Chapter 723: Another Condition

{Impossible.}

At those words.

My hand gripped the kitchen knife at my waist.

“......Yeah. Well, that could be the case. Then in the end, you need a recipe that can keep the others alive too. It’ll take quite a long time to make that. Are you still fine with it?”

{That, too, is impossible. We do not have much time given to us. So.}

Its gaze fixed on me.

{I would like you to decide soon whether you will accept our proposal or not.}

At those words from it.

I frowned and thought.

'If your goal is simply wanting to live longer...... I’m willing to help.'

No matter what that thing’s foundation was.

I had already decided.

'Those who wish to live together, I live together with.'

That thing had not attacked us, but proposed a deal.

I, too, was someone who had continued a struggle for life.

If its goal was only the pure desire to keep living, I was willing to help to some extent.

But.

“Why?”

That thing rejected my proposal.

It ignored my proposal to keep it alive.

And wanted only a “recipe” that could keep all the other zombies alive too, without any chef’s help.

“Wouldn’t it be enough if you and the ones who follow you survived? Then why.”

{.......}

“Why do you want to save every other zombie too?”

I asked with a strange wariness in my voice.

And to my question.

{I cannot answer that immediately.}

It avoided giving an answer.

I did not know what the reason was.

But it was certain that this was not an answer I could be satisfied with.

“......You said you wanted me to make a clear decision, right?”

If that thing would not answer.

I had no choice but to make my own guess.

'It’s hard to say it’s because it pities its other kin...... those bastards clearly distinguished themselves from the individuals that failed to evolve.'

And.

With the limited information I had, if I had to name a reason my thoughts could reach.

There was only one.

'Those bastards can control the individuals that have not evolved.'

In other words.

The greater the number of other zombies they could control.

The stronger the power of those bastards who could give them orders became.

In the end.

The only guess I could make was that they did not want to give up that power.

If that really was the reason.

“The deal ends here.”

There was no longer.

Any reason to continue this deal.

There had been three reasons why I had bothered to stay in this northern city.

One was to wait for Ariella’s information gathering.

Another was to understand more about those zombies.

And the last was.

{Are you serious? We have your kin in our possession.}

“I know.”

Because they were using living humans as hostages.

But I thought as I gripped the kitchen knife at my waist.

'The Legion members succeeded in identifying the hostages’ locations.'

If I gave the order through a guild message.

The Legion members would immediately move and begin securing the hostages.

At least the problem of those hostages could be solved if I decided to solve it.

As for Ariella’s information gathering, there was no reason I had to wait for it inside the zombies’ territory.

The only thing that remained until the end was the desire to learn information about those zombies, but.

'That’s only possible when this thing is willing to tell me something.'

I did not know what kind of secrets it had so many of.

But that thing did not seem to have any intention of telling me important information.

'There may be no reason to stay here any longer.'

The need to continue this deal.

I did not feel it very strongly right now.

Rather, the part that bothered me was.

'Whether I should eliminate this thing here or not.'

If I considered safety.

Rather than deliberately trying to eliminate it, it might be better to protect the hostages and escape quickly.

If there was a problem.

Even if its deal with me fell apart here.

There was a high chance that thing would try to secure the survival of the other zombies somehow.

'The possibility probably isn’t high.'

It was something difficult even with me and Howard, two chefs, joining forces.

The chance of success would not be high, but.......

Even so, if by some chance its goal succeeded.

Zombies that no longer had a lifespan.

The result would surely come to humanity as a great nightmare.

Srrrk.......

I brushed the knife handle.

A monster that must clearly possess considerable power.

But.

'I’m not who I used to be either.'

If I accepted a little consumption.

I was certain that, at the very least, I would not lose.

“.......”

{.......}

Silence passed between us.

I could feel that the thing hiding somewhere in that building was also glaring at me cautiously.

That thing thought of me only as a chef.

It likely did not know well how strong I was.

It probably considered me an existence it could easily suppress with strength.

{If those humans mean nothing to you.}

A weak existence that would not listen to it.

If that thing attacked in anger at my attitude.

I could aim for that carelessness.

I placed my thumb on the handle of the kitchen knife, pushed it slightly, and drew out the blade.

Matching its movement, I prepared to draw that knife immediately and counterattack.

And after that confrontation continued for some time.

{Several.}

It opened its mouth first.

But...... how should I put it.

The words that came from its mouth were.

{I shall present several more conditions.}

“......Huh?”

They were a little different from what I had expected.

'Other conditions?'

No, I had wondered if maybe, but this thing.

Even though I had said there was no deal.

'Does it still intend to resolve this through a [deal]?'

With that thought.

Just as I was staring at the presence of that thing with dumbfounded eyes.

BOOOOOM......!

“......!”

{.......}

From somewhere.

The sound of a massive explosion rang out.

***

The sound of an explosion suddenly came from one side of the city.

While I had been conversing with that prince, I opened my eyes wide and looked in that direction.

CRAAAASH.......

In this empty city, one of the few high-rise buildings that stood out.

That building was collapsing, smoke billowing from it.

An attack?'

And at the same time.

Dudududu.......

Countless presences could be felt from outside the city.

“......This is.”

I frowned and muttered.

An enormous number of presences were racing toward this city at full speed.

BOOOOOM.......

BAM.......

Something poured toward the city from outside and brought down huge buildings.

A warlike situation that had suddenly broken out.

It was somewhat flustering, but.......

At the same time.

I also had the thought that this was not the first time I had seen such a sight.

'When I first came to this city, those rock giants were invading too.'

Even while I had been in this city.

That prince had continued going outside the city and returning from somewhere with the scent of blood on it.

When I first came to North Korea after receiving these zombies’ invitation.

I had thought all life in North Korea must have been destroyed by the zombies, but.

'At the very least, there are certain forces hostile to these things.'

There was a high chance that this North Korea was still divided among several forces fighting one another.

The ones invading this place now were probably.

The owners of the blood scent that the prince had been coming back with.

{......I am sorry, but let us discuss this again later.}

In truth.

The prince seemed somewhat flustered by their invasion, but it continued calmly, as though this was not unexpected.

No, it was not only that prince.

Sssssrk.......

'These presences.'

An incredible number of presences began moving throughout the entire city.

'Zombies.'

The zombies that had been hiding quietly inside those buildings.

Had begun moving in response to the invasion.

'The prince handled those rock giants alone.'

But.

This time, the zombies of the city had begun moving.

At the very least, that meant the beings invading now were more dangerous enemies than those giants.

{Hide yourselves in a safe place.}

“You’re telling us to hide? How am I supposed to trust you?”

{......It is only natural that you distrust us. So there is no need for you to have faith.}

The building I had been passing by.

A gray-white aura poured out from the government office.

{It is simple logic. We need the recipe you will make for us.}

“......Hm.”

{We would not take lightly the lives of those directly connected to our existence. So hide quietly. We will resolve this quickly and return.}

With those words as the last.

The shape formed from gray-white energy flew toward the outside of the city.

I watched that sight and thought.

'......It’s smaller than I expected?'

The place where I first met it had been something like a wide conference room in the government office.

About half of that space had been covered by that energy.

The next time I saw it, it had covered the entire building we were in with that black energy.

Because of that, I had not been able to guess its true appearance, of course.

Nor even its rough size.

But now.

'At most, three meters.'

The shape moving away while concealing its body with that energy was smaller than I had expected.

Even if it was large, it was only slightly bigger than a human.

To the point that I thought it might perhaps be far smaller than that.

Since it was acting as the king of those zombies, I had naturally thought it would be an individual parasitizing a powerful large monster.

Of course, size did not determine a monster’s strength.

But honestly, it was a little unexpected.

And.

As I watched the shape of that thing move farther away, I thought.

'It told us to hide.'

Once again, I recalled the reasons I had been staying here.

Ariella’s information gathering, understanding the zombies.

And the hostages.

'Two of those were my will, and one was not.'

It had been quite surprising that that thing tried to continue its deal with me further.

But either way, the current situation was one where I was being threatened because hostages had been taken.

Naturally, it was not a situation where a proper deal could be exchanged.

That was why I had even considered breaking off the deal and eliminating that thing, but.

BOOOOOM.......

BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM.......

The sounds and presences of battle came from far away.

Perhaps the enemies’ numbers and power were [N O V E L I G H T] stronger than expected.

The battle was becoming prolonged, and the presences of zombies that had been felt throughout the city were all rushing toward the outskirts of the city.

If that was the case.

[Chef : Corporal Seo Suhyeok.]

[Sniper Squad Leader : Loyalty. Corporal Seo Suhyeok.]

I immediately turned on the guild message.

[Sniper Squad Leader : The situation has suddenly become chaotic. A nearby building is collapsing, so we are moving for now. Are you all right, Sergeant Shin?]

[Chef : I’m fine. More importantly.]

This chaos.

It was sudden, but.

[Chef : The locations of the hostages you said you identified. Report them immediately.]

By using this chaos instead.

It might be a chance to extract the hostages who were locked up.

Even if the deal with that thing had not fallen apart yet.

Even if we continued the deal, escaping the hostages first and then dealing from a more equal position would be advantageous to our side.

Perhaps only then would I be able to demand the information I had wanted to know.

On top of that.

FWAAAAANG.......

Even from a distance, the noise and presence were fierce enough to feel brutal.

This was a battle on that scale.

'There’s no guarantee those zombies will securely protect the safety of the hostages.'

They might pay attention to me or Howard since we were chefs.

But whether the other hostages would also be protected in a battle of this scale was uncertain.

[Chef : We have to secure the humans’ safety ourselves.]

[Sniper Squad Leader : Understood.]

[Chef : I’ll go directly to the place closest to my coordinates. You handle the rest.]

Through the guild message, after dividing the locations to be handled with the other Legion members.

I immediately began moving.

'The place closest to our side is...... that way.'

Like that.

While I was moving to secure the hostages believed to be at the closest location.

'That’s......?'

I could see the forces engaged in combat from far away.

Perhaps the invading monster force was indeed tremendous.

The battle was already taking place inside the city.

'......Huh?'

But.

When I saw the state of that battle, I had no choice but to frown.

Because.

[Freshness: Lowest]

The two forces fighting.

One side was a corpse with the lowest freshness.

Those blocking the enemies invading into this city.

They were the zombies we knew.

And also.

The beings breaking through those zombies and invading deeper into the city.

[Freshness: Lowest]

They, too.

'......Zombies?'

Were corpses with the lowest freshness.