Surviving the Apocalypse as an All-Time Best Overpowered Necromancer - Chapter 1

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 1
1. Survivor of a Ruined World (1)
“That wraps up today’s broadcast. I’ll see you again when the sun rises tomorrow…….”
Just as he was about to end the stream at the usual time, playing the same game as always, a chat message from a viewer with an unfamiliar username caught his eye.
┖ Zombies everywhere in reality, and here you are in your room playing a zombie-hunting game.
┖ ㅋㅋㅋ Welcome, troll.
┖ Go ahead and show us something cool.
┖ Show us what? What could the room-bound warrior possibly brag about?
┖ Brag shot brag shot brag shot!
The moment someone appeared to mock Lee Kang-hyuk, the existing viewers seemed to enjoy it.
The mockery grew fiercer, as if the atmosphere of the room had shifted in an odd direction.
“Ah, looks like the camera angle’s off. Let me adjust it for a moment.”
As Lee Kang-hyuk, who had been about to end the broadcast, shrugged and moved to adjust the webcam position, the chat flooded with enthusiastic messages from the viewers.
The equipment Lee Kang-hyuk owned had come into view on camera.
┖ There we go!
┖ Wow! Brag shot brag shot brag shot brag shot!
┖ What is all that? A Solar Generator? And so many High-Capacity Batteries? This guy’s insane. Who are you? We don’t have nearly that much.
┖ Survivor Kang-hyuk.
┖ Holy shit, you’re crazy. I was wondering how you were even broadcasting with the power out.
Even the person who’d been mocking him seemed stunned and envious as he saw the equipment.
That was enough.
“Well then, the room-bound warrior will be taking his leave. I’ll see you again when the sun rises tomorrow!”
Satisfied now that the mocker’s attitude had shifted, Lee Kang-hyuk ended the stream with a smile.
As the broadcast ended and his own face reflected in the computer screen, Lee Kang-hyuk let out a deep sigh.
“Like I wanted to sit around in my room doing this……. It’s irritating. Winter’s coming soon too—I wonder how much longer I can last like this.”
Though his irritation had subsided somewhat from showing off the equipment he had, the mocking messages kept circling in his mind.
It was frustrating.
But there was nothing he could do about it.
If he didn’t do something like this, he might have lost his mind long ago, locked in this room.
So why not just go outside? Because he lacked the ability to roam freely beyond his door.
That old internet saying someone had mentioned jokingly long ago—Outside the Blanket is Dangerous.
It had become truth: leaving the house as a Non-Awakened Individual without any power was genuinely dangerous.
Just like the chat message from someone whose face he didn’t know.
Because the streets outside were swarming with Zombies.
They had appeared six months ago.
More precisely, they hadn’t suddenly appeared from nowhere—people who had been living normal lives had suddenly transformed into Zombies.
Whether from some mysterious virus spreading.
Or divine judgment, as apocalypse prophets claimed.
For reasons no one knew, nearly 70 percent of the world’s population suddenly stopped breathing and died.
People believed this because the news broadcasts that continued until the power cut out kept repeating it, though no one actually knew the real death toll.
In any case, people were confused as they died without understanding the cause—but then, those thought to be dead suddenly transformed into Zombies and began biting people.
It was the first mutation, and humanity’s first catastrophe.
And yet Lee Kang-hyuk survived.
One might say he was lucky to escape the first mutation.
But surviving the transformed humans for the past six months had been entirely thanks to Lee Kang-hyuk’s ability.
Before the first catastrophe began.
His career had been novelist, apocalypse-game specialist streamer, and YouTuber who purchased and tested survival gear before reviewing it.
So he was knowledgeable, and his home was packed with essentials for survival.
Solar Generator, High-Capacity Battery, Portable Refrigerator, Camping Induction Cooker, and more.
Based on that, he had managed to survive, but his circumstances were quite different from those of other survival-successful people.
Awakening.
Humanity’s second mutation. Just as Zombies had appeared in reality from imagination, people with unprecedented powers awakened appeared across the world.
Strictly speaking, all people who hadn’t transformed into Zombies could be called Semi-Awakened Individuals, but since true awakening was required to use abilities, Semi-Awakened Individuals were called Non-Awakened Individuals.
Anyway.
If Lee Kang-hyuk had succeeded in surviving for the past time through survival knowledge he possessed.
Then the awakened succeeded in surviving based on the power given to them.
The conditions for awakening had not yet been revealed.
From what the awakened had said, they claimed their minds suddenly cleared one day and their power bloomed.
He envied them.
Because they had power to stand against Zombies.
‘If only…….’
If such incredible power manifested in him…….
He’d have the years of experience from making a living with words—he could use it better than almost anyone.
Grrrrowl.
Lee Kang-hyuk, who had grown briefly despondent at someone’s message, felt hunger and shook his head in disbelief as he looked down at his stomach, releasing another long sigh.
“Ah, let’s just eat something.”
Survival Law #1: eat when you can eat.
Since Zombies could attack from anywhere at any time, you had to eat when food was available.
Of course…….
You couldn’t eat too much either.
Doing so could give you stomach pain, preventing you from running far before the Zombies caught you; it could cause drowsiness from postprandial lethargy; and supplies would deplete quickly, so eating just enough to be moderately full was more advantageous for survival.
So Lee Kang-hyuk adhered to the survival laws he’d set down no matter what.
And that was why he’d managed to survive for the past six months.
But…….
Click.
When Lee Kang-hyuk opened the drawer containing his food supplies to fill his stomach, he frowned at the mostly empty space—less than one-fifth full.
“Ugh, I really don’t want to go out today.”
His stockpiled supplies were nearly running out.
He’d kept telling himself he’d go out tomorrow and get supplies, tomorrow for sure, must get them—only to keep putting it off, which had now become a problem.
Still, if he rationed carefully, he could last a week; but if he considered the possibility of not being able to gather food, he had no choice but to go out today.
So perhaps that was why.
Lee Kang-hyuk shifted his gaze from the food drawer to the window outside and shook his head at the Zombies filling the street.
“……They’re really active again today. Why don’t those damn Zombies go somewhere else? What’s there for them to tear into here……? Damn it, is that why they’re here?”
The Zombies visible through the window had gathered to tear into Lee Kang-hyuk.
It wasn’t just a feeling.
Five days ago, the last time he’d gathered supplies, the moment he’d found an untouched restaurant and stepped inside!
An alarm had sounded and Zombies poured in; he’d barely made it home with all his strength, but those that had chased him hadn’t moved elsewhere and were still circling the building.
If he went out like this, he’d likely die.
Even if he got lucky and didn’t get caught and they moved away, something like last time might happen on the way back with supplies.
So he’d need to either move those Zombies elsewhere or deal with them…….
“Is there an awakened person nearby? I hope so……. Should I ask?”
He had to get supplies today, no matter what.
Having made that resolve, he poured water into Cup Ramen and sat on the floor, leaning his back against the sofa.
Then he accessed the Community, the only ability of a Semi-Awakened Individual, and projected it in midair.
This was the ability any person who hadn’t transformed into a Zombie possessed, and the reason they were called Semi-Awakened Individuals.
“Let’s see.”
The moment Lee Kang-hyuk accessed the Community and was checking the bulletin board where the awakened usually posted!
“!!”
Just as countless awakened had described before.
His mind cleared and knowledge he’d never heard of or learned naturally began surfacing.
At the same time…….
A notification—a unique privilege of the awakened—appeared in Lee Kang-hyuk’s vision.
[You have awakened an ability.]
“Huh……. S, Status Window.”
Without warning, having awakened an ability, Lee Kang-hyuk didn’t even think it wasteful that the ramen was boiling over as he opened the Status Window visible only to awakened people.
[Necro Smith] [Level 1]
[Physical Abilities]
– Strength: 10 – Agility: 10
– Endurance: 10 – Magic Power: 10
[Job Trait Abilities]
– Charisma: 5
– Dexterity: 5
[Distributable Points: 0]
[Current Skills]
– Corpse Control
– Flesh Melting
– Undead Creation
– Bone Tool Crafting
– Bone Weapon Crafting
– Bone Armor Crafting
– Bone Accessory Crafting
“Necro…… Smith?”
Based on the knowledge that had seeped into his mind, Lee Kang-hyuk checked the Status Window and tilted his head in surprise, eyes wide.
It was a form of ability he’d never seen before.
‘Two jobs? Or is it one? How is that even possible?’
He was confused.
A power combining two jobs? He’d never heard of such a thing.
Looking at posts the awakened would boast about on the Community, most had a single job.
Warriors and martial artists skilled in close combat based on enhanced bodies were most common, and occasionally there were those who used magic or summoned spirits.
And even…….
There were Necromancers who summoned and controlled the undead, though rare as beans in a drought.
But no one else was both a Necromancer and a craftsperson like him.
‘Like the protagonists in novels often said—did they hide a third of their power?’
Perhaps that was it.
Since only he could see his own awakened power, they might not share it all and instead boasted of the most representative ability on the Community.
‘Well, that’s its own survival strategy. This world doesn’t have only good people.’
Thinking that way made sense, and his head nodded of its own accord. Awakening didn’t make you a saint, after all.
Most people with good nature existed, but there were certainly those without.
Just as there were those who hoped for humanity’s reconstruction based on the Community, there were those who suppressed others with their power or killed people for fun to show off their strength.
If he revealed all his information, he might become their target—so they might have deliberately hidden information. Thinking this way, Lee Kang-hyuk decided to hide his own information too and set about examining the power given to him.
“First……. Corpse Control!”
He safely opened the window and tried using the skill on the Zombies visible below.
Though he’d awakened an ability, he didn’t want to risk his life facing Zombies in an unfamiliar situation, so he wanted to test things as safely as possible—but the moment he used the skill, a notification appeared.
[You are too far from the target.]
[Skill activation fails.]
“……Damn it.”
Seeing the notification that the skill failed because the distance to the Zombie was too great, Lee Kang-hyuk frowned in frustration and sighed again. But he soon understood and nodded.
“Of course……. Unless it’s magic. A mental-type skill used from the 15th floor wouldn’t reach the Zombies on the 1st floor, which is strange anyway.”
Even in games, range existed. To use a skill, the target had to be within range. So failure was natural.
Of course, this world wasn’t inside a game, but since he’d gained abilities like in a game, Lee Kang-hyuk, understanding the situation in a way that made sense to him, found courage and decided to venture outside.
Had it been the old him, he might have hesitated somewhat, but after awakening, he didn’t waver and walked straight toward the front door.
Beeeep.
Click.
Since he’d long since removed the batteries from the Digital Door Lock to prevent Zombies from coming up when opening and closing the door, he heard that sound whenever he used it.
Thanks to that, Lee Kang-hyuk succeeded in opening the door quietly as always, and rather than stepping outside immediately, he discreetly poked his head out to check the Hallway first.
Survival Law #2: carelessness is death.
Since Zombies could emerge from anywhere, even in familiar spaces, you must never let your guard down.
It was no different now that he had power.
In fact, he needed to be even more careful now.
There were quite a few who had died after getting drunk on their newfound power and trying to kill Zombies—if he didn’t want to win the award for worst death this month, it was better to stay cautious as usual rather than reckless.
‘None here.’
Fortunately, there were no Zombies on this floor.
“Grrrrr.”
Thud. Thud.
Creak creak creak.
But growling sounds coming through the Staircase suggested there were Zombies on upper or lower floors.
‘Fortunately, I won’t need to go down to the 1st floor.’
Since this was a moment to verify his power, Lee Kang-hyuk was pleased that he could test his newly acquired skills in a safe place and left his apartment.
“…….”
Whoosh.
He headed toward the Staircase where the sound came from and saw a Zombie half a floor down.
The number was fortunately only one.
And that one was ignoring him, rubbing its body against the window trying to reach a pigeon perched on the sill.
“Grrraaaah.”
Squeak.
Squeak squeak.
The half-melted flesh scraped against wall and glass, making an eerie sound.
At this, Lee Kang-hyuk instinctively raised his Hammer and naturally stepped back.
It was a familiar motion from six months of habit.
But he soon realized things were different and, steadying his breath to calm his mind, stepped forward.
‘I have awakened. I am awakened now. I have awakened. I…….’
There was only one.
Right now, with its attention on the pigeon outside the window!
This was the perfect moment to test his power.
‘Perfect!’
Still, in case there were more Zombies on other floors, Lee Kang-hyuk opened the Fire Extinguisher Box and hid his body behind the door, then focused his mind on the Zombie half a floor below and activated the skill.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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