Apocalypse Tyrant

Survival of the Fittest (2)

Thud—!

The metal pipe brutally tearing through the air and embedding itself in the head.

With a single heavy blow, the zombie that had fallen like a frog stopped moving completely.

[Strength: 9 -> 10]

[Remaining Points: 1 -> 0]

Ding—!

[Your Strength stat has reached ’10’. From now on, the remaining points needed to increase the Strength stat will increase from 1 point to 5 points.]

[Example: Points needed to increase Strength stat from 10 -> 11: 5 points
Points needed to increase Dexterity stat from 6 -> 7: 1 point]

“…Huh.”

A new message updated on the status window that had been displaying only the changed stats dryly.

I let out a hollow laugh at the content that couldn’t be said to be so good as I read each word.

So, from now on, I have to smash 5 zombie heads to allocate one point to the Strength stat, is that right?

“…This is ridiculous.”

That notification meant that once stats start breaking through 10, there would be a slight brake on the trap-driving farming I had been doing until now.

Ding—!

[Strength: 10] [Dexterity: 6] [Intelligence: 1]

[Remaining Points: 0]

I glanced at the status window where much had changed in just one day, then slowly gazed at the sun hidden behind the mountain ridge.

Eight corpses abandoned in the corner of the rooftop walkway and a new corpse spewing black blood in front of me now.

A total of 9 points.

The points I had earned all day today— by driving zombie bastards into traps without a moment’s rest.

“…Ambiguous.”

It was so ambiguous, like the muttering that escaped my mouth without me realizing.

In a way, I had safely earned 9 points from the very next day after that chaos broke out—

And in another way, a modern person who should eat three meals a day had earned points that couldn’t even buy 2 chocolate bars.

Efficiency.

It was certain that this trap-driving I was doing, while safe, was quite low in efficiency.

It was perhaps very natural, given that I always waited at least 30 minutes more if there was more than one zombie lingering in the corridor in front of the store before executing again.

But that doesn’t mean all this hard work I’ve done so far was meaningless at all.

I looked down at the zombie head that was more appropriate to say was dented rather than crushed.

Clearly, when I first drove a zombie into a trap, I had to strike the zombie head countless times to acquire a point.

Drip— Drip—

I smiled slightly as I looked at the metal pipe dripping black blood onto the asphalt.

Just once.

I, who had been like that, killed a zombie with just one blunt strike.

“…”

My body trembled as if shivering at the fact I was chewing over again, and my concealed smile deepened.

Is it a sense of victory, or a sense of superiority?

My shoulders naturally rose at the strange sensation of fullness throughout my body just from thinking about it.

I’m changing.

The more stats I allocated, the more I felt I was turning into something other than human.

Is this what drugs, which I had never even seen let alone tried, feel like?

It was an intense satisfaction that could never be felt through exercise or study.

The specialness and superiority that filled my body without any delay the moment I killed a zombie and allocated stats.

The process and destructive power itself was different from what I had indirectly felt in novels or computer games before.

Maybe that’s why I became anxious.

The increase in points needed for this drug-like growth was a considerable obstacle.

Moreover, with stats at this level now, if I hunted two or three at a time—

Slap—!

I slapped both my cheeks hard as if pouring cold water on the thought that had started to sneak in.

“…Ah, fuck.”

A ringing in my head going beeeep— perhaps because I hadn’t controlled the strength well.

I swore quietly and shook my head vigorously.

It’s dangerous.

This is an impossible thought for a newbie who has just earned 9 points.

After running simulations in my head continuously, it seemed I could definitely handle one zombie now without a clothing trap.

But as that increases to two, three, four zombies, the danger level would clearly rise exponentially.

Moreover—

Keeeeeek—!

A chilling scene that came to mind simultaneously with imagining multiple zombies.

The wave of zombies flooding into the university like a tide from the main entrance.

Zombie wave.

If I’m exposed to that zombie wave due to possible overconfidence, I’m finished no matter what method I use.

From the beginning, the terror of zombies wasn’t the combat power of individual entities, but the violence of numbers that attack endlessly and their infectiousness.

Whether I become Superman or Batman— just once.

The moment I get bitten by them just once, it’s game over.

“…Slowly.”

Yes, slowly.

Instead of thinking about flying already when I’ve just started crawling, let’s climb one step, one step at a time slowly.

So, securing the store first, which was the top priority from the beginning.

Growl—

The stomach clock ringing more intensely.

Hunger approaching a day and a half now, beyond just a day, was warning of its limit.

It’s time to move with some confidence.

The last zombie I caught appeared only after dropping the coin three times, which was evidence that it was quite far away.

I glanced once more at the motionless dead zombie corpse, then entered the Humanities Building again.

Ignoring the stale air, I stared down from the stairway corridor where I had been secretly checking for zombies.

“…”

An empty corridor with neither zombies nor people visible.

I carefully descended the stairs while quickly looking around.

[4F]

The elevator I had ridden and the black dried blood puddle in front of it.

Even the corpse where zombie bastards had been continuing their meal was now gone.

Do even those bastards whose flesh was eaten that much really rise again as zombies?

It truly was a bizarre vitality.

Thud—!

I didn’t go straight into the store but stuck to the wall between the store and the corridor.

Then I carefully poked my head out to stare at the corridor full of department offices.

“…”

A long, cave-like atmosphere and a quiet corridor without even the sound of breathing.

In movies, they usually do this check with a piece of broken glass…

There’s no need to make a commotion by breaking glass now, so I had to check directly with my eyes.

Only after confirming there was no human presence did I carefully pick up one of the coins scattered randomly in the corridor in front of the store.

Ting—!

A coin flying into the store in a parabola.

Ting— Tingiriring—!

I focused all my attention on the entire store while watching the coin fall to the ground making a fairly loud noise.

Surely, if there was a zombie bastard inside, it couldn’t help but react to this noise.

“…”

The store with no reaction, just like the department office corridor.

Only then did I quietly enter the store while waving the metal pipe slightly.

Colorful foods continuing behind the small counter past the wide-open glass door.

My eyes naturally sparkled at the precious foods placed on green shelves.

Drink refrigerators diligently refrigerating drinks and bottled water with a small mechanical sound of whirr—, and a few bags of snacks scattered on the floor.

And dark red bloodstains continuing from there to the store door like a brush stroke.

I could roughly guess whose bloodstains they were as soon as I saw them.

“…What? Was he really bitten?”

The noisy adventure of three idiots who came in through the window.

I smirked as I recalled the desperate shouts to open the door and the sounds of grunting while blocking the door.

“…Idiots.”

Crawling into a narrow space without any confirmation on a pitch-black night, of course that disaster would happen.

Recalling the ridiculous death that was still absurd even thinking about it again, I walked closer to the shelves.

The first things to greet me were breads that smelled deliciously savory just by looking at them.

“…Cream soboro.”

I quietly opened the packaging while reading the label of the bread at the very top.

As soon as I opened the packaging and took a big bite, a savory flavor filled my mouth.

The crispy protrusions that first touch my mouth, followed by the moist inside.

And finally, the even moister cream gently wrapping my tongue tip.

I swallowed the cream soboro without even chewing much at this supreme crispy outside, moist inside that I had never experienced before.

After that, I ravenously devoured corn bread and red bean bread as well, then walked to the drink refrigerator.

A cool breeze flying through my face as soon as I swung the door open.

I hurriedly opened a bottle of water while still chewing the bread.

Gulp— Gulp—

After drinking the whole PET bottle at once, I took out a cola from the bottom.

Hiss—!

The pleasant sound of carbonation escaping and the carbonation asserting its presence by stinging tok— tok— as soon as it entered my mouth.

I finished the cola in one shot too, at this sensation I had missed so much it didn’t feel like it had been just one day.

“Phew—!”

Only then did my head spin ping— ping— as if I had come back to life.

Now that I had resolved the thirst and hunger that had reached its limit, it was time to initiate the next action.

“How long will it take to move all this?”

The store I looked around broadly while muttering like that wasn’t a very big store.

A corner for lunch boxes and triangle kimbap arranged in a very small space in the corner.

What mainly filled the shelves were very simple foods like snacks and cup ramyeon.

Structurally thinking, having a store on the 4th floor, the top floor of the Humanities Building, wasn’t very convenient.

Especially if there were plans for a large convenience store on the 1st floor.

The small store on the 4th floor was a store left for students staying in department offices to easily have light snacks.

It wasn’t very welcome news for me who had to rely on this store for meals now—

Well, just the food visible in front of my eyes now was enough food and water to easily survive alone for a month if I gathered it all.

I put three 1.25 liter water bottles into my inventory, then continued moving water bottles to the opposite arm using fingers that were free from the hand holding the metal pipe like tongs.

Clearly, the water bottles that I would have felt quite heavy normally didn’t feel heavy at all even as they piled up.

This much weight was barely noticeable to the Strength that had reached ’10’.

I stuffed water bottles into the inside of my arm until there was no more space, then left through the glass door.

I had to be diligent to move all the food inside the store before the sun set.

Kyaaaaaaah—! Someone please save me—!

Night on the Humanities Building rooftop under faint moonlight.

I briefly raised my head at someone’s scream heard after quite a while, then lowered it again.

Chairs and tables placed at regular intervals on the rooftop walkway.

I smiled contentedly as I looked at the food supplies neatly stacked there.

It finally felt like those food supplies had become completely mine.

If I had left them inside the store, it wouldn’t have been strange for anyone to take them.

I risked danger and killed zombies to secure safety—

And the thought of someone freeloading on the food supplies I had obtained like that.

It was an act I absolutely couldn’t tolerate even in imagination.

Those food supplies were solely mine that no one else should covet.

After staring for a long time at the food supplies that looked filling just by looking at them, I lowered my gaze again.

A notebook illuminated by the light of a smartphone that couldn’t be unlocked.

It was an item looted from a zombie wearing a bag among the zombies I killed today.

I slowly scanned the floor illuminated by the smartphone light together.

Locked smartphones and bound textbooks that once again confirmed how advanced security awareness is these days.

Portable battery, wallet, etc.

Today’s loot that didn’t look particularly important.

Click—!

The pen tip that popped out when I pressed the button pressed against the paper and spat out ink.

Anyway, it was dangerous to be active at night with these stats now.

It wouldn’t be bad to organize things I need to do diligently from tomorrow morning during this rotting abundant time.

<1. Secure the store>

First, mark completed ones with an ‘X’.

Scratch— Scratch—

The first goal is erased with a satisfying X mark as if completing an objective.

<2. Secure the bathroom>

The closest bathroom to where I am now on the Humanities Building rooftop was the men’s and women’s bathrooms located in the center of the 4th floor.

Fortunately, as water and electricity haven’t been cut off yet—

There’s no need to relieve myself on the rooftop already.

And

<3. Clear department offices and office corridor.>

It was a goal that must be completed to go to the central bathroom.

I had clearly confirmed an empty corridor before securing the store.

But that was open department offices, not locked ones.

It would be quite dangerous if zombies suddenly burst out breaking down department office doors all at once, enraged by noise leaking out unexpectedly, so it was right to resolve this in advance.

For now, I should have dealt with the zombies in open department offices as much as possible today…

Tomorrow, let’s slowly clear the closed department offices in the 4th floor corridor one by one.

And the biggest problem encompassing all these issues—

Scratch—!

After drawing a large circle enclosing all the goals, I write a new number outside that circle.

<0. People.>

People.

Or actions to take when meeting survivors…

Tok—! Tok—!

The pen that had been flowing smoothly without a single moment of hesitation until now keeps stabbing at one spot.

Whirr—!

At that moment, a vibration suddenly soaking the rooftop floor.

One of the smartphones displayed on the floor emitted a faint light and vibrated.

[Mom♥]

Displaying a name too unfamiliar to me.

[Mom♥: Hyeonji-ya why aren’t you answering. Mom is in a safe place for now. I’m sending a KakaoTalk message instead of calling in case you’re in a dangerous situation, so if you see this please…]

A KakaoTalk message that popped up on the lock screen.

I quietly looked at the message cut off halfway due to being too long, then stared at the corner of the rooftop.

Wheeee—!

Along with the sound of flies buzzing, 9 corpses piled up like a small mountain.

A pile of naked corpses, not knowing who Hyeonji is.

Tok—! Tok—! Tok—!

The pen strikes down black dots again while looking at those corpses.

I do need people.

I can’t sleep leaning against the iron door forever wondering if someone will come in.

Whether for maintaining good condition the next day or whatever, I’ll need personnel to take turns standing guard.

Moreover…

I quietly stared at the protruding breasts that particularly stood out among the corpses.

As my sense of looking at corpses became duller, other senses were stirring instead.

<0. People. Women.>

I needed women too.

Even I who wrote the word was surprised by such a frank emotion, but it wasn’t that awkward.

There’s no need to be mindful of such things anymore.

…I’ll take in people who seem likely to listen well.

But—

There’s no need to help people who seem likely to become trolls.

There wouldn’t be an idiot carrying a bomb that could explode at any time in their own hands.

‘If I meet a survivor, and that person gives a bad feeling…’

Thud—!

After finishing that thought, I closed the notebook and quietly gazed at the sky.

The hazy Seoul sky with no flying objects, just like the first night.

I slowly closed my eyes while listening to someone’s screams, clearly reduced compared to yesterday.

‘…There’s no need to keep them alive.’