1.
A Jumper shot toward me like a bullet. I watched its movements until the very end before twisting my body sharply to the side to dodge.
Whoosh—!
The sound was utterly vicious, sending chills down my spine. If it had hit me directly, I wouldn't have had a bone left intact.
'Why is there already a mutant?'
My head was in a whirl, but now wasn't the time to think about that.
Bang!
The thing crashed into the wall behind me and tumbled across the floor. It was a tricky bastard for sure, but fighting in such a cramped space changed everything.
Kieeee—! Puke!
All I had to do was finish it off before it could get back up.
'If I'd run into it outside, I'd have been screwed.'
I drew my sword and looked up to see zombies shoving aside the table that had been blocking the entrance as they charged in.
Name: Hanson | Lv. 26
I glanced at my Status Window and saw my level had shot up. Mutants must give bonus experience.
'That's not what's important right now.'
⚡ Strength: [14 → 16] 💨 Agility: [13 → 15]
I hurriedly allocated my stat points and swung my shield.
Bang!
A zombie's face partially caved in as it was flung backward. I twisted my waist sharply, swinging my sword at the one charging right beside it.
Whoosh—!
My sword traced a perfect arc, slicing through the necks and chests of the zombies around me. Smooth as cutting tofu.
Splatter!
Blood, heads, and body parts hit the floor one after another. A smile tugged at my lips as I took a step forward.
Slash—
My right hand moved like lightning, piercing the head of the zombie straight ahead. Without pulling the sword out, I whipped my arm down to the lower left.
Splatter!
The body of the one charging from the side split diagonally into two and dropped to the floor.
I drew a deep breath. The metallic stench of blood stung my nose, but it wasn't unpleasant at all.
"Come on in, you bastards!"
The zombies charged even more ferociously at my words. But not a single one could lay a scratch on me.
Thud—
With the last head hitting the floor, I dragged over a nearby chair and sat down.
"Hoo, hoo..."
My heart pounded, my breathing ragged. Not from desperation, but from sheer thrill.
The foes I'd once risked my life against were this easy now. It felt hollow in a way, but damn, it was fun.
Name: Hanson | Lv. 30⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙You've met specific conditions, upgrading the Shop by one rank. From now on, the amount of experience required for level-ups has increased!
At some point, my level had reached 30. It was fast, but with another window popping up, leveling would be tougher from here.
'Doesn't matter.'
If regular zombies weren't enough, I could just hunt mutants.
⚡ Strength: [16 → 18] 💨 Agility: [15 → 17] ✨ Mana: [7]
I dumped all remaining points into Strength and Agility. The lone single digit in Mana below was a bit annoying.
'Can't invest in a stat I can't use right now.'
I might regret it later if Mana-related abilities showed up, but the present mattered more.
Even this strong, if zombies swarmed from all sides, I'd be done for.
'I need comrades I can trust my back to. Or get strong enough not to need any.'
There might be survivors in the village, so I needed to ramp up the search and sweep.
'Or just bail from the village?'
Zombies still overflowed the streets, but honestly, escaping while picking off only the necessary ones wasn't that hard.
Dina Village's outer walls weren't very high, and above all, the inn wasn't far from the entrance.
'Still, staying in the village seems better.'
I didn't agonize long. Staying was far more advantageous.
It wasn't out of altruism. Purely for my own sake.
For starters, inside the village, it was just zombies and mutants at worst. Threatening depending on the situation, but at least they were familiar foes.
Outside, who knew what might attack me? Could be zombies, mutants, or even monsters.
'Monsters, I only know goblins.'
Fighting the known versus the utterly unknown was worlds apart.
Plus, outside, I couldn't sleep easy. And the nearest village was pretty far. All things considered, this place was better.
'First, clear out everything here. Then decide.'
Superior General Shop
I opened the Shop, and now there was an extra word up front. I chuckled and scrolled through the list—it had definitely changed. Used to be just food.
🛒 SHOP ⚙Basic Swordsmanship 1,000G Efficient Movement 2,000G ... Proper Posture 5,000G Current Gold: 947G
For some reason, it was now selling these skills or abilities.
'Nothing I can afford right now.'
Still, that Basic Swordsmanship looked buyable soon enough.
Creak— Creak—
Gripping my sword and shield, I slowly climbed the stairs. A space came into view—narrower than the first floor but equally trashed.
Grrraaah—
Thanks to the noise just now, all the zombies' eyes locked onto me at once.
Kraaaah—!
They charged with eerie shrieks. Plenty tripped over chairs and tables or crashed into them.
"Go on, lose your shit."
I couldn't fathom why these things used to terrify me so much. Why I'd chosen to starve instead.
Splatter—!
They were this easy.
*
Munch munch—
I crammed bread slathered thick with jam into my mouth. Sweet strawberries battered my tongue mercilessly. Not like before, but plenty delicious.
Current Gold: 1,284G
I'd cleared the tavern's second floor and zombies in nearby buildings, bringing me close to 1,300 gold.
Along the way, I'd gauged how much the required experience had jumped.
Name: Hanson | Lv. 33
'Need five of them for a level-up, huh.'
The required experience had spiked out of nowhere. I'd figured three, maybe four at most. Five never crossed my mind.
This put a hard cap on my growth. I'd have to make good use of the Shop's items.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙You have purchased 'Basic Swordsmanship'. A Skill Window has been newly added upon acquiring your first Skill.
In that sense, Basic Swordsmanship seemed pretty useful for the low price.
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡Lv. 1 Basic Swordsmanship
Slash, thrust, and block. Swordsmanship basics, plain and simple.
'It's the weapon I use most right now, and the most versatile.'
In an apocalypse, the key was adapting flexibly to any situation. Among weapons, the sword had the highest utility.
'Can't lug around a bunch of weapons either.'
Best to advance swordsmanship first, then pick up others as needed.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙You have purchased 'Milk 200ml'. Current Gold: 84G
I spent the leftover gold on milk. Thought about holding off, but the bread was too dry and I was thirsty.
'Actually, just wanted to have some.'
In the previous world, milk was incredibly rare—practically nonexistent. Shelf life was too short.
'Never glanced at it in school or military rations.'
Who could've guessed I'd crave it like this?
Siiiip—
I carefully tore open the green milk carton on the floor. Peeking inside, white liquid sloshed around. With trembling hands, I brought it ever so gingerly to my lips.
Gulp—
As I tilted it slowly, the cool sensation on my lips made my body shudder. Then the rich, nutty fat flavor flooded in.
"Whoa... fuck."
The taste made curses spill out naturally. Why had I hated this so much back then? So nutty and delicious.
Desperate to chug it all, I held back with superhuman restraint. Got up, fetched a bowl and spoon.
'Lucky there's clean stuff in the cupboard.'
Slathered strawberry jam on bread, dropped it in the bowl. Poured milk to soak it through, then slowly mashed with the spoon.
Mixed together, it turned into total dog food slop, but those who've tried it know. How goddamn good it is.
Chomp—
Milk soaked into the bread; I shoved it straight into my mouth and chewed.
"Mmm...!"
Milk, strawberry jam, and bread blended in perfect harmony. Like eating strawberry cake? Not the real deal, but damn good.
'Gotta try real strawberry cake next time.'
Grinning ear to ear, I finished eating, tossed the bowl aside, and headed upstairs to the second floor with just the jam and bread.
Entered a room with no bloodstains—just dried blood, no bodies—shut the door, and barricaded it with the dresser.
'Got a skill now, time to kick village cleanup into gear.'
As I plotted in my head, sleepiness hit. I quietly closed my eyes.
Almost.
Kyaaaaah—!