Chapter 3: I Became a Game Character in the Apocalypse

When I first met Jang Byung-cheol, we discovered we were from the same hometown and spent the night talking about Seoul. Jang Byung-cheol and I had a lot in common. We both had dreamed of studying physical education, but neither of us managed to pursue it. Jang Byung-cheol couldn't because of a shoulder injury, and I couldn't because of my shoulder and ankle. I wiped away my tears as I read the last sentence of the suicide note. I gently opened the desk drawer, and as Jang Byung-cheol had said, there was a letter and a box inside. The letter was from his son, congratulating his parents on their wedding anniversary, and the box contained two wristwatches. I bit my lower lip and clutched the box tightly. Such a good person, such a kind person... he left this world so tragically. Are my parents safe? The fog must have spread to Seoul too. So far, I've been paralyzed by fear, desperately hoping for external help. I can't stay trapped in the dormitory, whining like a child forever. There is no rescue team. No one will save me, and if I don't move, nothing will change. I clenched my teeth and balled my fists so hard they hurt. With a heart full of tears, I made a vow. Even if I die, I want to be buried in my hometown. No matter what, I have to go to Seoul. I have to check on my parents and fulfill Jang Byung-cheol's last request. Ding— At that moment, a familiar sound rang in my ear. The notification tone I had heard for the past year. When I looked up at the sound, I saw a hologram in front of me. -A quest has been created. -Clear Reward: Ark Entry Ticket. -Clear Condition: Check on your parents' well-being. -Time Limit: None. The hologram made me doubt my eyes. I couldn't close my gaping mouth. The familiar border, the familiar text. It was the notification window from Last Ark. As I examined the hologram with a dazed expression, another sentence appeared. -The abilities of the last character you played will be transferred. -Character Name: Adam White -Abilities: Enhancement -Stats: Strength 5, Endurance 5, Reflexes 5, Dynamic Vision 5, Mental Strength 10 -Eliminate zombies to earn points. -Zombies eliminated: 1/20 -Points remaining: 0 -You have cleared the beta test. Adam's Easter Egg has been activated. *Adam's Easter Egg is unlocked through continuous enhancement. Yes, now I understand. The appearance of the floor manager turned into a zombie, the thick fog covering the world, the reason the game developer was marked as GOD, and why the game was so realistic. Everything was a prelude, a tutorial. It really is a game created by God. The only person in the world who knows how this crazy world will change, how to survive, and the entire process is just one person. -A main quest has been created. -Arrive at the Ark with your companions. -Clear Reward: Ending -Clear Condition: All quests must be completed. -Time Limit: None. I confirmed the hologram and calmed my agitated heart with a deep breath. I can't keep crying and lamenting. It's a chaotic time, but I need to pull myself together. I stared at the box containing the wristwatches. Jamsil, where my parents live, and Apgujeong, Jang Byung-cheol's hometown. I will visit my parents' house to check on them, and then deliver Jang Byung-cheol's suicide note and wristwatches to his parents. A yellow light flickered in the upper right corner of my vision. I had seen a similar phenomenon in the game. A yellow light would flicker when a quest was created or new game information appeared. When I placed my right hand on the yellow light, another sentence appeared. -The Arks in South Korea are located in Seoul and Busan. They're telling me this from the start? In the early stages, only one Ark was revealed, and the final Ark was only revealed in the fourth episode, according to the original Last Ark setting. For some reason, revealing the final destination from the start to someone who has seen the game's ending will be a trump card. I clenched my teeth and resolved. 'I won't be manipulated by you anymore.' My current location is Gyeongsan. The closest Ark is in Busan. I want to go to Busan right away, but I need to complete all my quests to finish the main quest. In other words, I need to check on my parents in Seoul to see the final ending. The system window displayed player information, quests, and clear objectives. If this world follows the Last Ark setting, quests will be created based on the given situations and conditions. When I checked the clear objectives, a hologram appeared in front of me. -To clear the first episode 'Safe House,' you need to find players who have played Last Ark. *Minimum required players for the first episode: 6, or a combination of different classes. Indeed, to achieve the final goal, the main characters of the game need to gather. Rachel, Gabriel, Danny, Rose, Adam. These five need to gather, or if any class is missing, duplicate classes can be used to form a group of six to clear the episode. It seems that people who enjoyed Last Ark have been given the abilities of their characters. Although it's a needle in a haystack, it's good news for me. My clubmates. If the abilities are transferred to those who have played Last Ark, my clubmates who played the game with me must have received abilities. I need to find my clubmates. If they have been given abilities, they must have seen quests and episodes like me. The first episode, Safe House, is the starting point for moving to the Ark. The mission is to build a safe house to defend against zombies and prepare a means of transportation. Where would my clubmates, who have been given quests, think of first? A place where everyone can gather without communication. A place that is safe and has good resources in the current situation. The answer came to me quickly. The club room. * * * I packed the necessary items into my bag one by one. I also included newspaper, a 3m cable, tissues, clothes, tape, scissors, and a cutter. I used 1.5cm thick books on the desk to protect my arms and legs, and grabbed a stick from the corner. After completing all the preparations, I took a deep breath and thought. Be careful in the early stages. Adam's weakness is that he has no abilities in the beginning. I carefully removed the newspaper covering the window, and the corridor came into view. Two zombies were walking in the corridor. I don't know where the others went. The zombies in the corridor are in the opposite direction of the stairs, so I should be able to move without being detected if I move quietly. I cleared the shoe rack in front of the door and took a deep breath, closing my eyes tightly. This is not a game. It's not like you can die and start over like in a game; if you die once, it's over. This is reality. I steeled myself and carefully opened the door. Creak. The door creaked from disuse, echoing in the corridor. 'Damn...' My blood ran cold. The two zombies in the corridor turned to look at me without hesitation. Grrrr... Kaaah! It started off wrong. It's impossible to deal with two zombies with just a stick. I quickly locked the door and blocked the entrance with the shoe rack. Grrrrrr!! Bang! Bang, Bang! Creak, Bang! The zombies, grinding their throats, relentlessly pounded on the door. Then, the zombies in other rooms started to gather, drawn by the noise. How long will the door hold? If the door breaks, it's over. The 128 deaths I experienced while playing Last Ark flashed through my mind. One chance, one life. I need to think. Don't panic; I need to come up with a plan. I've been trembling with fear for the past two weeks. I won't wait to die in fear anymore. As I looked around the room, I noticed the four beds. Right, the bed sheets. I quickly stripped the bed sheets and tied them into a rope. I secured the end of the bed sheet rope to the terrace and glanced at the door. The wooden door, which opens inward, seemed about to be torn off its hinges. I had no time to waste. I swallowed hard and moved to the railing. I gripped the bed sheet rope tightly and moved slowly, being careful not to fall. I needed to be cautious. Without any safety measures, I would fall if I rushed. My limbs trembled, and my muscles ached from the start. My body condition was terrible, probably due to the lack of balanced nutrition and exercise over the past two weeks. When I reached 301, I could see the zombies through the terrace glass door. Grrrr, Kaaah! The zombies in 301 noticed me. If they break the glass and come out, I won't be able to resist and will be torn apart. My heart raced, and my legs flailed. I needed to secure the bed sheet rope with my legs and arms, but my legs flailed, transferring all my weight to my arms. My arms, which were tense, started to lose strength. Bang!! Then, I heard a dull thud from the fourth floor, and I saw a group of zombies on the terrace. Did they break the door already? The zombies ran to the fourth-floor railing and leaned over, reaching out with their arms. A grating sound came from the railing. As dozens of zombies pushed with all their might, the railing couldn't hold. The long bed sheet rope shook violently. I clung to it like a cicada on a tree, trying not to fall. Clang! Grrrr!! At the same time, the glass door on the third floor broke, and the zombies started to rush in. Knowing that falling would mean death, my arms instinctively lost strength as the threat approached. Whoosh— Just as the zombies on the third floor reached for my head, I narrowly avoided them. Avoided? I didn't see it coming. I automatically dodged while falling. As I fell, I desperately grabbed the bed sheet rope, feeling the heat of friction on my palms. "Grrr!" I clenched my teeth and furrowed my brow at the pain in my palms. The zombies on the third floor leaned out of the terrace, reaching for me with their arms. How long will the railing hold? Then, one of them stared at the bed sheet rope in front of me and slowly reached out. Thud. The zombie grabbed the bed sheet rope and started to pull. "Let go, let go, you bastard!" I flailed in the air, shaking the bed sheet rope. But the zombie, as if playing a fun game, started to pull relentlessly. With incredible strength, every time the zombie bent its arm, I was pulled up 20cm. If it were a normal zombie, it would flail like the others, but could it have a special function? No way. Special-function zombies only appear after entering the safe house. Maybe the difficulty has changed? The evolution speed of the zombies is different. The only thing I can do... is keep going down to survive. "Huh? Huh?" As I flailed and kept going down, I soon reached the end of the bed sheet rope. There was no more room to go down, and the zombies above were pulling the rope, trying to tear my flesh. The anxiety, the trembling limbs, the inescapable pressure. Then, I noticed the second-floor terrace in front of me. There was no other option. There was no best choice in this situation. I just had to avoid the worst. I swung my body back and forth and jumped onto the second-floor terrace with all my might. Thud! I hit the second-floor terrace glass with my forehead but managed to land on the terrace. Bang!! The railing broke, and the zombies above started to fall. The zombies leaning out of the third-floor railing were hit by the falling zombies, breaking their necks or falling with them. I leaned against the second-floor terrace glass door, watching the falling zombies. Even as they fell, their eyes glared at me. A chill ran down my spine, and my hair stood on end at the sight of the zombies, which felt like a wall. Bang! Bang! Bang! Crack! Thud! The terrifying sounds of breaking and twisting flesh echoed from the ground. The most horrific sounds. The sounds of human bodies bursting and twisting. I instinctively squeezed my eyes shut. I tensed my trembling arms, praying for this situation to end soon. Will I... survive?