Honey Sucking Life, Probably?
“Nice, you did good. Status window.”
The inventory was completely wiped out, but I was still pissed. It was too damn cramped.
Right next to the counter stretched a narrow, elongated corridor, and at the end of it were four wooden doors.
One of the rooms would be packed if two adults tried to sleep in it—it would leave you gasping for air—but since it was my own place, it felt… cozy.
I headed to the innermost room, kicked off my shoes, and collapsed onto the bed. Yellow linoleum floor and walls papered in moldy wallpaper.
No more zombies, no more human hunter raids. I could eat without worrying about starving. My personal paradise.
The fact that the world had gone to shit and I was the only one getting to suck on honey felt pretty damn good.
“Ya, life’s a success. I could just live here forever eating nothing but bread.”
New menu options had popped up in the status window.
There was also an upgrade section. It looked like it could expand things by increasing the maximum number of tiles.
From inn to various-star hotel.
“A 7-star hotel, huh. Requirement… 60,000 tiles?”
I didn’t really need it. Thirty tiles were more than enough. I could’ve survived on bread alone here for the rest of my life.
But that happiness lasted all of one minute. Upgrades were necessary.
“…Ugh, damn. What’s that smell?”
The culprit was the clogged toilet and drain. No matter how long I’d lived in this apocalypse, the stench of rotten shit and piss was still hard to take.
I’d spent most of my time in apartments before this.
I couldn’t hold it in any longer, so I started poking around the status window’s management menu.
[Infrastructure Management - Hygiene & Care]
Current facility: Traditional septic tank (Grade F)
Facility condition: [Broken] Septic tank capacity exceeded and waste is backing up
Penalty: Constant bad odor in the area / Increased risk of food poisoning and skin disease with prolonged residence
“Everything’s handled by the system, huh.”
It was actually a relief. Rebuilding infrastructure in a dead world alone was practically impossible.
Even though stuff was lying around everywhere, moving it wasn’t easy.
To shift large pipes or heavy machinery, you needed a transport vehicle and fuel, plus combat troops to fend off zombies or human hunters while traveling.
On top of that, how the hell would you even set up solar generators or water systems by yourself?
It’d be like advertising to the whole neighborhood, “Hey, I live here.” The next day, a gang of armed robbers would slice off my head and steal my base.
Protecting what you’ve got was way harder than just scavenging in a dead world.
But I had the status window god. It was basically a cheat code.
There had to be a quick fix.
“Let’s see here…”
[Septic Tank Repair - Complete Waste Decomposition and Drain Pipe Disinfection]
Cost: 1000 P
Effect: Fully decomposes waste inside the septic tank and discards the system. Blocks and disinfects drain pipe odors.
Unlock condition: Achieved hygiene grade [E] in the territory and register one dedicated personnel for [Labor & Manual] duty.
“Hm, 1000 P…”
The manager’s discount sticker was plastered all over it. The original price for repairing a septic tank was tens of thousands of points, but now it was 1000. I was glad I hadn’t wasted points.
I could’ve paid anything if it just fixed the tank, but the conditions were the real problem.
“Hygiene grade? Do I need staff too?”
My position was fixed as manager. I had three hires available right now. Assignable departments: hygiene, production, security.
Assigning hygiene staff apparently unlocked baths. Production could do makeshift vegetable patches, and security…
“Security? Why do I even need that?”
It was supposed to be invincible inside my territory, right?
At that moment, the corner of the status window.
[First Trial - Great Deluge]
Time remaining: 29 days 23 hours 59 minutes
Every 30 days, a massive army will launch a large-scale assault on the safe zone.
Failure to defend: Territory destruction and barrier destruction.
“…Ah, that’s why there’s a security department.”
There really was no such thing as a completely free lunch in this world.
Perfect invincibility most of the time, but periodic defense battles were required.
“Zombies are gonna pour in after 30 days…”
I scratched my head. Defending alone with a broom would be a limit. I needed to expand defenses and hire people to fight with me.
“I guess I can’t just play and eat forever.”
If the status window followed game rules, room upgrades would be mandatory.
I looked around the area.
“Looks like there’s a lot to do.”
I had to quickly normalize the inn and get it ready to take guests. First priority: fix that septic tank.
I couldn’t open the inn yet because the conditions weren’t met.
The urgent task was raising the hygiene grade.
[Tutorial Quest: Toward a Comfortable Inn (1)]
Summary: Remove the accumulated filth from the long-abandoned inn and prepare a basic cleaning environment.
Completion conditions:
[Cleaning Supplies] - Acquire lube, mop, broom, etc. (0/1)
[Environmental Cleanup] - Remove dust and mold from corridor and 4 guest rooms (0/1)
[Disinfecting Cleanup] - Remove floor filth and mop with lube (0/1)
Reward: Achieved hygiene grade [E] / 1000 P
“Hm, let’s see…”
I opened the newly added shop and checked the prices of cleaning supplies.
“Lube 500 P? Mop set 1500 P?”
Lube at 5,000 won and a mop at 15,000 won was reasonable, but the points were a waste.
No, the septic tank repair was 1000 points, but a mop set was 1500? That was insane. I wasn’t buying a mop set with points.
I should spend points on territory management and farm everything else myself.
I closed the shop window.
“I’ll only buy rare stuff from the shop.”
The real problem was whether I could leave this inn and roam freely. Leaving the base came with a penalty.
[Territory Bond]
Effect: The manager cannot move outside the territory at any time. (Exiting causes infrastructure shutdown and one week of business suspension.)
“Hm.”
The penalty seemed a bit harsh, but there was also a skill to offset it.
Manager Privilege 1: [Time to Go Out (Lv.1)]
Effect: Activates once a week. Temporarily releases the basic restriction [Territory Bond] to allow up to 30 minutes of outside activity.
Special effect: During the time out, a complete invisibility and no-sound zone for zombies is formed within a 1-meter radius centered on the manager.
※ After 30 minutes, immediate forced return to the inn counter at initial state.
Manager Privilege 2: [Super Host (Lv.1)]
Effect: Activates once a month.
Special effect: Upon receiving fatal damage or in an emergency situation, a 10-second absolute invulnerable barrier forms that absorbs all damage. After that, automatic return to the counter.
“What a scam skill.”
Upgrades were possible, but it was disappointing. Right now, the inn’s location was crap.
Even if I could go out once a week for 30 minutes as a zombie-limited invisible human, this place was smack in the middle of the shantytown.
With the time limit, I couldn’t make it to places like big supermarkets, military bases, or general hospitals for good farming spots.
The only thing I could scavenge from a small local market was groceries.
“What, where’s the point in saving on lube and mops?”
There had to be cleaning tools everywhere.
They were useful, but not like food that got eaten left and right.
I spread out the map and planned my route.
“Corner shop I checked on the way here—check. If it’s empty, go straight to the road and head to the market…”
I carefully planned while knowing the Super Host effect wouldn’t help against attacks.
Ten seconds was an insanely long time—two people could just drown or run away without a second thought. But it was better to have no incidents.
A thought flashed through my head for a second.
“Wait, then a revolver would be a huge help.”
In a zombie apocalypse, guns were like the nuclear button.
You could deal massive damage with a shot, but at the same time the whole area would swarm with zombies.
It was the mutual assured destruction button: kill your enemy and become zombie food yourself.
But if the zombies ignored me, couldn’t I just call it the necromancer’s staff?
“Gun tech tree really needs serious consideration. Of course, that’s still a ways off.”
I couldn’t even pierce a toilet with a gun—how the hell was I supposed to use a gun? I sighed.
“Alright, let’s go.”
I activated the skill and felt my body tingle.
“Is it done…?”
I guess the skill time was decreasing in the status window.
Squeak—
I opened the inn door and stepped outside. A zombie was right there.
“Grrroooaarrr…”
A zombie squatting in the alley let out a disgusting noise and started moving its head.
I gripped the broom and approached as silently as possible. Now I was only about a meter away.
I took a few more steps with courage.
“Hey.”
In the normal situation, it should have rushed me. But the thing didn’t even recognize me and just shuffled by.
“Totally treated me as invisible.”
Feeling confident, I got right up close and waved my hand. Zero reaction.
“Nice.”
Yeah, the status window god would know what to do. Don’t overthink it.
I smiled brightly and stepped forward.
How long had it been since I felt this emotion? It was nostalgic. Walking the neighborhood so easily.
It felt like taking a stroll.