Surviving the Apocalypse as an All-Time Best Overpowered Necromancer - Chapter 9

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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 9
9. Winter Approaches (3)
“Well, the weather really is nice today.”
The next day, Lee Gang-hyeok started the broadcast he’d skipped yesterday, and as fans began entering, he skipped the greeting and muttered while gazing out the window.
┖ What nonsense is he planning to pull now?
┖ I worry every time.
┖ What if he runs into us outside and gets beaten to death?
┖ Plenty of people want him dead. Me included.
┖ 2222
┖ 33333333
“On a beautiful day like this, surely we should start fresh with a proper morning coffee, don’t you agree? Even the weather would be pleased.”
With that, Lee Gang-hyeok poured hot water from the Coffee Pot connected to the Auxiliary Battery he’d charged the day before into his mug. The chat exploded again.
┖ Where the hell is this bastard getting electricity from? He’s living in a different world.
┖ Solar panels.
┖ Solar panels are really that efficient?
┖ How would I know.
“There are quite a few Solar Panels around my place. I’ve even stripped the wiring from abandoned houses, so I don’t run out of power. As you know, I have plenty of Auxiliary Batteries too.”
The electricity had come from Electric, but he’d said it that way about the Solar Panels nearby just in case anyone found out he’d killed an Awakened.
┖ Isn’t that theft? Is there no owner?
┖ They must’ve all turned into Zombies. Why don’t we have any Solar Panels near our place?
┖ If you did? You’d strip them too?
┖ Owner or no owner, I’d steal the wiring.
Two days ago, people who’d worried about him—were those really the same people now? The language was crude.
Well…….
He understood.
Most of the people in here had started as mockers before becoming fans anyway.
‘Right, they need to vent here so they can be well-behaved outside. I get it all.’
Thinking that he’d saved one more person living somewhere, a stranger whose face he’d never see, Lee Gang-hyeok watched the chat and sipped his coffee.
“Well, I’ve had my coffee. I have a lot to do today, so I’ll end the broadcast here.”
As he said he was ending the broadcast, dozens of chat messages streamed in.
Mostly curses. Or invitations to meet outside.
Interpreting their feelings through such language, Lee Gang-hyeok ended the broadcast with a smile, promising to return next time.
Soon after, he put on his Bone Armor just as he had the day before and left the house.
Creak.
“Hmm.”
Despite opening the door, no Zombies were visible.
Still startled from when he’d opened it the day before, he’d gathered them at a distance from the house.
“Everyone, come here.”
“Uuuurgh.”
As the Zombies responded and approached, Lee Gang-hyeok shook his head.
“Shouldn’t you be bringing the Bone Axes?”
“Guurgh, uuuuurgh…….”
At his words, the Zombies who’d come back turned around to pick up the Bone Axes they’d left on the ground and approached with even slower steps.
Sensing they didn’t feel like working, Lee Gang-hyeok slapped a nearby Zombie on the shoulder and spoke.
Thwack!
“Straighten up! Come on, let’s get some energy going!”
“Uuuurgh…….”
“Sorry about that.”
He’d thought they understood him and told them to get energized.
When the struck area caved in, Lee Gang-hyeok apologized in embarrassment.
“Tsk.”
Though he’d thought broadcasting and interacting with fans eased his loneliness,
deep down, he really did miss people.
The way he treated trained Zombies like people made that clear.
‘But I can’t just hire anyone.’
The more people there were, the less lonely he’d feel, but it also raised the odds of problems.
And that was never good for survival.
Just look at how more than half of the Shelters that had sprouted up over the last six months had failed.
Though admittedly, many Shelters had succeeded in stabilizing too.
“Anyway, let’s go. I have too much to do today.”
“Uuuurgh.”
At his words, the Zombies naturally headed down the stairs.
When he gave orders, they seemed able to read his intentions to some degree.
‘Nice.’
Satisfied, Lee Gang-hyeok went down to the first floor, started the car, connected the Auxiliary Battery he’d brought, then approached the front entrance and surveyed the outside situation.
‘Still plenty of them.’
The street was full of Zombies.
They said 70 percent of people had died and turned into Zombies—looking outside the building, it felt like everyone in the world had become one.
“Tsk.”
He felt an unfounded worry creeping in, but he had to go anyway.
Before going to the Hillside to dig up soil.
He needed to find something to hold the soil, build a field after getting it, and find seeds to plant there—so today’s goal was to go to the nearby Market and gather the necessary items. Then tomorrow he’d head to the Hillside, gather the soil, and build the field.
“First, you—go lure them away a bit.”
“Uuuurgh!”
He didn’t need to fight every Zombie on the street getting to the Market.
Using one Zombie as bait to lure the others elsewhere, Lee Gang-hyeok opened the front entrance and sent the Zombie out.
The Zombie he’d designated headed out into the street, but since he didn’t attack, the others showed little interest.
Even slipping through the gap, they didn’t attack.
After the Zombie had gradually moved away, just before the spot where it had lost control the day before, Lee Gang-hyeok stopped it and immediately gave new orders.
“Attack something nearby, then turn around and keep walking forward without looking back. The rest of you stay put like this.”
As he gave the order to the Zombie next to him, the one that had headed out quickly attacked a nearby Zombie, then spun around and walked forward.
Instantly, the aggro of the Zombies shifted, and those on the street chased after it rapidly.
But their pace was just as slow, so they couldn’t catch the fleeing Zombie that looked only forward and gradually moved farther from the building as they chased.
In that gap, Lee Gang-hyeok escaped the building and headed toward the Market with his Zombies.
A ten-minute walk to the Market.
However many Zombies were along the way, if there were too many to handle, he’d just sacrifice one to lure them far away, same as before.
Except for Electric, they were workforce he could replace anywhere anytime, so there was no reason to worry about wasting them.
“Let’s go.”
After that, keeping alert to his surroundings as he headed for the Market,
suddenly, the growling of his trained Zombies grew louder.
Had they sensed something dangerous?
Feeling unease at their sudden behavior, Lee Gang-hyeok didn’t hesitate for a moment and slipped into a nearby building.
A moment later…….
He witnessed dozens of Zombies pass in front of the building.
They appeared as though someone had drawn their aggro, their aggression heightened.
If he’d kept walking down the street as planned, he would surely have encountered them.
Fortunately, it wasn’t the direction toward home.
He felt lucky for only a moment.
The horde passed by the building where he was hiding.
“!!”
Startled, Lee Gang-hyeok scrambled to hide under a nearby desk far from the door in case the Zombies spotted him.
Thud. Boom.
Screeeech.
Clatter-clatter.
The Zombies made a loud racket as they brushed past the door.
Fortunately, the noise was loud but they didn’t seem to have spotted him.
Not a single Zombie attempted to open the door.
After several minutes had passed,
as the loud sounds from the door faded, Lee Gang-hyeok cautiously peeked out to check the situation, realized the horde had passed, and let out a relieved sigh. Then he thanked the Zombies who’d stayed by his side.
“I’m alive because of you.”
“Uuuurgh.”
Did they understand and approve?
Or were they just growling out of habit?
“Anyway.”
A smile crossed Lee Gang-hyeok’s face, and he decided to be even more careful as he left the building.
Or rather, he grabbed the door to leave, but his hands trembled so much it wouldn’t open easily.
Shaking.
“Damn…….”
It seemed best to calm himself before leaving the building.
In his current state, he didn’t think he could give proper orders to the Zombies, so Lee Gang-hyeok went back into the building, sat down on the floor, and closed his eyes.
* * *
“Wait for now.”
Soon after arriving at the Market, he ordered them to wait rather than enter immediately.
Still shaken from encountering the horde just before, he wanted to survey the interior first.
So Lee Gang-hyeok entered a building at the Market’s entrance and observed the situation inside.
‘Looks like someone just passed through. Did they draw the aggro?’
Seeing a Bicycle abandoned with its wheels still turning, it seemed someone had come to the Market and disturbed the Zombie horde.
‘Thanks to that, it looks like most of the Zombies in the Market got swept up into the horde.’
Relieved that the Zombie numbers weren’t high, he ordered his Zombies to attack.
“Attack.”
“Uuuurgh!”
Crackle.
Crackle-crackle.
The first to respond to his order was none other than Electric.
Perhaps resentful at being excluded from the battle the day before,
as Electric released electricity from its entire body and extended its hand, Spark erupted and engulfed the defenseless Zombies.
“Guuurgh…….”
Crackle-crackle.
As the Zombies struck by Spark fell paralyzed to their knees, those wielding Bone Axes moved in for the attack.
Thwack!
Crunch!
“Guurgh!”
“Uuuuurgh!”
As Zombie heads flew in an instant, the remaining Zombies understood the situation and their aggro shifted, all those in the Market charging toward them.
‘One, two……. Seven.’
Fifteen against seven.
Plenty manageable.
Especially since unlike his trained Zombies gathered together, these Market Zombies approached in a single line.
It was thanks to the street vendor stalls spread across the path.
If he just waited, he could kill them all,
but the horde he’d encountered earlier might return this way.
So Lee Gang-hyeok decided to finish them as quickly as possible, pointed to the just-killed Zombies, and used a skill.
“Bone Tool Crafting! Bone Hoe!”
As he used the skill, a Bone Hoe was crafted from the bodies of the newly dead.
At the same time…….
Tap.
Whoosh—
Crunch!
“Uuurgh.”
As the lead Zombie stepped on the Bone Hoe left on the ground, the handle flew up and slammed hard into its jaw.
The impact sent the Zombie stumbling backward, tangling with those behind it.
The path was already narrow, and as they fell and tangled in front, the unbalanced Zombies fell like dominoes.
“Now!”
“Uuuuurgh!”
At his command, Electric and the other Zombies unleashed a barrage of attacks, and the first battle in the Market ended.
“Good job! Well done.”
Commending the Zombies for their effort, Lee Gang-hyeok quickly searched for the items he needed.
Burlap Sacks to hold soil, various seeds, a Watering Can, and so on.
Once he’d gathered what he needed, he abandoned greed and left the Market without hesitation.
The mere fact that the horde was nearby made him anxious, filling his mind with the need to return home quickly.
On the other hand…….
He thought of whoever had drawn the horde’s aggro and offered them his quiet encouragement.
‘Please…….’
Stay alive until I return.
Only then could he be safe, so Lee Gang-hyeok, having wished luck upon a stranger whose face he’d never know, left the Market.
He didn’t take the path where he’d seen the horde.
Though it was the fastest route home, it could just as easily become a shortcut to the afterlife instead.
So Lee Gang-hyeok took a longer detour through a narrow path barely wide enough for one or two adults, choosing safety over speed toward his house.
Thanks to this, he successfully returned to the building, locked the front gate, sat down far from the windows, and exhaled a breath of relief.
“Damn. Getting soil from a Market that’s practically right next door is this exhausting—when am I supposed to go to the Hillside and dig up soil?”
Even after Awakening, the world outside was still dangerous. If he went to the Hillside like this with no real plan—
‘I can’t dig my own grave with my own hands.’
Thinking that gathering soil would be more like digging his own grave, he looked down at his Bone Armor, nodded as if determined, and made his decision.

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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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