I Became a Game Character in the Apocalypse

Chapter 16

Secretly hoping there wouldn’t be any resonance zombies, I headed toward the foggy first-floor front door.

Beside me, the sight of zombies sticking to the glass doors like leeches filled my vision.

The zombies were banging on the glass, growling with their throats.

Hearing that noise, a few zombies began to emerge from the old student union building.

Just like how a forest fire becomes uncontrollable if not dealt with early, zombies gather into a destructive tide the more they group together.

If the number of zombies on the second floor exceeds capacity, they might climb up to the third and fourth floors as well.

I had to make a choice before it was too late.

Quickly running to the glass door, I swung the steel pipe I was holding with all my might and struck the glass.

Crash!

Fortunately, it wasn’t the reinforced glass used in dormitories.

As I hit the corner of the glass, it shattered in an instant, and the zombies in front of it poured in like a tidal wave.

The zombies, tangled and struggling to get through, came crashing in.

Before they could regain their balance, I urgently ran up the stairs.

The zombies, sensing prey in front of them, growled in unison and chased after me.

By the time I reached the second floor, I ran desperately across the corridor with all my strength.

After sprinting down the 50-meter corridor, I quickly turned the left corner.

Ahead of me, I could hear the desperate voices of my classmates fighting behind the iron door.

Without hesitation, I swung open the iron door and reached the spiral staircase, where Yoon Hye-ri was anxiously handing me a microphone cord.

I grabbed the microphone cord from her hand and quickly wrapped it around the door handle.

Bang! Crack!

Immediately, I could hear the zombies banging on the iron door in the second-floor corridor.

With the prey suddenly disappearing and the iron door appearing, they began to growl in frustration.

Jeon Wan-soo and Choi Hyun, who had been in front of the steel bars, turned around, eyes wide with surprise at the sudden noise.

I motioned for them to hurry and follow me.

Without a word, we ran up to the fifth floor without stopping.

After opening the fifth-floor iron door and entering the corridor, everyone collapsed to the floor, breathing heavily.

I locked the iron door behind us and looked at Choi Hyun, asking:

“Do we have any more fireworks?”

Choi Hyun searched his pockets and handed me extra fireworks and a lighter.

I lit one of the fireworks with the lighter and threw it out of the fifth-floor window.

Fzzzzz! Pop! Pop!

The sound of the fireworks exploding came from the first floor.

The zombies sticking to the steel bars reacted to the sound and rushed out toward it.

Zombies without higher brain functions would give up on breaking the steel bars and follow the fireworks.

Not stopping there, I ran toward the barricaded front door stairs.

I crawled under the barricade, opened the window, and threw a firework toward the old student union building.

The zombies that had been wandering between the old and new student union buildings stopped trying to enter and instead followed the fireworks.

The surface of the wavering fog gradually began to recede.

This meant that the nearby zombies were moving away.

I sighed in relief and collapsed, sitting on the ground.

Now, the only thing left for me to do was wait quietly until the zombies gave up their hunt.

How long had passed?

About ten minutes later, the sounds of zombies crying out began to fade.

I exhaled in relief, leaning against the wall and staring blankly at the ceiling.

Soon, Jeon Wan-soo and Choi Hyun approached me.

Jeon Wan-soo, panting heavily, stared at me for a moment before suddenly wrapping his arms around me.

“Park Jae-hyung, you bastard… you’re alive.”

I hadn’t expected such an emotional greeting, and I felt both embarrassed and grateful at the same time.

Then Choi Hyun’s voice came.

“How did you get here? No, where have you been all this time?”

I smiled faintly at Choi Hyun’s question and replied:

“We can talk about the details inside. I have a friend to introduce as well.”

After confirming our infection status, Seol Ye-won and I were able to enter the club room.

When I shared the events I had gone through, everyone looked somber.

Choi Hyun silently patted my shoulder, and Yoon Hye-ri clasped her hands together, bowing her head.

Jeon Wan-soo sighed deeply, staring at the ceiling before muttering bitterly.

“Good people always die first.”

He was referring to Jang Byeong-cheol.

Everyone agreed with Jeon Wan-soo’s words.

The mood became rather gloomy.

To change the subject, I looked at the group and asked:

“I’ve more or less heard what happened here from Hye-ri. What happened to the hyungs?”

“They’re still at the Business Administration building.”

Jeon Wan-soo answered with a grim expression.

I raised an eyebrow and asked:

“Why didn’t they come with you?”

“Well… it’s because hyungs distracted the zombies, so we could escape.”

“Tell me more.”

I looked at Jeon Wan-soo as he sighed deeply, and then he began to explain.

“We grabbed some weapons and went outside, but we ran into a resonance zombie.”

“A resonance zombie?”

He nodded and continued.

“That one caused all the zombies around the building to swarm in. The hyungs drew the resonance zombie’s attention, and in the meantime, Hyeon and I escaped.”

“So the hyungs don’t have any weapons?”

“They do. Jung-woo hyung has the spear he used at Ye-bong-gak, and Jin-young hyung grabbed an axe from a professor’s office.”

“Open the bag. Let’s see the weapons.”

I pointed at the bag, and Choi Hyun, sitting at the desk, walked over with the weapon bag.

Inside the bag were various weapons.

Two katana swords, each with a blade length of over 70 cm, four hunting knives of different brands, a hand axe, a leg holster, a 20-meter rope, a rifle, and a hammer.

‘Did these really come from the professor’s office?’

What kind of hobby does the professor have to keep these in his office?

Maybe he likes exploring?

The hunting knives had blades that were at least 15 to 17 cm long.

Jeon Wan-soo stared at the weapons and said:

“We’ll go save the hyungs tomorrow when the sun rises.”

“…”

“I’m sorry to ask you this right after we meet, but…”

Jeon Wan-soo and Choi Hyun exchanged glances, hesitating.

When Jeon Wan-soo couldn’t continue, Choi Hyun spoke up instead.

“I know it’s a lot to ask, but Jae-hyung, please help us.”

All the people in the club room turned to look at me after Choi Hyun’s request.

I rubbed my chin thoughtfully, taking a moment to consider.

Of course, rescuing them was the right thing to do morally.

Also, in order to clear the first episode, rescuing the hyungs was a priority.

If I save them, the six-person requirement for clearing the episode would be fulfilled.

But I had no idea how many enemies there were, and there were too many unpredictable variables.

I sighed deeply and asked:

“What are Wan-soo and Hyeon’s abilities?”

“I’m Gabriel, and Hyun is Denny.”

Jeon Wan-soo was Gabriel, just like Seol Ye-won.

Having someone who can see through the fog will help with reconnaissance and defense.

On the other hand, Choi Hyun’s ability was “Denny.”

With mind-reading abilities, Denny wouldn’t be much help in combat. However, Choi Hyun’s power would be more useful later on, especially when entering shelters or during quests related to survivors.

I scratched my eyebrow and continued asking questions.

“What’s the class of the two older guys?”

“Both are Rachel.”

The mention of “Rachel” immediately grabbed my attention.

Two healers? That changes everything.

Even if there’s a risk involved, rescuing them becomes a priority.

Last Ark is fundamentally a roguelike game. The difficulty increases drastically as time goes on, and injuries—big or small—are frequent, just like breathing.

While Rachel cannot cure the virus, she can heal almost every other type of injury. And once she completes her awakening quest, she can even restore severed limbs—essentially a miracle healer.

I grabbed the leg holster and hunting knife from the bag and said, “Pick a weapon, everyone. Gather around the desk.”

Jeon Wan-soo and Choi Hyun each grabbed a katana and began swinging them around.

Their swordplay was impressive.

A memory from the past came rushing back.

“Didn’t you both learn Kendo?”

“Remember? Hyun was the ace.”

Jeon Wan-soo chuckled lightly and slid his katana back into its scabbard. His movements, even while sheathing the sword, had an elegant quality to them.

On the other hand, Choi Hyun wore a serious expression, lost in thought.

If I recalled correctly, he had fallen from his position as the ace due to a shoulder injury.

Seeing the sword again must have been an emotional moment for him.

I decided it was best to leave him alone for now.

The remaining weapons were the hunting knives and an axe.

I looked at Yoon Hye-ri, who hesitated.

“Don’t you want to pick something?”

“Ah, I… I’ll just keep using the weapon I have.”

Yoon Hye-ri was holding an old, worn spear—one she had used in martial arts demonstrations at Ye-bong-gak. The handle had turned yellow with age.

I stared at her in silence, and she averted her gaze, giving a forced smile.

Seeing this, I thought to myself that it was probably best to leave her behind for now. With so many variables already in play, taking Yoon Hye-ri along might become a liability.

I glanced at Seol Ye-won, who was looking at Jeon Wan-soo and Choi Hyun’s expressions.

Jeon Wan-soo spoke first.

“Go ahead, pick one.”

“Is it really okay?”

“Now that you’re with Jae-hyung, you’re on our team.”

“…Okay.”

Seol Ye-won scratched her forehead awkwardly and, after a moment, picked up a hunting knife.

Once everyone had selected their weapons, we gathered around the desk.

I unfolded the map Seol Ye-won had made and marked the locations of the Business Administration Building and the New Student Union Building.

We reviewed the optimal route to the Business Administration Building and made backup plans for emergencies.

After about an hour of discussion, we finalized two strategies and I turned to the group.

“We’ll leave when the sun comes up.”

It was already starting to get light by 4 AM, probably due to it being mid-summer.

I woke up everyone who had fallen into a deep sleep and told them to get ready.

They all walked to the bathroom, washed their faces with cold water, and gathered their weapons with clearer minds.

I stood by the desk, looking at the map, and went over the plans we had made the day before.

The quickest route was through the back alley behind the library, but we didn’t know how many zombies might be lurking there.

Clearing the zombies would make the route safer, but it wasn’t the right time for that.

Even if we managed to escape the library, we couldn’t guarantee the safety of the nearby tennis courts, soccer courts, and open spaces.

Our main plan was to head out through the back door, enter the New Student Union parking lot on the right, and then descend the cliff in front of it.

Beyond the cliff was the large sports field, and crossing that field to quickly reach the Business Administration Building was the first priority.

The downside, however, was that the sports field was often crowded with students, which meant there would likely be a large number of zombies there as well.

But with Jeon Wan-soo and Seol Ye-won—both with Gabriel’s abilities—we could avoid them easily.

The sports field was wide open, and Gabriel’s ability would be crucial in that situation.

“Jae-hyung, it’s time to go.”

Jeon Wan-soo’s voice came from behind me.

I turned around and saw everyone with newspapers or magazines taped around their ankles and calves for protection.

Only Yoon Hye-ri seemed downcast, her head bowed.

I put my hand on her shoulder, and she shrank away slightly, her fingers fidgeting.

There was no need for words.

If she felt inadequate, taking her along would only slow us down.

“It’s okay.”

I gave her a small smile, and she bit her lower lip and frowned slightly.

I could tell that a simple touch might make her burst into tears, so I decided not to pressure her anymore.

Instead, I patted her on the shoulder and said, “Stay here and guard the club room.”

“…Okay.”

“But remember this one thing.”

When I said it softly, Yoon Hye-ri slowly looked up and met my eyes.

I took a deep breath and said, “If the time comes when you have to fight, don’t hesitate.”

“…”

Instead of responding, she nodded weakly.

There were no personal feelings or sympathy involved in this decision. Yoon Hye-ri was the only non-player among us.

Everyone else was a Last Ark player—Jeon Wan-soo, Choi Hyun, Seol Ye-won, and myself.

As for Yoon Hye-ri?

She was an ordinary survivor with no abilities.

Yoon Hye-ri was someone who would often blame herself, so I needed to guide her carefully.

It might be inconvenient or annoying, but she was still one of us in the Dance Lovers club.

For everyone’s mental stability, we couldn’t leave her behind.

However, if Yoon Hye-ri never awakens and stays the way she is… I would have to make a difficult decision, for the sake of the others.

I pulled out the hunting knife from the leg holster and said to the group, “Let’s go.”