episode_0032

As the sun tilted, the temperature quickly cooled.

A full autumn evening.

Instead of the harsh midday sun, the cooling air was welcome.

Facing such outdoor air, I felt quite good.

‘I don’t have to worry about starving for a while.’

If I were to eat alone, it was enough combat rations to last for several years. Those unknown American friends had an extraordinary scale even for lunchboxes. If the situation calmed down and I was still alive by then, I vowed to travel to America.

First, before it got too late, I filled my duffel bag in advance.

An appropriate amount of retort pouches, instant rice, and a few side dishes. Sneakers to reduce travel fatigue. After packing a bit generously, the duffel bag was already full.

‘If I didn’t even have an inventory… it would be terrible.’

Let alone others, even taking care of myself would have been overwhelming.

What a relief.

Feeling grateful for the inventory once again, I moved carefully, avoiding the zombies.

As autumn began, the time the sun was up decreased.

The season where nights grow longer is approaching.

‘Winter… what to do….’

For now, I’m vaguely gathering supplies, but I need to prepare.

There’s little as harsh as facing winter without any preparation.

The season where living creatures huddle in cold temperatures, struggling not to lose body heat, is a difficult time for them.

Even more so when a life-threatening factor, like now, has been added.

Thoughts continued, but I didn’t let down my guard.

Unlike when I was moving around during the day, I saw scattered zombies lurking. They wobbled and walked, making strange groaning sounds like soulless people.

But they weren’t leaving a certain range, just roaming around.

As if this was their territory.

Would creatures whose brains had melted even be capable of thought in the first place?

Catching and killing them wasn’t a problem, but I preferred to avoid encountering them if possible.

Raw hostile emotions.

Anger, murderous intent, and gluttony to tear and devour.

Negative emotions that shouldn’t be directed at living beings.

If expressed as a color instead of words, a disgusting black would fit.

No, I doubt they can even be compared to emotions.

As a normal person, encountering such things was burdensome in many ways.

If I kept encountering such negative things, I might be devoured in a different sense. Or perhaps I would get used to it.

Neither option was good at all.

That’s why I detour if possible.

I don’t avoid them because I’m scared; I avoid them because they’re filthy.

They’re filthy in many ways, so I simply avoid them.

While avoiding the zombies, I also learned a few things more clearly.

Firstly, though not great, their eyesight was definitely active.

Secondly, they definitely reacted to sound. Their hearing seemed more sensitive than their sight; they reacted precisely even to small noises that a human might casually dismiss with a “What was that?”. These creatures would turn their heads towards the sound and bare their teeth.

Thirdly, if their heads aren’t destroyed, they struggle to the very end. Since their bodies are already dead, they probably don’t feel pain, but the conditions to silence them completely are quite tricky.

Fourthly, they exert slightly more strength than an adult male, but their durability itself is no different from a human’s. I plan to confirm this part further against zombies later.

Like painting over a color to make it clear and bold, these facts became apparent after frequently encountering zombies. But…

‘I can’t even begin to guess why these guys suddenly appeared.’

If I could know the fundamental reason why zombies appeared….

Even if I knew, it probably wouldn’t change anything right away.

But I think it might give me hope of seeing an end.

No, it has to.

I didn’t come all this way back just to live my whole life holding my breath.

I didn’t survive death just to suffer like a dog.

I will definitely have a happy ending.

As I walked, firming my resolve, I hid behind an abandoned car.

‘What is it? Why are the zombies…?’

The alleyway leading to the motel where my companions were staying. From ahead, the irritating groans of zombies could be heard.

Zombies that weren’t there before were lurking in the alley.

I held my breath and tried to assess the situation, but the sun had already set.

The old streetlights standing sparsely were already off.

Thankfully, my eyes had grown accustomed to the darkness as the sun slowly set.

I could make out the general silhouettes of the zombies, but anything more was impossible.

The ground wasn’t very visible, making it hard to find traces.

‘…Should I use it?’

I thought about climbing over the building to pass, but decided to hold off for a moment. Now was a good chance to test my new weapon.

I confirmed once again that the zombies were far away.

I was careful not to make any sounds that might provoke them.

I carefully laid the crowbar on the ground and swapped equipment from my inventory.

A slingshot and steel balls.

If this could really be useful in a real fight…

First, I placed the largest, thumbnail-sized ball into the pouch.

The distance was about 15m or more. Behind them, three or four zombies were vaguely visible, and there seemed to be more beyond.

I exhaled deeply and slightly leaned my body out from beside the scrap car.

Slowly. So they wouldn’t notice, as if I wasn’t even there.

My straining fingers dug into the leather pouch.

This time, I held my breath and slowly aimed at the zombie ahead.

Snap-!!

As I released the rubber band pulled to its limit, the steel ball shot out with a small recoil sound.

Thud-!!

The zombie, which had been aimlessly shuffling, staggered its head and slumped down.

‘Oh, impressive…!’

It had considerable power and was more useful than I thought.

From the feeling just now, it seemed to have pierced the head.

This time, I reduced the size of the steel ball.

Thwack-!!

Again, the zombie was hit in the head and collapsed weakly.

The power of this toy-like thing was certainly reliable.

A childlike toy appearance with disproportionate lethality.

It was easy to carry, and while it required practice to use, it wasn’t professional-level difficulty. It was quite useful and I liked it.

‘It would be fine to give these to my companions.’

There wasn’t much difficulty in using it. Aiming was easy too.

I couldn’t use it openly in front, but if I chose my position well, I might expect great results. Most importantly, the advantage of not having to get covered in that rotten-smelling bodily fluid was huge.

Having confirmed its power, I put away the large steel balls and only used the smaller ones.

Even in that state, they were still zombies in human form. The sound of skulls shattering filled the quiet alley’s audio.

Only after punching holes in the heads of about 20 zombies did the strange groaning sounds stop. It didn’t even take long. It was a clean sweep.

These guys showed no reaction even when the head of a fellow zombie exploded right next to them.

No, to be precise, they recognized the sound of a head exploding but were indifferent to a fellow zombie falling.

If a zombie with a burst head fell, that was simply it.

They didn’t even glance, as if it had never been there.

‘If I don’t get noticed and don’t make a sound….’

There would be many variables, but quietly wiping them out wasn’t impossible.

I had also obtained a bow, not just a slingshot.

Both were slow to load, but if positioned well, they could be quite effective.

I expected that I could reduce danger when moving with my companions in the future.

I felt the corners of my mouth subtly turn up at that fact.

‘It reminds me of when I took an escort request from the Adventurer’s Guild.’

Back then, it wasn’t a slingshot like now, but a stone sling.

I briefly recalled old memories that surfaced, then quickly dismissed them.

I waited for a while, but there were no more signs.

I slightly poked my head out, strained my eyes, and gazed straight ahead.

I saw no movement and heard no groaning.

For taking care of them in such a short time, the result was good.

Having confirmed it was safe, I quietly passed the fallen zombies.

There were a few more zombies not far ahead, but I dealt with them easily.

In the process, I noticed that the lethality decreased if the distance exceeded about 20m.

It was important to gauge the tension and distance I could manage.

Indeed, even small things are gained in real combat.

Experience is important, no matter what.

As I dealt with the zombies one by one and moved forward, I arrived at the motel.

When I reached the back entrance, the sun had already fully set.

Still, I arrived safely and soundly.

Thump- thump- thump-

As I lightly knocked on the iron door, I felt signs of presence inside.

“It’s Seonghan.”

As I quietly spoke my name, the door opened immediately.

“Seonghan!”

Welcoming faces greeted me with bright expressions.

“I’m back.”

I lightly bowed my head and didn’t refuse the warm welcome.

The feeling of being welcomed by someone wasn’t bad.

Definitely not bad.

First, I handed the luggage to Jihyeok and asked the others to prepare dinner.

In the meantime, I went straight to the shower room.

It seemed a shower was necessary to wash away the day’s fatigue.

Thanks to the still-running electricity and water, I could relieve my body’s fatigue.

The routine act of washing oneself would soon become a luxury.

Just imagining how inconvenient life would become if electricity and water were cut off made me dizzy. I doubted if I could find an environment to maintain a minimal lifestyle now.

I left the complicated circumstances for my future self and finished showering.

I changed clothes and headed to the multi-person room where my companions were.

In the meantime, dinner preparation was already finished, and everyone was waiting.

The table was set with food warmed in a washed pot. My companions had expectant eyes, as it had truly been a long time since they had a proper meal. Their faces were so bright that it seemed like I shouldn’t delay any longer.

“Seonghan, please sit down.”

“Ah… I made you wait. Please, start eating.”

I sat among the people who were seated in a circle, leaving a space for me.

“Thank you for the meal!”

After the excited greeting before the meal, everyone started eating in silence.

Though unspoken, it was quite a battle-like meal.

These were foods they would normally only eat when they were too lazy to prepare a meal.

But now, they were grateful foods that could be warmed up with simple preparation.

Everyone who quickly devoured their food seemed to want more than one serving.

“If it’s not enough, have more. There’s a bit more.”

“But, still…”

Jihyeok had a troubled expression.

Was he worried about food shortages? Or was he embarrassed by how ravenously he had eaten?

Only after emptying their bowls cleanly did the calmed people hesitate for a moment.

“I’m going to eat more.”

I subtly smiled and reached for the food first.

Surprisingly, it was Shia who stepped forward first upon seeing my action.

“It feels like I’m eating after such a long time, so it tastes even better. Heh~”

“Oh, right. I think so too, actually.”

Jihyeok and everyone else continued eating, laughing lightly.

While everyone else was calling for another serving, Dong-woo was surprisingly quiet.

He looked like he’d just pick up the pot and drink from it, so this was unexpected.

He was chewing slowly and thoroughly, neither fast nor slow…

‘Ah~ that kid.’

Now that I think about it, it’s probably because of his grandparents.

I didn’t know if they had taught him table manners or if he was just naturally like that.

However, the three family members’ eating habits were very similar.

It was a heartwarming scene that felt somehow relaxed and warm.

The gazes of the two people warmly watching Dong-woo earnestly chewing were nothing but warm.

‘That’s what family is….’

Perhaps sensing my gaze, Dong-woo swallowed his food and looked at me.

I gestured for him to not mind me and eat slowly, then continued my own meal.

Looking around at everyone during the meal, the atmosphere was good.

Their complexions had improved considerably, and their energy seemed somewhat restored, showing a little vitality.

When you’re mentally exhausted, your body also sags.

I had been slightly worried they might look like death and be lethargic, so it was a relief.

Both Jihyeok and Shia enjoyed the atmosphere, smiling with much more relaxed expressions.

The three managers also kept chuckling, seemingly very amused.

‘Well… it’s nice.’

Even for me, who had grown accustomed to being alone, it felt good.

Perhaps because of the current situation, the warmth felt even more palpable.

After such an enjoyable mealtime…

“Today, I saw other survivors and soldiers.”

I started speaking to tell them what had happened today.

As silence fell instantly, everyone’s gaze concentrated on me.

“I think there’s a shelter. No, there is one.”

I calmly continued speaking.

I wasn’t eloquent, but I spoke calmly, and my companions focused on my words with more serious expressions than ever before.

The eight pairs of bright eyes, filled with complex emotions, were quite burdensome.

Still, it seemed okay.

No, I think it’s fortunate that I could deliver good news.

Everyone’s hopeful gazes weren’t bad.

I continued the conversation concisely, and the night gradually deepened.