I Became a Game Character in the Apocalypse

Right now, the zombie leaders were arguing with each other, so they couldn’t locate my
position. However, if they catch my scent, survival would be impossible.
Normal zombies can be outrun if you move out of the fog, but the zombie leaders will chase
their target until it dies.
Dealing with both of them and then moving would be a burdensome situation.
If it was only one, I might be able to manage, but two is too dangerous.
If there are underlings with the zombie leaders over there, the moment I reveal myself, their
minions will swarm toward me.
In the end, I was left with only one choice.
Swallowing a dry breath, I carefully moved.
I didn’t go up but directly descended.
My heart was anxious, but the more I felt this way, the more I had to remain calm.
I carefully checked the stairs and slipped into the fog.
Crrrk, crrrk…
I heard a zombie’s growl from the 1st-floor corridor.
Could I get out unnoticed?
If the zombie in the corridor spots me, it will definitely scream, and the zombie leaders will
discover me.
Or perhaps there are scouts planted by the zombie leaders.
There were countless possibilities.
I licked my cracked lips and tried to clear my mind of distracting thoughts.
The only thing that mattered was one thing: survive unnoticed.
From the sound of the zombie’s growl, it wasn’t very close.
Maybe about 30 meters to the right.
If I moved to the opposite side, I’d reach the 1st-floor bathroom.
If I could escape through the bathroom window, I wouldn’t have to fight zombies.
I carefully peeked out to observe the zombie’s movements.
Due to the fog, I couldn’t tell where the zombie was looking.
It hadn’t screamed yet, so it probably hadn’t picked up my scent, but I couldn’t let my guard
down.
Zombies, especially in the fog, have far superior vision compared to humans.
As I was pondering, I suddenly heard a sound from the end of the right corridor—a dull thud,
thud.
The sound of a door being hit.
This meant the zombies weren’t looking in my direction.
I quickly took the opportunity and moved into the left corridor.
The 20-meter distance toward the bathroom felt like a long, pitch-black tunnel.
A tingling sensation on the back of my neck.
It felt like a zombie might turn around any moment and scream. I held my breath and moved
cautiously like a cockroach.
Fortunately, I managed to reach the bathroom without being detected.
As soon as I entered, I leaned against the wall, exhaled the stale air that filled my lungs, and
felt my throat dry up.
I turned my gaze toward the bathroom window, only to find that the blinds had been pulled
down to prevent any view from outside.
I gently lifted the blinds and looked outside.
Ah…
Bars on the window.
There were bars on the bathroom window to prevent burglars.
What a damned security system.
No matter how I looked at it, I couldn’t squeeze through the gaps.
I had unintentionally trapped myself in the bathroom.
The main door of the dormitory was too close to the zombies, and because of the bars, I
couldn’t get out through the window.
What was I supposed to do?
Was the sky conspiring for me to die?
I felt my face burn with frustration and clenched my teeth in silence.
I had to calm down.
Getting angry wouldn’t change anything.
After a moment of spiraling thoughts, one solution finally came to mind.
Just because there’s an entrance on the 1st floor doesn’t mean I have to leave through there.
I carefully checked the corridor again, but the zombie’s silhouette was now too far to spot.
The only clue of its presence was the unpleasant sound echoing from afar.
It had been terrifying to approach this place, but now, going out seemed even more terrifying.
Suddenly, the cleaning supplies in the bathroom caught my eye.
A foul-smelling mop and bucket.
There was no other choice.
What would I not do to survive?
I couldn’t do anything about the zombie’s vision, but at least I could mask my scent.
I dipped my whole body into the stinking water in the bucket.
I scrubbed everywhere, even between my scalp and every crevice.
Though I had just showered, none of that mattered now.
I had to survive, first and foremost.
The putrid smell of decay was overpowering.
I barely held back a sneeze, and after a few deep breaths, I calmed my racing heart.
No one could predict what this choice would lead to.
My life could end in just a moment.
But if I stopped here because of fear… I wouldn’t be able to do anything.
I remembered the helplessness I had felt during the fifteen days I was locked in the dorm.
The feeling of being powerless.
I never wanted to feel that way again.
I couldn’t live like a vegetable, merely clinging to life.
I can do this.
I whipped my weak heart into action, and with each step, I silently moved into the corridor.
Though I couldn’t see anything, the enemy could discover me at any moment if it turned its
head.
I calmed my nervous mind, taking one step at a time, as if walking on a tightrope.
Crrrk…
The sound of a door being knocked stopped, and the growl of the zombie became clearer in
my ears.
Was it looking this way?
Without a moment’s hesitation, I slipped into the stairs and pressed my body against the wall.
I held my nearly bursting heart and remained completely still.
Thud- thud-
Footsteps were approaching.
Had I been discovered?
No.
If I had been caught, it would have screamed by now.
The zombie hadn’t noticed, so it was still silent.
If I hadn’t covered my scent, I might have been found already.
Without looking back, I continued up the stairs.
My mind was racing, but I had to suppress the sound of my footsteps. I crawled up the stairs
like a mouse.
When I reached the 2nd floor, I quickly scanned the left corridor.
Fortunately, I didn’t see any zombies, and there were no disturbing sounds to alert me.
Entering the 2nd-floor dormitory would be insane, so I dropped flat onto the floor and headed
for the bathroom.
I’d like to lower myself using a blanket like before, but to tidy up my room, the zombies’
screams would follow.
So, without any safety gear, I had to jump from the 2nd-floor bathroom.
As soon as I entered the bathroom, I pulled up the blinds.
Thankfully, there were no bars on the window.
I carefully opened the window and threw my bag onto the flower bed below.
After taking a deep breath, I swung my right leg out the window.
I couldn’t know what lay beneath, but I didn’t want to stay here for another minute.
Clinging to the window frame, I carefully examined the ground.
Wasn’t I once preparing for physical education?
I was well-practiced in falling techniques, and this was only the 2nd floor, not the 3rd.
If I fell straight down, I could sprain my ankle or hurt my knees, so I counted “one, two,
three” in my head and kicked off the wall as I jumped down.
“Whoo!”
Quickly shifting my direction as I scanned the ground, all I could see was thick fog.
The distance between the ground and me closed rapidly, and I tensed every muscle in my
body.
‘Now!’
The moment my toes touched the ground, I bent both my upper and lower body and rolled to
the side.
I lost my sense of depth and timing slightly, but fortunately, I landed without serious injury.
My right shoulder was a little sore, but it wasn’t a big problem.
I grabbed the bag I had thrown into the flower bed and pulled out the metal pipe I had hidden
inside as I scanned my surroundings.
I couldn’t see any zombies, but their eerie growls in the distance were enough to keep me on
edge.
I couldn’t stay out in the open for long without any cover.
After confirming there were no zombies nearby, I hurried toward the convenience store.
The convenience store was 50 meters away.
My anxiety rose as my vision blurred, and sweat began to bead on my palms.
Soon, I could make out the long wall of the convenience store in the distance.
A low, waist-high wall stood between me and the store.
I carefully poked my head out and looked inside, relieved to see no signs of zombies.
I quickly scaled the wall and moved toward the convenience store.
Clunk-
The door was locked.
I had expected this, but I still felt bad now that I couldn’t get in.
This was a situation where zombies could jump out at any moment.
My neck felt cold as I swallowed hard, scanning the surroundings.
Should I try entering through the cafeteria?
There was no other choice, so I took a wide detour and headed for the front door that
connected to the cafeteria.
When I reached the front door, I crouched down and peered through the transparent glass
door.
Despite it being midday, the inside of the building was as dark as dusk.
The cafeteria had no power, and the fog had filled the space, making it impossible to see
anything inside.
I cautiously pushed the glass door.
Thankfully, it wasn’t locked.
Could I go in like this?
What if there were zombies inside?
As I hesitated, I suddenly heard the chilling sound of footsteps approaching from the left.
I quickly turned my head and raised the metal pipe. There, I saw a zombie with half of its
side missing.
Crrrk…
It hadn’t noticed me yet.
Had it just wandered close by, unaware of my presence?
Can it not smell me?
Was it because I had drenched myself in rotten water?
The zombie, which had been stumbling aimlessly, suddenly wrinkled its nose, then turned
toward me with a delayed reaction.
Without wasting a second, I gritted my teeth and swung the metal pipe.
The pipe struck its temple with a loud thunk, caving in its skull.
Without pausing, I kept hitting its head.
I turned my gaze around, scanning my surroundings.
In the distance, I could make out faint shapes—about twelve or so figures.
Were they the ones who had chased me from the pond yesterday?
I had to hide my body quickly, so I rushed to open the glass door and entered the building.
Since the cafeteria was still unexplored, I didn’t go toward it but entered the gym, which was
between the cafeteria and the convenience store.
At the hour the fog came, no one should have been in the gym because of the thick fog.
As expected, the gym was filled only with dust.
Every step I took left a footprint on the floor.
Leaning against the gym wall, I drank some bottled water and looked toward the corridor
leading to the convenience store.
I didn’t sense any zombies nearby, but the psychological pressure from the thick fog and
complete darkness was oppressive.
Taking a deep breath, I gathered strength into my legs and carefully moved toward the
convenience store.
Thankfully, the glass door leading to the convenience store was not locked.
I opened the door cautiously and entered, only to hear rustling sounds coming from the
counter.
Upon sensing movement, my hair stood on end.
As I narrowed my eyes and raised the metal pipe, I saw the figure behind the counter.
It was a man, curled into a ball, trembling, with both hands pressed to his ears, crouching on
the floor.
As I stared at him blankly, he suddenly looked up at me with wide, startled eyes.
An awkward silence fell.
We both froze, cautiously observing each other without a word.
After a moment, as if realizing I was human, the man widened his eyes and stammered.
“P-people?”
“……”
“P-please don’t attack me. I’m… I’m human too.”
I wasn’t sure what to say.
I relaxed my arms and glanced around the room.
“Are you alone?”
He nodded violently, his eyes wide with shock.
I sighed and asked him, “What are you doing here?”
“Pardon? Well… there’s food here, so…”
Hearing his answer, I scanned the shelves and saw that more than half the food was already
gone.
The convenience store was small to begin with, but did he really eat all this by himself?
I examined the man closely. He didn’t look like he had been starving.
In fact, he didn’t seem to have missed any meals—his jawline was completely hidden.
Crrrk…
I heard the zombies’ growl from outside.
Fearing I might be seen, I crouched down and asked the man in a low voice, “How did you
get here?”
Was this too difficult a question?
The man gave me a confused look and nervously glanced around.
Seeing his reaction, I began to feel a sense of unease.
Why was he looking around?
When I gave him a skeptical look, he quickly opened his mouth.
“Well… I came here because I figured I should get some food first.”
“So, how did you make it past the zombies?”
“And you? How did you get here?”
“I killed zombies on the way.”
“Me too…”
His expression was an obvious lie.
I kept my distance from him and asked again, “What about weapons?”
“W-weapons?”
He seemed panicked.
It didn’t make sense that he’d come this far without any weapons.
I looked around the store again before asking, “Where are the others?”
Thud.
I heard faint footsteps from the storage area that tickled my ears.
I narrowed my eyes and turned toward the source of the sound, where another man’s head
popped out.
“Whoa, whoa, wait a second!”
He waved his hands frantically, slowly stepping forward.
I shifted my gaze between the man by the counter and the one emerging from the storage
area.
Neither had weapons, but I couldn’t let my guard down.
They had lied to me.