I Became a Game Character in the Apocalypse

“Come on, hurry up!”

I ran without stopping, following Jeon Wan-soo to the middle of the bridge.

I adjusted my stance, gripped my hunting knife tightly, and looked behind me. Dozens of zombies were tangled together, entering the bridge.

As the zombies crowded the narrow bridge, the ones pushed out fell into the reservoir and struggled in the water.

The number of zombies falling into the reservoir was several times greater than the ones entering the bridge.

Although I was satisfied with the result I had anticipated, the sight of the zombies charging toward us made my throat dry.

It’s not over yet.

With my eyes wide open, I plunged my hunting knife into the eye of the closest zombie.

To stop the zombies following, I yanked the knife out of the zombie’s eye and kicked its body, sending it tumbling into the other zombies.

The zombie I stabbed with the knife in the eye knocked two others out of the bridge as it fell.

“GRRRRRAAAHHHH!”

But one zombie managed to slip through the narrow gap and reached out toward my face, its arm swinging toward my throat.

Thud!

Jeon Wan-soo stabbed his katana through the zombie’s chest, gritting his teeth, and pushed forward.

The zombies behind  were quickly pierced by his katana, and they staggered.

Jeon Wan-soo trembled as he withdrew the katana, not even sparing me a glance, and shouted.

“Hurry up and deal with them!”

The zombies impaled by his katana were blocking the narrow bridge.

I had no idea how long Jeon Wan-soo could hold out.

We needed to end this quickly.

I gripped the sword handle tightly and began dispatching the zombies that were trying to slip past us.

Screeching—screeching…

The wooden bridge creaked under the weight of the zombies.

The wood, dampened by the fog, was struggling to support their weight.

What would happen if the bridge collapsed here?

Would the zombies in the water drown?

I couldn’t shake the uneasy thoughts running through my mind.

Each time a thought crossed my mind, I squeezed my eyes shut and focused on the zombies that were right in front of me.

I’d think about the rest later.

Surviving was the most important thing right now.

I slashed through the zombies’ eyes, throats, and temples as I surveyed the remaining number of zombies.

The horde still seemed endless.

“Grrrr—oooohhh…”

Then, from the start of the bridge, I heard the eerie cry of the resonance zombie.

At that moment, the zombies charging toward us started to withdraw like a receding tide.

The fog was too thick to understand what the zombies were doing.

I wiped the blood from my face and asked Jeon Wan-soo.

“What are they doing? Why did they stop?”

“Jae-hyung.”

Jeon Wan-soo licked his cracked lips, frowned, and continued.

“I think the resonance zombie has recognized something.”

“Recognized what?”

“It realized this is a reservoir.”

It seemed that after most of the zombies had died, the resonance zombie had figured out the terrain.

Was it waiting for us to come out?

I steadied my breathing and asked, “How many are left?”

Jeon Wan-soo quickly scanned the remaining zombies and, with a troubled expression, answered.

“42 zombies.”

That was too many for just the two of us to handle.

Since the zombies weren’t attacking first, we had become the ones trapped.

I looked behind us and asked, “If we go the other way, where will it lead?”

“The mountain. If we want to get out of here, we have to fight our way through.”

After hearing his explanation, I took the gasoline from my bag.

I began splashing the gasoline on the bridge as I stepped back, and Jeon Wan-soo looked at me in disbelief.

“What are you doing? Are you crazy?”

“Is there another way?”

“The mountain’s behind us! Do you want to get stranded there?”

“First, we need to shake off the zombies.”

“…”

Jeon Wan-soo hesitated, then clicked his tongue in frustration before opening his own bag.

Together, we started to pour the gasoline as we backed away. Beyond the thick fog, the sounds of the zombies grew louder.

The growling, hesitant zombies were approaching.

The ability to command zombies was only granted to the leader zombie.

If the leader zombie was like a military officer, the resonance zombie was merely a communication soldier.

The leader zombie could devise strategies, but the resonance zombie couldn’t.

The resonance zombie’s orders were simple: “There’s prey over there, stop, attack, gather,” and other basic commands.

“GRRRRRAAAHHHH!!!”

The zombies, unable to hold back any longer, suddenly rushed forward, roaring in unison.

“Lighter!”

I shouted toward Jeon Wan-soo, and he tossed the lighter onto the bridge.

Whoosh!

As the flames shot up on the bridge, the zombies, who had been charging, hesitated.

Just like when Seol Ye-won saved me back at the Natural Sciences building, this method was working.

Zombies hesitated in the face of fire…

But then the resonance zombie’s cry echoed again, and the zombies, once hesitant, began charging forward, screaming, and pushing through the flames.

No matter if their bodies caught fire, their hunger for prey drove them forward.

As the majority of the zombies surged onto the bridge, some fell into the reservoir, while others were engulfed in flames and struggled in the fire.

“I’ll block them, you attack.”

Jeon Wan-soo gripped his katana with both hands and charged toward the zombies.

Then, just like before, he pierced the zombies with all his strength, trying to hold them back.

I followed suit, swinging my hunting knife nonstop.

Even as the flames engulfed them, the zombies, with bared teeth and flailing arms, pressed forward.

The tape wrapped around Jeon Wan-soo’s forearms was beginning to melt from the heat.

The notebook that had been tightly secured was now loose.

The fire was effective at stopping the zombies, but it was also affecting us.

As the flames spread to Jeon Wan-soo’s clothes, he panicked, struggling to put it out.

And when a gap opened up, the zombies seized the opportunity and began crossing the bridge.

I kicked the zombie that crossed the bridge, then swung my hunting knife relentlessly, raising my focus.

In the moment of holding off the zombies…

Ka-kah!

A zombie that hadn’t completely severed its vocal cords grabbed my side.

Jeon Wan-soo, seeing this, widened his eyes and pushed the zombie away with his elbow.

Though the zombie fell, the fire had already spread to my side.

The burning heat and the pain of flesh tearing was excruciating.

Even while groaning in pain, I didn’t stop fighting the approaching zombies.

It was painful, but if I didn’t hold on, everything would collapse in an instant.

As I reached my physical limits and the pain became unbearable, I felt my strength drain and my vision sway dizzily.

Unconsciously, I had to take a step back.

Moaning in pain from the numbing ache, I collapsed, and Jeon Wan-soo quickly jumped up, blocking the zombies on the bridge.

Swinging his katana nonstop, he tried to mow down the zombies, but the onslaught showed no sign of stopping.

The damp wooden bridge seemed to be losing its battle against the fire.

Ugh!

A scream escaped Jeon Wan-soo’s lips.

It looked like his stamina had run out—he couldn’t hold back the zombies anymore and began to stagger.

I shakily gripped my hunting knife and rushed to help him.

But the situation was turning against us, and as more zombies crossed the bridge, we began to be pushed back at an uncontrollable pace.

Fear overwhelmed me, and I began to reflect on the past.

Was it too much for just the two of us to be the bait?

Or had I underestimated the zombies from the Business Administration department?

Had my arrogance, thinking I could save the others, caused this?

Negative thoughts flooded my mind in this hopeless situation.

It’s not over yet.

I couldn’t give up on life here.

Grinding my teeth, I shook off the reality filled with pain and despair, fighting back with a desperation close to wildness.

“Jae-hyung!!”

At that moment, a voice calling my name broke through the chaos.

It wasn’t Jeon Wan-soo’s voice.

This voice was…

Seol Ye-won?

Gradually, the pressure from the zombies began to recede.

The zombies that had been crossing the bridge started to retreat.

Seizing the opportunity, I took down the closest zombies and quickly ran to Jeon Wan-soo’s side.

He was on the ground, surrounded by two zombies.

I quickly dealt with the zombies and checked Jeon Wan-soo’s body.

He was groaning, holding his ankle.

Had he been bitten?

I quickly inspected his ankle, but I didn’t see any bite marks.

“What happened? Why is your ankle like that?”

I shouted in surprise, and Jeon Wan-soo frowned, answering.

“I twisted it badly… while retreating, I tripped on a rock.”

Ka-haak!

At that moment, a zombie’s cry came from behind us.

I twisted my upper body and thrust my hunting knife backward in a hurry.

But before my knife could reach it, I saw the zombie’s throat pierced by another hunting knife.

The zombie trembled like a trembling aspen and collapsed weakly, like a reed bending in the wind.

Through the fallen zombie, I could make out Seol Ye-won, panting heavily.

Behind her was Choi Hyun’s face, and further behind, familiar faces appeared.

Lee Jung-woo and Jeong Jin-young.

“Jae-hyung! Wan-soo!”

The older guys rushed toward us with wide eyes.

They immediately placed their hands on both me and Jeon Wan-soo and activated Rachel’s ability.

A soft light emanated from their fingertips, and the burning pain began to subside.

I collapsed into a big, exhausted heap and gently closed my eyes.

In a reality that had seemed as dark as pitch, Seol Ye-won’s appearance felt like a beacon of light.

Thanks to the zombies we led away from the building, Seol Ye-won and Choi Hyun were able to safely enter.

After checking every floor and not finding Lee Jung-woo or Jeong Jin-young, they were about to give up, but then they heard movement from the rooftop.

The sound of the iron door leading to the rooftop opening.

It seemed that Lee Jung-woo and Jeong Jin-young, trapped on the roof, had made their escape attempt.

On the stairs, Choi Hyun, Lee Jung-woo, and Jeong Jin-young confirmed each other’s safety and hugged each other, their eyes welling up with tears.

The original plan had been for Seol Ye-won and Choi Hyun to rescue the older guys and then immediately head to the Student Union building, but Seol Ye-won had strongly opposed it.

Looking at her, I saw her bitter expression as she spoke.

“I knew it. You were going to push yourselves too hard.”

Though her words were blunt, I could sense relief in her eyes.

I, too, gave a half-smile as I said, “Thanks. You saved us.”

“What were you thinking, setting the bridge on fire? Didn’t you think about the aftermath?”

“I didn’t have time to think about it. I just wanted to shake off the zombies and head for the mountain.”

“You said yourself that we wouldn’t be able to see anything once the sun set. Why on earth would you think about climbing a mountain…”

I had to listen to Seol Ye-won’s scolding for a while.

Then, Jeon Wan-soo, who had been sitting in the corner, spoke up while digging in his ears.

“Seol Ye-won, aren’t we the same age?”

“… Huh? Why?”

“Why do you act like a mom?”

“Do you want to die?”

As Seol Ye-won made a punching motion, Jeon Wan-soo hid behind Jeong Jin-young, chuckling.

Lee Jung-woo, after closely studying Seol Ye-won’s face, stood up and bowed his head.

“Thank you.”

“Just talk casually. I’m the same age as Jae-hyung.”

Lee Jung-woo, lips tightly pressed together, nodded in response.

Then, he looked at me and asked what my relationship with Seol Ye-won was.

I stood up, dusted myself off, and answered.

“Let’s talk about that later. We should think about the people waiting for us.”

I was worried about Yoon Hye-ri, who was still alone in the clubroom.

We retraced our steps cautiously.

Thanks to the ropes tied to the steep hills, the journey back was much easier.

We avoided the zombies in the sports field and entered through the back door of the Student Union building.

After instructing the group to keep their footsteps quiet, I moved ahead toward the fifth floor.

Creek…

From beyond the iron doors marking the boundary between each floor and the stairs, the sounds of zombies were coming.

The second, third, and even fourth floors.

I thought the zombies were only on the second floor, but it seemed some had climbed as high as the fourth floor.

I hoped no zombies had reached the fifth floor.

As I entered the fifth-floor hallway, I quickly checked for zombies.

Thankfully, the hallway was completely clear.

Where was Yoon Hye-ri?

Was she in the clubroom?

I quickened my pace, anxiety growing.

It wasn’t long before I found her, sitting motionless in front of the barricade.

Swallowing hard, I shook her shoulder, and she slowly opened her eyes and looked up at me.

Her eyes weren’t red and bloodshot like a zombie’s; they were human eyes.

The group behind me visibly relaxed upon seeing her.

It seemed Yoon Hye-ri, too, finally felt relief as she covered her face with both hands and silently swallowed her tears.

We were all together now.

Just explaining how we got here would take the rest of the night.