NOVEL NEXT Chapter 2 - The Second Event, Z-Virus Survival
Chapter 2 – The Second Event, Z-Virus Survival
Episode 2.
A hologram-like hallucination appearing before my eyes. An auditory hallucination echoing in my ears with the same content.
‘Kyaaaaaak!’
‘W-what is this!’
No, it’s neither a hallucination nor an auditory illusion.
[Calculating Earth’s recycling potential!]
[Confirmed: the dominant species, humans, have shortened the planet’s expected lifespan through excessive exploitation…]
[Proposing repurposing of Earth which was scheduled for disposal…]
[Congratulations! Earth will be repurposed as a playground for the Celestial Thrones!]
▶▶▶▶▶ 【BANG!】 ◀◀◀◀◀
[The Celestial Thrones of the greater universe are entering Earth.]
[Unable to transcribe the Celestial Thrones’ names in Earth languages.]
[An auction for deity names originating from Earth is taking place among the Celestial Thrones.]
[Sold! The indescribable Неразборчиво acquires the deity name Zeus.]
[Sold! The Ползая по мембране that crawls on the dark curtain acquires the deity name Set!]
[Sold! The Гнездо насекомых of all lowly creatures acquires the deity name Xi Wangmu!]
▶▶▶▶▶ 【BANG!】 ◀◀◀◀◀
[First event!]
[‘The Price the Dominant Species Must Pay’ begins!]
[The dominant species, humans, will pay the price for shortening Earth’s lifespan. They will lose the engines from the cradles of their civilization.]
That’s when it happened.
Screeeeech, CRASH!!
SCREEEEEEECH!! BOOM!!
The deafening roars continued without stopping.
Buses and cars on the road stopped randomly, causing hundreds of collisions.
And that wasn’t the end of it.
[0.1% of the dominant species, humans, will fire celebratory shots with their own bodies to announce the beginning of the entertainment!]
Right after, Youngmin could see it.
A woman’s head, who had been terrified, disappeared
And instead of a scream, she spouted a fountain of blood.
Against the backdrop of flames erupting from stopped vehicles and collision debris scattered on the ground, a spectacle of red liquid bloomed fully.
Watching the scene like fireworks announcing the start of a festival.
‘Beautiful.’
He realized his heart had begun to pound wildly.
▶▶▶▶▶ 【BANG!】 ◀◀◀◀◀
[The Celestial Thrones demand stimulation to entertain their tedious immortality.]
[Searching through Earth’s civilization data to create content for the playground.]
[Second event!]
[Z-Virus Survival begins!]
[0.1% of all living beings on Earth are infected with the Z-virus.]
[0.1% of all living beings are selected as objects for the amusement space and awaken special abilities.]
Sometimes when life becomes difficult.
Youngmin read a book called ‘Understanding Human Evolution.’
‘I’m not wrong. I was just born a hunting hawk.’
Chapter 2. The Hunting Hawk Gene.
The S-C-8733 gene is nicknamed the hunting hawk gene.
Why would this gene, which in modern times is merely considered a negative gene strongly associated with causing antisocial personality disorder – psychopathy syndrome – have such a magnificent nickname as ‘hunting hawk’?
The reason is simple.
In the distant past, when humans were engaged in survival competition with numerous competitors.
Leaders who expressed the hunting hawk gene were the greatest contributors to humanity’s victory in that competition.
Aggressive and brave warriors who fought at the forefront of humanity in the arena of survival competition.
At the same time, cunning leaders who thought more coldly than anyone else and rationally calculated gains and losses to lead humanity.
The hunting hawk gene is precisely what inherently instills the qualities of a warrior and the charisma of a leader!
(This is why many successful business people are sociopaths – psychopaths who know how to control their impulses!)
Therefore, those born with the hunting hawk gene share several characteristics.
For example, they have excellent innate situational awareness.
This is to increase the survival probability of the group by calmly adapting to rapidly changing environments without agitation!
In his childhood, when friends and family all avoided him, books were Youngmin’s only friends.
Especially when feeling lonely and overwhelmed by solitude, Youngmin always read the book ‘Understanding Human Evolution.’
It was a book that made excuses for him, and only in that book could he find his own value.
‘I am a hunting hawk.’
However, Youngmin living in the 21st century was a hunter without prey to hunt.
While hunting dogs after a hunt could at least become meat in a pot, hunters became merely surplus labor, beings unnecessary to the world.
But his genes, now that the Earth faces extinction.
In a situation where humanity would once again be placed in an environment similar to when they engaged in survival competition.
He gained an opportunity to prove his worth.
His senses sharpen, warning of danger.
While everyone in sight was in chaos, Youngmin calmly surveyed his surroundings.
A well-developed high school girl in uniform blatantly smoking in the designated smoking area.
A middle-aged balding man with his forehead covered in sweat despite the chilly November weather.
Passing by those who all had terror in their eyes and screams from their mouths, Youngmin’s eyes fixed on one person.
‘Kkeuk.. kkeuruk…’
A faint noise barely audible even when straining to hear amidst the cacophony.
The only one emitting painful groans instead of screams in the midst of panic was a man in his 20s smoking with one leg crossed, wearing a tracksuit.
His whites of the eyes turned disturbingly red, and then the color drained from his entire body like an old photograph.
Watching the man bend at the waist and twist his body, Youngmin thought.
‘They said they were exploring Earth’s civilization information. Z-virus infection… zombies?’
‘Grrrr… GRAAAAARGH!!’
A roar as if his vocal cords were boiling. A namecard reading [LV1 Infected] appeared above the man’s head.
The bloodshot eyes of the infected began searching for prey before fixing on Youngmin.
‘Grrrr!’
The infected’s charge was incredibly fast. Unlike the cliché zombies that shuffle along craving living flesh.
It seems becoming infected enhances physical abilities.
Watching the infected’s jaws open wide, aiming for his neck.
Youngmin felt a strange anticipation and excitement, like a child about to open a gift box.
A warrior without enemies must trade his sword for a hoe.
Youngmin, unable to do so, had lived a lonely and oppressed life.
But now, the hunting hawk had gained an opportunity to showcase its worth.
Rule 1. Do not commit criminal acts unless there are grounds for extenuating circumstances.
The current situation is clearly reality, and as of now, laws and systems have lost their meaning.
In other words, the basis for defining his actions as criminal has disappeared.
Rule 2. Do not use humans as objects for satisfying desires without justifiable reason.
The opponent possesses all the elements that stimulate Youngmin’s impulses as a human, but is no longer human.
The name card above its head proves this, and even if it were human, self-defense qualifies as a justifiable reason.
Then.
Youngmin extended his fingers as if entranced.
‘Grrrrrrr!!’
Despite the surreal situation of a once-human being baring its teeth at a human, he felt neither fear nor even confusion.
‘Always according to the route I’ve thought about. Precisely.’
Though it’s his first time acting on murderous intent toward a human, it doesn’t matter.
Like the strike of a kendo practitioner who has swung his sword tens of thousands of times, smooth and fluid.
Youngmin’s index and middle fingers pierced the infected’s eyes.
His fingers, curved like eagle talons, burst the eyeballs that felt like soft ping-pong balls.
Using the infected’s charging momentum, his fingers penetrated deeper, beyond the eye sockets to reach the brain.
Only after violently clawing at the infected’s brain did Youngmin withdraw his fingers.
In that moment.
The noise disappeared.
Time slowed down.
His field of vision narrowed, filled only with the blade that had cut human flesh and the spurting blood vessels.
He thought hazily.
If he had only burst the eyeballs without clawing the brain, the liquid flowing down would have been clear.
▶▶▶▶▶ 【BANG!】 ◀◀◀◀◀
What awakened Youngmin’s mind was a single gunshot that tore through his eardrums.
[Minor achievement, ‘Killing an Infected’ has been accomplished for the first time]
[First achievement reward: Human, Ji Youngmin awakens as a piece in the playground and acquires the skill, Dex Weapon.]
**** 【Awakened One’s Status Window】 ****
◆Name: Ji Youngmin (Human, LV1)
◆MP: 10
◆Skill Slots: 5
[Inventory] [Empty]
[Empty] [Empty] [Empty]
◆Achievements Unlocked: 1
[First, Infected Killed]
―――――――――――――――
Before I could even examine the hologram that appeared before my eyes, another gunshot rang out.
▶▶▶▶▶ 【BANG!】 ◀◀◀◀◀
[Remarkable achievement, you are the first to accomplish ‘Killing an Infected Without a Weapon’!]
[First Achievement Reward: Monster Tooltip (LV1 Infected)]
◆Skill: Dex Weapon
[A special benefit given to you for killing an Infected without a weapon!]
[Your movements become twice as fast when holding a weapon.]
◆Monster Tooltip: LV1 Infected
[You who overwhelmed an Infected without the system’s help!]
[You deserve to know information about the Infected.]
[Several divine seats are showing interest in the human, Ji Youngmin.]
Looking at the status window with skills and achievements made me laugh.
‘Just like a game.’
They said they were exploring Earth’s civilization information—perhaps they borrowed from games.
Since Earth had been repurposed as a playground for divine seats, it made sense that it would resemble games, which are essentially entertainment.
‘Fortunately, I’ve gained an attack skill.’
Setting aside the fact that things like the Infected are appearing for this so-called event.
According to the tooltip information, in a few days I won’t even be able to go outside unarmed.
‘From now on, Earth will become a harsh survival ground. Just like in ancient times.’
So acquiring an attack skill from the beginning was fortunate.
However, it’s useless without a weapon, so I felt the need to return to the PC room immediately.
It was then that Youngmin turned around.
‘Excuse me.’
A well-developed schoolboy in uniform who had been trembling a short distance away approached me.
‘He was busy screaming just moments ago, but now he’s regained his composure.’
That wasn’t all. Youngmin glimpsed a certain emotion in the eyes of the uniformed boy who addressed him.
Due to his innate temperament, Youngmin had difficulty empathizing with ordinary people, but perhaps because of this, he was often sensitive to others’ thoughts and feelings.
‘What.’
The hesitant schoolboy in uniform opened his mouth.