Chapter 5

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Translator: Ace

Chapter: 5

Chapter Title: Becoming an Awakener

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The moment a window I'd never seen before popped up in front of me, I knew my suspicions were spot on.

What was the difference between that woman from the convenience store and me?

She'd said that after killing just one zombie, a message appeared saying she'd become an Awakener. The man I'd killed must have gotten the same message after taking down a zombie.

The problem was, I'd slaughtered tons of zombies on my way to the convenience store, but I'd never seen a window with that kind of message.

I'd even wondered if you had to kill zombies in a specific location to awaken, but that woman had clearly taken out zombies inside the store and become an Awakener. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠There was no reason I wouldn't awaken after killing a few in the exact same place.

So I started thinking from a different angle: how had I been killing the zombies?

I had no idea how that woman had done it, but my method had to be vastly different from hers.

Especially since I'd been draining every zombie I encountered with Mana Drain, sucking out their demonic energy until they were gone. There was no way anyone on Earth was killing zombies like that.

Most people would probably just bash their heads in with whatever object was handy.

If there really was a system turning people into Awakeners, then maybe killing zombies with magic counted as some kind of exception it couldn't process.

Once you became an Awakener, maybe you'd gain a body capable of using magic. But before awakening, using magic to wipe out zombies might register as an error to the system—like the zombies just suddenly keeling over dead for no reason.

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To test it, I grabbed a passing zombie and killed it without using any magic this time. I was curious what would happen if I did it the same way as everyone else.

And sure enough, just as I'd predicted, a translucent window appeared before my eyes.

Whoa, way more options than I expected.

The woman had mentioned choosing a trait, and I was curious what they'd be. Kinda fascinating to see so many types.

Can I get details on each trait? The names give a rough idea, but they might not match exactly what I think, so proper descriptions would be nice.

Then I noticed a "Details" button in the corner of the window and tapped it with my finger.

Sure enough, explanations popped up for each one.

All five seem like useful skills for surviving in a zombie world.

But I can't pick them all, can I?

I tried selecting multiple to test it, but no dice. Looks like it's one only.

So, which one should I go with...

First off, Weapon Crafter is out.

Normal people can't fight zombies barehanded, so they might pick this to craft survival weapons. Makes sense.

But I've got black magic, which is way better than any normal weapon. I can massacre zombies without one—no need for this trait.

Combat Specialist is out too.

Probably gives combat stats or skills, but black magic should cover that and then some.

Nah, it'll be more useful. Unless it's some wuxia-level sword beam trait that lets you slaughter zombies effortlessly, it won't even touch my black magic.

So those two are definite no-gos. Let's check the rest.

Medical Specialist.

This one's tempting. Black magic can heal wounds, but it's not efficient.

A black magician's motto is "Kill the enemy with magic before they can hurt you." Healing isn't really part of it.

In a world where life hangs by a thread, any injury drastically lowers your survival odds—even minor ones cause discomfort, and infection makes it a headache. Major wounds? You're dead.

So Medical Specialist is a candidate.

Next, Technician.

Looks like it lets you craft new items or fix broken ones.

Super practical.

We rely on machines in daily life. Refrigerators let us store food long-term, for example.

But now the world's ended, most of that gear's probably useless—no power, no repairs for breakdowns.

A Technician could fix that and make things work again.

Useful for sure.

Last, Farmer.

Straightforward: produce edible food in this ruined world.

We can scrounge pre-made food at first, but that won't last a year.

With refrigeration gone, we eat perishables first, then vacuum-packed stuff. But once supplies run dry...

Self-sufficiency would be a huge edge. While others scavenge, you eat easy.

Excluding Weapon Crafter and Combat Specialist, the other three all look useful to me.

What to do...

After some thought, Farmer's probably not for me.

Do I really need to grow my own food?

Just take it from someone who picked Farmer.

By force if needed, or team up: I protect them from threats, they feed me.

Wait, same logic for Medical Specialist.

I can heal myself somewhat, and I can protect my body fine—no need.

That leaves Technician?

Same deal—could drag someone with it along—but out of these five, nothing else fits perfectly.

I poked around for hidden options, but nope.

Plus, doing my own repairs sounds hassle-free. Let's go with Technician.

Decision made, I tapped Technician on the window.

Feels like I stepped into a game world.

Both skills are low-level, so limited crafting/repair options for now, but still abilities I didn't have—handy.

So now I'm a human with a standard trait plus black magic?

This is totally broken, isn't it?

I can solo hunt and fight—way stronger than other traits—and craft/repair daily necessities on top.

Someone who picked Technician probably can't fight worth a damn, but I can.

In a game, this would be possible, right?

"Status window?"

If the world's turned into a game, you've gotta have a status screen.

And right on cue, a translucent window popped up with my info.

Hmm... Leveling up fast looks like it'll make my life a lot easier.

First things first, time to grind some levels.