Vampire Overlord's Harem In The Apocalypse

"Tutorial?" Simon muttered under his breath, trying to wrap his mind around what he had just heard.

The voice that had spoken was cold, almost emotionless, but the message was clear. This whole "tutorial" phase didn't make any sense. What was it? What did it mean for him, for the world?

The voice, genderless and distant, seemed almost detached as it continued:

[Every player that has managed to survive past the first day… Congratulations. As you may have noticed by now, Humans who get bitten by Zombies, Humans who die in the Apocalypse, turn into Zombies themselves. But, there's a twist. Those who are in close proximity to a Zombie while it's transforming will also become infected. If your immune system is strong enough, you might survive the infection — partially. You'll become a Zombie, but not fully. You'll retain your intelligence, your thoughts… you'll be an Exception.]

Simon glanced at the woman sitting behind him. Her face was blank, but he could almost feel the chill of the situation sinking in.

'Exception,' he thought with a dark chuckle. She wasn't just a survivor, was she? She had something else, some hidden advantage with being an exception.

[But let's not get off track. Welcome to the Apocalypse. And as hard as it is to believe, the tutorial phase is now over. Yes, that's right. This was just the beginning.]

The weight of the words hit Simon hard.

"What?" he said under his breath, unable to keep the disbelief from creeping into his voice.

This whole nightmare had started only a few hours ago, and already, it was clear this was no game. Half of the world's population had already fallen, and now, the so-called "real" Apocalypse was just beginning.

His hands trembled, but he steadied himself, forcing his mind to focus on what was happening. He couldn't afford to lose it now, not when everything was changing.

[The Blue Screen you've been seeing — the one that shows your World Ranking — will now feature a new function: the Market. It's like a server where you can type your messages, trade, and barter with other survivors. Those who have valuable resources can find customers and sell their goods privately through direct messages. It's a marketplace for survival.]

Simon frowned. A market? So, this wasn't just about fighting off zombies anymore.

This was about commerce — trading resources, finding food, weapons, anything that might keep you alive.

But it also meant more danger. Who could you trust? How much of what people sold would even be worth it? Was this system just another way to further separate the survivors from the weak?

[This messaging system is similar to how your phones used to work. Videos, pictures, and messages can be sent in real-time. You can communicate with other players. Use it wisely.]

The voice paused for a moment, almost as if savoring the impact of its words before it finished.

[Well, I bid you good luck. I hope to see all of you roaming as Zombies by the time the next phase of the Apocalypse begins.]

The voice disappeared as suddenly as it had come, leaving Simon standing in stunned silence.

The screen in front of him faded to black, but the weight of the message hung in the air like a heavy fog.

He felt a deep pit in his stomach as the implications sank in.

Half the world was gone, and now… now the real fight was beginning.

The survivors weren't just going to have to fight off Zombies — they would be fighting against each other for resources, for power, for the means to survive in a world that was quickly falling apart.

No rules. No laws. Just chaos.

Simon could feel his pulse quickening. He hadn't signed up for this. Hell, nobody had.

One minute, he was just a regular guy, living his life — dealing with his job. The next, everything had been ripped away. The people he'd known. The world he'd known. All gone, in the blink of an eye.

And now, this… whatever this was.

A "tutorial" that had brought him into this nightmare of survival, where the stakes were life and death.

He turned around and looked at the woman behind him again, noting the hardened look in her eyes. She was calm, too calm, as if she'd already accepted the brutal truth of what was happening.

She wasn't scared. At least not in the same way he was. Simon knew he had to get a grip. There was no time for fear. Not anymore.

His eyes scanned the horizon, seeing the wreckage of a world that was now overrun by zombies, but also by something else.

the people who were still alive. Everyone had their own agenda now. Some would form alliances, others would betray one another in an instant.

But the fact remained — the human race was no longer unified by any sense of common good. They were all fighting for their lives, and Simon didn't know who would come out on top.

Focus. He needed to focus.

The first step was survival. The second, and perhaps even more important, was figuring out what the hell had happened. Why were they chosen?

Before he could formulate any kind of plan, a familiar chime rang from the blue screen that had just appeared in front of him. A notification from the Market – it was already becoming filled with messages, as much as he wanted to see what was going on, he dismissed it… He needed to focus.

His first step was clear. Find a place to crash. A safe spot. Somewhere that wouldn't be crawling with zombies or other players trying to kill him. Then he'd start figuring out what came next. How to distribute their resources and how they would survive and grind their World ranking…

But the first thing was to find a place to crash, a Safezone, could they really find somewhere like that?

He was beginning to see why it was truly called… The Apocalypse. It wasn't just any child's play, it was horror.