Apocalypse Tyrant

Show of Force (1)

Haa— Haa—

Excited breaths constantly bursting from my mouth.

Following the first day of the zombie apocalypse when I attempted a reckless escape, I was panting heavily for the first time in quite a while.

“…Close it.”
“Yes sir!”

The sound of the iron door closing reached my ears as I sat down on the rooftop floor while still regulating my breathing.

I alternately stared at Ko Janghun who quickly ran over to close the iron door and the zombie corpses sprawled on the floor.

A change in mindset changes quite a lot of things.

A representative example was how my daily routine had changed from searching for survivors primarily for safety to continuous zombie hunting solely to gather points.

[Strength: 14 -> 15]

[Remaining Points: 5 -> 0]

Thanks to that, the Strength stat in the teens that now extorted 5 points had already passed the mid-point.

Ding—!

[Strength: 15] [Dexterity: 10] [Intelligence: 1] [Royal Authority: 2]

Stat points that had changed to a revolutionary degree compared to the beginning.

Among the reassuring stats that looked filling just by looking at them, the only stat that stood out as remaining stopped at the beginning caught my eye.

[Intelligence: 1]

It was a stat I had no intention of raising in the future either.

I slowly stood up from my spot and grabbed the leg of one of the sprawled zombie corpses.

The zombie corpse flying smoothly to the pile of zombies as I swung my arm lightly as if swinging.

All physical activities performed with muscular strength.

Especially in killing zombies, the influence of the Strength stat is absolute.

Now that I keenly feel it becoming easier to deal with zombies as the Strength stat increases.

I had absolutely no reason to give up on the Strength stat.

Moreover, Dexterity.

As long as I don’t have firearms or ranged weapons, close combat is not a choice but a necessity to kill zombies.

Seizing the opportunity for a preemptive strike in that close combat is also not a choice but a necessity.

In a fight, the first strike always leads to victory.

The Dexterity stat that has an absolute influence on that first strike was also a stat I had no reason to give up.

Thus, having already invested in Strength and Dexterity which could be collectively called physical stats—

There was no room to invest in the Intelligence stat which clearly looked like a mental stat.

Choice and focus.

I had already decided to all-in on physical stats before becoming a so-called ‘jack of all trades’.

Now that I knew ‘Royal Authority’, a kind of ‘mana’ needed to activate skills, existed as a separate stat rather than Intelligence, even more so.

“…So what did they say?”

Thud—!

A dry question thrown out while throwing a zombie corpse onto the pile of corpses.

It was an abrupt question without a specific term, but the person receiving the question understood perfectly.

“They say they’re in an uproar about holding some vote. People are divided between those who say they need to go out to find food and those who say it’s dangerous and they should wait longer for rescue teams.”
“How cute.”

To think they’re holding a vote even at a time like this.

As expected of democratic citizens born and raised in a democracy.

“So how did the vote results turn out?”
“The side saying to wait for rescue teams is still slightly more numerous for now, but it’s uncertain. The student council said they’ll hold another vote tomorrow.”

Thud—!

After throwing the last corpse onto the pile of corpses, I lightly dusted off my hands.

I let out a faint laugh while looking at Ko Janghun firmly leaning his back against the iron door.

Ko Janghun hurriedly running over to me at my hand gesture saying that was enough and to come closer.

“The student council doesn’t seem very happy with the vote results?”
“It seems to be because there’s too little food. From the beginning, is there anything to eat in the middle other than the store in the basement?”

Well, library and food are very distant words from the start.

The only place where you can be 100% certain there’s food there is probably the store in the basement of the central library.

“You said it was your junior club member?”

Ko Janghun nodded as I reconfirmed the existence bringing us such sweet information now.

“Yes. My junior from the chess club. That bastard is a hardcore High Queens fan—”
“He’s not asking conspicuously and persistently, right?”
“Nah~”

Ko Janghun flashed a playful smile at me who cut off the small talk and asked clearly.

“You don’t need to worry. That bastard has a very~ similar personality to me.”

Ko Janghun made a duck bill with his right hand and waved it vigorously in front of his mouth.

“A personality that likes to blabber, that’s what I mean, hehe—”

Well then, I guess I don’t need to worry.

I nodded and moved my steps towards the back of the rooftop.

The exact opposite position from where I always observed the zombies overflowing in front of the Humanities Building main entrance.

I slowly looked up at the library visible quite large a bit far behind the Humanities Building.

A modern design that anyone would see and think ‘They spent some money here’ and want to boast about to the neighborhood.

In other words, I stared at the 6-story building that seemed to have put effort into architectural beauty rather than practicality.

“Here it is.”

Ko Janghun who hurriedly followed me handed over black binoculars.

It was something he had hastily grabbed from his Philosophy department office during our department office search and was very useful at a moment like this.

The panorama of the library reflecting even larger through the binocular lenses.

Among that, I focused on the zombies loitering like ants around the library and the 2nd floor where all the blinds were conspicuously drawn.

“You said they’re gathered on the 2nd floor?”
“Yes, he said they’re gathered in the Humanities Reading Room.”

…The 2nd floor of the central library.

How should I enter there safely and quickly to spread rumors…

I had no intention of hijacking a vehicle to do a self-destruction show again, or simply breaking through the center.

The guys on the 2nd floor of that library right now are literally hedgehogs.

If something tries to enter from the outside, whether human or zombie, they’ll immediately curl up and raise their spines.

I turned the binoculars to look at the smoking area on the right side of the library.

Zombie corpses sprawled there even more dirtily than on the Humanities Building rooftop where we are now.

If I pull the binoculars up just a little bit following the zombie corpses that seem to have been thrown from somewhere—

“…2nd floor.”

A 2nd floor window that seems to have thrown the zombie corpses comes into view.

A 2nd floor window slightly ajar and a ladder abandoned in the corner of the smoking area.

Vrrrrr—!

As soon as I see the ladder that clearly looks like it was abandoned while landscaping trees, the sound of a hedge trimmer rings in my ears.

Even that crazy old man whose face I can barely remember now had blocked me while landscaping.

I took my eyes off the binoculars and carefully scanned the distance from the Humanities Building to the library.

Go down to the back of the Humanities Building using the emergency escape rope we had diligently made so far.

Then break through the small forest path that serves as both an uphill and walking path—

Arrive at the library smoking area located next to the College of Education.

Enter through the open 2nd floor window using that abandoned ladder there and encounter the 2nd floor survivors…

The more I run simulations in my head, the more holes appear in this sloppy plan.

But I couldn’t think of a plan to enter the 2nd floor of the library faster and more stealthily than this.

How many more stats should I earn here before I can arrive safely.

It didn’t seem like there was enough time to leisurely do that either.

According to Ko Janghun, they were in a situation of repeatedly voting for food searching—

Moreover, the student council that seemed to be holding the initiative was showing signs of agreeing to food searching.

They’ll soon set out to search for food, and then who knows when that survivor group will collapse.

If even one person gets bitten during the search, the infection will be instantaneous.

“Um— Segye-ssi.”

A small voice heard in the midst of calmly continuing my deliberation.

When I turned my head and met eyes with Ko Janghun, Ko Janghun who flashed an awkward smile opened his mouth.

“Is the reason you’re insisting on going to the library also ugh— related to your ability?”
“…”

I stared at Ko Janghun’s eyes without any answer to his careful question.

Ko Janghun not avoiding my gaze while trembling violently yet struggling.

That appearance seemed like a silent vow that he must hear an answer.

Well, my time with Ko Janghun may be short if you say it’s short—

But quite a lot happened within that short time.

Especially since he played a kind of assistant role closest to me during my tests regarding the status window—

He would naturally have sensed that I’m a bit different from normal humans.

Anyway, he’ll realize it on his own like an awl in a pocket the more I allocate stats.

Since I had no intention of hiding it particularly, I nodded my head in affirmation.

Ko Janghun biting his lip hard while nodding his head together at my affirmation.

“…It’s difficult.”

A very unfamiliar low tone for Ko Janghun who had maintained quite a bright tone.

Ko Janghun who had been staring at the library together beside me let out a bitter smile.

“The probability of me becoming a burden seems to be increasing as more time passes.”

Wheeee—!

Zombie corpses piled like a small hill in the corner of the rooftop and the horde of zombies accumulated on the ground.

Ko Janghun who had been staring at the library a bit far away past them whispered as if muttering.

“Even I don’t think bringing me along would be that efficient.”

Just as I had judged Ko Janghun to be quite smart and not someone who would die in some random place—

Ko Janghun also seemed to have made his own judgment of what kind of person I am.

Especially since Ko Janghun had to please me, he probably thought more carefully.

But I was a bit surprised in a different sense than that.

I was more surprised that Ko Janghun, who had seemed so sharp and smart, was uttering weak words.

After all is said and done, he’s still a university student in the end.

Even guys who seemed special somewhere were all immature guys who hadn’t fully ripened.

When I reminded myself of that fact again, a small smile had been lingering on my lips since who knows when.

Rather, it was an extremely good factor for me.

“Who says that?”
“…Pardon?”

I smiled gently while looking at Ko Janghun letting out a stupid retort.

Ko Janghun freezing his body in surprise at my sudden arm around his shoulders.

My mood wasn’t very good either as I was making light skinship with a man, not a woman—

But separately from that, this moment right now was so fun.

A unique feeling that’s hard to find words to express other than fun.

I smiled while keenly feeling the omnipotent feeling of being above Ko Janghun’s head.

“It’s efficient for me to bring you along, Ko-ja.”
“…”

My smiling face is reflected in his trembling pupils.
I smiled more gently and whispered softly.

“You just want to live like right now, don’t you?”

Shitting, eating, sleeping like a human without worrying about zombies—

Somewhat humanly in this fucked up reality.

“Right?”

Ko Janghun quietly nodding his head at my gentle question.

I continued speaking while patting his shoulder thud— thud—.

“Then just do like now.”

Just like now.

“Got it?”
“…Yes sir.”

Ko Janghun nodding his head vigorously as if he understood clearly.

Ding—!

A new message is updated over his face.

[A positive factor is updated in Ko Janghun’s submission factors.]

[Factors: ‘Strong’ trust in leader, ‘Strong’ fear of violence.]

[Ko Janghun ‘strongly’ ‘submits’ to you.]

[Royal Authority: 2 -> 4]

The message window changed from weak trust in an experienced person to strong trust in a leader.

Ko Janghun now submitting to me more strongly and increased Royal Authority.

It was an achievement made through a short few words of conversation.

I can clearly feel it becoming more and more proficient and natural.

Dominating someone, reigning over them—

Ko Janghun—

And—

I smiled while looking at the central library and patted Ko Janghun’s shoulder thud—.

I took out the metal pipe I had put in my inventory again while walking back to the rooftop iron door.

“Open the door.”
“…Yes sir!”

I waved the metal pipe tick— while watching Ko Janghun hurriedly overtaking me and running to the rooftop iron door.

The stench of rotting corpses already permeates the rooftop area even though only a few days have passed.

I should burn or dispose of the corpses—

But there was no need to do that.

Tomorrow.

I’ll enter the library tomorrow no matter what happens.