Apocalypse Tyrant

One Among the Flock (2)

“Hey, Yuhan.”

A gentle question thrown while pushing his body thud— thud—.

However, he seemed to have no room to answer as he kept inhaling fierce breaths endlessly with a face white as a sheet.

“Kuok—! Kuok—!”

Thick saliva already soaking the floor and blood leaking little by little from his burst mouth.

And pink foam smeared on both corners of his mouth and eyes with pupils not visible as they were furrowed as much as possible.

When I grabbed his shoulders to lift him up, his face was already covered in the saliva soaking the floor.

“If you want to die, die alone. Why are you making the camp and team so dangerous like this, huh?”
“Kuok—! Kuok—!”

I tapped his cheek thud thud— while asking again as he only inhaled breaths as if he had become aphasic.

“Why do you keep ignoring the experienced person’s words and hurting teamwork. We’re a team now, aren’t we?”

When I turned my head to check the two minions, the two bastards who had already been trembling with frozen legs trembled dadadak again in shock.

“This is like a kind of group project if we use an analogy. But why are you trying to troll instead of listening to the team leader?”
“Urk— Uuuurk—”

Sim Yuhan kept shaking his head and spewing out stupid sounds without any intention of answering my words.

I firmly grasped his shoulder with my left hand while pulling back my clenched right fist at length.

“Even! Companies! Hire! Experienced! Workers! Fuck—! An! Intern! Bastard! Should! Know! His! Place!”

Splat! Splat! Splat! Splat!

Merciless punches embedding into his stomach with each tense syllable spat out.

His body that couldn’t collapse thanks to the grasped shoulder and was perfectly open shook violently while bobbing up and down.

“Guk—! Guk—!”

Sim Yuhan’s body convulsing while inhaling breaths to a truly dangerous degree now.

I stared intently at Sim Yuhan’s face dripping water not only from his mouth but also his eyes, then looked behind.

Pitiful appearances trembling dadadak— while pointing their tools for catching zombies at me.

“Come here.”

When I gestured with my right hand to come closer, their frozen legs moved very slightly.

“Lower them.”

Their tools lowering swoosh at the firm single word.

“Does anyone know why this bastard is getting beaten by me right now?”
“…”

The two minions barely shaking their heads with terrified faces at the casual question.

Splat—!

“Guk—! Guk—!”

Sim Yuhan trembled violently while crying like a goose at his stomach being struck again.

The two minions twisting their bodies while tightly closing their eyes at that sight.

“You don’t know?”
“…Uuu—.”
“You don’t know?”
“…”

Splat—!

Sim Yuhan’s body bobbed up again as he couldn’t spit out words with his trembling mouth.

At that sight, Park Woojin among the two minions whose eyes had widened as much as possible hurriedly opened his mouth.

“I don’t knooow—! I’m sorry, but I really don’t know, I’m sorry, I’m really sorry!”

Apologies and regrets pouring out in a rush like a sudden outburst of dialect.

I shook Sim Yuhan’s body bob— and said to them.

“He hurt teamwork. Didn’t he?”

The two minions hurriedly nodded their heads several times at my question.

“He’s on the team but ignored the leader’s words and acted on his own.”

“Rather, he blatantly committed acts that endangered the camp.”

“Are you two going to hurt teamwork like this too?”

Two enthusiastic nods and one more passionate head shake at the end.

I smiled slightly at the quite satisfactory answers and looked at Sim Yuhan again.

Sim Yuhan sobbing with a face furrowed in a crying expression as if he had finally recovered now.

“I’ll teach you why the experienced person’s words are important from now on.”
“…Please. Hic— Save, save me please.”

A very faint mumbling that could barely be heard even if paying close attention.

It was a voice far too soft compared to the hearty shouts Sim Yuhan had let out so far.

I ignored his voice and dragged Sim Yuhan’s body that couldn’t even stand up.

Ko Janghun who had been guarding the door hurriedly moved away from the door.

Sim Yuhan sprawled on the basement floor 1 corridor again with a thud— as I threw him out through the wide open door.

I pulled only Sim Yuhan’s right arm who was trying to somehow stand up while sobbing into the bathroom.

Thud—!

The right arm caught in the door closing naturally.

I firmly grasped the doorknob and whispered to the two minions watching this scene with faces full of terror.

“If we had gone straight into the store, there definitely would have been quite loud noises from hurriedly putting food into bags.”

Crunch—!

The sound of something being crushed leaking between the door gradually closing at my gesture and the right arm caught in it.

“Uwaaaaaaah—!”

A scream bursting out of his mouth to offset that pain shook basement floor 1.

“How long could the music flowing from the elevator keep zombies occupied? The zombie bastards definitely would have heard the sound of us sweeping through the store.”

Keeeeeek—!

“They would have reacted like this.”

Multiple somethings approaching with thundering steps at the scream echoing through basement floor 1.

“And.”
“Keeeeeek—!”

Somethings that had suddenly reached right in front pounced on Sim Yuhan with his hand caught in the bathroom door.

“It would have become dangerous like this.”
“Uwaaaaaaah—!”

Sim Yuhan letting out an even bigger scream than having his hand caught in the bathroom door.

Something tearing into Sim Yuhan’s body was vividly projected through the translucent glass door.

The minions opening their mouths while forgetting even to exhale breaths at that sight.

I confirmed that appearance then gently opened the bathroom door.

“Keeeeeek—!”

Zombies devouring Sim Yuhan’s body without even realizing the door had opened.

I struck the heads of the zombies chewing on Sim Yuhan’s flesh with a swing that was now far too familiar.

Splat—!

[Strength: 15 -> 16]

[Remaining Points: 5 -> 0]

After investing all of the remaining points that had somehow reached 5 points again into Strength, I quickly scanned left and right in the corridor.

Three zombies that had died sprawled on top of Sim Yuhan’s body and Sim Yuhan’s body starting to convulse.

And zombies sprinting at full speed towards the bathroom as if the smartphone music in the elevator had ended.

After confirming there seemed to be about ten by rough estimate, I struck down with the metal pipe.

Splat—!

Sim Yuhan dying twice with a dented head and stopping his convulsions right away.

I slowly widened the distance from the door and prepared for the approaching zombies.

The open door and corpse piles below it that weren’t clothing traps but—

Would serve a similar role.

It was the start of point farming that had now become as familiar as daily life.

“Keeeeeek—!”

A zombie bastard tripping over the corpse piles just as it had hurriedly run over.

Splat—!

After dealing with it with a very simple swing, I quickly retrieved the metal pipe and stared ahead again.

“Keeeeeek—!”

Zombies tangling with each other and tumbling in front of the bathroom, perhaps thanks to sprinting unable to control their speed.

They repeated bumping shoulders with each other while digging into the narrow door as if they hadn’t come running with any particular order decided.

Splat—!

I diligently struck the heads of the zombies closest to me while maintaining distance from them.

[Strength: 16 -> 17]

The more zombies collapsed in the door gap, the richer my stats became.

“Keeeeeek—!”

The roars echoing throughout the corridor also changed to a single zombie’s monstrous cry before I knew it.

[Strength: 17 -> 18]

The remaining points that had reached 5 points again naturally moved to the stat I needed most right now.

…

Basement floor 1 that had become quieter than when we first set foot in it.

I gently pushed the corpse piles in the basement floor 1 bathroom where the music echoing from the elevator could no longer be heard now.

The corpse piles fully piled in the bathroom door gap slid swoosh— at my kick and tumbled around the corridor.

Thud—! Thud—!

Zombie corpses instantly filling the corridor in front of the bathroom.

“See. It became safer because we didn’t hurt teamwork, right?”
“…”

The two minions were busy stuttering while opening and closing their mouths without saying anything.
Ko Janghun waiting for the next action next to them as if he had become quite familiar with this now.

I looked around at the 3 survivors and continued speaking.

“By the way, we’re one team but it seems like only the leader is doing all the work alone—”

The minions tensed up and straightened their bodies as I deliberately trailed off while carefully scanning them.

“Ah—! There’s a zombie that’s still not dead here by chance?”

An exaggerated tone deliberately using a theatrical voice.

I pulled Sim Yuhan who had been buried at the very bottom of the corpse piles with a face as if startled.

The minions naturally backing away at the zombie corpse being dragged.

They alternately stared at the corpse and me with faces saying they didn’t understand what I was talking about.

“Ko-ja. Does this look dead to you?”
“Umm—.”

Ko Janghun choosing his words for a moment at my look.

“Uh, if we consider it human it would definitely be dead but— uh if we consider it a zombie uh— there’s definitely a chance it’s not dead yet? Ah, looking closely it does seem like it’s not dead yet.”
“Right?”
“Yes. It’s not dead.”

Me and Ko Janghun shamelessly appraising the corpse.

After receiving Ko Janghun’s definite answer, I gestured for the two minions to come closer.

The minions moving their frozen legs again at my gesture.

I muttered while looking at the tools they were tightly gripping in their hands like ornaments.

“You brought those to kill zombies, right?”
“…Y-yes—.”

A goat-like answer barely popping out and the wrist guards still wrapped around their arms.

I carefully met eyes with the two, Park Woojin and Kim Minjun, then whispered while looking at the zombie lying below me.

“What are you doing?”

There’s a zombie that’s not dead yet in front of you.

“Kill it.”

The two people finally shedding chicken droppings-like tears at the firm order.

I didn’t urge them as they started sobbing.

I just waved the metal pipe tick— tick— that was spewing black blood like tar drip— drip—.

“Uuuu—! Uuuuuu—!”

Tools swinging at the zombie trudge— trudge— like jointed dolls at the metal pipe flickering in front of their eyes like a pendulum.

Thud—!

The monkey wrench that barely touched Sim Yuhan’s head quickly moves away.

“Will a zombie die if you hit that weakly? Should I demonstrate?”
“Uuuu—! Uuuuuu—!”

Thud—!

Kim Minjun’s small hammer striking down on the head with a bit more strength than Park Woojin’s monkey wrench.

“Again.”

Thud—!

“Again.”

Thud—!

Instructions and impact sounds striking down repeating continuously for a while.

I carefully scanned them as they kept striking down on Sim Yuhan with grotesquely furrowed faces.

Park Woojin’s pants as he gritted his teeth and struck down with the monkey wrench.

A very dark stain spreading gradually from the zipper.

I frowned at the ugly sight that made me feel the smell of urine as soon as I saw it.

[‘Park Woojin’, ‘Kim Minjun’ ‘very strongly’ ‘surrender’ to you.]

[Common factor: ‘Very strong’ fear of violence.]

What? Surrender, not submission?

Moreover, I checked the Royal Authority still staying at 4 in the status window.

What is this.

What’s surrender and why didn’t Royal Authority increase?

I naturally started comparing Ko Janghun and those two at this completely different case from Ko Janghun.

…Seeing that Royal Authority didn’t increase, it seemed ‘surrender’ was a lower stage than ‘submission’.

Moreover, the factor displayed only as ‘very strong’ fear of violence compared to Ko Janghun who had shown two factors.

Especially the status window message that had clearly said a ‘positive factor’ was updated for Ko Janghun flashed like a beam of light in my mind.

‘Ah…’

The rough outline was coming together but I couldn’t be completely certain.

I’ll naturally come to understand these things as cases accumulate.

Just, I could clearly tell that Ko Janghun who had been at the ‘submission’ stage from the start was a bit of an unusual case.

Really—

He’s definitely not someone who would die in some random place, I’m telling you.

Splat—!

I lowered my head again and stared at Sim Yuhan’s head that was now dented to the point its shape was unclear.

Only then did I put away the ‘again’ that had been repeating like a refrain and said to the two minions who had collapsed in the bathroom as if all their energy was drained.

“What are you doing, shouldn’t you take care of your hyung’s corpse?”

Telling them to take care of the corpse whose head they had struck as much as possible again.

I continued speaking while shrugging my shoulders at the two minions looking up at me with blank eyes.

“If we leave it like this and go, we might be misunderstood as having killed him. You wouldn’t want to be falsely accused either, right?”

Ah— and.

I smiled brightly before leaving the bathroom door and gave one more new order to the two minions.

“You should gather food from the store too.”

Just—

“A very small amount.”

“…Ah.”

The 2nd floor Humanities Reading Room of the Central Library.

That was the vice president’s reaction upon seeing the corpse Park Woojin and Kim Minjun had barely brought while dripping sweat profusely.

Not shouting, not shedding tears, just a single sound ‘Ah’.

The vice president stroked Sim Yuhan’s hideously distorted face with trembling hands.

Uweeeeek—!

Someone’s vomiting unsuited to the tragic atmosphere.

A few of the camp members who had belatedly gathered in front of the internal stairway door started dry heaving after seeing the hideous corpse.

“…”

And thick tears falling from the vice president’s eyes as he looked at Sim Yuhan as if not hearing any of those sounds.

The face full of tears suddenly flowing like tap water slowly moved away from his friend’s corpse.

Then he grabbed Park Woojin’s collar, the one who had been somewhat closer to him among the two.

“…What happened.”

A question full of anger like a beast growling.

Park Woojin’s body trembled violently as he had to fully receive that anger.

“Uuu— Uuuuu—”
“I’m asking what happened, Park Woojin!”

Park Woojin’s two pupils wandering urgently this way and that.

Sim Yuhan’s corpse and the vice president strangling his neck as if to kill him now, all the people in the camp watching that scene around the vice president.

And me quietly watching them.

Park Woojin’s eyes that had lingered on me for quite a while closed tightly as he exhaled a fierce breath.

“Yuhan, Yuhan sunbae— hurt teamwork—!”
“What?”
“T-teamwork was hurt! He s-suddenly shouted loudly and called zombies— it be-became dangerous—!”

A truthful voice full of resentment poured out with a body flailing about.

“So, so— so he was bitten—! So we had no choice—! We couldn’t die either—!”

The vice president let go of the collar at Park Woojin’s desperate protest.

His gaze moving from Park Woojin to Kim Minjun with blank eyes.

Kim Minjun closed his eyes while furrowing them, then bowed his head deeply— and nodded several times.

“…This is crazy.”

The vice president’s voice echoing emptily through the camp.

“…This is fucking insane.”

The vice president’s trembling hands barely covered his face.

“…Fuck.”

Starting with those words, the sound of several people sniffling was heard in the camp.

Fierce breathing trying to hold back vomiting while still looking at the corpse and blank eyes staring at the familiar face of the corpse.

They blankly looked down at that face that had been laughing heartily saying not to worry just a few hours ago.

Haa—! Haa—!

Park Woojin who was finally regulating his breath that had been tightly held back glanced at me from the corner of his eye.

I smiled slightly at him without saying anything.

Park Woojin avoiding my eyes first and looking at the floor at my smile.

I hadn’t said anything to them in the bathroom, or at the store while gathering a moderate amount of food—

Or on the internal stairs while they were grunting and dragging the corpse up.

No warnings, no threats, no requests—

Nothing at all.

Just, they had only now realized it.

The system and order of society that had made humans equal beings to each other.

Public security and administration like police, firefighters, army.

That the loose yet sturdy screen of morals, order and law had disappeared.

Now, to return to those times, the law was far too—

The law was far too distant.

And I was far too close to them.