Chapter 13
6dRJNo1Kwak Hanmuk opened his mouth.nFj
D7IIfF“…Wow.”UbM
2kSBQMHe sprinted toward me in a single leap and threw an arm over my shoulders with a solid thump.JZsu
UxcQzTB“I’ve been called crazy everywhere I go, but I’ve never met a real one before.”auDG
ePqdbzShowing his sharp teeth, Kwak Hanmuk grinned broadly.lyIpg
1oXVVD“Goyo, you’re completely insane.”YdJ
xSVNrSy“Thank you.”knV
ZGnKWhen I thanked him, he even burst out laughing.NXkev0V
TvnjvI also picked up a baseball bat for Kwak Hanmuk and handed it to him.sKNLQ
Bx1Ub6Encouraged by his enthusiasm, I explained my plan.asAj
MthR“There’s a group that has taken over a convenience store.”LYIK
bAZHNPPThe guys who had occupied that large convenience store had committed every crime imaginable in an apocalyptic world murder, arson, looting, and more.plZ64k1
c5B8tlThey were a group of five or six people who, if left alone, would keep causing trouble for players until the very end of Dead Zone Delivery.9EsxHt
pHisC9iTo the point that the zombies seemed like better people than they were.kRAiS
cCwi0In an apocalyptic world where authority had collapsed, sometimes it was necessary to dispense justice yourself.wit
xEgcThe fastest way to move forward was to eliminate them from the beginning.KX6g
VSe“Let’s go.”a9i8e
PmsTkGAfter hearing a superficial explanation, Kwak Hanmuk didn’t even ask any further questions and tucked the bat under his arm.Urvs
9RaLI guided him while he casually walked behind me until we reached our destination.RY2F
SL3plp3The name of the large convenience store was incredibly straightforward.RcG
nUrDead Convenience Store.3BP75
QiMejiwThrough the clean front windows, the interior was perfectly visible.qDcGaAE
DCTdThe zombies in Dead Zone Delivery had impaired sight and smell, reacting only to sound, so there was no need to cover the glass.HgGo
E0tQFThe moment I recognized the store, a system window appeared.FtxlmhM
Bz1◆ Main Mission: Drive out the group that has occupied Dead Convenience Store.VMH
tP2JaYou have decided to attempt a reckless strategy to speed up the playthrough.UAo7Zz
H1l6QwThe occupants of the store, always filled with anger, are powerful enemies and wish to turn you into zombie food.44qx
rNIHowever, you think the adventure might succeed if you have a strong companion.IK901
PAeoiswThe system window was right.pIVLHE
Ybrp9oPIf I were playing alone, I would never have attempted something like this.ubI8l
6i8J7yBut now I had someone I could rely on.A64H
gicFWt“It’s there.”YDEK6gZ
ty6waJThe moment I pointed at the store with my finger, Kwak Hanmuk shot forward.Lu7Swot
U4DGpCrash!NkKi3a
dK0PThe bat swung powerfully and shattered the large front window.N7MreSV
Me3KmEPKwak Hanmuk jumped inside together with a shower of broken glass.JsLM
vL6fj0GThe men who had been sitting around joking near the shelves hurriedly stood up and grabbed their weapons.Rq9VCVp
Rz3NOne of them even had a pistol that who knows where he had gotten.WKEQ24
Q4f3But in front of Kwak Hanmuk, that meant nothing.6reol
oypBANG!Gb1
bS8The gunshot echoed throughout the store.WkbA
GSeympThe bullet ended up hitting an innocent bag of snacks.WBF6R
oHinsLThe poor chips exploded beyond recognition.mJc5
AxyDgiImmediately afterward, the bat came down on the shooter’s head.O4z
ze7ITxTHUD!zdJY
mK5MxIgThe man collapsed to the floor instantly.aVm8VD6
BfJThe pistol slipped from his hand, but Kwak Hanmuk caught it effortlessly.tuOy5oS
lTPmHe tucked it into his waistband and swung the bat at the others again.3RwZChT
lcsS8BeOne of the men took a direct hit and flew through the air like a baseball, knocking over a shelf.qCjDB
FpxA shower of Buldak-flavored instant ramen fell on top of him.1xOBKu
UhGKwak Hanmuk stepped on the fallen shelf and jumped.z8vTHj
HCifqYgA flawless kick sliced through the air and struck a man who was awkwardly holding a knife.paToH
UkRo73The difference between a professional soldier and a bunch of twenty-somethings who hadn’t even completed military service was enormous.awxgs
GvASo enormous that it was embarrassing to even mention it.Wqn
F38I watched comfortably from the back.alz
C1I7ES6My only contribution was hitting anyone with the bat who tried to get back up.VWZ1GTX
vxLdlLThe first man who had been struck by Kwak Hanmuk spoke through groans of pain.j4En
CY0GT“Damn it, who the hell are you people…?”n8rfCtm
KdtvAh!7LJRfh0
kGiI immediately ran over to him.QL645
j29UAi1And rescued a cup of Buldak-flavored ramen that was about to be soaked in his blood.aED
PTCh3WA valuable food source had almost been ruined.DzTFv0C
xiAWa73After carefully checking that it was intact, I answered him.evI
vLEMI“And why does that matter to you?”A325
YZXzThe man’s eyes widened.v9Kl4
gNaEfhiI tilted my head and continued.iwXSri1
sJBiu“Even if you knew who I was, it’s not like it would prolong your life.”MRD
ccYS4“What…? Agh!”SEt
vcqG4GlHe tried to shout something else, so I hit him with the bat.p077E
KPahoThe man closed his eyes and obediently passed out.kQNe
TLK1XKwak Hanmuk was still having fun.SvJI8
rxby2nuWhile I organized the supplies scattered across the floor, I waited quietly.LZbw
c91tSoon afterward, the only thing left inside the store was the groaning of unconscious men.9oHA
FbkaZYou have defeated the occupants of Dead Convenience Store!CmH
0T8sUGIIt was impossible to achieve a cleaner victory than that.RsqyKd5
QVTlAKwak Hanmuk read the system message and clicked his tongue.hKMUX
Lv3ESlC“Already over?”Lht
LjdgCDoHe sounded disappointed.RGr5FAb
s0abSKHe even swung the bat through the air a couple of times out of pure frustration.lcrxb
vT2“Captain Kwak, you’re amazing.”zfzj
wo0FTyI gave him two thumbs up.gFoZob
hZ3zCaptain, I hope I can take advantage of you many more times in the future.1Mq
jcd2HFaced with my sincere flattery aimed at the future, Kwak Hanmuk grinned broadly.9oZke
XudfhHe rested the bat on his shoulder and said,1ucev
WQQHu“That was damn fun. Goyo, should we do something like this again?”Dicaqb
ROh2I had plenty of plans for him in Dead Zone Delivery.EksX
AJCSmashing zombies.kIc9DOW
dWBCrushing zombies.IE0VGV
y63CSending zombies flying through the air.i8K
Jb9y9And many other similar activities.cRGTG
KDoSmhkWhile I was glad to have found someone so suited to that kind of work, a system window appeared.waEkkI
8CKxkYou have continued hesitating about registering ‘Mo Haein’.ZRr1NcG
HHaYnHowever, registration is an indispensable process for growing as a System.Chee
BBGaoPhYou think it might not be a bad idea to take a small risk and register ‘Kwak Hanmuk’ first.lYL3Mzn
nd3Would you like to register ‘Kwak Hanmuk’?qdmO
v8XBGdWhile I continued refusing to register Mo Haein, the system had already started looking for compromises on its own.GtJe
EfaYz58Since I had already gotten used to ignoring the system windows, I picked up a backpack that was lying on the floor.T1uwO
NmpYou have obtained a backpack.hGCIMBy
PvzAmrcThe amount of items you can carry has increased.F7OP
5N064klDead Zone Delivery did not have a basic inventory system, so obtaining a backpack was mandatory.h499
oGBIt was a mechanic designed to increase realism, but having to personally carry all your luggage was extremely annoying.qRV
6d9nlvvI began storing supplies inside the backpack.6TWSD
4rfNGWhile picking up a cup of Buldak-flavored ramen, I suddenly looked at the packaging.CMMF
WjEZBuldak flavor born from the grave of flames that consumed ■■■!yR07r
NZqAlthough it looked like ordinary Korean ramen, the description on the packaging was quite strange.6KpW
xhOSVoWhen I played the game, items only displayed a brief explanation of the flavor.9urnnC
JWlThis was the first time I had seen the actual packaging, so I looked at other nearby foods.jAoff
99xxrTuna with mayonnaise caught from the boiling River of ■za8X
5adBSalmon with mayonnaise caught from the foaming River of ■812f
nDk3vI9The descriptions on the rice triangles were just as horrible.SBcS85N
u4HBlIf I weren’t in the middle of a zombie apocalypse, I wouldn’t have wanted to touch them with a ten-foot pole.GH2
ikso6DD“Goyo, what’s wrong?”l0hExB1
6dHp9okKwak Hanmuk asked as he opened a bag of chocolate candies and dumped them all into his mouth.QeVD
np1k9QX“The descriptions are pretty weird.”yLXicX
A5Z“Trials are always like that.”1PoE9
CLRzhYnCome to think of it, item descriptions had always been rather strange.NrZVubn
LjVnFZXWhile I packed away food, Kwak Hanmuk tossed some snacks into my backpack and then carefully restrained the store occupants, piling them up in a corner.izYD
w9qWhen he finished, he cracked his knuckles.KkxhuNa
pJbF“So, should we kill them?”3zSmoG
N288cz“No need to bother, Captain. They’re still useful.”gzO
7UjgqL3With that amount of food, three people could eat for quite a long time.ao3
RygWEcI slung the backpack over my shoulder and looked out the window.9IvIR
aJAxm“Grrr…”ays6CrO
rGse06ZThe zombies that had heard the gunshots were shambling toward the store.AwcyzQC
bitQvQKAt a glance, there were several dozen of them.hN7E
W5Tjf7“Let’s leave them dinner before we go.”EghFrYb
imbbvI gave them exactly the same thing those men had done to the survivors of Green Zone.1wrj8PA
uQgzoHI used them as bait.gVIMMzN
okhKwak Hanmuk and I escaped without any trouble while the zombies swarmed over them.olTF4i
ULuE9BKwak Hanmuk whistled as he watched the feast.aXR
saQ“Now we should head to Green Zone and meet up with Captain Mo.”LN5U8
hcham“Yes.”gPbGP5i
GMgDQHe answered obediently while walking behind me.KQU
K7GThen he suddenly asked,snV
mqDS“You’re twenty-four?”UC8
DWeA“Yes.”1CoBncC
CEbE“Then you’re seven years younger than me.”l2tb
x7hPClack.xBvleEz
cvWwSoThe sound of a pistol being cocked rang out.FboZ
QULiI stopped.8fDu8nO
pjPAnd slowly turned around, hoping I was mistaken.n6iwys
BcnZ“No matter how much you know this Trial is an illusory space that repeats endlessly, it’s different when it’s right in front of your eyes.”WUux3
IZBWMBut the gun was pointed directly at me.VE1G
0E8rLAZKwak Hanmuk continued.Btof0
AZyYnrV“Even Compatibles trained by the Trial Response Agency usually hesitate before acting.”d7V
VufsU0Then he mimicked the sound of gunfire with his mouth.tZ2ZY
RoW37r“Bang. Bang.”qRg
PEKOs“And you fed people to zombies without even blinking.”rVkqrtR
dlo1u6Thinking about it, it was a reasonable suspicion.Iil1h
VQX0I had only done it because this was a Trial.KoJ5q
QOR9If it hadn’t been, I would have also—cHF0KD
LUZBqHm.bwLXie
aWL3I remembered Park Seonggyeon’s head turning into brilliant golden fireworks.onyxDAb
ajWIAnd corrected my thoughts.hdk9Cy
8HhAC“I think I’m just a pretty cold person.”jSFpc0Y
V2oik“Pretty?”9c0u17
uJvkvFy“Well, I want to survive too.”wOsdW
ShtwGKwak Hanmuk burst out laughing.sgZB6a
Q0aoMy answer didn’t seem to have displeased him.mnBo4
b5wjfmBut since it was Captain Kwak, I couldn’t be sure.JfE
bjJHe was the type of person who could laugh like that and pull the trigger the very next second.PU6o
jj95wE3“I just have my priorities straight.”lNXD1
iWVZzCAs I spoke slowly, I walked toward him.Ta8cx
p5NGjQI stopped right in front of the barrel of his pistol.CzXk
fvf1W“And you’re one of my priorities too, Captain.”8xR
2SmLBRKwak Hanmuk stared at me.ZYrN9UL
hRqfZ7His gaze asked why.ZRrCs8
Dee1iVLI answered.R7tgA
NuyG“We’re a team.”uGfX
sxUWe’re on the same side.83yZz
437So stop being suspicious of me.m9Cs
84Sa5I couldn’t say it that directly, but Kwak Hanmuk understood exactly what I meant.rbj
E1b3He immediately burst out laughing and tucked the pistol into his jacket.jVz6Hrn
PjcN6“There’s no dealing with you, hyung Goyo.”xFNL
CIiXYgcI didn’t understand why he insisted on calling me hyung, but I responded immediately.m0wQ5F
hdz“Thank you for trusting me.”rG4s11a
mIKgFortunately, things ended there.0dV1
7KDIf he had kept pointing the gun at me, things would have become quite troublesome.rB5f92
bJGI didn’t want to blow up Kwak Hanmuk’s head.e8BnUB
nR7Fb6After that, I took him to an armory.PNfn
xaMb8In the game, that armory was a hidden location whose whereabouts could only be discovered after completing an enormous number of side quests.mY6Na
38xVBut I guided him there as if it were my own home.NGt
NtfFzAnd Kwak Hanmuk looted the items as if it were his as well.aSSLei
YSYSWatching him follow me without asking questions gave me a strange feeling.Yu2yk
6wHI had never explained anything to the Trial Response Agency.MdAFG
bnOwIl9Only Samra knew that I had experienced the Trials and their characters through the game.MSM
FNDlA9NAnd yet, after the Special Mission Team was formed, nobody questioned me again.qCJsj
pLYE3iyNot even Kwak Hanmuk.cAWSZi
gwdQEven though I was revealing strategies and even the locations of rare items, nobody said anything.uBr
wCvZtLK‘I guess as long as I can close Trials, they don’t care what I am.’rhqCDJx
Tfb5v7yIt was an attitude that made it clear they were willing to use me as a tool.ysd
ZLDI knew the Agency valued results above all else.6gI
JqFjZe0But even so, it felt unlike a government institution.4F246BO
cpvBy the time we finished looting the armory, the sun was already setting.8wpiv
GdVFRqBWith an additional duffel bag slung over my shoulder, I headed toward Green Zone beneath the reddish glow of the evening sky.R2mE41A
vrvZombies were slow during the day.AC7fk3
LuXBut at night they became much faster.FOy26YL
pHcZWbIf you didn’t want to participate in a chase with running zombies behind you, you had to reach Green Zone before sunset.O3yxEEL
mYqI6Dead Zone Delivery was divided into four areas.UfQwx4p
7mqPaGreen Zone.f4QL
03lThe safe area where the survivors lived.JHRP9
48l8Only a few zombies appeared occasionally.ZFN73p
NzMYellow Zone.dYiv
xzGhCSThe starting area where players began.yQTIzz
SgcQC36Zombies appeared frequently, and at night their numbers doubled.ZlY5
ieeRed Zone.e57ct
u8fdA region infested with zombies both day and night.VDxMTsA
SqQAnd finally…DU07
0bQDead Zone.6JPXlb3
3f49S8nA place where it was always considered nighttime even under sunlight.awjx4hP
JIGVIn addition, so-called Dead Zombies appeared there.RfFM
VGLJ5Zombies that were much stronger and faster than normal ones.I5Zys
vohQEThe laboratory that was our destination was located precisely in Dead Zone.Uir5C8c
NmMzFollowing the normal route, players had to become much stronger before attempting the delivery.e4up
lXbaOf course, I had no intention of following the normal method.lZ2
cUJsBefore entering Green Zone, I asked Kwak Hanmuk to do something he was especially suited for.SLi943O
BoXezbaHe gladly agreed.Yljl
ekpdOnce we entered Green Zone, the number of zombies dropped drastically.K9Wg
5l8AQD3The survivor camp had been established inside an elementary school.yLxbGX
mZtThe guards stationed at the entrance, protected by barbed wire, watched us with obvious suspicion.kVBaw
52OYpBeing aimed at by two people with guns no longer affected me.fyD5
R7JhKuTI opened my backpack.zla
7pQzjThe guards’ eyes widened when they saw the enormous amount of food.9iGuJ
SacCfQ“Pass information about food to a woman named Samrae. She should have arrived here today.”UFo
0Hs6155Faced with that much food, suspicion stopped mattering.AEDg
nrei4ghOne of the guards ran inside.Zax
me1XxShortly afterward, a man in his fifties appeared accompanied by several subordinates.mLaKvu
ofcAwE“Where did you get all this food?”bBq9s
X32cMo Haein wasn’t there.og09CH
anoKwak Hanmuk and I exchanged glances.k3aTHe
vJbThere was no way a handful of men that mediocre could have stopped Mo Haein from getting out.XIA7
4bEAnd if she hadn’t appeared despite all the commotion, there could only be one explanation.1AXE
5NEWf2nShe had never reached Green Zone.ChY3
OptYvWhy?2a9
qfM3fHThere was no reason for that to happen.Yc3ch
eSAICKwak Hanmuk frowned slightly.EOA
kubEQiGThen he stepped closer and whispered quietly to me.3l1
AxcF“Captain Mo… I think a zombie bit her.”PV4
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dihnblls 300
Golden Coreno shit system
dihnblls 300
Golden Corereminds me, I ate the best fucking buldakramen today I actually cried