Chapter 72

The thing that surprised me the most when the quest began wasn’t the sky blackened as if scorched, nor the merciless thunder and lightning, nor the red letters flashing across the sky.

Screeeeek!

Bang! Boom!! Kaboom!!

“Kyaaaah!”

“Ugh! What kind of storm is this all of a sudden?!”

“Ah! Lightning! Lightning! Dodge!! Up high! No, should I go down!?”

A sudden flood of people filled the streets of Seoul.

And just as many vehicles in an endless procession.

Of course, they were all quest-specific NPCs, but still…

“Wow… this is Seoul. Yeah. This is Seoul.”

And then, as soon as the strings of letters—apparently visible only to me—ended, a horrifyingly gigantic demon, piercing through the clouds, poked its head into the sky above Seoul.

Judging by the flow of the story, that demon was probably Angolmois.

-I am called ‘᤟᤟᤟᤟᤟.’

-Ah, this must be a name that humans with their shallow minds cannot comprehend. How should I translate this? Hmm…

-Ah, it seems Earth has a title for me. Fortunately. Let me reintroduce myself.

-I am the “King of Terror (Angolmois),” sent on a commission from ‘᤟᤟᤟᤟’ to “cleanse human civilization between July 1 and July 31, 1999”…

-Earth’s inhabitants, I apologize for my tardiness. I sincerely offer my regrets.

-The delay only means I will approach the ‘end’ with even greater diligence.

As I scratched my head listening to him, a pure white cat next to me mewed, sending its thoughts.

‘Ah, I see how this works. The flow is roughly clear.’

For reference, this cat was a kind of relay device deployed by the fake-Shia and fake-Bel excluded from the quest. It can’t help directly, but at least through its thoughts, it can provide guidance.

Anyway, the demon seemed to have no intention of hiding anything; it began voluntarily explaining itself, and the situation humanity (?) was facing, in meticulous detail.

-The means of civilization eradication have been entrusted to me.

-I considered various methods… but for some reason, the sentient beings of the First Civilization Zone don’t seem to favor apocalypses accompanied by suffering.

-The ignorance of mortals who don’t know that worldly suffering is the reward of the afterlife… how lamentable.

-They don’t understand that slow, prolonged suffering is the essence and elegance of the apocalypse, and the proper way to savor it.

-Perhaps it would have been better to meet after civilizations had advanced further, with a fuller understanding of karma…

-But that’s fine. I have prepared even more diligently because of that.

-Considering the cost and schedule set by the client, ᤟᤟᤟᤟, and the intelligence level of this planet’s sentient beings, the means of eradicating civilization has been decided as the “Hybrid Apocalypse.”

-Ah, come to think of it, this world seems to have an interesting cliché. Apocalypse means zombies, right? I don’t know why… hmm. That’s fine too.

-There’s a saying, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” In that sense, let’s start with that.

-For now, surprise~. I am very pleased to provide you with another option.

-From this moment, on a first-come, first-served basis, one-third of this planet’s sentient beings, that is, 2,671,954,177 individuals, will receive a ticket to retire from the apocalypse about to begin.

-Applying is easy. Just wish for it in your heart… hmm, applications are pouring in. Oh, and communication is prohibited. Forcing the choice of someone far away would be troublesome. I respect the free will of sentient beings. Naturally.

A short while later, as I lay down the relay cat and poked its soft belly to pass the time, the demon spoke again.

-Ah, the applicants are already full. I’ll take no more.

-Then, I shall issue the tickets immediately.

With a showy gesture, he extended his hand forward and snapped his fingers in a motion reminiscent of a villain in a superhero movie.

And before three seconds had passed, the people seated at the open-air cafe where I was collapsed on the spot. Not just them, but countless others in the distance as well.

Crash! Bang!!

“…Oh.”

The cat lying down mewed.

‘Don’t empathize. They’re all NPCs.’

“I won’t. Why would I?”

‘As expected, a psychopath… worrying was a waste.’

“Who’s the psychopath? Who?”

‘Psychopath… or not?’

“Should I leave?”

Immediately after, cars on the eight-lane road began colliding in chaos.

Bang! Bang! Screeeeek!! Boom!!

One NPC, stunned by the accidents erupting in all directions, brought his hand to the nose of his collapsed friend.

“Gah…! Ho-Hojong…!”

He flinched, and with frantic hands, flipped his friend’s eyes open. Then, checking the pulse as well, he finally slumped to the ground, staggering.

“…I-Is he… dead?”

The crowd around him froze in horror. And at that moment, Angolmois’s voice echoed across the sky.

-There’s no need to be alarmed. Those individuals simply received their tickets and embarked on their journey to the afterlife one step ahead of the rest of you.

“‘Tickets’… you don’t mean…”

“They’re all dead…!?”

As the voices of shocked NPCs reverberated from all directions, the demon continued calmly.

-And the corpses they’ve left behind will now be used as resources for the ‘First Disaster.’

“Ah. A cliché.”

‘Yes. Definitely a cliché.’

And, unsurprisingly, at that exact moment, the NPC college student named Hojong, who had been receiving CPR from his friend, opened his eyes wide.

The friend pressing on his chest gasped and shouted frantically.

“H-Hojong! Hey! You bastard! Wake up!! Huh!? Breathe! Breathe!!”

And a quick-witted female NPC yelled at him.

“Stop! Step back!”

But… before her warning even finished, Hojong opened his mouth wide and bit down on the hand pressing his chest.

Crunch!!

“AAAAAH!!!”

The man whose fingers—from index to ring—were ripped off screamed, rolling backward.

With eyes filled with terror, anger, and disbelief, he cursed at the friend he had just been performing CPR on.

“Ugh! Ugh! My hand!! You crazy bastard!! Are you insane!?”

Yet Hojong, undeterred by the shouting, was entirely focused on chewing and swallowing the fingers in his mouth.

Crunch! Crunch! Chomp-chomp!!

As he gnawed on the fingers, eyes rolled back in a frenzied stare, the man stepped back in shock, forgetting even the pain.

“F-Fuck… what… what the hell…?”

But then… as if his muscles had suddenly twisted on their own, the man collapsed awkwardly to the ground.

He lay there, seemingly trying to say something, tongue lolling out, moaning “Muuuuuh…” before frothing brownish-yellow foam and contorting his limbs in grotesque angles.

I, along with a few stunned cafe patrons, stared blankly at the horrifying sight.

After writhing for a while, the man slowly pushed off the ground and stood up.

“Mmm…”

He looked at the still-standing people with the same rolled-back eyes as his friend had had, his gaze vacant and unsettling.

“Mmm-mmm-mmm… ugh…”

And from someone watching… a word, which everyone had avoided saying, slipped out.

“…Zombie.”

“Fuck…!”

And as if a switch had been flipped by that word, the corpses of those who had died sprang to life all at once.

Eyes rolled back, frothing brownish-yellow foam from their mouths.

The newly risen zombies—numbered 2, 3, 4, and 5—looked enviously at Zombie 1, who was gnawing on fingers like chewing gum, before lunging at the surviving NPCs together.

“GRAAAAAH!!!”

“KRRREEEEEK!!!”

And at that exact moment, a message appeared before my eyes.

“Ah… I have to move.”

Like a spectator in a movie, I had been observing the chaos—but the moment the message appeared, I shot my hand forward and grabbed the collar of the female NPC in front of me.

As the zombie’s gaping jaws grazed her bangs, gnashing at empty air, I slammed my foot into the ground and charged shoulder-first into the creature.

KRAAANG!

Ribs shattered under the impact, and it bounced backward as if hit by a truck.

Bang! Crash! Smash!! Thud!!

Flying over tables and chairs, it slammed into the cafe wall and slumped to the ground.

Its limbs and neck twisted at impossible angles, and even a glance made it clear it wouldn’t be getting up again.

“…!!!”

“…!!!!!!”

As the NPCs held their breath, I kicked the male NPC who had become the zombies’ next target, sending him flying, and yanked the parasol embedded in the center of the table.

Stripping away the fabric and ribs of the parasol, I grabbed the metal pole and swung it sharply at the charging zombies.

“Kreeeeek!!”

“Kyaaah!!”

CRACK!! THUD!!

With a lightning-fast jab, two zombies were slammed in the abdomen and chest, toppling backward.

After a glance at the two, coughing up thick, tar-like black blood, I swung my body and smashed the remaining two zombies with the pole.

SMASH!!

Two zombies bounced backward, necks snapped.

In a single sweep, I had cleared all five zombies. I turned to the open-air cafe NPCs, who were staring at me in shock, and spoke firmly.

“We need to get out of here.”

The man I had kicked earlier scrambled to his feet, stammering.

“G-G-get out…? W-we’ve already cleared them, haven’t we?”

I didn’t answer verbally. Instead, I pointed toward the indoor cafe connected to the open-air area.

Through the windows, the spacious cafe was already a chaotic mess.

Zombies were rampaging. People were panicking.

The open-air cafe patrons turned pale as they saw many people already bitten in various places, struggling on the floor.

“Did you see their physical ability? When they lunged toward us earlier, one of them jumped nearly a meter high. Sure, he looked athletic before, but no one can just jump a meter. In other words, becoming a zombie enhances their physical abilities beyond what they had in life.”

“……!!”

I quickly explained our situation to the people. Since we’d already started, I would handle this thoroughly. And besides, I was a little curious about that unique item reward.

“In short, it’s not just that cafe. Anywhere people gather will face the same situation. Zombies will be pouring in soon. In countries like the U.S., where guns are common, it’s a different story… but this isn’t one of them. So we need to run.”

The NPC college girl I had just saved, trembling, asked.

“Uh… where to…?”

I paused, then surveyed the surroundings.

Zombies slithered and crawled from every corner of the eight-lane road.

Those who had received “tickets” from that demon were now attacking other stranded cars, turning the drivers into zombies one by one.

‘Hmm… is there really anywhere safe to go in this situation? And… what counts as “rescuing” them anyway?’

I pursed my lips, then shrugged at the girl, who seemed to be waiting for my answer as if it were a divine decree.

“Anywhere.”

The NPCs designated by the “mini-quest” numbered seven in total, including the girl I had saved.

Seeing their desperate, trusting eyes as if they believed I could solve this, I thought carefully.

Zombies…

‘Each one has athletic abilities surpassing their former selves.’

‘Extreme aggression. Feels no pain.’

‘Doesn’t retreat when injured.’

‘Considering new zombies will keep appearing, the numbers are practically infinite.’

The conclusion was simple.

‘We don’t fight—they run. That’s the strategy. The direction we move is clear.’

Alright. Let’s try it.

Sodin furrowed her brows slightly as she looked at the girls who had gathered around him, buzzing like bees around a flower.

“They’re asleep…”

“Sleeping.”

“Wow… they’re sleeping. I’ve never seen the Master so defenseless like this before.”

“…You’ve never seen a person sleep before? You rookies.”

“No! Even if the mage had seen this before, she should have told us by now. Why hoard it all to herself?”

“No! Hoard…? It’s not like I have any feelings for this… this… this insolent human…!!”

“Pfft.”

“Puhhh.”

“Keuk.”

“No! What’s with that?! Why are you laughing like that?!”

“That’s enough, alright? Haha, he laughed. I wonder what kind of dream he’s having?”

“Tsk. It must be a good one.”

“Humph… you really don’t know about Sword God oppa. He only makes that face when fighting an enemy, not when he’s happy.”

“You’re the ones who don’t understand. Right now, he isn’t sleeping—he’s exploring his mental Imagery. Why would an enemy appear in his mind?”

“Um… is that so?”

“Yeah.”

“Anyway, this is a rare scene. Shouldn’t we record it? Shia! Shia!”

“I already started recording early.”

“…….”

“…….”

“…….”

“Then why are you looking at me with those eyes!? Huh!? Wanna fight!?”