Chapter 37: Cat Step (★★★★)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 37: Cat Step (★★★★)
When a user with a mode gets infected, that zombie uses the mode they had when they were alive.
This is a new piece of information I've discovered in this apocalypse multi-server.
I saw the Auntie from the 2nd Floor use her mode when she was alive, and I saw her use the exact same mode after she became a zombie.
Why am I bringing this up?
Because the Level 2 Zombie in the last remaining weapon storage was no different.
The zombie holding the expandable police baton was wearing a police uniform, as if he had been an officer in life. He lunged at me, swinging the baton.
And with that, a mode activated.
[Agile Hands (★★)]
- When swinging a weapon, Agility momentarily increases by ★.
- Duration: 10 seconds.
- Mana Cost: 1
It wasn't a particularly good mode.
But in combat, it was a combat mode capable of creating an unexpected variable.
Instantly, the speed at which the red trajectory lines turned blue accelerated.
When fighting while predicting the opponent's speed and calculating their timing, a sudden acceleration in their attack is more than enough to land a blow.
Unfortunately, because his opponent was me, it didn't work.
I don't dodge right before an attack hits me; instead, I read the trajectory and dodge the path of the attack itself.
Sometimes, when dodging requires too much movement, I'll just dodge at the last second. But most of the time, avoiding the trajectory itself isn't difficult with just a slight movement.
After all, the opponent has already committed their strength to strike a specific target, and changing that mid-swing is no easy task.
In other words, I read my opponent's move one step ahead.
That's why dealing with them becomes so easy.
Once I dodge, he's no different from any other Level 2 Zombie.
An expandable police baton requires fighting at a distance compared to bare fists. Once his weapon arm missed and he allowed me to close the distance, all he could do was pray.
Pray that I wouldn't pierce a vital point.
Or pray that he could block it, even if it meant sacrificing his other hand to shield his vitals at the last second.
The Level 2 Zombie managed neither.
As he collapsed, some message popped up, but I didn't have time to check it as I quickly finished off the remaining zombies.
"Whew."
That went better than expected.
Well, I had envisioned something like this ever since I boosted my stats, but it ended up being far easier than I anticipated.
I figured the reason for this was because this police station had become a dungeon.
"The fact that zombies from the outside can't get in is huge."
If it's like this, it means a reckless dungeon raid strategy is viable—just ignore the zombies outside and force your way in, and things will work themselves out.
Of course, this was only possible because I was alone and my stats were high enough to outrun the other zombies—especially the Level 2 Zombies. Still, there are always critical moments where just knowing something is possible makes all the difference.
[Dungeon Cleared!]
[1 Point acquired]
[120 Coins acquired]
[1 Pistol (★) acquired]
[20 Pistol Ammunition acquired]
The dungeon quest was completed, and the rewards rolled in.
It felt like I received a bit more than the standard rewards. It seemed the effect of my Hunting Expert mode had triggered.
I received 20% more coins, and an additional 10 rounds of pistol ammunition were provided.
I put the pistol and ammunition that dropped onto the floor in front of me into my backpack and quickly began farming.
There was no time to waste.
Normally, I would have taken my time looking around once more to make sure I hadn't missed anything, but I was currently in a time attack against unseen users.
I searched the most important area: the weapon storage.
I packed one K-2 Rifle and one pistol stored in the gun locker, along with one small ammo can and three loaded magazines, then ran downstairs.
Why a military rifle was in a police station didn't matter.
This was a world where game mechanics applied, even if it was reality.
Ultimately, the concept of the farming location was what mattered. Trying to nitpick the detailed logic of what should drop where was pointless, especially when the game system was visible in reality and people could use skills.
Still, I was glad I could get my hands on some guns.
Honestly, I had worried that farming might be too difficult in this overly realistic situation.
If you thought about it, on the very first day of a zombie apocalypse, the first thing the police would do is go out fully armed to deal with the zombies.
Would there really be any weapons left in a small police box like this?
They probably didn't have many weapons or ammunition to begin with, so it was highly likely the place would be completely cleaned out.
But this was a satisfying amount of loot.
Fortunately, by the time I walked out of the police station doors, the group I had seen earlier still hadn't arrived.
I would have done the same.
Unless you could overwhelmingly slaughter the numerous zombies on the way, the right choice when you were almost there was to conserve your stamina, rest, observe the situation, and then either enter or turn back.
Hadn't I planned to do the exact same thing?
For anyone who knew anything about a zombie apocalypse, that was the standard, wise choice.
Because they would know about the existence of Level 2 Zombies.
Now that the dungeon was cleared, the faint, shimmering barrier at the entrance of the police station had vanished.
Even before I stepped outside, the zombies near the entrance reacted to me.
"Hmm."
I contemplated running back the way I came, but then I walked back inside the police station.
I had gotten more bullets than expected.
The single ammo can contained 90 rounds.
The rifle magazines held 15 rounds each, and the pistol held 7 rounds per magazine.
Including the dungeon clear rewards, I had 34 rounds of pistol ammunition.
And 105 rounds of rifle ammunition.
"Should I take them out before I leave?"
"Do not kill without reason" was my golden rule for surviving the zombie apocalypse, but it wasn't based on some grand conviction or sense of justice.
It was simply because leaving people alone often led to events that brought me entertainment when they didn't pose a threat. But a situation like this was different.
The faction coming down from the north might have come to farm the police station, but after this, they would likely push further south to expand their territory.
As they gradually expanded, they might eventually reach my area, which was just over thirty minutes away. A war with a faction of that size wouldn't end easily.
Even if it wasn't them, a clash was bound to happen eventually.
It wouldn't be a bad idea to nip it in the bud beforehand.
So, I killed the zombies that followed me inside, went up to the second floor, pulled the pistol from my backpack, and loaded it.
Since I only had one rifle magazine, it would be hard to use more than those 15 rounds anyway, and a pistol was much more convenient than a rifle inside a cramped building like this.
Above all, it was best to avoid using guns if possible.
They were convenient, but ammunition was limited, and wasting it right after farming would be a shame.
Most importantly, if the people coming down from the north didn't enter the police station, I had no intention of fighting them.
There was no efficiency in drawing aggro by firing guns while outnumbered in a wide-open area crawling with zombies.
My accuracy would drop significantly, too.
I watched through the second-floor window for a long time.
After about thirty minutes, four people carrying weapons approached cautiously from the north.
They looked like a scout team.
Seeing the substantial number of zombies near the police station, they circled around to approach the building.
They looked flustered, likely because the zombies I had ignored and dragged along with me had surged up from the south.
However, seeing an unexpected opening to enter near the police station entrance, they seemed to hesitate.
Should we go in and then head back?
Or should we just head back now?
One of them talked for a while, then crouched down and headed toward the police station.
Even though there was a zombie nearby, it didn't notice the man.
[Cat Step (★★★★)]
- Upon use, conceals your presence for 120 seconds. Movement noise is reduced by 90%. Presence is reduced by 70%.
- Mana Cost: 2
It was a better skill than I thought.
A mana cost of 2 was a bit high, but seeing how a zombie didn't notice a person walking right behind it, a two-minute duration made it incredibly useful.
Especially on scouting missions like this, where avoiding drawing aggro from hordes of zombies was paramount, it was a highly covetable skill.
Seeing him about to enter the police station, I prepared myself.
The inside of the police station was empty.
I went down to the first floor, hid in a suitable room, and waited for the door to open.
He wouldn't search the entire place before leaving.
The moment he felt something was off—like why all the zombies inside were dead while the outside was crawling with them—he would leave immediately.
I heard a door opening nearby.
I couldn't sense his presence at all, yet the sound of the door opening echoed, creating a bizarre sensation.
Creeeak.
The room next door opened.
Would he just check that room and leave?
But I decided to trust my gut.
The room I was in was the breakroom.
There was a high chance of finding food here, so there was no way he would pass it up after coming all this way.
Creak.
The door opened without a sound.
A head peeked in.
I saw his head peek through the opening of the door.
With the power of a skill like this, it wouldn't be surprising to get blindsided without ever knowing what hit you.
However, while I didn't have [Cat Step], I did have Level 5 Agility.
Faster than he could register, my hand holding the dagger pierced his neck.
Gurgle!
He opened his mouth, trying to say something, but I immediately covered his mouth, dragged him inside, and finished him off.
His eyes were a mix of shock and resentment.
Did he really not expect a human to be here?
He should have expected it the moment he saw the dead zombies lying around.
His gear looked quite decent.
He had two or three items with levels. I stripped him of everything, packed them into my backpack, and dumped his body in a suitable spot.
There were still three more.
Just as I was about to leave the bait and return to my spot, a message popped up.
[Predating the mode.]
[Acquired Cat Step (★★★★).]
"This?"
I was glad I had waited instead of heading back immediately.
These guys... didn't they pack way too many gifts for me?