I Became a Game Character in the Apocalypse

– Mission Clear

“Finally!”

A year of my life—from the summer of my 20th  to the summer of my 21th year—dedicated to one game: Last Ark.

This rogue-like zombie game was notorious for its extreme difficulty, standing as a hallmark of the genre. I’ve played countless zombie games, but none were as brutal as this. As you progressed, the hordes of zombies and mutations intensified, and grotesque monsters appeared, blurring the line between a zombie survival game and a full-on creature feature.

Adding to the challenge, Last Ark had no checkpoint system. One death meant starting all over again. It was a game so merciless that even the time-attack-loving South Koreans had collectively given up, their tongues clicking in frustration.

But me? I’m Park Jae-hyung. The guy who never backs down once he starts something.

After countless playthroughs and an entire year of perseverance, I finally made it. My name was now engraved in the Hall of Fame.

**- Player: Park Jae-hyung

Character: Adam White**

As the ending cutscene began, the game’s main characters gathered together—five protagonists in total. Gabriel, who could see through the fog. Rachel, the healer. Denny, who could read minds. Rose, a master of all equipment.

And finally, Adam, the one everyone called “trash.”

While others dismissed Adam, I stubbornly stuck with him. He had a unique mechanic: after killing a certain number of zombies, he earned physical enhancement perks.

“This is the paradox,” I often thought. The essence of this game was survival against zombies. And in a survival situation, physical strength is paramount. The other characters relied heavily on weapons, which naturally weakened in later episodes. Adam, on the other hand, was painfully difficult in the beginning. But if you managed to survive and develop him to a stable point, he became the strongest character in the game.

Of course, it wasn’t easy. Adam’s growth trajectory demanded 128 deaths and six grueling months of gameplay. But I stuck with him, and watching the ending cutscene with my arms crossed, I felt nothing but satisfaction.

The video ended with the five protagonists entering the Ark.

Throughout the game, I had been so fixated on clearing stages that I had skipped every cutscene and skimmed over most of the story. What little I knew about the lore came from the quests:
A mysterious fog engulfed the world, spreading a virus that turned people into zombies. Immune survivors sought refuge in a sanctuary called the Ark. The game told the story of Gabriel, Rachel, Denny, Rose, and Adam, each possessing unique abilities.

“This developer must be insane.”

At first, I dismissed the game as the work of an amateur solo developer. But its incredible level of detail made me eat my words. The characters’ stats fluctuated daily based on their physical and mental conditions.

In this desperate world, you had to maintain a balanced diet, engage in small talk with your companions, and even play mini-games to keep morale high. And don’t get me started on how ridiculously easy it was to catch a cold and die like a fragile ocean sunfish.

If your character’s balance tipped even slightly, they would spiral into extreme anxiety, making them uncontrollable, prone to killing teammates, or even committing suicide.

At the end of the cutscene, the developer’s name appeared: GOD.

A name as bold as the game’s absurd difficulty.

Despite the praise-worthy details, this self-aggrandizement felt excessive.

Initially, Last Ark attracted around 900,000 Korean players. Many abandoned it early due to its difficulty, leaving only a handful of die-hard masochists like me. On forums, it had become a graveyard, with the last post on its official community dating back three months.

“This game was both a joy and a nightmare for the past year.”

That was my one-line review.

I stretched my stiff arms and stood up from my chair. My four-person dorm room was dark and quiet. The senior, Byeong-cheol, was already asleep. The third-year and freshman had left for an overnight gaming session at the PC cafe.

With a 9 a.m. class tomorrow, it was time for me to call it a night too.

As I lay down, I reviewed my schedule for the next day: 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. classes, followed by study prep for finals in the club room. Smiling contentedly, I drifted into deep sleep.

Static sounds.
– Crackle, crackle-

Unbeknownst to me, the peaceful satisfaction I felt was about to be shattered.

– Crackle- Snap-

**- All episodes have been cleared.

Beta testing has ended.

Restarting the game.

Resetting difficulty.

New difficulty: Hell

First episode: Safe House**

I woke up to the sound of rustling.

Groggily opening my eyes, I looked around. Outside the window, darkness loomed. Sitting by my bedside was Byeong-cheol, the senior.

“Byeong-cheol hyung? What are you doing here…?”

“Shh.”

Byeong-cheol abruptly covered my mouth.

My eyes drifted to his yellowing green shirt. “When will he ever change that thing?” I thought.

I frowned at his odd behavior.

Growl… Clack!

A grotesque sound echoed from the hallway.

“Who’s making all that noise this late?” I muttered, irritated. I tried to get up, but Byeong-cheol grabbed my arm.

“Don’t move.”

“I’ll just tell the floor manager—”

“Forget it. Sit down.”

Confused, I hesitated, but the urgency in Byeong-cheol’s eyes held me back.

“That sound… it’s the floor manager,” he whispered.

“What? Then we should report it to the dorm supervisor—”

“Shh. Just follow me.”

Pulling me toward the door, Byeong-cheol motioned for me to peer through the small glass window.

What I saw in the hallway made my blood run cold.

The floor manager was sitting on the ground, drenched in blood.

His hands smeared the crimson liquid all over his body.

Panicked, I instinctively reached for the doorknob, but Byeong-cheol twisted my arm, pinning me back.

“Ow! Hyung, what the—”

“Quiet!”

Growl… Clack… Tap, tap.

The horrifying sounds grew closer, accompanied by wet, sticky footsteps.

“Let’s call 119!” I whispered urgently.

“No use. No signal.”

“What?”

He showed me his phone screen.

Out of service area.

I checked my phone on the desk. Same result.

In the middle of South Korea, in the 21st century, no signal? Impossible.

As I stood there dumbfounded, Byeong-cheol’s grim voice broke the silence:

“Something’s very, very wrong.”

“Someone must’ve blocked the signal on purpose. This can’t just happen suddenly.”

“Can the communications center power be cut off? But you said you called 119 earlier.”

“That was the last time I had signal. It’s been like this for an hour.”

“Any news? Has there been any update?”

“Nothing after the safety alert text came an hour ago.”

“What did the alert say?”

“It said something about an unknown fog spreading and to stay inside your house.”

“Unknown fog?”

Suddenly, the setting of Last Ark that I had been thinking about before going to sleep came to mind.

It feels just like the setting of Last Ark.

I scratched my head and asked.

“So, what about the floor manager? If we leave them like that, they’ll die.”

Jang Byeong-cheol wiped his face with cold water and covered his mouth with his right hand.

Then, after looking thoughtful for a moment, he spoke in a quiet voice.

“They might already be dead.”

“What?”

“I was with the kid in the next room taking care of the floor manager. Then the floor manager suddenly attacked him.”

“That’s… that’s nonsense.”

I snorted dismissively.

But when I heard the next words from Jang Byeong-cheol, I had no choice but to doubt my ears.

“The floor manager bit the kid in the next room’s arm. Bit so hard that flesh came off. Do you think that’s something a sane person could do?”

There was confusion in his eyes.

His trembling arms showed how shocking the situation had been.

When I didn’t answer, Jang Byeong-cheol continued in a voice lacking confidence.

“I don’t know how to explain this, but… haven’t you seen scenes like this in movies?”

“Could it be… zombies?”

Instead of answering, Jang Byeong-cheol nodded.

Did he really expect me to believe this?

Did people turn into zombies because of some suddenly appeared fog?

I couldn’t believe it, so I asked with half a doubt in my mind.

“Does that even make sense? So, the person who got bitten will also turn into a zombie?”

“They did.”

“…What?”

“That kid got bitten by the floor manager, and about 20 minutes later, he changed just like the floor manager.”

I didn’t expect that answer.

I blinked like a goldfish, asking.

“Where is that guy now?”

“I don’t know, damn it. He suddenly lunged at me, so I pushed him into the break room.”

Hearing Jang Byeong-cheol’s words, I instinctively took a step back.

I scanned his entire body with wide eyes, and Jang Byeong-cheol stripped off all his clothes except his underwear.

“See? I’m fine. I wasn’t bitten.”

“…….”

“Right now, the only people who know about this are you and me.”

It was 4 a.m.

Everyone should be deeply asleep by now.

The fog was thick on the first and second floors, and there was no proper weapon here.

Even if we had one, could we really attack the floor manager in the hallway?

If it’s not zombies, what if they’re just sick?

You can’t just kill sick people without a reason.

I sighed again and again, my mind filled with anxiety.

Scratching my head to sort through the tangled thoughts, I looked at Jang Byeong-cheol and said.

“Stay here for now.”

“Why? What are you going to do?”

“I’ll go out and try to talk to him.”

“Didn’t you see? You saw it with your own eyes and still don’t believe it? That thing outside isn’t human anymore.”

Jang Byeong-cheol furrowed his brows and lowered his voice.

His words might be true, but since I hadn’t experienced it firsthand, I wanted to confirm it myself.

“They’re still moving. Does it make sense for someone dead to be moving?”

“Didn’t you see the floor manager’s clothes? Do you think a person who’s vomiting that much blood can still move? And their voice is already messed up.”

“…….”

“If a person vomits that much blood, their lungs are already done. Moving on their own is impossible.”

Jang Byeong-cheol, who always maintained his calm, glared at me and spat out those words.

Seeing him talk like that, I started to think I should just stay here.

But how long could I stay?

There was no food or water in this room.

Waiting here for rescue might be one option.

But what if they don’t come?

I called 119 an hour ago, but they haven’t shown up.

That means even 119 might be in a situation where they can’t come.

Doesn’t that also mean everyone outside has changed like the floor manager?

Maybe now, when everyone is still asleep and it hasn’t descended into chaos, it’s the last chance to gather some supplies.

I can’t go to the first floor because of the fog, so I should go to the bathroom for water and grab some snacks or hotbars from the break room…

“Ah, you said you put him in the break room earlier.”

The guy from the next room got bitten by the floor manager, and Jang Byeong-cheol pushed him into the break room.

I looked around the room to see if there was anything I could use as a weapon.

There was a broom in the corner.

I ripped the bottom part off, leaving just a sturdy stick.

Now, I had a wooden club about 1 meter long.

I gripped the handle and said to Jang Byeong-cheol.

“Stay here.”

“Are you really going out?”

“Are you planning to go fasting? You should at least go to the bathroom and bring some water.”

I exhaled sharply and placed my hand on the door handle.

When I looked at Jang Byeong-cheol, he started looking around, searching for any usable weapon.

There were some newspapers stacked up on one wall, brought in by my third-year roommate for a big assignment.

Jang Byeongcheol rolled up the newspapers and made a club out of them.

“Is that really a weapon?”

“Have you ever been hit with a newspaper?”

“…….”

“You’ll change your mind once you get hit.”

Seeing his confidence, I couldn’t argue anymore.

It probably felt better to have something in my hands rather than nothing.

I nodded and opened the door.

Creeak—

Crrrr…

I stuck my head out just a little and looked for the floor manager.

Far off, I saw the floor manager sitting on the floor, twisting his head and staring this way.

The distance between us was about 5 meters.

The way their waist, shoulders, and head twisted was almost like a zombie from a movie.

Wait, don’t those zombies from Last Ark look like that?

Red, bloodshot eyes, flailing limbs, and a pale, bluish skin.

It looked like they had scratched something, and their nails were hanging loose.

Just seeing that made me gulp instinctively.

Was that really a person?

Even if they were drugged, they couldn’t have changed like that.

“Are they reacting to sound?”

The floor manager turned his head toward the door when he heard it creaking.

So, they still had hearing.

Swallowing dryly, I watched the floor manager. He widened his eyes and let out a roar as he charged at us.

Krrrrr!!

Startled by the shriek, I slammed the door shut.

Jang Byeong-cheol, who had been behind me, was knocked backward by me and shouted.

“Hey, what the hell are you doing? Don’t close it suddenly!”

“Isn’t that guy a freaking monster?”

“I told you, he’s not human, damn it!”

Bang! Bang! Screech, bang!

The floor manager slammed their head and fists against the door of Room 401 in a frenzy, like a wild animal.

Soon, their loose nails scraped across the door, falling off.

I couldn’t hide my bewilderment.

Bewildered? No, this was a fear I had never felt before in my life.

The murderous intent in those bloodshot eyes sent chills down my spine, and every time the floor manager scratched the door, a creepy sound made my hairs stand on end.

Were they not feeling any pain?

What would happen if the glass in the door broke?

Would they get in?

In this dizzying situation, my body froze like a statue.

I knew I had to deal with the floor manager, but how?

Terror and fear paralyzed me, my whole body trembling and growing weaker.

Then, suddenly, I noticed the doorknob at waist height.

If I turned it, the door would open. But that seemed impossible in this situation.

The floor manager had lost all rationality, now only full of madness and violence.

Click.

At that moment, the door to the opposite room opened.

The person who peeked out looked groggily at the floor manager’s back and spoke.

“Excuse me.”

Krrrrr!!

“Excuse me! What time is it… huh?”

He seemed to notice the bloodstains on the floor manager’s clothes and froze in shock.

I quickly gestured for him to go back in through the small window at the top of the door.

Crrrr…

Just as the floor manager turned around, the guy from the opposite room quickly slammed the door shut.

Bang!

Krrrrr!!

The floor manager roared and began slamming both Room 401’s and Room 410’s doors alternately.

“Shit! That’s a crazy bastard!”

I could hear shouting from the opposite room.

Soon, it seemed like my roommates were waking up, and through the glass of Room 410, four men appeared.

They looked terrified and cursed loudly.

Just like me, they were in shock.

Then, some of them took out their phones and started calling, but I could hear them shouting that there was no signal.

Click- click- click-

“What the hell?”

“Hey! Keep it down!”

“If you’re drunk, go back to bed!”

Hearing the commotion, more people woke up and started opening their doors to yell at the floor manager.

Krrrrr!!

But at the floor manager’s roar, everyone closed their doors and went back inside.

Then, insults started flying from all directions.

I knew the walls weren’t soundproof, but I didn’t expect to hear everything so clearly.

It was all insults from terrified people.

Then, Jang Byeong-cheol furrowed his brows and shouted.

“What are we going to do now?”

“Huh?”

“Everyone’s awake now!”

I didn’t know what to do either.

Was it good that they were awake? Or not?

I didn’t know if it was better that people woke up or stayed asleep.

But I knew I had to deal with the floor manager first if we were going to figure anything out.

“Hey!”

At that moment, I heard someone’s voice from the hallway.

I peered through the window and saw the infamous gym addict from Room 407, in just his underwear, shouting at the floor manager.