New People
Peace University stood on the mainland closest to the uninhabited island.
Kang Dohyun and Kang Dohun — the two brothers had come looking for Peace University. But when they got there —
"There's no one left. Around here, anyway."
Whether the students who'd once held out against zombie attacks had fled or turned into zombies themselves, the university no longer had any living people on it.
Instead —
"Looks like there are plenty of zombies, though?"
"Yeah. About 400? Maybe 500."
Dohyun's detection sense put the total zombie count at Peace University at around 500. At those numbers —
"Sounds like a good place to test your skills, doesn't it?"
"Yeah. Let's give it a shot."
At his brother's words, Dohun clenched his fist, brimming with confidence.
Dohun prepared for battle, but his weapon was a little different from before. He was no longer using an axe — instead, he wore knuckle dusters on his fists.
"This is your first time using them in real combat. Be careful."
"I know. I'll be careful."
The chance of an ordinary zombie biting him was extremely low, and even if one did, it wouldn't be able to pierce the leather armor he was wearing. Still, zombies were the kind of enemy you never let yourself get careless around.
Dohun entered the university alone. And —
"Grrrk!"
One zombie came at him first, trying to bite, but —
Thud!
Dohun's fist slammed into its forehead, shattering its skull. And along with the impact, a shockwave burst outward.
That thing I got from the Random Trait Ticket is pretty damn good too.
The trait Dohun had gotten from the Random Trait Ticket he'd bought from the shop was Shockwave — a trait that generated a shockwave with every attack, dealing additional area-of-effect damage to nearby enemies.
Because of that trait, punching fast with my fists is more efficient than using a weapon now.
Just as Dohyun had predicted, Dohun moved into an area where zombies were clustered together. And —
Thud! Thud! CRACK!
Every time he threw a punch, multiple zombies fell. With his area-of-effect attacks from the shockwave, ordinary zombies were nothing more than experience points to Dohun now.
As Dohyun watched his brother fight, his presence detection sensed zombies elsewhere.
I should test mine out too.
If Dohun's fighting style had changed, then Dohyun's case was different — he'd become more specialized in ranged attacks.
His eyes spotted a zombie approaching the university from far away. He pulled out his crossbow.
Haah.
He focused his strength, and as a small amount of stamina was consumed, a bolt made of energy was loaded into the crossbow. He took aim and fired.
Thwunk — THUD!
"Krrrk."
The bolt lodged itself in the zombie's head, and the creature collapsed.
When Dohyun had used his Random Trait Ticket, the trait he'd gotten was Sniper — a trait that allowed him to attack from extremely long distances.
Ah! It keeps giving me ranged stuff.
He'd grumbled about it at first, but the truth was, ranged attacks were incredibly valuable in the apocalypse. With the right equipment, you could hunt zombies safely, it was great for hunting mutant undead, and it was an extremely powerful tool when fighting lawless bandits.
Dohyun knew all this. But —
I just don't want to fall behind my little brother.
He was grumbling simply because he didn't want to lose to his younger brother.
But this grumbling didn't last long.
I should invest more in ranged combat.
When the two of them moved around and fought together, having stronger ranged attacks was far better. So the skill he'd chosen with the Skill Selection Ticket he'd gotten from the lottery was Infinite Fire.
When using ranged weapons like the crossbow or shotgun pistol, the problem was that ammunition — bolts and bullets — was finite. But with the Infinite Fire skill, he could consume stamina to create energy bolts and energy bullets, just like he was doing now.
And just like that, Dohyun became capable of ranged attacks without needing bolts or bullets.
It took only five hours to clear Peace University. The two of them cleaned up the university quickly.
The brothers had a light lunch of hardtack, chatting as they ate.
"Hyung, when are you moving out again?"
"First, I'll clean up the surrounding area. Then I'll add a few more people to the island."
"Add people to the island?"
"Yeah. No matter how I look at it, Dongwoo seems too lonely."
Lee Dongwoo had been living alone on the island for nearly three months. During that time, he'd felt a lot of loneliness.
"I was thinking of leaving Harin on the island, but leaving just the two of them might be dangerous."
So Dohyun was thinking of bringing a few women from outside. For Dongwoo.
"Sounds good."
As they talked, they finished their hardtack.
"Let's clean up the surrounding area in the afternoon. Before we leave, let's clear out the area."
"Okay. Let's wipe out the zombies around here."
And so the two of them began clearing the vicinity.
Dohyun and Dohun hunted all day long, and as the sun was setting, they returned to the uninhabited island on the drone.
When Dohyun came back, Kim Harin greeted him warmly.
"You're back."
"Harin, how's the work going?"
"Yes. I'm figuring it out."
She was busy with her own task — making dried fish fillets from the fish Dongwoo had caught. She'd started preparing buff food for when the brothers went back to the mainland.
Dried fish fillets were high in calories for their small volume and had a long shelf life, making them perfect as portable buff food.
"Is there a problem with the dryer?"
"The power supply is weak, so it's hard to run it for long periods. But I'll figure something out."
Having made up her mind to truly support him, she was working hard to make dried fish fillets for the brothers.
After telling Harin to keep up the good work, Dohyun went to the fishing spot.
"Hyung, you're here."
"How's business?"
"Oh! It's selling like crazy."
The demand for fresh products was substantial. Especially the fish — most of it had already sold.
"I'm uploading the fish as soon as I catch them."
"How many coins have you saved up?"
"868?"
"Good. Keep selling like that."
Dongwoo was steadily accumulating zombie coins.
When the sun had fully set, Kim Harin prepared dinner, and Dohyun helped her.
Tonight's menu was raw fish and spicy fish stew. While Dohyun sliced the sashimi, Harin made the stew beside him.
"Hehe."
She kept smiling while they cooked. When Dohyun asked why —
"I've always wanted to cook together with my boyfriend."
She said she was happy because a small item on her bucket list had come true.
"If there's anything you want, tell me. If I can do it, I will."
"Even just saying that means a lot."
The beginning had been horrible, but as time passed, as she came to understand him more, as she slept beside him more nights, Kim Harin was gradually falling for Dohyun.
When it was time for dinner, Dohun and Lee Dongwoo arrived at the living room.
"Alright, let's eat."
The raw fish and spicy stew made by the two couples drew admiration from Dohun and Dongwoo.
"Raw fish! And spicy stew on top of that!"
"Hyung, there's no way we can't drink soju with this."
When the two of them expressed their desire for soju, Dohyun said —
"Fine. We won't be able to drink for a while once we leave anyway. Let's have some."
With his permission, the drinking session began once again.
As they drank, Dohyun naturally brought up the next schedule.
"Dongwoo, once we clean up the surrounding area, we'll be heading out again."
The cleanup of the surrounding area — the probability was low, but to prevent any lawless bandits from attacking the island, they planned to thoroughly clear out any bandit groups in the vicinity. Any zombies they encountered were just a bonus.
"Hyung, can't I come with you?"
"I told you before. No."
At his firm refusal, Lee Dongwoo let out a sigh.
Seeing him look a bit dejected —
"Lonely?"
"Yeah."
To Dongwoo, who wore a lonely expression, Dohyun proposed something he'd been thinking about.
"Then how about I bring a few new women to the island?"
"Huh?"
Dongwoo was startled by the unexpected suggestion. Dohyun spoke as if it were nothing.
"I told you the outside is a hell, right? If I offer them a deal — come live on this island, help with your work, and they'll eat and live safely — there'll be plenty of women who'd jump at the chance."
"Really? Then I'm all for it!"
Dongwoo's expression brightened.
After dinner, Dohun came to his brother's room.
"Hyung. But, is it really okay?"
His younger brother was worried about the sudden plan to bring women onto the island.
"Don't worry. I'll handle it."
"Yeah? You're sure it's fine?"
"Hey. Harin's going to stay on the island too. Both Dongwoo and Harin are important people to me. There's no way I'd take a risk by bringing in new people."
At Dohyun's words, his brother nodded in understanding.
When Dohun left after their conversation, only Dohyun and Kim Harin remained in the room.
"Um..."
Harin hesitated, then asked.
"Are you... leaving me behind on this island when you go?"
"Of course. The outside world is dangerous. How could I take you with me?"
His words carried consideration... but also disappointment.
Seeing the wistful expression on Kim Harin's face, Dohyun said —
"What? You don't want to be apart?"
"Yes..."
At her shy answer, Dohyun pulled her toward the bed and said —
"Then how about you take good care of me while I'm still here?"
"Alright. I'll serve you well while you're here."
With that, she began to undress first, and Dohyun did the same. And that night, too, she served her man in bed.