Chapter 9
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: A Ticklish Sensation in My Chest
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The next day.
After Yuri noona and I reached our agreement and our relationship grew even closer, we ended up having quite a few conversations.
They were simple topics, like what had happened in the past or what kind of person she was, but they still held meaning since we got to know each other better.
As we talked, our intimacy built up, and our trust solidified.
The unique situation of a zombie apocalypse had torn down the minimal barriers, letting me slip easily into her heart.
And now, in the morning hours, I picked up my machete again and headed back to her place.
All our meals would be at her house.
It was one of the many promises Yuri noona and I had made.
I rubbed my growling stomach and knocked lightly.
"Yuri noona, it's Yuseong."
"Come on in~."
Click.
"Morning, Yuseong. Sleep well?"
Even without a shower due to the cut-off water, Yuri noona greeted me with a bright smile, looking fresh as ever.
My gaze was irresistibly drawn to her massive chest and hips, like they had some magnetic pull.
Today, she was still a dynamite body in every dangerous sense of the word.
"Morning. Did you sleep okay?"
"So-so? No nightmares, so that's good, I guess."
We exchanged morning greetings as I followed her inside.
Then, a savory aroma hit me, stimulating my nose and racing straight to my brain.
"This is...!"
"Hehe, what do you think? Smells delicious, right?"
The dining table was spread out in the living room, laden with a feast of delicacies.
Following Yuri noona there, I found a banquet made of fresh vegetables and seafood.
I'd figured the best we could do was a simple meal from the dwindling ingredients or some canned goods, so the shock of this exceeded my expectations, leaving me speechless.
What's the deal with this noona? She's making me want her even more...!
I inwardly marveled at the scene, which hinted at a future straight out of a story of the strong husband and devoted wife.
Pretty, with a body that turns heads, a sweet personality, and killer cooking skills to boot.
My possessiveness toward Yuri noona swelled inside me as I dazedly stared at the spread.
Noticing my reaction, she poked fun at me with a giggle from the side.
"You're my bodyguard, protecting me and all. Gotta lay out a spread like this, right? Or... is it not enough?"
"No way...! I just never imagined something like this waiting for me.... Thank you."
"Come on! Let's eat before it gets cold! Who knows how many more meals like this we'll get, so enjoy it while it lasts!"
With that, she grabbed my arm and led me to the table.
Sitting down before the food, my mouth watered uncontrollably.
Yuri noona, seated across from me and watching, urged me to dig in.
I picked up my chopsticks.
"Thanks for the meal."
"Eat up~."
It was delicious.
The grilled fish, the stir-fried Chinese vegetables, all the various seafood dishes—everything.
The reason it was all seafood was probably because it had the shortest shelf life.
Every bite carried the taste of home and care, so beyond the flavor, it stirred up nostalgic emotions that nearly brought tears to my eyes.
And so, I (we) enjoyed a happy breakfast.
My take on Yuri noona's morning spread? I could eat this for the rest of my life.
There was that saying about winning a man's heart through his stomach.
Yeah, I think Yuri noona had me hooked through mine.
Once the meal ended, I got ready to head out.
Which basically just meant grabbing my machete.
Yuri noona approached close, acting like a wife seeing off her husband for work.
This time, whether she realized it or not, her cheeks were a bit flushed.
The sight made me smile involuntarily.
"Alright, I'm off."
"Be careful out there, Yuseong.... You have to come back alive, okay?"
True to yesterday's agreement, she let reluctance show while still seeing me off.
I knew it came from concern for her own safety and a touch of affection, but it looked downright cute.
Her looks were straight-up unfair.
She gives off little-sister vibes, so it makes a lot of stuff forgivable.
Without thinking, I placed my hand on her head.
Soft hair... Oh.
The moment I realized what I'd done, I pulled my hand back, but to my surprise, Yuri noona didn't seem bothered at all.
She just looked up at me with a puzzled Huh? expression.
"What? Weren't you gonna pat my head?"
Her brown eyes, almost golden in the light, gazed up innocently.
Wondering if it was okay, I cautiously raised my hand back to her head.
Soon, her soft brown locks welcomed my touch gently.
Stroke, stroke.
"This alright?"
"Huh? ...Oh, yeah. I'm used to it. At the office, guys and girls alike would do this to each other. Something about it being oddly addictive~. Been that way since I was a kid, so now it's just... whatever."
"Glad it doesn't bother you."
Well, yeah... Holding back from petting a cute girl like this would be impossible anyway.
If she doesn't mind, I'll do it more often.
It is oddly addictive.
Having gained some unexpected info and a nice little win, I stroked her head a bit longer as she quietly accepted it, then lowered my hand and opened the front door.
"Okay, heading out for real now."
"Yeah. Come back safe."
With her farewell again, I finally stepped out of the house.
Whoosh—!
The air felt like stepping from heaven back into hell, brushing past my face and enveloping my body.
From the warm pink space to the cold gray world—I was thrusting myself into it voluntarily.
But I remained unfazed.
The Nameless skill protected me from that air.
《Nameless》
The world and I were cut off from each other.
Leaving the now-familiar sensation behind, I walked down the road.
Today, let's scout a wider area.
Yesterday was my first time, so I just hunted zombies and came back. Today, I'd map out the area around our base building.
Breathing in, the crisp morning air filled my lungs and spread through my body.
The scenery in my view marred the feeling a bit, but it bothered me less than yesterday.
Was I already getting used to the blood?
Zombies are still pretty freaky, though...
Out on the street, a dozen or so zombies were scattered around.
Some sat on the ground, others wandered aimlessly, and now some buried their faces in corpses buzzing with flies, munching away.
Wait, aren't zombies basically corpses too? Why don't flies go for them?
Curiously, the flies avoided the zombies, swarming only the bloodstains and fresh corpses on the ground.
Those flies that lay eggs even in living creatures didn't approach the zombies, despite their movement, because they were still undead.
Seeing that, it hit me.
No bugs on zombies in the webtoon either. Was that why? I thought it was just 2D stylization...
Were the zombies from the 2D comic, where realistic issues got glossed over, manifesting exactly like that in reality?
In this situation where zombies seemed immune to flies—no, maybe even decay—I ironically felt a bit relieved.
I'd been worried deep down.
Zombies were corpses, after all—they'd rot, get hunted by wild animals, and the crisis might end in months.
Real-world logic made zombies fragile like that.
So yeah, it was natural to worry.
But if this was the case, things were heading exactly where I wanted.
Zombies would persist eternally, hunting humans.
Never aging or falling ill, they'd exist for decades, even centuries.
Or maybe it's just for story consistency in Ajeol as time passes.
Either way, it was positive for me.
Zombies as an ongoing threat to people, and me as the special one who could do whatever I wanted.
Crunch—!!
I wanted that world.
Snapping out of my thoughts, I caved in a zombie's skull with my machete.
Starting to get a real feel for this.
Satisfied inwardly at the cleaner strike than yesterday, I methodically took down the zombies one by one.
Grrrroooar—
A few zombies lumbered toward the noise I made, but of course, they couldn't perceive me.
Nameless severed me from the world, so they registered the effects I caused but not me myself—I remained nonexistent to them.
"Hup!"
Crunch—!!
I smashed the heads of two more zombies.
That made 16 in total.
By now, my upgraded body was signaling that my arms were starting to tingle.
Just a slight ache, though.
(By the way, no point notifications popped up after killing them because I could toggle them on/off.
Obviously, sudden pop-ups would be distracting and risky, so I'd turned them off.)
Not much time left on the duration.
As I shook zombie flesh off my machete, minding basic hygiene, I sensed through feel that the power of Nameless had dwindled to about 20%.
No real sense of crisis, though.
This area was residential alleys full of houses anyway.
Houses galore, doors locked but breakable with force in this world.
Safe spot candidates were everywhere.
Hell, sprinting home would take less than a minute.
But that would defeat the purpose of scouting the streets.
If I'm doing it, might as well do it right.
Gripping my now-permanently bloodstained machete loosely, I began searching for safe spots.
Single homes were too small, so I eyed mid-sized villas.
The old neighborhood had red-brick buildings here and there, but a relatively newer-looking three-story villa caught my eye.
A simple white structure.
A small villa surrounded by a shoulder-high wall.
This'll do. And the gate's unlocked too.
It clicked, so I pushed open the unlocked gate and entered the building grounds.
The communal entrance was unlocked too, oddly.
Tensing a bit, I reminded myself to stay cautious.
Gate and entrance both open means zombies might be inside... No slacking—stay sharp.
The villa had a central staircase with one unit per side per floor—three floors, six units total.
About five minutes left on Nameless, I figured.
Not too much, not too little—I stayed alert but not panicked, positioning myself at the first-floor right-side door.
Electronic door lock, as expected.
Unlike key locks that were tough to force, these shattered easy, so I swung my machete without hesitation.
Crunch—!
The door lock exploded in one hit.
I opened the door and stepped inside.