I Became a Game Character in the Apocalypse

Chapter 19

I entered the club room, filled my starving stomach, and, with a lighter heart, began the conversation.

After telling the story of how I escaped from the dorm and how I met Seol Ye-won, Lee Jung-woo made a bitter expression and spoke.

“As soon as you arrived at the student union building, it must have been hectic, but thanks, Jae-hyung. And Ye-won too.”

Lee Jung-woo quietly touched his chin and, scanning the expressions of the group, asked,

“So… everyone understands the current situation, right?”

Everyone nodded.

Then, Jeong Jin-young, who was next to Lee Jung-woo, opened his mouth.

“I’m glad Jae-hyung is safe. I was planning to get a weapon and go looking for you, but you found us first.”

“Me?”

“Because you’re the best at the game. The people here have barely even finished the beginning of the third episode. Jae-hyung, how far have you gone?”

At Jeong Jin-young’s question, I couldn’t answer immediately.

Should I answer honestly?

Yeah, they’ve all played the game at least once and they’ll be my comrades from now on.

There’s no point in hiding it.

After a brief hesitation, I answered in a calm voice.

“I’ve seen the ending.”

Everyone’s expression turned to one of surprise.

Jeong Jin-young stuttered as he asked me.

“You… you finished it all the way to the end?”

“Yeah.”

“How many episodes are there in total?”

“I know there are five episodes, but it might not be the same this time.”

“Why?”

“The difficulty is different. The settings from the second episode are already in progress. The big picture hasn’t changed, but the details have.”

“Then, there’s a possibility the episodes are fewer?”

“There’s also a possibility they could be more.”

Jeong Jin-young made a bitter expression and stared at the bag on the desk.

He took a hand axe out of it and, licking his lips, continued talking.

“Getting weapons is hard enough. Can we progress the episodes while securing the necessary items?”

“Let’s not think too far ahead, and take it step by step. We haven’t even cleared the first episode yet.”

“What was the setting for the second episode?”

Ah, I hadn’t mentioned the leader zombie and resonance zombies.

When I revealed that leader zombies and resonance zombies exist, everyone’s expressions turned blank.

Jeong Jin-young rubbed his forehead and, with a dazed expression, let out a bitter laugh before speaking.

“If there’s a leader zombie… does that mean mutants might appear soon?”

At the mention of mutants, everyone’s expressions grew serious.

Lee Jung-woo, arms crossed, organized his thoughts and frowned as he spoke.

“Let’s not think that far ahead. As Jae-hyung said, let’s tackle it one thing at a time.”

Then, in a tired tone, he asked me,

“Jae-hyung, what’s your job?”

“Adam.”

“Adam? Adam White?”

“Yeah.”

“You cleared it with Adam?”

At the mention of Adam, everyone showed disbelief.

I answered nonchalantly.

“It’s easy to clear with Adam if you only clear the first episode. I died over a hundred times when I cleared the first episode.”

As I spoke with a bitter smile, Choi Hyun, who was sitting in the corner, asked with a troubled expression.

“But now, if we die once, it’s over, right?”

“That’s right. It’s reality for us.”

Choi Hyun, licking his lips, scratched his head.

Is he thinking the survival rate is too low?

A silence descended in the club room, and Jeon Wan-soo, who was wiping blood off his katana, asked me.

“What comes after the first episode?”

“The next one is called Wanderer.”

“What’s the condition to clear the Wanderer?”

“You have to find a shelter and enter it.”

“What if everyone in this world is dead, and there’s no shelter? According to the game’s settings, people immune to the fog are less than 20%. Most of them would have died from being bitten by zombies, right?”

“Well… I don’t know either. It might be a game designed so it can’t be cleared.”

Did I speak too calmly?

Everyone looked at each other with grim expressions and fell silent.

Seol Ye-won scanned the group’s expressions and, in an attempt to lighten the mood, clapped her hands and said,

“Alright, alright! Whatever happens, everyone here except Hye-ri are experienced, right? Let’s stay upbeat. Anyone would think it’s already over.”

“Ye-won, you said you’re a Last Ark player, right?”

In response to Lee Jung-woo’s question, Seol Ye-won confidently nodded.

“Yeah, Gabriel.”

Jeong Jin-young, who didn’t know Seol Ye-won’s identity, let out an exclamation.

There aren’t many women who enjoy zombie games.

I closed my eyes and recalled the main storyline of the game.

It’s good that we have many allies, but the most important element is missing.

We don’t have a main character.

“The problem is we don’t have Rose. To see the ending of the game, Rose is essential.”

Rose.

A character with high understanding of all equipment.

The ability to understand equipment isn’t directly related to survival, so not many people play as Rose, just like Adam.

However, no one ever curses Rose.

Unlike Adam, Rose isn’t just “nice to have,” she’s a character that makes progress easier.

The final stages of each episode are often related to equipment crafting.

To clear it easily, you need Rose.

For the first episode’s Safehouse, for example, you have to craft a zombie car to escape the safehouse.

Who would modify vehicles?

Also, to clear the last episode, “Last Ark,” Rose is a must.

When playing the game, NPC protagonists help you along the way, but in reality, it’s different.

You need to find someone who can inherit Rose’s abilities to be at an advantage.

With no clear solution, everyone looked at each other with grim expressions.

Lee Jung-woo carefully observed the group’s expressions, scratched his head, and spoke.

“We’ll worry about that later. What we need to solve right now is…?”

“Food.”

“Then let’s go to the convenience store. We can get something there…”

“I actually have something to say about the convenience store.”

Lee Jung-woo tilted his head and stared at my face, confused.

Jeon Wan-soo, Choi Hyun, and Seol Ye-won were all looking at me for some clue.

Did they want me to speak?

With a heavy heart, I avoided Lee Jung-woo’s gaze and said,

“This building… isn’t safe.”

“What do you mean?”

“When you came in through the back door, you didn’t see it, but from the main entrance to at least the second floor, zombies are everywhere.”

Jeong Jin-young and Lee Jung-woo looked at each other, then turned to me, expecting an explanation.

I explained the problem that had occurred when Jeon Wan-soo and Choi Hyun entered the new student union building.

Jeong Jin-young opened his mouth in a daze, unable to speak.

On the other hand, Lee Jung-woo pressed his temples, exhaled a heavy breath, and asked,

“So, other than the circular stairs that lead through the back door, there are zombies in every space?”

“Yes.”

Lee Jung-woo closed his lips tightly, gently closed his eyes, and after a deep breath, he spoke.

“We’ve got work to do.”

“Huh?”

“Let’s secure the second floor as soon as the sun comes up tomorrow.”

Instead of answering, I nodded.

To survive, we must fight, and to survive, we must enter places where death lurks.

Everyone had a fearful expression due to the grim situation, but no one objected.

If we do nothing, nothing will change.

I tried to keep the mood from getting too heavy and spoke with a faint smile.

“We have weapons now, so we’ll be fine. Let’s rest well today, and we’ll all pull through starting tomorrow.”

***

The warm morning sunlight streamed in.

I got up from the camp bed and looked around.

It felt like I had gotten a good, long sleep.

Was it because I was with people?

Even the uncomfortable camp bed now felt more comfortable and cozy than the dorm bed.

I brushed my bangs aside and got up from the bed, noticing my companions sprawled across the sofa, chairs, and other camp beds.

I glanced at the wall clock, and the hour hand pointed to 7 AM.

Since everyone was exhausted and had fallen asleep, it was best to let them rest until they woke up.

I stretched and walked over to the window to check the outside situation.

The same thick fog still swallowed the world outside.

It hadn’t even been a month yet, but the world where the ground was visible seemed like a distant memory.

“Are you awake?”

A familiar voice came from behind.

I turned slightly to look over my shoulder, and Seol Ye-won was getting up, calling me in a drowsy state.

She was rubbing her sore shoulders with a bitter expression, likely still feeling the fatigue from yesterday.

Then, she began scratching her head, seemingly uncomfortable.

“You’re going to peel your scalp off.”

“Ugh… I really want to take a shower.”

Seeing Seol Ye-won’s disheveled appearance made me think a lot.

I could also smell a stench coming from my own body.

‘Wasn’t there a shower in this building?’

The third floor of the new student union building has a gym.

There’s a shower room next to it, so when we secure the convenience store, we should also clean up the gym.

As Seol Ye-won spoke, the others began waking up one by one.

Yoon Hye-ri immediately got up and went to find some water, while Choi Hyun and Jeon Wan-soo sat on the sofa, yawning with their heads bowed.

Lee Jung-woo and Jeong Jin-young, perhaps due to the pressure of being the oldest, were already moving in an orderly fashion as soon as they opened their eyes.

Jeong Jin-young checked the remaining food supplies, while Lee Jung-woo began to check his weapons.

I walked over to them and asked,

“When do we start?”

Lee Jung-woo briefly scanned the group and spoke in a calm voice.

“Let’s get ready and leave right away.”

No one objected to Lee Jung-woo’s words.

He was usually quiet, but when it came to getting things done, he was meticulous.

He had good judgment and excellent situational awareness.

Jeong Jin-young, checking the remaining food, licked his lips and spoke.

“There’s no food left. We have to secure the convenience store today, no matter what.”

Jeong Jin-young was the best ally one could ask for.

The combination of Lee Jung-woo and Jeong Jin-young was perfect.

When Lee Jung-woo laid the foundation, Jeong Jin-young would build on it, and their synergy was well-known for being highly effective.

Choi Hyun was a bit eccentric, but he was dependable when it came to work, and Jeon Wan-soo, despite his fiery temperament, was loyal and caring.

Having known each other for a year and a half, the trust between us was deep.

I started getting ready to leave and glanced at Seol Ye-won.

She silently got up and began doing some simple stretches.

She was the only one who didn’t blend in with the group.

I, the mediator, needed to do well.

I walked over to her and, stretching alongside her, asked,

“How are you feeling?”

“I feel heavy.”

“Is it muscle soreness? Do you have a fever?”

“It’s just muscle pain. What about you?”

“I have muscle pain too.”

As I stretched and groaned, Seol Ye-won chuckled lightly and gave me a light slap on the back.

Then, I noticed Yoon Hye-ri awkwardly standing nearby.

It seemed like she had something to say but was hesitating to speak to Seol Ye-won.

Perhaps sensing this, Seol Ye-won turned to Yoon Hye-ri and asked,

“Do you have something to say?”

“Um… thank you for yesterday.”

“For what?”

“For offering to share the ramen and canned food…”

Seol Ye-won smiled warmly and patted Yoon Hye-ri’s head.

I left them to talk and walked to the corner to check the player information.

Clicking the exclamation mark at the top right of my vision, a hologram appeared before me.

Character Name:

Adam White

Ability: Enhancement

Stats:

Strength 5 (+2)

Stamina 5 (+5)

Reflexes 5

Dynamic Vision 5

Mental Strength 10

Remaining Points: 0

Zombies Killed: 18/100

Note: Skill unlocks at 100 kills.

Unlike other games, Last Ark didn’t have stats like HP, MP, intelligence, or agility.

Surviving against zombies was the main focus of the game, so only physical abilities were tracked.

Strength referred to raw power, and stamina referred to base physical health, not HP.

In the game, having high mental strength reduced the likelihood of going insane, but did I really need it in reality?

As long as I didn’t lose my mind, I’d be fine.

I thought I’d killed a lot of zombies at the reservoir, but I’d only taken down 18.

Did the zombies that died in the reservoir or those burned by the fire not count?

There was still a long way to go.

Lee Jung-woo scanned the group’s condition with a glance and stood up, speaking.

“If everyone’s ready, let’s head out.”

At his words, everyone nodded.

Yoon Hye-ri naturally took on the role of the pack mule.

Lee Jung-woo, inspecting the group’s weapons, continued.

“Jin-young and Jae-hyung, you’re in charge of the rear. Wan-soo and I will handle the front. Ye-won and Hyun will take the sides. Hye-ri will stay in the center.”

To survive, we needed food, and to get food, we had to risk our lives.

Everyone understood this, and we all strengthened our resolve.

Lee Jung-woo exhaled sharply and said,

“Let’s go.”