Barbecue Paradise in the Apocalypse
We decided to hole up at my base for about a day until the barricade protecting Seoul Station was restored to its original state.
When we all gathered, there were over 40 people in total, and I had to transport every last one of them to my base myself.
Walking all the way from Seoul Station to my base would take too damn long, so it made more sense to use the instant teleport from the additional zone I'd set up near Seoul Station straight to the base.
That said, I'd never teleported this many people at once before, so I wasn't sure if it was even possible.
It probably wouldn't be a problem, but I'd only know for sure once I tried.
"Alright, we're heading to my base now, so everyone grab hands, one person at a time."
Hearing me, they all linked hands, forming a massive human chain.
And the last one to grab my hand was Yoo Sora.
"Um, is this really all we have to do?"
From her cautious question, it was clear she couldn't believe I could teleport.
"I told you it's possible. Well, you and that base manager guy of yours can't because your Base Reinforcement level is still too low, but I can."
With Base Reinforcement only at level 5, it made sense they had no idea about features like this.
I remembered unlocking teleportation between the base and additional zones at level 11.
At level 5, they probably couldn't even imagine such a thing existed.
"If that's the case, then great. But I still don't get it—you have the Technician trait? How are you strong enough to wipe out Do Jingwang's entire force single-handedly without even being a Combat Expert?"
Ah, from Yoo Sora's tone, the teleportation was surprising, but my Technician trait blew her mind even more.
That was the normal reaction, of course.
Unless you had the Combat Expert trait, the system didn't let you acquire combat-related traits or skills, so non-combat traits were inherently weaker. It was a given.
In this zombie apocalypse world, it was the natural order of things—an unchanging truth that would never change.
But I was an irregular who broke that truth.
Someone who could wield black magic, a special power the system didn't provide.
That's how it was possible.
Plus, after ten years grinding as a black mage in that other world, my base Strength was 10 even without combat skills—higher than your average Combat Expert.
Considering Ha Dongseok and Sohee, who worked hard under me, only had around 5 base Strength, you could see how high mine was.
I had no intention of showing Yoo Sora my status window, but if she saw my stats, she'd probably ask if they were real.
They wouldn't make any sense.
"Curious why?"
"...Yes, very."
"It's a secret~"
Yoo Sora frowned slightly at my playful response.
"But this is a real secret. Only two people at my base even know."
Those two were Yejin and Seo-yoon.
And even they didn't know everything about me. They just knew I had a special power called black magic that only I could use, without relying on the system.
They had no idea I'd gone to another world and come back.
"I see. Well, if that's how it is..."
"If you want to know, prove yourself to me first. Do that, and maybe I'll tell you."
I said it for the same reason I'd told Yejin about black magic.
I had to tell Seo-yoon some basics since she was learning it from me, but I could've kept it from Yejin forever.
But Yejin wouldn't blab to anyone else, and after spending so much time with me, our trust was solid—so I shared a bit.
It all depended on what Yoo Sora did.
"Alright, hold on tight—teleporting now!"
With that, I teleported everyone to my base.
The scenery shifted in an instant, and looking around, everyone connected to me had made it safely.
They all gawked at their surroundings, amazed by what just happened—Yoo Sora included.
That's when a system window popped up in front of me.
Humans not registered as residents exist within the base.
Please check via Base Management.
Since I'd brought Yoo Sora's people straight here, the system flagged them as intruders.
Made sense.
I could've registered them all as residents right away, but since they were just crashing for a day, temporary registration on the list would do.
Right as I went to do it, a fun idea hit me.
I manipulated Base Management as planned, and machine guns rose from the ground, aiming at Yoo Sora's group.
"W-what the hell is that?!"
The sudden machine guns targeting them elicited all sorts of reactions—shaking in fear, legs giving out and collapsing, even people ready to bolt.
Exactly the response I'd hoped for.
I'd deployed them just to see that reaction, and it nailed it.
"What is this!?"
Yoo Sora was just as startled.
"Hold on a sec."
Having gotten my laughs, I retracted the machine guns.
"It's the defense system that takes out anyone not on the resident list who enters my base. You get alerts for intruders at yours too, right? Mine has automated defenses on top."
"This is all from your skills?"
"Obviously. Unlocked via Base Reinforcement."
Yoo Sora stared at me with a mix of disbelief and envy.
The guy who'd designated Seoul Station as a base looked especially shocked, probably envisioning his own future growth.
"Anyway, rest up here. But don't even think about going into that building."
"Got it."
I'd let them stay a day in my base, but no way was I letting them inside the building.
They should be grateful just for safe shelter from zombies.
As I chatted with Yoo Sora, Ha Dongseok came running from afar.
"Jaehwan-nim, who the hell are these people?"
"The folks from Seoul Station I mentioned before—the ones with their own base. Their barricade got messed up, so they're crashing here just for today."
"Ah, I see."
Ha Dongseok glanced over the Seoul Station group as he replied.
Wait a minute—standing Ha Dongseok next to them, the lifestyle gap was pretty obvious.
The Seoul Station crew looked a bit grimy, like they hadn't washed properly, even accounting for potential fights with Do Jingwang's people.
Yoo Sora, as the leader, was relatively clean, but next to Ha Dongseok, even she looked unkempt.
My people used water freely for hygiene, no worries. These guys had to ration it, so it was unavoidable.
I even spotted some eyeing Ha Dongseok's relaxed subordinates with envy—including a few watching movies on the projector I'd brought.
In their eyes, we probably looked like we didn't hunt zombies, stayed clean, and used electronics freely.
Just one day off, and they might get the wrong idea.
This place must seem like an earthly paradise impossible in the zombie apocalypse.
They slaved away day-to-day just to survive, while my base folks lived safe and comfy.
Well then, time to show an even starker contrast.
It was around 5 p.m., so zombie hunts were done for the day. Time to prep what I'd planned.
"Hey, time to get ready."
"Pardon? Ready for what, sir?"
"What else? The group dinner we planned for today. Tell your subordinates to start setting up."
I dumped a pile of prepped stuff from my subspace.
"Tonight's an outdoor BBQ party. Set it up nice."
"Yes, sir! Everyone, drop what you're doing and get over here!"
Ha Dongseok rounded up his crew quick.
They'd heard about the dinner from me earlier, but didn't expect it to be this big a deal—they buzzed with excitement as they set up.
"Listen up while you set up. Plenty of meat, so stuff yourselves. And..."
I pulled out booze from my subspace—humanity's irreplaceable treasure.
"Drinking's allowed too. Have fun and relax tonight."
They froze for a second, then erupted in cheers.
"Woooah!"
"Meat and booze? Jackpot!"
"Thank you, sir! Thank you!"
A little R&R for one day wouldn't hurt.
Tomorrow, they'd grind hard for me anyway.
They hustled with the setup, every move radiating joy.
Then Ha Dongseok came back over.
"Jaehwan-nim, what about those guys? Should we share?"
He pointed at Yoo Sora's group.
"Why the hell would we? They're just crashing one day. No reason to feed them at our party."
I said it loud enough for them to hear.
Their hopeful looks turned to disappointment in real time.
Perfect—that's the expression I wanted.
Yoo Sora's people stared at us with pure envy.
If they were directly under me, they'd get the picture now.
That's why I did it—to show that look.
Plus, it drove home the gap to Ha Dongseok's crew too, as they set up.
They weren't clueless enough not to know life here was way cushier than elsewhere.
Except for total idiots who couldn't read the room.
But thinking it and experiencing the comparison firsthand were different.
Now they'd work even harder for me to avoid getting kicked out.
Alright, time to enjoy a fun BBQ party.
In the zombie apocalypse, where life and death hung by a thread.