Apocalypse Tyrant

Survival of the Fittest (3)

A messy department office visible behind the completely broken door.

[Korean Language and Literature Undergraduate Room]

The department office located closest to the store, and also the murder scene where three idiots died together amicably.

I carefully took the next step, minding the dried bloodstains and large wooden pieces scattered on the floor.

Bloodstains more deeply caked as I walked past the long table and small sofa towards the makeshift bed.

The scene I had only inferred by sound from the rooftop now seemed clearly visible to my eyes.

I looked in turn at the bloodstains heavily splattered on the window right behind the makeshift bed and the wooden door violently torn apart.

Well, it’s not like the department office is some kind of bomb shelter.

It was natural for the situation to become quite embarrassing when an adult man tries to break through with all his might.

‘…Did the door lock not work?’

Whether they diligently entered the door lock password in that urgent process of being chased by zombies, or shouted “fuck the door lock” and broke through the wooden door that clearly looked old—

It didn’t really matter.

There was nothing to gain for me by solving a belated puzzle at a scene that was already over.

Time.

That was the only thing important to me.

Especially for me who wanted to finish searching more than ten department offices today.

I slowly took in the miscellaneous items carelessly abandoned in the small lockers and drawers placed in the corner of the department office, then crossed the broken wooden door again.

There was no need to touch those miscellaneous items right now.

The probability of finding a more useful zombie-killing tool than this metal pipe I’m holding now from there was extremely low.

Moreover, since I had prepared a monkey wrench as a secondary weapon from the toolbox abandoned on the rooftop, worrying about weapons was unnecessary for now.

I planned to slowly scan department offices deemed to have no risk factors after completing the search of all department offices.

I quietly moved on to the next department office, feeling the monkey wrench boasting a heavy presence in my pocket with each step.

Stealthy movements where even the sound of footsteps was barely audible, perhaps due to the influence of the Dexterity stat.

After carefully examining the bulletin board recruiting for field trips and student council in colorful calligraphy and the wide-open major lecture room opposite, I proceeded to check the next department office.

[French Language and Literature Undergraduate Room]

A quite different appearance from the Korean Literature department that had completely lost its role as a door.

An intact wooden door clearly locked with a door lock was greeting me.

Tick— Tick—

I deliberated for a moment while waving the metal pipe tick— tick—, now quite familiar in my hand.

Should I break in?

It was the simplest and most convenient method, but the most ridiculous method for continuing the search.

I erased the thought that had suddenly popped up with a light smile and quietly put my ear to the door.

“…Keeeee—”

A familiar monstrous sound reaching my highly sensitive ears.

After detecting a zombie quietly lurking inside the French Literature department office, I tiptoed backwards.

…One? No.

I couldn’t rashly be certain how many there were.

It’s unknown how many students hid in the department office in that urgent situation.

If one person entered that locked department office while bitten—

Well, the current state inside was too obvious without even looking.

I frowned while alternately looking at the store corridor, the Korean Literature department office, and now this French Literature department office.

To think this would happen just as I was about to search the second department office.

It was a moment when I strongly felt that Banseok University had literally become a zombie paradise.

Ah, is this why there’s not even a shadow of a person visible despite so much time passing, with this level of chaos?

Even if they were walking zombies like in ‘The Walking Dead’, it would have been a piece of cake for a university to become a zombie field…

‘Keeeeeek—!’

Red eyes with burst blood vessels and bizarre movements running at full speed that immediately came to mind as soon as I thought about it.

It was clearly an extreme difficulty that most people couldn’t survive unless they could allocate stats like me.

Really, maybe it’s not that survivors are hiding so well that they can’t be seen—

It might be that they’re all really dead.

“…That would be a bit troublesome.”

A soliloquy that immediately popped out at the worst imagination I could have right now.

I shook my head back and forth, then took in the French Literature department office in my sight once again.

I could continue the search like this, but then I would have to continue searching with this French Literature department office behind me.

There’s no need to deliberately leave a bomb that could explode at any time behind me.

I wanted to finish all the searches in one day today, but as expected, nothing goes according to plan.

The search ends here.

I have no intention of greedily continuing the search and getting sandwiched from front and back.

Then—

As I pulled my right foot back as if taking a running start, a grin somehow leaked out.

I was clearly about to do what I had just said was the most ridiculous method for continuing the search.

Crack—!

The old wooden door collapsing with a crunch— from a kick with all my strength.

Whether there was a door lock or not—

I feel gazes glaring at me from inside the department office that instantly exposed its insides.

One zombie immediately reacting to the sudden noise.

My eyes sparkled at that sharp gaze, when I had been planning to flee to the rooftop without looking back if there were two or more.

“…Hello?”
“Keeeeeek—!”

The zombie starting to charge without a word at the somewhat aggressive first greeting.

I could clearly see it bending its knees while bringing both feet together, thinking it had approached close enough to pounce on me.

As I lightly twisted my body to move away from in front of the door, the zombie that had flown in like a frog directly hit the major lecture room door on the opposite side.

Boom—!

A collision sound that made my body ache indirectly just from hearing it.

Unlike me who involuntarily shuddered, the zombie hurriedly got up from its spot as if nothing had happened.

“Keeeeeek—!”

My face tightly framed between its broken pupils.

My image that had been growing larger and larger in its bloodshot pupils suddenly disappeared.

Splat—!

A heavy kick embedded from the blind spot of its vision.

The zombie bastard collapsed to the floor again from my right foot that I had thrust out while approaching rather than fleeing from the charging creature.

By now, only white marble must be reflected in those pupils where my face had been largely imprinted.

And that’s the last scenery it sees.

Thud—!

[Dexterity: 6 -> 7]

[Remaining Points: 1 -> 0]

The corpse of the zombie lying dead in a posture now somewhat boringly familiar.

I alternately stared at the zombie with its head crushed by the metal pipe and the status window.

[Strength: 10] [Dexterity: 7] [Intelligence: 1]

Excluding the 1 stat that was already allocated from the start, the stat points I had invested so far were exactly 15 points.

In other words, the stats gained from killing 15 zombies were clearly proving their worth.

Now, as long as I’m not too careless, one zombie is no longer a threat to me.

Especially zombies that can only make so-called ‘linear’ movements, getting excited and trying to pounce as soon as they see prey, or charging at full speed.

Unless the world suddenly goes even crazier here and zombies doing parkour or taekwondo appear, my survival probability could only draw a beautiful upward trend.

By the way—

The head that had been organizing the brief battle just now stares down again.

Thud—! Thud—!

How should I dispose of this zombie corpse?

Should I drag it up to the rooftop?

Of course, I’d like to move it more comfortably using the inventory, but that was after confirming it was already impossible.

Inventory weight exceeded, or something.

It seemed I would need to level up the inventory to store zombie corpses in it.

Since I don’t have points to invest in inventory now—

In the end, I’ll have to drag this corpse up to the rooftop or—

“Um, excuse me.”

As if someone had poured cold water, my idle thoughts were instantly cut off.

The head that had been pondering the zombie corpse moved like lightning to the source of the sound.

“Ah, hello…”

The department office right next to the French Literature department office.

A face very carefully poked out was staring at me with an expression full of tension.

“A-are you a teacher? The car alarm that kept ringing outside and that coin dropping sound.”

Unable to find a suitable honorific to call me, the narrowly slitted eyes ridiculously called me teacher.

Eyes that looked cunning at a glance were violently shaking between small eye corners while staring at me.

“That t-teacher was luring zombies, right? Right?”

The man who kept flapping his mouth while slowly coming out of the department office.

He pushed up his round glasses once with trembling hands, then kept showing his will of non-resistance by raising both arms.

“I-I’m Ko Janghun from the Philosophy department. As you can see, I’m not a zombie. I hid in the department office as soon as the chaos broke out and wasn’t bitten. I’m human just like you—”
“Shhhh—”

A single low note flowing through the index finger splitting the center of my lips.

At my hand gesture to be quiet, he closed his mouth tightly and even stopped walking.

I slowly scanned him up and down, then put down the monkey wrench that had been heavily seated in my pocket onto the ground.

When I pointed at that monkey wrench with my finger, Ko Janghun nodded his head up and down vigorously as if he understood.

I checked once more if there were any zombies drawn by the aggro behind Ko Janghun, then gently twisted my body.

Swish—!

The sound of two people’s footsteps flowing through the Humanities Building corridor and the sound of a zombie corpse being dragged.

I dragged a zombie leg with one hand while waving the metal pipe tick— with the other hand.

My sight was looking at the stairs going up to the Humanities Building rooftop again, but—

All my attention was following the footsteps carefully following me behind.

The sound of footsteps treading while trembling as if vibrations had come all over the body, and the sound of the monkey wrench in hand shaking dadadak.

The Adam’s apple that had been constantly swallowing dry saliva gulp— gulp— seemed to finally stop moving only after closing the rooftop door.

I jerked my chin while pointing to one side at Ko Janghun who was quietly staring at me after I threw down the zombie corpse on the rooftop with a thud.

“…Pardon?”

Slitted eyes filled with question turned towards the food supplies fully stacked on tables and chairs.

When I nodded at the gaze looking back at me again as if to reconfirm, he politely put down the monkey wrench he was holding on the floor.

Ko Janghun walked towards the table after slowly pointing at the monkey wrench with both hands as if to say he had used it well.

He chose a triangle kimbap while slowly looking at the foods with his eyes, then started devouring it hurriedly.

“Triangle kimbap with a short expiration date first… I-I’ve often seen this in survival movies.”

Ha, haha—

A dry laugh that continued as if making excuses to me who was quietly watching.

He focused on the triangle kimbap again, bowing his head deeply at my appearance of quietly watching without any answer.

When I nodded my head again at his appearance of glancing at the bottled water as if his throat was getting blocked, Ko Janghun who had hurriedly opened a bottle of water and gulped it down refreshingly raised his head again.

“…Ugh— By any chance, a-are you unable to speak? Ah, I haven’t learned sign language…”
“…No.”

Ko Janghun’s small eyes instantly sparkled at the quiet answer that popped out.

Ko Janghun who smiled broadly as if drawing a straight line hurriedly continued his next words.

“Ah, that’s a relief! As I said earlier, I’m Ko Janghun, 19th year student in the Philosophy department.”

Eyes blankly waiting for me after his self-introduction.

A slightly twisted smile leaked out at his appearance of waiting for my answer.

“I just found out.”
“…Pardon?”
“No. I was wondering if zombie bastards bite sunbaenims gently.”
“…Ah.”

A face exuding bewilderment at the aggressive response.

Ko Janghun who hurriedly waved his hands back and forth said.

“No, no! Th-that’s not it. I was trying to find a kind of common ground. Since you’re a Banseok University student.”

I nodded my head at the violently shaking eyes, and the next words immediately popped out.

“Ugh— I mentioned my student year as a starting point for smooth conversation, I had no intention of distinguishing between juniors and seniors in this situation. Really!”

I had no intention of bothering to answer that passionate excuse.

Ko Janghun focused on the triangle kimbap again while looking at me who gave no answer.

I quietly stared at Ko Janghun who was looking around the rooftop awkwardly after eating all the triangle kimbap and bottled water.

If he’s human—

He can’t help but be different when entering and leaving the bathroom.

He’s secured safety, and satisfied his urgent hunger.

Meanwhile, the bastard who clearly looks like a junior is unbelievably arrogant.

Now, how will you act?

“…”

Time just flowing quietly without any conversation on the Humanities Building rooftop.

Ko Janghun who carefully stood up from the walkway chair slowly approached me.

I stared straight at Ko Janghun approaching me while waving the metal pipe tick— that fit snugly in my right hand again.

Trudge— Trudge—

Ko Janghun who was taking each step very cautiously passed by me and stopped in front of the zombie corpse.

He knelt down right in front of the corpse and looked up at me watching him.

“Ugh— Should we strip this and make it into a rope?”

…Huh.

“…Why?”

I couldn’t help but ask like that at the unexpected action.

At my question, his fingers pointed in turn to the naked zombie corpses piled in the corner of the rooftop, and the knotted clothes that looked like emergency escape ropes.

“In my opinion, that rope seems to be made by stripping zombie clothes. If I ate food, I should pay for it.”
“…I didn’t even tell you to do that?”
“Hey— Do you know who I hated most when doing group projects?”
“Who?”

Ko Janghun answered with a cunning smile at my question filled with interest.

“Bastards who freeload and troll bastards. I absolutely never do such things.”

He boldly reached out his hand towards the zombie corpse after stating his aspirations confidently like self-PR.

“Uweeeeek—!”

I couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief at the sight of him immediately starting to dry heave.

…He’s smart.

I deliberately spoke rudely, and even dropped informal speech casually towards the end, but he doesn’t show any signs of being offended at all.

Rather, that appearance of immediately doing actions close to the correct answer while laughing hehe—.

…He’s definitely not someone who would die in some random place.

Well, that’s probably why he survived without dying in this chaos.

“…Then, move all the items that come out from there over there, and first check if the smartphones are locked.”
“Uweeek— Yessir!”

An answer that dutifully popped out even in the midst of dry heaving.

The guy who was painfully tearing the corpse’s clothes hurriedly stood up and held out something to me.

“If you need a cell phone, should I give you mine?”

In front of the face of the guy grinning like a eunuch while holding out a smartphone—

Ding—!

A new message is displayed.

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

[Factors: ‘Weak’ trust in an experienced person, ‘Strong’ fear of violence]

[The alias ‘Tyrant’ responds.]

[Power (權力) is generated.]

[Authority (權威) is generated.]

[Exclusive stat ‘Royal Authority (王權)’ is generated.]

[From now on, all power and authority generated for ‘Tyrant’ will be integrated into Royal Authority (王權).]

[Royal Authority: 1]

Ding—!

[An exclusive skill is unlocked by the Royal Authority stat reaching a certain value.]

[Exclusive Skill]

[Partial Incompetence (部分無能) Lv.1]
[You are an incompetent monarch.]

[Exclusive skill unlock complete.]

[New stat ‘Magic Power’ is generated.]

Ding—!

[New stat ‘Magic Power’ is integrated into exclusive stat ‘Royal Authority’.]

[Royal Authority: 2]

Literally long messages that filled my eyes completely.

I couldn’t help but utter a stupid sound at the parade of unfamiliar messages.

“…Huh?”