Zombie Apocalypse: Am I Counted As 10 People?!

Min-Jun was indeed the most talented among them. There was no language barrier, and although he had a slight accent, he spoke English very well.

Despite this, the man was completely silent. There was almost no expression on his face.

Still, he was determined. Min-Jun was the first person who never got tired of meditation and meditated until nightfall to acquire abilities.

In the evening, William talked to everyone at Mick's house. They had closed all the doors and windows. 

Inside, a very dim gas lamp was burning. Mick's house was sturdier and newer, which allowed them to talk more comfortably in a more protected environment from the zombies outside.

The five new members of the team saw everything as a game and talked about how they could easily kill zombies, as they had not encountered or fought a "live" zombie except on the first day.

Even Kim, whom William considered the weakest member of the group, was full of confidence. She had conditioned herself to be the team's sniper. From time to time, she would go to Austin and Elura, who were watching outside from the upper floor, and ask them to tell her stories about how they killed zombies.

That night, William learned about their blessings.

Mick had a very interesting blessing, called [Manager]. If he gave people short orders and they did them, they would get better results from their work. There was no exact estimate, but they calculated it together with William.

William tried it, jumping when Mick told him to, and achieved an increase in height of about ten percent. When William did this jump reluctantly, the effect was so small that it was imperceptible, but when he conditioned himself to the "jump" command to the extent that it would determine his life, the rate increased to fifteen percent. Mick seemed to be made to be the leader of a team.

Trudie's role suited her personality perfectly. When William heard about her blessing, he thought it was a perfect fit. 

[Slit Jump: Actions performed while in stealth mode have a greater effect.]

William tried this too and decided that Trudie's blessing was the best of the five because it was directly related to combat.

Any attack performed in darkness or stealth could unleash more than 100% of her normal power. Even now, Trudie could easily kill someone like Austin, a Level 3, with this blessing. 

The only problem was not being seen or caught. William was already a master at this and gave some advice.

It took them a long time to understand Kim's blessing because William had a hard time explaining to Kim how to activate it. 

Finally, with Elura's words, Kim was able to use her blessing.

"Let your body go, relax. Shout the name of your blessing inside." 

The moment Kim shouted her ability inside, she felt something change around her.

Very thin, straight lines appeared all over the world, like a spider's web.

A world of lines appeared in front of Kim. She could use her blessing for a maximum of five seconds, but those five seconds were enough for most things. 

It was very easy to aim, and she was becoming particularly skilled at controlling her center of balance for five seconds. Ironically, the sniper rifle William gave her to improve her physical abilities was the most suitable weapon for Kim. 

Jason's blessing was the strangest. According to the system's explanation, Jason's shadow had a weight. 

This weight could increase or decrease over time. William had no explanation for what this blessing was, so Jason had to figure out what his blessing was on his own.

Finally, Min-Jun... Min-Jun's blessing could only be described as a miracle. Just like William's.

[Empty Breath: When you hold your breath, POWER +15%, SPEED +15%, PERCEPTION +30%. Muscles swell, and the body grows. EXP gained from kills while in this state +50%. The longer you hold your breath, the more likely you are to go berserk.]

This blessing also came with a side effect. 

[BERSERK: A high-risk state triggered by the character exceeding their mental, spiritual, or energetic limits. Every second spent in this state carries a high risk to life. Every second = +1 berserk load. Max 100. Every berserk Load = STRENGTH, SPEED, PERCEPTION +1%] 

[0%-25%: Clarity of thought decreases, indecision prevails.]

[25%-50%: The distinction between friend and foe becomes blurred.]

[50%-75%: Reality distorts, time perception shifts, memories become complex. Enters a difficult-to-recover state.] 

[75%-100%: The individual completely loses control, acts on murderous instincts, and faces the risk of permanent death or mental breakdown.] 

"You have to be very careful, my friend." William hoped that the day he would kill Min-jun would never come. Although he was a little quiet, he seemed like a very friendly person. 

Min-jun tested his blessing, and they confirmed that the safe limit was fifteen seconds. In fact, his first experience of going crazy was very bad. As soon as he saw the berserk notification, his stomach turned, and even his cousin Kim's face began to resemble the zombies he saw on the first day. 

From William's point of view, this blessing was very cool. Not only would he gain more exp, but his body would also grow visibly.

Moreover, he could use his blessing three times a day. 

It was clear that Min-jun would be a very powerful warrior in the future.

William spent more time with the group that day, and while chatting with each other, he learned a lot from Mick.

The group was in bad shape simply because they were hungry. After a proper meal and a night's sleep, everyone's physical condition improved slightly, even Kim's. Now they had to go to the shelter.

Austin and Elura took over the night watch, so everyone, including William, had a good night's sleep, and William woke everyone up at first light.

The village was still empty, and he couldn't see any zombies. 

Later, he got information from Elura and Austin about the wolves he feared the most. There had been no wolf howls during the night.

"Eight miles north of here is Old Ed's house. I'm sure he's still alive, and it's on our way." 

William listened to Mick's advice and chose the forest road. At least if something blocked their way, it was comforting to know that there was a house nearby.

William and the team stepped onto the forest road. William was walking a few meters ahead. 

Every now and then, a few small zombies appeared, like squirrels or deer, but William was able to deal with them easily.

Those who saw how William killed the zombies were very enthusiastic. They wanted to kill their first zombies as soon as possible, and William allowed them to do so.

A small zombie deer was running towards them. It was a level one and could pose a threat to some people in the group.

Min-jun and Jason were the first volunteers. There was no teamwork between them, but they knew more or less how to use their powers.

Min-Jun took the lead and hit the deer's head with a powerful swing, and naturally, the bones in the deer's head could not withstand Min-Jun's heavy sword, and the deer's mouth was completely cut off.

Jason, on the other hand, was more tactical. As soon as he saw the opportunity, he thrust his katana into the deer's severed mouth and pierced its brain. 

Both of their strengths were undeniable. Jason was already muscular. His dark-skinned body seemed to have been built for this very purpose. 

Min-Jun was tall, albeit a little thin, and knew how to use his long, heavy sword to his advantage.

The shock they had experienced on the first day had long since subsided, and they knew they had to do something to survive.

That's why they were eager. 

A few miles later, Mick and Trudie also killed a few zombies. Of course, no firearms were used.

It made no sense to use firearms in the wilderness on a forest road. So they unanimously decided not to let Kim shoot because they knew the rifle would make too much noise. Besides, Kim was a weak girl who had never even fired a normal pistol before.

A few miles later, they reached their destination. The first target was Ed's house. William looked up at the dirt road. 

At the end of the dirt road, a small red house could be seen. It had a large, fenced-in yard with a truck and corpses inside. The area around the house was filled with corpses.

"Ed may already be dead." William turned to Mick and spoke.

"I don't think so. If there's one thing that old bastard is good at, it's killing." Mick shook his head and took the lead. He said a few things from time to time, warning William about Ed.

"Ed was a soldier once. I heard that he tortured and killed hundreds of people during the 2035 oil crisis. That's why he was retired early." 

Mick turned his head and whispered after quietly glancing at Jason, Min-jun, and Kim. 

"Ed may be a little crazy, but he's a good guy, you know." 

William understood what Mick meant and simply nodded in response. 

Mick then continued walking and stopped next to the fence. 

"ED!" He didn't shout, but it was loud enough to be heard within a radius of a hundred meters.

Mick didn't call out again and waited for a few minutes. After those few minutes, a curtain opened on the top floor.

William saw a man in his fifties looking through the curtain.

It wasn't very clear, but he was definitely frowning. 

He closed the curtain, and then there was silence again for a few minutes.

"Come on, Ed! You can see how bad the situation is!" 

A few minutes later, the door opened. A man came out with a shotgun in his hand. He was thin. He was wearing what appeared to be an old military uniform with a steel vest over it.

Although the helmet on his head made him look funny, it was clear that the man took the situation much more seriously than anyone else.

"What do you want, Mick? I have no food, no gas, and no weapons!" 

Mick pointed to the people around him. "Do you think we need weapons? You know I have a small stock. We didn't come here to ask for your help; we came to convince you to come with us." 

"I'm not going anywhere, I'm happy at home." 

"Come on, Ed! Look, this kid here is William, he's the highest level among us, he can mow down zombies like wheat. You'll be very safe with us." 

Ed looked at William. 

He couldn't understand how this tall boy could be so strong, but it was clear that he was one of the young people who were rapidly rising in the new world system. 

He looked at the zombies around him and realized that they had barely managed to push him to the second level. He was thinking of going down to the village soon, but his ammunition wasn't as deep as he thought. 

He didn't have enough confidence to safely enter and leave the village.

"Hello, uncle!" William pulled a radio out of his bag. "There's a communication center 20 miles north of here, and the soldiers have turned it into a base. We're going there too; I can prove it if you want." 

Ed thought for a few seconds before speaking. "Give me the radio." 

William thought for a few seconds. At first, he didn't want to give it to him because he was afraid Ed would damage it. However, since he had a few more in his bag, he decided to take the risk.

William threw the radio.

Ed caught it in midair.

"Channel six," William said.

Ed nodded and spoke after setting the channel to six. Hugo answered shortly after, and Ed was sure that this base was the same as the one he had in mind. 

"I know that place. Is General Patton there?" 

Hugo, on the other end of the radio, was startled when he heard the name of the person in charge of this base and immediately informed General Joseph. 

Joseph picked up the radio. 

Ed immediately recognized who was on the radio. "Joseph? Is that you?"

"Ed, I didn't think you'd survive." 

Ed laughed when he heard this. "I'm not going to die before you, you old bastard. Wait for me, I'm coming." 

Ed then turned off the radio and threw it to William. "Come inside; I need to grab a few things." 

Ed then entered the house, and Mick followed him. Those who saw Mick enter felt safer and at least went into the fenced-in garden. 

Elura and Austin also entered the house with William and Mick.

As far as they could see, it was built like a hunting cabin. Stuffed animal heads were displayed everywhere, and there was a corner that William would be lying if he said he wasn't impressed by.

It was a corner dedicated to military achievements.

There were lots of photos of Ed in his military uniform. Photos of him with generals were scattered around.

"Make yourselves at home," Ed said, then went upstairs. 

Mick nodded and motioned for everyone inside to sit down, then quietly went to the kitchen, got some cold water, and distributed it to everyone, including those outside. 

He knew Ed's house as well as his own. He knew better than anyone that Ed had several backup generators and even used them to cool the water.

After a while, Ed came downstairs with large bags in his hands. 

William wondered what was in these bags and rummaged through them a little while Ed was upstairs. 

The bags were full of ammunition, including explosives.

"Ed is prepared for anything." 

Ed then brought down several bags of dry supplies and canned food, along with a cracked helmet that William thought had nostalgic value.

"That's all."

With the help of William and the others, they carried all the items to the truck outside.

Ed turned around at the back of the truck and tapped William on the shoulder. 

"You're strong, young man, you'll be a good sword for Joseph." 

William had never looked closely at Ed before, but now he had the opportunity. Ed was taller than William. His body was muscular but seemed to have melted away as a result of many years of not working, yet it was full of strength.

His hands were so big that even Austin would have had trouble using the shotgun, which looked like a toy in his hands.

Not only his body, but his face was also covered with scars, thin, small but permanent scars, most of which were small shrapnel wounds.

William knew about the oil crisis of 2035 and the events that almost led to World War III, so he understood that Ed must have been through some tough times.

William simply nodded at what Ed said.

Then Ed turned to everyone and shouted, "Come on, jump in. This old truck has a long way to go." 

Ed then crammed everyone into the truck's bed and inside. Not a single person was left outside. William, however, traveled on top of the truck to protect the team. 

Finally, William noticed that Ed's gaze was different for everyone as he climbed onto the top of the truck. Ed had specifically put Mick, Trudie, Elura, and Austin inside. He offered William a seat inside, but William agreed to stay outside to protect the group.

William smelled something stinky coming from Ed.