Chapter 33
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Dawn of the Zombie Apocalypse
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[The quest will end in 3 weeks.]
It had lasted longer than expected.
I'd hoped to wrap up this schedule in time for Han Na to join, but it was going to be close.
She'd gone overseas for a shoot with a famous sports brand.
"Overseas..."
Once Han Na returned, my first-ever trip abroad with her didn't sound half bad.
Somewhere peaceful and relaxing, not this brutal world.
"Hoo."
A zombie apocalypse novel world.
That's how the quest defined it.
My first impression of this world? Lucky break.
I let out a wry chuckle and slowly scanned the unfamiliar living room.
"What kind of house is this?"
The place was spacious.
And suspiciously well-stocked.
Even just the living room screamed preparation.
No TV or sofa—nothing you'd expect in a living room.
One wall was lined with axes, crowbars, machetes, and other tools.
The opposite wall had a massive shelf packed with bottled water, bulk cans, and what looked like oil drums.
The supplies here alone could keep one person going for two weeks easy.
It was like the owner had been prepping for a zombie outbreak for years.
Totally out of place in a modern apartment, I lifted a machete off the wall.
Its razor-sharp edge looked like it could slice you just from staring.
And it wasn't just the living room.
The master bedroom's small bookshelf held survival guides, including one on outlasting a zombie outbreak, mixed with other manuals.
A smaller room used as a closet had military-style gear, a stab-proof vest, a motorcycle helmet, and even two medical kits.
"Electricity and water work too."
This might be the early days of the outbreak.
I'd accepted this insanely dangerous zombie apocalypse quest with two safeguards.
First, my Weapon Technique skill.
Second, the enemies were zombies.
Zombies—at least in my head—weren't as tough as villains.
As long as their numbers stayed low and I had weapons, even a regular person could take them down.
They weren't a match for me with Weapon Technique and Strength.
Barring mutants or hostile survivors, I was confident I could slaughter them with Weapon Technique alone.
I trusted that skill completely.
I'd worried about finding decent weapons, but that vanished the moment I saw the hand axe and machete on the wall.
I stashed them in my inventory—and that's when I spotted the banana milk inside.
"Ah."
How had I not thought of this?
Inventory's true power wasn't storage.
Items from the quest world can be taken back to reality.
And vice versa—real-world stuff could come here.
The slots had seemed a bit skimpy, but now it made sense.
If I'd had this during a hero quest, I could've hauled those massive gold bars back home.
Hell, I still could here.
Not many would bother grabbing gold amid a zombie apocalypse.
Play it right—
For now, I rushed to gear up and head out.
Even now, zombies were multiplying somewhere, and survivors were scavenging food.
I needed to move fast and grab whatever I could.
The house had plenty of rations already—but
"I won't be alone for long."
I'd track down this novel's protagonist.
To join his group, I'd need something irresistible.
Having extra food wasn't a bad thing.
I suited up in the stab-proof vest and helmet.
Inventory was loaded with weapons.
That way, if my machete broke, I could swap instantly.
I slung on the biggest backpack too.
"Zombies, huh..."
Weak or strong, they were terrifying by nature.
Even geared up at the front door, my mouth went dry from nerves.
"...Let's go."
The apartment hallway was dead silent.
"Fourth floor."
Glad it wasn't higher.
Once power cut out, low floors were safer.
No zombies inside, from the looks of it.
It was eerily quiet, like a tomb.
My footsteps echoed in the stillness.
Third floor, second, first.
I finally spotted one at the entrance.
A shambling, rotting corpse.
"That's a zombie..."
Felt like a week-dead body shambling to life.
Grotesque. Unsettling.
Still, I crept toward it cautiously.
Unpleasant or not, better fight now.
No telling when I'd get another solo shot.
First thing I learned: it didn't notice me until I was right up on it.
Bad eyesight?
But a tiny throat-clear only made it whip its head my way.
Sound-sensitive, then.
I held my breath and closed the gap.
Raised the hefty machete high.
Designed to hack through jungle vines, it arced down at the zombie's head.
Splat.
A dull thud, and its skull burst like overripe fruit.
Weapon Technique's power? Zombie's weak durability? Maybe both.
I'd judged the distance perfectly—no gore on me.
Confirmed I could handle zombies.
Then a message popped up.
Thought it was a zombie-kill hidden quest at first—but no, even more surprising.
[Acquired 1 point.]
[Shop unlocked.]
It resembled my Quest Board but looked different.
This world.
Not your standard zombie apocalypse novel.
Some stories had zombie-hunting for power-ups.
Opened the point shop, and the buy list appeared.
1 point: instant ramen pack or 500ml water.
10 points: random item—antidotes or weapons possible.
No clue if antidotes stopped zombification.
50 points: designate residence as safe zone for a week—no zombie entry, power and water restored.
Priciest: 100 points for a random skill.
One skill per 100 zombies.
Without skill experience, it'd seem steep—but not to me.
Skills varied, but most offered insane value.
My Level 1 Strength let me swing this weighted machete like a feather.
Fair price, in my book.
Of course, I felt that way because I already had skills.
Regular folks here probably wouldn't dream of it.
Hunting 100 zombies without skills? Near impossible.
"This might be the hidden quest for this one."
The shop eased worries about food and power.
Didn't mean skipping convenience stores or supermarkets, though.
I wanted every point for skills—gather what I could manually.
"Can't go far."
New turf, so memorize paths carefully.
Once familiar, farther afield—but day one, stick near home.
Luckily or not, shops crammed right outside the apartment.
Like a college district strip.
But zombies everywhere.
One wrong noise, and that tidal wave of them would overwhelm me.
Staring at the zombie-choked streets, I spotted a building swarming worse than most.
Odd part: nothing special about it.
If it'd been a mart, convenience store, or restaurant-packed spot, I'd figure scavengers got jumped.
No—this was an academy building, crammed with hagwons and cram schools.
Suspicious.
I eyed it slowly.
Then noticed: clothes on the rooftop.
White rags tied to a pole, flapping in the wind.
Surrender flag? Cry for help?
Too far to tell, but silhouettes flickered past the windows.
"Shall I check it out?"
Didn't love rushing a zombie horde, but weird situations often tied to main quests.
Main character and crew might be inside.
"Gotta farm points anyway."
I gripped the machete tight and started moving.