Apocalypse Tyrant

April 4, 2022, 1:37 PM.

Seoul Special City, Banseok University, Humanities Building, 1st floor, Room 101.

“So, did everyone enjoy their lunch?”
“Yes~”

Pleasant baritone question followed by chirping responses.

I stared blankly ahead, resting my chin on the desk.

“It’s been over a month since the semester started, and this is the first time I’m calling attendance while looking at all your faces.”

The professor said, waving the attendance book in his hand.

“I had to conduct classes using audiovisual materials for about 3 weeks… I’m sorry, I had to attend a conference on behalf of another professor.”

You see, despite how I look, I’m quite the young gun among the professors.

Small laughter spread through the lecture hall in response to the quip through the microphone.

Mostly the laughter of women.

I focused my eyes that had been hazily staring ahead.

A middle-aged man looking out at everyone from the slightly protruding podium.

Business casual look that perfectly suited his tall stature.

Handsome features that seemed almost too good for a professor.

This clearly showed why it was so difficult to register for this class.

Not only was it rumored to give generous grades, but the professor was also good-looking…

This was an elective course that would be appealing even if I were a female student.

Of course, I didn’t quite understand the comments raging on Everytime about how this was a must-take elective for their “eye welfare”, but.

Well, it didn’t matter.

Thanks to the female students trying to sit as close to the front as possible, the back seats were spacious.

“Now, from today we’ll be talking about history and mystery…”

As the professor was about to begin the class in earnest, I abruptly cut off my focus on him.

In my slowly widening field of vision, the backs of female students’ heads filled the lecture hall.

From the white necklines stretching left and right to the ponytails that somehow kept drawing my gaze.

As I slowly observed the captivating backs of the female students, I suddenly became curious.

Do these girls know that I’m staring so intently at their backs right now?

The act of asking and answering myself seemed quite idiotic, but of course, those girls had no way of knowing.

This was the privilege of sitting in the back and higher up.

‘Is this why the bullies and popular kids insisted on the back seats?’

It was one of the few new advantages I’d gained since barely getting into university after three attempts at the entrance exam.

Being able to sit in the back even without being a bully or popular kid.

“…Ha.”

A scoff that escaped before I could swallow it.

I hurriedly shut my mouth, feeling a gaze from the seat next to me.

“…”

As I quietly turned my head to the side, the eyes of the female student who had been looking at me returned to her smartphone.

Tok- Tok- Tok-

An iPad placed on the desk and a smartphone busily sending KakaoTalk messages to someone.

And a faint look of contempt towards someone that still hadn’t been retracted.

Knowing full well who that someone was, I smiled bitterly and lowered my gaze.

Unlike the neighboring desk with its iPad and stylus, I looked down at my own desk with its worn notebook and mechanical pencil—

“…Hmm— Well then, who would like to answer?”

My eyebrows twitched naturally at the professor’s voice that I had been hearing with one ear and letting out the other.

Tak- Tak-

I could see the professor slowly scanning the attendance book after crossing the PPT screen back to the podium.

“…Haa—.”

A sigh escaped conspicuously.

Even more deeply at the professor’s eyes sparkling as if he had found something interesting.

“Han Segye student?”
“…Yes.”

As I slowly raised my hand, all the gazes in the lecture hall focused on me.

“…Ah shit—”

I could feel the female student next to me, who had been secretly using her smartphone, raising her head.

“Change just one syllable and it becomes a high-end department store. What a nice name.”
“…”

I smiled in response to the professor’s slick smile,

and he nodded with an even slicker smile as he continued his question.

“Does our Han Segye student have any mysteries you believe in? Ghosts, UFOs, aliens, conspiracy theories – anything goes.”
“…”

The professor gently urged me as I gave no answer.

“It’s okay. Even I sometimes feel like ghosts might really exist.”
“…I don’t have any.”
“Hmm— May I ask why?”
“…I think they’re nonsensical claims without any accurate evidence.”
“I see.”

The professor nodded and continued, gesturing towards me.

“Almost everyone probably thinks the same as Mr. Han Segye. Well then, does anyone have a different opinion?”

As soon as the professor’s question ended, female students’ hands shot up.

Only then did I ponder the professor’s words as I escaped from the gaze that had been focused on me.

“Then how about the student sitting in the very front?”
“Ah, yes! I’m Kim Areum, a sophomore in Early Childhood Education. I’m not sure about ghosts, but I think aliens must exist somewhere.”
“Why is that?”
“It’s a bit hard to believe that only we humans exist in this incredibly vast universe. It would be such a waste of space, right?”
“Ah— Carl Sagan. A truly great quote.”

Mystery, evidence, nonsensical.

My head had been buzzing since the moment the professor questioned me.

Even now, the ongoing Q&A between the professor and the female student wasn’t registering in my mind.

Only the words from the earlier conversation kept swirling in my head.

Mystery, evidence, nonsensical.

The truth is—

It was a lie.

No one in this world was more connected to mystery than I was.

No one could have clearer evidence than I did.

Ding—!

An alien notification sound rang in my head simultaneously with that thought.

[Name: Han Segye]
[Gender, Age: Male, 23 years old]
[Alias: Tyrant] (Deactivated)

[Strength: 1] [Dexterity: 1] [Intelligence: 1]

[Remaining Points: 0]

Evidence of existence that was not at all nonsensical.

A special ability that most people did not possess.

The so-called ‘status window’ was reflected so clearly in my pupils, but it was of no use.

[Remaining Points: 0]

Zero points.

During the time I barely got into university after three attempts.

Throughout my life since becoming aware that I had a status window.

I hadn’t been able to acquire points by any means.

Jokingly, the only thing I hadn’t tried was ‘murder’—

But that was really just a joke.

Now even I wasn’t sure if this ‘status window’ was real.

Maybe it was just an escape created by an orphan kid who didn’t even know who his parents were.

After all, orphans like me are usually the protagonists of special stories.

Maybe I needed such a consolation to barely hang on.

So now I couldn’t gamble on killing someone for this ‘status window’ that might be a mental illness or whatever.

Especially not for me, who had entered one of the top universities in Korea after three attempts,

and moreover, a Christian-sponsored university with substantial support for ‘underprivileged students’ like myself.

For someone like me with no one to rely on and an uncertain future ahead, there could be no more reckless gamble than that.

“…Now that science has advanced and people’s basic education levels are very high, mysteries are merely circulated as snack culture. Especially with ‘history’, a discipline that values facts above all else, the distance is quite—”

Bang—!

Before the pleasant baritone could finish speaking, a dull impact sound rang out.

The professor and students momentarily paused and looked up at the ceiling in unison.

“…far. However, conversely, there are histories that can only be understood now that science has advanced and people’s basic education levels are very high. Before exploring the oceans, when the Earth was thought to be flat…”

Bang—! Bang—! Bang—! Bang—!

Dull impact sounds continued simultaneously after the first one.

It wasn’t noise that could be caused by reckless students running around in the lecture hall upstairs.

…Something was wrong.

Just as everyone in the lecture hall was having the same thought—

[Beeeep— Beeeep—]

All the smartphones in the lecture hall lit up simultaneously.

A chorus of strange mechanical sounds enough to make the hair on the back of your neck stand up.

“…An emergency alert?”

Ignoring the professor’s whisper spreading through the lecture hall via the microphone, I hurriedly took out my smartphone.

[Emergency Disaster Message]
[Seoul City Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters]
[Large-scale riots and violence occurring throughout Seoul. Immediately isolate anyone showing sudden aggressive behavior or suspicious symptoms. Refrain from going out or external activities after this time—]

Crash—!

A thunderous sound that struck before I could finish reading the emergency message.

Something invaded the lecture hall, piercing through the impact sounds from above that were much more savage.

A body convulsing on the lecture hall floor, seemingly from the recoil of forcibly breaking down the door.

Dark red blood continually flowing from both abnormally bent arms and the neck area.

“Keeee— Keeee—”

And something making strange sounds like scraping fingernails on a chalkboard was flailing on the lecture hall floor.

As if trying to stand up somehow.

And now, everyone witnessing this grotesque scene instinctively held their breath.

As if survival instinct ingrained in their cells was tightly gripping their windpipes and not letting go.

“Keeee— Keeee—”

However, it wasn’t so easy for those close to the creature.

Very naturally, the back seats near the back door.

My right eyebrow twitched spasmodically as I watched the creature repeating bizarre movements trying to stand up.

A scene more realistic than any gore movie.

Bile rose from my throat before I could even realize it, stinging my esophagus as I swallowed it back down with tok- tok- sounds.

Thud—!

With the sound of elbows, not arms, catching on the floor, the face of the creature that had been rubbing against the floor turned to face forward.

“Kyaaaaaaah—!”

And unable to hold back my scream any longer at the face with cheek flesh seemingly eaten away by something.

“Keeeeeeeek—!”

As if responding to the scream that rang out right next to me, the creature stood up grotesquely and roared.

It pounced on the female student who had been glaring at me with fierce eyes, as if about to fly.

Crunch— Crunch—

The creature clung to the girl’s body collapsed on the desk and began ravenously chewing on her neck.

Along with the sound of flesh being chewed, the girl flapped like a freshly caught fish.

The iPad and smartphone kept moving away from her with her urgent flailing movements.

“Kyaaaaaaaaaah—!”

Only then did high-pitched screams echo through the lecture hall as if a lock had been released.

“…Fuck.”

My body moved simultaneously with the curse that escaped involuntarily.

I quickly grabbed my bag without even time to gather the notebook and pencil case sprawled on the desk.

As I rushed out of the lecture hall, which had fallen into a panic state in an instant, I looked around in all directions.

“Uwaaaaah—! Don’t bite—! I said don’t bite—!”

The smell of blood clearly approached as soon as I left the lecture hall.

I could see dark red blood already soaking the central hall and students struggling desperately on top of it.

And something ravenously devouring students on top of that.

No,

They must be zombies.

Fuck, if those aren’t zombies, what else could they be.

“Keeeeeek—!”

My eye corner twitched again at the sight of a student who had been sprawled on the floor as if dead suddenly rising with the same sound as the zombies.

Kyaaaah—!
Get away—! I said get the fuck away—!

The central hall was filled with students desperately trying to escape and zombies trying to devour them.

It was virtually impossible to break through that hellscape and escape outside.

I turned my body to the right instead of left towards the central hall and started running.

I had to get out of this fucked up place first through the side door instead of the center.

I sprinted down the relatively quiet hallway where zombies hadn’t yet rampaged, pricking up my eyes and ears.

Tak—! Tak—! Tak—!

Amidst the sound of shoe soles forcefully pushing off the marble floor and shaking vision, I could see the side door to exit the Humanities Building.

And beyond the glass door, an old man shouting something with a red face.

“…op! Don’t come—!”

The old man’s shout became clearly audible only after I fully opened the glass door.

Vrrrrr—!

The old man holding a chainsaw accompanied by a fierce mechanical sound threateningly pointed the chainsaw towards me.

Piles of green grass on the ground nearby and beautifully landscaped surrounding trees.

“Ha, don’t you dare move an inch! Fuck— Do, do you think I won’t do it?!”

Vrrrrr—!

Severely trembling pupils and a badly stuttering speech.

The old man, who clearly seemed out of his mind, was blocking the path I needed to escape with a chainsaw in hand.

The straight staircase beyond the glass door blocked the side, so I couldn’t go around either.

Of course, if I forced it, I could jump down the stairs, but I didn’t know what would happen if I provoked that old man like that.

Probably that chainsaw, oh I think they call it a hedge trimmer.

“Get lost, you fucker—! I said get lost, you son of a bitch—! This is self-defense—! It’s self-defense so if you move a fucking inch, I swear to God we’re both gonna die—!”

Anyway, persuading the old man holding that hedge trimmer had to come first.

“Calm down, mister, I mean, boss.”

I spread both arms, showing my hands to reassure him.

“Boss. I didn’t come running to harm you. You saw the emergency alert, right? It said to be careful of people showing aggression, but I’m not being aggressive at all, am I?”

I took a step forward with both arms still spread, speaking gently as if soothing a newborn baby.

“Don’t come—! I told you not to fucking come—!”

The old man took a step closer, having a fit at that one step.

Keeeeeek—!

The old man looked around uneasily at the zombies’ howls already echoing from all directions.

My lips twitched at the sight of his work pants getting increasingly wet.

This crazy bastard is completely out of his mind right now.

My lips dried more and more at the sight of him now muttering to himself like a madman.

In the end, I have to break through this crazy chainsaw bastard to escape the Humanities Building.

“Fu, fuck, th, this is self-defense! Fu, ck. I have no choice, I, I have to survive—”

But that wasn’t an easy task either.

The madman who seemed to be focusing all his attention on me, not even blinking.

And in that bastard’s hands was a hedge trimmer making a vicious sound, while I only had the bag I had hastily grabbed.

Thanks to that fucker flinching as if about to pounce at the slightest step, I couldn’t even check if zombies were approaching from behind.

What a fucked up situation.

Tak—! Tak—! Tak—!

At that moment, I heard a familiar sound gradually approaching me.

The sound of someone running at full speed, pushing off the marble floor.

“Keeeeeek—!”

The chilling monstrous sound that rang out again involuntarily made the first encounter in the lecture hall flash through my mind like a phantasmagoria.

That grotesque scene of pouncing on the girl who had been glaring at me.

The recollection and action occurred simultaneously without precedence.

Something quickly brushed over my body as I flattened myself like dodging bullets on a battlefield.

“Keeeeeek—!”

A growling sound followed as if expressing anger at missing its prey, but it didn’t matter much.

There would be new prey waiting at the end of the leap.

“Uwaaaaaaah—!”

Thud—!

In my field of vision as I slightly raised my head, the madman flailing about, pinned down by the zombie that had suddenly flown in, came into view.

The madman thrashing his legs desperately while flapping like the fierce-eyed female student.

The situation was the same as with the female student, but the resistance was different.

“Uwaaah— It’s self-defense—! I said it’s fucking self-defense—!”

Kagagagagak—!

A noise at a much higher decibel than the sound of zombies chewing on raw flesh.

The hedge trimmer in the madman’s hands began landscaping the zombie instead of trees.

The blunt blade of the hedge trimmer tore into the enemy that was chewing on its owner.

Kagagagagak—!

The zombie that had been chewing on the madman to the very end only stopped moving its jaw when the hedge trimmer blade had burrowed halfway into its head.

“Urgh— Uwaaaah—!”

The zombie that had died without moving after pouncing on its prey, and the madman pinned underneath.

“Kuhehehuk— Kuhehehuk—”

Now the man threw the hedge trimmer to the ground with a sound that was unclear whether it was screaming or crying.

“Kuhehuk— Mom— Mom—”

Red blood was slowly spreading from the man who belatedly started calling for his mother.

Well, to kill the zombie that had been clinging to his body and continuing its meal, that crazy bastard must have had to make some sacrifices of his own.

It was an amount of bleeding that couldn’t have come just from being bitten by the zombie.

“Mom— Kuhuk— Mom—”

The man’s cries gradually faded as the blood flooded the asphalt.

This was the only opportunity.

If even a little time passed, that crazy bastard would also rise from the ground just like the zombie that had bitten him.

And he would madly pounce on the nearest prey.

Now that the annoying bastard who kept blocking my way and the zombie that tried to ambush me from behind had disappeared simultaneously.

At this moment, I knew I had to hurry and get up, but—

I couldn’t rise from my spot.

[You have been involved in dispatching a zombie.]

[Dormant state released.]

[Alias ‘Tyrant’ activated.]

It was a new message I was seeing for the first time.

The next page that couldn’t be turned by any amount of struggling.

The next page was welcoming me.

“Mom— Kuhuk— Mom—”

Only now when the dead rise to bite the living.

After tearing into zombie flesh with a hedge trimmer meant for landscaping trees—

After a middle-aged man who looked well over 40 dies crying out for his mother—

Only after the world I had been living in ended.

“Mo— Kurk— Krrrrrk—!”

Only after a new world began.

“Keeeeeek—!”

[You have acquired points.]