episode_0003

003

The more you eat, the stronger you get

Chomp chomp –

I confirmed that [Feeding] didn’t necessarily require pressing the phone, it could be done just by speaking.

‘That fellow sure eats well.’

I quietly watched the scene of the zombie devouring.

‘By the way… since when did I become this numb?’

I spent my childhood partly in the wild.

I think it’s an extremely natural phenomenon for life to prey on life.

However, the process of a humanoid consuming a humanoid is something I’m seeing for the first time.

Despite that, right now I don’t feel any sense of strangeness or discomfort.

Rather, the memory of a wild boar eating a monkey gives me a more chilling feeling.

‘Zombie…’

Honestly, the zombie in front of me is objectively not an attractive form at all.

Its skin is peeling off in places, and there is hardly any hair.

Occasionally, blood also flows from its blood vessels.

But I don’t feel any repulsion at all.

To the point that I rather feel like wanting to treat its injuries first.

‘Was I originally a zombie enthusiast?’

Not at all.

It seems that since I became a zombie summoner, my thoughts have been adjusted to be advantageous for survival.

I won’t complain.

No, I’m rather thankful.

I might have to live as a zombie summoner from now on, so what would I do if zombies were uncomfortable?

“Gurgle.”

The zombie gathered only the brains of the dwarves and brought them.

‘Is the brain like a special treat for these guys?’

Normally, there’s a saying that if you eat eyes, your eyes get better.

Then, if I feed it brains, won’t the zombie’s intelligence rise a little?

Anyway, there’s no way I’ll ever eat brains, so I’ll just give them all to the zombie.

It might be good to keep feeding it, at least until it can make the judgment ‘summoners don’t eat brains’.

Crunch crunch.

While I feel sorry for having damaged the zombie’s arm, there’s actually another reason I used [Feeding].

Seeing that the broken arm wasn’t refilled, it seems summoned creatures that die are consumed.

If so, for now I should pursue a strong few rather than a weak many.

After confirming that the zombie had finished its feast, I pressed [Check Reward].

[1 – 1 Clear]

[Clear all of Stage 1.]

And a familiar light envelops me.

As expected, when I opened my eyes this time too, I was sitting in a dark room.

‘How many stages are there for this?’

But I quickly erased that worry.

If I keep clearing, I’ll reach the end someday.

Rather than that, let’s check the reward.

[Lowest Grade Zombie Enhancement Potion]

‘Huh… Is this it?’

Disappointment.

And there’s one more thing to be disappointed about.

While pressing [Check Reward], I had deliberately held the dagger used by the dwarves in my hand.

I had tried to experiment if I could take items dropped to the next round, but… the result was failure.

But the chair is there.

And it’s in a refilled state!

‘Alright, if it’s the chair, that’s enough, what more could I wish for.’

In fact, if there’s a chair, I don’t need the dagger.

I familiarly placed the one-armed zombie in the front room.

Looking at what’s visible on the CCTV, as expected, the arm has grown quite a bit.

To the point that now I should call it someone without just one hand, rather than one-armed.

‘I should name this guy too…’

It’s bothersome.

Anyway, isn’t a name used to distinguish different entities?

If there’s only one zombie, I can just call it ‘Zombie’.

If there are two or more zombies later, let’s worry about naming them then.

“Zombie. Come here.”

As I opened the door, the guy found me and came running quickly.

I used the [Lowest Grade Zombie Enhancement Potion].

“Kyaaaa…”

‘Is it feeling good?’

It shouldn’t feel good.

I am of the belief that one must endure pain for growth.

Don’t muscles also have to be torn thousands of times and then regenerate repeatedly to grow?

What tastes good is usually not good for the body.

I examined the zombie’s body here and there.

It seems like its muscle mass has increased a little compared to earlier.

“Hmm…”

And I found out a surprising fact.

This fellow was female.

It wasn’t anything else, I figured it out by looking at the shape of its eyes and its pelvis.

“Heh… Tsk. No wonder it seemed so scrawny.”

I am not gay.

I am attracted to human women more than human men.

But what on earth are the advantages of a female zombie!

“Gurgle gurgle.”

“Hmm… Okay. Work hard.”

I patted the zombie’s shoulder.

And I turned off my interest in her and pressed [Battle Start] on my phone.

Rumble –

This time, I didn’t forget and brought the chair.

The enemy room was connected to the zombie room.

Click –

The door opens and 3 dwarves enter.

And behind them, 2 dwarves holding bows are visible.

‘Ranged?’

I flinched, but quickly regained my composure.

The weapon called a bow requires considerable muscular strength.

If you’re going to pull it with mediocre strength, just stabbing with a spear or sword is much better.

And considering the dwarves’ muscle strength, the threat level of the bow is quite low.

‘But even so, there’s no need to take risks.’

I immediately rushed out, used the chair to push the dagger dwarves back, and closed the door.

Bang!

“Welcome.”

The three dwarves were removed very easily, just like 10 minutes ago.

In that process, I could confirm the zombie’s growth.

It was a guy who was pushed back in a strength contest with one dwarf in the tutorial, but now it can push enemies back with brute force and even stab its claw into their necks.

‘Oh… Is that the effect of the potion?’

“Keru kekek.”

“Yeah, you did well.”

Now it’s time to catch the archers.

I put my hand on the doorknob leading to the enemy’s room.

“Hmm…”

I called the zombie.

“When I open the door, you run in first.”

“Gek?”

“In our world, there’s a saying. Ladies first. Since you are a lady, you must go first.”

The zombie nods its head.

An amicable agreement was reached.

I opened the door, and the zombie ran into the room.

Two arrows fly.

But perhaps because they had assumed it was me from the start, the arrows passed over the zombie’s head.

The zombie charged in during that gap and subdued one of them.

The other dwarf hurriedly drew the bowstring, but my chair was faster.

Thwack!

“Easy peasy.”

“Kerek kegek.”

Three familiar messages are displayed on the phone.

And after that, one more message appeared.

[Stage 1 Boss Stage]

I left the zombie, which had started gorging again, and sat on the chair.

It even feels like the eating time takes longer than the time to defeat enemies.

‘A boss, huh…’

Honestly, I’m not very anxious.

At most, isn’t it just a dwarf captain?

There’s no point worrying about it anyway, so I started doing bodyweight exercises to tense up my muscles.

‘Huh? Ohh? Ah?!’

And the surprising fact I realized.

My body is getting healthier.

As a healthy exerciser, I enjoy appropriate sports according to a curriculum every single day.

That’s why I know exactly how far my body can currently function.

But?

Even though I’ve already passed the sets where I should feel pain, it’s quite manageable.

This is a sensation!

Motivation that wasn’t there suddenly wells up like crazy.

I sprang up and shouted into the air.

“Ohh! It’s amazing! I love it!”

At my shout, the zombie also shouts.

“Kekeke! Kekek!”

‘When and how did this happen?’

The only situation I can think of is my body shining brightly when the stage ends.

Since all these situations take the form of a game, this can be seen as a type of level up.

‘How long do the stages go on?’

To think I had such a foolish worry!

The set doesn’t end unless death comes.

The zombie gathered and brought 5 more brains.

I stroked the zombie.

“You eat it all.”

“Kekekeke!”

“Okay. Okay.”

Crunch crunch.

After confirming that it had chewed and eaten all the brains, I pressed the [Check Reward] button.

It’s time to level up.

Again, in the dark room.

Putting everything else aside, I immediately lay face down on the floor.

Push-ups, squats, burpees.

‘As expected… the quantity has increased again…!’

This is a miracle.

“Uwaaa! Hurray! Hurray! Hurray!”

I, who had been exercising until sweat poured down like rain, feeling thrilled with emotion, realized.

‘Ah… I have to catch the boss.’

I sat on the chair and placed the zombie.

The reward this time was also [Lowest Grade Zombie Enhancement Potion].

It seems it was just a fixed reward.

I called the zombie and used the potion, and the zombie also got a little healthier.

‘Is this… a training partner?’

Anyway, there’s no time limit until the battle starts, so couldn’t I make the zombie exercise too?

“Zombie.”

“Gurgle?”

“Lie face down.”

Since the zombie is a beginner at exercising, high-intensity exercise is not good for its body.

For now, start with light ones.

Has about 30 minutes passed?

The zombie is lying face down on the floor.

“Heh… Tsk. How can it be so weak.”

“Ke… Kek.”

“Okay, since it’s the first day, let’s just do this much. After a short break, we’ll enter the boss stage.”

“Kek…”

While the zombie rested, I examined the room here and there.

One light mounted high up.

There is no CCTV installed.

‘What is illuminating it?’

It’s not important.

I have the ability to automatically make people healthy, is video transmission without some petty machine a problem?

The wall surface is solid.

When I tap it with my hand, there’s a heavy resonance.

‘Come to think of it… I moved quite a bit, but I’m not hungry. I don’t even think about the bathroom at all.’

It’s a strange space in many ways.

And at the same time, there’s something I anticipate.

This phenomenon probably didn’t happen only to me.

Since I was caught during a dog-like trial, some of the people who were there might be in a similar situation.

I don’t care if others just die to the dwarves.

“Manager Park…”

I gritted my teeth.

But that guy, I will definitely turn him into a corpse and make the zombie gnaw on his brain.

“Gurgle.”

The zombie approaches me, perhaps having recovered.

“Okay. Let’s start now.”

I pressed [Battle Start].

It’s the boss battle.