Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: D - 18
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18 days before the zombie outbreak, that infamous TV program aired.
A member with levitation abilities, was it?
On TV, he looked like a completely ordinary guy.
It had been a few days since he went to Seoul, so why now?
Anyway, the MC and celebrities took turns talking to him.
"If you're lying and get caught, you know you can't handle the consequences, right?"
"There was even a foreigner offering a million dollars to prove superpowers. Why come here?"
"Anyway, we'll verify this thoroughly. Give us the stage!"
A circular stage rose up, accompanied by a burst of push-it fog.
Once the stage stopped moving, the celebrities jumped on it, rolling around like mad.
"There's really nothing here?"
"No weird devices or anything!"
It looked that way to me too...
The challenger, looking nervous, kept licking his lips.
The MC urged him.
"You can back out now, you know? We'll check really thoroughly."
"No... I'll do it."
"Then step onto the stage. Let's see if you can really show superpowers right in front of us. Give him a round of applause!"
The audience gave a soulless clap as the challenger stepped onto the stage.
And immediately demonstrated levitation.
"Fly through the sky. Levitate."
His body really floated up.
Not a great height, about 50cm, but he pulled it off.
Surprise spread across the guests' and audience's faces.
"Whoa!"
"Is that possible? A real person is floating?"
"Hey, hey, stick a pole underneath to check!"
After that, the verification time by the guests continued.
They rummaged around dramatically to check for any devices.
They even called up a few audience members to confirm.
Later, with permission, they lightly pushed and pulled the challenger.
The MC put on a shocked expression.
"Wow... This might be the first confirmed superpowered individual, as far as I know? We're honored to reveal it on our show. No matter how many times I look, this is real..."
Pretending to be surprised despite probably rehearsing it beforehand.
The challenger even showed levitation again after stepping off the stage.
"That'd be handy for escaping."
Seemed useful in an apocalypse scenario.
If he could take someone else along...
He took the mic with an excited face.
"Th-the reason I stand here today is... uh... to tell you all one thing."
"What is it?"
"I don't know when. Could be a week, could be two months. But what's certain is that a zombie world is coming."
"Zombie world? You just said zombies, right? The groaning ones from movies?"
One celebrity mimicked a zombie, and the audience burst into laughter.
It was kinda funny.
But the challenger's face was deadly serious.
"This isn't a laughing matter. Most people here will turn into zombies. The rest will struggle to survive. Our society will collapse, and the world will be overrun by zombies and monsters. We're heading toward ruin."
"W-wait a minute."
Seeming caught off guard by this unplanned content, the MC blocked him.
The challenger backed away while speaking rapidly.
"Search online for 'Survival Life,' 'status window,' and such! Prepare in advance! The end times! Zombie world!"
"Um, excuse me?"
"All of you will turn into zombies! Die! This isn't the time to heh heh heh! Got it?"
As his voice rose, the celebrities panicked and surrounded him.
"Calm down, okay?"
And that was it.
The camera panned to the ceiling, and the sound cut out.
"Broadcast accident."
It was a live special, and of all things, this disaster happened.
Because of it, people learned about the zombie outbreak.
The internet communities were quiet at first but exploded with reactions minutes later.
The vibe wasn't taking it seriously.
Of course not. Nothing was visible to them.
The emergence of thousands of Awakeners.
And the meteor entering the solar system called Silver Spore.
All just trivial matters.
A superpowered person appeared?
So what?
People would go on with their daily lives regardless.
"But the government might take interest..."
Checking the Awakener community, they were cursing the guy who appeared on the show.
They started fighting again.
Looking at other boards, there was a heated debate on how to gather points.
There are ways to gather points without killing monsters.
"Killing users."
Killing a user gives 50 points.
Compared to goblins at 2 or orcs at 10, that's a huge reward.
That's why in the early days of Survival Life, users killing other users popped up everywhere.
Stab them in the back with a knife, and 50 points roll in.
We called it a backstab.
"The problem is the murderer system unlocking."
Users who kill other users get registered as murderers.
Keep killing, and the murderer system activates, forcing deathmatches with nearby users.
Some setting about awakening to the thrill of killing and going mad.
The murderer's location is periodically revealed to other users.
Kill a murderer in a deathmatch, and you avoid becoming one while getting massive points.
"Become a murderer, and you can't really play the game. Almost..."
Even with those penalties, some managed to operate as murderers for about a year.
Only possible because us veterans found it amusing and let them.
If they actually met me...
They wouldn't last long.
I've done over 100 deathmatches.
The issue of whether you can actually kill a person does come into play...
"If I have to, I will."
Otherwise, I die.
I had no intention of dying quietly.
.
.
.
Dingo has an excellent sense of smell.
Could detect an animal's scent from over 100 meters away.
The problem was it would bark furiously upon smelling it.
So I had to train it first.
Normally the mother does it, but she's gone now.
"Alright, Dingo. Smell this."
I held the tree bark rubbed by the Valley Deer to its nose.
As expected, Dingo sniffed it precisely and barked fiercely.
"No. Dingo, that's not it."
I showed it my palm.
It looked confused for a moment.
Like, what do you want from me?
Once it quieted, I removed my palm and fed it meat.
Then made it smell again.
Woof! Woof!
"Didn't say to bark."
After repeating the training, it caught on and crouched low, growling instead of barking.
"Good boy, well done!"
I praised it excessively in a babying voice.
Scratched its neck, gave it plenty of meat.
After repeating this several times, it seemed to understand my intent.
I taught it two things.
Crouch and growl toward suspicious scents.
Bark immediately at the smell of blood to alert me.
"Good. Let's head that way. Follow me."
It followed me closely without a leash.
What a good pup, no, wolf.
I headed back to the original valley with Dingo.
Because I wanted to try out the harpoon from the fishing shop.
Not great for ocean use, so target the relatively easy red trout first.
"Scouting the area while I'm at it."
This forest had tons of unexplored regions.
Wanted to climb that mountain I scouted with the drone.
But first, fully familiarize and utilize the nearby areas.
"Just hope no Owl Bears..."
Ah, werewolves too.
Dingo would stand guard first, but I couldn't relax.
Monsters always appear where you least want them.
I gripped my bow tightly and hurried along the path.
This was definitely the same path from before, but I'm not tired at all, I thought—
Health became 12.
Keep active in the forest, and it'd rise a bit more, but there's a limit.
"Probably cap around 16 or 17..."
That's what I raised it to over 1 year and 3 months of playing.
With one item boost, it nears 20.
"Boosting perception would be nice."
But Dingo makes it tricky.
Better to raise agility and dexterity instead.
"Dingo's not perfect, so higher perception isn't bad."
For now, let's catch some red trout.
Hearing the stream, Dingo perked up and took the lead energetically.
But never strayed too far from me.
If it got a bit ahead, it'd slow down and glance back to check my position.
What a good boy.
I entered the valley with it.
Dingo looked around, then got interested in the fish in the stream.
Too scared to go in, it gave me a meaningful look.
"No dangerous scents around, right?"
Woof.
Not sure if it understood, but its relaxed demeanor suggested it was fine.
Then, shall we catch some trout?
I attached the tip to the harpoon and waded in.
Let's see...
The red trout swimming leisurely sensed the current I stirred and fled quickly.
Just two of those would fill me and Dingo up nicely.
I swallowed hard and positioned the harpoon behind the surface.
"Refraction angle like this..."
Good.
I targeted one trout.
A bit small, but it'd been lingering near the shore, easy pickings.
But failure.
My perfect strike missed.
Tried several times, but learned red trout are surprisingly nimble.
"What the hell, so fast..."
I shortened my grip on the harpoon and aimed again.
But kept failing.
Should've ordered the harpoon gun?
That'd hit even roughly.
Facing nimble trout, I was turning into gearhead.
"Just one, come on."
Did the heavens answer?
Cautious thrust pierced a small trout's back.
The thrilling sensation of something flapping wildly.
"Whoa!"
Dozing Dingo startled and rushed to me.
Lifting the harpoon, the trout flapped intermittently, splashing water.
"Haha, got it!"
Woof! Woof!
Dingo excitedly barked at the trout.
I quickly showed my palm.
"Shh. You'll call monsters."
Especially Owl Bears.
But they don't hang around the valley, so probably fine.
Worst case, escape via dimension gate and sneak out hours later.
Dingo showed deep interest in the trout.
Set it down from the harpoon, and it wanted to pounce but hesitated.
Then got smacked by the tail and flipped, whimpering.
"Gonna catch one more, so leave it for now."
I put the trout and water in plastic, secured to a rock.
Now that I've done it once, easier next time.
...My optimism was way off.
The red trout, wary from repeated thrusts, wouldn't come near.
That saying about fish memory evaporating in 3 seconds is bullshit.
"Nothing's ever easy."
Sky darkening gradually.
Satisfied with one trout, I packed up.
"Dingo, let's go home."
On the way back, a little commotion.
Dingo darted to a side path and found bullhorn peppers.
Thought they were just peppers, but nearing them made it flip and sneeze hard.
"Dogs weak to spicy stuff?"
Used to cheongyang peppers, I nonchalantly plucked and chewed one.
And tasted hell.
"Ughhh..."
Breath blocked, mouth erupted like a volcano.
I shed tears and snot for minutes.
Head spinning, couldn't think straight.
...This stuff's potent.
Ground up, it'd work as tear gas.
I dug carefully around the bullhorn peppers and extracted them.
Dingo wouldn't come near me.
Cold-hearted pup.
Back at the cave, planted them near the entrance before the spiciness faded.
Vicious things.
"Now, let's eat the trout..."
Small, but good snack.
Well-prepped trout sizzling on the fire, Dingo panted and drooled.
"Wait. Eat now and you'll burn your mouth clean off."
I gave it cooled meat, salted mine, took a bite.
Whoa... delicious?
Crispy skin, moist flesh—perfect.
I wolfed it down.
Next time, bring the harpoon gun.
Dingo finished its share and licked my fingers.
None left, buddy.
< D - 18 > End