“Damn it. No time to rest, huh?”
Seonwoo muttered harshly, trying to calm his tense nerves. But his body couldn’t lie—sweat trickled from his forehead down his jawline, revealing just how nervous he was.
Creeeeak!
He carefully opened the door. To his embarrassment, there wasn’t a single zombie in sight—not even an ant. It seemed the makeshift barricade had simply collapsed on its own.
“Hah.”
A hollow laugh escaped him, and as the tension melted away, a wave of fatigue washed over him. The ruckus might have been for nothing, but at least now, it seemed he could sleep soundly.
“Hyaah!”
Swish!
Thud!
A zombie’s head rolled across the floor. Yet, the three zombies surrounding Seonwoo didn’t waver. Instead, they growled and lunged at him aggressively.
“Graaaah!”
They swung their arms at him simultaneously, but Seonwoo didn’t dodge. Instead, he charged straight into their midst.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
It happened in an instant. His fists connected with their heads, leaving no trace of their passage. The zombies’ heads burst like balloons, splattering blood into the air like falling cherry blossoms.
“Damn it! I got it all over me again.”
Seonwoo grumbled as he wiped the blood from his face. Yet, his expression wasn’t one of dismay—it was a grim, satisfied smile. He leaned in and bit into a zombie’s neck, gulping down its thick blood.
Ding!
<Sample No: 27374
Subject: Type C (Offspring of Experiment Subject)
Gender: Male
Age: 10 years
Grade: 74
Infectious: No
Immune: No
Trait: Growth type (DNA modification detected through blood absorption)>
With the 9th floor cleared, it had taken only 14 days—a pace much quicker than expected, thanks to Seonwoo’s increasing strength. He whistled in satisfaction as he reviewed his updated information.
“Grade 74, huh? Well, once I clear the final 10th floor, I’m out of here.”
Despite the final floor looming, he felt no fear. In fact, it all seemed a bit too easy now.
“Am I getting too strong?”
He suppressed a grin from forming on his lips.
Tap! Tap!
Scrape! Scrape!
Seonwoo brushed off the dust on the floor and lay down. This would be his last rest before escaping. Despite the risk, he no longer needed a secure base. Zombies were mere ants to him now.
“Heh, heh.”
He chuckled to himself, eventually drifting off into a peaceful sleep.
Seonwoo had hoped for a dramatic finale, but the 10th floor was eerily quiet.
“Come on! Show yourselves!”
Bored, he cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted. But the only response was silence.
“Ah, whatever.”
Resigned, he continued walking until he encountered a massive door.
[14]
The number 14 was scrawled prominently on the battered door, signifying this was the 14th bunker. Seonwoo eagerly approached, placing his hand on the light seeping through its cracks. A warmth he hadn’t felt in ages greeted him, lifting his spirits.
“So, this is the real world.”
He closed his eyes, savouring the moment. His cheeks flushed with the thrill of stepping into a new world.
“Deep breath in… and out.”
He spread his arms, inhaling deeply, feeling revitalized by the fresh air.
“Coming here was the right choice. Definitely.”
He celebrated himself, rejoicing in the newfound freedom. He shouted, spun around, and blessed his future with joy swelling in his chest. Tears welled up despite his delight.
“Ah, damn it. Tears? Really?”
Suddenly—
Crash!
A massive object hurtled toward him, slamming into the door. It was a crumpled car. Seonwoo lowered his stance, instinctively turning around.
“No way!”
He couldn’t believe his eyes. A colossal zombie, nearly five meters tall, was kicking dust aside as it approached him.
“What the hell is that?”
He scrutinized the grotesque figure. Human faces protruded from its massive body, each one screaming in agony.
“A fusion?”
It looked like multiple zombies had merged into one. As absurd as it seemed, he couldn’t ignore the reality before him. Seonwoo steadied himself, gripping his dagger.
“Doesn’t matter how many combined. I’ll just kill them all.”
With resolve, he charged at the giant zombie. It rampaged, throwing everything in its path, but Seonwoo dodged with ease. At his current Grade 74, with abilities nearly ten times that of an average adult, the zombie’s attacks were like slow-motion.
Swish! Swish!
In an instant, Seonwoo severed two heads from its shoulders. Though powerful, the giant zombie was slow, making it an easy target. He tilted his head, amused at its weakness. Enraged, the giant zombie let out a deafening roar.
“Graaaah!”
Bulge! Bulge!
As it roared, its severed parts began to swell like balloons.
Pop! Pop!
Tear! Tear!
The bulging parts burst, sprouting new zombie heads that oozed a sticky fluid. The grotesque sight made him grimace.
“Regeneration? Fine, let’s see who wins.”
With determination, Seonwoo rushed back into battle. The giant zombie flailed, unable to keep up with his speed.
Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!
This time, he severed the four heads attached to its knees and back.
Seonwoo sneered arrogantly as he glared at the giant zombie.
Bulge! Bulge! Bulge! Bulge!
Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!
Squish! Squish! Squish! Squish!
He thought it would be easy if he overwhelmed it with speed, but that was a mistake.
Its incredible regenerative power.
If the zombie’s heads regenerated at such a rapid pace, there was nothing Seonwoo could do.
“Huuu!”
A sigh escaped Seonwoo’s lips.
The giant zombie wasn’t particularly threatening, but at this rate, the fight would be endless.
“There’s no choice but to go all out.”
Seonwoo twisted his body, loosening each muscle.
He began to bounce on the spot, giving his body rhythm.
As each muscle relaxed, his body felt lighter.
“Let’s finish this in one go.”
He resolved himself.
His plan was to quickly cut off all the zombie’s heads.
If he removed the heads swiftly and attacked the body before it had a chance to regenerate, he believed he had a good chance of winning.
Seonwoo muttered to himself as if reciting a spell, waiting for the right moment to strike.
Whoosh!
Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
It was like fireworks going off.
Every time Seonwoo’s fist grazed the zombie’s head, blood spattered in all directions.
“Hyaaaah!”
Seonwoo lunged at the bulging giant zombie with his whole body.
His torso attack knocked the giant zombie backward.
Without giving it time to regenerate, Seonwoo leaped up and slashed down with his dagger.
“Kiheeek!”
Splurt!
With a loud scream, the giant zombie’s torso split in half.
The giant zombie, hit by the attack, staggered, exposing its inner flesh.
“Just fall already.”
Seonwoo sheathed his dagger, finally catching his breath.
Despite the pain, the giant zombie continued to writhe and scream.
The sound was so grotesque that it sent shivers down his spine.
Even its final struggle was relentless.
“Kee… Kee… Kiheek…”
But that was the end.
As time passed, the giant zombie’s screams gradually subsided.
Seonwoo approached to absorb the giant zombie’s blood.
“Huh?”
He thought the giant zombie was dead.
But as he got closer, he saw the split body writhing and merging back together.
“Persistent thing.”
If this continued, escaping would be the only option.
But running away wouldn’t solve the problem.
What if such a monster emerged into the real world?
The real world would be destroyed.
The grotesque persistence of the giant zombie’s life filled Seonwoo with fear.
“There must be a way.”
He couldn’t just wait for the giant zombie to regenerate.
Seonwoo began to carefully examine every part of the giant zombie’s body for a weakness.
The bulging body.
The split flesh finding its form again through regeneration.
And the hollow inside.
“Hollow? How is this thing moving?”
It made no sense that it could move without any organs.
There must be some power source driving the giant zombie.
Otherwise, such a massive creature couldn’t move.
Realizing this, Seonwoo reached into the giant zombie’s body, searching thoroughly.
“No time. Please! Please!”
Desperation was evident on Seonwoo’s face.
Thump! Thump!
“There it is!”
Deep inside the giant zombie’s body, something wriggled at regular intervals.
Seonwoo dug through the slimy flesh and pulled out the wriggling object.
It seemed to be the power source driving the giant zombie.
Splat!
Seonwoo clenched his fist and crushed it mercilessly.
There was no hesitation.
“Kiheeeeeek!”
The giant zombie’s unsettling scream filled the bunker entrance.
With that final scream, the giant zombie began to collapse.
Parts of it turned brittle and disintegrated into dust.
This was the phenomenon that occurred when a zombie died.
“Now it’s really over.”
As the giant zombie’s death became certain, a cold sweat broke out.
As the sweat dried, a chill settled over him.
Before the giant zombie completely dried up and disappeared, Seonwoo tore off its flesh and sucked the blood.
Crunch!
At that moment, a sharp sensation pricked his heel.
One of the zombie heads regenerated from the giant zombie’s body was still alive.
Startled, Seonwoo stomped on the zombie head.
Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!
He stomped so much that there wasn’t even a trace left, but Seonwoo didn’t stop.
He trembled violently, shouting as he thrashed about.
“Uaaaaah!”
He had been bitten by the zombie.
‘So close. The real world was just within reach.’
In a moment of carelessness, he had lost everything.
Soon, he would undoubtedly turn into a zombie himself.
“Ugh!”
Sure enough, heat surged through his body.
His throat burned, and he struggled to breathe.
‘So this is how it ends…’
Seonwoo thrashed in frustration before finally collapsing to the ground.
