I Became a Game Character in the Apocalypse

Chapter 11 –
Thud!!
With the sound of bones breaking, the zombie’s face caved in.
At the same time, I drove the monkey wrench straight into the eyeball of the zombie to my
left.
The zombie’s upper body jerked backward as its eye was punctured.
Before it could lose its balance and struggle, I pushed it down and slammed it onto the
ground.
Grrrk!
Another zombie on my right reached out its arms toward my neck, so I swung the steel pipe
and hit its jaw.
With a sickening sound, the zombie’s jaw dislocated, and its arms flailed wildly through the
air, disoriented.
I quickly pulled the monkey wrench from the fallen zombie’s eye socket and struck the
disoriented zombie’s temple.
Did I not hit hard enough?
I didn’t feel the sensation of the wrench penetrating the skull.
Quickly, I raised my right arm and struck its skull with the steel pipe.
‘She said four, right?’
One of them was missing.
Grrrk!
At the same time, I heard the sticky moaning sound behind me.
It was close.
Just as I turned my head sharply, the zombie’s arms grabbed my shoulders.
I quickly pulled my right foot back, trying to maintain my balance, but it was too close to
swing my weapon.
The yellowed teeth, stained with flesh and blood, were right in front of my eyes.
I grabbed the zombie’s collar with my right hand, preventing it from getting closer.
Just then, Seol Ye-won, who had arrived a second too late, pierced the zombie’s body with
something sharp.
A cross screwdriver came out from its throat.
I had thought she only had a steel pipe, but Seol Ye-won had a sharp weapon too.
The zombie’s body trembled violently before it dropped to its knees on the ground.
With its cervical spine severed, it wouldn’t be able to put any strength into its body below the
shoulders.
To make sure, I used the monkey wrench to jab at its eye socket.
As the zombie collapsed like a paper doll, I saw Seol Ye-won trembling with her hands in the
background.
She was staring blankly at me, her mouth slightly open, saying nothing.
“Are you okay?”
I wiped the blood from my face and asked, and Seol Ye-won just stared at me with wide eyes,
as if in a daze.
She nodded slowly, adding a small sound, “Uh, uh.”
She was trying to act fine, but she didn’t look okay at all.
Was she not used to killing zombies?
She seemed to be forcing herself not to appear weak.
I took out the water from my bag and handed it to her.
Seol Ye-won took the water bottle carefully and drank it down in one go without even
pausing to breathe.
Her hand holding the bottle was shaking like a leaf in the wind.
It seemed dangerous to take her to the cafeteria.
“I’ll keep watching outside. I’ll check the cafeteria alone.”
“It’s fine.”
“It doesn’t look fine.”
“…….”
Seol Ye-won bit her lower lip but didn’t argue.
She didn’t want to fall behind, but it was clear she needed time to get used to this.
I had been the same way when the virus first spread—full of emotional ups and downs,
making a lot of mistakes.
In the end, Seol Ye-won reluctantly nodded.
After killing the four zombies, we reached the fine arts cafeteria without encountering any
more.
Through the glass door of the cafeteria, I looked inside, then glanced at Seol Ye-won.
“Just like you said, it seems like the zombies are still clustered in the side route. This place is
safe.”
I didn’t really need to say it, but I wanted to lift her spirits.
She had been right, so I needed to praise her.
Seol Ye-won nodded silently, her lips pressed tight.
“Wait here. If any zombies appear, let me know immediately.”
“Got it.”
I left Seol Ye-won outside, took a deep breath, and entered the cafeteria.
The fog had filled the interior as well.
The lights were off, probably due to the circuit breakers being down, and though faint
sunlight came in, it wasn’t enough to make anything distinguishable.
My mouth was dry from the tension.
The pressure, not knowing where something might jump out from, or maybe just the humid
air, made my breathing feel shallow.
It felt like a sudden onset of claustrophobia.
Step by step, I moved cautiously.
As I got closer to the kitchen, the smell of food waste tickled my nose.
Could the solar panels not power the freezer either?
Just the smell was enough to erase any hope that there might be food left.
As time passed, my pupils, which had been constricted, slowly began to adjust to the
darkness, and I started to see more clearly.
Just as I was about to check the kitchen, I heard a strange clinking sound.
Clink-
I quickly crouched down and searched for the source of the sound. I spotted a zombie
wandering inside the kitchen.
Only about 5 meters away.
Grrr…
The zombie, which had dropped something, swayed its upper body from side to side,
gnashing its teeth.
Gahh! Gahh!
Then, zombies hiding in the kitchen and freezer started to gather, all gnashing their teeth in
unison.
At least nine of them.
Then one zombie began to act strangely.
It was wearing an apron, stained with blood.
The zombie stopped making noises, raised its head, and kept frowning and un-frowning
repeatedly.
I felt my hair stand on end as I watched its twitching nose.
It was smelling the air.
Though I had hidden my scent with food waste and the smell of a dirty mop, there was no
guarantee that I was 100% safe.
If I stayed here any longer, I would eventually be discovered.
It was time to give up on going deeper.
Taking on nine zombies alone was beyond my capabilities.
I carefully took a step backward, trying to make no sound, and just as I was about to turn
around the corner, I froze in place.
I had bumped into a person’s face just inches from mine. I widened my eyes and stumbled
backward.
“Shh.”
It was Seol Ye-won.
I felt like my heart had stopped from the shock.
We were so close that our noses almost touched.
I wiped my pounding chest and furrowed my brows.
Then, Seol Ye-won pressed her lips to my ear and whispered in a low voice.
“The zombies are coming this way.”
Had the zombies from the side path started roaming the streets again?
I nodded and gestured for her to hurry out.
Seol Ye-won must have noticed the zombies in the kitchen, as she carefully turned around
and began retracing our steps.
As I followed her, we reached the front door. Suddenly, Seol Ye-won stopped in her tracks.
I almost ran into her.
I raised my body slightly, trying to understand what she was doing, and then I saw it.
Thud.
A zombie was pressing its forehead against the glass door.
It wasn’t rushing in blindly; it seemed to be checking for prey.
Then the zombie in front of the door stopped, looked up, and opened its mouth, letting out an
eerie, unfamiliar scream.
Grrrrrrr…
The sound made my neck tingle, and cold sweat beaded on my forehead.
The scream was both strange and somehow familiar.
Suddenly, I remembered the same cry from Last Ark.
Zombies with brain functions.
Resonating zombies.
The warning bell in my mind rang loud, and without thinking, I charged forward.
I shoved the glass door open with my whole body, and the zombie that had its jaw locked on
the door stumbled backward.
I raised the steel pipe high and smashed the zombie’s skull with all my strength.
Thud!! Crack! Snap!!
I kept hitting until its head was crushed, swallowing dryly as I looked around.
Had I been detected after just one scream?
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud…
The small hope I had crumbled as I heard the rapid footsteps of many zombies approaching.
The zombies from the side path were gathering here.
My hair stood on end, and sweat formed on my palms.
‘The kitchen.’
I turned around sharply, my eyes wide, and saw that the zombies from the kitchen were also
charging toward us, like rabid dogs.
“Run!” I shouted.
***
Seol Yeowon stumbled in a hurry, losing her balance and falling.
The weight of the tent and burner on her back was too much for her to handle.
I rushed to her side, helped her up, and immediately bolted toward the main building.
There wasn’t even time to check if there were any zombies nearby.
Dozens of zombies were on our tail, and there was no time to calculate how many.
“One on our left!” Seol Ye-won shouted.
I turned left and saw a zombie, gnashing its teeth, charging at us through the fog.
I swung the steel pipe like a baseball bat and hit it in the face, then immediately crossed the
central road.
Grrrghhh!
The sound of zombies’ cries behind me made my neck tingle.
They were close.
I glanced behind me over my shoulder and saw dozens of zombie figures running toward us,
their arms flailing wildly.
In the past, I would have felt my vision blur when I was tense or afraid, but now everything
felt clearer.
Was it because all my senses were sharpened?
Or perhaps it was because of the yellow light glimmering in the upper right corner of my
vision?
I had killed the resonating zombie, so I had completed the 50-zombie condition.
I wanted to use the points right away, but if I activated the hologram now, it would be
difficult to maintain visual awareness.
I had to hide first and distribute the points later.
“That way!” Seol Ye-won’s voice rang out from beside me.
I turned my gaze in the direction she was pointing and saw the outline of the main building
becoming clearer through the fog.
Without hesitation, I sprinted toward the front door.
I yanked the glass door open and dashed up the stairs with Seol Ye-won.
Second floor, third floor, fourth floor… Finally, I reached the fifth floor and opened the
nearest door.
A spacious living room, an L-shaped sofa in the center, with a desk and chairs behind it.
It was the office of the Dean of Faculty.
As soon as we entered the office, I locked the door and leaned against the wall, not moving a
muscle.
Seol Ye-won clutched her chest and breathed heavily.
I quickly peeked into the hallway before urgently opening the hologram.
• Current zombies killed: 50/50 (Complete)
• You have received 5 points for completing the goal.
• Remaining points: 5
• Please allocate your points and receive the next instruction.
The one thing I needed right now was, of course, stamina.
I invested all 5 points into stamina.
• Investing points into stamina.
• Stats:
o Strength: 5 (+2)
o Stamina: 5 (+5)
o Reflexes: 5
o Body Vision: 5
o Mental Strength: 10
• Remaining points: 0
• A new instruction has arrived.
• Current zombies killed: 0/100
• Note: Unlock skills upon killing 100 zombies.
As my stamina increased, I was able to breathe more evenly, and my heartbeat began to slow
down.
Just a moment ago, I felt like I couldn’t breathe, but now it felt as though I had just aired out
the room with fresh air.
My stamina had doubled, so it was a natural result.
By the way, skills?
When I played Last Ark, Adam White didn’t have skills.
There was no awakening like other characters, and the only way to get stronger was by
killing zombies and earning points.
Was this a new system introduced as the difficulty increased?
Or was this the Easter egg the hologram mentioned?
Grrrghhh!!
The sound of zombies charging down the hall on the fifth floor interrupted my thoughts.
I crouched down and, holding my breath, looked at Seol Ye-won.
Seol Ye-won was still clutching her chest with her right hand, trembling, and breathing
unevenly.
She was in no condition to run.
I looked at her and asked softly, “Hey, are you okay?”
“I-I can’t… breathe… I can’t breathe…” She gasped.
She must have overexerted herself with that full sprint after being so scared.
“Look at me, Ye-won. Look at me.”
Seol Ye-won’s eyes were half-lidded.
In her blurry gaze, I could see the hopelessness of wanting to give up on everything.
I gently took her hand and spoke in a low voice.
“This place is safe. Relax.”
“Outside… the zombies…” she muttered.
“We’re in the fog. I killed the resonating zombie, and as long as they don’t detect us, we’re
safe.”
Zombies can’t smell us through the fog.
We just need to wait behind the door until things calm down.
“Breathe with me. Slowly. Inhale… exhale…”
Seol Ye-won’s hand was ice cold.
It was hot outside, so was it poor circulation?
Her sweaty forehead and pale complexion made it clear that she was already at her limit.
Seol Ye-won closed her eyes tightly and slowly began to take deep breaths.
Her labored breathing slowly began to steady.
Grrrghhh…
The zombies’ cries echoed down the hallway.
I thought the zombies that had just passed by had gone down to the fourth floor, but one of
them hadn’t.
I cautiously looked through the glass on the door to check the situation in the hallway.
The zombie was turning its head from side to side, twitching its nose.
I quickly ducked down.
It shouldn’t be able to smell us through the fog, right?
I cautiously peered out again and watched the zombie’s behavior.
The zombie, which had been sniffing the air, suddenly dropped flat on the floor and began
sniffing like a dog.
It was determined not to lose its prey.
A sharper sense of smell than regular zombies.
It was a resonating zombie.