Chapter 10: I Became a Game Character in the Apocalypse

Perhaps the reason why the door of the two-person dormitory at the entrance of the dormitory complex was open was because of Seol Yewon.

Seol Yewon, who had been wandering around the dormitory, was running out of the food she had scavenged and decided to head to the dormitory cafeteria. Since there was no power, all the food had gone bad, so she had no choice but to turn to the convenience store. There, she met the men I had encountered. They lured Seol Yewon with the promise of a hideout, and excited by the prospect of meeting other survivors, she followed them without any hesitation. However, she instinctively sensed a threat from the direction they were heading. Seol Yewon made a bitter expression and, as if she still couldn't understand, rubbed her forehead and continued, "You know, as you might have experienced in Last Ark... there were some monsters that just couldn't be defeated at this point. So, I ran away."

"Zombie leaders."

When I said this matter-of-factly, Seol Yewon made her mouth into a diamond shape and nodded vigorously.

"Did you see them too? The zombie leaders?"

"I saw two of them."

"Huh? Two?"

Seol Yewon tilted her head and stared at my face blankly.

Not two?

When I also tilted my head, Seol Yewon counted on her fingers and said, "Three, right?"

"What?"

Three zombie leaders in the dormitory?

Confused, I scratched my head and replied, "I saw two. They were fighting each other."

"Fighting? So, did the two kill the other one?"

"There's no need for that, they're the same zombies."

"Do you remember how it was in the game? I never got past the early part of the second episode, so I don't know what happens after that."

I had seen zombie leaders band together to increase their numbers, but I had never seen them fight over territory. Of course, it's problematic to equate a programmed game with reality.

"Hold on a moment."

If we follow the setting of Last Ark...

I stroked my chin thoughtfully. Seol Yewon, puzzled by my expression, looked at me with a worried gaze and asked, "Why, do you know something?"

"No, this... it's just ridiculous."

"Why? Tell me."

I also wasn't sure, but if we follow the setting of Last Ark... the worst scenario might have unfolded.

"Mutants."

"Mutants?"

"Have you ever seen a mutant?"

"I've never even heard of one."

"According to the setting of Last Ark, the starting point of mutants is the zombie leaders. These evolved zombies need to continuously consume human brains to maintain their sanity, and if they miss the timing, they transform into mutants."

Seol Yewon stared at me blankly, then blinked and continued, "Wait, wait a moment. So... there might be a mutant somewhere in this school?"

"Unlikely. It's absurd for mutants to appear in the first episode. They only show up in the mid-to-late part of the second episode."

"Has anything made sense since the fog spread?"

"..."

In the game, mutants appear in the mid-to-late part of the second episode, when the player has obtained firearms. We can't even handle zombie leaders right now, so if mutants show up... the survival rate would be virtually 0%.

Seol Yewon bit her lower lip, deep in thought, and then looked at me and asked, "So... how are we supposed to deal with such a monster without a safe house or the main characters?"

"Mutants are very strong. They don't die easily even when shot."

Seol Yewon let out a sigh of disbelief and rubbed her forehead. She then looked at me directly and asked, "Without a safe house or the main characters, how are we supposed to deal with such a monster?"

It's a grim situation, but we can't just sit and wait to die. Moreover, there's no solid evidence that mutants are on campus, so there's no need to jump to conclusions. I took a deep breath, looked at Seol Yewon, and said, "I have a plan."

"A plan?"

"I know a place where the safe house and main characters are gathered."

Seol Yewon's eyes lit up, and she perked up her ears.

To increase our chances of survival, we need to gather as many Last Ark players as possible. I looked at Seol Yewon and said, "There's a group at the student council building. Let's go together."

"The student council building?"

Seol Yewon raised an eyebrow and tilted her head. She then made a suspicious expression, kept a slight distance, and asked me, "You said you came from the dormitory. How do you know if there's a group at the student council building?"

"My classmates and I used to play Last Ark together. They said they were studying in the club room the day before the fog spread."

"Are you sure you're not lying?"

"If you don't want to, you can act separately."

I said this casually and stood up. Seol Yewon immediately grabbed my sleeve.

She then cleared her throat and said, "I... will go with you."

* * *

We filled our stomachs with the food I had brought in my bag.

I thought I had packed a lot, but it wasn't much.

If we eat heartily, it might last for two meals.

We filled our empty stomachs with clams, snacks, and canned food, and then sat facing each other to think about the best route to the student council building.

Seol Yewon put on her glasses and unfolded a map in the corner.

I tilted my head and asked, "You wear glasses?"

"Huh? Yeah."

"Then why didn't you wear them earlier?"

"My vision isn't that bad, about 0.7."

It was the borderline between wearing and not wearing glasses.

I suggested she wear them whenever possible, and Seol Yewon made a bitter expression and wiped her glasses on her sleeve.

Is it because wearing glasses in the fog is inconvenient?

I looked at Seol Yewon, and she moved her lips and said, "When I'm alone... I don't have to force myself to see things I don't want to."

In a world gone mad, even with Gabriel's ability, ignoring zombies?

Well, I can understand feeling pessimistic when you think you're alone. I decided to remain silent rather than nag.

Seol Yewon adjusted her glasses and unfolded the map she had brought.

A map of the entire school.

It wasn't printed but drawn by hand.

"Did you draw this?"

"I thought I needed a map to mark areas with many zombies."

The map was meticulously drawn, dividing the campus into the College of Engineering, College of Natural Sciences, College of Fine Arts, College of Music, College of Business Administration, College of Humanities, and College of Social Sciences, with all buildings and terrain carefully detailed.

I couldn't help but admire Seol Yewon's attention to detail.

"What do the circles on the map represent?"

"Areas with many zombies."

"The more circles, the more zombies?"

"One circle for every ten zombies. Less than ten, a triangle."

It was impressive not only to create the map but also to count the zombies and mark such details.

Not all areas of the campus had been checked, but the dormitory, College of Music, College of Fine Arts, and College of Natural Sciences were marked.

It had only been a little over two weeks, yet the fact that Seol Yewon had visited so many areas made her seem different.

Seol Yewon carefully examined the map, drew a diagonal line from our current location to the student council building, and said, "It's at least 800 meters if we go straight."

"There's the central square and the library on the way, so crossing would be suicide."

The number of zombies in the central square and the library could be estimated without seeing them.

During exam periods, the library was almost always full.

The central square, located at the main entrance of the library, was a bustling place with tired students, people out for a walk, and couples on dates.

It would be the second most densely populated area with zombies after the dormitory.

I carefully examined the map and said, "You haven't checked the College of Engineering, right?"

"There's only one way to get to the College of Engineering from here, and it's too risky."

Our current location was the College of Natural Sciences. The only way to get to the College of Engineering from the College of Natural Sciences was to move to the central avenue.

With only one route, there's no way to deal with unexpected variables.

It's best not to enter the College of Engineering.

Moreover, during exam periods, engineering students often stay up all night studying.

So, the number of zombies there is likely to be as high as in the College of Fine Arts.

Seol Yewon stroked her chin, organized her thoughts, and then pointed to a spot on the map with the pen in her hand and continued, "What about going through the general education building?"

"That's also risky, as it's right next to the central square."

"Then the best route is to go around the main building."

"Right. The front of the main building is a rotary, so there probably won't be many zombies."

"The main building is close to the College of Music, will that be okay?"

"The central avenue between the main building and the College of Music is six lanes wide. The zombies' line of sight isn't that long."

Based on my experience, the zombies' line of sight is about 20 meters.

The central avenue is six lanes wide, and considering the sidewalks and landscaping around the buildings, it's enough to get out of their line of sight.

I organized my thoughts, checked my wristwatch, and said, "It's 4:30 PM, so we have about three hours."

"Three hours? What three hours?"

"When it gets dark, we won't be able to see anything. Gabriel's ability works well in the fog, not in the dark."

Seol Yewon pouted and nodded.

In a world without electricity, it's pure darkness. On a cloudy night, it's hard to even recognize objects right in front of you.

Seol Yewon snapped her fingers and said, "Oh, by the way, what about checking the College of Fine Arts cafeteria on the way?"

"The College of Fine Arts cafeteria? You just saw the zombies running from the College of Fine Arts. It's dangerous."

"I was going to give up on the College of Fine Arts cafeteria, but your information opened up a route."

She raised an eyebrow and looked at me. Seol Yewon then pointed to the map and said, "The route you took is a side road of the College of Fine Arts. The cafeteria is on the central avenue, about 200 meters from the side road."

"You're suggesting we check the cafeteria before the zombies gather on the side road?"

"Yeah, since we're going that way anyway."

"The food might not be well-preserved. The power was cut off a long time ago."

"The College of Fine Arts cafeteria is different. It's a recently remodeled building with solar panels on the roof."

I carefully examined the map after hearing Seol Yewon's explanation.

From the College of Natural Sciences, crossing the avenue leads to the Comprehensive Lecture Building, which is adjacent to the central square.

Since the central square is confirmed to be swarming with zombies, we should cross between the College of Music and the College of Fine Arts.

Since we have to move to the College of Fine Arts cafeteria anyway, it's not a bad idea to check it while moving.

"Okay, we'll check the cafeteria and then follow the plan."

Seol Yewon nodded and immediately prepared to move.

She seems timid but gets things done.

Is it right to say that her reason and emotion are well-balanced?

I have a good ally now.

* * *

After exiting through the back door of the Flower Design building, we moved along the perimeter of the building, keeping a watchful eye on our surroundings.

The fog limits visibility to about 5 meters.

The College of Fine Arts cafeteria is about 300 meters away.

With Seol Yewon, who can see through the fog, leading the way, we headed for the College of Fine Arts cafeteria.

How long had we been moving quietly?

Seol Yewon, who was leading, raised her palm to signal us to stop.

I stopped and narrowed my eyes.

I couldn't see anything, but Seol Yewon pointed ahead and said, "There are four of them 50 meters ahead. What do you want to do?"

"Are there any other zombies nearby?"

"It doesn't seem like it."

"Let's take them out."

"Take them out?"

I gripped the steel pipe and exhaled sharply.

If I kill five more, I can earn points.

It's beneficial to reduce their numbers, even if they're not banded together.

However, I could see Seol Yewon's hand trembling slightly.

She must be nervous.

She has probably been avoiding contact with zombies and trying to evade them as much as possible, so this is a natural reaction.

I looked at Seol Yewon and said, "I'll take the lead. Just catch the ones that come from the side."

Seol Yewon nodded without a word.

I held a monkey wrench in my left hand and a steel pipe in my right, and ran in the direction Seol Yewon pointed.

As a large sculpture appeared in the hazy view, the groans of zombies reached my ears.

Grrrr...

The zombies, gathered in front of the sculpture, turned to look at us.

I took a deep breath and swung the steel pipe at the face of the nearest zombie.