Transformed into Cosmic Horror in a Sci-Fi Universe – 63
EP.63 Zombie Apocalypse
[Hehehe. Such lovely creatures. Hehe, hehehe.]
[…….]
I had brought her along, but it seemed she wasn’t entirely normal either. She gazed at my elves with a sinister smile. Although her beauty made even that look somewhat glorified, it was honestly a bit frightening. I had thought she might be more normal since she passionately spoke to Nyarlathotep about the importance of life. But then again, I was the crazy one for thinking any outer god could be normal.
Still, she didn’t seem like she would cause any trouble, so I decided to leave her be. More importantly, I had other matters to attend to.
Zombie Apocalypse.
The previous world I created had zombies that were too overpowered. Within just ten years, the world had completely collapsed without any significant resistance. While the ten years leading to the apocalypse were quite entertaining, the story ended with everyone struggling in vain and ultimately dying.
So, I decided to reduce the power of the zombies and recreate the Earth setting with a new zombie virus. Realistically, such a virus is nearly impossible, but the powers of an outer god can make anything possible.
The story of individuals who once lived as mere cogs in the modern societal machine, now becoming autonomous survivors, is something I quite enjoy. Of course, if I were in that situation, I doubt I’d find any beauty in the struggle for survival. Perhaps my empathy has dulled over time, as I no longer feel guilt or remorse over these scenarios.
Have I truly become an outer god in both mind and spirit?
Well… considering I now live as an eternal, immortal outer god, perhaps it’s not something I need to worry about. However, the human heart—losing it completely might make it difficult to enjoy various things as I do now. To live a more enjoyable eternal life, it might be best to maintain some semblance of it.
Is there a way to achieve this?
[Ah, there’s a way.]
It’s simple. To restore the human heart, I need to experience being human. Yes, I will become a human dropped into the apocalypse. I will become a being whose existence ends upon death.
Well… it would still be a clone like Yujin, but the significance lies in experiencing the situation firsthand.
Let’s see… what kind of human should I become? Should I create one from scratch? Or should I possess an existing person? Either way, it sounds fun.
“Huff, huff…! Quickly, come this way!”
“Arghhh!”
“Close the door! Close it now!”
Creaaak—thud!
“Gwaaaah!”
“Gyaaaah!”
Thud! Thud thud thud!
As they shut the door and pushed a desk against it as a barricade, the furious growls of zombies, unable to get in, echoed from outside.
“Phew… we almost died.”
“I’m never going out again….”
“Damn, if we had closed it a second later, they would have gotten in.”
Two men and two women. They were in a multipurpose meeting room in the university library, where they had been studying before the sudden zombie outbreak. After the chaos ensued, they had turned this room into their base.
The four survivors had decided to band together to make it out alive. As part of their survival plan, they had ventured to the convenience store to secure food, but they barely managed to escape with their lives after being spotted by zombies.
“Phew… considering we almost died, we didn’t get much.”
Woo Sungjun, a senior in the Economics Department, was the oldest and the de facto leader of the group. It was his idea to secure food.
“At least we’re alive. If we had been caught, we would have ended up like those things.”
Park Hyunmin, a sophomore in the Department of Physical Education, was a sturdy man with a strong build. As a member of the Physical Education Department, he was very respectful and obedient to his senior, Woo Sungjun.
“Thank goodness you made it back safely.”
Lee Minyoung, a freshman in the Department of Food and Nutrition, expressed her relief.
Lee Minyoung had a very timid personality. Despite her pretty appearance, her shyness meant she had few friends. Even within the group of four survivors, she was the quietest. She never volunteered to do anything but couldn’t refuse when asked.
“If it looked like you were going to be late, you should have just left it and come back. Damn it, we almost all died.”
The last member was Son Yoojung, a sophomore in the Department of Physical Therapy. She had a typical villainous personality, always complaining and refusing to do anything dangerous. Her appearance was flashy, but without makeup, she was quite ordinary.
“Hey. Sungjun and I risked our lives to get this food, and that’s what you have to say?”
“Damn it, you barely got any food, and you’re acting all high and mighty. What if we all died because of that?”
“What? I let it slide when you said you wouldn’t do anything dangerous because you’re a girl, but that attitude towards people who risked their lives to get food is unacceptable!”
As Son Yoojung and Park Hyunmin started to growl at each other, Woo Sungjun stepped in between them.
“Come on, let’s not fight. This isn’t the time for us to be fighting among ourselves. Let’s eat first. Everyone’s probably on edge because they’re hungry.”
“Tch.”
“Hmph.”
With Woo Sungjun mediating, the two finally calmed down and began to eat the snacks they had brought back from the convenience store.
“Ugh, even the stuff we brought back is just junk food.”
“That damn girl…”
Just as the two were about to start fighting again, a loud crash interrupted them.
Crash!
“Uwooooh!”
“Graaah!”
“Gyaaah!”
“?!”
The sudden noise of something collapsing and the excited growls of zombies rushing in filled the air. The group tensed up immediately, their brief moment of calm shattered.
Suddenly, a voice came from outside the door.
“The zombies have all been lured to the other side. Please open the door quickly.”
“…??”
It was a human voice, seemingly male.
“Who are you?”
Given the situation, Woo Sungjun didn’t open the door immediately and asked cautiously. There was a chance that the person might be trying to steal the little food they had managed to gather.
“My name is Kim Jiwoong. I have no intention of harming you. I’ve brought a lot of food with me.”
As he spoke, a man showed his face through the glass window of the multipurpose meeting room, along with a bag full of food.
“With this much food, you don’t have to worry about me trying to steal yours, right?”
“…….”
Seeing this, Woo Sungjun glanced at the others, seeking their opinions.
“If he seems suspicious, I’ll take him down.”
“With that much food, why would he try to steal ours? If that was his intention, it would have been better for him to hide alone with all that food.”
“I-I think it’s okay.”
Everyone was hungry and their food supply was running low, so they unanimously agreed to let him in. They probably also thought that, as a fellow student, he wouldn’t harm them.
“Alright.”
As the door opened, they saw the zombies outside, drawn to the collapsed bookshelf that Kim Jiwoong had used to divert their attention. Bringing so much food and managing to lure the zombies away showed that he had excellent survival skills.
‘If he joins us, he’ll be a great asset.’
“Nice to meet you. I’m Woo Sungjun, a senior in the Economics Department.”
Woo Sungjun thought this as he greeted Kim Jiwoong.
“Yes, nice to meet you. I’m Kim Jiwoong, a junior in the Department of Chemical Engineering.”
“This is Park Hyunmin, Lee Minyoung, and Son Yoojung.”
“Nice to meet you.”
After the brief introductions, Woo Sungjun asked Kim Jiwoong why he had sought them out.
“With that much food, you could have survived alone for quite a while. Why did you come to find us? And how did you know we were here?”
“Oh, that’s….”
Kim Jiwoong explained the situation. He had been nearby when Woo Sungjun and Park Hyunmin went to the convenience store for food. Thanks to them drawing the zombies’ attention, he was able to gather a lot of food. Feeling guilty about keeping it all to himself, he decided to join them.
“Well, I also didn’t want to be alone in such a dangerous situation.”
“I see.”
The group found his explanation reasonable. They were pleased that he wanted to join them rather than just share the food. Woo Sungjun assessed that Kim Jiwoong had high survival skills.
“So, that means we have a share in that food too.”
“Hey, Son Yoojung!”
“What? Am I wrong?”
Once again, Son Yoojung’s rude remark almost led to a fight with Park Hyunmin.
“Haha, everyone seems on edge because they’re hungry. Let’s eat first and then talk.”
Kim Jiwoong smoothly mediated between the two, calming the situation.
‘I like him more and more.’
‘He seems like a good person.’
Everyone thought this as they accepted Kim Jiwoong into their group. Meanwhile, amidst the group’s acceptance,
‘Hehehe.’
Kim Jiwoong had a mysterious, subtle smile on his face.