Chapter 25

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 25

Chapter Title: Zombie Apocalypse (22)

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I fell asleep a bit late, but woke up early in the morning.

Was it because I hadn't done any proper outdoor activities yesterday?

At 6 a.m., checking the quest showed 18 hours remaining.

102 hours after the zombie outbreak—wonder what things were like elsewhere now?

Curious, I logged into the community site.

There was a personal post from someone working abroad, a bit old but still there.

Be grateful you're in Korea.

Those words hit home a little.

Thanks to Professor Seo's warnings about the unrealistic elements, we'd quickly avoided zombie drops, and water and power were still running.

I read the government's early-morning statement. They'd analyzed the situation spot-on.

They'd heeded Professor Seo—what I'd dismissed as cultish nonsense—and split the military into smaller groups.

The deadliest risk in a zombie apocalypse is unprepared groups getting overwhelmed by small zombie packs. By dividing into small units, they'd survived that, then scaled up after the Plague Seeds switched to random spawns to reclaim infrastructure.

They'd secured some power plants and water treatment facilities. With the population down, a few were enough to sustain life.

Large zombie hordes hadn't breached the cities yet.

They urged anyone who could join the military before those hordes arrived to lend their strength.

'They're doing a damn good job.'

I'd expected the incompetent government to collapse, cutting power and water, plunging everything into chaos. But since this plague was something humanity could overcome, they were holding out well even without modern firearms.

What if the Plague Lord had stuck to his original ban on fire?

Fire's too broad, but it would've included modern guns. And basic heating? The Southern Hemisphere might not have survived their harsh winters.

In the end, the world negotiated smartly.

I recharged my smartphone and peered out the window.

Rotting, bluish zombie corpses mixed with a few people.

On day 5, folks without enough food were venturing out and getting caught like that.

The mart group's big hype about it being a safe haven probably lured a ton who couldn't hold out and got nabbed en route.

I stepped out and looked down at the officetel courtyard.

Zombies wandered past the makeshift entrance—our door crudely barricaded—without touching it.

With only about eight residents in this small building, it probably wasn't appetizing enough for them.

Back in the room, Na-eun was still asleep.

Didn't feel right sitting idle, so I lowered the smartphone volume and scrolled Nutube for something to watch.

I spotted a pretty woman live-streaming.

A blonde in skimpy clothes was speaking seductively, but the discussion was surprisingly serious—future planning.

Once groups form and secure safety, what's next? Overwhelming support for food cultivation.

Counterpoint: securing oil for power. But more countries lack oil.

"Food's key, right."

That's why I'd bought potatoes and veggie seedlings, but hadn't planted them yet.

The officetel had a small flower bed out front, but I'd dumped an old zombie there on day one.

Another resident must've cleared it periodically—zombie corpses were piled near the entrance now—but planting in likely contaminated soil felt iffy.

I had no hobby for growing flowers anyway, so the potatoes sat untouched in the room.

"English, but you get it?"

Na-eun spoke in a sleepy voice—she'd woken up.

The half-exposed blonde was mercifully out of view; she'd only caught snippets of the English debate.

"Yeah. Says securing land for food is top priority right now."

I closed Nutube and told her.

English, though.

Language comprehension was a perk for Status Window holders.

Just having it let you grasp language essence, learn, speak, and write effortlessly.

That's why in high school with Seo-yeon, I skipped language exams thanks to the Status Window.

Global Academy had diverse nationalities, but everyone understood each other, defaulting to English.

Of course, as a Korean native, Korean felt more natural.

"Preserved food won't last forever. But no farmland nearby, right? Southward for efficiency, maybe."

"Need national-level power."

Felt like you'd need mart-scale operations for viable farming.

Backyard gardens couldn't sustain a year.

"Not banking on 'just wait 30 days, government's got it'?"

"They'd brag like crazy. President might crown himself king."

Na-eun chuckled.

"Yeah. End this crisis? King? Nah, claim godhood. Wait, gods are those weird voices in our heads, right? Hate that."

The World and Plague Lord appeared god-like, but pests like plague gods.

Didn't like the World failing Earth or the Plague Lord toying with it.

I seemed upper-worldly, but meddling here at this level—what was my true power?

I focused the layer-piercing sight in my left eye on the ceiling. Nothing.

Probably because synchronization hit 75%, drawing me closer to true Lee Sian.

Na-eun rustled through the food box under the bed and handed me a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠nutrition bar.

"Breakfast?"

"Yep. Breakfast."

I craved greasy meat.

While sating my meat craving with lover's affection, that emotionless voice echoed emotionlessly in my head again.

"What now?"

"Ugh, I hate this."

Na-eun, nestled against me offering her chest, grumbled too.

No back-and-forth with the Plague Lord this time, no gains for us.

Or was this warning a gain in disguise?

"Plague Seeds spreading zombie virus, right? Why warn now?"

Na-eun pondered the World's words, and a possibility flashed through my mind.

"Seeds grow over time?"

"Oh. Leaving them be was bad?"

Plenty of zombies roamed near our officetel now.

Way past pick-off-with-a-bat stage.

Three days without me or Na-eun venturing out let them pile up.

"World's warning now suggests about five days needed. Local zombies are at most three days old."

Internet's best for quick checks.

Grateful for stable comms, I hit the community. A highly recommended post had a short video.

A gaunt, corpse-like zombie devouring another like prey.

"It's real."

Na-eun mumbled, looping the clip blankly.

"Should've kept culling them."

Seeing that confirmed it.

Plague Seeds were black magic delivering contaminated mana.

Via infection, spreading tainted mana. Hosts lose vitality and reason gradually, but mana keeps bodies intact.

Explains why infected mimic the living—sudden mana surge.

Maturing that mana with life force amps contamination, harvested by zombies—reapers and seeds—to grow stronger.

"A plague humanity can handle, but only with relentless effort."

Na-eun scanned incoming reports.

Thought zombies self-destructing by cannibalism? Nope—bodies improving. Doors smashed in one hit.

Korea's early containment made fakes likely, but translated overseas posts rang truer.

"Tougher bodies, stronger? Baseline now."

Posts: five hits to kill now ten-plus. Zombies ramming vehicles.

This level—unban our guns already?

"We gotta clear the courtyard. Something's bound to happen."

Na-eun peered outside from the bed.

Worst case, we'd face an ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠enhanced zombie.