016
016
I hadn't even killed a zombie, yet my Slingshot skill leveled up.
It seemed that just using the Slingshot skill to fight was enough to accumulate experience points.
'Is this a Landlord privilege?'
Since I couldn't see an experience bar, I couldn't tell when experience points were being accumulated.
'Still, it worked out well.'
I was in a life-or-death struggle with the Spider.
Of course, I was in the Safe Zone, and the Spider couldn't enter the Safe Zone.
It was a life-or-death struggle that wagered the Spider's fate.
The level increase of the Slingshot skill was felt immediately.
The rubber band was pulled back much more easily.
It felt like my muscular strength had increased.
That wasn't all.
I could see the opponent's movements.
Which direction they were moving.
Where I needed to shoot to hit them.
Predictive shots became possible.
I fired a steel ball at the Spider's feet.
I didn't fire it with the intention of hitting it.
The Spider moved instinctively.
It kicked off the ground and soared into the air.
'Gotcha.'
That was the intention.
The Spider moved just like a cat.
Startled by the suddenly flying steel ball, it soared into the air.
I aimed for this moment.
I took a steel ball out of my pocket and pulled back the rubber band.
It was a movement as natural as flowing water, enough to make me admire myself.
I aimed at the Spider.
The Spider widened its eyes.
That makes sense.
Because it wouldn't be easy to dodge a steel ball while floating in the air.
Ss-waaaaek!
The steel ball flew, cutting through the air.
The Spider twisted its body as much as possible in the air.
It bent its upper body at a bizarre angle.
Even so, it couldn't dodge the steel ball.
Puh-uck!
The steel ball struck the Spider's side hard.
The Spider, intercepted in mid-air, fell below the building.
Kang Mu-yeol, Nam Hyun-sik, and I ran to the railing.
"It's over there."
Kang Mu-yeol pointed to a corner below the building.
I saw the Spider with a broken arm.
Even after being hit by the steel ball and falling below the building, it had only lost one arm and was moving just fine.
The Spider looked up at us.
I don't know if this expression suits a zombie, but the look in its eyes as it stared at us seemed somehow burning with rage.
Is it planning revenge?
If it wanted revenge, I was willing to accept it.
Of course, I had no intention of stepping even one step out of this Villa.
Because true revenge can only be achieved when accompanied by hardship and trials.
The Spider turned its head.
It pressed its upper body tightly to the ground again, then crawled along the floor and disappeared into the alleyway of another building.
"It ran away."
Kang Mu-yeol kindly explained.
I'm pretty sure we saw it together.
"I see. Thanks for letting me know."
"Don't mention it."
I can't mistreat the only combatant in our Villa.
"It's a shame."
"What is...?"
"It's a real shame we couldn't catch the Spider right here. Since it went back alive, it might attack other tenants... no, survivors. It might even interfere if one of our tenants goes outside."
"What are you worried about? I will go out. I can stop a four-legged beast like that."
I shook my head.
"I'm not worried that Kang Mu-yeol-ssi won't be able to catch the Spider."
"Then what is it?"
"The problem is that we are short-handed. As it stands, the only combatant in our Villa is Kang Mu-yeol-ssi. I can do it too, of course, but I have no intention of going outside the Villa."
"Then that means there is only one team we can operate. Besides, the more people there are, the harder it becomes to protect them."
Kang Mu-yeol's mission is protection.
However, since it wasn't his original profession to guard and protect, the efficiency was a bit low.
Kang Mu-yeol shines the brightest when he fights alone, though.
"For now, I'm relieved that no one has any reason to go far from the Villa. I should tell the other tenants not to stray too far from the Villa as well."
"Yes. Understood."
I missed the Spider again.
Thanks to the Safe Zone, I was able to launch attacks without taking any damage, but the Spider was also quite free in its movements.
Isn't it about time the Spider gave up on this Villa?
If it comes back, then there will only be retribution.
I misjudged the Spider.
I thought it wouldn't return since it had been embarrassed twice.
Because there would be survivors not just in this Villa, but in any neighborhood it went to.
I was convinced after seeing the survivors who had increased in number over the past few days.
It seemed like the number of survivors nearby was quite high.
They would lock their doors and start holding out whenever a zombie, not just the Spider, appeared.
They were already skin and bones, or they were just holding out on stockpiled food.
Considering the expiration dates, they wouldn't be able to eat those food supplies for long.
Those who couldn't hold out would come out of their houses.
It would be easier for the Spider to target those people.
Because they wouldn't even have the strength left to resist.
'That is, if it has that kind of intelligence.'
It wasn't something to be happy about just because the arrow was pointed elsewhere.
The people coming out of their houses like that were potentially people who could become tenants of this Villa.
I couldn't let the Spider beat me to it, so I intended to instruct Kang Mu-yeol to track the Spider's whereabouts.
But there was no need for that anymore.
"Boss! Boss! It's a big problem!"
"Boss. Look outside."
A peaceful dinner time.
A massive Zombie Wave was approaching the Villa.
The Spider was at the head of the Zombie Wave procession.
"Damn. Get ready to fight."
Since it was just dinner time, all the tenants, including me, were gathered in my house.
The combat-capable personnel started preparing to fight, and the non-combatants decided to utilize their respective job skills.
Im Do-yeong, the Repairman, showed outstanding ability.
He wove dining chairs together to make a barricade.
Dining chairs weren't that strong, so they might be breached by the Zombie Wave, but they looked good for buying time.
Im Do-yeong threw the dining chair barricade onto the stairs coming up.
Ju Hye-kyung, the Nurse, prepared for treatment, and Im Ji-ah decided to help Ju Hye-kyung.
It wasn't that the Chef was useless, but rather that we had just finished our meal.
Nam I-seo, who was still a student, decided to wait and step in where needed at the right time.
I probably wouldn't call anyone.
Unless things got really desperate.
It's a bit much to ask a student for help.
Actually, I was half-doubting.
Currently, the entire 4th floor and the rooftop were a Safe Zone.
No matter how massive a Zombie Wave swarmed in, could it breach a Safe Zone designated by the System?
Bee-yong, bee-yong, bee-yong, bee-yong.
Wae-eng, wae-eng, wae-eng, wae-eng.
Car alarm sounds were heard one after another from outside.
Just like the name, it was literally a wave of zombies.
Things blocking the front were swallowed by the wave.
"Geu-eo-eo-eo...."
"Geu-reu-reu...."
Im Ji-ah couldn't bear to look out the window and screamed.
"Eek!"
"Kyaaaaaaaack!"
"Eh?"
Im Ji-ah, who had screamed, was also surprised.
It wasn't the scream she had let out.
It was a much sharper, high-pitched tone.
It was as if it would tear one's ears.
Im Ji-ah looked out the window to find the source of the sound.
"I think it's that guy? It was my turn to scream, but it stole it. What a nasty guy."
Among the group of zombies walking toward the Villa with dead, fishy eyes, a strange zombie could be seen.
It was a zombie wearing loud and flashy clothes.
It also had something dangling all over its neck and arms.
It looked like glow-in-the-dark bracelets.
Glance.
The special zombie, having spotted us through the window, screamed again.
"Kkiyaaaaaaaaack!"
Im Do-yeong and Nam Hyun-sik's family, who had been watching quietly, covered their ears.
The screaming zombie's lung capacity was incredible.
"Ugh... it's like a Siren. My ears hurt."
Im Ji-ah said.
I didn't let Im Ji-ah's words pass by lightly.
"Siren. Good. From now on, let's call that zombie a Siren."
I have to set everything to be easy to understand.
Anyway, other survivor groups would probably call it by a different name.
I became curious.
"Why is it screaming?"
Why does the Siren scream?
What benefit is there to screaming?
The performance of the scream was revealed immediately.
Zombies popped out from various places in other nearby buildings.
The number of the Zombie Wave increased even more.
'It doesn't seem like it'll be easy to block them all on the stairs....'
For starters, the number of zombies was enormous.
I examined the expression of the Spider, which was moving freely among the Zombie Wave.
The Spider looked at me with a triumphant face.
It was an expression like someone who got beaten up by a classmate and brought their older brother.
The Siren followed behind it.
Blocking from the front and reducing the numbers little by little wasn't a bad choice, but there was a limit to stamina.
It was a result of having limited combat personnel.
It was just Kang Mu-yeol, me, and Nam Hyun-sik.
Among them, Nam Hyun-sik and I weren't even combat classes.
In reality, Kang Mu-yeol's role was important.
He was the only combat class among the Villa residents.
Furthermore, his level was overwhelmingly 7.
The Zombie Wave entered the Villa entrance without bloodshed.
There was no one guarding it in the first place.
They slowly climbed the stairs.
Thud.
Thud-thud-thud-thud.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud.
They got caught on the first obstacle.
It was the Im Do-yeong-brand barricade made by weaving dining chairs together.
Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch!
There wasn't even time to praise him.
The broken barricade was stepped on and returned to its primal state.
"Ahem...."
Im Do-yeong pretended not to see.
Kang Mu-yeol blocked the stairs.
His broad back looked reliable.
Kang Mu-yeol didn't strike the zombies with his baseball bat, but pushed them.
The effect of just pushing was tremendous.
The zombies that lost their balance in the front and fell backward got tangled with the zombies trying to come up.
Ss-waaek!
I picked out the ones trying to get up from among the tangled zombies and fired steel balls at them.
Unlike the Spider, the heads of regular zombies burst in one shot.
Yeah, this is how it should be.
That Spider guy was too extreme.
Perhaps surprised by seeing the zombie with its head burst, the Siren screamed.
"Kkieeeeeeeek!"
I covered my ears.
Even Kang Mu-yeol staggered.
"What kind of lung capacity...."
The lung capacity was one thing, but the zombies' movements were more of a problem.
The zombies at the bottom started stepping on the tangled zombies and coming over.