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"Are you going to eat that?"
"I have to try something."
The blue core, like the other cores, was a pebble small enough to hold in one hand. It was a bit large, but it was small enough to swallow.
However, being able to swallow it and being okay to swallow it were different things. No one knew if it was safe to swallow a core.
"There's also the option of breaking it."
"Huh?"
"Either way, it's uncertain. So, it's right to try the safer method first."
That made sense. The fact that all I could think about was eating it to get the trait was just a matter of intelligence.
"I guess so."
"Yes, that's right."
"...I'll break it."
I placed the blue core on the ground and struck it hard with a crowbar. As the core shattered into pieces, I felt a cool energy enter my hand holding the crowbar.
Others might have just felt the energy and moved on, but I was different.
『Kang Woori』
Skill: 「Hacking」
Trait: 「Clairvoyance (lv.3)」/「Gigolo (lv.2)」/「Special Iron Man (lv.6)」/「Tough Bones (lv.1)」
I could see the list of traits.
'Why does the trait composition seem specialized for getting beaten up?'
All the traits except 「Clairvoyance (lv.3)」 were like that. It wasn't intentional, but it ended up that way as I acquired them.
The disappointing fact was that 「Tough Bones (lv.7)」, which the Kobold Zombie had, was downgraded to level 1 when I obtained it through the blue core.
Just getting a trait for free was a point gain, but it would have been a bigger gain if the level had been maintained. Human greed is endless.
"Did you get a trait?"
"Yes. There was a way to get traits."
"It's not bad. Humanity needs a way to survive on its own. Kang Woori's exclusive advantage has decreased, but it's still superior just by being able to raise the level."
Ji Wihan seemed to think that it was better to strengthen humanity's self-reliance, even if it meant losing the advantage of only I being able to give traits.
I agreed with him. What's the fun in living if everyone dies and only a few survive? Moreover, if the ones who survive are trash, then it's better for humanity to have its own survival skills.
Besides, giving traits requires going through the storage, which doubles the points. I also had to find someone with a suitable trait and kill them myself.
It might be better for people to acquire traits on their own, and for me to just raise the level.
"Thinking about it that way, it's fortunate that the trait was downgraded to level 1."
"Was the level downgraded?"
"A level 7 trait came in downgraded to level 1."
"Hmm. It's unfortunate news for humanity, but it might be better for Kang Woori. Considering that demand could increase sharply, it might be better than not having a way to get traits."
"...Ah, yes."
Ji Wihan was analyzing the value of my skills with a completely unconcerned face.
"Shriek?"
The sound of a new common zombie was heard from beyond the fog.
It wasn't the time to leisurely examine traits.
We quickly dealt with the common zombie and crossed the Yeongdong Bridge.
Cheongdam-dong, revealed after crossing the Yeongdong Bridge, was completely different from before. It was as if it had been occupied by zombies, with nothing but zombies in sight.
"That's strange."
"What is?"
"There are too few people."
"Wouldn't it be stranger if there were people there?"
"I'm not talking about people coming outside. There isn't a single place where light shines out from the buildings."
"Ah, I see."
As Ji Wihan said, there should have been places with lights on, but all the places we saw were dark. If the doors were locked well, the stupid zombies wouldn't be able to get inside, and since the neon signs were on, it didn't seem like the electricity was cut off, but the fact that no light was shining from the buildings was definitely strange.
"It could just be a coincidence, but it's likely that people have taken refuge somewhere."
"Hmm. Should we look for them?"
"There are pros and cons, so it's hard to say for sure which choice is better. I'll follow your choice."
"Let's not actively look for them, but if we find them on the way, let's stop by. We need to increase our size anyway."
"That's not important now. As long as the power supply is maintained, the advantages that our group can offer will be diminished. It's more efficient to focus on internal stability now."
"You never know. There might be someone with a useful trait."
"Can't you only see the traits if you have the initiative?"
Come to think of it, Ji Wihan thought that he could only see the list of traits if he had the initiative.
"You can get a rough idea just by looking at them. We can bring the seemingly quick-witted ones and decide whether to take them or throw them away after checking their traits."
"Hmm. I understand."
We roughly adjusted our opinions and passed through Cheongdam-dong.
There were so many zombies that we couldn't avoid fighting, even though we tried to avoid them as much as possible. In particular, we almost died when zombies swarmed us while crossing the main road, but fortunately, we were able to go into a building with an open door and clear them all using the emergency stairs.
It was about three hours after crossing the Yeongdong Bridge when we arrived at COEX.
We didn't intend to stop by COEX. We were just passing by because we thought it was safer to cross the relatively narrow subway line than to cross the Olympic Expressway.
However, we couldn't help but stop when we saw the barricade set up at the entrance of COEX and the brightly lit lights.
"It seems that people are gathered here. Would you like to go in?"
"Let's go. Ah, please take the lead when we go in. I'll just say I'm a bodyguard. It seems like it would be better to do that if we want to see who to recruit."
"Rather than a bodyguard, let's say you're an intern at a legislator's office. It's more suitable in appearance, and it will feel more natural to explain our relationship that way."
"...Okay."
I had nothing to say to the comment that I didn't look like a bodyguard. If a skinny guy said he was a bodyguard, I wouldn't believe him either.
As we approached the barricade, two guards who seemed to be on duty stood beyond it. One was a young and sturdy man in his 20s, and the other was a middle-aged man in his 40s with a bulging belly.
"Stop."
As we got closer to the barricade, the middle-aged man stepped forward and stopped us. But the pressure was enormous. The thing in his hand was none other than a revolver.
'Why is there a gun?'
Our plan to run away immediately if things went wrong was shattered from the start. A gun was an unforeseen asymmetric weapon.
"Are you perhaps a police officer?"
Unlike me, who was flustered, Ji Wihan spoke to the guard as if he didn't care about the revolver.
"I was until the world went to hell."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Ji Wihan, a grade 4 aide from Assemblyman Jung Euiyeol's office."
"Oh? Ah, yes."
Perhaps because the police officer was also a public official, he seemed flustered by the rank of grade 4, even though it was a special public office. It was as if a department head from the headquarters of a typical company had suddenly come to visit.
Putting Ji Wihan forward was an excellent choice. Judging by his attitude, I couldn't have even expected him to use polite language if it had been me.
"May I know who is in charge?"
"The head of the Gangnam Police Station is temporarily in charge."
"Chief Superintendent Kim Hakdo, I see. Would it be possible to arrange an interview with the chief? I'll leave all weapons with you."
"...Come inside for now."
The police officer must have decided that he couldn't make a decision on his own, so he removed the barricade and let us inside.
"Please wait a moment."
"Yes."
The police officer picked up the radio next to the barricade and moved away enough so that we couldn't hear him.
"Are you perhaps acquainted with the police chief?"
"I don't have a direct personal relationship with him, but I have met him through the assemblyman."
"It seems that police chiefs become acquainted with members of the National Assembly."
"That's not always the case. It was a meeting that took place after discovering that the ruling party's assemblyman and Chief Kim Hakdo had colluded and politically pressured him."
"Ah, I see."
It seemed that they were political rivals. It was funny that an assemblyman and a police officer could be in a rival relationship, but I figured it was just their world that I didn't know about.
"Um..."
Then, the young man who had been silent called Ji Wihan quietly.
"Yes, please speak."
"Be careful. Those guys aren't good cops."
"Could you tell me more about it?"
"Please keep it a secret that I said this."
The young man only said that much and closed his mouth. But that alone was enough to know that this wasn't a place where people were gathered and protected with pure goodwill.
Just then, the police officer returned. And another middle-aged man came out from inside COEX. That person also had a revolver on his waist, indicating that he was a police officer.
"This person will guide you to the chief. Let's go inside."
"Yes. Thank you for your trouble."
"Ah, yes."
Ji Wihan gave the young man a look. On the surface, it seemed like he was just saying hello, but I knew it was an implicit answer to keep it a secret.
We followed the new police officer into COEX.
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