Chapter 24
Kwooooo!
Whoooosh! Whoooosh-!
The pain of having his arm broken drove the orc to let out a beastly howl as it wildly began thrashing its remaining left arm.
Bang!
With each swing of that massive fist, it shattered pillars and sliced through the air, creating a fierce gale.
Using my increased agility, I nimbly dodged those brute-force trajectories with light footwork.
While deflecting his attacks and gauging the distance, my eyes locked onto the dangling right arm of the orc.
"...!"
With a grotesque creaking sound, the broken bones were forced back into place, torn muscles entwining like spiderwebs as the wound slowly began to heal.
'Is it regenerating?'
It seemed to have a regenerative ability, since its wounds were closing little by little.
If I dragged this out, it would become a nuisance.
Now was the chance, while one arm was still unable to function properly.
To cut off its breath with a single blow, I decided to use Leap offensively.
Thwack-!
Focusing strength into my toes, I kicked off the ground hard and once again raised my mace toward the top of its head.
The orc saw through my intent and forcibly dragged up its left arm, and even the not-yet-fully-regenerated right arm, to defend its face and head with both arms.
"..."
If my attack was blocked by those two thick slabs of muscle, it would be difficult to inflict a fatal wound.
If I forced an attack, I might even get counterattacked.
The very instant I briefly wondered whether I should break through by force or twist my trajectory in midair to target its legs instead.
"This way!"
Behind the orc, something silver flashed with a sharp cry.
The middle-aged man who had been lying on the floor and groaning in pain was now standing upright, gripping a spear tightly.
I thought the stamina potion I'd shoved into his mouth had worked, but even so he shouldn't have been in any condition to stand and move like this; he had forced himself up through sheer willpower.
Puk!
With bloodshot eyes, he thrust his spear into the back of the monster's thick leg, where the knee bent.
In response, the drones that had finished off the fodder monsters also began firing at the orc's legs all at once.
"Kroooah?!"
Caught off guard by the fierce attack from behind, the orc staggered and instinctively snapped its head around.
Its impatience in trying to identify the human who had stabbed it was what did it in.
A gap opened between the two arms that had been firmly shielding its head.
I did not miss that fleeting opening and drove straight into it without hesitation.
"Huuup!"
With my shout, the heavy mace sliced through the air and came crashing down.
Crack—!
The descending mace struck the orc's head.
The sound of its thick skull caving in echoed through the lobby.
The horrible sensation of crushing hard bone traveled through my fingertips.
Thud!
At last, the orc lost all strength and collapsed onto the marble floor.
With that huge body toppling over, it felt as if the entire department store shook.
After checking the slumped corpse, I casually rested the mace on my shoulder.
When my eyes met those of the man, who was breathing just as heavily while supporting himself on his spear, we nodded lightly at each other as if it had been promised and let out breaths of relief.
The drones, along with the other Awakened, seemed to have already joined forces and neatly cleared out the remaining monsters around us.
Once the orc fell, the lobby was briefly swallowed by silence, and then people began pouring out their words.
"That huge monster...!"
"A-are you okay?"
"We survived...?"
The survivors clasped my hands with both of theirs, came up to greet me, and kept bowing over and over.
It was a little overwhelming, but at the same time, it felt rewarding.
Once things had settled down, we began properly gathering the items inside the department store.
Originally, they had pared their belongings down to the bare minimum for survival and a quick escape.
A heavy backpack would only get in the way of fighting and running.
But after wiping out the monster pack and seeing my drones keeping a sturdy watch over the surroundings, people's attitudes changed completely.
They went back around the department store and began stuffing their bags to the brim with supplies, food, and useful equipment.
I didn't miss this chance either and headed straight for the children's clothing section.
"...Children's clothes are crazy expensive."
Maybe it was because this was a department store, but the prices on children's clothes were pretty steep.
At a glance, the prices weren't all that different from adult clothes, but when I thought about how fast kids grow and how much raw material goes into them, it seemed expensive no matter how I looked at it.
Of course, children's clothes probably had their own challenges—but—
...To think there would come a day when I'd be making thoughts like this.
I smiled and picked out the clothes.
"This should be enough, right?"
Small clothes and fluffy sneakers for Sua, sturdy activewear and new shoes for Jiu.
Since I was at it anyway, I gladly scooped up the most expensive clothes that were easy to wear and move around in.
Fortunately, there happened to be a place in the department store selling suitcases, so I used one of those.
Thinking of the children being delighted in their new clothes made me smile.
"Shall we get going soon?"
"Yes! We’re all set too."
Satisfied with our shopping, I led the group of roughly fourteen survivors and set our course toward the station where my train was waiting.
As I confidently took the lead and started walking, the man behind me carefully pointed out the way.
"Um, the Yeonsu-gu safe zone is quite a walk in the opposite direction. If you head toward the station, you'll be going in a completely different direction."
At his worried voice, I turned around and lightly waved a hand.
"Our ride is over by the station..."
"A ride? But there are fourteen of us... Is it by any chance a large bus...?"
"Mm... I'll explain once we get there."
"...Yes."
The people looked at one another skeptically.
Thinking about the road conditions in the collapsed city, ordinary vehicles would probably not even be able to move.
Instead of bothering to explain at length, I smiled faintly and led their uneasy steps forward.
It wasn't long before we arrived at the station.
And where the people's gazes landed, the black train revealed its form.
At the appearance of the black train equipped even with turrets and spikes, the survivors behind me all froze in place at the same moment, as if they had agreed to it.
"...This is—"
"Could it be that the ride you mentioned..."
"Yes."
At my answer, everyone stood there with their mouths open, unable to say anything further, and simply stared blankly up at the train.
They looked as shocked as they had when I was tearing monsters apart.
Enjoying those dazed expressions, I walked toward the front of the passenger compartment in Car 3 at the rear of the train.
Pssshhh-
With a pleasant sound, the door to the passenger compartment swung open wide.
The interior of the cabin, complete with cozy lighting and plush seats, came into view.
"Now then, everyone, get on."
"Y-yes, ah..."
"Y-yes, l-let's get on!"
"We don't have to take off our shoes, right...?"
The survivors were sucked into Car 3 as if under a spell.
All of them sat down in seats for the first time in a long while.
Even though each of them had probably ridden a subway or train at least once in their lives, exclamations of admiration burst from the mouths of the people who settled into their seats.
"It's been so long since I've had a seat..."
"Never thought I'd miss the days when I used to commute to work..."
"This thing really moves, right?"
For now, I told everyone who had boarded to sit and wait a moment.
They all nodded, awkward though they were.
I went into Car 2.
Sua and Jiu were sound asleep in one of the bunk beds tucked into a corner of the cabin, breathing softly and oblivious to the world.
I passed the siblings and went to the driver's cab in Car 1, entered the destination, and pulled the acceleration lever.
Vwoooom—!
The train began to move smoothly.
When I returned to Car 3, the passengers were easing away their fatigue in the train's steady, unshaking ride.
"It's moving..."
"...Well, of course the train moves."
"Tch, you've been staring out the window with your mouth open since earlier."
"...You saw that?"
The atmosphere among the people loosened considerably.
Looking at them like this, it felt like a bunch of adults had gone on a trip together.
As they huddled together on the train, conversation started naturally, and with a shared story of surviving the crisis, the chatter never stopped.
There was a little tension once when a monster came close in the middle—but—
Dududung-!
As the turret mounted on the train casually took down the monster, the mood settled down again.
Soon after, the train came to a smooth stop in front of the huge apartment complex in Yeonsu-gu.
"We’ve arrived."
"Already?"
"Kind of a shame..."
"Thank you so much!"
When I opened the Car 3 door, the people kept bowing as they stepped outside.
The man who had taken the potion walked up to me and carefully handed me a bag and an old book with both hands.
"As promised, here are forty low-grade mana stones and an unidentified skill book. It's shabby because we don't have much, but please accept them. I will never forget this kindness."
"No need. Just in case, don't overdo it and get plenty of rest."
Feeling the heavy weight in my pocket, I smiled brightly.
"Um... you don't have to come into the safe zone..."
"Worry about the people who actually need worrying about. They'll be fine on their own, so don't stick your nose in where it doesn't belong..."
"No, it's because you look young..."
As the survivors got off, they all gave their thanks and sometimes even a word of concern.
After everyone had disembarked, they waved until the train was out of sight and then walked toward the entrance of the apartment complex.
I had no intention of stepping into the safe zone.
There was no need for me to join them since I had the train, but after saving passengers once, I'd realized something.
"It is kind of satisfying..."
In a way, they were people I had saved along the way, but in the process of talking with them, it felt like something lacking inside me was being filled in.
I did have the siblings too, but, how should I put it, with them it feels like I'm doing childcare.
"...Glad I saved them."
I let out a snort of laughter, and a message window appeared in front of me.
[Passenger satisfaction is being measured.]
[350 points]
[Upon reaching the target score, the modification list is unlocked.]
[You have rescued multiple survivors.]
[You have obtained a random skill box.]
[Good-aligned constellations are taking notice of the train.]
[Those constellations sponsor 1 high-grade mana stone.]
"...Doing good deeds really does pay off."
And it was the best reward I'd received from my achievements so far.
As if this skill existed for exactly this purpose.
I put the reward aside and, one last time, sent the reconnaissance drone up over the apartment complex.
The sight of the Yeonsu-gu safe zone viewed through the monitor was much better than I had expected.
Along the outer fence of the apartment complex, thick barricades had been set up in double and triple layers, and Awakened carrying weapons were conducting systematic patrols at regular intervals.
In the apartment complex playground, there was also a lively scene of people distributing food.
"Good. I'd have felt uneasy if I'd gone through all that trouble to bring them here only for the place to be a mess."
It was a reliable safe zone where rules and order were properly in place.
The people I had just rescued from the department store would be able to recover safely and rebuild their daily lives there.
With a satisfied smile, I called the reconnaissance drone back.