Chapter 22
The military had been wiped out.
The world had gone to shit too, just so the military wouldn't be lonely.
The giants trampled every city and smashed them to pieces. Hiding somewhere a giant couldn't step on was meaningless, too. Those trampled by giants rose again as small monsters, and the people who were attacked by those small monsters became the same kind of monster.
I heard that a lot of the people who chose to tough it out instead of evacuating ended up like that. By now, there were probably more than a million of those little monsters.
The giants and the little ones were tearing the world apart together like they were best buddies, but I couldn't learn anything more detailed than that.
The internet and broadcasts were already cut off. An age had come where, without electricity, you couldn't receive information.
Information seemed to be monopolized by the military, but it wasn't reaching the evacuees. Honestly, that made sense. What was the point of telling people the giants were smashing everything? It wouldn't help control anything. Even if you asked the soldiers, all they said was that they were winning.
So right now, I'm just...
evacuating under the direction of the few soldiers left.
"..."
Where did it all go wrong.
And what should I have done.
It was truly absurd.
Vampires. The Administration Bureau. The Monster Hospital. Those three were things I'd personally been through. The vampires killed even Mom and Dad, sure, but it wasn't enough to destroy the country, and the Administration Bureau and the Monster Hospital only got me killed.
Ah. If the vampires had spread like zombies, things might have ended up similar to now. Since Mom and Dad turned into man-eating monsters. Well, I died right away back then, so I couldn't know the result.
Anyway.
What were those bastards at the Administration Bureau doing now?
Had they charged in like Deputy Director Lee Do-hyeong, brandishing a single sword and claiming they'd cut down all the giants, only to be wiped out to the last one?
Given how those bastards act, it does seem possible.
Then what were the vampires doing? Was Cheongak Mary Hospital still operating even in this chaos? If it was, that would be hilarious. Giants going in as patients at a monster hospital. So what kind of ward were they supposed to use?
On top of that, if a giant kicked the hospital, it seemed like everything would be smashed to pieces. If that wasn't possible, maybe it would have been better to just live as a guard instead.
Ha-ha.
A pointless assumption.
The medicine I got from the hospital was lost during the evacuation.
Maybe there had been a place to use it.
The black pendant I received from Mr. Kim Seong-han's wife was hanging safely around my neck. What on earth was that woman? Why did she disappear along with the light?
I had no idea.
I couldn't know anything, but one thing was certain: Mr. Kim Seong-han was an extraordinary man. Marrying a woman who looked like some Arab tycoon.
Ah.
If I died here.
Then the regression point would probably be right when I got off in Seoul.
The first day of the giant incident.
Even if I went back, if I couldn't stop the man going into that wall, the same ending would just be waiting for me.
How was I supposed to stop that?
What did I need to do to stop it?
I didn't know.
And as long as I didn't know that, regression was meaningless.
The biggest problem was... that in the current situation, I couldn't figure anything out. Because in an apocalypse situation like this, there was nothing a normal guy like me could do.
Maybe.
Would I regress to the first day of the incident and end up repeating only the ending of being trampled to death by a giant forever?
"Hong-ah, Hong-ah...! Hurry! Come here!"
While I was having extremely negative, depressing thoughts, Dad called me over. From the way he was beckoning while keeping his voice as low as possible, he must have had something to say in secret.
"What is it, Dad? What's up?"
"Hey. Hey. Come look at this."
"What is it?"
Dad suspiciously looked around and slipped his coat open.
"Oh...!"
Inside it was...!
"Shh! Quiet!"
It's canned cat treats!
Salmon flavor, too!
"Where did you get something this precious...!"
"Heh-heh-heh, that's all thanks to your dad's skill, you brat."
Trembling with emotion, Dad puffed himself up proudly. Still, getting something like this in an apocalypse was some serious skill.
Our dad's got some skills, all right.
"This dad can do things you, a mere son, can't, without even batting an eye."
"You're absolutely right, Father!"
"If I'm a tiger, you're just a day-old pup, punk. Huh? You little neighborhood mutt. Back in the day, pups like you would've been hauled off by the local dogcatcher."
"I really don't get the context, Dad."
Whatever it was, seeing a smile on his gaunt face made me feel better too.
"Let's share it with Mom. We'll feast for once, feast."
Ah, my mouth's watering.
"Oh, but Dad. If we open this, won't the smell give us away? Where should we eat it?"
"I've got a spot picked out. Let's sneak and eat there."
"Heh-heh-heh, that's our dad for you. You're seriously the world's best dad. If I were reborn, I'd still be your son."
"That's the first time I've heard anything like that in my life, you brat."
Canned cat treats.
If this had been before the apocalypse, I wouldn't have even looked at it, but now it symbolized overwhelming luck and happiness.
Those aliens from District 9 really liked this, though.
"Today's our lucky day. Hey. Hurry and go get Mom. I'll warm this up with my body heat."
"Yes, sir."
I immediately spread my arms and ran off to fetch Mom.
"Mom!"
Mom was sleeping inside the tent. Honestly, even setting aside Dad and me as men, Mom didn't have much energy these days. Her health seemed to be getting worse, too.
"Hm...? Why are you calling me?"
"Hurry. Wake up quietly. Dad got us something precious. Let's eat together and get some nourishment."
"Something precious? What could it be?"
"Don't be shocked...! It's canned cat treats."
"Oh my...!"
A delighted flush spread across Mom's gaunt face.
"Come on, get up."
I immediately took Mom's hand and helped her up.
And quietly went to where Dad was.
"Oh, Mrs. Lee's here? Your eyes are all bright and sparkling. Cute."
"I don't know. Where's the can?"
"Here."
"Wow."
"Here, let's eat together. Dad even got a Baskin-Robbins spoon."
Dad proudly held out a pink spoon!
"No, Dad, you're crazy! You're just a total powerhouse, a powerhouse! Mom, where did you even find a man like this? He's basically an SSR-tier human-rights character!"
"If this isn't a real human-rights husband, then what is it!"
"Please keep it down. Then shall we try it?"
"Yes."
And so our family hid in a corner and ate the canned cat treats together.
"Ah."
Delicious.
It was just genuinely delicious.
Maybe because we'd been a little short on food lately.
It was so good I could cry.
"You should lick the can clean. Let's let Mom have this one. Honey, eat up and put some fat back on."
"Just give it to Hong."
"Oh, come on, what do you mean give it to me? Just the two of you lick it together. It'll be nice, remind you of your honeymoon."
"Y-you, Geunhong!"
"Hey, you punk!"
The world had ended, but as long as I was with my family, I was fine. With little bits of happiness like this, humans could keep living just fine.
Then it happened.
ㅡRumble-rumble-rumble!
The sound of the world shaking.
"Uh, uh!"
"Aaaah!"
"Giant! It's a giant!"
I could hear people's desperate screams.
"Aaaagh!"
"Run!"
"Kyaaaah!"
When I lifted my head, I saw a giant with twisted flesh and skin. It had no nose, ears, or mouth on its face. Just two black, beadlike eyes set in there.
"Hwaaagh!"
The military had it under control, but it was already useless.
The panicked people were fleeing in all directions.
ㅡThud!
The giant was coming closer.
ㅡRatatatata!
ㅡTatatatang!
Then, small monsters that looked like miniature versions of the giant came charging wildly toward our group of survivors. Gunshots were going off, but it was meaningless... No matter what happened, we couldn't let them bite us. If they bit us, we'd end up the same way.
"Fuck! Those bastards are too fast!"
While we were running, Dad shouted.
"Hong-ah!"
"Uh, uh!"
"Take your mother and run that way! Dad will hold them off here!"
"Hold what off? Do you really think that'll work?! Just run, please!"
What am I supposed to hold off!
"If this keeps up, we'll all get caught, you bastard! Hey! Why aren't you running with Mom already?! Want to get beaten half to death by your dad?! Listen to me, damn it!"
"Honey! No!"
"Go! I'm not dying! Mrs. Lee, you think I'd get killed by those bastards? Me? I’m the one who won a 27-on-1 fight! I'll come back later with cat food, so hurry! Hey! Hong-ah! Hurry up and take Mom away! You bastard, if not you, then who’s going to protect Mom!"
Dad came to a stop and picked up an iron pipe.
There were... a lot of monsters.
ㅡFwoosh!
But right after Dad changed direction, the monsters also turned toward Dad.
"Come here, you motherfuckers! Graaaah!"
Hearing Dad shout, I yanked Mom's wrist.
"Let's go!!!"
Tears welled up.
"H-Hong-ah! Dad...!"
"Just run for now, please!!!"
I grabbed Mom's wrist and ran and ran.
ㅡThud!
From all directions came the sounds of giants trampling the ground and human screams. Where was I supposed to run? Where could I go to escape? Where was a safe place?
Dad?
Was he okay?
If it were Dad, he'd probably beat up a few of them and then come after us, right? Then he'd say, "No, shit, I found the cat food but dropped it on the way." If he said it that shyly, Mom would comfort him and say it was fine.
ㅡRustle.
A shadow fell over us.
"H-Hong-ah!"
A giant appeared ahead of us.
No, not just ahead of us.
Giants were appearing from every direction.
ㅡSqueeze.
Terrified, Mom clutched my arm tightly.
"Ah."
The giant looked down at me.
What I felt was.
Nothing but endless despair.
There was nowhere to run.
I was here...
...to be trampled to death by a giant together with Mom.
Anxiety, fear, and an unexplainable sense of guilt.
All of it blackened my mind while squeezing my heart as if it would burst.
"Hong-ah, Hong-ah...!"
Mom held me close and sobbed.
"It's okay, Mom."
I wrapped my arms around Mom's back.
"It's okay. Everything will be okay."
Just like when I was little.
While rubbing Mom's back.
I clenched my teeth hard, letting the surging anger spill out.
ㅡDrip.
Tears mixed with countless emotions streamed down.
What the hell...!
What the hell is it that keeps making shit like this happen to me!
Why!
How come!
Why do these goddamn giant bastards show up and kill us all!
Not just once, for fuck's sake, four times!
"Urk...!"
I'll go back!
If I regress this time, I'll definitely find a way to solve this incident no matter what!
No matter how many times it takes!
You think I'd let Dad and Mom die again!
You goddamn monster bastards!
"I'll show you that there's a monster even worse than monsters...!"
Strictly speaking, I'm more of a monster than those giant bastards because I keep regressing. If I have infinite chances, all I need to do is keep using them to pay them back with something even worse.
ㅡFwoosh!
The giant's foot came down.
"Aaaaaaaaah!!!!"
Feeling the warmth of Mom in my arms, I screamed with all my might.
I'll go back, no matter what!
Definitely!
I'll definitely go back and figure out a way to kill these bastards!
ㅡCrunch!
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[You were crushed to death.]
[Death count: 8 -> 9]
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[Restarting.]