Chapter 48: Farming Buffet
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 48: Farming Buffet
One swing of my fist, and their heads explode.
At least for the zombies inside the Safe Base, I don't even need to draw a weapon and aim for their vitals.
"This is even more insane than when I played Zombie Apocalypse in solo mode."
Out of all my countless playthroughs, I don't think I've ever played a run this overpowered.
Even if you maxed out all your stats to level 10, smashing a zombie's skull with a single punch was impossible, so this was only natural.
Of course, considering the stat difference between me and a Level 1 Zombie, going on a bare-fisted rampage isn't that difficult.
But normally, to smash a head with your bare hands, you'd have to pin the zombie down, put on a thick glove so you don't break your knuckles, and pound its head against the floor so the sheer force of your punch cracks it against the concrete. You couldn't just pop them like watermelons like this...
Of course, this is only possible because I have the Base Invincibility Rest Bonus active, along with the Safe Base's internal effects, and my Strength has reached an absurd stat of 13 thanks to the new Leather Gloves I just equipped. I might as well enjoy it before I step outside.
Besides, I needed to clear out the zombies around here sooner or later anyway.
Since I've established a reasonably safe base and plan to gather people, there shouldn't be a single zombie anywhere near our living area.
Even if I clear the immediate surroundings, I'll need to gradually expand the base's barricades so that any stragglers wandering in from afar won't even get close to our living quarters.
I'm not at that stage yet, so for now, I'll just clean up the ones in plain sight.
After all, my target today isn't Level 1 Zombies, but Level 2 Zombies.
I'll only deal with the ones I run into on the way.
I headed in the direction of the police station I visited a few days ago.
Back then, there were too many of them, so I had to sneak around, but today I have no intention of hiding.
My stat levels have increased by about three since then.
Even with just the rest bonus stats, adding the predation effect puts me at level 7 or 8.
"Let's beat some heads in for old time's sake."
Weeeeee-oooooo-weeeeee-oooooo!
I have two daggers tucked into my belt. In another slot, I brought along an iPad, which I pull out now to blast a siren app.
This really takes me back to the 1st Zombie Rush.
Back then, I gathered all the zombies in one place just like this before hunting them down.
The only difference is that back then, I fought under the protection of the Safe Base. Now, I'm outside its boundaries.
But the surprising thing is that my raw stats are actually higher now than they were back then.
On average, the Safe Base's buffs would make me stronger, but since Mana doesn't mean much unless I'm using "Cat Step," it doesn't really matter.
"Here they come!"
During the zombie rush, I had to fight cautiously, making sure I didn't get surrounded.
But now, watching the zombies swarm from all directions, I throw my arms wide and roar.
"You motherfuckers!!!!!! Bring it on!!!!!!!!!!!!"
The goals of zombie farming: coins, materials, food, and clearing out the neighborhood.
I'm farming points through repeat quests, and more points by hunting Level 2 Zombies for the tutorial quest.
But even putting all that aside, you can never have too much combat experience.
I've gotten somewhat used to utilizing the trajectories from Hunting Expert, but I'm still far from mastering it.
Grrraaaagh!
I throw a punch at the first monster rushing me with a bizarre shriek.
Since I don't have the Base Invincibility buffs out here, I can't just shatter their skulls with my bare hands, so I've already drawn my dagger.
Stabbing the neck is the easiest because it's the thinnest vital point, but repeatedly targeting only the necks of zombies swarming from all directions is no simple task.
My stats are high enough, so I aim for the heart whenever the opportunity arises.
The dagger's performance is so exceptional that it easily pierces straight through to the heart.
Any worry of the blade getting caught on a rib is instantly dismissed by my high Strength and the dagger's Sharpness option.
It's not great for the weapon's durability, but since this is its maiden voyage, I don't mind.
I want to indulge myself to my heart's content.
"Hah!"
Since I need to sustain a long fight, I allocated my rest bonus to Stamina instead of Agility.
I don't even bother dodging.
I can see their attacks coming, so I simply block them.
By the time the ground around me is piled high with zombie corpses,
I take a moment to catch my breath.
"This is fun."
If a hunt is too easy, you just have to raise the difficulty.
Slaying endlessly swarming Level 1 Zombies over and over eventually wears you down until you hit your limit.
Pushing past that limit is how you grow.
It's not just in games; the same rule applies to reality.
Every single one of these minor experiences will eventually prove invaluable when facing some unforeseen crisis down the road.
And of course, I don't forget to loot.
If I had some spare points, I'd love to level up my Zombie Meat Mode to boost the drop rate.
No matter how much I overcharge people for it, the demand is so high that it's a fantastic way to rake in coins.
If it weren't for my other Cheat Modes, I would have dumped a point or two into it long ago.
"Huh?"
Even so, luck was on my side, and that 1% drop rate triggered twice.
I must have killed around a hundred of them.
But as I picked up the meat to store it, I noticed something strange about its item description.
[Chicken [1-Star]]
– Fresh chicken.
– Consuming 200g or more of cooked meat increases Stamina by ★ for 3 hours.
"What?"
I rubbed my eyes, wondering if I was seeing things.
But there was no mistake.
No matter how I looked at it, this mere piece of chicken actually had a stat option attached to it.
I spent about three seconds wondering how this was possible.
"Rare chicken? Seriously?"
Then it hit me. My ridiculously overpowered Cheat Mode had a passive effect that granted a 5% chance to apply a 'Rare' modifier to any looted materials.
Still, I never expected a 'Rare' modifier to actually apply to raw meat.
This was something that had never happened back in the original Zombie Apocalypse game.
"Wow..."
To think I'd end up hunting for 'Rare' drops even while farming meat.
And it isn't some garbage modifier like 'improved taste' or 'curry-scented.' It actually boosts my stats!
Although it only lasts for three hours, eating this at the right moment will be a massive help.
Especially when I have to raid a dungeon, like when I go to farm the large mart.
"I'm definitely keeping this for myself."
Since this Zombie Meat was provided through Host Mode, it drops in 1kg portions. That means I can get a ton of mileage out of this.
At 200g per serving, that's five uses in total.
Though, that's a bit of a shame.
"A single serving is usually 100g..."
If the people who bought those 100g portions from me saw this, they'd probably feel incredibly ripped off.
Honestly, I feel ripped off too.
Still, getting five stat boosts out of it is a pretty sweet deal.
I quickly stuffed it into my Level 3 Backpack and resumed farming.
Nothing else of note dropped after that.
As I made my way toward the I-Park and the Seongsu Police Station, Level 2 Zombies began to appear here and there.
I had killed one on the street back then, but there was no way that was the only one.
"Oh, right. I wonder what happened to those guys?"
Seeing the police station in the distance reminded me of the guys who had so generously 'donated' "Cat Step" to me.
I hadn't seen anyone who looked like they belonged to their faction when I was running my shop at Seongsu Park.
Then again, even if they had come, I wouldn't have recognized them.
The only faces I knew from that group were already cold corpses rotting back at the police station.
Screeech!
A Level 2 Zombie lunges at me.
When I first raided the police station, I had the Strength and Agility rest bonuses active, allowing me to easily read their movements. Now, my Agility is only at Level 1 (boosted by the predation effect), while the zombie is Level 2. I have to focus to react in time.
I catch its outstretched hands as it tries to tackle me, then plant a hard kick into its chest to push its snapping jaws away.
My Strength is far superior, so as long as I can pin its movements, even a Level 2 Zombie is no match for me.
I twist its arms behind its back, pinning both of its wrists with just one of my hands.
Drawing my dagger, I repeatedly plunge it into the creature's neck.
The Level 2 Zombie collapses to the ground.
That makes five Level 2 Zombies killed so far.
Just five more, and I'll secure another point.
I head a bit further north.
Strangely, the further north I go, the scarcer the zombies become.
Perhaps the faction I encountered during my police station raid cleared this area out.
That makes me curious.
Where are they hiding?
Where did they come from in the first place?
Since I need to hunt Level 2 Zombies anyway, I decide to push further north.
I avoid the main road and take a detour through the side streets where I can spot some zombies.
If I happen to stumble upon their base, great. If they came from far away, well, so be it.
Since this street is near an apartment complex, it looks like a commercial shopping district.
Any place likely to contain food has already been picked clean, despite the presence of a few zombies. It was definitely the work of those guys from before. Fortunately, the other shops are still in relatively good condition.
"Hmm."
Is there anything worth looting?
You'd be surprised by how many useful items you can find in these untouched shopping districts if you take the time to scavenge.
In a world like this, even the most useless-looking junk can suddenly become a lifesaver in the right situation.
And one of those things is right in front of me.
"Why the hell is there an adult toy shop right in front of an apartment complex?"
There's a pharmacy, the adult toy shop, and a fruit stand.
Most of the fruit has already rotted at room temperature, so that's a pass.
Swarms of bugs are already buzzing all over them.
I bypass the fruit stand and head straight into the pharmacy.
Not that I'd know what most of this stuff is just by looking at it.
The place is a total mess with medicine scattered all over the floor, but there's still plenty of stock left.
I grab some vitamins and common over-the-counter drugs.
Painkillers, anti-inflammatories, antibiotics, ointments, and bandages.
These are items I scavenged constantly back in the game, so I know exactly what to look for.
There are various other medical supplies, but they'd take up too much space in my backpack, so I leave them behind.
"Not bad at all."
I head into the prescription room and sweep every medicine bottle in sight into my bag.
I have no idea what they do, but a real pharmacist or doctor would probably find them useful.
Having practically cleaned out the entire pharmacy, my backpack feels satisfyingly heavy.
It was definitely worth the trip.
This really brings back the classic thrill of looting in Zombie Apocalypse.
Sometimes, finding everyday necessities in an untouched corner of the world is far more satisfying than raiding a police station for guns.
And then, I stepped into the most important shop of all.
"Hmm. Not that I'm into this kind of stuff..."
As I descended into the basement, a magnificent array of dicks greeted me right from the entrance, practically calling my name.
"Maybe I'll just grab a few..."
Soon, my backpack was stuffed with even more items than I had taken from the pharmacy.