Chapter 35
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: The Lure Plan
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Having successfully joined the party, I slowly looked around the inside of the building.
A fairly large commercial building in the bustling downtown area, and yet there were only four of us.
The vast space amplified the desolate emptiness of having just four people, making it feel eerily unsettling for no good reason.
Maybe that's why the other three said they'd only ever holed up in the math tutoring academy they used to attend.
"Still, with you joining us, Oppa, it feels a bit more reassuring!"
So-yoon flashed a cheeky grin and playfully poked my side.
So-yoon had an incredibly bright personality and was super friendly.
She was the complete opposite of Su-a.
Like a puppy, maybe.
Min-hyuk was... well, the protagonist type.
Righteous and kind, but he'd occasionally drop some spine-chilling lines.
"You seem like you could handle other weapons pretty well too. Got anything else on you?"
"...Nope."
I couldn't help avoiding Min-hyuk's gaze, as if he somehow knew about the weapons in my inventory.
Eye contact felt like it might let him read my mind.
"How's it looking?"
"Nothing but books, chairs, and desks. Way too much of 'em."
There was plenty here for note-taking, but it was the worst setup for survival.
If I'd started my quest here, I might've ended up in a bloody brawl with zombies without even cobbling together a decent weapon.
In that sense, the protagonist really was on another level.
Making a spear out of an umbrella in a place like this to hunt zombies.
"This must be the spot."
The building had a back door.
From what they told me, they'd hunted zombies here while buying food from the shop.
There weren't as many as at the front entrance, but the back door still had a solid twenty or so zombies.
For three people alone, it was an impossible number to break through.
But with me joining, things changed.
"Yeah! With you here, Oppa, we can totally—"
"...It's not gonna be that easy. We'd probably just get in your way."
As So-yoon excitedly chimed in, Su-a calmly cut her off.
I agreed with Su-a.
Fighting while protecting three people was way harder than going solo.
Plus, even if it was just around twenty now, any noise from the fight would draw zombies from the front entrance and the bustling streets.
No guarantee I could protect all three even at full power.
Moving silently would be tricky too.
One slip-up after leaving the building—a sound, or a zombie picking up even the tiniest noise—and it was game over.
Too much risk to attempt.
"Yeah... We need a more solid plan."
Min-hyuk nodded in agreement with Su-a, lost in thought.
Truth be told, I couldn't think of any brilliant ideas either.
Escorting three people while moving didn't seem easy.
The protagonist lived up to his name.
Min-hyuk offered one suggestion.
"How about luring them away little by little?"
The idea was simple.
Use noise to draw the sound-sensitive zombies away from the academy building bit by bit.
"But how?"
"We've got tons of desks here. We smash 'em up to make a ladder, then use it to hop to the building next door."
"Next door?"
Min-hyuk answered So-yoon's question.
He said it was a plan he'd considered before.
But they'd scrapped it.
No guarantee the next building would be zombie-free, and luring with noise carried high risk.
Then I showed up.
"Wait, isn't that way too dangerous?"
"Huh? Yeah... but with you, hyung— I mean, sorry. That was too much."
"Nah, it's fine."
Su-a, who'd been quiet, actually scolded Min-hyuk instead.
At her words, Min-hyuk replayed his own suggestion and looked flustered.
But honestly, I thought Min-hyuk's plan was solid.
I didn't feel like I'd lose a fight against zombies, and true to the downtown vibe, the buildings were packed tight together, all roughly the same height.
If we could make the ladder, crossing over wouldn't be hard.
With no better ideas on the table, it was worth a shot.
Of course, my role was the risky part, so no one pushed it aggressively.
"Alright, let's do it."
"R-Really, Oppa? You sure?"
"Yeah, I'm good."
Once I greenlit the plan, we divvied up roles and fleshed it out.
"Then Min-hyuk and I will make the ladder."
"I'll hunt zombies around the area."
"...I'll go with you."
And just like that, we split into the ladder-building team for the operation and the point-farming team for stocking food.
Honestly, I preferred solo, so I suggested Su-a join the ladder team.
"No, I need to keep watch. ...And between those two, it's better if I'm not there..."
She trailed off, hinting at some complicated backstory.
It was odd.
She was the one dating Min-hyuk, yet here she was, volunteering to tag along with me for their sake.
I was tempted to casually probe their relationships, but Su-a's guard was still up.
I'd need to show some reliability first.
"Here."
Su-a handed me the machete.
Obvious, since I'd be fighting zombies.
She played it cool on the surface, but her hand trembled as she passed it over.
Was she scared of the guy who'd mercilessly butchered zombies?
Or worried I'd retaliate?
It was almost pitiful.
Shaking inside yet stepping up to watch me for their sake.
Deep down, but a bit foolish too.
I took the machete.
Vitality surged through me just holding it.
Time to earn some points.
The back door led to outdoor metal stairs descending, with zombies shambling below, bumping into each other.
Originally, the three had tapped the stairs with their fingers to lure one or two zombies at a time for hunting.
Irrelevant to me now.
Gripping the machete, I clomped down the stairs.
The metal stairs clanged loudly under my steps.
Grrr.
Zombies growled low like phlegm in their throats and swarmed.
I swung the machete diagonally at the frontmost one.
Like last time, straight-down head strikes or deep stabs were hard to pull free, so this was my workaround.
Not slicing—using the blade's weight to smash the skull.
One swing caved in a head, sending the zombie tumbling back into the others.
Riding the momentum, I dropped them one after another.
"..."
Su-a stared blankly, speechless.
The machete-zombie skull impacts drew more, but I broke through before they could surround me.
I cleared faster than they advanced.
Like a machine, I methodically felled them, wiping out nearly all at the back door.
Then the moment arrived.
"Zombies from the front are coming too."
"Got it."
Part of me wanted to take them on, but the numbers pouring in were no joke.
Regrettable, but this was the cutoff.
No gambling.
I smashed the heads of zombies blocking the stairs, then bolted up and back inside.
Su-a calmly shut and locked the door behind me.
Without pause, she dashed to the front door, pounded it hard to make noise.
The horde heading our way diverted back to the front.
"Hoo..."
"Good work."
"You're the one who did the work."
Su-a replied, catching her breath softly.
Then silence fell.
After all the door-banging racket, the quiet dragged on.
"...You finished way faster than expected."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah, really. Thank you. For hunting for us too."
Going from suspicion to praise felt oddly touching.
Though she kept her distance while saying it, so the wariness lingered.
"Thought you'd just bail."
"Why?"
"...This plan. It's not like Min-hyuk. Too harsh on you."
"..."
"No matter how good you are in a fight, sending you alone to lure zombies across the rooftops..."
If Min-hyuk had a flaw, it was being the protagonist.
True to form, he aimed to use me to the fullest for survival.
Best odds that way.
But Su-a didn't like it.
"...Tell me why you're helping. Whatever I can do, I'll do it."
"..."
Su-a still suspected me.
Almost like she wanted me to have some ulterior motive.
Seeing that, I used a skill for the first time in a while.
[Fetish: Sacrifice]
A new fetish etched onto Su-a.