The Tutorial Begins

"What the...? This is completely different from before." Saebyeok summoned his status window again, rubbing his eyes several times to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

"Did it take time to apply? Or did I close the window too quickly earlier?" Saebyeok collapsed onto the bed.

"Ah... I didn't open it after absorbing ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that fragment or whatever it was. Haha." Saebyeok let out a hollow laugh at his own clumsiness.

"Well, at least it was worth it..." The heavily altered status window offered a small comfort to his bitter mood.

But staring at the status window wasn't going to make anything happen. Just in case, he turned TubeTube back on and typed "how to use skills" into the search bar.

'Crash Course on Basic Skill Usage!' 'Anyone Can Survive: Apocalypse Survival Guide - Using Skills.' Fortunately, a few videos popped up. Seeing them, Saebyeok felt a chill run down his spine at the sheer, terrifying dedication of attention seekers.

It was obviously a good thing for him, but... it was mind-boggling that anyone could record and even do basic editing in a batshit crazy situation like this. He clicked on the first video.

"Everyone! Using skills is actually pretty simple. First, skills are divided into active and passive. Active skills are triggered by your thoughts, while passive skills just activate on their own. Now, let me show you—"

"Huh? What the fuck? Are you kidding me?! Why did it cut off?!" The TubeTube creator, who was about to demonstrate something outside, froze. A spinning loading circle appeared on the screen, refusing to budge.

"Ah, for fuck's sake... Turn down the difficulty, will you?! How am I supposed to use it if I don't even know how!" Thud! Saebyeok threw his innocent phone onto the bed in frustration.

He lay spread-eagled on the bed for a moment, staring blankly at the ceiling, before sitting back up. He recalled what he had just heard on TubeTube.

'Thoughts... The only active skill I can test right now is Body Xenomorphosis... But what the hell am I supposed to think?' He couldn't wrap his head around it.

After pondering for a moment, he recalled a monster's tentacle attack from an anime he had watched as a kid. He had no idea why that specific scene came to mind, but the image was too vivid to ignore.

He visualized multiple tentacles twisting into a spiral, extending outward like a long spear, while simultaneously willing the skill to activate. In that instant—slither, squirm, shluck!

With a sensation of some mysterious energy draining from deep within his body, Saebyeok's right hand turned pitch black and shot forward like a spiraling lance, piercing straight through the bookshelf. Crack! Splinter! Crash!

A gaping hole was punched through the wooden bookshelf, and the books that had escaped the direct path of the tentacle came raining down to the floor.

"Whoa! Holy shit!" Startled, Saebyeok stared at his mutated black arm and the long tentacle embedded deep in the bookshelf.

Suddenly, a flood of past videos and images rushed into his mind. A manga about a guy whose right hand was infected by a parasite, and even some tentacle hentai he had stumbled upon as a kid—it was as if his brain had run a rapid keyword search.

Even highly questionable memories surfaced, making him wonder, 'Wait, I actually know about this stuff?'

Shhhk. Unsure of what to do with the tentacle spear, he stared at it and simply wished for it to return to normal. Like a tape measure snapping back into its casing, the black tentacles retracted instantly, restoring his arm to its original human form.

"Oh! Holy shit!" Like a child with a brand-new toy, Saebyeok began experimenting with his body. However, because he didn't fully grasp the concept of mana, he quickly exhausted himself.

Chomp, chomp. Hit by a wave of extreme hunger following his exhaustion, he lost all reason. He began stuffing dry instant ramen into his mouth like a man possessed, washing it down with gulps of water whenever he choked. He grabbed a can of Spam nearby, scooping it out raw with a spoon and devouring it.

"Wait... did I eat all of this? All of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it?" When he finally snapped out of it, he was horrified. He had eaten half of the food his friend had stocked up. He only had six two-liter bottles of water left.

"What am I going to do about food...? Is it too late now?" Only then did he remember the TubeTube videos of people raiding convenience stores and taking over warehouses.

After a moment of deliberation, he looked at the battery-powered clock hanging on his friend's wall. *Tick, tick, tick.* 4:57 AM. The sun hadn't risen yet.

Saebyeok recalled hearing in the military that the hour right before dawn was the best time for an infiltration. He sprang to his feet and began rummaging through the room. *Rustle, rustle.*

"Oh! Combat fatigues! Wait, this bastard has black tactical gear? Why does he even have this? It's not even his unit's uniform." As he sorted through the clothes, he suddenly realized his shoe size had changed too.

"Ah... what about shoes? Well, his feet were huge anyway... Sorry, Woongtae. I'll put these to good use."

Saebyeok knew that Woongtae, being a big guy who often went to the mountains with his parents to clear graves, kept his combat boots in pristine condition.

"A duffel bag too? What kind of guy keeps all this? Ah... did he say he bought it for clearing the graves last time?" Feeling ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠another wave of gratitude toward his friend, Saebyeok continued searching the apartment.

Fortunately, since Woongtae was around 187 cm tall, the fatigues and combat boots fit reasonably well. Once he threw on a black cap, Saebyeok looked like a member of some special forces unit.

But his appearance didn't matter right now. The images from the TubeTube videos flashed in his mind, and a powerful urge to move seized him.

"...What was this bastard's passcode again?" Saebyeok opened his phone's messenger app and quickly memorized the building's main entrance code and his friend's studio door lock code.

"4885*, 9336*, 4885*, 9336*." Before heading out, Saebyeok clenched and unclenched his right hand, staring at it.

"Probably too risky to rely on in a real fight, right?..." *Beep! Creak—* Saebyeok cautiously scanned his surroundings as he poked his head out. He looked left and right.

He closed the door as quietly as possible, but the electronic lock beeped with agonizing loudness. *Chime—* Since Saebyeok didn't know how to mute the door lock, there was nothing he could do.

He couldn't blame the dead internet, nor could he blame himself for never needing such trivial knowledge before. He had no time to waste.

Having grabbed a black frying pan in his haste, Saebyeok crept down the stairs step by step. He held the pan aloft like a protagonist in an old comedy movie trying to sneak up on a burglar.

Since Saebyeok had only recently moved from Busan to his friend's place, the only convenience store he knew was the one at the entrance of the studio apartment district. His heart hammered wildly against his ribs. Yet, for some reason, he felt a strange, thrilling rush of pleasure.

*Slide.* The automatic doors of the building lobby opened. Thankful that the power hadn't cut out yet, Saebyeok stepped outside, desperately recalling the survival tips he had gathered from TubeTube.

Fortunately, the streets were quiet. "Do zombies sleep at this hour?" Keeping low, Saebyeok dashed toward the convenience store in his line of sight.

But as they say, nothing in life comes easy. Just as he neared his destination, a zombie stumbled out of the alley right next to the convenience store, blocking his path. Fortunately, it wasn't a large one or a mutant.

One of its eyeballs was missing—likely pecked out by birds—and its skeletal frame was exposed in patches. As the creature flailed its arms toward Saebyeok like a drowning man, he swung the frying pan with all his might, slamming it into the zombie's skull.

*Crack! Clang—* "Huh?" The frying pan dented heavily, but the strike was a success. With its head caved in like a crushed soda can, the zombie collapsed to its knees and ceased to move.

A cloudy white fluid, which looked like brain matter, oozed from its empty eye socket and nose. Swallowing his disgust, Saebyeok immediately hurried into the convenience store.

Saebyeok felt a bizarre sense of pride at the game-like message encouraging a beginner, but he quickly snapped out of it.

"Are you out of your mind? This is real life, for fuck's sake..." *Chime...* Saebyeok carefully pushed the door open and stepped inside the convenience store.

*Chomp, tear, growl...* Inside the trashed store, a single zombie was feasting on a pile of human corpses who appeared to have stabbed each other to death.

Without a second thought, Saebyeok drove the dented frying pan straight into the crown of the zombie's head. Once again, the skull caved in with a sickening crunch.

"What the hell? What kind of frying pans does Woongtae keep in his house?" Saebyeok muttered, staring down at the pan in wonder.

"Ha..." Saebyeok began frantically stuffing the items the dead people had tried to gather into his duffel bag. He also pried a crowbar from the cold grip of a man ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠who had been stabbed in the back.

"Now this is a beauty..." He looted the dead men's backpacks as well, cramming in as many supplies as possible. As he packed, a fleeting question crossed his mind—was I always this kind of person?—but he didn't have the luxury of time to ponder it.

One duffel bag, two backpacks. It was a massive haul. He even grabbed a large shopping bag filled with cartons of cigarettes that one of the dead men had gathered. Planning to make another trip, Saebyeok quickly slipped out of the convenience store.

Driven by urgency, he abandoned all caution and sprinted back toward his friend's apartment. A few zombies seemed to tail him, but he ignored them and kept running.

He made it inside by the skin of his teeth. Just as the door clicked shut, he heard shouting outside, followed by signs of movement near the convenience store. He dropped the bags onto the floor, panting heavily.

"Fuck... I thought my heart was going to explode." Saebyeok cracked open a bottle of water and chugged it down. Just then, a system message flashed before his eyes.

"Insane..."