replenished. If I repeat this once more, I think I can level up 「Extraordinary Iron Will(lv.3)」.
"Can we talk now?"
After I finished dealing with all the fallen zombies and came up, the man, who had noticed that auto-hunting was over, asked a question. The man could have gone down to avoid the zombies, but he had been watching from the corner the whole time.
"This might not make sense, but there's a reason for everything, you know?"
"Is it perhaps because of a skill?"
And having watched and deduced on his own, he asked a question that immediately hit the core.
'It's not? How do you connect killing zombies to a skill?'
It's one of two things. Either he found out about the information that there is a skill to earn points through the community or through acquaintances, or he has such a skill himself.
"That's right. I can earn points by killing zombies."
"Could you tell me what the points are used for?"
"I can raise the level of my traits. Not only mine, but also others' if the conditions are met."
"Traits, you say?"
"Ah, even if you can't see it, everyone has traits. They can increase physical abilities, increase or decrease damage. It might be hard to feel right away, but you probably have traits too."
"Like a game?"
"That's right."
"Hmm. I understand why it had to be here. However, just because you want this place doesn't mean I have to give you this building. Unless there's a mutually reasonable reason."
I thought he was waiting quietly from the middle, but it seems like he was planning this. The man was asking for a price, even if he was saying it indirectly.
Of course, he wouldn't be hoping for money or food. He doesn't look like someone who wouldn't know that money is useless in a half-destroyed world, and judging by his appearance, he doesn't seem to be in urgent need of supplies either.
For some reason, I had a gut feeling that what this man wanted was my skill, 「Hacking」.
'I don't really want to give it to him.'
Thinking coldly, it might be better to give up some points than to clash with this fit man with high trait levels. And as the man said, this place is his home.
But I just didn't want to. I didn't like the situation where I was being led by this man, but honestly, he was just too good, so I felt a little jealous for no reason.
"I'll raise the level of the traits you have."
"Could you first tell me the conditions required to raise the level of traits?"
"Before that, let me hear about the skill you have. I'll listen to that and decide what to do."
"..."
I don't know if the man has a skill or not. But if it's this man who has everything, I felt like he probably has a skill too.
"How did you know I had a skill?"
"You knew that killing zombies was because of a skill, right? So I thought you might have a skill too."
"...I see. That's right. I have a skill called 「Trans Energy」."
As expected, the man had a skill.
"What kind of skill is that?"
"It can convert the core of a zombie into power points. And by consuming power points, it can fill any object with any energy."
"Core, you say?"
"The skill description calls the heart of a zombie a core."
"The skill description says that?"
"Yes."
「Hacking」 didn't even mention how to get points, so was I the only one with such a bottomless and unkind explanation?
The man took out a light bulb on the roof, brought a stone from a flower pot to the light bulb, and directly showed it turning on. He didn't match the current or voltage, and it wasn't a socket of the right size, but he supplied power simply by making contact.
The man's 「Trans Energy」 was the kind of skill that shines more when there are many people than when alone. Because the condition for getting points is using the core, not killing directly like me.
If they collect cores little by little, he could become a generator, no, a power plant alone. Even the man's skill had the convenience of not even needing to match the rating.
'Ah, he said any energy is possible, so if he takes over a nuclear power plant, can he really operate a power plant? That's cheating.'
Personally, 「Hacking」 may be better in terms of growth potential, but overall, the value of 「Trans Energy」 in terms of scalability and versatility is bound to be much higher. Structurally, it was. My body is one, so the number of zombies I can kill is limited, but this man can infinitely increase the supply by procuring cores through other people.
If the system is properly established, there may be no need to worry about electricity even if all social infrastructure collapses.
Is there another skill as useful as this in the apocalypse?
I'm not kidding, it might really become a national power-level skill.
'He really has everything. Should I join hands with this man?'
He's annoying every time I see him, but I wanted to bring this man to my side. The skill was just too good. Thinking about the future, this man who can take responsibility for the supply of electricity and various energy sources alone was a talent I didn't want to miss.
"Can I now hear the conditions required for your skill?"
"It's simple. I can view the traits of the opponent I have gained control over. Then I can also raise the level."
"What exactly does it mean to gain control?"
"From my experience so far, I can view the traits in situations where I can force the opponent's actions at will, or where I can decide whether to kill or save them."
"Hmm..."
The man frowned slightly, as if he didn't like the condition.
'What can I do if the skill is like this.'
I couldn't do anything about the skill conditions. It wasn't that I was saying I would take the lead, but that the skill conditions were really like that.
In the first place, that's why I told him the skill obediently, and that's why negotiations like this are proceeding now, but anyway.
"Ah, and it's also possible to extract traits from zombies that haven't been dead for long. I can have the extracted zombie's traits or give them to others who have gained access to the trait information."
"Wait a minute. You said the zombie's traits?"
"Yes. Some zombies have traits. Do you remember the zombie that just crossed over here?"
"Yes."
"That zombie was a zombie with traits. It had 「Light Body(lv.2)」."
"Hmm..."
The man's expression hardened rapidly. Just like when I first saw the status window zombie and felt that the real world might be ruined.
I don't even see the status window like him, but I wondered if he could feel that way just by hearing that a zombie with traits appeared, but on the other hand, I thought that people's acceptance is different, so it could be.
"Are there any other conditions for viewing traits?"
"As far as I know, there aren't."
"...It seems like we need to adjust each other's conditions. Would you like to come inside first?"
I didn't think the man would do something like stabbing me in the back at home, so I followed the man down from the roof.
The man's house had a loft structure where the living room area was open to the second floor with a high ceiling, and two rooms and a bathroom on each floor. Judging from the furniture covered with cloth on the 3rd floor that I saw while coming down, it seemed to be used as a warehouse.
'Nice house.'
Overall, it was as neat as the man's appearance. It was simple like a model house, and it was so clean that I couldn't find any signs of life.
It seemed that the man was originally a neat person.
"Would you like to take a shower?"
"Ah, am I a bit dirty? I haven't been able to shower for a while because the water supply was cut off."
"This is the bathroom. I'll prepare my clothes for you to change into while you shower."
Perhaps unable to stand my appearance as a neat person, the man sent me to the bathroom as soon as I came in.
I also wanted to shower desperately, so I obediently followed the man's guidance and went into the bathroom. I had to shower for quite a while to wash off the zombie's blood and dust that had hardened because I hadn't showered for several days.
When I opened the bathroom door, a white T-shirt, new underwear, and training wear were placed in front of the door. The clothes were much bigger because the man was about 10cm taller than me and had a bigger build, but it couldn't be helped.
"Please sit here."
When I came out to the living room, there was a table and sofa that were uniquely in the reception room. It was a good sofa, and as soon as I sat down, the cushioning that wrapped around my lower body as if floating was fantastic.
"I'm late for introductions. My name is Ji Wihan."
"I'm Kang Woori."
"To be frank, I want to know your traits and I'm tempted by the offer to raise the trait level, but I can't allow you, a stranger, to force me."
"I understand. That's natural."
"So I propose. Can you tell me about yourself? What kind of environment you grew up in, what kind of people you associated with, what kind of life you lived."
"Huh?"
"You don't have to tell me everything. Just tell me without lying. If I listen to your story and judge that you are someone I can trust, I will allow you to force me with agreement. You can accept it as a meaning that I will volunteer to be your subordinate."
"..."
"It's just a verbal promise because it's not an era where contracts are meaningful, but I will definitely keep it."
Ji Wihan looked straight at me without blinking an eye. His expression made it seem like he was taking a solemn oath. It was a textbook example of an expression that inspires trust.
'If I tell you my life, you'll come under me? That's a really profitable business.'
Telling you everything from A to Z about human Kang Woori?
I can do that. It's not exactly a proud life, but it wasn't a life so embarrassing that I had to hide it.
Of course, I committed countless cybercrimes such as invasions of privacy while working as a third-rate hacker at a detective agency, but I never tried to make personal gains. That was something that could harm Jin-ho hyung. Sometimes, if there was a guy who had saved sex videos, I would take them out and secretly watch them, but I only watched them alone, so that level could be considered mitigating circumstances.
I am confident that it would be difficult to find a third-rate hacker at a detective agency who works as cleanly as I do. Frankly speaking, I am confident that there are not many guys who have lived as soundly as I have in the bottom life.
I am proud of my life. The police are unlikely to be dispatched to catch a petty criminal like me in a zombie-infested situation, so I can tell you as much as I want about my life story.
"It's the first time I've told someone else about my life, so it might be disorganized."
"Speak comfortably. I'll listen with consideration."
"I..."
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