Episode 8.

I opened my eyes to find myself on a green meadow.

Here again.

The endless field of grass was swaying in the wind, and the sky was a blindingly brilliant blue.

It was the same scenery as last time. But this time, it felt a little familiar.

I already knew that I had no body, and that only my spirit existed here.

I felt a presence from high above. Something massive, I couldn't tell if it was the sky or the sun, was looking down at me.

Its form was still invisible, but its overwhelming presence was clear. I didn't know if I should call it a god or something else, but it was definitely not human.

A voice resonated. It didn't feel like hearing with my ears, but rather like it was being carved directly into my brain.

- Congratulations on the achievement.

Twenty. I had met the condition.

- I will grant you Hawk's Eye.

Hawk's Eye? I didn't immediately understand what kind of ability that was.

- When you aim at your prey, your sense of time will change.

Your sense of time changes. What does that mean? Does time actually slow down, or does it just feel like it's slowing down?

I wanted to ask more, but the Giant Existence was already fading away. The green meadow began to blur, and the blue sky was swallowed by darkness.

- Kill 50 zombies.

50... That's not an easy number. But it's not impossible, either.

A fading sensation, and then I opened my eyes.

I was inside the camper. Morning sunlight was leaking through the gaps in the window curtains.

I sat up. It felt like a dream, but it was so realistic that it didn't feel like one.

It was the same when I received Infection Immunity last time. What I heard in the dream became reality.

Hawk's Eye. Hawk Eye?

When aiming at prey, the sense of time changes...

I figured I'd have to go hunting myself to find out. If it were true, it would definitely be an incredible ability.

I got out of bed and looked out the window. It was a clear morning.

I heated up some simple soup for breakfast.

It was cup soup I'd grabbed from a convenience store; it was convenient since all I had to do was pour hot water.

The steam from the soup rose up, cutting through the cold air.

As the warm soup went down my throat, I felt my body slowly waking up. Even if the world has ended, warm soup is still delicious.

I took a shower in the camper's internal shower room.

With a large water tank and facilities that even provided hot water, this could definitely be called a mobile home.

As warm water poured over my head, the tension in my whole body melted away.

The unpleasant mix of sweat, dust, and zombie blood that had accumulated yesterday washed away with the stream of water.

Closing my eyes and letting the water hit my face made my head feel clear. Warm steam filled the small shower room, and for a moment, I could forget about the outside world.

I liked this time, standing under warm water without a single thought. Even now, with the world ruined, moments like this were peaceful.

I finished my shower and dried off with a towel. I saw my reflection in the mirror. My face looked a bit gaunt after just a few days, but my eyes seemed sharper.

Is it because I've become tougher from struggling to survive?

After finishing my meal and shower, I checked my remaining food supplies.

Canned goods, instant rice, ramen, snacks, and dried foods stacked neatly in the camper's storage cabinets. A rough count suggested I could last for about a week to ten days.

If I rationed it, maybe I could last two weeks. But I didn't want to starve myself to the point of weakening my strength and stamina.

As long as there's no sign of the world returning to normal, I have to keep securing food.

I took out my phone and opened the map app. Since I didn't know when the internet would cut out, I had downloaded offline maps in advance.

The map of the Gimpo area spread out on the screen. I had checked off the areas and houses I explored yesterday one by one.

By doing this, I wouldn't have to explore the same places twice, and I could move efficiently.

I thought as I scanned the map. The area around the camper ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was somewhat cleared. I had gone through almost all the nearby villages yesterday, and there weren't many houses left. It seemed like it was time to expand my radius of movement.

I'm glad I got the electric scooter yesterday. It's quiet, fast, and I can charge it with solar power. Using this, I'll be able to travel quite a long distance easily.

I zoomed in on the map to look around. There was a small village about 5 kilometers northeast of the camper.

Looking at the satellite photo, it was an area with small villa buildings and commercial buildings clustered together. It was larger than the places I'd explored so far. There would be more zombies, but also more supplies.

I set my goal to explore that place today.

I checked the scooter's battery. I had connected it to the solar charger last night, so it was fully charged. This should be enough to easily cover the 10-kilometer round trip.

I grabbed my bow and quiver, put on my backpack, and tucked the hammer into my belt.

I put on a thick jacket and pulled the hood over my head.

I wrapped the leather jacket I'd stripped from a zombie yesterday tightly around my left arm. Walking around without protection was dangerous.

I also need to bring the drone. Reconnaissance was essential when exploring new areas. If I just went in blindly and ended up in the middle of a zombie horde, it would be the end.

I flew the drone to get a rough look at the number of zombies and the situation up to the target point.

I saw a few zombies on the streets, but no people walking around. The zombie density wasn't very high.

I opened the camper door and stepped outside. The morning air was cold but refreshing. The sky was clear without a single cloud.

The thought crossed my mind that this was the kind of weather zombies liked. They were probably standing somewhere right now, arms spread toward the sun.

I got on the scooter and turned it on. The motor started with a small whirring sound. It was quiet. Incomparably so to a car or motorcycle.

When I pressed the accelerator, the scooter glided forward. The wind brushed against my face. I scanned my surroundings as I rode on the asphalt.

5 kilometers. It was a distance I could reach in about 15 minutes on the scooter.

While riding the scooter down the road, I saw a zombie in the distance.

It was in the familiar pose, standing in the middle of the road with both arms spread, head tilted toward the sun. Its upper body, stained with blackish-green, was glistening in the sunlight.

I slowed down and stopped the scooter at a reasonable distance.

I took out my bow and nocked an arrow. I pulled the string, aimed at its head, and focused on the target.

At that moment, the world changed.

The flow of time slowed down. The leaves swaying in the wind began to move slowly, very slowly.

The chirping of birds and the sound of insects I had been hearing stretched out into a low, buzzing noise.

It felt like slow motion or bullet time, just like in movies or games. But this wasn't a special effect; it was reality. A reality I was experiencing firsthand.

In the slowed-down time, I aimed precisely at its head. Without wavering, I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠released the string with ease.

- Swoosh!

The moment the arrow left the string, time returned to normal.

Sounds sped up, and the noises of nature rushed into my ears all at once. Birdsong, wind, rustling leaves. Everything returned to normal speed.

The arrow flew in an arc and pierced its head accurately. The zombie collapsed without a sound.

I stood there blankly for a moment, replaying what had just happened. Is this the ability called Hawk's Eye?

It said my sense of time would change when aiming at prey.

It was true. It really felt like time had slowed down, and I could aim and fire accurately within it.

With this ability, accurate aiming and firing are possible every time.

It means I can even calmly aim and shoot at charging zombies.

No matter how fast they charge, they'll look slow to my eyes. It makes accurate and powerful shots possible even while firing rapidly.

The biggest weakness of the bow until now was that I couldn't accurately hit the heads of zombies charging from close range, but that has been completely solved.

'This is bordering on superhuman territory, isn't it?'

A smile spread across my face before I knew it. For the first time, this situation felt hopeful.

I got back on the scooter and moved on to find the next target.

There was another one standing not far away. This time, I deliberately approached it closely because I wanted to test the ability properly.

As I entered its field of vision, it reacted. The arms it had been spreading lowered, and its head turned toward me. The happy smile vanished, and a crazed expression was revealed.

"Kuaaaagh!"

It rushed at me with a screech. A full sprint. It was a crazy speed.

I raised my bow and aimed. As I focused, time slowed down again.

The movement of the sprinting zombie slowed down as if it were swimming underwater. Its limbs moved slowly, and its distorted expression turned into slow motion.

20 meters, 15 meters. Even in the slowed time, the distance was closing, but I had plenty of time.

I aimed precisely at its head. I targeted the center of its forehead and released the string.

Time returned to normal. The arrow pierced its forehead, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and it tumbled forward with the momentum of its sprint, sliding along. It stopped 10 meters in front of me.

I exhaled. My heart was pounding, but my hands weren't shaking. It was a perfect headshot.

But my eyes felt slightly tired. There was also a stinging sensation. I tried blinking, but the uncomfortable feeling remained.

Is this some kind of side effect of using Hawk's Eye? It seemed like using the ability put a strain on my eyes.

But this level of penalty was manageable. Though, I wondered if it would be too much if I used it consecutively.

I retrieved the arrow and got back on the scooter. There was still some distance left to the target point. If there were more zombies on the way, it would be good to take them out for practice.

I caught four more zombies on the way to the target point.

They were ones standing on the road, but now that I had the hang of it, I could handle them without difficulty.

If I spotted them from afar, I'd focus with Hawk's Eye for an accurate headshot; if I encountered them up close, I'd just step back and shoot. I finished all four with one shot each.

I arrived at the commercial street. It was the place I had scouted beforehand by flying the drone. It was an area with a few villa buildings and small commercial buildings gathered together, and it was quieter than I thought.

A few zombies were standing in the street in the distance, but they weren't in my path, so there didn't seem to be a need to bother catching them.

I checked the convenience store first. But it was completely empty. The shelves were almost bare, and only empty bags and broken bottles were scattered on the floor.

It looked like someone had already looted it. Or maybe people had swarmed in early on and cleaned it out.

Next, I searched a nearby restaurant.

The door was locked, but a side window was broken, so I went in through there.

A corpse sprawled on the floor. No, is it a dead zombie?

I passed through the hall and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠went into the kitchen area.

"Grrrrr..."

A middle-aged woman was standing there, making strange noises. Usually, they go out to where the sun shines, so why is she standing inside...

I raised my bow and aimed at her head, and as soon as she looked at me with a crazed expression, I released the string. It pierced her forehead accurately, and brain matter flowed out.

The inside was messy, but there were some usable things left in the kitchen area.

Rice, flour, a few cans, various seasonings, and cooking oil. Maybe because it was a restaurant, there were quite a few ingredients. This should last me quite a while.

I packed as much as I could into my backpack. With the canned goods, oil, and seasonings, the backpack filled up quickly. It was a shame that the amount I could carry at once was less than I thought.

I put on my backpack and left the restaurant. As I turned the corner of the alley to head back the way I came, I froze.

There were zombies. Five of them. They were huddled inside the alley, and they happened to be looking in the direction I appeared from. I made eye contact with one of them.

"Kuaaaagh!"

A screech erupted. As one of them screamed, the other four reacted simultaneously. Five pairs of crazed eyes turned toward me, and all five started rushing at me at once.

"Fuck."

The curse came out automatically. Roughly 15 meters away. Considering the speed of the zombies, it was a distance they would cover in a few seconds.