Is the Apocalypse Difficult?
It's almost noon, but not everyone's a total write-off. Finally, I spot some humans crawling out of their holes.
"Huff... huff... huff..."
A guy inside the bakery, clutching a blood-smeared baseball bat, gasping for air. Three zombies around him with their heads turned to mush.
"Huff...?"
Then his eyes meet mine. He starts to say something, but I shoot first, no questions asked.
Bang.Bang.
Injury dealt.Evil Accumulation accumulated.
"Agh! You psycho...!"
At this range, it lacks punch—he lifts the bat right away. So I keep firing until he drops.
Bang—bang—bang...
"Agh... ack... aaagh—!"
Bang—bang.Click, click.
"Aaaaaagh—!"
He finally can't hold on, drops it, and collapses. Whatever. I reload and keep pumping rounds into him.
Click.Clack, clack.Bang.Bang.
Injury dealt.Evil Accumulation accumulated.
[...]
I blast away until no more messages pop, then approach the guy—now a proper corpse.
"Ughhh... why... why...?"
"Hey. You awakened, right?"
"Wha..."
I press down on the nail sticking out of him. Squish.
"Aaaagh—!"
"Repeat after me. Status. Window." Squish.
"Agh aaagh! Sta—status window status window status window!"
"Good. What's next to your name?"
"Wha... huff... what...?"
Squish.
"Agh. Survivor! It says Survivor..."
Figured as much. Porcupine's awakened. Means he'll die even more painfully.
"Hey."
I call out to Jeong Da-jeong, who's pretending not to look from behind.
"Yes, Master."
"EXP left till next level up?"
"125 left."
'Let's see, she's LV.1 now... killing her should net 50.'
I toss her the baseball bat and nod at the porcupine.
"Kill him."
"Me?"
Throb—
"Aaaah!"
She clutches her heart in agony. No more sighs from her these days. But I don't wanna see this bullshit again, so I explain.
"EXP efficiency sucks if I do it."
"Efficiency...?"
"Yeah. How much EXP from zombies at LV.0?"
"10... I think."
"Now at LV.1?"
"5? Ah!"
She's catching on quick. I check her status window—thank god, retard mode's almost over.
'Time to explain properly.'
"EXP halves every level—for zombies too." Squish, "Aaaagh!" "And this guy."
If memory serves, LV.0 awakened gives 100 EXP. Me at LV.4 gets just 6.25 from this porcupine, but her at LV.1 gets 50.
'45 after my cut, though.'
First Strike Deduction LV.0 [Job Passive Skill]
Provides 10% of EXP gained from targets to the Master.
Her skill means I get a measly 5 now, but it'll stack up as we level. I order again.
"Got it? Kill him."
"...Yes, Master."
She gets it logically, but her head's still soft—she hesitates on the murder.
"Ah, Master, what if we enslave him instead?"
"Wanna die in his place?"
"..."
No matter how obedient, she ain't dying. She slowly raises the bat.
"Pl-please... mercy..."
"...Sorry."
Thwack.
"Not dead yet."
"...Yes, Master."
Thwack... thwack... thwack...
The sounds of the bat smashing into porcupine's skull. By the time I grab flour from the kitchen, she's staring down at him, hands shaking.
"Ah... ah... ugh..."
I hug her soft-minded self and whisper.
"Fun, right?"
"Fu-fun...?"
"Heart pounding. Mind quivering."
"Ah...?"
"Not feeling it? Think what if that corpse was you instead."
Twitch. Clatter.
Her body shivers fine, bat drops. I place a hand on her chest.
Thump-thump.
"That's alive. But you made this porcupine stop feeling it forever."
Thump-thump.
"Get it? You killed him. Got stronger. No more fear of trash like this. You survived 'cause I chose you."
Her trembling hands slowly still—not my imagination.
"Don't worry. I'll keep making you feel it. Just remember the sensation."
Gulp.
I grab her head, lock eyes.
"Answer."
"...Yes, Master."
Dunno what thoughts or feelings she's soaking in, but her hazy eyes... I can't hold back, kiss her forehead.
Mwah.
Someday those eyes'll see the world my way. "Good girl."
Expectations are already high.
...
Retard mode's truly over—next survivors in the shops, she doesn't question anymore.
"Mercy..."
"Sorry."
Thud. Corpses rain down. Thud, thud, thud...
Face blank despite her words, she keeps smashing the ones I downed.
"Hey, I'll grab that runaway kid. Loot their bags too, don't forget."
"Yes, go safe, Master."
Blood trail from shop to the one-rooms. His crew awakened too, so high chance the runner is as well.
Round the corner—eyes meet. Window slams shut, too late.
Rattle.
"1st floor, 2nd, 3rd..."
Count the floor of the just-closed window, angle clear—I sprint.
Thud-thud.
One-room building looms. But I accelerate, step on 1st-floor sill, leap to grab 2nd-floor sill.
"One, two... three!"
Grip.
Pull up to 2nd-floor sill, momentum carries—jump again to snag 3rd-floor sill.
Grip.
"Nngh—"
Up on 3rd-floor sill: survivor shoving bed against door.
"Different from the earlier one?"
Flinch.
"Wh-what? How'd you get up there..."
"Agility 8 means I'm barely human anymore."
"Huh?"
"Whatever. You awakened?"
"What?"
These idiots never answer straight. Crash.Stab, squish.
"Guh... nghhh..."
Slap—slap.
"Hey! Hey! Wake up, dumbass! You'll die if you pass out! Show status window before you go!"
"Wor... ugh..."
Murder committed.Evil Accumulation accumulated.
Good—no EXP gain. I stab the bastard's corpse a few more times for almost screwing me over.
Stab-squish, stab-squish.
"Phew. What's all this?"
Wall lined with guns, shelves packed with knives and gun parts.
No twist like "retired killer hiding power..." Click, click.
"Fuck, just a mil-sim nerd."
Of course not. I chuck the BB gun on the floor.
Daggers and laser pointers are real though—pocket those. Then something catches my eye.
"Hm?"
Head-mounted night vision goggles. Fake probably, but try 'em on—holy shit.
Whirr.
"Oh. Perfect timing."
Dark bathroom glows green. Not quad-lens spec-ops gear, narrow FOV, but it'll do.
Grinning, I head down stairs—spot familiar footprints. The ones I was originally chasing.
"That's why he peeked out."
Blood trail leads to room right below mine. Back inside.
Crash.Stab-squish, stab-squish.
Injury dealt.Evil Accumulation accumulated.
No mistakes this time—stab legs only, drag him properly.
Drag. Drag.
"Agh! Aaaaagh! Mercy! Anyone, save...!"
Thud.
"..."
Too noisy midway, smack him quiet. Deliver alive to Da-jeong.
"This one's level up, right?"
Third one—zombie equivalent of 30 kills. Human farming's the best.
"Dump level-up stats into stamina, then check skill window again."
"...Yes."
She answers low, raises hand.
Thud, thud, thud...
Hammer stops—her status pops up.
'Skill leveled too?'
No extra slots sucks, but capacity's way up from start. Might finish faster than thought—but I wrap farming before she fills up. Some spots looted by survivors already.
"Phew. They cleaned out the food here too."
Scour last spot, head home—Da-jeong asks eagerly.
"Farming done now, right?"
"Pretty much."
"Then, Master... since we finished early, no all-nighter tonight?"
"Huh?"
She's deluded. I chuckle.
"What? Ancestors moving the loot?"
No moving company here. I might sleep, but she ain't tonight.
Beep, bleep.Hiss.
Streetlights flicker out. Look around—whole city's plunging into dark sequentially.
"Finally."
Power's gone, water next. Humans'll swarm out like never before...
"Hahahahaha!"
I laugh gleefully, toss her the night vision goggles. Rush to new hunting grounds, snag more prey.
"We're taking every last grain."
Open door—Bonghyeon-dong's near-total food stockpile crammed inside.
"A-all this?"
Da-jeong looks doubtful, but no worries. Squeeze hard enough, humans yield everything—even dried-up ones. Slaves especially.