Surviving the Apocalypse as an All-Time Best Overpowered Necromancer - Chapter 13

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

Episode 13
13. Seo Hwa-rin and Seo A-rin (2)
“Sigh.”
As Seo Hwa-rin and Seo A-rin descended, Lee Kang-hyuk exhaled without realizing it.
Judging by their final reaction, they seemed to have made the suggestion in all earnestness.
He understood well enough that if he wanted to recruit Seo A-rin down the road, he needed to build a relationship and establish trust with both of them from now on.
But still.
Without a single lie, he couldn’t bring himself to share a meal with them.
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust them outright, but the very act of eating with someone felt so foreign after such a long time that he feared he’d get indigestion if he tried.
“Ugh, I’ll think about it later. Later.”
For now, just creating the field had exhausted him.
So Lee Kang-hyuk erased the two from his mind and examined the farming Ability Category that the Farmer had activated.
[Ability Category]
[Farming] Level 1 (32.33%)
– Field Plowing
– (Unlock Required)
“So if I raise the proficiency and level up, the next skill gets unlocked?”
It seemed to function independently of his own level.
Moreover, when multiple zombies used a skill rather than just one, the amount of experience gained increased significantly.
‘Since it’s early on, it’s faster than I thought.’
Usually, the experience requirements for pet(?) skills were far more demanding than expected.
But seeing the proficiency already exceed thirty percent made him nod involuntarily.
‘I could hit Level 2 or higher today? That’s dopamine I never anticipated.’
Just as his own level had begun to rise sluggishly, Lee Kang-hyuk, now having something to feel dopamine about, barked out orders.
“Hurry! We need to plow the field hard before the rain comes!”
“Grrraaagh.”
As the order continued, the zombie groaned.
Then Lee Kang-hyuk spoke sternly.
“Kyle, no complaining! Move faster! San-sam, is that supposed to be a field right now? Get focused! Kao, yes! You’re doing great! Everyone, keep it up!”
Following Electric and Farmer, the names he’d given to the other zombies were as follows.
Kyle through Kyle-10, and San-il through San-sam.
The next name in sequence would be San-sa.
Lee Kang-hyuk seemed quite satisfied with those names, grinning widely as he continued shouting.
* * *
[Congratulations. Your Farming level has increased.]
[An ability has been added to ‘Field Plowing’.]
– When an entity with this skill plows a field, the land’s recovery rate accelerates.
[‘Seed Sowing’ skill is now unlocked.]
– When an entity with this skill sows seeds, the growth rate increases.
[‘Growth Acceleration’ skill is now unlocked.]
– By consuming twice the Soil Fertility of a designated field, harvest yield increases by fifty percent.
– This skill can be used freely at the user’s discretion any time after sowing seeds but before sprouts grow.
“What the… Are they telling me to become a farmer? This is insane, absolutely insane.”
After Seed Sowing came Growth Acceleration too.
As the Farming level rose, things multiplied.
But since the zombie game he used to play often also had farming in it,
Lee Kang-hyuk smiled familiarly and swapped out the skills assigned to the zombies.
Each entity could only be assigned one skill at a time.
“Replace Field Plowing with Seed Sowing. Let’s start by sowing some barley in the field.”
Following the order, the zombies began sowing barley seeds.
A moment later.
[Use Growth Acceleration skill?]
The moment the seeds were sown, a notification appeared asking whether to use the Growth Acceleration skill.
“Hmm.”
The fact that it consumed twice the Soil Fertility gave him pause.
But since increased harvest directly translated to survival, Lee Kang-hyuk needed no deliberation—he simply nodded.
[Growth Acceleration skill has been used.]
[Soil Fertility of the designated field will be consumed twofold.]
“Hmm, at this rate, I’d need to push myself and expand the fields more than I have now?”
He knew the theory, but since he’d never actually cultivated a field before, his original plan was to start with one and gradually expand.
But the situation was different now. With farming skills on the zombies, there was no problem with expanding the fields.
The only issue was…
The Rooftop had no more space.
Expanding the fields here could cause the Rooftop to collapse, just as Seo Hwa-rin had worried.
So, believing he needed another location to expand the fields, Lee Kang-hyuk stood by the Rooftop railing and surveyed the surroundings.
Soon he spotted a garden laid out on the rooftop of the Adjacent Building, nodded, and stroked his chin.
‘That building is either 22 or 23 floors high, I think. Either way, at that height, no one can easily reach it.’
The Adjacent Building wasn’t particularly low either.
So creating fields there would likely escape detection by others, but the fact that he’d have to descend all the way to the first floor and then climb up to the 22nd floor was a bottleneck.
‘It would be nice to move more conveniently.’
After pondering briefly, the moment the idea of connecting a bridge at the same level as the Adjacent Building’s rooftop struck him, he immediately rushed downstairs.
The floor at the same height as the Adjacent Building’s rooftop was the 23rd Floor.
Perhaps because of that,
as Lee Kang-hyuk came down to the 23rd Floor and stood at the window looking toward the Adjacent Building, Seo Hwa-rin, who had just stepped outside, approached his side.
Judging by the shopping basket in her hand, she’d been planning to gather some side dishes to go with ramen.
But curiosity seemed to take precedence, as she asked with a puzzled expression.
“Why the Adjacent Building? Is… is someone there?”
Fear could be felt in her expression as she questioned and examined the building. She seemed to be recalling when the shelter had been attacked.
‘It must have been quite a shock.’
Thinking it best to reassure her, Lee Kang-hyuk answered with a smile on his face.
“I was just thinking about creating fields over there too. Of course, if I were alone, one field would be fine, but since you two have come, I think it’d be good to expand the fields just in case food runs short.”
“Ah, food… Is it because of us…?”
At his continued words, Seo Hwa-rin was startled and hid the basket behind her back, lowering her head.
She seemed inwardly embarrassed for being greedy after receiving sufficient food.
“I didn’t mean to burden you—as I mentioned before, I’m simply overly cautious. More food is always better.”
He’d tried to reassure her, but noticing she seemed to have misunderstood his words, Lee Kang-hyuk waved his hand and added more, upon which her expression softened somewhat.
“That puts my mind at ease. Thank you. Still, if you create fields over there, it seems like it would be inconvenient to come and go. Will you be alright?”
She thanked him and asked with concern.
People’s thoughts always seem to run in the same channels, don’t they? Lee Kang-hyuk found himself smiling and gestured toward the building on a whim.
“That’s why I’m thinking of building a bridge connecting to the Adjacent Building over here. What do you think?”
At those words, Seo Hwa-rin suddenly crossed her arms and murmured while peering out the window.
“A bridge? Hmm… It’s true that a bridge would make coming and going convenient, but nothing good comes to mind right now. I can’t lay scaffolding either.”
“Scaffolding?”
At Lee Kang-hyuk’s sudden question, Seo Hwa-rin’s face flushed red.
“Oh! That’s just… a term I used at work. Don’t mind it.”
At that, Lee Kang-hyuk shook his head.
“No, please keep talking. It’s very important to me. You two… Oh! Now that I think about it, I never asked your names. I’m Lee Kang-hyuk. What’s yours?”
Suddenly remembering that he’d never asked their names, Lee Kang-hyuk introduced himself first. Seo Hwa-rin lowered her head and answered quietly.
“…Seo Hwa-rin. My younger sister is Seo A-rin.”
“Seo Hwa-rin. Seo A-rin.”
The moment he heard the names, Lee Kang-hyuk murmured them to himself as if engraving them in his mind. Soon he nodded and continued his questions.
“In your opinion, what would be the best way to install a bridge here? Anything works. Please speak freely.”
“Then, just a moment…”
As the questions continued, Seo Hwa-rin’s heart seemed to stir. She asked him to wait a moment, stroked her chin, and suddenly, as if an idea had struck her, stretched out her hand.
“Hmm… I noticed earlier that the zombies alone can cultivate the fields, so it seems best to connect wooden beams just for the zombies to create a temporary bridge and reinforce it gradually. It would take time, though.”
The explanation was simple, but her fingers moved about as she peered out the window, as if the bridge were already built in her mind. She must have done related work before the disaster struck.
He had no intention of prying into her past.
What mattered now was whether they could build a bridge to connect to the Adjacent Building.
“Can you make it?”
The moment Seo Hwa-rin finished speaking, Lee Kang-hyuk asked eagerly with sparkling eyes.
Though startled by the suddenness, Seo Hwa-rin soon answered carefully.
“Eh? Yes… I, I can make it. If there are enough materials.”
“Then if I bring you the necessary materials, will you build the bridge?”
At his persistent question, she nodded with determination set on her face.
“Since you’ve helped us, I’ll help with what I can.”
Whether it was because an opportunity to repay a debt had arisen,
or because she was doing work similar to what she’d done before the disaster struck,
the stiff, guarded demeanor faded, and seeing the gentle smile blooming across her flushed cheeks, he found himself thinking she was surprisingly charming.
‘Maybe this is her true self.’
Lost in thought, examining her face, when their eyes met, Lee Kang-hyuk smiled out of habit.
It was a habit from his broadcasting days, when he’d smile whenever he had nothing to say.
But in any case, he was pleased that he could expand the fields as planned, so the smile formed without his realizing it.
“Then I’ll need to gather materials for the bridge. Oh! But first, let me bring you some side dishes to go with the ramen. I’ll gather the materials while you’re eating.”
“Eh? Oh! Food… Th-thank you.”
Caught off guard by his actions, Seo Hwa-rin avoided his gaze and stumbled over her words.
Regardless,
Lee Kang-hyuk went downstairs, gathered a few side dishes to go with the ramen, handed them to her, and then stood in front of a nearby house—the closest to where the bridge was to be built—and got to work.
At the same time…
As Seo Hwa-rin was taking longer than expected to return with the food, Seo A-rin became worried and stepped outside.
The moment she saw her sister standing right in front of the entrance, she asked with relief.
“What’s going on?”
“Kang-hyuk said he’s going to create fields on the rooftop of the Adjacent Building, so I agreed to build him a bridge.”
“Huh?”
Seo A-rin, who had never heard Lee Kang-hyuk’s name before, thought “When did the two of them get close enough to call each other by name?” even as she looked at her sister—
The moment Lee Kang-hyuk shouted an order to the zombies.
“Destroy it.”
Whoosh—!
Bang! Crash!
Receiving the order, the zombies instantly smashed the door lock to pieces, yet the door still wouldn’t open.
“Good. Stand back.”
But Lee Kang-hyuk nodded calmly and stepped forward.
And indeed—
To open the door, he needed to unlock the bolt, which had no way of opening with the door lock in place, so he’d destroyed the lock itself.
Thus,
after removing the shattered lock, the hidden bolt came into view, and a growling sound emanated from inside.
There were zombies inside the house.
“Tsk, Electric.”
“Shriek!”
Crackle—!
Lee Kang-hyuk called Electric, and reading his intent, the creature unleashed a spark, attacking the zombie beyond the door.
As a shriek and a thud followed, Lee Kang-hyuk quickly opened the door.
“Go in!”
“Graaaagh!”
Bang! Crash!
Whack.
The zombies surged in, eliminated every potential danger, and once Lee Kang-hyuk felt assured, he stepped inside.
Moving the corpses scattered about the entryway to the side, he entered, and soon smiled with satisfaction.
“There’s more usable material than I expected.”
A shoe rack, wardrobe, sofa, table, dresser, door panels, and more—
Materials for the bridge abounded.
“Is this enough?”
Sensing two presences behind him, Lee Kang-hyuk asked without turning around, and Seo Hwa-rin nodded eagerly, answering powerfully.
“Yes! Let me try building it first, and I’ll let you know if something’s lacking.”
“Understood. Then I’m counting on you.”
At his eager tone, Lee Kang-hyuk smiled, and Seo A-rin narrowed her eyes and laughed with interest.
“Hmm~?”
She seemed to have misunderstood, noting his demeanor had changed considerably from when he’d been talking on the rooftop.
But with his back turned as he surveyed the house, Lee Kang-hyuk didn’t catch her expression.

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