Surviving the Apocalypse as an All-Time Best Overpowered Necromancer - Chapter 4

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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 4
4. Survivor of a Ruined World (4)
Crack!
“Uhhh.”
“Hah.”
After disposing of the last zombie on the floor, Lee Ganghyeok steadied his ragged breathing and gazed out the window.
From this vantage point, the street trees were visible—something he couldn’t see from the higher floors.
Only a few more levels separated him from the lobby.
‘Third floor now, I guess. Going faster than expected. Oh—Points.’
Lee Ganghyeok had been hunting continuously without stopping to distribute Points among his tamed zombies, so now he sank to the floor and invested his Points into Charisma.
Whoosh.
“Gurrrrr.”
Simultaneously, the tamed zombies arranged themselves in a circle around Lee Ganghyeok.
They were protecting him during his rest.
Without him issuing any orders, they moved of their own accord—it seemed the system was designed that way.
‘Is it like automatic commands? If so, that means there are other commands besides this….’
Issuing individual commands was fine, but it was also good to know how the zombies could act on their own in situations where he couldn’t give orders.
But….
‘That’s something to figure out later.’
Looking out the window, the sun was setting.
Once darkness fell, there was no telling when or where a zombie might emerge.
He needed to hurry and clear the interior of the building and secure the food supplies that had been his original goal.
“Ugh.”
Seized by sudden urgency, Lee Ganghyeok groaned and pushed himself to his feet.
At that moment, a sign directing him to the corridor connecting to the adjacent Commercial Complex came into view.
‘Should I check out the Commercial Complex?’
Over the past six months, Lee Ganghyeok had never set foot in the Commercial Complex, only moving between buildings through the residents-only entrance.
There was no particular reason.
The Commercial Complex was infested with zombies.
So he’d never considered going there, instead looting the Restaurant outside the building for supplies.
But now that he had the strength to hunt zombies, clearing the Commercial Complex seemed possible.
Of course, someone else might have already picked it clean.
Every so often on the community boards, posts would appear describing how teams of Awakened hunters had ransacked the stores, Convenience Stores, and large marts in mixed-use complexes like this one—and judging by how often those posts showed up, the chances were high that this building had already been looted.
‘But I should still check.’
Unlike before when he lacked the power to do anything but avoid zombies, he had strength now.
Still, he wasn’t going to rush into the Commercial Complex unprepared.
“Dissolve Flesh! Bone Armor Craft!”
Sizzle.
Thud.
Crack.
Lee Ganghyeok used his skills—Dissolving the flesh of the zombie he’d just killed and crafting armor to wear.
[Insufficient materials for crafting.]
“Hm?”
Unlike when he crafted weapons, the notification said he lacked materials, and Lee Ganghyeok’s brow furrowed involuntarily.
But what could he do about it?
Lee Ganghyeok dissolved another zombie’s flesh and tried using the skill again.
[Here are the craftable items.]
– Bone Armor × 1
“This counts as material?”
Since there was a limit to the materials obtainable from a single corpse, it seemed he needed to gather corpses from multiple zombies to craft anything.
That worked.
“There are plenty of bodies.”
Just from the zombies he’d hunted descending the floors, there were dozens.
That should be enough not only to equip himself but also to arm the tamed zombies.
And the moment he dissolved the flesh of the zombies scattered around and crafted the Bone Armor!
“Nngh.”
Unlike when crafting weapons, he felt a massive amount of Mana being drained away.
When crafting weapons, his Mana consumption was around ten percent—now it was roughly thirty percent?
Even with his Level raised, the cost was enormous.
‘That means it’s worth it, right? Let me check the stats first.’
[Bone Armor]
– Armor crafted using someone’s bones.
– Defense + 2
Having crafted it, Lee Ganghyeok confirmed the armor’s stats and nodded at the Defense increase.
‘Maybe it’s because it has a direct impact on survival? Or maybe it’s durability? Weapons are definitely consumable—if they don’t land a blow, armor rarely breaks…. Either way, if my Defense went up, I should be able to endure the zombies’ attacks.’
He still didn’t know how much Defense +2 amounted to in practical terms.
And crafting a single Bone Armor consumed an enormous amount of Mana—making another would strain him.
Was that why?
Looking at his zombies, Lee Ganghyeok let out a quiet sigh.
“…You lot will just have to go without.”
Lee Ganghyeok had little Mana left after using Dissolve Flesh, and the emptiness grew worse the moment he crafted the armor—so he decided not to equip the zombies.
Crafting armor for them would be less efficient than taming new zombies if these ones fell in battle.
Deciding to wait until his Craftsmanship improved and he could make better armor before equipping his tamed zombies, Lee Ganghyeok donned the freshly crafted Bone Armor and headed toward the Commercial Complex.
Thud. Thud.
When he reached the door connecting to the Commercial Complex, the zombies on the other side of the glass detected him and thrashed against it.
Fortunately, the door opened by pushing from this side, so it didn’t give way.
The glass was reinforced, so it didn’t shatter immediately, but if many more zombies heard the noise and crowded against it, the weight might overcome the glass and break it.
“Can’t have that. Corpse Control!”
To send his tamed zombies through the door, he’d need to push it open—a risky move that could get him swarmed. Instead, he tamed the zombies on the other side of the glass.
It was fortunate he’d raised his Charisma earlier while hunting frantically.
And so….
The zombies he’d just tamed from beyond the door pushed aside the ones targeting Lee Ganghyeok.
The moment space opened up at the door, he immediately pushed it open and sent his zombies through.
“Hah.”
At the same time, Lee Ganghyeok quickly shut the door behind them just in case, then watched the carnage unfold beyond the glass and exhaled in relief.
Moments later.
When the zombies on the other side were wiped out, the familiar notification appeared before his eyes.
[Congratulations. Your Level has increased. All physical abilities rise by 1.]
[You receive 1 distributable Point.]
[This Point can be distributed only to Job Trait Abilities.]
[Consumed Health and Mana are restored.]
“So I’m Level 8 now?”
Feeling considerably better, he raised his Charisma again and surveyed the area.
To be honest, he was shocked.
He’d only Awakened today, and he was already Level 8.
The rapid Level progression meant there had been a staggering number of zombies.
And that meant if he hadn’t Awakened today, he would have gone outside to find food and died at the zombies’ hands.
Honestly, as soon as he’d confirmed the zombie density, he probably would have retreated and called for other Awakened hunters.
But regardless….
‘The heavens helped me.’
The heavens had helped him—there was no other way to explain such fortune.
Awakening at exactly the right time today was proof of that.
‘Anyway, I’ll thank the heavens later. First, let me clear this place and get the supplies, then head back.’
Creak.
Lee Ganghyeok smiled with satisfaction and opened the door.
“!!”
Thud.
The moment his eyes fell upon the gruesome and horrific scene that hadn’t been visible from beyond the door, he panicked and quickly shut it again.
The area was full of partially eaten corpses, apparently from people who’d come to the Commercial Complex for supplies but couldn’t get the door open and fell to the zombies.
‘There are bodies. Then could it be….’
But that wasn’t what shocked Lee Ganghyeok about the half-eaten corpses.
He’d hastily slammed the door shut because he was worried there might be a Mutated Zombie nearby, one that had Awakened by hunting them successfully.
But was his concern unfounded?
He sent his tamed zombies inside to scout, but no Mutated Zombie appeared.
It seemed to have already Awakened and moved elsewhere in search of new prey.
‘Looking at it…. It’s been several months.’
From the state of the corpses, it was clear they’d been left to rot for quite some time—the blood and organs were completely desiccated, and the stench of decay filled the air.
Furthermore, he’d never seen a Mutated Zombie in this area before.
Confident the creature had moved on, Lee Ganghyeok finally entered the Commercial Complex.
‘Still, I shouldn’t let my guard down.’
Perhaps….
The reason he hadn’t seen a Mutated Zombie until now might be because it had been trapped inside here all this time.
Having called the Second Survival Law to mind again, he sent his tamed zombies ahead and slowly made his way deeper into the Commercial Complex.
As if mocking his caution, the third floor of the Commercial Complex was completely empty of zombies.
“SCREEEEE.”
Just as he was thinking how fortunate that was, a growling sound echoed from the floor below.
‘They were all gathered down there.’
The zombies on the third floor had apparently been herding people trying to secure food and cross into the main building, and they’d ended up concentrating on the lower level.
‘Lucky for me. Because of them, I’m alive. Rest easy down there, whoever you were.’
Though unintentional, Lee Ganghyeok had successfully conducted a drive hunt, and after silently wishing peace to those unknown souls, he began checking the nearest Restaurant first.
He planned to examine all the Restaurants on the third floor, and after assessing what he’d found, decide whether to return home or continue hunting.
And so….
After checking the Restaurants on the third floor, the result was!
He could find alcohol and drinks, but no edible food.
Everything had rotted due to the loss of electricity.
Though it wasn’t a complete loss—he’d found large quantities of Sauce in cans. But since he couldn’t fill his stomach with that alone….
Lee Ganghyeok’s attention naturally turned toward the Convenience Store on the first floor of the Commercial Complex.
‘Maybe the Convenience Store has something left?’
It might already be looted, but given that he hadn’t secured proper food yet, he decided to check the Convenience Store too.
‘The time is….’
Lee Ganghyeok looked up at the sky through the window.
The sky was quite yellow.
The sun would set within the hour.
‘Clearing all the zombies inside the Commercial Complex today seems impossible, so I should only deal with the ones in the Emergency Stairs next to the Convenience Store.’
With that decision made, he headed toward the Emergency Stairs door.
“….”
Standing before the Emergency Stairs door, Lee Ganghyeok pressed his ear to it to check if there were zombies beyond, then nodded and arranged his tamed zombies in a single line.
At the same moment….
Crash!
“Now. Attack!”
He flung open the Emergency Stairs door, sent his tamed zombies inside, and immediately shut it again.
Sounds of tumbling and crashing erupted from beyond the door as the zombies engaged in combat.
In fact, responding to Lee Ganghyeok’s voice echoing off the railing, zombies from the second floor were even rushing down.
But that was fine.
The second floor Emergency Stairs door would be locked, just like the one on the third floor.
Unless the zombies suddenly became intelligent enough to open doors, they had no way to join the fight.
Thud.
Thud.
As expected, the sound of bodies slamming against the door confirmed they couldn’t get through. Lee Ganghyeok heaved a sigh of relief and waited for the battle to end, but before long….
His Level rose again, signaling the end of the fight. Satisfied, he opened the Emergency Stairs door.
Creak.
“Wow….”
Opening the door, Lee Ganghyeok was shocked at the sight before him—his mouth fell open.
Zombie corpses packed the Emergency Stairs. There had to be at least twenty of them. And his twelve tamed zombies had defeated them….
‘Equipment really does make a difference.’
Bare-handed versus Axes.
Obviously, the latter would win.
‘Should I invest in Craftsmanship from now on? Or should I build the squad up to twenty zombies?’
He’d learned the importance of equipment, but it wasn’t an urgent matter yet.
Still, since he couldn’t predict when danger might strike….
Lee Ganghyeok decided to make that choice after returning home and immediately headed down to the first floor.
“Hmm….”
Upon entering the Convenience Store, Lee Ganghyeok’s expression darkened at once.
It had been completely looted.
‘Looking at those people who were in front of the third floor entrance, they had quite a lot of stuff.’
Lee Ganghyeok scratched the top of his head as he recalled the Canned Food he’d seen trampled and ruined by the zombies at the third-floor entrance.
‘Was the storage room not looted?’
Suddenly he noticed the storage room door, firmly shut. There were signs of forced entry attempts, but the door remained firmly closed.
Had no one managed to open it, or had someone opened it and closed it again afterward?
The question occupied his mind only briefly.
Looking at the wall above the shelving…
‘The ceiling drawers look intact?’
They looked like walls, but they were actually storage drawers.
Since the only Convenience Store near his home was here, he knew this layout well.
Recalling the store manager opening these drawers and organizing instant noodles, Lee Ganghyeok checked the ceiling drawers before the storage room.

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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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