Episode 1
Episode 1
Shelter.
An iron barricade built by survivors huddling together.
A group of people were gathered inside, surrounded by those armed with weapons.
I was included among them.
The man holding a megaphone at the very front of us called out names.
"Lee Soon-chu, Baek Sang-soon, Choi Han. Get out."
At that, the two people next to me bristled and pointed fingers at the man.
"What?!"
"What kind of tyranny is this!"
I, too, was watching with a frown.
Because my name was Choi Han.
Seeing our absurdity, he smiled meanly and continued.
"Leave like this, or die by our hands. Choose."
Just because there were two options didn't mean there was a choice.
"Keuk..."
"Damn it. If I'd known it would be like this, I would've joined the other side..."
The man looking down at us, who had given up, threw something.
It was a backpack.
"Here. I'm grateful for the work you've done in the shelter so far, so I'll put some food in it."
How very grateful I am, you son of a bitch.
Trying to act generous with this, huh.
We turned our backs without a word, wearing the backpacks.
Kki-i-i-ik.....
The iron gate opened.
The outside air rushed in. The smell of rot, dust, and something else.
A smell that was hard to name.
A smell that would be appropriate to call death.
As we stepped outside the shelter.
Kki-i-ik... Kung!
The door closed.
I had no intention of looking back.
It was a door that wouldn't open anyway.
We looked at each other.
"Now... what are you planning to do?"
"I'm.... planning to walk around and find a shelter for now. What about you?"
One man asked me.
Just by looking at him, it was a look asking to go together.
However.
"I plan to leave to find an acquaintance."
The reality was different.
These bastards are trash.
While I was pushed out of the shelter due to politics, those two were different.
They didn't do their work, were lazy, and were low-life bastards who even sexually harassed women.
So I made up an excuse.
"Then how about moving with us until then?"
He asked casually, but my answer had been decided from the start.
"I'm sorry."
"Heh... geez. How are you going to live alone in a world like this? Hey, let's go!"
"Ah, yes..."
Their true colors were revealed after a single apology.
The two men left with unpleasant faces, spitting.
I started walking aimlessly in the opposite direction of those guys.
"Fuck."
Curses came out automatically.
No matter how much I thought about it, it was unfair.
"You're abandoning me? Don't you dare survive."
The reason for my expulsion is fantastic even looking back at it.
To be expelled for the sole reason of not getting involved in their petty politics.
I know that politics are bound to happen wherever people gather.
However.
I just hated that, so I had been ignoring it.
"Being neutral is this sorrowful."
There were two factions inside the shelter.
The two fought, one won, and took over the organization.
The leader changed, and the system changed.
Along with the purge of the opposition, they kicked out the guys who were out of favor, even among the neutrals.
I was one of them.
"Sigh..."
Trudge, trudge.
I walked with a dirty face, wearing my backpack.
I didn't know how far.
I planned to walk until I found a place I could use as a hideout.
I stepped on broken glass under my feet.
There was a crunching sound.
I reflexively stopped and scanned my surroundings.
There was nothing.
I let out a breath.
"Geu-eo-eo-eo..."
At that moment.
A strange sound came from the side.
It was a zombie.
"Bastards."
I quickly dodged to the side.
Holding my breath, killing my movement, I barely moved my eyes to follow the creature's path.
The zombie sniffed around, then went on its way.
The reason modern society collapsed.
Of course, it's not because of the zombies, but because of other beings derived from those zombies.
Well, fundamentally speaking, zombies are indeed the cause.
"Hoo...."
Only after confirming the zombie had disappeared from my sight did I let out a breath.
"Let's go."
After walking a bit, a road appeared.
If I follow this road, a city will appear.
"The city is high-risk, high-return, but..."
As much as there were many people in the city, there are just as many zombies.
The mutant zombies would be the same.
Unless I become an Awakened.
I've never seen one in person, but I heard they are basically superhumans who transcend humanity.
I only heard that there are a few in shelters managed directly by the state or in large survivor groups, and rumor has it they really do things impossible with human strength.
"Let's go for now."
High risk, but high return.
In my current situation where I have nothing, it was the most realistic choice.
I started walking along the road.
About a few hours later.
"Is that it?"
I followed the signs and entered.
Daejeon Metropolitan City.
The atmosphere from the entrance wasn't good.
Corpses were hanging by their necks from every streetlight pole.
The ropes creaked every time the wind blew.
I don't know when they were hung, but the flesh was quite rotten.
"I'll definitely have to be more careful."
The fact that there are corpses like that means radical survivors are controlling this area.
I must not be seen.
Absolutely.
I'm good at hiding.
Couldn't I just pick and choose the blind spots to pass through?
I stepped into the city.
Most of the buildings were on the verge of collapse.
The outer walls were severely rusted and cracked, and the sky was cloudy and ash-colored.
The air was murky, and abandoned junk cars were lined up on the road.
Traces of black burns here and there.
Whether it was an old fire mark, the smell of soot still remained faintly.
It was eerie.
Fortunately, there weren't many zombies in sight, as if they had moved somewhere in a group.
The ones that remained were at a level I could easily avoid.
In the meantime.
What's that?
It was a TU convenience store.
"Let's go."
It would have been looted already anyway, but I headed there with the intention of salvaging even the leftover scraps.
The glass windows were covered in dust and bloodstains, so I couldn't see the situation inside at all.
Slightly...
I opened the door just a little.
Because almost all convenience store doors had bells attached.
I looked up through the gap. There was a bell, but it was rusted and old, so it didn't seem like it would function properly.
"Lucky me."
I opened the door and stepped inside.
The shelves were empty.
It was expected.
Someone who passed by already swept it all up.
I turned on my flashlight as low as possible and moved inside.
The light couldn't leak outside.
Oh, what's that?
It was a snack bag.
One that hadn't been opened yet.
That crinkles.
The moment you touch the packaging, it makes a sound.
In this silence, one crinkle was enough.
Pass.
I moved to the canned goods corner.
Oho.
A few small cans of tuna were left in the corner.
The size was disappointing, but it was much better than nothing.
I put them in my bag one by one.
Should I check the storage room too?
I found the storage room door.
I tried turning the doorknob slightly, but it didn't budge.
It was locked with a key.
Even better.
Being locked means there's a high possibility it hasn't been looted yet.
Where is the key?
I scanned the surroundings slowly and silently.
I moved while keeping my footsteps as quiet as possible.
Fortunately, no other zombies were visible.
That corpse...
A corpse wearing a convenience store part-timer vest was lying in the corner.
Whether it was old, it was already almost dried up.
I approached cautiously.
However.
"Geu-eo-eo-eo!"
"Fuck!"
It was alive.
No, to be precise, it was in a hibernation state.
A system like hibernation that zombies enter when they can't find food.
There was no time to think.
Puck! Puck!
I smashed its head with all my might.
The zombie's weakness was its head.
Once, twice, three times.
Kwajik!
I finished it with a final kick.
Rotten blood and brains spread on the floor.
"I'm fucked."
The sound was too loud.
Dudududu......
The sound of something running.
It wasn't just one or two.
"Quickly, quickly."
I searched the dead guy's clothes.
Pants pocket.
Nothing.
Upper body pocket.
Convenience store part-timer vest.
Jjallang!
"Found it!"
I ran quickly.
I reached the storage room door.
I inserted the key.
Cheolkeok... cheolkeok....
Maybe it was rusted, but the key wouldn't go in well.
My hands were shaking.
"Kiaaaaak!"
"Keuaak!"
The sound came right up to my nose.
It seemed like there was even a mutant zombie.
The cry was different.
Chaenggeurang!
The glass shattered.
Outside light poured into the convenience store.
Cheolkeok!
The storage door opened.
I threw my body into the storage room.
A mutant zombie flew into the spot where I had been and slammed its body into it.
The wall shook.
Kudangtangtang!
Kki-i-ik...
I closed the iron door.
I looked outside through the gap in the door.
Dozens of zombies were pouring in through the broken glass door.
Kung!
As soon as the iron door closed, I locked it.
As soon as I did.
Dudududu!
The sound of zombies' hands pounding on the iron door filled the storage room.
"Fu...fuck"
It was a situation that made curses come out automatically.
First.
I immediately got up and checked the inside of the storage room.
Because if there was a zombie here too, it would be a big problem.
"Phew...."
I checked, but there was no one.
But the narrow storage space is suffocating.
Damn it....
Because it's full of zombies outside, going out for the time being is absolutely forbidden.
It means I have to eat and shit here.
But am I lucky?
"Whoa..."
The convenience store storage was full of all kinds of food.
Drinks were packed full in square boxes, and the same went for canned goods.
It seemed the reason it was narrow was because there was a lot of stock in the storage.
"Haa....."
A sigh came out automatically.
I feel a sense of stability.
But just then.
[Beginning Awakening.]
"Huh?"
Suddenly, a blue window appeared in front of my eyes.
This is... could it be a Status Window?
Something I only saw in comics or novels!
But for it to appear in front of my eyes!
I was an Awakened!?
At the same time as being happy.
The Status Window in front of my eyes updates.
【Name】 : Choi Han Lv.1
【Stats】 : F
【Unique Ability】 : Trading Gallery Lv.1
"Huk! What is this!"
Name? Level? Stats?
These weren't important.
It was the unique ability!
"What is Trading Gallery"
I could only stare blankly at the mysterious ability.
However.
"I should try using it right away"
It's certain that it's not an active type ability.
The important thing is that it's a growth-type ability, and looking at it, there's a level attached to the back, so it seemed certain that it was a growth-type skill.
"Trading Gallery"
I used the ability.
Then.
-Please select the dimension to connect to.
Fantasy
Locked
"....What"
A dimension?
What kind of nonsense is this?
However.
"Let's just select it for now"
There was only one thing I had to choose anyway.
"Fantasy"
-You have selected the Fantasy dimension.
-Please select a region.
The continent of warriors.
The land of those who prove themselves with steel and blood.
The federation of mages.
A region where magic power and knowledge are power.
The city-state of alchemists.
A place where equivalent exchange and experiments are daily life.
The domain of necromancers.
The land of those who contract with death.
"Uh...."
My eyes widened as soon as I saw it.
Does this mean I trade with these regions?!
That's why it's the Trading Gallery.
"Oho...."
I have to make a selection first.
But this is obvious.
It's too certain what I should choose.
"Number 4. Necra"
Zombies are basic undead that appear in necromancy.
There were so many such undead here, like stones you kick with your feet.
It would be strange not to do it.
-You have selected Necra.
-Opening the gallery.
As soon as that happened.
The gallery window turned on.
It looked like a somewhat familiar site.
At the same time.
[Marching Necromancer] : Oho, what is this? A gallery? How fascinating.
└[Necro-aspirant] : The post smells like an old man. It smells stale.
└[Corpse Researcher] : You bastards, is this the first post? Reflect on yourselves.
└[No. 20] : The names are weird. Stupid. I'll laugh.
"What is this"