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Translator: uly
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Establishing the Base
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"Survival... Growth... And main...?"
I had taken the existence of quests for granted.
After all, in a game-like system like this, quests were par for the course.
But there were only three categories.
One was survival, the second growth, and the third main.
'Survival and growth make sense, but...'
Main quest.
That was the one I was most curious about—and the hardest to predict.
So I tapped on the main quest right away.
Ding.
[ No main quests have been generated yet. ]
"Just the menu, huh..."
I almost felt a bit deflated.
But on second thought, the fact that there was a main quest menu meant one would pop up eventually.
'Maybe I should prepare for it somehow.'
Even at a glance, I was a 24-year-old guy from South Korea.
Games had been such a huge part of my life that they felt like old friends.
That's why I had a good sense of just how important a main quest could be.
But since there was nothing I could do about it right now, I moved on to the others.
I tapped on the survival quest next.
Ding.
[ Survival Quest – 1
Establish a Base
Purchase a base crystal from the shop and designate your base.
Current bases owned: 0/1 ]
"A base?"
I'd figured it would be something like gather water or bring back food.
This was totally out of left field.
"Hmm... Next."
I set the survival quest aside for now and checked the growth quest.
[ Growth Quest – 1
First Step
Acquire virgin's blood.
Virgin's blood acquired: 0/1 ]
"What the hell is this...?"
Virgin's blood?
The first thing that popped into my head—unfairly—was Chae Soo-ah.
She was the woman in my life least connected to the word "virgin," but I'd liked her anyway, and up until a few days ago, I'd been dead certain she was one.
And the next image that came to mind.
The classic fantasy movie scene of a woman sacrificed on an altar.
Fittingly enough, my class was necromancer.
As a dark magic-type job, maybe it grew by offering up virgins as sacrifices.
"But it's not sacrificing—it's blood? Do I have to suck it like a vampire or something?"
Honestly, sucking human blood was obviously repulsive.
Plus, at this point, where the hell was I supposed to find a virgin?
These days, the average age for first experiences among South Korean women was pretty damn young.
And among adults, most had experience.
Hell, in a pandemic like this, asking survivors to find a virgin?
'...This might actually be the hardest one.'
Well, it didn't really matter if it was tough.
In this zombie world, being immune to zombies already made me practically invincible.
Still, just in case, I decided to think about the growth quest later.
I pulled up the survival quest again.
The description said to purchase a base crystal from the shop...
"Huh? W-Wait a sec... Then..."
Excitement hit me as soon as I read it, and I blurted out the command.
"Sh-Shop!"
Ding.
The sound that made my heart race rang in my ears, and a translucent blue window appeared before me.
I frantically scrolled through the shop's inventory.
"Goddamn it, of course. No way it'd have that."
I let out a sigh of disappointment.
What I'd been looking for was survival supplies—nothing modern like guns or food, but basic necessities.
If the shop had raw meat or veggies, that'd be straight-up cheat territory.
Even with a department store full of food, fresh perishables would rot fast. Impossible to stockpile.
So I'd checked the shop half-expecting it...
"But hey... there's some pretty special stuff."
Inside was the base crystal from the quest.
Plus typical game items like potions and elixirs.
"Let's see... Base crystal's 10 points. Potion's 20, elixir 100...?"
Under each item, instead of familiar won, it showed payment in points.
And in the corner of the shop window, my own points.
Exactly 10.
'Just enough for the base crystal.'
No need to agonize over it.
These 10 points were probably a tutorial bonus.
Meant to teach me how the shop works and clear the first survival quest.
I'd earn more points somehow later on.
Ding.
[ Purchased base crystal. ]
[ Base Crystal.
Install at a specific location to set that area as the player's base. ]
'A base, huh.'
The base would be the central hub for all my future activities.
A ton would depend on where I placed it.
History showed as much—it was that crucial, which was why it was a quest.
"No place better than here."
Compared to my old "base" at the university dorm,
This new one was on another level entirely.
Naturally, I chose the B1 basement floor of the department store.
The food section.
Sure, the third-floor bedding area was an option for sleeping and eating.
But if I had to build defenses around the base, it had to be B1.
Now that I'd awakened my powers in this zombie outbreak,
My biggest risk factor was still food.
Decision made, I grabbed the purchased crystal and headed downstairs.
'Just drop it anywhere?'
First time doing this, so I tossed the glowing crystal onto a suitable spot.
W hum.
Instead of hitting the floor, it floated up into the air.
"Whoa, like a superconductor or something."
Zombies were already unreal enough wandering around, but this fantasy crap made it all feel weird.
Really drove home that I'd gotten game powers for real.
[ Base designated.
Base location: S Department Store B1. ]
[ Current base level: Lv-1 ]
"Base levels too?"
I muttered to myself at the floating message.
Yeah, I could kinda guess where this was going.
Survival quest one.
Set up a base.
And bases had levels.
So the next steps were obviously upgrading that level.
Higher levels probably meant better survival odds.
"But how do I level it up?"
I checked the survival quest again.
Now there was a [Complete] button next to it.
I hit it, got the clear notification, and it advanced to the next.
[ Survival Quest – 2
Base Development
Nurture the crystal to strengthen the base.
Current materials needed for crystal growth: dead human corpses.
Corpses: 0/20 ]
This quest was about growing the designated base.
'Yeah, figures.'
The moment I saw base levels, I'd predicted the quests ahead.
But the problem was the growth materials.
'Dead human corpses...'
I glanced around at the zombies scattered everywhere.
Sure, they were moving, but flesh hanging off bones, skin pale—whoever saw them wouldn't call them living humans.
"Let's test it out."
They were just shambling around anyway.
Losing one or two for testing wouldn't hurt.
"Ugh, still kinda gross to touch..."
Even if they posed zero threat to me now.
Broken bones, wounds everywhere, covered in blood.
Eyes rolled back white, skin ice-cold.
And that smell...
'But for the quest...'
I hadn't gotten any real rewards from quests yet.
But they were quests.
If they worked like the games I knew, they'd help me out.
I scanned for the least mangled zombie, one I wouldn't mind touching.
"...Oh!"
And there she was.
A long straight-haired female zombie in a tight white dress smeared with dirt.
The so-called "Dongtan look" zombie.
Big tits too, and her only wound was a bite mark on her calf.
"Huh, bit right at the start and turned quick, huh."
I approached and inspected her body closely.
Tits around an E-cup.
My estimate, anyway.
Never been with a woman, so not exact, but my AV-watching resume said definitely not smaller than E.
"Must've been a total bombshell when alive."
Her face was gorgeous too.
Pale zombie skin showed veins, but pretty eyes, sharp nose.
Her lips looked even redder against the pallor—practically seductive.
Gulp.
Staring at her made me swallow involuntarily.
'No, no... She's a zombie corpse.'
Dark thoughts flickered, but I reined in my sanity.
Horny virgin or not, I didn't have a corpse-fucking fetish.
Still... yeah.
Sniff. Touching's fine.
Squeeze.
"Whoa, doesn't even fit in one hand."
I ducked behind the shambling Dongtan zombie, reached around, and grabbed her massive tits with both hands.
The soft, full sensation filled my palms.
Feeling my pants tent, I swallowed again.
Click.
Jiggle.
Couldn't help it—I unhooked her bra from behind.
Her tits spilled free, swelling even bigger.
I slipped my hands under her dress, caressing the bare skin.
"...Fucking incredible."
Wanted to keep groping forever.
Firm nipples at the center, soft and squishy everywhere else.
I played with her dead tits to my heart's content until I noticed my rock-hard dick, then pulled my hands out.
'Any more and I'll cross the line.'
Might end up losing my V-card to a corpse.
But I didn't want my first time with a cold body.
Now I could find a live survivor and bust a nut whenever I wanted.
"Alright, you let me cop a feel, so as thanks, you'll be my test subject."
Among the zombies around, she was the one I minded touching least.
I took her hand, and she shambled along slowly as I led her.
Dragging the Dongtan zombie to the crystal took no real effort.
Once I had her right in front of it...
"Now what?"
I stared at the glowing crystal hovering in the air.
Maybe get closer? I pressed the zombie right up against it.
Then.
[ Strengthen the crystal? ]
A message popped up.
I hit [Yes] immediately.
W hum.
The crystal started glowing, and the Dongtan zombie in front lit up the same way.
Soon her body broke into particles and got sucked into the crystal.
[ Corpse 1/20 ]
The quest window updated.
"Zombies count too, huh."
Made this quest dead simple.
Human corpses shambling all over the place.
Just gather some and feed 'em to the crystal...
"...Hold up."
There were over a hundred zombies clustered on B1.
I'd been about to feed them all to the crystal.
But then it hit me.
'Won't these zombies stop other survivors from getting in?'
Before my powers, zombies were a huge threat to me.
But now that they couldn't touch me, they doubled as my shield.
In this apocalypse, other survivors were as dangerous as zombies—maybe more.
So I couldn't waste the zombies in this department store on the quest.
They were my guard dogs protecting the precious resources.
Hell, those army guys from the dorm might show up.
...No, they definitely would, for the food.
They'd even used killing me to scout this route.
"Guess I'll have to fetch from outside."
Perfect timing.
I'd scouted the department store enough, and it was time to explore the area.
Downside of department stores: no windows.
Famous sales tactic to manipulate customer psychology—no natural light.
To see outside, I'd have to hit the roof.
"Time for a little outing."
I grabbed a windbreaker and backpack from the clothing section and suited up.
The hood would make me look like just another shambler from a distance.
. . .
Sunlight from the window was the only illumination in the 5-pyeong studio apartment.
Dim and silent,
A woman huddled with her head buried in her knees, holding her breath.
Yoo Ha-yeon.
'...Hungry.'
How long since the zombie outbreak?
She'd been holed up in this room, barely alive.
At first, fear kept her rationing the room's food and hiding.
When the fridge ran dry, she mustered courage to search other rooms.
Luckily, only two zombies in the whole building.
One locked in 302, the other shambling on the first floor.
Easier than expected to search, despite the terror.
She'd scavenged food and water from the other units.
But now that was gone too.
Three days without eating or drinking.
Yoo Ha-yeon's options boiled down to two.
Risk 302, uninvestigated.
Or leave the building for the zombie-infested streets.
She had to choose.
Starving, she did.
'...Scary.'
She chose nothing.
Better to starve than get eaten right now.
No courage to face the 302 zombie.
As hunger and weakness grew, hope of overpowering it faded.
So Yoo Ha-yeon sat in her room like a corpse.
Unable to choose anything.
Just waiting for death.
One more day passed.
Click, click.
[Damn, it's locked.]
Someone appeared at Yoo Ha-yeon's front door.