Chapter 38
Chapter 38
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: Tutorial - 2
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< Tutorial - 2 >
One of the features of Survival Life is that it doesn't indicate when events are happening.
You only realize afterward, Oh, so that was an event.
A lot of the tutorial difficulty that newbies often face stems from this.
Nothing's visible, and then suddenly dozens of zombies swarm in, causing panic.
But after going through events like that dozens or hundreds of times, you can't help but sense them.
I stared at the empty space.
A long club slowly respawned.
"First one."
I quickly snatched it up, and another one respawned.
They haven't fixed this bug, huh.
Thanks to that, I acquired two ebony clubs.
"It's been a while, hasn't it?"
Dark brownish-black surface.
Perfect weight and excellent grip.
The sharp protrusion at the end and its insane durability.
There's no better weapon for smashing zombie heads early on.
Veterans starting a new tutorial always save up points and grab these without fail.
"Sturdier than iron clubs, they say."
Once enough time passes, you can use metal weapons, but veterans favor these.
There's just something satisfying about bashing with them.
I stowed one club in my backpack and held the other.
Early on, it's best not to carry any other weapons since you have to run.
I sealed my lips and tuned my ears to the noises outside. The zombies' distinctive squelching sounds reached me.
Just a little higher...
Groooaaar—
Here they come.
I stepped out of the living room and checked the stairs.
Zombies were climbing up in a group, one after another.
With the spore body control ended, their movements were relatively nimble.
But something felt off?
By now, they should be spotting me and baring their teeth?
The lowered organic matter tracking ability must be referring to this.
If so, not a bad thing.
I jumped down through the window.
Since the ground was soft dirt, the impact wasn't too bad.
The zombies clustered at the entrance spotted me and reached out their arms.
Grrraaah!
"Definitely easier."
In the early versions, the zombies overwhelmed you to the point you couldn't breathe, but this level is manageable.
As I bolted out of the garden, the zombies formed a kind of wall.
That signature zombie wall hadn't changed at all.
It's a barrier to keep you from going anywhere else.
Users have to detour around the zombie wall and head to the designated spot.
Defeat the boss there, break out of the zombie encirclement, and the tutorial ends.
Of course, there's also the option of smashing through the zombie wall like a one-man army...
"But you've only got one life?"
In the game, you can retry all sorts of crazy stunts, but in reality, you've got just one life.
So, running is the way!
I dashed around the zombie wall.
Thanks to my improved night vision and terrain detection skill, the obstacles on the ground were relatively vivid.
Without the pressure from the zombies.
As long as you don't trip or fall into a manhole or something, you can clear the tutorial smoothly.
As I entered the residential area, the zombies herded me to one side like they were corralling sheep.
I arrived at a nameless three-story mini-building.
It was leaning a bit, but hadn't collapsed yet.
This is the checkpoint.
We called it that because the zombies give you a breather here.
No actual save happens, though.
Anyway, let's rest here a bit.
As I headed up to the second floor, I ran into an unexpected person.
...Mi-kyung, dressed almost exactly like me.
She thrust her ebony club at me, then jumped in surprise.
"Ah, Uncle!"
"Shh."
Does this girl have a knack for attracting zombies?
I frantically put a finger to my lips, and she nodded.
"Follow quietly."
We moved to the third floor.
Looking down, zombies were swarming.
Planning to rush us after a short wait, huh.
As I caught my breath intending to rest until then, something odd caught my eye.
My trait.
A slash mark over Exclusive Dimension Gate Open.
Mi-kyung couldn't stand still seeing me just staring down.
For now, I need to move and test this.
I opened my shield and whispered to her.
"Zombies are in a lull for now, so keep an eye on things here."
"What about you, Uncle?"
"Got something urgent. Bathroom break."
"O-okay. I'll watch here and let you know if the zombies start coming up."
"Thanks."
I went into the bathroom and tried opening the dimension gate, but it wouldn't budge.
I pulled up the Status Window, and sure enough, the trait seal effect was listed.
For this to pop up out of nowhere...
"Damn enhanced zombie."
In Survival Life, anything labeled "enhanced" requires caution.
Not just monsters with boosted physical stats.
Some attack with weird patterns like invisibility or hallucinations.
This enhanced type must be the trait-sealing variety.
"There wasn't anything like this before."
I clicked my tongue.
Survival Life never gave traits to users before.
I'd let my guard down, but to think it'd get sealed.
"This is temporary."
If they'd outright removed the trait, the Exclusive Dimension Gate Open entry itself would be gone.
High chance killing the enhanced zombie fixes it.
"First, find where the bastard is."
Find it, kill it, done.
Not like I'm gonna lose to tutorial zombies without my trait. Time to quit being a veteran.
"Slot 1. This still works."
The gate itself won't open, but the additional effect activates? What's up with that.
Still better than nothing.
I approached the window and tapped Mi-kyung's shoulder.
She jolted in fright and clamped her hand over her mouth.
"Mi-kyung, listen carefully. We'll talk later about how you ended up here. Right now, we need to clear the tutorial. Got it?"
"Yes. Understood."
"This situation's a bit different from the guides. See anything weird in your Status Window?"
"W-wait. Status Window."
Her eyes darted around, then suddenly widened.
"There's a slash over Blink... What do we do?"
"Don't ask me... Anyway, means you can't use your ability, right?"
"Let me check. From here."
She tried Blink and made a miserable face.
"No good... Trait Seal message popped up..."
"Trait Seal...? Listen up, Mi-kyung."
I grabbed her shoulders and spoke low.
"I heard it in a Kimbap Lover video. Enhanced zombies have various abilities. One of them seals traits."
"Traits... in Survival Life?"
"Not sure. Maybe a patch update. Point is, we can't use abilities right now."
She nodded at my bull.
What a gullible girl.
"Mi-kyung, once the seal lifts, you can use your trait, right?"
"Blink?"
"Yeah. You said you can move about 10 meters. Can you do it now?"
"What're you planning?"
I whispered in her ear.
"Listen. Down there, there's a zombie sealing your ability."
"Y-yes."
"Kill that one, and high chance your ability returns."
"Who's killing it?"
"Me."
"Uncle, that's dangerous..."
"Don't worry about me. While I fight that zombie, you need to draw the other zombies' attention. Think you can?"
She thought it over, then said,
"I-I think so..."
"Not 'think'—you have to. One slip, and you're in danger. Draw their eyes, what'll they do? Head to the roof, right? Stall them."
"Uh..."
"Can you?"
She hesitated a moment, then finally nodded.
No choice but to try.
I took Mi-kyung up to the roof.
It would've been locked tight normally, but the metal plague had smashed the door.
She said anxiously,
"Uncle, did you hear that boom earlier today?"
"Probably the military ammo depot exploding."
"Ammo depot?"
"Shell must've cracked and ignited the gunpowder on friction."
"Kyung-hoon Uncle said it was a nuke and we had to run fast..."
That blusterer hasn't changed.
I flattened myself on the roof and scanned the zombies below.
There was one with a strangely deformed head.
That one's acting as an antenna, spreading the trait seal around.
Mi-kyung flopped down beside me and asked,
"Uncle, see anything?"
"Shh. Voice too loud. See that weird one?"
"Where?"
"The one with the funky head."
"Uh... C-can't really see..."
Her voice trailed off.
Well, without shadow grapes, I'd be night-blind too.
I pulled firecrackers and matches from my backpack and handed them to her.
"Take these. When I head down, light 'em up from here to lure the zombies. The seal should lift by then."
"...Uncle, what if..."
"I'll kill that zombie. Then you can Blink to the building across."
"Too dangerous..."
"It's fine. Think over everything I've said and answer. If you can't, we'll try something else."
She hesitated, then nodded vigorously.
"...I'll do it."
Dense in some ways, but not a total coward.
"Good. When I go down, time it and light 'em right away, got it? Too late, and I'm zombie chow."
Nod nod.
She practiced striking the match and lighting the fuse over and over.
Even practicing that.
"But will the zombies even come up here? If they don't..."
"They will. Zombies are weak to stronger stimuli."
Even with food right in front of them, if someone's running a bit farther off, zombies chase without hesitation.
With tracking lowered, they'll ignore me and go after the firecrackers.
As for Mi-kyung betraying me...
Nah, odds are very low.
She can't escape solo without cooperating with me.
"Light the fuse right as I jump from the second floor."
"Y-yes."
"Here I go."
I headed down to the second floor via the stairs.
Opened a window and looked down—zombies were gearing up to climb.
Break time's over, huh? Same for me.
I opened the side window and jumped from the second floor.
"Ugh!"
Big difference from jumping into dirt!
As I rubbed my legs, the sound of firecrackers igniting came from above.
"Yaaah! Over here!"
Didn't tell her to yell.
But the zombies reacted to the stimulus and started staggering up the stairs.
I pulled the bow from my slot and aimed at the enhanced zombie.
Not my usual 60-pound, but a 100-pound bow.
In the dark, its silhouette faintly appeared.
You can tell an enhanced zombie's ability from its body.
Physical types have massively swollen muscles.
Stealth types shift colors wildly.
This one had wifi-like protrusions sprouting from its head.
Meaning it spreads its ability around.
In other words, this guy's the culprit behind the trait seal.
I drew the string with all my might, and a message appeared.
The results of rolling around the forest for a whole month were finally showing.
I released the string, and the zombie's upper body staggered.
It turned to me and gaped its mouth wide.
Like I always say, you guys need to quit roaring with your mouths open first.
Not that I'm complaining about the opening it gives me.
I stowed the bow in my slot and drew the ebony club and shield.
Kyaaak!
The wifi zombie charged at me.
I sidestepped its attack and swung the club.
"Don't need traits or anything."
Thwack, thwack!
The wifi zombie had special abilities but lacked in raw physical prowess.
Stronger than regular zombies, sure, but not enough against me after fighting enhanced ghouls.
"You're no match."
I blocked its arm with the shield, then uppercut its jaw with the club.
Crack!
The zombie's teeth flew into the air.
Footsteps from Mi-kyung pounding above.
The ebony club pulverized the wifi zombie's head.
But it was still alive.
< Tutorial - 2 > End