The Provocation
I'd ended up inside a zombie apocalypse novel. Part of me wanted to dig my heels in and refuse to go out. How many times were they going to summon me? Couldn't I just rest for once? I tried to whine and come up with every excuse I could, but it was impossible. The broadcast had called for everyone directly, and the reason was a zombie attack. So I swallowed the curses trying to escape my throat and gripped the Beopbong. They hadn't specifically called my name, but I couldn't just sit still either.
"For crying out loud."
The dormitory had naturally descended into chaos. People rushing down with weapons. Others trying to evacuate upward. The noise was so overwhelming I wanted to cover my ears. Once I got outside the building, though, it was relatively quiet, which was a relief. The situation looked serious enough to make me uneasy.
"No, why is this..."
I'd thought it was like a fire alarm going off for no reason. Either some prank or a malfunction. I figured Kang Siwoo had sounded the alarm for a minor incident that might serve as good training. But thinking about it, if that were the case, he wouldn't have broadcast it loud enough to be heard outside the building.
"Seriously, come on."
The campus was never going to be breached anyway. Not with me here, and especially not with Kang Siwoo around. Plus, both the front and back gates had slopes that made them easy to defend from above. Even just throwing a rock from the higher ground would be lethal. Convinced of that, I sprinted toward the front gate—only to realize the situation was far worse than I'd imagined.
The zombies weren't even approaching the front gate. They were all charging straight for the back gate instead. Obviously they were targeting the rear because the stairs made attacking from the front too difficult. Kang Siwoo had stationed more people at the back gate, but it didn't look nearly as secure as it should have been. All kinds of variants were swarming in, and leading them was none other than a General. The fact that they were even trying to reorganize into some kind of formation was almost funny. At least it bought us some time.
I dashed toward the students gathered at the back gate and called out to Kang Siwoo at the front.
"Siwoo!"
"You've arrived, Yeji."
"What's going on here...?"
"They've been expanding their forces around the area. It seems other groups are launching a coordinated attack."
"That's... a coordinated attack?"
"Is it not?"
"There's a General right there!"
"And you're here as well."
"Ah."
I'd completely forgotten I'd tucked the weapon between my breasts because I didn't need to use the pocket. It wasn't something I thought about unless I was washing up. Well, whatever. We had the General Slayer here, so we'd manage somehow. Even so, the anxiety wouldn't go away. There were over a hundred zombies. The students numbered barely a dozen—thirteen, maybe? And we had to defend two locations, so that number would be split even further.
"This is hopeless."
"You are here, Yeji. And your arm—"
"It's fine. It's already burning hot."
"That's unfortunate news."
"For who?"
"For the zombies."
Kang Siwoo smiled coldly as he drew his sword. I wanted to tell him to stop spouting nonsense, but... honestly, it was ridiculously cool. I vaguely remembered him saying something similar in the original novel, though I couldn't recall the exact line. Either way, I slowly took my stance and looked at the zombies.
About half were regular zombies that had mutated just enough to look distinctively ugly. The other half were variants that could be useful depending on the situation. The remaining numbers were filled by Hunters, with the General leading as the commander. Now that I looked closer, there were even a few Officers and Guards mixed in...
"There's a Swindler as well, Yeji."
"A Swindler?"
"Yes. Do you see it? The variant standing slightly behind the General with its wrists exposed, bones jutting out."
"Ah, I see it."
"I say this out of concern, but please don't fall for their provocation and step forward."
"Why would I do that?"
"Maintaining formation is crucial right now. We need to charge all at once after the signal, so please stay calm."
"Got it. But..."
In the distance, the Swindler was frantically waving both arms and jumping up and down. Naturally, I looked over, and suddenly it pointed its index finger straight at me. There was no mistaking it was pointing at me, so I unconsciously pointed back with my own left index finger. The Swindler clapped its hands as if to say, "Yes, you!" What the hell was it doing? I gave it a pitiful look. It kept trying to draw attention like some kind of mime, and honestly, it was a little entertaining.
Then it suddenly pressed its right index finger and thumb together to make a circle. It stuck its left index finger through the circle and grinned at me.
I almost charged right then and there. But with superhuman patience, I held myself back. That fucking bastard was asking to die, pulling that kind of shit. No, calm down. Maintain formation. Don't move because of a provocation.
"You are calm, aren't you, Yeji?"
"Yes. I'm calm. Completely."
"Your mouth is bleeding, though."
"Ah, I have a habit of biting my lips when I'm tense."
"That's a relief, then."
Fortunately, I managed to calm down for now. I took a deep breath, clenched my teeth again, and gripped the Beopbong tightly. But then those bastards started imitating the General's position and doing the same gesture. They were clearly targeting me with their provocations. Their intent was obvious—they were saying that if we won, they'd do the same thing to me. This time, I couldn't hold back.
That? Hold back? Against that?
"Grab Yeji! Someone—anyone—hold her down!"
"Let go, damn it! Let go! I can go alone!"
"Yeji...!"
"Unni!"
"I said let go! I'll go by myself and smash them all to pieces!"
Kang Seonghwa and Kang Siwoo each grabbed one of my arms and held on. Kim Yeonhua wrapped her arms around my waist. From the resistance, it felt like another student was pulling her back too. But how the hell was I supposed to stay calm after hearing that shit? By the time I came to my senses, I'd already shaken everyone off and was sprinting forward. I could hear them shouting something behind me, but I ignored it. They were telling everyone to retreat behind the barricades, but that wasn't my problem.
"Grrraaaagh!"
"You son of a bitch!"
The General grabbed a Wraith and swung it at me like a weapon. But my Blunt Weapon Mastery was higher. I dropped low to dodge, then stood up and swung the Beopbong. Surprisingly, the General backed away and avoided the attack. We both missed, but I didn't feel disappointed.
"Even if I die today, I'm dragging you all to hell with me."
"Grrraaaagh...!"
"Kieeeeh!"
"Oh, get lost!"
The zombies that had been standing around dazed finally rushed in. Three or four regular zombies and one Wraith. But one wide swing of the Beopbong sent them all flying, their bodies bursting apart. I didn't know what happened exactly, but it seemed my super strength had activated. There was no time to waste. Since I wouldn't die even if I got bitten, I just kept walking forward. There were too many to run through. Soon I was buried in a wave of zombies, but I didn't feel like I was going to die. Just standing there and swaying my body left and right was enough to send them flying. Sure, they were hitting and biting me, leaving my whole body covered in wounds, but it didn't matter. Even when chunks of flesh were torn away, new skin regenerated almost instantly. The important thing right now was to smash all their heads in before this strength disappeared. Getting bitten and punched didn't matter at all.
"Grrrk—!?"
"You think I don't have a ranged weapon, you bastard?!"
The Swindler that had been sneering from afar had its head explode from the Beopbong and died instantly. I'd thrown it as hard as I possibly could—surviving would've been the real surprise. The zombies charged even more fiercely after that. They seemed to be asking how I planned to fight now that I'd thrown away my only weapon. They didn't know, but I'd taken countless body blows from a boxer. Thanks to learning while getting hit, I was confident in my body blows. With this super strength, one jab would probably rip their heads clean off anyway.
"Jab! Punch! Uppercut, you bastards!"
"Graaaagh!"
"Yeah, I figured! You came to land a cheap finishing blow, didn't you?!"
Thud. The General's fist and mine collided. Normally I'd lose, but not this time. Both our bones shattered, but mine regenerated instantly and recovered. The General's wouldn't. As a variant, it still needed nutrients even as a zombie. Naturally, I had the advantage. In a slugfest, I was winning right now.
"Coward."
"Graaaagh!"
The General clenched its other fist and roared. Then it swung with all its might. Normally I could've blocked or dodged it, but other zombies were holding me down. I couldn't dodge, and my arms were also being grabbed so I couldn't block. If I tried to shake them off, I'd definitely get hit, so I just braced for the impact. As expected, a heavy blow slammed into my abdomen. My head spun, my vision went blurry for a moment, then cleared. Blood and stomach acid mixed in my mouth, and a small chunk of meat fell out. That wasn't the end—the General's barrage continued. More body blows, a grazing hit to my nose. Still, I kept my guard up like the boxer had taught me and endured. Even though I was being beaten to the point of death, blood rising in my throat, it was fine. After a short rest, I could just say nothing had happened. One small piece of good news: the zombies caught in the earlier barrage were now lying on the ground with only their arms left. Nothing was holding me back anymore. It was my turn to hit back.
I planted my left foot hard, set my stance, and poured all my strength into my left fist. Then—one strike.
"Graaaagh!!!!!!"
"This is a body blow."
"Grrk—graaaagh!!!"
"Whoa, I don't know who did it, but that's a nice wind tunnel you've got there."
My left arm wasn't moving well, but seeing the hole punched through the General's stomach was satisfying. Yeah, when it came to body blows, I was an authority. Thanks to taking so many, I knew exactly how to hit the hardest. I lightly jumped and threw a right punch to finish it off. But it only tapped its chest with a soft thud.
"Graa?"
"No, fuck."
"Graaaagh!"
"Ah, seriously!"
The super strength had worn off. I needed the Beopbong. But I'd thrown it earlier to kill the Swindler. I could see it lying far away, but I'd definitely get beaten before reaching it. The fact that my hair was already being grabbed confirmed it.
"Should we... talk this out?"
"Graaaagh!"
Yeah. This was karma. And I was screwed.