Chapter 27. The Sacrifice (2)
“Acceleration!”
Fwoosh—!
For once, the heavy stillness in the air was a relief. Eun-Ho dashed forward, practically flying, and tore away the slab of concrete pinning Ji-Eun. What laid beneath stopped his breath.
No!
The back of her head was crushed, and a torrent of blood and clear fluid streamed from her tiny skull. She hung limp, lifeless. Anyone could see it was hopeless.
Thump—
However, in the slowed-down flow of time, he could hear a faint heartbeat.
It’s not too late.
“Summon!”
A thick, sticky mass slowly formed in his palm. He’d managed to bring back only a fragment, but it was more than enough to fill both hands. It was heavy, layered like golden pastry, and gleamed with a light of its own. Thick yellow honey oozed between the folds.
[Royal Honey of the Giant Hornet]
- High-quality honey gathered between trees and rocks by Giant Hornets.
- Permanently increases strength and stamina by 1 when consumed.
- When applied to wounds, it fully regenerates the affected area.
- Note: It cannot be used if the heart has stopped.
Eun-Ho did not care about strength or stamina right now. What mattered was that third line.
Thump—
Her heart hadn’t completely stopped, held in suspension by Acceleration, as time stood still.
This might work!
With a careful hand, he pressed the Royal Honey against the back of Ji-Eun’s head. The thick, golden hive began to melt slowly, oozing downward like transparent gold.
Please, please, please, please, please...
He layered his desperate prayer over the precious, glowing substance, which was more valuable than any gold.
Then, the honey liquefied entirely, spreading smoothly over the collapsed skull. For a moment, a soft, radiant light burst out.
Beneath the golden membrane, new bone began to form, shaping a clean, white skull. Inside, gray matter slowly but precisely wove itself together.
The beeswax foundation of the hive melted into the scalp. Then, layer by layer, skin reformed, wrapping itself around it all.
Tick!
With the sound of everything snapping back into place, Ji-Eun opened her eyes. “Kuk!”
Eun-Ho remained silent.
[Yongsan District survivors: 1,000.]
“Eun-Ho...?”
[Ferry Man from the Bureau of Management is freaking out, asking where in the world he got the Royal Honey from!]
[The Prince from the Bureau of Investigation is yelling that no honey on Earth could bring the dead back to life!]
[An anonymous observer wonders aloud about the secret of resurrection.]
The number of survivors had risen from 999 back to 1,000. The observers were making a noisy fuss, but none of that really mattered to Eun-Ho.
Thank God. It worked.
He finally exhaled the breath he had been holding, staring at Ji-Eun as she blinked in confusion.
Thud!
His knees gave out, and he crumpled onto the rubble, every ounce of tension bleeding from his limbs. As he sank into the shattered remains of the bombed-out building, a new system message rang out not in the air, but inside his mind.
[All the parameters required for trait activation have been collected.]
[Congratulations!]
[Your defiance in the face of life and death, your refusal to bow to authority, and your instinct for revolution has unlocked your Unique Trait!]
[You have been granted the trait Rebel.]
Strange messages poured in.
“Trait?!” Eun-Ho sounded surprised.
[Ferry Man from the Bureau of Management staggers back, shocked by Eun-Ho’s outburst.]
[An anonymous observer smacks their lips, eyes gleaming.]
[Many observers are now curious about your trait.]
The observers' reactions were instant and dramatic.
[Check the effects of the Unique Trait!]
Although a thousand questions clawed at his mind, only one thing truly mattered now. It was Ji-Eun, the woman who had nearly died—no, had died—trying to save him.
“Haaa...” Eun-Ho exhaled, a long, shuddering breath dragged up from the depths of something wordless. The sound stirred Ji-Eun. She shifted weakly, trying to lift herself upright. “Huh?”
She’s alive. Thank God.
“Um... I thought I—”
Thank you for not letting your heart stop and for holding on.
However, it was pure luck.
“Ji-Eun, you just came back from the dead.”
If Eun-Ho had not selfishly stolen the Royal Honey, if he had arrived even a second later, or if Acceleration had not frozen time and kept her heart from stopping, she would not have been here.
"R-right? I definitely hit my head—"
"What were you thinking?! You should’ve protected yourself first!"
Surprised and shaken, the words came out sharper than he intended
"I couldn’t..." Ji-Eun replied quietly. She did not flinch beneath his reproach. Instead, she looked at him with calm, steady eyes.
“I just couldn’t stand there and do nothing while someone was falling—especially when it’s you.” She took in a slow, shallow breath, choosing her words carefully. “If it were you, I’m sure you would’ve done the same.”
Her gaze was unwavering—clear, certain, and full of quiet resolve.
Does she really believe everyone has a heart as kind as hers?
Eun-Ho found himself speechless. Something about that pure, unquestioning goodness was both moving and enviable.
“But still, promise me. Next time, you’ll take care of yourself first.”
Ji-Eun did not answer. She just blinked, wide-eyed and silent, lips pressed tight.
Stubborn, huh?
“Aaah... My head...”
She suddenly raised a hand to her forehead, wincing in exaggerated pain.
Did I push too hard?
“Well...” Eun-Ho sighed softly, then bowed his head. “Thank you.”
He meant it because she saved him from what could have been a cold, dark end buried beneath the rubble.
“I should thank you, too,” she said gently, her eyes shining so clearly they seemed to mirror him.
Then, she gave him a soft, warm, and radiant smile.
“Thank you for bringing me back to life, Eun-Ho.”
***
[Would you like to check the effects of the Unique Trait, Rebel?]
“Check.”
[An exclusive stat, Resistance, has been generated.]
[The Resistance stat increases when you produce results opposing the Greater Cause, and points cannot be allocated to it.]
Resistance stat? So stats can just appear? Anyway, results opposing the Greater Cause...
Eun-Ho had no idea what the Greater Cause was, or what kind of results he was supposed to produce. However, one thing was certain.
[Traits are bound to the first unlocker and cannot be shared with others.]
[Exclusive skills associated with the Unique Trait have been unlocked.]
Trait, Resistance, or whatever it was, it definitely had some value.
[Rebel - Exclusive Skills]
1. Counterattack (Lv.1)
- Consume Resistance stat to reflect a portion of damage received back to the attacker.
- Counterattack amount = (percentage of Resistance stat consumed)%.
2. ?? (Lv. ?)
3. ?? (Lv. ?)
Damage was reflected in proportion to the amount of stat consumed. In other words, if someone burned 10 points of Resistance, they would reflect 10% of incoming damage.
Unfortunately, Eun-Ho’s current Resistance stat was just 1. Not only was it frustratingly low, he had no way to test it properly.
First things first. I need to survive, Eun-Ho reminded himself.
The heart of the city lay in ruins, shrouded in a murky haze. A dense, sooty fog so dark it smothered even the moonlight hung in the air, like something out of a pre-apocalypse movie.
At least one thing was certain. The earthquake had finally stopped, and Ji-Eun was back on her feet.
“The earthquake seems to be over,” she said, brushing dust from her clothes.
“Yeah, I think so too,” Eun-Ho replied.
“Then let’s get moving!”
A message from Jae-Hyuk came a few minutes ago.
- To: Lee Eun-Ho
- From: Choi Jae-Hyuk
- Message: Hyungnim! Where are you? I’m in front of the Sheraton Hotel, but apparently Noonim can’t receive the gift due to a failed dispatch.
After telling him to wait, Eun-Ho and Ji-Eun turned and headed toward the Sheraton Hotel.
Just minutes later, Jae-Hyuk came running after him, breathless and gasping for air. He had weaved through the wreckage of Seoul Station and scrambled up a hill.
“Hyungnim! Noonim!”
Jae-Hyuk had a heavy load slung over each shoulder. It seemed like he had even grabbed the backpack Eun-Ho had left behind.
What a helpful kid, Eun-Ho thought.
“Noonim! Are you okay? I was worried when I heard you didn’t get the gift!”
“I’m fine. But why are you all alone? Where is everyone else?” Ji-Eun asked.
“Uh... Well, we got separated.”
“Separated?” Jae-Hyuk winced, as if dredging up a memory he would rather forget.
“Yeah. The apartment suddenly collapsed and then they showed up...”
They?
Eun-Ho waited for more explanation, but Jae-Hyuk was pale and just pointed somewhere.
Grrrr—
The sound of a beast’s growl, impossible to hear in the heart of Seoul, came from that direction.
“There! Over there!”
“Huh!”
Ji-Eun and Eun-Ho followed Jae-Hyuk’s gaze and froze. A massive shadow loomed over them, engulfing them both.
Towering like a building, the beast stood there, thick strands of saliva dripping from its gaping jaws.
Thump. Thump.
It lumbered forward on pillar-like legs, each step shaking the ground beneath them. Blood-red, bat-like wings unfurled across its back, and long, dagger-like fangs glinted in its maw.
With every guttural growl, thick black saliva dripped from its teeth.
“That thing’s saliva is poisonous!”
[Defeat the Venomous Sky Tiger!]
Grrrr—!
The beast threw its jaws open and let out a roar that warped the air, making the world itself tremble.
Thump. Thump. Tap. Tap. Swoosh!
Then, it charged.
“Summon the Razor Beak Blade!”
Clang!
Eun-Ho raised his sword just in time, blocking the beast’s gleaming fangs. Its sheer weight and pressure pressed down like a collapsing wall.
Tat!
He then drove his foot into its jaw, forcing just enough space to thrust his blade deep into its shadowy torso.
Strangely, the sword slid in with eerie ease. Its black, leather-like hide looked impossibly tough, yet the muscles and bones beneath—which should’ve acted like armor—barely resisted.
[An anonymous observer notes the subject’s skill has changed dramatically in a short time.]
[The Prince from the Bureau of Investigation asks if he’d been hiding his swordsmanship skill all along.]
[The Crow from the Bureau of Management clicks their tongue, muttering they had suspected he was no ordinary person.]
It’s thanks to the swordsmanship skill.
Back when he fought those carnivorous plants, Eun-Ho still wasn’t sure, but now, he was certain.
He remembered the system message he received earlier.
[Skills]
Basic Swordsmanship(Lv. 2)
- Increases attack power by 15 when wielding any longsword.
With a mere 15-point boost to attack power, he was slicing through monster hide and bone like warm butter. It could only mean one thing.
I can fight without using my Acceleration skill!
[You have defeated the Venomous Sky Tiger!]
[Bonus rewards have been granted for defeating a non-trial target.]
[You have earned 50 Welfare Points.]
“Eun-Ho?! What was that just now—?”
“H-Hyungnim?! What’s gotten into you all of a sudden?!”
“I’ll explain later! Look! Right side!”
“Eeek!”
Clang!
The Venomous Sky Tiger wasn’t alone. Another one lunged in, too fast to track. It snapped at Jae-Hyuk’s armor, but missed. As its fangs scraped off harmlessly, it recoiled, stunned by the impact.
“One, two, three, four...” Eun-Ho muttered.
Including the ones slinking in from behind, there were seven in total.
I could probably take them alone, if I had to...
“Do you think you can manage one?” Eun-Ho asked.
“I-I’ll try! Summon!”
Swoosh—! Clang!
As Eun-Ho cleaved through another charging Venomous Sky Tiger, Jae-Hyuk readied himself for battle.
[You have defeated the Venomous Sky Tiger!]
[You have earned 50 Welfare Points.]
Maybe watching me cut through them like this gave him some courage.
Breathing deep, Jae-Hyuk glanced between the Venomous Sky Tiger and Eun-Ho, face set with resolve. Then, he charged.
“Here I go!”
The Venomous Sky Tiger bared its fangs once more, aiming straight for Jae-Hyuk’s exposed throat instead of his blade. Jae-Hyuk’s legs trembled, yet his face radiated pure determination.
“Raaaargh!”
Clang!
However, his sword bounced off without even piercing the hide.
“Huh?”
Jae-Hyuk stared down at his now-empty hands, backing away in shock.
Okay. Not everyone’s a swordsman yet. Even I would be in trouble without the Swordsmanship skill boost.
“Jae-Hyuk! I’ve got you!” Ji-Eun shouted.
With Ji-Eun’s skills, maybe she can turn this around!
“N-Noonim?!”
Stepping boldly past a flustered Jae-Hyuk, Ji-Eun took the front line.
[You have defeated the Venomous Sky Tiger!]
[You have earned 50 Welfare Points.]
Even as Eun-Ho took down another charging beast, he couldn’t help but glance her way.
She had Psychokinesis, right? How would she fight? Lift the Venomous Sky Tiger and slam it down? Hurl debris like missiles?
Ji-Eun’s eyes flared with focus, locking onto the ground near the monster’s feet. “Haaa!”
Ah! She’s gonna use concrete chunks like how she got hit earlier. Smart thinking!
Eun-Ho sliced through another monster, fangs and neck cleanly severed. However, his attention stayed on her.
Pzzz—
Small fragments of concrete began to float.
Pzzzz— Pzzzz—
Then, more bits joined them.
Pzzzz— Pzzzz— Pzzz—!
Then, she gathered a whole cloud of fragments.
Huh? Is that it?
There were no real weapons, just confetti-sized rubbles flying around. Eun-Ho wasn’t sure if that was the plan.
“Ah... That’s not what I meant to do,” Ji-Eun muttered.
Yeah. I didn’t think so.
The Venomous Sky Tiger hesitated for a moment, confusion flickering in its eyes. Then, sensing no real threat, it lunged forward again with renewed fury.
“Rooooar!”
Haaa...
[You have defeated the Venomous Sky Tiger!]
[You have earned 50 Welfare Points.]
𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
[An anonymous observer expresses great satisfaction with you monopolizing the points!]
I was gonna share the Welfare Points with them. But I guess it's not time for that yet.
“Acceleration!”