Another strike comes down.SHIIIIING—!The mutant’s body is torn diagonally as it collapses.“Hoo…”Twenty-five. That's how many I've cut down so far. My fatigue level hasn't risen past [Slightly Fatigued] yet. I'm slowly getting the hang of controlling my strength. I've also been able to grasp the extent of the [Skill] correction that was a system in the game. The effects of the skill correction are motion assistance and damage correction. I was curious how the damage correction would apply in reality…‘Numerically, it was about a 1.5x increase with each stage.’‘Excluding [Flash Step], which maximizes approach speed rather than being a physical attack.’In the case of [Slash], I could feel it was a similar level of boost. From a state with no skills, to a focused strike, a single blow, a heavy blow, a sharp blow, and finally to a slash. I’d felt it when I fought the mafia and easily cut through concrete, but the correction I was receiving was enormous.‘Physically, am I receiving a power correction of about 7 times? If it wasn't for Zero, the sword wouldn't have been able to withstand it.’Once my growth slows down and I seriously enter the 'superhuman' level, special options will probably be added, but I don't need to think about that yet. Anyway, as I tried to use only the necessary amount of force, I was naturally able to restrain myself from using any more power than needed. I excluded skills that consumed a lot of stamina. The tip of my sword moved purely on physical strength.‘Not bad so far.’They're just the lowest-grade entities. Maybe it’s only because there are dozens of them, but I don't feel like it’s that difficult. No, it would be a bigger problem if I was already getting tired. I might have to fight against a wave of tens of thousands. There will also be times when I have to fight high-grade entities. Or maybe I'll have to do both at the same time. But to lose strength just from killing a few dozen? I should just pack my bags and go live on a deserted island.KRAAAAAAK—!!Slice—!As I behead another one, I think. What if these weren't stage 1 basic entities, Minions, but stage 2 entities, Eaters? And what if they all rushed me at once?‘It's not like I couldn't handle it, but I still lack gear.’It wasn't that there was no way. I already had the method of dealing with them down in my head. But from stage 3 or stage 4 entities, things would be different.‘It'll be a while before they appear, but…’Without a plasma weapon, their regeneration speed will be faster than my cutting speed from stage 3 onwards.‘In the end, I have to grow diligently. I can't be complacent.’The reason my thoughts had trailed off like this was simple. It was to suppress the feeling of my own strength, which even I was beginning to acknowledge. The physical resilience when I moved. The pressure of my grip when I swung. Everything was ideal. It raised my pre-existing sense of inspiration a level higher. The strange excitement I felt, even as I tried to suppress it, continued to stimulate various emotions. Still, as I kept holding it back, the peculiar feeling barely subsided.‘Of course, I’m bound to be stronger than the mutants right now.’‘But if my growth stagnates, it’s over. To handle the terrifyingly fast-growing mutants, I have to become even stronger.’Becoming complacent while fighting against the apocalypse was unthinkable.KREEEAAAK!"Hup!"SHLIIICK—!Was it because I was too lost in thought? I allowed a mutant lunging to bite me to get too close. I snapped out of it with a jolt and cut them down again. I’d roughly estimated a few dozen, but there were still more to cut down. So the total number of mutants I was facing was around thirty.‘It's about time to clean this up.’I didn't intentionally drag it out, but my calculations told me that if I moved a bit more intensely, I could wipe out the rest at once. So I took a deep breath.[Flash Step LV.1]I link the skill with basic movements.FSSSSH!SLICE—!!My body surged forward using Flash Step. Using the momentum, the tip of my sword, swung again without much effort, turned the few remaining mutants into mush. The moment I slaughtered them all…"Hoo…"Ding![Flash Step LV.1] >> [Flash Step LV.3]The unexpected notification made me doubt my eyes."From 1 straight to 3…?"‘The Legendary Swordsmanship Talent trait… for swords, it’s a truly absurd trait.’Level is proficiency. Once you reach level 10, you move on to the next skill. Since [Flash Step] is a 3rd-stage skill that skipped over [Advancing Slash] and [Surge], its growth should have slowed down considerably, but… its proficiency rose easily once again. By two levels, no less. The implication of this was greater than I thought. A skill, in the end, is a tool that allows for a smooth continuation of specific actions. It’s a unique characteristic of players that generates more power than their own physical abilities. Such skills are usually harder to level up than they are to acquire… The sight of it going up two levels at once was almost enough to make me laugh."Not bad."A smile naturally formed on my lips at the message, which washed away some of my lingering attachment to firearms. It's still the early days of the apocalypse. At a glance, that might seem daunting. But looking on the bright side, it also means there's still plenty of time to prepare. If so, what is the potential I can draw out with my Legendary Swordsmanship Talent? Honestly, I couldn't really gauge it."Guess it’s time to head back."Perhaps I was lost in thought for too long. I had even forgotten the stuffiness of the helmet.‘I should probably put the Black Wing away inside.’With light steps, I approach the Black Wing parked to one side. Fortunately, it’s unscratched and in its original state. As I lightly mount the seat, it starts up as if it had been waiting.VMMMM—!"Ah, let me check something first."Now that I'm on the Black Wing, I'm simply curious about the situation outside. Most places outside of major facilities like the Defense Force base would be dark, but that didn't matter. Gale's Glasses. These bizarre glasses had the function of providing clear vision even at night. To some, they might look like nerdy glasses, but right now, they were like a second pair of eyes.Enough with the introspection.VROOOM—!Pulling the left throttle, the Black Wing immediately lifts into the air. I felt a slight chill as I gained altitude, but more than that, my heart was captivated by the strange charm of the darkness."…I can't see the situation very well."No matter how good my [Hyper-Senses] Trait is, there's a limit to my line of sight. I can only infer the situation from the movement of small dots. I can't be sure, but it doesn't seem to be a bad situation. Normally, the city center would be completely devastated. But from what I can see, I can occasionally spot several people gathered together.However, it didn't take long for me to sense that something was wrong. It was an ominous scene."That's…"In the direction I was looking, something like a shadow was flickering. But if you look closely, you can tell. It's a bizarre phenomenon that occurs when too many individuals are clustered in one spot. What I am seeing now is…‘A Wave.’It was a tide. A wave of mutants, already numbering in the tens of thousands, had formed. It was happening at a time when it should have been impossible. An unexpected situation.Why? What specific action led to this butterfly effect?In a flash, I realize the reason.‘Ken.’The official notice that Ken Sasaki had sent out to everyone. The one about classifying symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals. What if the citizens and public officials had unthinkingly gathered the symptomatic people in one place? It's a possible story. It might have effectively stopped the spread of the infection, but they couldn't have predicted this.The biggest problem is that the wave's path cuts directly through the criminal quarantine zone."By the time it passes through there…"I couldn't even begin to guess how much the number of individuals would increase. Perhaps even sealing the entrance would be futile.VWOOOM—The wind from the Black Wing's jet nozzles stirs the inside of the Defense Force base. As the gust hit the crowded main gate, the soldiers, battered by the sudden wind, hastily straightened their messy hair and clothes.Separate from that situation, I step onto the ground, mulling over the ominous thought of the [Wave]. Strangely, only silence had descended upon the area. I wasn't hoping for a welcome, but I certainly wasn't hoping for this deafening silence either.‘What's going on?’The atmosphere had changed. Was it because of the wind? Just before that useless thought could continue, Benjamin stepped out from among them."You've worked hard.""Yes."It was easy to read something in his brief hesitation.‘Did I go too wild?’Benjamin Howard's demeanor was more cautious than before, which meant he found me more difficult to approach. Loosely speaking, you could say he had a bit more military discipline now. It seems my recent hunt was a bit of a shock to them. There was nothing I could say about that. That was entirely their domain."Where is Eli?""Ms. Eli said she was going to check the communicator.""The communicator?""Yes, I don't know the reason, but…"A communicator. What is she thinking? I'm suddenly curious. Eli is from the Wayless family. In terms of mechanical engineering, she has an outstanding talent.‘The communication equipment room was over that way, I think.’My feet started moving immediately. However, before I could go any further, Benjamin's voice stopped me."Mr. Han.""Yes.""If it's not too rude, may I ask where you were originally affiliated…?"It was a sudden question."Hmm."But Benjamin's expression as he asked was quite solemn. As if he was searching for something he could convince himself of.‘Well, this is…’My thoughts get complicated. As if I was ever affiliated with anywhere. But I can't just make something up either. It was cleaner to just state it as it is. I mechanically recite the excuse I had already prepared."I wasn't affiliated with anywhere. I have simply been preparing for this situation for a very long time.""A very long time… you say?""Yes."That should be enough explanation. There's no need to make things more complicated. As I passed by Benjamin after saying that, various whispers erupted behind me.—Given his incredible skill…—You saw it too, right? He's definitely not an ordinary person…—Maybe those monsters aren't as weak as we thought…—Don't be stupid!All of them were questions about me. I try to ignore them and quicken my pace. What on earth is Eli doing?And so, in the communication equipment room, a soft argument was taking place.—Are… are you really sure this is okay?—It's fine.—But…The moment I stepped into the room, everyone's attention, except for Eli's, focused on me. Eli was focused, rapidly manipulating something. When I quietly approached her side, I could see she was making something far more incredible than I had thought."You're here?""You seem quite busy.""Yes, I'm doing something very, very important right now.""What are you trying to do?""I'm creating a special channel that all major facilities with communication equipment can access.""A special channel…?""It's called a radio, something they used a long time ago. Do you know of it?""A ra… dio?""Yes, that's the most appropriate comparison."A radio. Was that even possible at this point? For a moment, my mind goes blank."Transmission and reception aren't smooth here. At best, we can only receive the voice transmissions from the Central Control Center. But based on this, we can establish a communication network with the main facilities.""Can ordinary citizens access it too?""Well… if there's a citizen who can make a simple receiver, I guess it's possible… Why do you ask?"Because if we can just deliver information in a timely manner via radio, many things will change. In this world, it’s a relic of a bygone era, but it’s also a simple machine that any technician could easily build."Eli, that's brilliant."Could it be any more brilliant? She might think it’s no big deal, but this was the first step to restoring communications in an apocalyptic situation.

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