Surviving the Apocalypse as an All-Time Best Overpowered Necromancer - Chapter 8

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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 8
8. Winter Approaches (2)
Screeeech.
“…….”
After organizing the entire first floor and descending into the Underground Parking Lot, Lee Ganghyeok closed the emergency door he’d opened and shook his head.
Unlike the ground level, which had been reasonably bright while the sun was up, the Underground Parking Lot was pitch-black, as though the Demon King himself had descended upon it.
He’d brought a Lamp just in case, but it couldn’t illuminate the entire dim Underground Parking Lot.
Survival Law #9: No matter how familiar a path, never venture into places without light.
“There’s no helping it.”
He’d abandon the Underground Parking Lot for now.
Besides, with the emergency door sealed, the creatures below wouldn’t make their way up.
When he eventually acquired the means to illuminate the Underground Parking Lot completely.
Lee Ganghyeok, having decided to deal with the zombies down there later, turned back without hesitation.
There were plenty of Car Batteries scattered outside the building anyway.
There was no need to recklessly push forward.
The problem was, however…….
He needed to charge a Car Battery using Electric, connect it to a vehicle to start the engine, and then charge an Auxiliary Battery with it—but the moment the engine started, he’d draw the attention of nearby zombies.
Because of that concern, Lee Ganghyeok, who’d planned to clean out the Underground Parking Lot and then conduct his experiment in peace, sighed and headed toward the restaurant on the third floor of the Commercial Building.
Soon after, while resting and drinking some beverages he hadn’t yet moved to his home.
“Ah!”
A thought suddenly struck him: what if he pulled a vehicle from outside into the building?
‘If I open all the main entrances of this building, a Compact Car should fit just fine, no?’
It wasn’t a bad idea.
Using the fact that zombies he’d tamed didn’t attack him, and that other zombies wouldn’t attack either if they didn’t see him being attacked, it seemed entirely possible.
He didn’t need many.
Just one.
Right now he was at the experimental stage of obtaining electricity stably using Electric, so he didn’t need many vehicles yet.
Of course…….
After the experiment succeeded, he’d need plenty.
“Anyway, one’s enough for now. What are you all doing? Let’s get to work!”
“Grrreee…….”
As Lee Ganghyeok urged them on, the zombies made their characteristic cries and moved sluggishly.
The sight was something like.
They seemed to be dragging their feet, as if to say, ‘I have to work even though I’m dead!’
“What? If you’re unhappy about it, come back to life then.”
“Grruk.”
“Grrreee.”
When Lee Ganghyeok, feeling vaguely guilty, made that comment, the zombies’ movements quickened.
‘Could it be these things actually understand what I’m saying?’
All of a sudden that seemed suspicious.
“Well.”
But since it wouldn’t change anything either way, Lee Ganghyeok laughed and shrugged.
‘Let me see…….’
Descending to the first-floor Lobby with the zombies, he checked the situation outside first.
He was anxious about the same thing happening as yesterday.
“Phew.”
Fortunately, outside the building was peaceful.
Though calling a place crawling with zombies “peaceful” was rather funny.
Reassured that there didn’t seem to be any Awakened Ones nearby, Lee Ganghyeok turned to the zombies and pointed at a Compact Car close by.
“Bring it.”
“Grruk…….”
“Grrrrrrgh.”
The zombies, shuffling sluggishly out of the building, brought the Compact Car as ordered, and he immediately opened all the main entrance doors.
Subtly hiding himself so as not to be spotted by the external zombies, the moment the zombies carrying the Compact Car entered, he closed and locked the doors.
“Leave it in there. Out of sight from outside.”
“Graaaaah!”
“Gaag…….”
“Guh, d-d-d-drag.”
Finding it absurd that they seemed annoyed at his follow-up command, Lee Ganghyeok stared at them, and only then did the zombies begin to move.
“Tsk, thanks for your work. All of you rest now. Electric, you stand right over there.”
“Grrreee.”
Though he told them to rest, the zombies took their positions surrounding Lee Ganghyeok, much as they had on the third floor the day before.
“Well then.”
Reassured by their presence, Lee Ganghyeok inspected the interior of the Compact Car the zombies had brought.
“Oh!”
Fortunately, the keys were in the ignition. It seemed the driver had abandoned them in a hurry while fleeing from a zombie encounter.
“Why’s my luck been so good lately?”
A smile bloomed naturally.
Awakening, for one.
Obtaining food, for another.
And getting Electric as well.
Everything that had happened in the last day or two felt like compensation for all the misfortune before.
‘Was my failed novel back then meant to lead to this day?’
Assigning meaning to something that failed due to his own lack of skill, Lee Ganghyeok’s mouth went dry. He scratched his cheek and clicked his tongue.
“Tsk.”
He then opened the car hood to check the battery and gave Electric an order.
“Electric, place your hand here and emit electricity as gently as possible.”
“Grruk…….”
Crackle, crackling.
Whirrrr.
“Hmm.”
Somehow the sound of the electricity Electric was emitting seemed faint.
Was it because he’d told it to go gently?
Was the charging actually happening right now?
“Keep maintaining it.”
“Grrruuk.”
Having said that, Lee Ganghyeok immediately tried to start the engine.
Click. Click. Click.
It seemed like it might turn over, but the engine never actually caught.
The Car Battery was definitely drained.
‘Now I just need to match the charging voltage…….’
Just as Lee Ganghyeok thought to increase the amount of power Electric was outputting!
Crackle, whirrrr.
The sound of the electricity Electric was emitting changed.
“Huh?”
Confusion filled him at the sudden change.
But unlike before when he’d doubted whether charging was happening, he now felt certain the battery was definitely being charged.
Perhaps because of that.
Lee Ganghyeok tried to start the engine as if entranced.
Click. Tick-click.
Crackle, whirrrrgh.
Vroooom, crackle.
Vrrrrrooom!
“!!”
As if answering his faith, the engine caught and the vehicle began to vibrate.
‘The zombies?’
The instant the engine started, he checked through the window.
Still peaceful.
The car was positioned deep inside the Lobby, and with all the windows including the main doors shut, the engine noise hadn’t leaked outside.
“Good. Keep outputting electricity.”
“Grrreeeruuk!”
Like the rumbling vehicle, Electric’s growl grew louder on its own.
Was it resonating with the Car Battery?
He wasn’t sure.
But seeing the amount of power Electric was outputting change when the engine started, it seemed to be the case.
“Well, never mind that! There’s no time to stand around!”
The experiment had succeeded, and satisfied, Lee Ganghyeok connected the Auxiliary Battery he’d brought to the vehicle with a smile on his face.
‘Charging is…….’
Going incredibly well.
“Excellent!”
Crunch!
Seeing the charging indicator light up on the Auxiliary Battery’s display, Lee Ganghyeok clenched his fist.
Now he had a means to obtain electricity beyond the Solar Generator.
Right now it was just one vehicle, but if he worked diligently before winter came, couldn’t he fill the entire Lobby with them?
Of course…….
He’d need to manage the number carefully so he didn’t attract the zombies’ attention.
‘If we then finish cleaning out the Underground Parking Lot? Then I could use electricity freely without worrying too much.’
Before winter came, he’d solved his primary challenge: securing sufficient electricity.
Now what remained was…….
Food.
Not the processed foods—Instant Noodles, Canned Tuna, Jerky—he’d obtained yesterday, but fresh vegetables and fruit.
With winter nearly upon him right now, he couldn’t cultivate vegetables and fruit.
But there was one thing.
There was a crop he could plant at this time of year.
Barley, specifically.
Looking at the information table he’d compiled while writing an Apocalypse novel, Barley planted at this time could be harvested around May.
After harvesting the Barley, if he then planted Corn, by the time he needed to plant Barley again, the Corn would be fully grown.
By repeating this cycle annually, he could obtain sufficient Barley and Corn.
‘The problem is figuring out where to make this field…….’
His original plan had been to create a Barley field on the Rooftop.
It had advantages: it was safe, easy to manage, and insects wouldn’t infest it easily.
But managing the soil was difficult, watering the crops was hard, and there could be problems like the Corn stalks snapping in summer storms.
“Hmm, thanks to those guys, it doesn’t matter whether it’s outside or inside the building…….”
Stroking his chin as he paused to think, survival laws suddenly scrolled through his mind.
Survival Law #2: Carelessness is death.
Survival Law #4: Always watch your back.
Survival Law #10: All future decisions prioritize safety above all else.
“……I’ll build it on the Rooftop.”
Decision made.
He’d create the field on the Rooftop as originally planned. That was the safest way.
Moving soil to form the field, drawing water from the river—with zombies at his command, none of it would be difficult.
“A very useful ability indeed.”
He had laborers aplenty to work in his stead. Lee Ganghyeok gazed at the zombies surrounding him and smiled contentedly.
“Grruk…….”
Thud.
At the same moment, Electric’s Core seemed to have exhausted itself, and the creature collapsed to the ground.
Because Lee Ganghyeok hadn’t told it to remove its hand, it had continued outputting electricity without rest until the Car Battery was fully charged.
He’d done this to gauge the limits of the Core.
Satisfied, Lee Ganghyeok instinctively reached out to praise the hardworking Electric by stroking its head.
But seeing Electric’s head, which had turned bloody from the attack the day before, he laughed awkwardly and simply extended his thumb instead.
“You, you did well. Rest now too.”
“Grrruuk…….”
Whether because its Core had run dry unlike the other zombies.
Or because it was simply obeying orders.
Electric didn’t even think about standing, remaining collapsed on the ground.
“Tsk.”
For some reason the image reminded him of Electric’s former arrogance, but since it had indeed worked hard, he let it slide.
“Come to think of it, I should also test how far away it can maintain control.”
To build a field on the Rooftop, he’d need enormous amounts of soil. But the only place nearby where he could obtain soil was the Nearby Mountain.
He’d have to go along and gather soil himself.
Or he could sit here comfortably and just send the zombies.
Opening the main doors to conduct the test, Lee Ganghyeok spoke to the zombie with the most severe wounds.
“You, walk along this path for a while.”
“Grruk!”
For some reason it seemed to like being told to go.
Thinking it was just his imagination, Lee Ganghyeok watched the zombie grow gradually distant.
How far had it walked?
The zombie’s control signal suddenly vanished.
‘The distance is…….’
Roughly fifty meters.
Shorter than expected.
‘That’s about fifteen to twenty stories worth? So either way, I’ll have to go all the way to the mountain.’
He’d have to go himself and gather the soil.
Worry came first, but the future was more important.
Most food products were already past their expiration date or nearly spoiled.
Even the edible Instant Noodles and Canned Tuna had limited quantities available in stores, and as time passed, they’d become as hard to find as stars in the sky.
Before that happened, he needed to establish a stable method of obtaining food to survive much longer.
‘I need to gather soil, find seeds, acquire farming tools…….’
Realizing up to that point, Lee Ganghyeok recalled that among his skills was Bone Tool Crafting and used the skill on the zombies he hadn’t yet organized.
“Bone Tool Crafting!”
[You have sufficient materials for crafting.]
[Here is the list of items you can craft.]
– Bone Shovel × 30
– Bone Pickaxe × 30
– Bone Hoe × 30
– Bone Rake × 40
– Bone Hammer × 35
“This should be enough.”
Just the ones that had tumbled down the stairs gave him this much.
More than enough, even overflowing with what he could craft, Lee Ganghyeok was satisfied and began crafting Bone Shovels for the zombies to use.
“It’s similar to weapons.”
Fortunately, the mana consumed was barely different from when he crafted weapons.
Having worried that the mana drain might be similar to crafting armor since these were survival tools, Lee Ganghyeok was relieved and proceeded with the crafting.

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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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