The Protagonists Are Murdered by Me
chapter-132

The total number of survivors in the subway were 70 people and 113 humans regarded as livestock.

“Livestock?”

Yoo Seodam frowned at that offensive word. The boss of the survivors, who had his head on the floor, immediately said, “Yes…. They are edible humans.”

‘Wow.’

Yoo Seodam exclaimed unknowingly. He knew that cannibalism was common in the apocalyptic world, but not even in his wildest imagination he would have ever thought that they would run a farm and treat human beings like livestocks.

Yoo Seodam didn’t let his inner thoughts leak out, because looking at the reaction of the survivor boss, it seemed like it was a very natural thing in this world.

“Okay then. By chance, do you know anything about ‘Kim Ha-soo’?”

Currently, a group of 70 cannibals were all lying face down on the floor, with all their limbs bent in weird directions. If they visited a hospital, it was something that could be fixed. However, since there would be no professional doctors in this perished world, they will have to live the rest of their lives as a cripple.

“B…by Kim Ha-soo are you referring to the guy who acts as a dictator in the midst of all this chaos and settled down in ‘Yeoron Island’?”

“Dictator?”

“That’s right! He is a madman who built a fortress in Yeoron Island. His awakening ability is a golden carriage or something… Anyway, he’s a guy who could pull things out of the air, and he created an armed group.”

Even when he felt the pain from his twisted limbs, the boss clenched his teeth and gave an answer. He thought that by doing so he could increase his chances of surviving even a little more.

‘Monster-like bastard!’

He was also an awakener of the physical reinforcement type. And although he had tremendous physical abilities, he was no match for the man in front of him. He couldn’t even see the man’s fist when he swung it at him, and only after his limbs had been broken did he realize that he was lying on the floor.

“Fortress, huh?”

Yoo Seodam imagined the character called ‘Kim Ha-soo’.

His ability was called ‘Shop window’, or referred as ‘Golden Wagon’ by the people of this world. His ability’s level could be considered extremely high since it could supply enough things to fortify an entire island. Perhaps that was all possible because it consumes the ‘probability’ of this world.

Unless Kim Ha-soo was different from other protagonists he had met till now, Yoo Seodam was sure that he wouldn’t be giving out infinite supplies from the store to other people. Seodam was right. He held the monopoly of everything he could remove. Yoo Seodam would also do the same if he was in Kim Ha-soo’s shoes.

However, Yoo Seodam was worried that killing him could be rather tricky.

‘In exchange of having ‘shop window’ ability, his physical ability should be mediocre at best. His level was probably manipulated by the amount of equipment he carried. The fortress he built must have been included as part of his level in this world.’

Post-apocalyptic age, an era where monsters roamed freely. It wouldn’t be strange for people to die suddenly.

In other words, Yoo Seodam could just go and kill him directly. It wouldn’t be against the ‘probability’. He won’t have to run around in order to prevent a regression like his previous mission in the romance fantasy world.

‘If only we could meet and fight one-on-one, it would be possible to just fight and kill.’

However, there was a huge 50% difference between their levels. He had to keep the possibility of losing in his mind.

‘It’s not too late to worry about that once I meet Kim Ha-soo.’

Once he finished thinking, Yoo Seodam asked the boss once again.

“How can I meet with Kim ha-soo?”

“Uh…it will be difficult. Even when we asked them to take us in, those bastards pointed their guns at us and threatened us to leave. I haven’t even gone near their base lately.”

“Is there any other way?”

“Well…I don’t think so…”

As Yoo Seodam raised his right foot, the leader hurriedly tried to think of something to tell him.

“Th….then, why don’t you go to another group of survivors? Oh yeah! There is a pretty large group in the nearby Munhwa Department Store… I heard they are interacting with Kim Ha-soo’s group!”

“Map.”

“Pardon me?”

“Give me a map to that place.”

“Ah, yes, yes!”

Once again, it was proved that violence was the best buff that could make human brain think faster.

After receiving the map, Yoo Seodam rubbed his chin and fell in a deep thought. Even though the department store was quite far, he could still reach there if he walked for a few days.

‘Department store…’

Kim Ha-soo’s group didn’t interact with the subway group, but interacted with the department store group.

Yoo Seodam didn’t know the reason, but it didn’t seem like a bad idea to go to the Munhwa Department Store first.

Once he finished organizing his thoughts, Aracelli, who was busy running around the subway platform, returned.

“Professor! I have rescued all survivors that were locked up.”

Yoo Seodam looked around, he could see a group of humans with dirty appearance and exhausted and hungry faces approaching him. As they walked closer, the group on the ground flinched and broke into a cold sweat.

“Good job.”

Yoo Seodam praised Aracelli, but his expression was not very good. She soon knew why.

“Let’s go. We have somewhere to go.”

“Sorry? Then, what about them?”

“We can’t take them around-”

He didn’t have to explain why.

“-don’t you know the reason too?”

“….”

Yoo Seodam and Aracelli had to travel a long way. They had to move quickly while secretly killing monsters in their way. It would probably take days before they arrived at their next destination. Their food supply was also limited. Moreover, once they finished their objective in this world, they would disappear.

“Your role is over once you save those who almost became food. Now, they have to learn how to live on their own.”

“Yes….”

After saying that, Yoo Seodam stood up without hesitation, followed by Aracelli.

As the most intimidating person, Yoo Seodam, walked away, the group of survivors who had been captured slowly approached the group lying on the floor.

After that, it was obvious to the point that you don’t even have to imagine what happened next.

“This motherfucker… were you the one who ate my son…?”

“Ahhhhhh! Spa…spare me! spare meeeee!”

“Die! Die! Die! Bastard Dieee! “

“Were you the one who said that my arms weren’t fleshy and it was so dirty and tasteless? Your belly looks plump, I guess it will be very delicious!”

“Please, ahhhhhh! Ooooooooooh no!”

In the distance, Aracelli covered her eyes from the terrible shriek.

* * *

While moving in an apocalyptic world, secrecy was more important than speed. It was because if they encountered one monster, other monsters would also flock towards them. The loud sounds of battle and blood would attract their attention.

They came across A rank monsters several times and such monsters had to be avoided at all cost. If it couldn’t be killed in a single slash, they would eventually get caught up in a horde of monsters.

It would be nice if they could use magic, but… Since they don’t know what will happen in the future, they decided to conserve Aracelli’s magic as much as possible.

“Try to use this.”

Yoo Seodam had taken a pistol and a few rifles from the subway station. Each gun had a silencer, which was difficult to obtain in a perished world, attached to it. He gave it to Aracelli to practice her shooting.

To be honest, Yoo Seodam didn’t expect much from Aracelli. Still, he taught her with great care. Starting with shoulder positioning, holding breath and aiming. There was no need to teach her any advanced skill.

And, surprisingly.

Pew!

-Kwoah…

“Oh….?”

After learning simple aiming techniques, she demonstrated her excellent shooting skills. She couldn’t hit the target well if the opponent was moving, but she was pretty accurate while shooting at a static target.

As she watched the monster fall, Aracelli had a smug expression on her face as if it was saying ‘I did well, didn’t I?’.

“How did you shoot so well? Isn’t this your first time touching it?”

“I don’t know. I just did it. You know uh… with feeling.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about..”

Seodam laughed, thinking that it was also part of the ability that an Archmage had. Actually, if someone knows how to fire a gun, they will be able to carry their own weight. If they could even shoot well, it’s an icing on the cake.

Once Aracelli was able to join the battle, their journey became much easier.

Pew!

Pew!

Pew!

The rains in this world would pour down in the late monsoon to early winter season. And since it rained all day long, Aracelli became noticeably exhausted as they continued traveling for a week without any breaks.

Aracelii told Yoo Seodam that she started exercising from the year she turned nineteen because of which she had gained strong stamina. However, as she was exposed to the ‘fragment of time’ and kept getting younger, her stamina as well as muscle had also decreased.

“Before… Professor transform my age back to my mid-twenties. Can you do that again?”

In fact, Yoo Seodam didn’t know how he did it either. When he touched her, the system reverted her back to her age on its own. So, he tried to ask the system once again.

<It’s impossible.>

‘What? Why?’

<At that time, the original age, that is, the age of Aracelli, including both the soul and the body, was in the early-to-mid-twenties. So, it was possible to remove the fragments of time and bring it back.>

‘Then you mean, right now, it’s not the case right now?’

The client affirmed.

<Yes, you are correct. Now it looks like the age of that body as well as her soul is 17 to 18. In other words, it’s the exact same as her appearance.>

‘No way… Aracelli should be around the same age as me or maybe even older than me.’

Yoo Seodam knew that Aracelli had achieved 9th Circle after she graduated from the academy, and that was at least 10 years later. And after she started moving through dimensions, her physical age should be over 30.

But, 17 to 18? That was her academy age.

<Yes…. I was also not sure about it, but now I know for sure. Yoo Seodam, you dedicate ‘probability’ in exchange for traveling between dimensions. If you don’t have it, you pay with your ‘life force’, right?>

‘Right.’

<She too, pays a price. However, she seems to be paying with ‘age’, not ‘life force’.>

‘…..what?’

As Yoo Seodam panicked, the system added.

<Fortunately… There is no problem with her lifespan at all. In other words, if she continues to pay with her age to travel from one dimension to another, she can live forever. There is also a downside of it, which is it will be difficult for her to display her abilities fully since she is young.>

Of course, it was difficult for her to properly activate the magic of the 9th Circle. And the self-defence she learned after she turned 19 could not be used properly because her body could not keep up with her mind since her physical strength had returned to the state when she was an ordinary girl.

“……”

“Is something wrong, Professor?”

Aracelli looked at Yoo Seodam anxiously.

‘Can’t you take Aracelli to Earth? I want her to stop travelling.’

<Right now… it is impossible. But I think it would be possible if you had a life-span of over 1 million days? If she heads to Earth now, there is a possibility that her existence itself will disappear.>

Aracelli’s way of dimensional movement could be said as a ‘raft’. A technique that allows her to float on the shore of a calm lake and move to the land on the other side.

However, the system’s dimensional movement was a ’super-fast jet’. A technique that allows Yoo Seodam to move freely anywhere, even if it was on the other side of the earth, without being restricted by geographical features.

“Aracelli.”

“Yes, Professor?”

“How many times have you travelled through dimensions while chasing after me?”

“I’m not sure.. I think it’s been over ten times.”

When Yoo Seodam roughly calculated it in his head, it seems that one year of age was used for one dimensional travel.

He took a slow, deep breath, and said to her.

“You can’t return to your original age anymore.”

“Sorry?”

“Whenever you travel through dimension, you use one year of your age.”

Aracelli looked surprised, but Yoo Seodam continued explaining to her what the system had told him. You are traveling by using your age.

You can’t go back to your original age.

However, even after hearing such an explanation, she was still as composed as ever.

“Then…”

She smiled widely before continuing. “….I can travel with Professor for a little longer. Maybe, forever.”

At the moment, Yoo Seodam was baffled, and it was clearly shown on his expression.

‘What is she talking about now? She is still smiling brightly. Should I be glad she isn’t shocked? I don’t know.’

Yoo Seodam’s mind was filled with complicated thoughts. He felt guilty and his heart kept feeling heavy.

“In a strange world, meeting a lot of strangers, and going through terrible things like earlier, or in the previous world, feeling happy and joyful. Either way it’s not that bad.. A march like this… Um, it’s so exhausting and difficult, but it’s still good. Because I’m with you, Professor.”

“……”

It continued raining. heavily

Yoo Seodam silently stretched his hand and stroked Aracelli’s head. Although it was wet because of the rain, Aracelli’s head felt warm.

“Alright then. Still, I will definitely take you to Earth later.”

“Yeah!”

Yoo Seodam thought that he was very fortunate. Because, Aracelli, who must have been very tired, was still beaming with a smile.