Regrouping and Bounty Hunt

[Ration Coupon Reward Opened! Whiff!]

[Acquired 1 Apocalypse Point (AP)!]

[Ration Coupon Reward Opened! Whiff!]

[Acquired 1 Apocalypse Point (AP)!]

[Ration Coupon Reward Opened! Whiff!]

[Acquired 1 Apocalypse Point (AP)!]

… ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠It was just whiff after whiff in a row. Come to think of it, this gacha had no pity timer? A chill ran down my spine without me realizing it. Thirty-eight chances, but something had to come out, right? I trusted in my luck.

In between, golden notifications popped up and vanished here and there. Finally, the rewards wrapped up. Arolong grinned at me. Her gaze felt pretty heavy, but whatever. I checked the rewards.

I just stared in shock. Sure, I was surprised by the rewards themselves, but more than that, by the odds. A hollow laugh escaped me.

'Whoa, insane. Spent nearly 40 coupons and got three jackpots?'

Compared to games, was I getting a sweet deal? Still, I'd trusted my luck, so three felt a bit lacking. It showed just how brutal the rates were. Hell, I was grateful for even this much.

I examined each reward one by one.

Myung Sa-eun shyly smiled ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and shook her body a little. Her big tits jiggled softly. Jiggle jiggle♡

In the middle of it, Je Eunha puffed out her cheeks. Her eyes were full of dissatisfaction. Probably about to complain about something again. The girl might've gotten more than me, for all I knew.

"Unnie, what about me?"

"You're second place. You even killed more mutants than me. Hell, I wanna bow to you."

"Whoa, you're gonna hurt my feelings like this? Hmph, whatever, blood boy."

Her words said one thing, but ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her eyes laughed like she was having fun. In a way, she was a scary woman. Felt less like a junior and more like… something else. As I pondered what to do,

'Huh, what's this?'

The quest reward finally dropped. I checked it carefully.

It was a pure search item. My heart raced. It was exactly what I needed most right now. Wow, as expected, the constellations handle the big stuff. This livened up the somewhat sunken mood a bit. I licked my lips.

'This is a real jackpot. I can find wanted bounties with this!'

On the other hand, the ration coupon rewards were pretty meh. I didn't know what games were coming next, but I had a rough idea of the next one's shape.

'Jungkye-dong is already in ruins. Zombies outnumber humans overwhelmingly. The few humans left are busy killing each other.'

So, the next game was likely to force a final culling. Meaning we'd have to defend the house. But I was the expedition type. So, it made sense to give it to Eunha. Have her guard the house while keeping her always in my sight.

"Eunha, take this."

I handed her the necklace. Eunha's eyes went wide.

"Huh, what's that?"

"Came from a reward."

"Whoa! This is awesome! You sure you're giving it to me?"

"Yeah, kid."

"Heehee, thanks a ton~!"

Eunha took the necklace, her eyes sparkling like stars. She seemed genuinely thrilled. Who knew if it was real or not. From now on, using her as a house guard would solve everything. She wouldn't want to lose her base either, in this day and age. A place with hot showers and home-cooked meals? Not many left. Public buildings might have solar panels for power, but regular homes like this? Rare.

'Anyway, with Blessing, Wyvern Radar, this is plenty!'

I stood up. Asked Arolong. Had to know.

"Arolong, when's the next game?"

"Who knows~?"

"Right, right. So, what's your favorite thing?"

"Huh, outta nowhere?"

"Gonna see you often, so I'm curious."

Of course, I was genuinely curious. But also, I wanted to approach her human-to-human. See if she'd waver. Arolong smirked. Cockily crossed her arms and answered.

"As expected of number one, even your questions are different."

"Say that's true."

"Nothing really."

"Got it? I'll ask again after the next game. Answer properly then."

"Pardon?"

"Everyone's got desires."

Especially in this apocalypse. I gave her an answer loaded with meaning. Arolong tilted her head, then her eyes lit up like she'd caught on. She nodded slowly.

"Well, that's my cue then? Hope you all survive awesomely!"

"Bye~!"

Arolong vanished amid Sa-eun's farewell. I stretched. True peace now. I clapped once and grinned.

"Alright, let's rest, everyone. Good work!"

"Yeah! Let's crush the next game too!"

"Haaah, I'm going for a walk~."

Everyone went their separate ways. I headed to my room. Sat next to Chaerin, whose complexion looked pretty good now. She beamed innocently and snuggled right up.

"Maaaster, hoo, woo, auu♡"

"You good? Anywhere hurt?"

Chaerin shook her head. So lovable. "Thanks for always staying by my side."

"Au, woongwoo♡"

"Hoping the day comes when we fight together."

"Ugh, au!"

I stroked her hair. Her eyes slowly drooped like a bunny's, nuzzling into my touch. Chaerin lay down gently. Fell asleep just like that. Adorable.

"Cute as hell."

I petted her bunny-like cheek and stood. Got ready to head out. Put on my new orange tracksuit and took a breath. One thing left to do. Left the room and stepped outside. Headed to Account Live. Checked my old post.

'Nothing much. No real info posts.'

Hoped crowd wisdom would sniff out the wanted guy. Nope. Well, miracle if it did. I pulled out the Wyvern Radar. Pressed the button. A blue holographic text appeared before my eyes.

I thought for a sec, then nodded. Asks for info—easy.

'Wanted bounty, Jungkye-dong, rapist, Choi Jin-woo.'

Let's try that. Wonder if it'll work? Soon the Wyvern Radar glowed green. Something popped on the screen. My position first, then waves rippling out in a circular search. Expanded for a while, then… a red dot pinged exactly southeast.

'There you are? On my way!'

I bolted toward the wanted guy's spot. Kicking off the ground felt soft and light. Eyes forward. Racing like mad, I hit Bulam Mountain Jugong Apartments. Licked my lips. Heart pounding.

'Hiding in this dump? No hard feelings, but die anyway.'

Hoping it was the right guy, I advanced. Radar showed the red dot closing in. My lips curled up on their own. Hit the 7th floor, about to go up another—dot moved away.

'Hm? On the 7th?'

I strolled the 7th-floor hallway. No zombies around. Plenty of bloodstains and bodies, though. Red dot neared. Walked the hall, and finally—found the place Choi Jin-woo was holed up in. Here.

'Open it up?'

Door was shut tight. Hesitated to smash it. But a question hit me.

'Can you even force it open? Stats are higher now, but.'

If so, nothing inside was safe. Some powered-up human rips the door and invades—done. Akasha probably had countermeasures. Tested with a punch at the dial, just in case.

Thwack! Bounced off pathetically. Yeah, something there.

'Did something, but no clue what. System thing?'

Zombie hit might differ, maybe. Right then, from beyond the door—

"It's open, come in."

"Hm?"

"It's open, come in, come in."

Click, beep. The door cracked open for real. My brain nearly froze. What the? Listened closely, wary. A mid-low male voice repeated.

"It's open, come in. It's open, come… in."

Like a recording on loop, steady tone. I eased the door open. A shadow loomed ahead. Hard to see at first. Air felt dank and musty. Senses sharpened.

"It's open, come in. It's open, come in."

Like darkness shrouded in fog. Then contours emerged. Eyes adjusted to the gloom, and I saw it. A zombie spurting blood from its neck, mouth flapping.

"Come ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in, it's open, come in, it's open."

"What the fuck."

Thick purple veins bulging, overtaking its whole neck. Checked the status window.

Choi Jin-woo (43)

Status: Zombie

'What? A zombie that talks?'

That instant, Choi Jin-woo lunged. I shoved his thigh with a knee strike. He wobbled but charged again. This fucker, his specs?

'Stats lower than mine, but what?'

I slipped back. Zombie Choi tried to launch. A faint silver light from Blessing wrapped my body. I raised my leg high and slammed down at his charging head.

'Axe kick!'

Crack!

Choi Jin-woo's head shattered, cracks splitting his upper body too. Downed. Questions swirled. What was this?

"Decent points, though. A mutant?"

Too weak for mutant. Too strong for normal zombie, and it talked. Never seen regular zombies or mutants talk before.

'Some kind of evolution coming?'

For now, I snapped pics of the corpse. Uploaded to Account Live.

Comments later. This situation was actually good. Was getting boring. Checked the house just in case.

"Holy shit, 10k points? Wait, hotdeal exclusive?!"

What did hotdeal exclusive mean? I stared up at the golden notification with its reddish tint, exhaling in disbelief.