Gravity

The heat from last night still lingered, as if it hadn't faded at all. Yoon Seoyeon's breath tickled my ear. Her soft body clung tightly to mine. Faint sunlight seeped through the strands of hair scattered across the pillow, and her pale shoulder peeked just slightly out from under the blanket. In this moment, the hellish reality of the outside world felt like nothing more than a dream.

I carefully shifted my arm to stroke her hair. The soft locks slipped between my fingers. Yoon Seoyeon let out a small whine and burrowed even deeper into me.

"Mmm… Kim Geon…"

Her drowsy voice murmured in her sleep. Memories of last night flashed vividly in my mind—her beastly moans at the peak of ecstasy, that desperate look in her eyes directed at me.

"Guess she still ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠needs a bit more education," I chuckled softly.

I never imagined I'd wake up to a morning like this. In a zombie apocalypse, on the very first night, no less.

Then, a familiar system chime rang out.

I let out a hollow laugh as I checked the reward details. Who knew a trait like this existed? The contraception feature, in particular, felt like a crucial safeguard against unexpected variables in this brutal world.

"Time for the essential quest first."

I smoothly shifted into push-up position. It had been ages since my military discharge, but exercise had become an absolute necessity for survival now.

"One, two…"

My back muscles rippled. With each flex of my solid shoulders and arms, Yoon Seoyeon's gaze locked onto them. Her cheeks flushed subtly.

"Hup…"

I caught my breath and moved into sit-ups, finishing with 100 squats. My thigh muscles tensed and released in perfect rhythm. I'd already knocked out the running during my dawn evasion.

I caught my breath with a satisfied grin. "Feels like I can breathe easier now."

Yoon Seoyeon stealthily scanned my body—muscles sharpened by sweat, my chest rising and falling, the tension in my jaw when I focused. Her cheeks grew redder by the second.

What's wrong with me... why do these thoughts keep coming...?

She noticed her shifting emotions. Just yesterday, she'd seen me as a mere survival partner. But after last night... something else was blooming inside her. Her heart raced, her lips dried.

"You... really work out hard, huh."

Her voice trembled slightly more than usual. She quickly turned her head away, but her gaze kept drifting back to me.

"Gotta if I wanna live." I shrugged.

I glanced around Yoon Seoyeon's studio apartment. It was cramped but cozy. Reaching into the air, I opened the system window.

"Activate Zone."

The system window flickered at my command.

An intangible energy enveloped the entire studio. I peered out the window. Zombies shambling in the distance reached the building, only to veer away as if hitting an invisible wall. Even other survivors turned back, repelled by an inexplicable pressure.

"Whoa, it actually works."

Yoon Seoyeon stared out the window in awe. "This is that trait? Crazy."

I nodded. "No more zombie worries now."

Then the system window flickered again.

A large box materialized against one wall. Inside were rice, chicken breast, tuna, eggs, nuts, fruits—plenty for 4-5 people, a surprisingly lavish spread. For 100 coins, this was the best perk by far.

"Whoa… what's all this?"

"Food box. One per day."

Yoon Seoyeon beamed with emotion. "Jackpot! No more starving!" A bright smile lit her face for the first time in ages.

Before the sun hit midday, I headed out for recon. Yoon Seoyeon stayed safe in the Zone. Zombies still roamed the streets. Hiding, I scouted. In the distance, a group of five survivors battled zombies efficiently. Probably players. And surprisingly, no Stigma triggered.

"They must be using Magic Stones too…"

I watched enviously. Despite killing so many yesterday, I'd only gotten one Elite Magic Stone from the elite zombie. I clenched and unclenched the stone in my hand. I'd planned to farm them quick with exploits for that day, but things had gone sideways.

"10x drop rate and still just one… bad luck?"

Sighing, I activated it.

With the effect active, I hunted zombies freely, ignoring their stares, to complete my daily quest.

I bashed zombie ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠heads with the baseball bat from the shop. The freedom to swing without Stigma worries was exhilarating.

I multitasked, gathering supplies from convenience stores and pharmacies, stuffing my inventory.

• • •

While continuing the hunt, I spotted that five-person group again. They were still fighting zombies, but the situation turned dire.

Suddenly, a red aura erupted from the apparent leader. Stigma.

"Damn it! The Magic Stone already—"

Before his scream finished, dozens of nearby zombies whipped their heads around like starved beasts catching a scent. Their rotting eyes fixed on the group, freezing the air itself.

"Gaaahhh!"

Hungry zombie groans echoed. The fast ones charged, the slow ones staggered, but all converged on them. Hell unfolded—screams, tearing flesh, snapping bones in a symphony of horror.

I held my breath, watching the massacre. Sweat beaded my palms, heart pounding wildly. They couldn't even scream properly before being torn apart and wiped out.

I turned away, heading to a quiet outskirts mini-mart—big ones were zombie-infested nightmares. A few survivors already clustered outside.

"Aaaagh! Please… please…"

Screams from inside. The auto-door burst open; two men fled. The front one's hand dripped blood from a kitchen knife, his clothes stained red.

"Urk… my ramen… I found it first…"

The second clutched his gut, collapsing in a spreading pool of blood on the concrete. His eyes glazed over.

The killer scanned around, locking eyes with me. Madness gleamed in his gaze, a creepy grin twisting his lips.

"What're you staring at, punk? Want me to gut you too?"

His knife pointed at me. Crazy bastard. Even if ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I was overwhelmingly stronger, pointing a blade at me was ballsy—but I wasn't itching for a fight. I stepped back once.

A murder over food between survivors. The killer glared once more and vanished. I felt the cold reality of this savage world again. Hell where human nature laid bare.

After checking the streets, I returned to the studio. That evening, we feasted on food box ingredients—rice, chicken breast steak, fresh veggie salad. Top quality.

"Wow, this is seriously good."

Yoon Seoyeon savored it. I felt satisfied too, after so long without a real meal.

After eating, she shared her gathered info.

"Community says government's totally collapsed. Basically anarchy."

I nodded. As expected.

"And tutorial players are banding together. Sharing info, teaming up for survival."

"Hmm…"

I pondered. Natural for players to group. But I needed to scout potential threats early.

* Next morning. As always, I started with running for the essential quest, then dropped into push-ups. Yoon Seoyeon playfully climbed onto my back.

"Hey, you're heavy."

I teased. She giggled, wrapping her arms around my neck.

"You can handle this much, right, oppa?"

Her added weight strained my arms more. Then, a flash of inspiration hit.

"Hold on, get off a sec."

She hopped down, puzzled. Catching my breath, I spoke to the air.

"Gravity, 2x!"

Thud! Invisible force crushed my body. Not slamming me like yesterday's first try, but noticeably heavier. I resumed push-ups. The world pressed down like a giant hand on my shoulders. Arms that lifted easily now felt like lead.

"Hrrgh…!"

Pain tore through my arms like ripping fibers. Sweat beaded thick on my forehead, veins bulging. Each rep screamed, but I felt muscles forging stronger.

This is it... this sensation!

Pleasure surged through the agony—transcending limits no normal workout could touch. Teeth gritted, mid-push-up under 2x gravity:

"Oh…"

I finished sit-ups and squats under 2x too.

Two stat ups during workout. Post-quest, I trained another hour under gravity—no gains. Released it:

What kind of trait is this…? Tested sitting 30 min under 2x:

Yoon Seoyeon