Chapter 4

### Chapter 4: I Became a Game Character in the Apocalypse

Sitting on the terrace, I waited silently, and the moans of the zombies no longer reached my ears.

If my memory serves me right, in the first episode, the zombies in the safe house weren't particularly powerful.

Since their sense of smell didn't work outside the fog, it was possible to avoid them as long as I didn't make any noise or get detected.

The problem was being trapped here.

The fog would rise to the second floor at night, so this place couldn't guarantee safety either.

Beyond the railing, the fallen zombies were scattered.

There might be some still alive among them, so sliding down the blanket as I did before would be suicidal.

With no other options, I looked at the glass door I had been leaning against.

The curtain blocked the view inside.

I took a few deep breaths to calm myself and gently knocked on the glass door.

Knock, knock.

There was no sign of movement.

Was this room free of zombies?

I carefully opened the glass door and pulled back the curtain with my left hand.

A musty smell and stifling heat brushed against my cheeks.

I thoroughly searched the room but found no traces of zombies.

It seemed no one was in this room when the fog spread.

If so, there might be some food left.

I opened all the drawers, but even the most common snacks were nowhere to be found.

With a sense of disappointment, I walked to the door and checked the corridor.

No zombies were wandering the corridor.

The fog had spread at dawn.

People on the second floor were likely infected while they were sleeping.

Rushing out blindly was dangerous, so I visualized potential scenarios and checked the items in my bag.

Was there any tool that could be used as a weapon?

The only usable tool was a 1-meter-long club.

A cutter knife wouldn't do any damage.

I needed to eliminate zombies and earn points, but the goal of 20 seemed daunting.

Surviving was already difficult, and engaging in a full-scale battle with zombies was unimaginable.

In the game, I would be given sharp weapons like knives or chainsaws, but reality was bleak.

I sighed, pressing my forehead and frowning.

Suddenly, I remembered the dorm supervisor's announcement two weeks ago.

It mentioned that the second-floor bathroom renovation might be noisy, and they asked for our understanding.

If the renovation wasn't complete, I might find a metal pipe.

Since I needed to replenish my water supply anyway, I decided to check the bathroom first.

I carefully checked the corridor again and opened the door without making any noise.

Creak, creak! Cough!

Strange moans came from rooms 204 and 202.

According to the game's setting, the zombies couldn't smell me since the fog hadn't risen yet.

I lowered my posture and moved silently, feeling like I was walking on thin ice.

I headed to the bathroom at the end of the corridor, where I sensed movement.

Gurgle, gurgle...

A raspy sound.

I peeked inside and saw a zombie shuffling in front of the sink, dragging its slippers.

It was swaying its upper body, looking at its reflection in the mirror.

Next to it, I saw unfinished plumbing, metal pipes, and a monkey wrench scattered on the floor.

If I could eliminate this zombie, I could get the metal pipe and the monkey wrench.

I closed my eyes tightly, took deep breaths, and repeated to myself that I could do it before standing up.

I gripped the club with both hands and charged at the zombie.

Before it could make a sound, I inhaled and swung the club.

Crack!

The sound of wood splitting, and the zombie's nose collapsed.

I didn't stop there and continued to beat it relentlessly.

Like a wild beast possessed by madness, I struck the zombie's skull with wide-open eyes.

Thud!

The club in my hand broke, so I stabbed the zombie's head with the sharp end.

Blood pooled on the floor.

The zombie's arms trembled and then fell limp.

“Huff... huff... huff...”

I panted heavily and wiped the blood from my face with my sleeve.

The flattened shape.

Seeing it, I felt a disgusting shiver run down my spine.

I shook my head vigorously and rubbed my arms.

Zombies might be drawn by the commotion, so I swallowed hard and checked the corridor.

Scrape, scrape, scrape.

The sound of doors being scratched and knocked on.

The zombies trapped in the rooms were reacting to the noise.

‘I need to get out.’

I quickly grabbed the metal pipe and the monkey wrench.

I refilled my 500mL water bottle and checked the corridor.

Roar!

Bang! Bang!

The moans of the zombies and the sound of doors being knocked on came from all directions.

The 20 meters to the stairs felt like a thousand miles.

The tension made my heart race.

The zombies seemed ready to break through the doors at any moment.

I braced my trembling legs and moved toward the stairs with a low posture.

Since the zombies couldn't smell me, as long as I wasn't in their line of sight, the commotion would die down.

However, zombies on the first and third floors might approach, so I stood by the stairs, holding the metal pipe, for a while.

1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes...

After about 7 minutes, the zombies' moans started to die down.

Fortunately, no zombies were entering the second floor.

I exhaled a heavy breath and rubbed my stiff neck.

No matter how resilient the zombies were, with the metal pipe, I could handle them much more easily than with the club.

I wiped the sweat from my palms onto my pants, adjusted my grip on the metal pipe, and slowly descended to the first floor, which was filled with fog.

It was quiet.

The silence was so profound that it felt like all the noise on Earth had disappeared.

Visibility in the fog was limited to 5 meters.

Beyond that, only the outlines were barely visible.

The pungent smell and the dampness on my skin, along with the stifling heat, made breathing difficult.

I might be infected by the virus in the fog, but I was also confident.

I had received the abilities of Adam White.

The main characters in Last Ark were immune to the fog and had special abilities.

Gabriel could see in the fog, Deni could read minds, Rachel could heal, and Rose had increased understanding of all equipment.

There were no signs of movement in the first-floor corridor, and no moans of zombies could be heard.

Were there no zombies?

I licked my dry lips and slowly approached the entrance.

Roar!

Contrary to my expectations, moans came from the supervisor's office next to me.

Did the zombies in the supervisor's office smell me?

At the same time, the sound of doors being knocked on came from all the rooms on the first floor.

Without looking back, I ran to the dormitory entrance.

Going outside might seem dangerous, but the fog had spread at around 3 a.m.

It was well past the curfew, so there would be no one wandering the dormitory area except for the staff.

In other words, it was safer to go outside than to stay inside.

I ran to the entrance and pushed the glass door with all my strength.

But for some reason, the glass door was firmly locked.

‘No way.’

Driven by the determination to survive, I had forgotten my student ID.

I had gathered the necessary items for survival but left my student ID, which was needed to enter the dormitory.

Roar!

The moans of the zombies grew more intense.

Clang!

The window of the supervisor's office broke, and the supervisor, now a zombie, leaned out and started flailing its arms.

I gripped the metal pipe and struck the entrance with all my might.

Clang!

It was clearly a glass door, but it didn't break easily.

Was it reinforced glass?

I swung the metal pipe repeatedly with all my strength, but it wouldn't break.

After a few incidents in the dormitory, the security had been tightened, and the door was extremely sturdy.

The supervisor was still trying to get out, even as it was being cut by the glass shards.

Seeing the supervisor, now a zombie, I felt a mix of emotions.

Although he always scolded me in a harsh dialect, he had taken care of me a lot during my time away from home.

- Park Jae-hyung! Did you drink again?

- You missed curfew again? 10 points, got it?

- Did I not tell you to eat on time? I'll tell the cafeteria, so go eat quickly.

The conversations I had with the supervisor flashed through my mind like faded Polaroid photos.

That caring supervisor... now wanted to attack me.

I bit my trembling lips and looked at the supervisor.

The master key around the supervisor's neck.

I closed my eyes tightly and swung the metal pipe at the supervisor's head.

Crack!

A heavy impact, unlike anything I had felt with the club.

A disturbing sound, like something breaking, echoed in my ears.

As the supervisor's head was crushed, its movements became sluggish.

“I'm sorry.”

I murmured in a low voice and swung the metal pipe again.

With a crunch, the supervisor's upper body slumped like a wet towel.

I trembled and tore the master key from the supervisor's neck, then ran back to the entrance.

The master key didn't work on the reader.

I tried several times, but the door wouldn't open.

Was the power out?

If the power was out, why was the door locked?

I didn't have time.

In a panic, I looked around and noticed a staircase leading to the basement.

Wasn't there a side door in the basement that led to a shortcut?

Without thinking, my body reacted.

I quickly moved to the basement and headed toward the side door.

In the dark, fog-filled basement, I couldn't tell if I was moving in the right direction.

After feeling my way along the wall for a while, I saw a figure walking in front of the side door.

Roar...

The security guard.

If I didn't eliminate the security guard, I would die.

I frowned and swung the metal pipe at the security guard's temple.

Thud!

The security guard staggered and then lunged at me with a twisted neck.

I widened my eyes and tried to swing my arm again, but he bit my arm first.

“Ugh!”

The sharp pain in my arm made me grit my teeth as I stared at him.

His bloodshot eyes were filled with the determination to kill me.

I couldn't swing the metal pipe at such a close distance.

I grabbed the monkey wrench from my pocket and thrust it at the security guard's eyes.

A strange sensation, like a fork piercing pudding, traveled through my fingertips.

I groaned and pushed the security guard's upper body away.

The security guard trembled like a person who had been electrocuted and soon stopped moving.

Checking my left arm, I saw the cover of a 1.5 cm book wrapped around my arm, now tattered.

Without a moment to relax, I grabbed the monkey wrench and headed to the side door.

The steel door was firmly locked.

But since it could be unlocked from the inside, I didn't hesitate to unlock it and rush out.

Roar!

The moans of the zombies inside the dormitory made me quickly close the steel door and check my surroundings.

A steep cliff blocked my path like a screen.

Where could I go to get to higher ground?

I was unfamiliar with the side door since I rarely used it.

With the fog limiting my visibility, I couldn't determine the path ahead.

If there was no answer, I had to take a chance.

I couldn't afford to hesitate in the fog.

The zombies would smell me and follow.

I chanted a six-letter word and ran to the left.