Sejong
Kang Dohun carried his unconscious older brother out of the Hwacheon Shrine dungeon.
'No enemies nearby?'
He sprinted toward a villa building near the entrance. Once inside, he found a zombie lurking within — dispatched it with a casual kick — and climbed the stairs.
On the fourth floor, he found an empty apartment with its door left open.
Dohun stepped inside and shut the door behind him. After confirming no one else — human or zombie — was inside, he lowered his brother to the living room floor with a soft thud.
"Haaah……"
He let out a long, ragged sigh of relief.
Once his breathing steadied, Dohun pulled a healing potion from his inventory.
"Drink this first."
You have consumed a healing potion.
Infection rate drops to 0%.
Zombie virus eliminated from body.
The confirmation message eased Dohun's mind somewhat.
"Ugh… it hurts."
But the external wounds remained. He pulled bandages from his bag and began wrapping his brother's hands and legs.
Once the treatment was done and he'd eaten a water bottle and an energy bar, Dohun finally had some breathing room. He looked down at his brother, still lying on the living room floor, dead to the world.
'Why did he exhaust his stamina to the point of collapse?'
Driven by that question, he pulled out the sword his brother had dropped — the one now sitting in his inventory.
Grade: Beyond
Description: A sword imbued with the spirit of Admiral Yi Sun-sin. It possesses immeasurably high attack power, but is difficult for a human to wield. Each swing drains tremendous stamina and slightly shortens the user's lifespan.
"……"
An extraordinary blade. The stamina-draining description explained why his brother had collapsed. But the part about shortening lifespan made Dohun's expression sour.
Kang Dohyun woke the next morning.
"Hyung? You awake?"
"Huh… where am I?"
"A villa near Hwacheon Shrine."
At his younger brother's words, Dohyun recalled clearing the dungeon.
"Right. Yesterday I wiped out all those zombie dogs."
He smiled and sat up, relaxed.
It was just past eleven when Dohyun woke. The two brothers ate a late breakfast together and talked.
"Hey, how's your injury from yesterday?"
Dohyun had seen his brother get bitten by a zombie, so he asked.
"Nothing serious. I took a healing potion yesterday, wrapped it up, slept, and most of it had already healed by morning."
Having been chosen by the God of Athletics, his physical abilities had surged — and his recovery speed had climbed right along with them. Dohyun's wounds had healed at an astonishing rate.
"But, hyung… that sword from yesterday."
At the mention of the blade, Dohyun hastily opened his inventory.
"Where's the Chungmu Soul Sword?"
"Right here."
His brother pulled the sword from his own inventory and handed it over. Dohyun took it with a pleased expression.
"But it says using it shortens your lifespan. We shouldn't use that sword."
Dohyun nodded slightly, as if he understood.
"I know what you're worried about. But when it's truly necessary, we'll have to use it. Better than dying in a dangerous situation, right?"
At those words, Dohun slumped his head dejectedly.
"Let's get stronger. Strong enough that we never need to use that weapon."
"Right."
And so the brothers resolved to grow stronger together.
Dohun wanted to change the subject, so he brought up something else.
"But we finished things way too fast."
"Tell me about it… way too fast."
They'd left the island and completed their goal — acquiring the sword — in just three days.
"It'd be a waste to turn around now that we've come this far. Want to go to Sejong?"
"Sejong? Sejong City?"
"Yeah. It's a treasure trove."
The word "treasure trove" immediately sparked Dohun's interest.
"Are there items like the sword we just got there?"
"Nothing at that level. But there'll be plenty of good stuff."
"Then let's rest today and head to Sejong tomorrow."
And so the brothers decided on Sejong as their next destination.
After breakfast, Dohun started working out.
"Hey, you said you were resting? Don't your arms and legs hurt?"
"They hurt a little, but I can still train."
Dohyun admired his brother, who was doing bodyweight exercises while answering.
"Tough guy."
"I'm just taking it easy. You're the one who trains harder."
Dohyun acknowledged that with a nod.
"I'm going to take a quick look around Asan."
"You're moving around right away? Are you sure that's okay?"
His brother's worried tone made him smile.
"I slept like a log yesterday. I need to stretch my legs."
Seeing his brother's vibrant state, Dohun relaxed and said,
"Don't overdo it. You'll wear yourself out."
"Yeah, I'll just play around a bit and come back."
With that, Dohyun grabbed an axe and went outside. He wandered through Asan, slaughtering zombies, killing lawless survivors, and raping pretty women as he pleased.
The next day.
At nine in the morning, Dohyun returned to the villa where his brother was waiting.
"Let's go."
"Alright."
The two climbed to the villa's rooftop, summoned a drone, and took off toward Sejong City.
Sejong was a special city.
When the apocalypse began, ten percent of humanity turned into zombies. Even though the System told people they'd become zombies, no one could immediately accept that reality.
So when family, friends, lovers, and coworkers turned, people couldn't bring themselves to kill them right away — they tried to protect them instead.
As a result, the number of people infected with the zombie virus grew exponentially. Seoul — the capital of South Korea, with its dense population — fell to the zombies.
The South Korean government's response was far too slow.
They couldn't immediately cull zombies due to human rights concerns. The military needed time to recover. And when the apocalypse hit, countless machines broke down, collapsing the communication network.
On top of that, major facilities and some mechanized divisions turning into dungeons caused multiple functions to paralyze almost instantly — another serious factor.
With all these problems compounding, the president and other politicians and government officials finally abandoned Seoul after a month and fled to Sejong.
So now, Sejong City was the temporary capital of South Korea.
When Dohyun and Dohun arrived near Sejong City —
"Let's walk in."
"Why?"
"I'm curious how they control entry and exit."
His brother accepted his reasoning without question. The two dismounted from the drone and walked toward Sejong.
"Hyung, it's really clean around here, isn't it?"
"Yeah, definitely clean."
The government had poured all its resources into cleaning Sejong City and its surrounding areas, expanding its influence. Five months in, most zombies in and around Sejong had already been cleared out.
As the brothers approached Sejong on foot, they saw a long line of people. Beside it, a sign read:
Sejong City Entry — Waiting Line
"We'll have to get in line here."
"Right."
The two joined the back of the queue and began waiting.
As the brothers stood in line with the others, soldiers patrolled and called out:
"We'll be conducting inspections. Any restricted items found in your luggage will be confiscated."
They were speaking indirectly — anything special, anything the government needed, would be seized.
"We'll measure your body temperature. If it exceeds 39 degrees, you'll be sent directly to the isolation facility."
Fever was the most representative symptom of zombie virus infection. But since people could also run a temperature from other health issues, anyone flagged would first be transferred to the isolation facility for further examination.
"Cooperate with our control measures. Non-compliance means you will not be allowed entry."
In other words: obey their rules, or you don't get in.
"You must also pay a passage tax. The tax will be set by the administrator on duty."
Based on the amount of food you carried, the administrator would also demand a toll.
After hearing the soldiers' explanation, some people with complaints left the line. But most already knew the rules and continued waiting.
The brothers exchanged a glance.
"We put everything important in the inventory, right?"
"Yeah."
All items that might trigger a checkpoint alarm were already stowed in their inventories. Nothing to worry about.
After about two hours of waiting, it was the brothers' turn.
As they entered the checkpoint —
"Temperature check."
A nurse measured both of their temperatures first. When the readings came back normal —
"Bag inspection! Put your bags down!"
A soldier armed with a rifle and sword stepped forward, ordering them in a forceful tone.
'The military's status has definitely risen.'
Dohyun read the situation from the tone alone. The brothers set down their bags, and soldiers began examining the contents.
Their important weapons, ninety-nine combat rations, and large quantities of water were all in their inventories — but the bags still held plenty of food and supplies.
"These people are rich, huh?"
"Why do they have such a wide variety of food?"
The soldiers marveled as they inspected the bags. The administrator checked the brothers' weapons and said:
"No major issues, but pay five cans of canned food as a passage tax. Or five Zombie Coins."
Five cans of canned food, or five Zombie Coins — a lot for a passage tax, but —
'Just give it to them.'
Dohyun handed over five cans of tuna without hesitation.
"Pass!"
The administrator called out the clearance with satisfaction. Dohyun and Dohun picked up their bags, slung them over their shoulders, and walked through the checkpoint.
As they entered Sejong City, Dohun looked at his brother and said,
"That passage tax seems excessive, doesn't it?"
"It is excessive."
But Dohyun could accept it.
"Honestly, food isn't really a big deal for us. And besides…"
The next words were the key.
"We're planning to steal much better things from here. This is nothing compared to that."
Dohyun intended to steal extremely valuable items from Sejong City.