Apocalypse’s Teacher

Chapter 72

Fanatics Are a Menace (3)

***

Waking up from a nightmare felt awful.

I sat up in bed, breathing heavily, and wiped my face.

I calmed my pounding heart.

After taking a few deep breaths and relaxing my body to shake off the unease, I finally managed to calm down and looked around.

‘…A dream.’

Yes, it was all a dream.

Though it was something that had actually happened in the past, what I saw until just now was definitely a dream.

I was currently in a penthouse of a hotel.

It was late at night, and the faint light showed Hyesung lying in bed, snoring softly.

Grip-.

Hyesung was holding onto my collar.

It was her habit to hug something while sleeping.

I watched Hyesung for a moment, then looked out the window.
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A pale city bathed in moonlight.

Without the warmth of a heater, the city was filled with only a cold, desolate light.
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Seeing that, I suddenly recalled my dream.

-I will definitely… avenge you.

The promise I made while holding my mentor’s corpse came to mind again.

“Sigh….”

A long breath escaped me.

Remembering that day made my heart pound again.

It seemed I wouldn’t be getting any more sleep.

Gently, I removed Hyesung’s hand from my collar.

I placed a pillow under her fidgeting hand, and she grabbed it and fell back into a peaceful sleep.

I chuckled at the sight and left the room.

I grabbed a coat and went to the roof, then to the railing.

I wanted to clear my head with the cold wind, so I stepped outside, and the icy air penetrated my entire body.

“It’s cold.”

Well, it was the dead of winter, so it was bound to be cold.

They say that when your body is struggling, other thoughts fade away.

That saying was spot on.
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As my whole body started to shiver from the cold, I finally felt a bit calmer inside.

With my clarity returning, I asked myself.

‘…What am I doing?’

What was I doing?

Was I on the right path?

I promised to avenge him, but was it right to end up exhausted and living peacefully with the kids?

It was a question no one could answer.

My mentor, who always gave me clear answers when I was lost, was now deceased.

‘What would he say….’
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What would he say if he saw me now?

…Honestly, it was a question to which I already knew the answer.

If it were my mentor, the one who raised me to be a decent adult, he would definitely say I was doing well.

The man who worried about me even in his dying moments would have been more pleased with a life dedicated to the kids rather than revenge.

I knew, deep down, that my hesitation and attachment to revenge were just for my own satisfaction.

I couldn’t let go because I hated those who killed my mentor and made me suffer.

I closed my eyes.

‘They’ve come to Seodaemun.’

The fanatics had come to Seodaemun.

The bell, the zombie tied in the middle of the procession, all pointed to one purpose.

They were probably planning to establish a branch here.

That parade was one of the rituals the Eternal Pilgrimage Church performed every winter when they built a new base.

Clench-.

My fists tightened.

The thought of them invading this land made me tremble with anger.

It felt like a dark shadow followed me, one I couldn’t ignore.

One thought surfaced.

I had to tear them apart.

I had to eradicate them so they would never dare set foot on this land again.

For the kids’ sake, I couldn’t let them take Seodaemun.

As I thought about it, I asked myself again.

I wanted to make sure I wasn’t being too emotional.

‘Am I….’
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What was my purpose here?

I said I would protect the kids, but was I just looking for a reason to kill them?

Was today’s dream a reflection of my unconscious desires?

The night air was cold.

It chilled me to the bone.

I thought rationally, trying to find reason in my thoughts.
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‘Fanatics are like cockroaches.’

Once they establish a base, it’s hard to eradicate them.

No matter how many you kill, they keep coming back and multiplying.

‘The kids will be in danger.’

It would be difficult to search for supplies as we had been doing.

Those cockroach-like fanatics would take everything they could find.

‘If they find us….’

If they find the kids, the old man, and Helen instead of me, they would definitely show their fangs.

Having completed my thoughts, I opened my eyes.

‘Let’s kill them.’

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Let’s wipe them out of Seodaemun.

Make sure they never think of setting foot here again.

‘This isn’t about revenge.’

Although I swore it wasn’t revenge, I knew one thing now.

If I truly missed my mentor, if I thought of his wishes, it wasn’t revenge I should seek.

To honor him, I needed to protect the kids who would flourish in this land.

So, the path I took shouldn’t be for myself.

***

Back in the bedroom.

Hyesung was still asleep.

Her chubby cheeks were squished against the pillow, making her look like a mochi, and her curled-up posture made her resemble a shrimp.

Her soft snores sounded adorable.

I sat on the bed and gently stroked Hyesung’s head.

She was a child who didn’t know the world before the apocalypse.

Born and raised in this collapsed civilization, she was a child with much to learn.

‘…She’s exactly the kind of kid my mentor would have liked.’

Unlike me, she was kind and gentle.

She sometimes caused trouble but quickly apologized.

She was the kind of good, upright child my mentor always talked about.

Maybe that’s why I was so attached to her.

Hyesung rubbed her face against my hand.

Then she slowly opened her eyes.

“Uhm….”

She looked at me with half-closed eyes.

I chuckled and said to her.

“Sorry, I woke you up. You should sleep a bit more, Hyesung.”

As I pulled my hand away, Hyesung blinked her eyes.
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Then she closed them and fell back asleep.

When she woke up, she would have another busy day.

And each time she woke up, she would have grown a little bit more.

‘….’

I wanted to see more of it.

I wanted to watch Hyesung grow up.

I wanted to live to witness the moment she became an adult.

She made me feel that way.

So, for her sake, I had to act.

“I’ll be back.”

I would return before the sun set again and eat a feast of ham today.

***

In the past few years of living for revenge, I learned that humans are weakest when alone.

No matter how strong the weapon or how determined one’s heart, there are limits to what one can achieve alone.

Humans, with their frail bodies, form groups.

They also use tools.

Because we are human, the weapon I thought of to fight against a group was explosives.

‘This is a bit risky.’

In the secret room on the 12th floor, hidden from the kids.

I counted the explosives I had gathered and frowned.

‘Should I make more?’

Basic explosives can be homemade.

I’ve learned some know-how over time.

‘…Hmm.’

But more complex timed bombs or liquid explosives are a different story.

Only Mr. Park could make those, and even he would need time.

‘There’s not enough time.’

I had to attack before the fanatics fully settled.

I had been inactive for about two years, so they would be the most complacent now.

After much contemplation, I made a decision.

‘I’ll go as is.’

Considering the nature of those fanatics, only two or three priests would be armed.

It would be easy to sneak in, plant the bombs, and shoot those three with a pistol.

Even if they brought cold weapons, they wouldn’t be more effective than the bombs as long as I didn’t make any mistakes.

I roughly planned and spread out the map.

‘The plaza they must have gone to.’

A place with enough land to establish a branch.

‘They won’t go to high-rise buildings.’

That was because of me.

I had previously blown up the skeletons of high-rise buildings, so they started building their branches on flat ground to avoid the bombs.

It used to annoy me, but right now, it was advantageous.

With only two or three large flat areas in Seodaemun, it would be easy to find their location.

To set up the explosives and plan my route, it was better to have a pre-arranged path.
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It was still early morning, with the sun not yet risen.

To finish everything in one day, I racked my brain until it felt hot again after a long time.

End of Chapter
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